"I Bully You Because I love you"

“I BULLY YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU” – this is what I overheard my older son saying to my younger son one day about a year ago.  Basically, Christian, my oldest, was explaining to my then 9 year old, that he was giving his younger brother a hard time because the Little Guy was so nice and so sweet that he would be easy pickins’ for bullies.  Unless his older brother “prepped” him first. I’m not talking about anything physical, my kids don’t get into fist fights (yet), but there’s plenty of “jawin’” as my grandmother would call it.

Some psychologists talk about “Sibling Bullying”.  I’m pretty well trained, as a former Law Guardian, and a current Family Law Attorney and Family Mediator, and I officially deem it Sibling Rivalry, the same age-old bickering that has long been a rite of passage for all siblings.

I found my older son’s “strategy” interesting.  Of course, I’m not sure if Christian thought his brother would be attending Cooley High some day (very old after-school special reference for those 40 and over).  In fact, they attend a very peaceful Catholic School, where everyone gets along and is not even a little bit like my public school experience.  To date, our only experience with “bullying” was with a large girl in pre-K who was constantly knocking Christian down.  And who said to the pre-K teacher, “but how else am I supposed to show him that I like him?”  Yeah, we’re sheltered at our parochial school.

I have always thought of Christian as the “Alpha,” the born leader, the one who is so driven to lead and to win that it’s almost a character flaw.  Michael has always been the sweet one, with the chubby cheeks and the cherub-like disposition.

Christian was always a natural in the coxy (coxswain)  seat at rowing. (SEE BELOW FOR DEFINITION OF ''COXSWAIN"). He was coxy for much older high school boys and motivated them to many a win, some of the championships, starting at the age of 10.  And just when he was converting from coxy to rower, he kind of jumped ship and went off to pursue football and basketball.

Michael has been sculling and coxying for the Newburgh Rowing Club since he was 8.  He can now scull in a single, double or quad and sweep in a large crew shell, as well as be a coxswain.  He was one of the original summer campers in 2012, and he returned to Newburgh Rowing summer camp in 2013 and again this year, when he was put into the “most experienced” group of summer campers.  That kid rowed more in 4 weeks of summer camp than some kids row all season.

But I was still in protective – OK, I’ll say it OVERprotective mode – coming down at lunchtime every day as I did when he was 8 years old, to sunscreen him and check on him.
If Big Coach and I are there at the same time, I go out in the motorboat with him, it’s kind of our thing.  He took me out one day and I watched Michael sculling in a middle school quad.  And he took me out this week and I watched Michael as a coxswain of an 8+.

While he was coxy, he lost his voice from yelling so much.  I heard one of the youngsters in the boat say, “Hey coxy, speak up I can’t hear you,” -- just your generic good natured teasing.  I of course, wanted to swim out and hug Michael and tell him it was Okay, teasing is a part of life, and Mommy would …

“Hey, why don’t you zip it, 4-seat.  Actually, why don’t you just learn to feather your oar so you can stop catching crabs so much,” said Michael, “then I won’t have to yell and I wouldn’t have to lose my voice.  Now sit ready and get ready for a hard 10!”

I looked at Big Coach, my mouth hanging open.  “Oh wait, you didn’t know Michael is an even tougher coxy than your other son?” he said.  No, I thought Michael was a sweet little cherub who would fall to pieces and cry if criticized.  At that, Big Coach started laughing so hard he had to put his megaphone down.

“Oh my gosh – he is the toughest coxy in Summer Camp,” said Coach Kennedy. “When we had the battle of the genders, the girls’ boat was winning for 90% of the race, and Michael started yelling at the boys, ‘Get your oars moving, what’s the matter with you, we are not going to let a bunch of girls beat us!’”

“Wait,” I said, “My Michael said that?  Michael LoBiondo?”

“Oh yes,” said Big Coach.  “I mean, he gets so caught up in his speeches that he forgets to use the rudder sometimes -- but you know, he’s only 10.  This kid’s going to tear up the water.  He’s a natural coxswain and a natural rower, just give it some time.”

“So he doesn’t get bullied?” I ventured.
“Are you kidding me?” said Big Coach, “are you that out of touch with your kids?”

Well, you could call it out of touch.  You could also call it pleasantly surprised.  So maybe, just maybe, Christian’s strategy worked.  Perhaps he toughened up his little brother a little bit.
But in the end, it is that all important coxy seat, showing you what your kid is made of.  It has been said about Football:  Football doesn’t build character, it reveals character.  That is how I feel about the 9th seat (where the coxswain sits).  It doesn’t build character but instead reveals it.

I guess you could say the same thing about Sibling Rivalry.

Have a great day, everyone, wish us luck as the Newburgh Rowing Club provides a kayak escort for the swimmers at the Great Newburgh to Beacon Swim to benefit River Pool today, Splash In is at Unico Park at 12:35 pm.  And, as always, remember to Count Your Blessings! <3 Mrs. Lo
(Photo of the LoBiondo Boys in Maine, 2007).  For more of the Mrs. Lo Blog, go to www.LoBiondoPage.Blogspot.com.
COXSWAIN:  From Urban Dictionary:
"characteristics of the coxswain:
-stands around 5 ft 2 in
-weighs no more than 110 lbs.
-directs and steers the boat for crew
-sits normally in the stern but in certain 4 person crews in the bow
-has a voice that can be heard for miles
-is seen toting around water bottles, shoes, socks, and the ever popular cox box "
-has a mysterious tan line in the middle of his or her forehead from the strap attached to the microphone on the cox box
-upon winning a race, the coxswain is thrown into the (often very dirty) water
-he or she is in charge of directing practices, calling races, and making certain that the $30,000 boat does not hit any other objects such as a bridge, floating log, another boat, or a dock

Common calls of the coxswain:
-"LET IT RUN" (used to stop the boat)
-"WEIGH 'NUFF" (used to stop the boat)
-"PORT/STARBOARD PRESSURE" (to direct the boat)
-"POWER TEN in TWO, ONE, TWO" (used in races to make the boat go faster, often at the dismay of the crew)
and the ever popular:
-"HOLY &*^#, CHECK IT DOWN, WERE ABOUT TO HIT THAT BRIDGE" (self explanatory)
Man...that coxswain sure is tiny but she has a very loud mouth, her crew wouldn't be able to survive without her."

Photo Blog of our Maine Vacation 2014

Maine is known as "vacation land," and for good reason. It is a vast, friendly state, which is easily accessible and has more than 3000 miles of coastline, together with what seems like endless ports and villages to frequent, along with clean campgrounds and beautiful state parks.

We just finished a 10 day vacation in Maine; it was our 15th summer in a row going to Maine. Here's a photo from an early vacation:

I believe that was 2006.  Here's a recap of Vacation 2014.

Days One and Two:  we started out our vaca with a two-day stay at a hotel in Saco, Maine.  From there, we spent our time at Old Orchard Beach. We let our 10-year-old pick the very first place we would visit. If you've got kids that age you may have guessed it:

Yup, Our first stop was miniature golf at the Pirates Cove in Old Orchard Beach, which we would all highly recommend.

It was a little pricey but they did let us keep our car parked there all day, thus  avoiding the expensive daily parking fees at the Orchard Beach Boardwalk. People either love boardwalks or find them a little seedy.  We fall into the former category. The Old Orchard Beach boardwalk is very clean as boardwalks go -- and family-friendly. It has just the right amount of thrill rides, kiddy rides, overpriced corndogs, and games of chance. I will say that it was way easier to win the games of chance here than at any other boardwalk or County fair we have been to. Just what we needed: more stuffed animals.

For the next week, we rented a house in the Kennebunkport, Maine area with a private beach. If it is within your budget, I would highly recommend looking into house rentals or cottage rentals.  If you have a family of four or more and you're going to stay in this area for a week or more, you should check it out.  When you price out the hotel to house rental ratio, you can judge for yourself which works best.

Day 3: the first thing we did in Kennebunkport was hit the beach and then go to our favorite restaurant, Bartleys Dockside, in the village of Kennebunkport, for lunch.  The village is filled with beautiful shops, from the Christmas shop to the candy shop, to boutiques filled with jewelry, apparel, artwork, toys, and beach decor.

I love renting a house on the beach. The very best part of every day was waking up to the beautiful sunrise from our back deck and enjoying a cup of blueberry coffee on the deck.

There are several beaches in Kennebunkportport: Goose Rocks Beach, Gooches Beach, Cleves beach, the tiny but beautiful Colony Beach, Middle Beach, and our favorite -- Mother's Beach (So named because of the playground and the fact that you can see your kids no matter where you yourself).  We also spent a good deal of time in Biddeford, slightly north, at Fortunes Rock Beach and Biddeford Pool (which ironically, is not a pool but a beach surrounded by a bay).

Day four: we went to Mass at the lovely St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunkport. There is also a beautiful garden there, which is open to the public with walking trails and a gift shop which benefits the monastery. The Franciscans also operate a guesthouse which is open to the public and, while quite sparse, is very affordable.

 

Days five and six were all beach days filled with swimming, boogie boarding, fishing, playing Frisbee and beach football, body surfing, picnicking at the beach, taking long walks (Fortune Rocks Beach is our favorite for long walks -- it's 2 miles from point to point, making for a round-trip Beach walk of 4 miles) and generally enjoying Beach life.

Day seven was my birthday and my family asked me what I wanted for my birthday -- and what I wanted to do that day.  The answer to that one was easy. Nothing and nothing. I already have everything I could ask for, being here at the beach in Maine.  All I wanted to do was read my Nook on the beach and watch my kids playing in the sand, which is exactly what we did. 

 For my birthday dinner, our family went into the village of Kennebunkport and I chose my favorite restaurant, Bartleys again, for my birthday dinner. I had the lazy man's lobster, which means they take the lobster out of the shell for you --and the rest of the family enjoyed the other house specialties which are the lobster, lobster bisque, lobster roll, and clam chowder.  Yes, they do have land lubber food for people like my youngest son who is allergic to seafood.  There's only one thing on the dessert menu, Mrs. B's famous homemade blueberry pie, which is not to be missed!

 Kennebunkport is probably best known as home of the Bush families' summer estate at Walker's Point.  There is a connection between the owners of Bartleys dockside restaurant and the Bush family; it is said to be the Bushes' favorite restaurant in town. Hence, there are decades worth of Bush memorabilia and photos signed by both presidents throughout the restaurant

Days Eight and Nine were spent -- not surprisingly -- at the beach. We also went on our third annual kayak adventure with Coastal Maine Kayak, which is based in the village of Kennebunkport. I would highly recommend this tour. They also rent kayaks if you know the area well. It's nice to go with the guide simply because they take care of everything from watching the tides for you to keeping you in the boat channels to trailering the kayaks and oars and giving you a little history lesson as you go out. 

We again chose the Cape porpoise tour in which you launch from Cape porpoise, paddle around -- you might go out on the Atlantic Ocean -- and then paddle out to goats head Island, home of an allegedly haunted lighthouse but beautiful nonetheless, which is only accessible by boat. The only inhabitants are the family of the keeper of the lighthouse .There we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch and after that paddled back to Cape porpoise.  It's about 16 miles roundtrip.

Eventually, we had to wrap up another idyllic 10 days in Maine by packing up our rental house and hitting the road. One thing about a rental house -- you do have to clean the house before you leave, wash all the towels and linens that you used, and put some elbow grease into it before you pack up -- it's not like checking out of a hotel. It is however, in our opinion, eminently worth it. We pretty much pretend we live here and only ventured out a couple of times to eat out at restaurants; we grilled right here at the house and did all of our cooking and meals here at the house, which is not only fun but budget friendly. We were paying for a house with a private beach why would we ever leave?

All in all, we were blessed with great weather, a staff that can run our law firm while we're away, and a simply great family. Once again, for the 15th year in a row, we had a truly magical 10 days here in Maine. I could not think of a better nickname for this State than "vacationland". If you're ever looking to plan a fun and active vacation, please consider the great state of Maine. Have a great day everyone and as always, remember to count your blessings!  <3 Mrs. Lo

WHERE TIME STANDS STILL

By the time this Blog is published, we will be in Kennebunkport, Maine for our 15th summer in a row.  I can scarcely believe it has been that long.  It seems like just yesterday we were packing Baby Christian into his carseat to come up here for the first time, but in fact, that was 2001. Neither of our kids can remember a time when they didn’t go to Maine for part of the Summer.  I often blog about the importance of creating and maintaining traditions for your kids and grandkids.  It’s more than just a fun thing to do, it’s actually a building block for raising happy and successful adults.  (A great read if you have time is "The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness,” by Dr. Edward Hallowell). 

There have been a lot of changes over the years but some things about our trip to Maine have remain steadfast traditions.

The first summer we came up to Kennebunkport, we only stayed for a long weekend.  We were still building our careers and I was only working part-time, so it was a financial stretch for us to come to such a “fancy” place.   We ended up falling in love with the beautiful, pristine beaches of Kennebunkport, and the sleepy, quaint New England village where cars actually STOP when you're in the crosswalk and life moves at about the pace of fictional Mayberry.  We vowed to come back every year.  We came home, learned to cut coupons, collect our loose change and started a vacation club account.

By the time Michael was born, in 2004, we were able to rent a house a few blocks from the beach.  Michael was just 5 months old when he first came to Maine.  Christian towed him around in a little red flexible flyer wagon, that we used for many years.  That was the year I forgot to pack Michael’s clothes and had to run out to the mall two towns over just to clothe him (hey, everybody makes mistakes!).

Over the past 15 years we started our own law firm and have other businesses, we have both worked very hard, lived modestly, and God has blessed us with success.  We now go up to Kennebunkport for a week and a half and rent a house with a private beach.  The first thing we do when we arrive is park the car, pile out and head straight to the ocean just to feel the waves at our feet and our toes in the sand, there's nothing quite like it.

Every summer, the first thing I do is make a grocery run, which is necessary with all rental houses.  I started out being able to walk into town to the village grocery store with the red wagon and haul back enough food for the week.  At some point, I had to move on to driving to the Supermarket one town over.  Now, I take one of the boys and head for the nearest Sam’s Club; it's four towns over, but it’s well worth the trip.  We pretend we live here and eat almost every meal right at the kitchen table or on the back porch facing the ocean.  Anthony grills up burgers or chicken, and I make the fixins’.  Sometimes we will walk into town after dinner for ice cream or knick knack shopping but usually we just sit and watch the waves roll in.

Our days are pretty simple -- we spend them at the beach.  We might squeeze in a trip to the Boardwalk or the waterparks but in general, the kids spend pretty much the whole day boogie boarding, body surfing and building sand castles.  The first time Christian was able to boogie board on his own was a major victory, complete with hundreds of photos and videos.  Anthony and I used to go in the waves to “lifeguard” him.  Now Christian is the “lifeguard” and takes Michael out to boogie board.  One summer, my heart was in my throat as I watched Michael go INTO a wave and not come out right away; I didn’t see my older son either.  But that was because Christian had gone in to retrieve him.  Michael was able to swim back on his own with Christian kind of pushing him from behind.  Five minutes later they were both back boogie boarding like nothing had happened.  

We only eat at one restaurant -- we make an annual trek into town to Bartley’s Dockside Restaurant where they serve the best lobster in town, the only dessert on the menu is Mrs. B’s homemade blueberry pie, and the owner always comes out to greet us.  Every year, we include a trip to the old-fashioned candy store and to the book store in town.  We have also made an annual tradition out of renting kayaks and paddling the Kennebunk River together. 

This is really the only 10 days of the year that we truly relax, unwind, and connect again as a family; just the four of us, with Nana and Pop Pop always coming up to stay in a B & B for a few days and join us on the beach.  It’s time together that we look forward to all year.  Okay, I think it might be fair to say we live for our time in Maine.  

Of course, time will march on when we get back -- there will be Summer Rowing Camp, Freshman football starting in August, and theatre academy at Just Off Broadway for Michael.  I will be busy getting ready for Michael's return to Bishop Dunn and Christian's freshman year at Don Bosco Prep.

But none of that will matter for the 10 days that we are at our idyllic beach house in Maine.  For that wonderful, magical period, Time won’t just slow down, it will stand still.

Have lots of fun this summer creating your own Summer traditions, whether it’s time at the beach, camping, backyard campfires, or outings at the park.  And, as always, remember to Count Your Blessings!  <3 Mrs. Lo 
For more of the Mrs. Lo Blog, go to www.Facebook.com/LoBiondoLaw (photo of the LoBiondo boys in Kennebunkport, Summer 2013)  

HAPPY NATIONAL LEARN TO ROW DAY!

 That's right, Rowing has its own national holiday.  Rowing, as Big Coach is fond of saying, is a sport for life.

            What he means by that is, there are a few sports you can enjoy way beyond your competitive athlete years. Swimming is one, and tennis and basketball can be enjoyed for quite a while.  Competitive rowing is for the youth rowers and the adults who continue to have the competitive spirit.  Today’s blog is not about competitive rowing but about the sheer joy of Recreational Rowing, and how the whole community, and people of all ages, can get in on the action.

Recreational rowing is one of the hidden gems of the Hudson Valley.  In fact, Hudson Valley Magazine just did a feature story on this very topic, featuring the Hudson River Rowing Association in Poughkeepsie and the Newburgh Rowing Club.  I really look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm because I know Michael and I will both be at Recreational Rowing. 

My rowing BFF, Kathe, and I like to get out in a double crew shell.  As we like to say, we have one gear:  Drive.  Backing up, turning, docking -- these are skills we learned last summer and then promptly forgot over the winter as we took to the indoor rowing machines.  But that’s OK, since there are always coaches out on the water in motorboats, reminding the recreational rowers what to do.

            As Coach Cunningham would say:  Everything is Better on the Water.  There is something about being out on the water, be it the mighty Hudson River or wherever you happen to live that may have a rowing club.  When everything is clicking just right and you are moving along in a crew shell, there is only one word I can think of to describe it:  fun.  I think each row come out to $3.75 per hour on the water.  Imagine having fun for less than $4.00 per hour, no hangover involved, with your kids right next to you.  Rowing is also phenomenal exercise, I have never been in better shape in my life, at age 48, almost 49.  And the beauty of rowing into a Hudson River sunset, well, it’s indescribable.  It’s like being a school age kid all over again, because once we get out there, we never want to come back in. “Time to bring it in,” Coach Fernandez, our 20-something coach will say to as he pulls his motorboat up to us. 

“Already?” we say, feigning shock. 

“Is this what it’s like to be a parent?” our coach will joke.

“Yes, coach,” we say, “this is just like parenting, you’re doing great, we will be right in.  Can we have just a few more minutes of watching this sunset?”

“Next time, ladies,” says our coach.  “There’s always Thursday night.”

“OK, coach,” we say.  And we row, as slowly as possible, back to the docks, because there is no better place to watch a Hudson River sunset than in the middle of the Hudson River.

The rowers and coaches of the Newburgh Rowing Club will be down at the Newburgh waterfront with ergometers – indoor rowing machines – for free “Learn to Row” lessons from 9 am to 12 pm.   Join us, or find a Learn to Row event in your area by visiting www.USRowing.org.

Have a great day, everyone and, as always, Remember to Count Your Blessings! <3 Mrs. Lo

For more of the Mrs. Lo Blog visit www.lobiondopage.blogspot.com

THE JOYS OF A LOW MAINTENANCE CHILD

I don’t know when my kids became low-maintenance.  Children start out, by nature, high maintenance.

Parents, can you even remember that first night you took your precious newborn home from the hospital?  Let’s face it, no matter how many times you read “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” we did NOT expect what followed.  We had gone through life so well rested, sleeping 6 – 8 hours per night.  And just like that, BAM, you are a deliriously-happy-sleep-deprived-kinda-punchy new parent.  Of course, the joy of that sweet new baby is all worth it.

            Then there was the dilemma of how to take a shower.  Think about it, parents of teenagers, there was a time when we had to put toys in the bathroom with our baby so we could take a shower.

            Let’s not forget how we needed a diaper bag, car seat, 8 changes of clothing, blankets, toys, wipes, individual packs of food (preferably organic so those Cold Spring Moms didn’t roll their eyes at us again), DVD player, and everything but the kitchen sink, just to go to the park for 2 hours.  Because Lord knows, your kid couldn’t just play in the backyard, you had to meet all those moms in the park to socialize your child.

            Then the second child was born, and for some people a third, fourth, or more.  And we learned to tamp that whole scene down a little bit for each new addition.  Until, as the parent of four kids once said to me, of their youngest, “Alex is basically raising himself at this point.”

            That was all so long ago.  Christian, my oldest, is now finishing up 8^th grade and Michael, my youngest, is finishing up 4^th grade.  They have had two totally different parenting experiences.  For one thing, when Christian was in 3^rd,  4^th and 5^th grade, I was sitting down monitoring and reviewing his homework like white on rice.  I never look at his homework now.  At most, he will ask us to help him study for midterms and finals but he does his homework, studies for tests, and budgets his time between academics and sports.  His current sport is AAU basketball, and as of the time this is published, he will be up in Saratoga with Mr. Lo for a basketball tournament.  And Michael and I will have lots of quality time together:  except that I will be spending all weekend working on the Corsairs Cup,  a huge endeavor that our Committee works on for a full year, yes, a year.  Michael’s quality time will involve tagging auction items, organizing food for 100,  and putting together a glossy Dinner Journal.

            I don’t want to say I never helped Michael with his homework but truth be told, I almost never help him.  If he asks for help, of course, we are there.  Mostly, he needs me to type things for him, or assist with long-term projects.  But, the 3-4 hours per night I used to spend with Christian during this grade (same material, same teacher) are gone.  Common Core?  I have no clue what it is.  My kids manage to do their homework and do it well without me messing it up for them.

            There is no way I could put the time into my charities and not-for-profits, and drive them to their sports activities if I had to babysit my kids as they do their homework.  They needed to learn to budget their time themselves and work independently.  We are all much happier this way.  I can’t really say I miss the hours I used to spend helping Christian with his 4^th  grade homework because it was not quality time.  It was a grind.  And I am now freed up to do things like write press releases, manage the Newburgh Rowing Club behind the scenes and plan fundraisers, including my newest endeavor, the “Touchdown Club,” or the Don Bosco Prep Football Booster Club.

            In an ideal rendering of this family yarn, I would have re-invested my time into my children by reading Shakespeare with them, teaching them a foreign language, or taking up Impressionist painting with them.  Alas, that’s not that case, I didn’t use the “extra hours” in my day to enrich my kids.  Nor did I make the house any cleaner, get the laundry done any quicker, or decorate the house or garden.  I am pursuing things I love, and am therefore a Happier Mommy.  I am free now to use my time for recreational rowing, cooking, community service, writing and photography, and fundraising.  And I am indulging in the ultimate luxury:  reading.  Yes, I read books -- not law books or kids’ textbooks -- real books that I actually enjoy.

             So are my kids practically raising themselves?  Well, just the other day, Michael handed me a list he had written in pencil.

            “What’s this?”  I said.

            “That’s your To Do list,” said Michael.  “Tomorrow, you need to hand in my Race For Education money, fill out my Class pictures form and don’t forget tomorrow is Staff payroll.”

            Jiminy Christmas, why don’t I just make my 10-year-old my office manager?  Feeling like I wasn’t spending enough quality time with my youngest, I said, “Michael, is there anything you’d like to do with Mommy, maybe after school tomorrow?”

            “Well,” said Michael, “we have rowing tomorrow,” – side note – Michael and I both go to recreational rowing Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Newburgh Rowing Club – “and if I were you, I would work on squaring up my blade a little better.”

            Yup, he’s practically raising himself.  But there are definitely worse things in life.  Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to settle into my comfy chair with my newest library book.  You can hashtag this one #LifeIsGood.

            Have a great day, everyone and, as always, Remember to Count Your Blessings! <3 Mrs. Lo (The Boys in 2004)

MY MOMMY’S NOT A TERRORIST, SHE JUST HAS HIGH CHOLESTEROL

Last weekend, the LoBiondo Family took our 2 boys and 5 other rowers down to Baltimore for the America Rows Mid Atlantic Regional Regatta, then on to D.C. for a tour.  It was an epic visit, wherein we learned the following:  9 people in a Team Mom-Mobile is a lot, even with the third row; not having to trailer boats is awesome; people in Baltimore are super nice; Coach Jackie and Mrs. Lo are OK being the only girls; the Metro in D.C. is confusing; Real (young) men will wear hotel towels on their heads; and do not EVER try to bring a quart sized bag of flax seed into the U.S. Congress.   

            Mr. Lo and I celebrated our 16^th wedding anniversary on Friday, May 2d, during which time we also celebrated Christian’s Confirmation.  The only way the rowers could go to this Regatta would be for the LoBiondo Law firm to provide the Grant money.  Which we did.  To pay for the hotels for the rowers, the food, the gas.  But these kids are like family to us.  We had the rowers sleep over our house afterward so that we could wake up early Saturday morning and hit the road.  We had one other parent driving down, but she kind of lost Chico and then kind of ditched us in D.C., which is why we had six kids in the car on the way down and 7 on the way back.  Fortunately, I had been telling the boys for months to pack light.  Meaning everything had to fit in a drawstring bag which would go on their laps. 

            We had a great time touring Baltimore on Saturday, then the kids hit the hotel pool.  Literally.  The poor lifeguard had been peacefully enjoying Reader’s Digest but after we left she looked like she could use a stiff drink.  The boys were going from the pool to the hot tub and back in classic, OMG-This-Hotel-Has-A-Pool style.  Afterward, they all wrapped towels on their heads like they were at a beauty salon and even let me take a picture of them.

            We have all been a crew for a while and we have Regattas down to a science.  The 4+ boat was Kelvin, Richard, Soup and Christian, with Michael at coxswain.  These were my original Student Ambassadors, plus young Anthony as our team manager.  Young Anthony had never been out of Newburgh and everything we did, from going in paddleboats to getting gelato to riding the Metro was uber-exciting to him.

It was the best Regatta ever, bar none.  Now, it’s one thing for me to say that, but that is exactly what our Head Coach, Coach Cunningham, said to the Baltimore Regatta Master.  And Coach Cunningham has seen a lot of regattas.  It was an absolutely magical day.  It was an America Rows Regatta, meaning inclusion was the theme, whether including brand new starter clubs, or programs like ours which focused on diversity.  For one thing, we didn’t have to trailer any boats down, Baltimore let us borrow their boats:  a Filippi and a Vespoli M2.  Very nice boats.  And we didn’t have to pack a tent or food, Baltimore fed us.  There was no yelling, no arguing.  People smiled, they said HELLO to each other, cheered the other teams on, and we made quite a few friends.  I don’t know if it’s because we were (sort of) in the South or what it was, but it was so nice and easy, the coaches and I were slightly confused.

            Baltimore shortened the race course due to expected high winds, so it went from a 1750 meter sprint to a 1350 meter sprint.  Kelvin and Chico went first, their 2x took Second Place.  Someone from another team patted me on the back to congratulate me.  Being a hybrid New Yorker/ Newburghian, the first thing I did was check to see if I had been pickpocketed.  I had not.

            Then the 4+ came down.  Kelvin had to row again.  Christian had been playing basketball and football and hadn’t rowed in a Regatta since October of 2013.  Little Michael had a steady hand on the rudder.  All the parents on the dock at the finish wanted their kids’ boat to win but it was a very collegiate feeling.  It wasn’t the usual tension, I knew I would cheer on whoever was coming across the finish line.  All the coaches were instructing their rowers to sprint at the bridge, which was the 200 meter mark, that one wasn’t rocket science.  Three boats were all in exactly the same position at the bridge.  The other boats were much further behind.  Then the Baltimore boat just turned on the gas and broke away for the easy win.  It was Newburgh and The Other Boat.  I thought I could hear Michael calling the Power Ten (where they row harder for ten strokes) and then another Power Ten.  And they just powered past The Other Boat, which put in a mighty effort.  But Newburgh got a good 5 or 6 boat lengths ahead of them and sailed through the orange finish line then spun around to row back to the start, with Christian pumping his fist in Sheer Joy.  Then Baltimore not only fed us, they gave us all their leftover food.

            We drove straight to D.C. and proceeded to nap.  Well, the grownups napped, while the kids – you guessed it – hit the pool.  Touring our nation’s capital the next day was a truly awe-inspiring experience.  Only Christian had previously visited, on a class trip, but his class did not tour Capitol Hill.  Congressman Maloney got us special tour passes, access to the House and Senate, and we visited his office in Congress.  But not before Mrs. Lo got stopped by security.

            I had been very careful to take all my tools out of my bag before going to Congress.  (Crew moms travel with 7/16 wrenches and sockets, especially if your son is a coxswain).  But I hadn’t removed everything that looked suspicious.  “And what is THIS?” said the security person, as she searched my Disney bag.  She was holding up a Ziploc bag full of flax seeds.  I carry them around to sprinkle on our food and lower my cholesterol.  I don’t know what people are into these days or what the guard thought it was.  But the whole crowd stopped and looked over at me.  We were momentarily stunned.  It was our coxswain who spoke up first.  “It’s flax seed!,” said Little Michael.  “My mommy’s not a terrorist, she just has high cholesterol!”  At which even the security guard laughed.  “It’s high in anti-oxidants too,” offered another security guard.  They all had a good chuckle and let us through.  And she even gave back my flax seeds.

            Glad to be back in Newburgh.  The River may be rough, our boats may be beaters, and Big Coach might Yell when he could just as easily talk quietly, but I wouldn’t trade any of it.  Have a great day, everyone and, as always, Remember to Count Your Blessings!  <3  Mrs. Lo  -- for more of the Mrs. Lo Blog, visit:

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WIN a $50 Gift Card to Water's Edge Salon and Spa for Mother's Day! From your Friends at LoBiondo Law Offices

#CONTEST: WIN A $50 GIFT CARD TO WATER'S EDGE SALON AND SPA TODAY ONLY, courtesy of LoBiondo Law Offices, 275 North Street, Newburgh (845) 569-7600! The Mrs. Lo's Reader Rewards Contest, Mother's Day Edition is back! LoBiondo Law has given away over $2,100.00 in prizes just because I love my readers! Open to existing fans of the LoBiondo Page Facebook page ONLY. To win, comment below as to why the Mom in your life (you, your mom, your wife, etc.) should win the gift card. The comment with the most LIKES by midnight tonight, May 8th, wins. Gift card can be picked up at Water's Edge Salon and Spa after 9 am Saturday May 10th. Winner must a photo holding the gift card at Waters Edge which will be posted to the LoBiondo Page on Mother's Day. Winner will be announced on Friday, May 9th. Good luck and have fun!  Mrs. Lo -- P.S., Facebook requires me to say the following: "Each participant completely releases LoBiondo Page and Facebook from any harm or liability: Each participant acknowledges that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook." www.Facebook.com/LoBiondoLaw