Mermaids

I have a few questions, internet:

1. Does swimming in a pool count as a bath?

2. How many hours of swimming in a pool are too many hours of swimming in a pool?

3. WHY IS MILA SO BONKERS?

If you're guessing that questions 1 through 3 are very closely related, you are a winner! Mila has decided she is going to spend every minute of every day swimming. The weather turned warm and suddenly she is part mermaid. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say she spent over 7 hours swimming on Sunday.

SEVEN HOURS.

She emerged from the water only to go potty and to eat. Other than that, she swam swam swam swam. Which, that's another issue. While a few weeks ago she was dependent on a more capable human to assist her, she has now figured out how to swim by herself, albeit with a swim vest on. Which, cool! EXCEPT NOT.

Mila knows she doesn't need anyone to help her, so while she could be relied upon to stay away from the pool when nobody was around two weeks ago, NOT ANYMORE. I caught her trying to put her vest on by herself and jump in the pool no less than a dozen times and gaaaaaaaaah. It's like watching a one-year old dart into traffic, except wetter. Just as dangerous, though.

She lacks the fear once she's in the pool, too. She will gleefully jump from the top step. She is absolutely confident she will bob back up to the top of the water. Which, okay, she will, but STILL. There is something absolutely terrifying about watching your baby jump into a pool and then just sort of float her way to the surface.

And she knows I think it's terrifying.

So she does it as often as possible. It is her purpose in life.

The good news is that I think maybe we can count seven hours in the pool as a bath and if I'm wrong about that, shhhhhhhhhh. I'm going to live in denial.

Colombian Fruit Salad

Colombia isn't particularly vegetarian-friendly, which is fine because I don't know how to eat local food when visiting a country anyway. In case you've missed the pattern, I seem to have a knack for eating all of the wrong things when I travel. Italian in Qatar. Indian in Oman. Greek in Colombia. I don't know why it keeps happening, but it does.

In the case of Colombia, it's mostly better that I keep doing that weird thing. See also: not vegetarian friendly. At the meals where things were more "local," I stuck to fruits and vegetables.

ZOMG THE FRUIT.

I could happily eat fresh fruit every meal of every day forever, especially if it's as fresh as the stuff I had in Colombia. So much happy. It's so sweet that they sometimes add dressings to level things out, which is pretty swell if you ask me. I was a fan of this particular mix, which the hotel was kind enough to give me the ingredient list for.

Colombian Fruit Salad

1 fresh pineapple, cored and chopped
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup seedless grapes
1 mango, chopped
3 kiwi, chopped
2 cups watermelon, chopped
1 papaya, chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Throw all of the fruit in a bowl. Good luck if you have kids because the "helping" is something to behold. Did you know that some grapes are cuter than others? And that you have to stop to admire the cute?

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Give it a taste and see if it's sweet enough for you. If not, add a little sugar and repeat until you're happy. The hotel I stayed at added a LOT of sugar, but I think I like it better without.

Slayer