Today, Chris and I went out to Port Washington in Long Island to visit my friend, her husband, and their two kids, one of whom was just born about four months ago. To get there, we took the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), which, for the small handful of times I’ve been out there, always seems to run at snail pace. In addition, my other qualm with taking LIRR or really any train from Penn Station is why they always have to update the track information for your timed ticket so last minute, resulting in everyone rushing up/down the stairs/escalators at the exact same time. Are there really not enough tracks at Penn Station to at least be able to update the stupid track 15-20 minutes ahead of time? There was a train scheduled to leave at 11:12 today, and the track wasn’t even updated on all the schedule boards until 11:07. That gives everyone barely FIVE minutes to get the information on the track and rush to the correct platform and train!

So we went out for our visit and spent the full afternoon hanging out with my friend and her growing brood, discussing life in the ‘burbs as parents of two and what our potential life will look like once our little one makes her arrival. Although we’ve spent quite a bit of time in suburban homes while in California, every time I visit a house in the suburbs, it’s almost like my amazement restarts at how large homes can be. My friend’s kitchen was like a chef’s dream! I also marveled at all the endless toys and dollhouses and kitchen sets that her older child had.

“Sorry about the mess,” my friend said when we came over. “Their shit just gets everywhere!”

When they took us on a tour of their home and took us to the basement area, which appeared to be a play area, I asked them if this was the play room. Her husband immediately corrected me: “Well, actually, the entire HOUSE is their play area, but yes, the majority of their stuff is down here!”

This is how kids can take over your space… and your life. And they were telling us to get ready for the fun… and the shit, literally.