This question along with 427 'are we there yet?s' and 689 'howwwwmuuuchloooonnnnggggerrrrr?s" started off our first week of summer holiday. Spouse and I made it all the way to our destination by car, only once considering leaving one or both children on the side of the TransCanada Highway. The thought of which gave us great joy and we laughed and laughed and laughed. Of course we'd never ACTUALLY do it. But be damned sure we thought about it.
Despite my packing snacks, books, markers and colouring books. A fully charged iPod and Nintendo DS WITH an assortment of games, a mom and dad who are both awesome at Eye Spy, crack license plate bingo players and are old hands at counting road kill, the kids were still annoying and restless.
This is what I have to look forward to all summer. Spouse and I just cranked the tunes, held hands and looked down the highway.
The Boy is hell bent on fitting everything he can into this first week off of school. I'm not going to lie- he's driving me nuts. Nagging me with activities he wants to do, things he wants to see and bugs me relentlessly about all of the above. I'm about to hit him over the head with the calendar and count the days of the month, assuring him we will have time to do all the fun stuff he 'HAS TO DO'!
In good time I keep telling him, we have ALL DAY. ALL WEEK. ALL MONTH.
All 3 of us away at the beach. It's like planning a military offensive, and it all has to fit in the trunk of the car.
Maybe it's my own fault, we are always running to an activity or a social event. Perhaps The Boy is on the same treadmill I have been on and needs to slow down, or maybe it's as simple as the trip somewhere taking longer because of the excitement. Maybe he's so overwhelmed by having little to no schedule that's he's going hog wild and in the process driving me to drink. More.
Spouse and I were considering a road trip this summer. After this first short trip in the car with both kids, we have had a change of heart, after all it is supposed to be a rest and holiday for us too isn't it?
We'll see where the wind takes us, we have all month to play and take it slow. I just need to get The Boy on board and have him wind down a bit, if he doesn't die from boredom first.
I still get the giggles thinking about Hurricane Girlchild left standing roadside with a Koolaid Jammer and a Rice Krispie square. Don't judge, the image is stunning. Her tiny silhouette growing smaller as the car continues down the highway. She'd probably end up adopted by a family of bears, teach them show tunes and be entertaining campers and stealing picnic baskets by late July.
I don't think the Ranger's gonna like this Yogi....
When I was a kid and my parents would pack us up in the wagon and drive the 12-18 hours out to Northern Ontario to visit family, we'd always leave at ridiculous o'clock and they'd dope us up with Gravol before we left. This would give them a couple or three hours of quiet while we got out of the city.
ReplyDeleteI still think this is why I find it hard to stay awake on an extended highway drive. Even to Grand Forks is hard!