Warning this may be boring for some but I thought I'd write this down now incase some day I or they wont remember. I did it! really I did it! we left here at 1047am on the 25th and we arrived at the Cottage (an hour from the home where I grew up) at 6pm!
Hubbie is a great packer so I left the packing of the van to him while I piled more stuff into the pile to go into the van. I had 3 fears for this trip.
1. Bored kids, that they would be so bored with the trip down that they would start the "he's touching me, he's hitting me, he's looking at me... etc.." and I'd have to start the "If I hear one more complaint I'm pulling this car over and we wont go to the cottage, you wont get a vaccation and we'll go back home and watch paint dry" I didn't have to say that out loud once! I thought about it maybe twice, but they were not bored.
The boys brought a DSi- great for taking picture of other people's business, cars, trucks, trailers, transfer trucks going too fast, or pulling out in front of the mom when they shouldn't,and cool cars that go faster then mom's Van! They brought a V-tech laptop for MJ, he played game after game after game. AJ brought his ds (I think santa has ot do an upgrade on this now) and he played Mario continually. My only complaint is that his eye balls will wander off when he's done playing... oops. They also brought a laptop that Hubbie found while dumpster diving and fixed up. He cleaned it and made it run and put a map program onto it that doesn't need internet. He loved it! They could find all the roads that Mom was suppose to use and what was down the roads Mom didn't take.
2. Worry #2, was three boys and one mom going to the bathrooms. TJ is 10 that didn't bother me so much "go in there come out here and wait, don't move from that spot until I come and get you!" but I had to have faith that AJ could follow the same rules? ACK! that worried me. AJ always takes longer in the bathroom. I do not ever want to know why, really it should be a simple procedure. GO in, business, flush, wash hands lots,dry hands and leave?? no it's not for some reason. I then take MJ with me to the ladies, because well we still have that poo problem. It's not as disastrous as the Easter Weekend Trip though,(if you haven't read, it's like the 4th Random Thought from here...) well he did it! yep. We stopped our first pit stop 1.45hours from here, no need to "go" mini rest stops all around, back in the van. Next Stop was 3.5hours from here, we stop they all get out plan goes as is. Every one in and meet me here at the Pringles when you are done! excellent. MJ says in passing "I have a belly ache" I say "maybe it's that 1/2 lb of grapes you ate?, but we just let it go. only 3hours t the cottage. Away we go...
We had poo success on Sunday at the cottage. oh the excitement
3. My other worry is gas fill up! You can't leave kids in cars to go pay for your gas like our parents did, it's just too dangerous. You never know which idiot, especially the closer to the island you get, will have a cigarette* in his mouth while pumping the gas, or which kid will put the car into drive, or whatever so it's all about dragging 3 boys into the gas station to pay. At Stop 2 I notice there is a "full serve" sign,hmmmmmmm, maybe I should stop and get gas here? but wait the car is already pointed to the road to the island and I can make it ot he station before the causeway so I didn't. I got back on the highway and kept going. I get to the Place I want to stop and I stop it's self serve, so I ready my mind for the dragging in of 3 kids and then I see "pay up front, orrrrrrrr pay at the pump" ohhhhh pay at the pump you say? WOOOOOHOOOOOO! yep jobs done. Gas paid, me back in the van almost giddy and off we go. Over the Causeway, then to the Island.
So the 3 big fears didn't seem to be a problem. The rest of the trip going well We stop in the last"biggish" grocery store before the cottage to get milk and I buy a box of store brand Drumsticks, 4 pack, they all eat them and me and I sit in the car eying the government store, but didn't go in. It was there, I figured I was too tired to stop so we didn't. TJ was in charge of handing out the drinks and snacks. We didn't stop any where ot eat, he just kept sending the snacks forward.
I pull into the driveway of the cottage at 6pm and all is well. Van looked like this next morning complete with bunny looking to eat my tires?
I get my van unpacked enough for the cottage and get ourselves settled. ohhhhhhhh the tired! The boys enjoyed their grandparents(there to meet us) and had a great night. I think the adults fell asleep before the kids though. MJ slept in my bed and upside down with his head by the fridge. (Fridge lives in the bedroom off the kitchen due to repairs in the rebuilding of the porch)
So that's the big drive I had my brain convinced was impossible without Hubbie and I did it! Now I could do it again, I could I know that part is accomplish-able(new word). A new Car would be nice though.
*cigarettes -so something the boys aren't used to seeing that much, it became a cause for discussion, "oh look they are smoking", is now like the dirty phrase of the generation, remember when it was "oh they are kissing, ewwwwwww"
