6:31 – We’re on the train, in our seats with the tables open in front of us. Reid has many questions, about how I knew what seats we were in, what the leather bits at the top of the seats are for (we called them antimacassars when I worked at Woodside National Historic Site but I don’t know if the Victorian term has stuck), whether the engineer wears a seatbelt and if so what if s/he needs to go to the bathroom. Reid was pleased that she has the window seat so that she can see out and so that she doesn’t have to sit beside someone she doesn’t know. She added that she does like to look at old people. I’m hoping the 50ish man across from us doesn’t realize she meant him when she said this.
6:40 I asked Reid if she could sing in a whisper. The look she gave me was equal parts surprise, insult and confusion. I explained that some people were probably trying to go back to sleep and mystification took over. Sleep, now? The adventure is just beginning!
6:46 And we’re off. The car we’re on is mostly full.
6:58 Reid has found markers in her backpack and is turning her garbage bag into a hand puppet.
7:01 The snack lady stopped by for a visit. We bought a chocolate chip-banana muffin (it almost seems healthy with the banana) and an apple juice. When the hand puppet is finished, the snack will provide a diversion. The man behind us chose a bag of chips. It seems a much less healthy choice for this time of the morning but I remember reading that people should think of muffins as “fat sponges” and maybe it’s no better than the chips.
7:17 Reid asks, “Mama, can I watch your iPod.” I remind her that she meant to say “may I” and she rephrases her question.
7:18 Before I’ve had a chance to take my iPod from my pocket, Reid is asking where “the” iPod is. Having been a student of French, I’m aware of the importance of articles. It’s a family resource now, I guess.
7:55 I convinced Reid to pause the video and come to the bathroom. Her bladder is much stronger than mine.
9:36 After Dora, Diego, Super Why and Sesame Street podcasts, the iPod has outlived its attraction. Its now time for Reid to recline her chair, adjust the tables, rinse and repeat.
10:43 Time for Princess to have a nap. Reid says she is going to have one, too, and I’m afraid she will. We’re too close to Toronto for her to sleep and awake refreshed. She’ll be grumpy if she falls asleep and I won’t be able to carry her and our bags.
11:11 We calculate that we have 15 minutes before our train is scheduled to arrive.
11:13 Reid hits the wall. When I refuse to let her change the rules of I Spy in the middle of my turn, she starts to cry.
11:18 I’m banned from playing again for seven months. Reid doesn’t know all of the months in order consequently, my punishment doesn’t include January, February, March, April, May or September. Next we’ll be talking about briar patches.
11:26 On time arrival in Toronto. Hooray.
11:36 Veggie burger for me, original for Reid, fries for both of us from Harvey’s. The 5-minute wait for a veggie burger dragged into 10. I complained and ended up with a free meal. We had to hurry to catch our train I would have rather paid and had my food in 5 minutes.
12:45 Nap time. Please, please, please.
1:13 Reid asks to sit on my lap
1:16 Must. Pee. Now. I thought she was faking but I don’t play Russian roulette.
1:21 Start of 15 snuggly minutes. No sleep but actual rest.
3:05 Reid has made friends with the 11-month-old girl in the seat in front of us. They’re non-napping comrades. We’re almost to Chatham and I am looking very forward to seeing Melissa and her boys.
3:31 We made it safely to Chatham. Now for the craziness that is my side of the family.
Archive for the ‘Vacation’ Category
Our first family camping trip – May 8-10
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009Reid and I have gone camping together a few times with a variety of aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandma Joyce but Ken has always missed out. He went camping when he was younger but I’m pretty sure that it was quite a bit different with Reid and me and no case of beer. I was worried that the cabin – smaller than our dining room – would prove to be a challenge but when I made the reservation at the KOA at Cardinal, Ontario, I was thinking of the two playgrounds, jumping pillow and safe roads on which Reid could ride her bike.
When I opened my door to go register and get a key to the cabin, I heard a clap of thunder and had to acknowledge that the weather forecasters might not all have been completely wrong and that we might be in for a stuck-in-the-cabin camping weekend. Luckily for us, the heavy rain was brief and, after eating our supper on the porch to stay dry, we were able to have a camp fire. We all ate way too many marshmallows, as you’re supposed to when camping. Reid ate hers raw; Ken likes his burnt; and I like mine golden. Reid and Ken were able to achieve their targets with more consistency than me. Reid was able to help cook Ken’s, though he likes the full cooking-and-eating experience. I’d forgotten that Ken sets his marshmallows on fire. He reminded me that we had them at bonfires when Grandma Joyce still lived at the farm but I have the family memory and can’t remember but I know he’s right.
Reid had her first soccer practice/game on Saturday morning and so we left the campground about 7:15 am. It wasn’t exactly ideal to drive the hour-plus back to Ottawa but Reid was bursting with enthusiasm for soccer. Reid received a brown t-shirt and then she ran around with the other kids followed the coaches’ directions and did just what she was supposed to do. I’m still a bit surprised when the kid who usually hides her head against my leg when we meet people integrates so easily into a big crowd of kids. The skies were grey but it didn’t rain on us. Yet.
We stopped at home for a bit before taking Reid to her swimming lesson – since we were in the city anyway and it was pouring by this time. Or, at least, I took Reid to her lesson and Ken stayed home for a shower. Ken is a practical guy, you know. We went to the M&Ms fund raising barbecue in support of Crohn’s and Colitis. For a minimum donation of $2.50, they gave us a hamburger, small bag of Doritos and a glass of orange drink. We can’t usually feed our 3-person family for $7.50.
Reid fell asleep on the way back to the campground, just as I’d hoped. The rain was falling in torrents but I convinced Ken to take us on a “scenic” drive anyway to prolong Reid’s nap. The rain was still falling when Reid awoke but the day was warm enough that it wasn’t a huge problem. We went to the ice cream social in the main building, contributing our money to camps for kids with cancer, and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the cabin reading and playing games. I made fried pizza sandwiches on the electric griddle that I packed and pretended as hard as I could that mine had come from a pie iron that had been resting in the coals. Reid loved sitting on her lawn chair and using the bed as a table. It’s hard to be out of sorts with a person who sees the adventure and up-side to everything. The rain shifted into a thunderstorm and we were treated to a sound and light show that included a tree-strike about 150 metres from our cabin. The flat area in front of our cabin turned into a small pond. Reid splashed in it and set her umbrella floating in its current when we braved the elements to use the bathroom. We were all in bed early. Ken had no fire to tend and sitting on the porch in the dark, watching the rain fall, lost its appeal quickly. Me, I was tired as always.
We were all up early on Sunday morning because it was so amazingly cold in the cabin. The folks in the office had given us a space heater – I didn’t say we roughing it – but it was noisy and we’d shut it off. I turned it on to help Ken and me defrost. Reid was as snug as the proverbial bug in her polar fleece footie pajamas. We ate a snack, cracked open a few books and started to pack up while we waited for it to be time for the campground-sponsored pancake breakfast. After breakfast, we finally went to the climbing structure at the park. Reid had asked many times, apparently not remembering her fall in August when we were camping with Aunt Karin and L., her friend from daycare. Ken and I worked hard at not freezing in the cold and the wind while Reid played but we didn’t last very long. Even with 2 shirts, a sweater and my coat on, I was cold. Poor Ken didn’t have as many clothes as me. He’d packed last and was conscious of the limited space available in our car. I’m oblivious to such realities. We had the car packed just after 11:00 and we headed for home.
If Reid had been younger, it would have seemed a very long weekend with all of the rain and cold but since she is an almost-five year old, who likes books and board games, it was a nice opportunity for us to all be in the same physical space. That doesn’t happen in our house where we could easily each be on a different floor, though we are generally at least two on one floor. Not that I’m hoping for more rain the next time we go on a family camping trip. It wasn’t traumatic, or at least I haven’t heard Ken mention it in such terms, I think we’ll do it again.
Anticipation or dread
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Ken sent me an email today to ask about the reservation for us to go camping in May. He’s asked before but I’ve forgotten. I might have thought that he was eagerly anticipating our first camping trip as a family but for the subject line of his email: when is our KIA reservation. Before I could stop giggling long enough to respond, he’d sent another message to clarify that he’d meant the KOA reservation. I hope that the mistake was a simple Freudian slip or typo and not a harbinger of things to come.
By the way, if you’re looking for us on May 8th, 9th or 10th, we’ll be taking advantage of a rent one night – get one night free at the Cardinal KOA. The special is North America wide, if you’re inclined to go camping as well.
Edited to add: Ken needs his chance to respond (now and again)
Just to clarify, in case you don’t know (and who could blame you if you don’t) – KIA is short for killed in action. This is a military term far too prevalent in my professional life and, thus, far more likely to come out my mouth (or typing fingers) than KOA. I don’t even know what KOA stands for, except that I think it’s “K” for “camping”. And, I am looking forward to our upcoming weekend at the KOA.
Elevator blues
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Remember on our last trip to Toronto, when Dylan went running ahead because he wanted to be the one who pushed both the elevator call button and the floor button. Now that I think of it, I didn’t write about it at the time because I was feeling like such a bad auntie. In a nutshell, Dylan ran much faster than I expected, the elevator was also much quicker than anticipated and Dylan got on the elevator and the doors shut before I could stop him. I had Reid go to Aunt Karin and when they were back, Aunt Karin went to our floor while I stood guard in case Dylan came back down. She found him in the elevator lobby on our floor with an uncomfortable-looking twenty something man. Reid was nearly crying and Dylan was actually crying by the time we were all reunited. On the upside, neither kid even approached the elevator doors without a grown-up for the rest of our weekend.
Well, this time we had elevator troubles of a different sort. On the way to our room on the 20th floor of the hotel, Damien started to fuss. I thought he was upset because Aunt Karin wasn’t there with us. But he was super-excited to go to the swimming pool until it was time to get into the elevator and he got upset again. Damien is a man of few words and I’m no detective but I made the connection. The people who rode the elevators with didn’t look too impressed with the noise. People can be creeps, eh? At our second hotel, we were (thank goodness) on the 3rd floor. Two of the elevators overlooked the pool and that proved to be a better distraction than the mirrors at the first hotel. By the time we checked out, Damien was okay with the elevator.