Archive for the ‘Vacation’ Category

Sur la route à Quebec

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

I usually call these travelogues “on the road” or something similar but since we have “La ville de Québec” as our destination, I’ll scatter some French here and there.

I’d packed some of the things Reid and I needed to bring but still had a bit to gather and pack when Uncle Dave brought us home from school Thursday night. I’m sure that Ken will be starting to think sympathetic thoughts for Uncle Dave since he has many memories of waiting for me to gather “a bit”. Uncle Dave was already worried by the pile of things that I pulled out of our car to be transferred to Grandma Joyce’s car. I love many things about our Caliber but the hatch is not so convenient when it comes to leaving luggage in plain sight while we play tourists after checking out of a hotel. I packed our duffle bag, the small backpack I got for free at Ontario Place that holds my electronics cables and a bag with some food. Reid had an old-style Tupperware serving dish with markers and a plush pig that walks and oinks (or would if we changed the batteries). She was also lobbying to bring a juice pitcher so that we could pour all of the juice pouches that Uncle Dave had brought together. I was a sneaky Mama and moved the Tupperware out of sight when Reid wasn’t looking. Uncle Dave still had to make a few trips to the car and then came in to say that we were starting to run out of space.

I made a coffee for me and a tea for Uncle Dave and we brought some water for Reid for the road and left about 7:00. Reid stayed awake longer than I’d planned but she is often having power naps at school during quiet time and so doesn’t go to sleep as early as I’d like. She stayed awake long enough to ask for the glass of water that we had lost track of in the process of packing the car.

Our drive was uneventful, even when we were driving through Montreal. The GPS lady recommended the route that Uncle Dave wanted rather than one with many off- and on-ramps as he’d expected. We easily found our Clarion hotel in the suburbs where the rooms were much more reasonably-priced and the parking was free. It’s indoor pool was the deal-maker, though. I’m not sure that Reid is aware that some hotels don’t have pools. Often the pool is the thing she cites as her favourite part of a trip.

By midnight we were all in our beds and ready for our vacation. Maybe not aware of all of the walking to come, but safe, comfortable and happy in our ignorance.

The GPS lady’s name

Sunday, September 14th, 2008

Uncle Dave and I have decided to name the GPS lady “Cindy”. Calling her “Uppity Know-it-all” (and worse) really wasn’t efficient. Nor was it accurate since it has been especially apparent here in Quebec City that she doesn’t know French. She has butchered, mutilated and tortured many street names.

When Cindy does get the instructions right, her audience sometimes mishears them. As we returned to our hotel last night, Reid started giggling and said something about the GPS lady (Reid won’t call her Cindy) making another mistake.  “Turn at Grandpa’s Head!” Reid giggled. “She is silly.” Poor Cindy was just trying to get us to turn at the “ramp ahead”. Between Reid and the Cindy’s bad accent, there is always something at which to smile.

Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam’s Ottawa vacation – early bird style

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

As we headed for home Sunday morning, I noticed the clock on the dash read 10:39. We had already seen at least 40 hot air balloons take off and float over and 2 land, eaten breakfast at Eddy’s and played at a park near and in the water of the Rideau River. What a morning!

We left home at 6:20, made a quick stop at a Tim Horton’s, admired the sun rise and were at Rockcliffe Park in time to see the first balloons on the Gatineau Balloon Festival grounds inflating. It was chilly enough for long sleeves and blankets but a gorgeous late-summer morning none-the-less. We could even hear the National Arts Centre brass section playing as the balloons went up. We saw many of the brilliantly-coloured traditional balloons go over. They look especially lovely in the soft early morning light and against the blue sky we had. We also saw a Darth Vader head, Mr Peanut, a pirate in a barrel, a dragon, a panda bear, 2 bumble bees, and a lady bug. It was surprising how many people were in the usual lookout spots along the river and at Rockcliffe Park. We were the 5th car along the road, though, rather than a kilometre or more away like on Saturday night.

After all of the balloons had passed, we headed off for breakfast but decided to follow a chase vehicle to see a balloon land. We found ourselves at the sports field of a local high school with 3 balloons down or almost down. We got out to take a couple pictures and ended up spending quite a while watching the process of deflating and packing up. The baskets are really quite small, particularly since the fuel tanks are inside where the people ride. With wet feet and hungry tummies we climbed back into the car and went to Eddy’s for breakfast. Breakfast was as good as always and we bought some almonds at the Shopper’s Drug Mart to feed to the swans before we went to the river. (There are a few pairs of swans, known as Ottawa’s Royal swans, that are descended from those given to the city in honour of Canada’s centennial.

Of course, the swans weren’t in the part of the river where we were. Reid played at a nearby playground – and a very nice one it was – and then splashed in the water. I’m not sure if the city even checks the Rideau River to see if it is safe to swim in but all city beaches were officially closed for the summer on Friday in any case. I was in a risk-taking mood, having grown up splashing in the creek where the cows drank, and let her enter the water. Aunt Pam and I even waded in as well. The other parents, especially the ones that make their kids wear socks in their sandals on hot days, weren’t impressed with my parenting decision. Reid, Aunt Pam and I had lots of fun and Grandma Joyce enjoyed watching us from her chair on the shady river bank. We couldn’t have found the shade at a beach and still wouldn’t have known the bacteria count. Why do you suppose the city closed it’s beaches before Labour Day anyway?

After much splashing, many photos, a number of giggles and a few attempts to skip stones – Aunt Pam kicked my butt – we headed for home. We took the time first to change Reid from her soaking pajamas into a dress I’d brought. We spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon hanging around the house. Aunt Pam took Reid to the park in our neighbourhood in the late afternoon. Reid came home soaked and covered in sand again. She was grinning ear-to-ear and said Aunt Pam said that she could do it. Aunt Pam protested that she was being inaccurately quoted but Reid took no heed. It’s a good thing that I buy and Grandma Joyce makes Reid’s clothes to be worn and not just looked at. I popped the beautiful, once-pale blue dress into the washing machine to soak and we’ll hope for the best. The smile and giggles were worth it.

We had a day full of fun but one that was not too busy to end our “real” summer. I’m glad Reid has the chance to ease out of her “old life” and into school.

The height of foolishness

Sunday, July 27th, 2008

So, what do you do with two newly-minted 4 year olds after their memorable birthday supper. If you’re Aunt Karin and me, and the 4-year-olds have both had a long and late afternoon nap, you pile into one car and head for the CN Tower. If you were someone else, you might check first to see if the Blue Jays were playing in order to avoid the traffic jam but then you probably wouldn’t take two 4-year-olds out past their bedtime if you were that practical.

In any case, we found a place to park just across from the CN Tower and found the elevator we needed since the kids had chosen the stroller option. Who wouldn’t? Kids 4 and under enter for free and so it seemed a great deal at what is otherwise an expensive attraction. We’ll have to be sure to go back before Reid’s birthday next year just to save the money on *her* admission. Reid was definitely not impressed with the winds on the external observation deck. She wasn’t at all interested in looking down at the lights of the city. Dylan, on the other hand, looked down, out and all around. He posed for pictures and talked about all he was taking in. We were able to hear the cheers of the folks at the Blue Jays game, which was pretty cool since it doesn’t seem to be common that Jays fans have something to cheer about. (Go, Tigers!)

Once back inside, both Reid and Dylan spent lots of time dancing on, lying on and looking through the glass floor. I contented myself with taking pictures and staying well away from the glass. Logically, I know that the plexiglass is several inches thick and able to support 14 hippos but my fear of heights is more primal that logical.

After a leisurely exploration of the observation deck and a rush to find a bathroom for Dylan, we joined the line to go back to earth. The kids were so patient in waiting that you’d never believe it was as late as it was. I won’t tell you exactly *how* late since Ken and Melissa (and maybe Roy) will read this ;+) The line moved more quickly than I expected and soon we were in the gift shop looking for a hat for Uncle Dave. Sadly our search was unsuccessful.

Our departure coincided with the end of the Blue Jays game. You were expecting that, right? Dylan and Reid listened to Thomas the Tank Engine stories on cd while Aunt Karin and I discussed the selfishness of drivers who block 2 lanes of traffic, how to navigate using only the tourist map and the state of the world (or at least the lives and times of various relatives). Reid declared that she would ride to the hotel with Dylan and Aunt Karin while I drove alone in our car from the mall where we’d left it. The kids were tired when we got to the hotel but not too tired to ride on the luggage cart with Dylan and Aunt Karin’s bags. Not surprisingly, we all fell asleep quickly and slept in the next morning.

Two kids, two birthdays, too many gorillas

Friday, July 25th, 2008

 Is there a better way to celebrate turning 4 than to spend the weekend in Toronto with your cousin, who is turning 4 the very same day? Given the delight on Reid’s face as soon as she learned of our plans, Reid couldn’t think of anything better.

Aunt Karin and Dylan called us just as we were pulling into our parking place at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre, home to Canada’s only Rainforest Cafe. It was 5:46 and our reservation was for 6:00. Who could have asked for better? Well, maybe Aunt Karin and Dylan could have – they spent more than an hour covering 10 kilometres near Cambridge – but we were all glad to meet up and get to supper. The “safari guide” who showed us to our table took us to the far back corner of the restaurant to find us a table close to a bunch of life-size animatronic gorillas who call out, beat their chests, shake trees and that sort of thing every 10 minutes. The kids were leery of the gorillas when we sat down but still a bit impressed. Impressed, that is, until the gorillas first began their performance. At the first bellow (do gorillas bellow?), Dylan and Reid each dove at the closest adult. After the commotion died down, Aunt Karin went outside and Dylan and Reid both sat on my lap. Our waitress noticed and offered to move us away from the gorillas. Dylan would have preferred the next restaurant over but we settled for across the room. The kids ordered mini hot dogs (3 on each plate) and fries. The gorillas did their thing a couple times, making it difficult to concentrate on eating. I ordered a volcano brownie dessert as the birthday cake. Dylan was willing to forgo a cake in order to leave sooner and Reid wanted to do what Dylan wanted but that didn’t come to light until after the dessert was ordered. After an interminable wait – there were many birthdays being celebrated – our volcano cake arrived, the staff sang and the sparkler burned itself out. Aunt Karin and I enjoyed the brownies, ice cream and fudge topping and Dylan ate a bit of the ice cream. Reid wasn’t interested in even the ice cream. There was still another adult-sized piece of brownie plus ice cream. The menu promised that the volcano was big enough for 2 – or more – and they were right. We got our $14.95 (or whatever) out of it. The kids food was what you would expect but $7.95 seems kind of expensive. Aunt Karin and I split an appetizer with shrimp, fajitas, cheese and spinach dip and calamari rings (which I’d thought were onion rings and neither of us ate) and a combo platter with ribs, chicken and veggies. Both dishes were okay but nothing special and both nearly $20 each. Another time, it might be better to go in for dessert only. The environment is very festive and fun – if you aren’t frightened by it – but the cuisine was a bit lacking.

Reid reassured Dylan that we wouldn’t go to anymore scary restaurants this weekend. She was quite concerned by his stress, even though he was less worried as the night went on and the gorilla’s noises and antics became more familiar. It was good that she cared but the poor man was getting “mothered” by two concerned aunties and adding a girl cousin might have put him over the top. But it didn’t.

For the record, neither of these two wonderful kids got a birthday message from me. I blame the loss of my Blackberry (newly returned – hooray!) and the craziness that was this week. But they will. Eventually.

Things to pack for fun while camping – Thursday Thirteen

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

I went camping a lot as a kid. My parents had a trailer and we belonged to a trailer club (I don`t know if such things even exist anymore :+) and we went camping with the club, with friends and on our own. Andrea at a peek inside the fishbowl asked for ideas for what to pack when going camping and as my comment grew longer and longer, I decided I had a Thursday Thirteen in the making. Here is my list of what to take on a camping trip:

1. Multiple bathing suits: I spent as much time in the pool as possible and wearing the same wet bathing suit all day, let alone for days on end is just yucky.
2. Many beach towels: they really don’t get a chance to dry between sessions in the pool, if you’re doing it right. In a pinch, beach towels can double as blankets if it turns out to be colder than you expected.
3. Flipflops for in the shower and going to and from the pool.
4. Running shoes for going on walks in the woods or for bike rides.
5. Bikes for everyone or at least the kids. If you are far from a bathroom or from the bathroom with the shower, bikes are lifesavers.
6. Sand toys: I played with sand toys at camp long after I ceased playing with them at home.
7. Beach ball for playing soccer, kickball, throwing about in the pool or out. A beach ball is very versatile and, when deflated, doesn’t take up much room.
8. Sunscreen, hat and light-weight long sleeved shirts (and pants if you’re in an area where Lyme disease could be a problem).
9. Bug repellent with DEET, or not, according to age and personal opinion.
10. Baking soda (mixed with water) to treat the bites from the bugs that aren’t troubled by the bug repellent.
11. A first aid kit to treat the scrapes resulting from walks through the forest and whatever else might arise.
12. Collapsable “director’s chairs” for fireside seating. Hang the bag that each comes in across the back of the chair so that you can find it when you need it.
13. Marshmallows for toasting over the fire. I think that eating toasted marshmallows is the number one reason I liked camping.

There are, of course, other “grown up” things to consider like food (do as much preparation as you can at home and keep the menu as simple as possible), bedding (sleeping bags aren’t necessary in the summer but I wouldn’t sleep in a tent without an air mattress), clothing (t-shirts, shorts, jeans and a sweatshirt) and the tent/trailer/cabin itself (I’m a KOA cabin-lover myself) but I’ve used up my thirteen places for this week.

View other participants in Thursday Thirteen or look at my previous Thursday Thirteen entries.

Fingernails, farms and fun

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

I had an appointment at an esthetician in Leamington and Aunt Karin came along to entertain Reid. Or at least I thought she was coming along as the entertainment, it turned out that she was offering Reid an adventure all of her own. I dropped them off at Aunt Karin’s usual nail salon and Reid got lime green polish on her fingernails and even flowers painted on a couple. After they called to be picked up, Reid noticed that the flowers on her fingernails didn’t have centres. They went back in for the centres and when I picked them up Reid was standing with clawed hands to protect her recently painted nails. Reid was very proud and protective of her fingernails. I think I might have a bottle of nailpolish at home, but only one. I’ll have to add “painting Reid’s nails” to the list of things we can do for fun when Ken isn’t home. Or maybe I should add it to the list of things Ken can do with Reid since he has much better hand-eye coordination than me and could probably keep most of the polish on her nails.

On the way back to Grandma Joyce’s, Reid renewed her questioning about when we would be returning to “Dylan’s farm”. I explained that we would be eating lunch at Grandma’s and visiting there first. Grandma Joyce had made spaghetti and rice as well as meat sauce to put on top. Reid had some of both. She has developed a fondness for “spaghetti rice”, a family favourite, and we can use the term even though there is no spaghetti involved. Ken had planned to stay with Reid until just before supper so that she didn’t feel abandoned while I was to attend Brianna and George’s wedding but Reid was too excited by the prospect of going to the farm to wait. We changed our plans and took Reid to the farm. Melissa, Roy and the boys arrived just after us. Reid right in and was soon saying, “Bye, Mama. Bye, Daddy.” We, meanwhile, were speaking briefly with Grandma Linda. The phrase, “Don’t let the door hit you on the bum on the way out,” came to mind. She walked us out and waved happily, happy to get us out of the way so that she could get on with the fun.

After the wedding and in the middle of the reception, which I am going to write about separately, Grandma Joyce and Aunt Karin went to get Reid and bring her back to Grandma Joyce’s house. Aunt Karin said that Reid woke up when she picked her up and stayed awake on the drive, with big eyes taking everything in but not speaking. Reid refused the offer of the bathroom and went straight into the toddler bed where she lay quietly with eyes open for about 10 minutes. Then, she was fast asleep once again and stayed that way until 6:30 on Sunday morning.

Reid wouldn’t tell us much about the time she spent with Dylan and Zachary and their grandparents. Grandma Joyce found out that they saw 3 deer on a walk to the pond but I don’t know if Reid let that slip or if it was Grandma Linda or Grandpa Jerry that told her. Reid did tell us that they had pasta and meat sauce for supper and that they had watched a movie. She wouldn’t provide details on what movie or what she thought of it. I asked her if she had eaten any treats but she kept mum on the subject. That’s “kid survival tip #1″, I suppose.  What happens at Grandma’, stays at Grandma’s. Even if it isn’t your grandma’s. Since she asked me why Dylan and Zachary had been allowed to stay over night while she had been brought home, I have to conclude that whatever she did was enjoyable.

Into the whirlwind

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Reid and I were awake much earlier than I’d expected (or wanted, to be perfectly honest) on Friday. She showed no ill effects of her tummy trouble on Thursday. We had a nice visit with Grandma Joyce. Uncle Roger came over at breakfast and Aunt Karin came for a quick visit before work as well. Ken woke early, too, and was (luckily) playing outside with Reid when Uncle Roger told her not to move upturned ashtrays in the grass as they marked the spots where Grandma Joyce’s new trees – the ones we bought for her for Mother’s Day – were to be planted.

Grandma Joyce and I went to “Other Pam’s” to have our hair done and Reid stayed behind. After a while, Reid and Uncle Roger went to his house. They had a “snack” of apples, cheese, apricots, cucumbers and pickles and played with Max doggy and jumped on the trampoline. Meanwhile, some nice young men knocked on Grandma Joyce’s door to ask where they were supposed to plant the trees. Ken, happy to have an answer, helped them find the ash trays. I think he might have said bad words under his breath at not having been given direct information or maybe he is used to operating with less than optimal information.

Uncle Chris joined us for lunch. It’s so nice to be in Wheatley, where people can stop in for lunch. I often wonder whether we’d see as many people if we lived closer but Uncle Chris goes to Grandma Joyce’s house quite often. I could track him down there. Afterward, I took Reid for her nap but no sooner had I lay Reid in the playpen that Grandma Joyce has for Zachary to sleep in than Aunt Pam arrived. Ken came in for a before-nap kiss and offered to stay. When they emerged a couple of hours later, Reid was groggy from a hard-fought and ultimately futile battle against her nap. She was reluctant to talk to Aunt Pam but asked instead to go to Dylan’s grandparents’ farm to check out the babysitting venue for Saturday. Aunt Pam, thankfully, was not offended.

Once at Grandma Linda and Grandpa Jerry’s (how else to refer to adults of this sort?) farm, Reid’s expectations were met and more. She climbed on a few of the tractors in the shed, perhaps enjoying the lawn tractor the most, and tried out some of the toys that were on the other side of the shed. Dylan and Reid climbed into a wagon and Zachary gave pulling it his best effort. Melissa tried to convince Zach to push instead of pull. He wasn’t interested. She was able to convince him to join the others for a ride and off they went. On the way back, they stopped to play in a turtle-shaped sandbox. We checked out the house and then we left, with Reid protesting. I thought that leaving with Reid longing to stay was a good way to ensure that she wouldn’t object to staying there while Ken and I went to Brianna and George’s wedding.

Aunt Lisa and Brock were at Grandma Joyce’s house when we returned. We sat outside and watched the kids play basketball in the drive way. Reid found a piece of sidewalk chalk and set to work writing her own name, for the very first time. The “r” was a bit free-form and the “e” was a capital and reversed but the letters were all there. I was quite impressed. Aunt Lisa had to leave after a short while to run an errand but we invited Brock to stay. He accepted and Reid was pleased. She thinks he is a very special guy. She is right. We played for a long time in the hot tub, trying out the new animal-shaped squirt bottles that I bought at the Dollar Store last week. I had only a rubber ducky with which to defend myself. In addition to being better armed, they worked together. There is no loyalty to adults in a kids’ world, I guess. Later, they ran around outside, often with Reid trailing after Brock. He is much more tolerant of Reid than some 8.5 year old boys would be.

After supper, we went back outside to play until Ken called us in for bed. Reid had asked that we bring the toddler bed upstairs for her to use instead of the playpen. She even laid in it for a while before asking to join me in the big bed. She cried a bit and said that she would miss Grandma Joyce and everyone when we were back in Ottawa. I reminded her that she would be staying for a whole week. After a bit of time had passed and after we had talked about other things, Reid reported sadly that she missed her daycare friends. I suggested that we could say “goodnight” to them and that they would dream about her, since THEY were all already asleep. Reid decided that she mostly missed the people that sat at the circle table. I know their names and so was able to lead Reid in the “good nights” to each of the kids who share the table and closest cubbies with Reid. Ken popped his head in to see if I would be able to come out to visit. He pulled his head back out when he saw that Reid was still awake. In the end, I think I may have fallen asleep before Reid.

Taking Uncle Roger’s magic van on an adventure

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

I invited Aunt Karin over to help wake up Reid on Thursday morning. I thought she’d stay for breakfast but she popped in to kiss and tickle Reid and then zoomed back to her own house to wake up Shea. I bet he didn’t get the kisses and tickles, poor kid. Reid wasn’t ready to be awake but with her late night on Wednesday, it seemed a good idea to try again to reset Reid’s internal clock.

I did take pity on Reid and let her watch a few shows in the morning. I never missed Treehouse before but now that Grandma Joyce has satellite service, I have to say it comes in handy. I had time to finish the Caramel Shortbread that I started on Tuesday. The recipe is easy enough but it requires cooling between layers and I’m easily distractable at the best of times. I considered not finishing since I’d had more than I should have at Aunt Pam’s but I felt I owed it to Grandma Joyce who had been taking such good care of us. I even planned to sacrifice and eat some of the cookies, too.

Aunt Lisa, Megan and Damien stopped by for a visit in the middle of their errands. Damien had been sick in the night but was a happy little guy for most of his visit. I wonder if he is like Reid and feels when he is with other kids. I’ve heard that the difference between an extrovert and an introvert is whether you feel recharged in a crowd or in solitude. Reid is a bit of both by that measure. She certainly has more energy in a crowd but sometimes demands to stay in and chill.

I took some pictures of Max Doggy in front of Grandma Joyce’s tree – all of the grandbabies were posing there, why not Max? He was a very well-behaved and patient fellow. He even wore the Santa hat without protest. I got a shot of him looking up as though entreating some higher power, “Please take this silly hat off of me.” A while after the formal session, I noticed that Max had been lured by the cloth bags that I’d left on the floor. He was curled in their midst and I added a few to complete the background and then took some more shots. I love taking pictures and suspect that Reid likes me to have other subjects to focus on. (Did you like the pun?)

Reid was still wearing her pajamas at 3:45 when Uncle Roger called to say when he would be over to pick us up. I got Reid dressed while explaining that her pajamas were indeed warm but not warm enough nor suitable for leaving the house. Uncle Roger, Auntie M and Danielle arrived in Uncle Roger’s fancy-schmancy commuter van. It’s a Town and Country with two video screens in the back that show DVDs or video games, a separate climate control for the back compartment and a screen in the front that shows a GPS map or telephone interface or pictures. I don’t know why one would put the pictures up there, but there you go. I’d brought along The Seventh Brother, a movie about a little dog named Tiny, and Reid was excited to watch it. Danielle was, too, since it brought back memories from her “childhood” (my word not hers). She was a good sport about being Reid’s pal despite the 11 year age difference.

We all went ice skate shopping at the sport store in Leamington. I was hoping for a pair for Reid since the ones she has seems small to me and another pair for me because my left skate cuts into the top of my foot (and I’m not a stoic, that which does not kill us type). There were no used skates that came remotely close to fitting Reid and the $99 new ones were too expensive for me to even want to touch. I tried a pair on that caused pain in a different part of my foot but I decided to stick with the pain that I’m familiar with. We checked at the Etcetra Shop and found some good skates for Reid to wear in a couple of years for only $2 but found no skates for right now.

After we’d finished our shopping, Uncle Roger asked Reid where she’d like to go for supper and she didn’t hesitate before saying, “Old McDonald’s.” We went to the new (at least to me), little McDonald’s in Kingsville and then went to Lakeside Park to see the Christmas light display. Reid and I were able to identify most of the shapes but were lucky to have Uncle Roger along to provide names for some of the characters. Reid doesn’t watch Disney movies and so we didn’t know the names of the lions in the Lion King and that sort of thing. My favourite were the “carousel” ponies. Reid scooted down the one hill on her bottom and Uncle Roger was wishing for a sled for her but Reid didn’t complain. Auntie M and Danielle walked ahead of us; I suspect they were hoping to stay warm by moving fast but it was a cold enough night that I’m not sure that their plan worked. Reid saw a good portion of the park from the vantage point of Uncle Roger’s shoulders. Even I carried her a bit though she is nearly too tall and big, especially when she is in her snow gear. We got back to the van and Reid was clamouring for the movie before everyone had had a chance to buckle their seatbelts. There are a few reasons why I wouldn’t want the dvd/screen option in a vehicle I drove regularly and this pestering would be the biggest one. Of course, Reid asks to watch videos on my iPod on the way to daycare when we get back from a roadtrip.

Ho, ho, holiday travel

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

We had the car packed and were leaving our driveway only 2 minutes later than Ken had planned on Friday. I was seriously considered writing about this accomplishment and letting everyone know that at least part of our trip had gone as it should because I was afraid the rest of the drive would be challenging. I wasn’t jinxing us, just reflecting on the usual course of events. It took us twice the normal time to get to the 401, with Ken driving in near white-out conditions at 20-30 kilometres an hour. Poor Reid said at one point she needed to pee but there was no safe place to pull over. Soon she was saying, “Mama, I’m peeing,” and looking at me like I should be able to help her. Safety over sanitation, that’s my motto. I reassured her that it wasn’t her fault and we’d get her into dry clothes as soon as we could. In the time before we finally got to an off ramp and gas station, Reid reported a few times, in surprise and maybe discomfort, “Mama, I peed.” I can remember the last time Reid peed in her pants and she probably can’t either.

Reid watched a Diego Saves Christmas and then part of a Toopy and Binoo Big Parade on dvd, I listened to Scorpion’s Gate (a book) on my iPod and Ken continued his white-knuckled driving until I realized it was 8:30 and time for Reid to be asleep. She protested a bit but not much. Maybe she knew she’d snuck one by us staying up so late. Reid and I did our best to cuddle to sleep, given that we sit on opposite sides of the backseat and she is in a car seat. My back was happy to discover that Reid went to sleep quickly and I did, too. If you’re feeling sorry for Ken, and you should given the driving conditions over the first 3.5 hours of the trip, I want to state publicly that he didn’t want the distraction of me talking to him and he supported my use of the iPod. I would never have listened to it otherwise.

Reid and I slept through snow to Kingston and then strong winds to Wheatley. In fact, Reid slept through a stop at a gas station, though I woke for it. To be precise, I woke up just in time to say, “We’re in Kent County now; we just have to get to the other side.,” as Lila used to say whenever I went somewhere with Janet when we were kids. (It used to drive us crazy, if you’re wondering.) Reid’s eyes popped open as we turned into Grandma Joyce’s subdivision. Reid looked around, announced we were nearly to Grandma’s and said, “I’m not tired anymore.” That made one person in the car who wasn’t tired ;+) I had trouble with the code to the garage door and so tried ringing the doorbell and then pounding on the door, all to no avail. I went to Aunt Karin’s and knocked on the window until Uncle Dave woke up. He was very coherent for a guy who’d been dead asleep but they didn’t have a key. Uncle Dave did share the secret of the garage door code and promised to come over if it didn’t work when I told him we were coming back to sleep on his couches if we couldn’t get in.

The code plus the trick worked and we got into the house about 2:45 am. By the time Reid and I had used the bathroom and climbed into bed it was pretty much 3:00. Contrary to Reid’s declaration of wakefulness, she was back asleep within minutes of getting into bed (thank goodness!) and slept until 7:30.