So….Where Ya Been Lately?

It’s been over a week since I last blogged in my blog (note how I cleverly use “blog" as both a noun and a verb).  And I know you have all been holding your breath in anticipation of my latest update. 

“Where is she?” you are undoubtedly asking yourself.  “What adventures has she been undertaking?” “What austere thoughts is she thinking?” “What’s on television tonight?”

Well, here’s the scoop.  Last week I took on one of the biggest, most exciting, most thrilling adventures of my life.  I spent a week in Erie, Pennsylvania, with my three kids.  Please hold your applause until the end of the program.

Why aren’t you applauding? I just said I spent the week in Erie, Pennsylvania with my three kids.  You should be shocked and awed!

Maybe if I explained it more.  Did I mention that I drove by myself - without Ken or any other adult (or close approximation as the case may be)?  For NINE hours?  In a minivan? With three kids under the age of 8? And then I drove nine hours back to Illinois? With the same three kids?  AND WE ALL SURVIVED!

“Why such the big fuss?” You say.  For the love of Pete, there were three of them and one of me.  The enemy had me surrounded.  I was outnumbered and, in some cases, outwitted.  Seriously, this has the making of a fabulous reality television series.  We can call it "When Mini-Van Moms Meet their Match."

“We’re going to Pennsylvania to visit my cousin Mary?” Emily (5) told her preschool teacher with a smile the week before the trip.  Beth (3) hopped around next to hear clapping her hands.  I grinned awkwardly.  Three months ago, when I had first conceived the plan, it had seemed like a good idea.  A quiet drive through Ohio with my little darlings.  What could be more fun (other than a root canal)? But as D-day grew closer, I started to doubt myself.

What if the car broke down on the interstate?  What if I got lost as soon as we left our little neighborhood?  What if the kids were really, really, really bad from the moment we left home until the moment we returned?  I woke up in a cold sweat dreading the task that lay before me.

Like most things that we dread, our trek across the Mid-west wasn’t nearly as horrifying as I had imagined.  The car ran smooth all week.  Thanks to our friendly little GPS, a device we affectionately call George, I always knew exactly where I was going.  And, the kids, with a few minor exceptions, behaved. 

We arrived in Erie on Sunday afternoon.  After that, we spent the week visiting our cousin Katelin and her fiancee, Doug.  We saw some of the sights with my sister, Theresa, and her daughter, Mary (4).  Beth enjoyed playing at the splash table at the Erie Children’s Museum.  Eric (8) was thrilled to skip stones into Lake Erie on Presque Isle.  And Emily made it her goal to ride every water slide at Splash Lagoon.

And I somehow managed to navigate across four states and limited my yelling-at-the-kids moments to only the most necessary times. 

So what did I learn?  Firstly, the things we dread so much are often not as difficult as we had imagined.  I thought a vacation without Ken's assistance would be difficult but it wasn't that bad.  Secondly, I am capable of taking on more than I thought I could, if only I give myself the chance.  Next year, maybe we'll try flying somewhere warmer.

And, finally, I learned that when your three year old says “Mommy, I have to pee really, really bad” you should immediately pull your car to the side of the road and let her do it on the highway rather than insisting she wait until you drive twenty miles to the next rest stop.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and wash the pee stains out of Beth’s car seat.  

(P.S. Ken was in South Carolina golfing all week and missed out on the fun.)