Road Trip

So.

The road trip.  Some one referred to what  I did this past week as a vacation.

5 days in a car with two excessively chatty pre-schoolers during record breaking cold and a full moon is NOT a vacation.   I'm not exactly sure what  I would label it.  A learning experience perhaps?

Since I'm all about education, let me share with you some of the nuggets of wisdom I gleaned over the past week.

* If one is foolish enough to plan a road trip in March, it will be cold.  MIND NUMBINGLY COLD.  Which kind of rules out tobogganing, snowman building and hikes with cousins.  It basically rules out anything which might wear off a bit of the energy built up by being cooped up in the car for hours on end.  To say nothing of how hard it was for my kids.

* Contrary to my previously held beliefs, parents who have DVD players in the car are not lazy.  They are smart.  Brilliant.  CERTIFIED GENIUSES.  I plan to join their ranks before I ever do this again.

*    While I find babies in the singular a teensy bit boring, twins are fascinating.  Congrats again R and T!  It was a pleasure to hold your beauties.

Way cooler, you might want to skip this next point OK?

* If you forget to plug in the block heater in the van when it is -35 it will swear at you when starting up the next morning.  Swear like a sailor.

*Short cuts are  only a good idea in the summer.

* Do not give two year olds liquids of any kind before a trip.

*There are very few washrooms on Northern Alberta highways.

* Boys have a hard time peeing in the great outdoors when it is -25.  It probably doesn't help when mommy keeps barking "just do it now!" 

*My sister married a good man.  It was awful sweet of him to let us go out together for two nights in a row.  Either that or he was a little scared of the crazed look in my eyes.  

*Sprout is too small for many of the rides at West Edmonton Mall.

*Sprout does NOT understand the whole height restriction thing.

*He can be bribed with a couple of temporary tattoos.  Fickle child.

*Adam and Jeane are even cuter in person.  I'd met their siblings before but this was the first time face to face with Janet's two youngest darlings.

*If you visit Janet on a road trip she might give you chocolate for your journey home.

*Janet is the queen of everything.  Everything chocolaty at least.

* Time with my sister and some sweet friends is worth any trouble.  Any.