Fun With Our Sons: On the Road

Monday, May 24, 2010

On the Road

An idea popped into my head one day. At first I dismissed it. Thought I was completely crazy for even considering it. But then I started to wonder if it just might be possible. "I'll bring it up with Derek," I thought. He'll think I'm out of my mind and that will be the end of it. Wouldn't you know it--Derek thought it was a fantastic idea!

My three boys and I piled into the van for a road trip to my parents' house! 10 hours on the road, all in one stretch, with me at the wheel. I've never driven the entire route before, and never without another adult. I gathered all the prayer warriors I could, packed a few good dvd's, and off we went!

The weather cooperated--for the most part. I battled the wind for quite a while, praying that it would stop. Eventually it did. The boys had snacks when they were hungry and plenty of things to entertain them along the way. A few times they fought over the dvd remote, one brother accusing another brother of pushing the wrong buttons. I told them they were pushing my buttons and to knock it off or the remote was going out the window. Not really, but I felt like it at that point. :) We stopped three times along the way--twice for gas and once just to run around in the grass.

I personally hold the state of Illinois responsible for what happened next. 30 minutes from my parents' house, after driving through countless potholes, I heard a voice from the back seat. "Barf bag, barf bag!" Reaching for it and driving at the same time proved difficult...I didn't make it in time. I tossed some napkins back there, told him to cover it up, rolled down the windows, and just kept driving. Stopping the van would have only lengthened the trip. Believe me, at that point we just wanted to BE THERE! Pulling into the driveway and seeing my dad's smiling face made it all worth it. We had Chinese take-out for supper, the van (and my child) cleaned up nicely, and everyone felt relieved to be done with that drive.

Watching the Cubs win in the 10th inning was the perfect way to wrap up our day. My dad and my boys enjoying baseball together while I drink some tea and relax from a hard day's work. It feels good. :)

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What I've Learned While Raising Boys

You know you're a Cub Scout mom when you end up teaching the salesperon which neckerchief slide goes with which age level.

The boys want to be just like dad, but they want to snuggle with mom.

Snuggling and cuddling can quickly turn into a tickling match with daddy, but mommy avoids the tickling to keep snuggling longer.

A carpeted floor always turns into a wrestling mat.

I don't care how old (or how young) you are; if you are male, you will wrestle on the carpeted floor.

I've never heard the words 'belch' and 'fart' more in my life. Nor the sound effects those words represent.

They'll carry toads and eat dog food. Hand them a toilet brush and they think it's gross.

Why mop the boys' bathroom floor when I can wait for them to do it for me? Three showers later, a towel makes a nice mop.

Courtesy flush=an adult walks by the boys' bathroom and flushes the toilet. Courtesy flushes are standard around here.

Hearing me count to 5 changes my child's behavior, if only for a moment.

I get more practice counting to 5 than I did when I was learning how to count.

Pull-ups should never go in the dryer.

Vacuuming the pull-up pieces out of the dryer at midnight is not unheard of.

Rocks, cars, coins, chapstick, crayons, army men, kleenex, and stickers are all washable, but shouldn't be.

If I want a child to be sick, give him clean sheets.

Band-aids really do make it all better.

My camera batteries will die at the worst time. Like they did at my wedding and the birth of my first son.

When I get mad at my son for spilling his drink, I'll spill mine that same day.

Just when I'm ready to sit down with my lunch, my kids need cleaned up from finishing theirs.

The game "I Spy" works great in a restaurant; not in a moving car.

Dandelion bouquets should be checked for ants before gracing my kitchen counter.

I should always accept a dandelion from my son with delight, for someday they will just be weeds in my yard.

I really do have eyes in the back of my head.

The messier the better--living room, kitchen, toy room--for it means my kids are here with me.

I never turn away a hug from my son--soon enough he won't offer them to me.

Things are always better in the morning.

I can never find the scotch tape in my kitchen drawer, but my son has at least 3 rolls in his desk.

My 5 year old can remember attending a funeral when he was 3, but he can't remember to flush the toilet or shut the front door.

I shouldn't be surprised that my 5 year old thinks I was friends with Mary, mother of Jesus, when he thinks 7 year olds are big kids.

Hiding a purchase from an inquisitive child looks like shoplifting.

The number of bathrooms in a home should equal the number of children. All 3 bathrooms have been used at the same time more than I ever would have imagined.

I'm a selfish, self-centered person. God's cure for that? My 3 blessings.

They really are little for just a little while. . .