To Grandmother’s house we went. And I’m pooped.
Our Thanksgiving trip to West Virginia began as a far-off idea, one that I’d eventually nail down for details and form into a concrete plan. As September and October rolled by, I realized that flying to Charleston wasn’t an option, nor was having a driving buddy to share the burden of a 2,400-mile roundtrip trek. Come last Saturday morning, it was me and the boys and a very long road ahead.
The key to our successful trip was a multi-layered plan of attack. First, the boys needed to sit separately (we have an optional third row, yee-haw!) with their own box of travel-friendly toys (quiet and small). Then we needed snacks divied out in plastic baggies that could be passed back easily without stopping the car. Then I laid down the ground rules: We will alternate movies and music, two hours for you and two hours for me. Keep your mess to a minimum and I will try not to yell at you. I’m just as miserable as you are, so hang in there and I might get you a treat at Starbucks.
We were fortunate to find one great rest area after another with clean bathrooms and even playgrounds. Every time we stopped I made the boys run laps around the grassy areas or do jumping jacks on the sidewalk. If I was uncomfortable in my cushy bucket seat, then they had to be cramped in their boosters. I’m happy to say both boys are great travelers and it was only in the last two hours of our 42-HOUR, double-weekend drive that they lost their minds. And really, since we’re battling colds and exhaustion, I couldn’t blame them.
Sufficed to say I’m not doing that again for a very, very long time. Especially since we sometimes had to stop to use the restroom and could only find single-seaters. You just do the best you can, right?
Boys, don’t look. Mommy has to go potty.
We got home around 7:30 p.m. yesterday and Salem was waiting for me in the middle of the kitchen floor. He gave me a long lecture via intimidating cat stare about being gone for nine days but quickly forgave me and became my shadow for the rest of the night.
This week begins my attempt to make all of our Christmas decorations from scratch. The challenge isn’t necessarily being creative with what I make but rather how I make them. If I spend too much money on supplies, then I might as well have bought all new decorations, right? Instead, I need to see what I already have and figure out a way to repurpose old things into new decorations. I could go broke at Hobby Lobby buying glitter and glue sticks and balls of twine.
Hmm. That just gave me an idea.
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