I am in vacation mode already and we still have 7 days until we leave. We hardly ever take 'real' vacations. Most of our trips involve driving to Oklahoma, Minnesota or Colorado, or flying to Washington DC, to visit family. Granted, Colorado and DC (and even Minnesota) are pretty vacation-y places to go - but it's just not the same as going on a 'real' vacation.
7 days in THIS house is what I call a real vacation!! YIPPEE!!
Jenna and I made a paper chain last week to count off the days, and each morning when we tear off a chain, I think I'm more excited than she is :)
We are driving - which means 2 full days in the car. This is the only part of the trip I am not 100% looking forward to. Long car trips are one of those instances where I feel simultaneously incredibly lucky and horribly guilty about having an only child. On the one hand, road trips with just one kid are (I would imagine - seeing as I don't know this for a fact. I'm basing this opinion on my own memories of road trips with my sister - which were a complete nightmare most of the time.) easier than with multiple kids. You only have to manage one child's boredom, potty breaks, snacks and whiny-ness. On the other hand (and this is a BIG HAND), said only child relies heavily on the parents for entertainment. And since I live my life in a general state of guilt about the fact that Jenna has no sibling playmates, I usually oblige her when she asks me to play with her in the car. This requires a lot of energy - and this trip will be the first time I've had to sustain that energy for more than 8 hours in the car.
On the plus side, we bought a tomtom and have been having fun playing around with it. And I've been accumulating "stuff" for Jenna. I borrowed a Leapster and a LeapPad from a friend - which I'm counting on for at least 3-4 hours of silence in the backseat, as we don't have either one at home. My IPod is acting up, so I'm thinking of buying J a portable CD player so she can listen to Sound of Music (her current fave) as much as her little heart desires. (Steve has very little tolerance for kid music. I, on the other hand, find myself singing along to The LaLas or listening to The Magic Treehouse even when Jenna isn't in the car).
Speaking of Magic Treehouse - Jack and Annie have completely changed our driving experience over the last year. Jenna will listen to those books on CD over and over and over again. We've got about 20 of them on CD or on the IPod, and she never gets tired of them. They are FANTASTIC. Guaranteed 45 minutes of total silence per story!
Speaking of Jennabear, she's awake....
4 comments:
Have a great vacation! That sounds awesome!!!!!
We're going on a road trip next week, nowhere fun, and it's 16 hours in the car. I hate that part too!
looks beautiful! Have a wonderful time!
We just did a 12 hour stint in the car with Miss O...I was shocked at how well she did!
I hope you have the same luck with Jenna!
Have a GREAT time!
Have a wonderful time on your vacation! :) I love that you and Jenna made a chain of links to count down the days! :)
I hear you on the long road trips with an only child. We have done at least one a year over the past few years. Last year we did a two day each way to Hilton Head Island, SC and stayed overnight in a hotel en route.
Do you have a laptop? We have let Sean watch some DVDs on ours on some of our longer road trips over the years, though not other times, just the long road trips. Then there is always the "Alphabet game" and the "License Plate game!" Anyway, have fun! :)
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