April Break

My kids are out of school this week on April break. I love road trips, so of course I packed the kids into the mini-van and we headed out of town. People are often surprised at how well my kids do on long car trips. "It's easy," I say, "Just condition them young." My kids have been putting up with long car rides since they were born. Like anything in life, at first it may be tough going but when you keep it up, it eventually becomes second nature. Sure, some of those earlier road trips were difficult. I endured whining, crying, fighting and occasional tantrums. They were not the only ones throwing tantrums. Sometimes I had to put on my stern, "I mean business" mommy face to get their attention. Now that they are a bit older and with the aid of the DVD player, I hardly hear a peep out of them. Usually the only gripes I hear are, "I'm hungry!" Oh I can't lie, of course I hear the occasional, "Are we there yet?" Our longest road trip so far was two trips to Charleston, South Carolina. They were in the mini-van for two full days, 18 hours of driving time there and back. This summer we are driving from Connecticut to California, so I am sure I will have lots of interesting stories to report from that trip. This week we are in the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York. I love being in a hotel with the kids. It's small, contained and very little to clean up. A chamber maid makes the bed and cleans the room while we are out having fun. I wish everyday life could be this simple. They do wake up a bit early but thanks to the upgraded room to a suite, I can shut the door and they watch cartoons while I get a little more sleep. Yesterday we hiked one of our favorite small mountains. Last summer, my youngest was three and hiking was a bit of a challenge for him. Now at four, hiking is a different experience. When he was three, I had to coax him up the trail with Ruffles and cookies. Occasionally, I would also have to carry him, when the whining became unbearable. Back to my philosophy, keep trying until it becomes second nature. My youngest was a shining example of that yesterday. He led the hike, much to my surprise. We had to push ourselves to keep up with him! He did not take a break until we all reached the top and he needed no coaxing. Now, hiking is second nature to him. He climbed over rocks like a pro and kept a pretty fast pace. All three kids went faster than usual and required no help from me. It was nice observing them helping each other on the trail and cheering for each other when they reached the top. When my youngest tripped over a branch, my daughter said, "It's okay...you gotta fall once in awhile while you're hiking." It was an absolutely enjoyable three hours. There was no fighting, whining or complaining. They sang songs, told stories and focused on their footing. Hiking brought out the best in them. Today we hiked the same mountain again and we were all dragging just a bit, but overall they were amazing. I am also impressed with their ability to have fun with very little stuff. This morning, they ran around the hotel pretending to be freedom fighters in battle, using hangars as bow and arrows. At the pool, my four year old used two plastic room keys as pretend boats. Why do we spend so much money on toys when children can use their imaginations magnificently. We also stopped at the dollar store, which is my favorite store up here. For less than $36 bucks, we got tons of snacks, water and sheriff badges. If I get pulled over, my kids can flash their badges. After another day of hiking, bowling, swimming and hot baths, they are so wiped out that you can hear a pin drop in our suite right now. I am enjoying the peace and quite. Tomorrow will be day three of hiking, so wish me luck because I just may be pushing my luck with another hike. Hiking may be second nature to them but they do have their limits. I'm optimistic but just in case, I'll pack some Ruffles in the backpack. “The mountains are calling and I must go"...(John Muir). “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way"...(Dr. Seuss).