BlueSuitMom.com: Diary of a BlueSuitMom


		Surviving the Summer Vacation By Maria Bailey Remember when you were in elementary school and you began the year with a paper on "What I did on summer vacation..." Mine would read, "I survived." If you've ever wondered what it is like to drive 1,350 miles in a van with four children and a husband, keep reading. It's an amazing experience to spend 24 hours a day with your family for 12 straight days in such close proximity. Tim, my husband kept remarking on how much our youngest was growing during our trip. Sometimes our hectic pace of our busy lives overshadow the changes that occur daily in our children. Our trip began with a three-hour plane trip to Boston where we picked up a van. The people at Alamo thought they were being nice by giving me a brand-new van. Clearly, they had no idea what my suburban looks like at home or they would have given us a van they were ready to deplete from their fleet. Just what I needed, somebody else's new car to try to keep clean as we transverse New England with coolers of red juice and Cheerios. We piled our 11 bags into the cargo area. Everything we needed was now in the van-- six sleeping bags, 22 packets of Scooby Doo gummy fruits, two coolers, three Gameboys, two fishing rods, three deflated pool rafts, two-dozen diapers, a bag of maps and a tub of Legos. The most important factor was the four children under the age of eight and two ambitious parents. Departing from Logan airport, it didn't take long for our first "wrong turn," which resulted in a three-hour, 41-mile drive to Plymouth, Mass. Several weeks before our trip, Tim read an article in the newspaper that listed the five most important elements of a child's vacation. Number one was the hotel pool. Nothing could be closer to the truth and we hit a homeroom in Plymouth. Our hotel had a replica of the Mayflower complete with slides into a huge pool. We were gods in the eyes of our children. Who cares about the pilgrim village tours, whale watching excursions, hundreds of years of history or Plymouth Rock, we had a pool with slides. Our journey took us from Massachusetts into New Hampshire where a campground in the White Mountains became our temporary home. Every year, my husband gives me two nights of camping and that number is up from the one night he initially agreed to during his first night in a tent. I guess if you don't sleep in a tent until you are 45 years old, it's hard to develop a strong love for sleeping on the ground. The kids and I love camping. We like smelling like smoke, grilling marshmallows and hiking through the woods with flashlights at night. I do a fair job of cooking good meals on an open fire, but this year, I became the Emeril of the fire pit. Our menu for dinner included, chicken and steak kabobs, rice, toasted garlic bread, salad, grilled chicken and corn cooked in the husk. By the way, you are supposed to soak the husks in water to prevent burning, but you can actually place the corn right into the flame to cook. I was a little stumped at how I was going to cook rice on the fire until my children reminded me that they did it every day on Survivor Island. If Colby and Rick could cook a pot of rice without a measuring cup, so could I! For breakfast we made doughnuts by frying dough and rolling them in powdered sugar. After a few days of river rafting, rock climbing and very cold nights, we headed to Quebec. We thought the experience of being in a non-English speaking city would be a fun adventure for the kids. It proved to be worth the six-hour drive. I thought the Border Patrolman gave us a funny look when we said we were only staying one day in Canada. Now I know why, we drove 10 hours to and from to stay in Quebec for 12 hours. The highlight for our children was the street performers. They sat on the sidewalk for hours mesmerized by the jugglers, magicians and unicyclist. The Bailey van headed south back into the U.S. crossing the mountains of northern Maine leaving behind hundreds of moose crossing signs that never produced one moose sighting. We spent the remaining days of our vacation on the coast exploring tidal pools in Maine, eating lobster in New Hampshire, visiting Witches in Salem, Mass. and playing in Boston. Being the nice wife that I am, I even allowed Tim and the boys to spend a day at Fenway Park. The vacation was incredible. Everyone for the most part got along. Morgan, my two year old, learned how to sleep outside of a crib and everyone arrived home happy and healthy. I do have some observations that might be helpful to other parents embarking on a road trip with the family. Men will never ask for directions. Sometime they won't even turn around when driving in the wrong direction. Children will always have a sudden need at the same time you need to consult maps or make an important decision. Allowing your child's preschool teacher to start potty training your toddler the week before you leave on vacation, is a bad idea. Public bathrooms and potty training just don't go well. There are not enough window seats on a plane to accommodate a family of six. The pool is the only thing that matters in the eyes of a child on vacation. Your children's energy will last hours longer than your energy; plan accordingly. Nintendo has replaced the Mini Bar as the hotel's way to get you to spend money in your room. The phone on the plane is far more amusing to a two year old than any toy you could possible pack in your travel bag. McDonald's SuperSize Cups make great emergency devices when the family's bladders are not synchronized and you are 100 miles into the woods of Canada. Take time to build childhood memories for your child, it allows you to relive your own. Share your thoughts on our message board or email Maria. Also see: • Week Forty-Two -- Seeing the world through a child's eye • Week Forty-One -- Re-living single days teaches the importance of family • Week Forty -- Sometimes we need a break • Week Thirty-Nine -- Summer camps • Week Thirty-Eight -- The teachers that shape our lives • Week Thirty-Seven -- Reuniting with old friends • Week Thirty-Six -- Tips for managing a large family • Week Thirty-Five --Fulfilling my dreams • Week Thirty-Four --Parenting approaches • Week Thirty-Three -- Combining a business trip with spring break • Week Thirty-Two -- Making Spring Break plans • Week Thirty-One -- Importance of a Support System • Week Thirty -- Life is good • Week Twenty-nine -- My nine year anniversary • Week Twenty-Eight --Does birth order matter? • Week Twenty-Seven -- Things we take for granted • Week Twenty-Six -- My youngest turned two • Week Twenty-Five -- Losing someone you love • Week Twenty-Four -- Where's the romance in Valentine's Day? • Week Twenty-Three -- The call I've been waiting for • Week Twenty-Two -- Where did the weekend go? • Week Twenty-One -- Business trip challenges • Week Twenty -- Girl Scout cookie time • Week Nineteen -- Thoughts on motherhood • More diary entries Maria Bailey is the CEO and founder of BlueSuitMom.com and a mother of four children under the age of seven.

Surviving the Summer Vacation