Saturday, November 3, 2007

Halfway Home

Well, actually more then that, we decided to stay farther north this time since the "travel days" ended up being shorter than expected on the way down and we didn't want to stay in the "no internet unless you're lucky enough to be in the right room" hotel again anyway.

Anyway . . . girls started off the day really well. We decided since there wouldn't be a usable pool here tonight (it's outdoor and too cold for outdoor even in NC) but warned them that they could only go swimming if they promised to get out w/o a fight when we told them it was time to go. So, after b-fast dh took them out to swim while I finished packing. Gave the girls the option of helping load the car since they generally like to help with that, but since their other choice was swimming longer, they chose swimming. When I got back to the room after taking (almost) everything out to the car, my cell phone was ringing & it was dh telling me the girls had something to show me, so I went out to the pool & they had both mustered up the courage to stick their faces in the water & "swim" w/ their faces underwater. They were quite proud of themselves, although L assured me that she will still "always" need her floaty suit, since it's her favorite color LOL. Anyway, after being appropriately impressed about the new skill, I told them the car was loaded & it was time to go, went through then normal "warnings" and they got out w/o a fuss, got dried off, dressed and we left. Did have a major issue w/ A because some stuff was stacked in the backseat for the trip home (I happened to find mason jars at the walmart down there for less than they are at walmart at home PLUS I forgot to stock up before the walmarts at home took them off the shelf for the winter. And of course right AFTER I realized they were no longer on the shelf I got a couple big orders that depleted my "stock" so I was looking at probably having to buy them at the (higher priced) grocery store before next spring. So, when I found them at the FL walmart for even less, I stocked up! So the majority of the "back" of the minivan is stacked full of mason jars, meaning most of the "luggage" got moved to the back bench, which is generally A's babies' seat (and A carries 5 or 6 babies w/ her everywhere we go, so they take up the whole seat!). We finally got thing shifted around so that they could all still be buckled in (2 of the 3 seatbelts were accessible) so all was well again.

Drive today was so-so. Lots of minor tantrums (or at least tantrums over minor things). I'd gotten them each a keychain w/ their respective favorite character on it but then A decided she wanted to "wear" it which I wasn't willing to let her do w/ the shirt she was wearing (the way the clasp on the keychain is, plus the knit of the t-shirt I was afraid it would poke a hole) so we had meltdowns about that. And pretty much everything else that happened today. I'd expected them to be eager to watch movies on the way home since they really didn't watch any tv all week, but they didn't seem interested in any of the vidoes I'd brought for today, shrug. I assume tomorrow's (non-Sabbath) videos will keep their attention better, since I got some from the library of some of their favorite shows, but we shall see . . .

Tonight's hotel has internet, so that makes it better than the one on the trip down, but still not in my top 20 hotels I've ever stayed at . . .

After A refused to even consider sleeping anywhere but her Dora bed this entire trip TONIGHT she decided she wanted to sleep in a "high bed". We have a room w/ 2 double beds. So of course L said she wasn't sleeping w/ A. Then once I had L convinced that she had the choice of sleeping w/ A in the "high bed" or sleeping on the floor in the dora bed, A decided she didn't want to sleep alone OR with L (or in the Dora bed), so we're sleeping one of us w/ each kid. At least they agreed w/o a fight on which of us slept with who (L's w/ me, A's w/ dh). AND it's a step toward getting A comfortable sleeping off the floor. I don't care if she wants to keep her bed at home on the floor, but it would make traveling easier if we didn't have to deal w/ the dora beds places where there's another bed option &/or places that are only one night (like tonight). . .

Tomorrow should be a shorter day and then we'll be home!!! I think other than stuff we HAVE to do, like getting milk & returning the library videos, we'll be mostly "decompressing" this next week. I need it (couldn't figure out why I was SO exhausted, then realized that I have had ZERO alone time all week and as an introvert, being around people exhausts me . . . at home w/ the girls generally doesn't "count" as being around people since they do their own thing and actually don't WANT me to participate in their play most of the time) and so do the girls.

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