Our day at the Canadian Children's Museum

The Top 10 Things I Learned on This Road Trip.

10. Kids can listen to the same thing over Katy Perry, and over Disney-Pixar's Cars, and over Toy Story, and over again. CSIS should really talk to Angus about employing some new, cutting-edge techniques to their modes of torturous interrogation.

9. Silence is golden.

8. Embarking on a road-trip (of this length) with kids as young as Angus and Henry, really actually is fun. Really.

7. I'm glad Angus was still in diapers for this trip. I fear that there would have been many more pit stops along the way had he been potty-trained.

6. A sense of humour goes a loooooooooooooong way (3, 000K return, to be exact).

5. What you see really DOES depend on what you're looking for (one of my favourite quotes, John Lubbock).

4. I see now what all the fuss is about with coffee (not the fancy drinks...a plain ol' cuppa joe).

3. I think a really good business idea would be to have a rest stop equipped with an indoor playground.

2. It truly is NOT the destination, but the journey itself.

1. I love my boys so so much, and I love that we shared this together. They made the trip so much more interesting than if I had done it alone. Even after we got home, the last thing I wanted was a break from them. Here's hoping that this is the first of many family road trips in our futures!

And this, my dear friends and family, is the end of this road trip. Thank you so much for spending time following us on this journey. I am truly flattered. To my friends in Ottawa that I did not see, I really hope to catch up with you all soon...I really did want to see you, but the short time I was home really did fly by. To my family: thank you for housing us, feeding us, and basically putting up with us. We love you all! And now, for your viewing pleasure (it is 7 minutes long, so I understand if you don't watch the video in its entirety), I've attached a copy of the video of our visit to the museum (it's the next post). Until out next adventure, adios!

Day 7

"And on the Seventh day, He rested..." (Genesis 2:2). I'm pretty sure God didn't do a 7-day road trip consisting of 3,000 km total of driving, with a 32-month old and an 11-month old, because if He did, He would have created 10 days in a week, and rested on numbers 8, 9, and 10.

We all slept well, and woke up around 7:30 a.m.. An hour into our drive, Henry was vocalizing his...hmm, how shall I coin this...his 'special' sounds, denoting a soiled diaper. I turned around to do a quick check to see if the situation required immediate attention. Indeed.

"OH MY GOD, RYAN...YOU HAVE TO PULL OVER RIGHT NOW - THIS IS SERIOUS!!!" I am pretty sure the tires squealed as we came to a complete stop. I hauled Henry out of his seat with amazing speed. I laid out a blanket (yes, the same one which was a privacy curtain on Day 1), and changed him. It was actually more of a 'strip and wipe-down' than a change, per se. We were on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway, changing a disgustingly dirty diaper, and also trying to scrub the car seat clean. The picture to the left was taken by yours truly after the crisis was under control. The good thing about pulling over immediately was that we were able to deal with the situation right away; the bad thing was that we had to drive another 30K before we could dispose of the loot bag in a proper garbage can. I had a container of hand sanitizer, and Ryan and I looked like surgeons prepping for the OR. We applied the stuff everywhere...hands, neck, vehicle, arms, shoulders, legs...you name it. *Shudder*

We crossed into Nova Scotia (Eureka!), and made it to the Cobequid Pass. We saw some weirdo reversing up an on-ramp, and laughed at him...it was likely delirious laughter due to the fact that we were less than an hour from home. And then we saw it. Flashing lights. Tow trucks. Po-Po cruisers. The highway became a parking lot. People were walking their dogs, running into the bushes to relieve themselves (the people, not the dogs), and those with binoculars were trying to see what was going on. After 20 minutes, we took the boys out of their seats and went walking ourselves. After about 15 minutes, someone yelled, "THEY'RE MOVING!!" I sprinted (with Henry in arms) faster than I have ever sprinted before (I'm pretty sure Mr. King, my high school sprinting coach, would have been impressed). And then we sat for another 20 minutes. Argh! I wanted to find that joker who professed that false hope and wished upon him a lifetime of slow ATM line-ups (with the occasional 'Out-of-Service' pop-up when it was to be his turn). I still don't know what the accident was. There were no paramedics, and all I saw as we drove by was a charred trailer container. Actually, I guess that would be it. The last 40 minutes of the drive was uneventful. The boys were screaming. I only had one weapon left in my arsenal to make them stop. Instead of screaming, I popped in the cd, cranked the music and sang at the top of my lungs: "California girls, we're unforgettable, Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top. Sun-kissed skin so hot, we'll melt your popsicle, Oooooh oh oooooh!" Katy, you're back in my good books.

Day 6

Day 6 marked the beginning of the end of our journey. Our goal was to make it Edmundston, NB by the end of the day. We drove to Pointe-Claire and made a 2-hour stop to visit with Grammie Knowles (Ryan's grandmother, the boys' great-grandmother...they still have all 4 g.g's - how crazy is that?). We were all looking forward to the visit, but I was also a bit concerned about Angus' comportment while there. He's a typical 2 3/4 year old which I'm very used to, but Grammie hadn't seen him for well over one year...things with Mr. Angus have changed dramatically since then. She loves all of her great-grandchildren dearly, though, and I'm pretty sure they can do no wrong in her eyes. Angus may have changed that with this visit. Within 2 minutes of being in her apartment, he ran into the guest bedroom and started jumping on the bed (Ryan got to him before she noticed), he then ran into the living room and climbed up her patio door and launched himself into the center of the room (I think he may have some "spidey" abilities), and without missing a beat, jumped on her couch. She has a large collection of decorative, singing birds. Guess what happened next? Angus found them. Oy vey. Grammie was wonderful about everything, and I think some of that understanding stems from the fact that she had four children herself. Although, I have a funny feeling that back then, kids actually listened to their parents. I may be wrong, but I seriously doubt it. We said out goodbyes and departed for Edmundston.

Except that instead of going through the L-H Lafontaine Tunnel, Ryan opted for the Trois-Rivieres route. This would not have been a big deal normally, except that there was a huge detour due to backed up traffic and construction. I nervously glanced behind me, and breathed a sigh of relief; they were asleep. This bought us at least an hour...maybe two if we were lucky. Most importantly, I wouldn't have to listen to bloody Katy Perry singing about her stupid California antics.

In the end, we did make it Edmunston. We got a hotel room, ordered pizza, and bathed the boys. Henry and & I were in one bed, and Angus and Ryan in the other. Both Ryan and I fell asleep before Angus did, but we're pretty sure he fell asleep watching MuchMusic. Air-conditioning, black-out blinds, and amazingly comfortable beds - a perfect recipe for a restful sleep!

TODAY'S GRADE: B-

Day 5

This morning we had decided that we would go to the Canadian Museum of Civilization (civilization.ca). If you're ever visiting Ottawa, there are more than a dozen museums to visit, but this one should definitely top your list! The Canadian Children's Museum is a museum within a museum. It's set up like an outdoor global market. You can ride a rickshaw in Thailand, shop in a French bakery, work on an ocean barge, operate the currency exchange booth, or explore Egyptian hieroglyphs - and that's not even half of the activities! Taken from the Museum's website: "The Canadian Children’s Museum (CCM) has been developed around a central theme — The Great Adventure — and gives younger visitors an opportunity to travel the world. Over 30 permanent exhibit spaces have been designed as a series of contextual environments situated along a random circulation route. Exhibit themes promote intercultural understanding and emphasize process rather than the acquisition of a detailed body of knowledge. A rich assortment of materials including props, costumes and hands-on artifacts supports open-ended, inquiry-based learning experiences. Based on a client-centred approach, the space facilitates small group interaction and immersion/role-playing." I brought Angus to this museum in 2008, but as you can guess, he got very little out of it. This time around, however, it was a non-stop race from activity to activity. He absolutely loved it! In true Angus form, he always made his way back to anything that he could drive: a car, bus, rickshaw, motorcycle...it was exciting to watch him be so excited. Isn't that one of the BEST gifts of parenthood? You get to see the world from a completely different perspective. One that's innocent, pure, and fun...the way it should be. After a long day of working/playing, we headed home for naps, some swimming, and I had to get myself to a Future Shop to buy a new DVD system for the drive home. I did buy one, stopped at Chapter's, and went home to help start with dinner (since Ryan was going to be joining us, my Dad & Jan made sure that the dinner was special). We had a great evening with good food and good conversation. I was the first person to call it a night at about 10:30 p.m. (for those of you who know me, hardly surprising!). Day 6 was going to be a long day...we were planning to stop in Pointe-Claire to visit Grammie Knowles, and we had to make it to Edmundston by dinnertime.

TODAY'S GRADE: A

Day 4

The day started very early (shocker, I know.). The photo to the left was actually taken at 8:45 a.m...the boys were already on their first nap. We made a quick stop to Starbucks and then headed over to Amanda's (one of my best friends since high school) place so that we could meet baby Kaius Xavier (born on June 28, 2010). What a handsome boy! He is one of the cutest babies I have ever seen, and he slept for the entire 3 hours we were visiting (I'm sure Amanda was cursing us when we left!). Angus and Henry were constantly touching his feet and trying to rock his swing, and he remained a sleepy, happy little guy. So precious! We had a good visit, and then headed back to Dad and Jan's for the afternoon. The neighbours loaned us a kiddie pool, which the boys enjoyed immensely. Later on that afternoon, Henry and I went to one of the best Shoppers Drug Marts I have ever seen. The cosmetic boutique had everything from Benefit and Christian Dior to Smashbox and Bourjois. Incredible. Didn't buy anything, though. I really don't think that the boys care at this point whether I'm sporting L'Oreal or Stilla. Who am I kidding? I barely have time to apply lip gloss these days. When I return to work on August 5th after having completed my 1 year maternity leave, I'll have to take a make-up refresher. And hair refresher. And...what do you mean I can't wear a tank top and jersey-knit skirt to work?? Ryan phoned later on in the evening to say that he wanted to do the drive home with us and that he was switching his flight to Ottawa! Yippee!! The only downside was that we were going to have to leave on Saturday morning, first thing. Boooo. That leaves us only one more day...

TODAY'S GRADE: A++

Day 3

The sleeping arrangements at my Dad's place were wonderful! Angus had a little bed made up on the floor, I had the bed, and Henry had a playpen. Although we were all in the same room, it worked. Until about 2:00 a.m.. Angus was crying out, but his voice sounded kind of muffled. When I hopped off the bed to get him, he wasn't there! The poor little guy tosses and turns every night, but on this night he tossed and turned himself right underneath the bed. He was struggling to get out, with no luck. I pulled him out and he fell asleep instantly.

The next morning were up at 5:00 a.m.. We headed downstairs and I tried to get the DVD player to play Woody With a W. There were three remotes on the table, and the best that I could do was get sound from the movie, but no picture. I resorted to "On Demand" and we watched Aladdin. It wasn't nearly as good as I remembered from 1992. Angus was not interested, and so at 7:00 I called my Mum to see if she was interested in some early-morning visitors. We packed up and headed to the booming metropolis of Almonte. Upon arrival, the boys were spoiled with lots of toys and games. We went outside where Angus got to go on the ATV. He played with my Mum's bunny, Q (whom he loved!).

My grandparents both recently moved to the area (my grandmother to a retirement residence, and my grandfather to a care facility), and I was really excited to see them. Nervous and excited. We arrived at my grandmother's new place, and holy cow! It was awesome! There's an indoor pool, a laundry room with couches and recliners with a full bakery service (you know, just in case you've got a hankering for a croissant in between sorting your whites from colours), there's a full kitchen located on the main floor where you can cook a meal if you really want to (and the staff cleans up after you!!), and last, but not least, a maid comes to tidy your apartment every day! My kind of place! Angus ran right over to Mama and gave her a big hug, and he made himself right at home in her apartment. He was jumping on her bed (I would never have been allowed to do that), removed the lid of her crystal candy jar and ran around with it (for sure would have been punished for that), and was throwing his ball around the apartment (are you kidding me?!). After a bit of playtime, we headed to my grandfather's place, and I wasn't expecting that he'd remember the boys, or even me, for that matter. He knew who I was, but didn't know my face ("I never would have recognized her!"). He looked very well...much better than he had when I was home in April. It was really hot, and the boys were nearing the end of their patience/good behaviour. We said our goodbyes and headed back to O-Town. Pinecrest IKEA to be exact! The boys did really well, and we soon found ourselves back at Dad & Jan's for the rest of the day. I ended up quite ill that evening, but it was short-lived...once the stabbing pain in my abdomen subsided, I realized I was likely dehydrated, hungry, and over-tired.

Photos (l-r): Henry wearing my grandfather's wool cap, Angus jumping off of the ATV and Mum and Mike's.

TODAY'S GRADE: A-

Day 2

The boys promptly woke me up at 5:00 a.m.. When I opened my eyes, Angus was about 1 inch from my face and he giggled and said, "Hi Momma!". I mean, really, could a day start any better? I fed Henry his mush, and loaded them into the car, then loaded all of our stuff into the car (thank God for our walk-out level room). With a quick food stop at Scrawny Ronnie's (Angus hearts the hash browns), we once again hit the road. I have to admit, I was a bit worried because of the DVD situation (i.e. it was out of order), but two weeks prior, I was in Toronto visiting one of my besties, and she made me a really great cd which includes the song "California Gurls" by Katie Perry. Angus LOVES that song and refers to it as "the candy song". Watch the video and you'll see why. Anyhow, he requested that song so I happily obliged. The boys fell asleep within an hour of leaving, and I was fortunate enough to be able to 'enjoy the silence' (incidentally, one of my favourite songs). We crossed into Quebec, and there was barely any traffic. Construction crews were beginning to set up their barricades, and with each passing pilon, I was practically fist pumping...so excited to NOT get stuck in/beat summer construction!

When the boys woke up, we stopped at one of the provincial rest stops and I let Angus run and Henry crawled after him. Once back in the car the candy song was played, and played, and played, and played, and played - I kid you not - 75 times before I said that the lady was tired of singing so we'd have to let her rest. We stopped at other provincial rest stops about three more times before hitting Montreal. I was warned that there was nowhere to stop once passing through the city, so any crises would have to be put on hold should any arise. On out last rest stop before driving through, I made sure to tire Mr. Angus out. We raced and raced, and hunted for treasures (sticks and leaves were magic wands and golden feathers)...I thought that would help. Silly Momma. Henry screamed bloody murder from Montreal to whichever city is past Pointe-Claire. Angus was doing his little "scream louder" routine, and I was just trying to get us through the tunnel alive. Once on the other side and at a red light, I'd had enough. "Ugly Momma" reared her ugly head (haha...thanks for the term Amanda!). I gripped the wheel and screamed, "EVERYONE STOP SCREAMING!!!!" I think I shocked them. I shocked myself. They were stunned into silence. For a whole 30 seconds. Then they started again. At least they weren't scarred by the experience.

We pulled into my Dad & Jan's driveway at 3:00 p.m. EST. While I was unpacking, I stopped for a second. I did it! I actually did it!! I was thrilled that I had accomplished my goal in waaaay less time than I had anticipated! Yay me! Then Henry yanked me out of my reverie with his screaming (I don't use that term lightly, btw). Sigh. Onto the next part of our adventure. The good stuff...family, friends and playing tourist in my hometown! Stay tuned for Day 3.

TODAY'S GRADE: B+

Sorry for the delay in posting. I could not connect my computer to my Dad's wireless network and had no reasonable alternatives. I'll play catch up quickly!

Day 1

As we pulled away from 1201 Elise Victoria Drive this morning, I was still second-guessing myself. Family members were concerned, and had valid questions ("What if you have to pee and there's only one tiny stall?" "What if one of them chokes and you can't pull over?" "What if your truck breaks down?"). Well, I didn't have answers to any of those questions simply because I hadn't considered them. But, inevitably, I mulled them over in my mind from 10 p.m. last night to first thing this morning - and added a few more of my own. In the end, I simply adopted the "Que sera sera" mindset.
We hit the road at 7:00 a.m., and the first movie the boys watched was "Cars." At the beginning of the movie, Rascal Flatts sings a remake of "Life is a Highway", and wow...perfect timing!! Kids were happy, car was humming, and off we were. I reminisced about all my road trips as a kid with my family, which I always loved. In fact, truth be told, I come from a long line of road-trippers. Both sets of grandparents loved them, all my parents, too! My Mum actually had a CB in her brand new Firebird when I was a kid (Her name was Mellow Yellow, and mine was Mischief Maker)...so fun talking on it! Anyhow, before I knew it, we were out of Nova Scotia and into New Brunswick. The skies had cleared up, and the sun was shining brightly! I had to pee. To avoid any potential logistical issues at any of the rest-stops, I decided to pull over and inconspicuously hang a bright blue, gingham-print Raggedy Andy quilt over the side of the truck door which proved effective as a makeshift privacy curtain. I'm sure no one knew. We later stopped in Fredericton for lunch and some outdoor playtime. It's the first time that I've been to Freddie, and it's absolutely beautiful...I can definitely see why people live/vacation there. Only frustrating thing was trying to get back to the highway. I've got a little-known talent whereby I can retrace my steps or backtrack to near perfection...even if I've only done the route once. However, I came in on Queen Street, and it was a one-way. After several loops around the city, I learned that King Street was what I needed to get back to the TCH. Signs would've been helpful.
Once we were back on the road, Henry screamed for a few minutes, then Angus joined in. No, not because he was upset, too, but to get Henry more upset. It's one of his favourite games. So, that lasted for about 30 minutes, and then Henry fell asleep. Then Angus really did get upset, and kept screaming "NO! NO! NO!" at the top of his lungs for another 30 minutes. Their combined vocal stamina is nothing short of awesome. I told Angus to stop screaming or I'd turn off the DVD player. He screamed louder and so I pulled the adapter out of the lighter socket with as much force as I could muster, and the movie died. Angus fell asleep minutes later and I had silence for almost an hour. It was beautiful. It was then that I realized how tired I was. Have you ever gotten to a point where you start to lightly slap yourself in the face to stay awake? No, me neither. I pulled over in Edmundston to get some gas, and both boys woke up. I asked Angus if he wanted to watch another movie (I was going to try and get to Riviere-de-Loup), and he said "Woody with a 'W', please." (That's his name for Toy Story. You'd think 'Toy Story' is easier to say, right?). I went to put it on, and it didn't work. I checked the connections, and they seemed fine. I jiggled the lighter adapter into place, and realized that it was broken. Half of it was still jammed into the lighter socket, and the other half intact, where it should be. Unbelievable. I tried pilling out the remains with a set of pliers, but to no avail. I went to WalMart to see if I could find a solution. Isn't that their 'thing'? All I got from the electronics guy was a "Desole."
So here we are. In the Days Inn in Edmundston, New Brunswick. The three of us in one room. Henry in one bed, Angus in the other. Both (amazingly!) asleep. I'm glad I made it as far as I did, and that we're all still smiling at the end of the day (although, three times this afternoon, Angus had to say, "Mummy's happy NOW!"...that's his way of telling me to cheer up). It's been a good day! No regrets (except maybe the lighter-cord blunder), and loving the experience of being on the road alone with the boys. That being said, I'm elated that Ryan will likely be doing the drive back with me on Sunday! I'm hoping to make it Ottawa tomorrow, but if not, it'll be close. Lastly, thank you all for following me, and for your words of encouragement...they really put a smile on my face when I need it most. Like when I'm sitting in a 300 sq.ft., pitch-black hotel room with two two-and-under snoring kids, with Toy Story playing for the 7th time today.

TODAY'S GRADE: B

It's official!

So, I am either brave, crazy, or sporting some seriously rose-coloured glasses. Whichever one it is, I have decided to pack up the two boys and drive to Ottawa. Alone. Solo. Toute seule. We're not on any schedule, and I don't know how long it will take to get there (Ottawa), but I'll try to document this amazing adventure on a daily basis. In the meantime, say a prayer, wish upon a star, or better yet, have a stiff drink for me.