What I Learned this Week: Travel Edition

Well, we just got back from a 3-day trip to my hometown, a place I haven't lived for 18 years now. Our purpose was to visit family and a friend, but along the way, I learned a lot of things.

1. It can take you longer to get through one little town with a gazillion lights (all on red when you get to them) than it does to travel like 80 some miles from one large city to the next (no kidding).

2. Many more stoplights are added to a town in 18 years, and they can drive your husband bonkers, as they are not timed with traffic, causing him to shout, "I could never live here!" You calmly have to state, "Just keep in mind, when I lived here, there wasn't a light here, or here, or there, or there, and as a matter of fact, there wasn't even a road there, or here, or there...." Things sure can change!

3. Not only do you have to watch your own child at a playground, but you have to watch others so they don't harm your child. Picture this. My son and I are on the upper layer of a playground thingy and a little boy (maybe 4?) is down below poking a stick through the metal. Sure, he's playing, but what the heck? What if my son falls on it, huh? Then my son starts to climb down this plastic rock wall, and out pops this kid, stick in hand, and proceeds to poke my son in the side of his leg or shoe with the stick. I yell, "Hey! We don't play like that!" and either me shouting or the fear of my son being poked by a stick causes my son to fall cheek first off the wall. Ending in this and tears. Can you see that poor cheek? I sure hope picture day isn't coming up!

4. Hotel beds are awesome playgrounds for kids. Pretty much anything related is called, "Fun!"

5. Waking up at 5:15 and getting to eat snacks and watch the DVD player until Daddy gets up is "Fun!" too. (Not me...I was the one supplying the snacks.)

6. Having an extra day off in the week is really FUN!

7. While you can bring along your weekly grocery flyer, coupons, and list, you can still go through your trip without touching any of it and deciding to "wing-it" the rest of the week.

8. As I've heard before, vacations are fun for kids and a lot of work for parents. So true. How can packing for a little one be 5 times harder than for oneself?

9. While your little one can be so well-behaved for 2 1/2 days, just 2 hours from home, when you stop to get lunch, he can completely meltdown, throw his lemonade across the restaurant floor, cause his mommy to have to take him outside and sit on the sidewalk while he freaks out, respond to a police officer who happens to be going through the drive through who asks, "Having trouble?", and hear from a patron later, "Just realize, it only gets harder when they are teens. You'll remember the good ole days," with a smile.

10. Lastly, spending time with family you don't see very often can be so rewarding, and any of it spent helping your children get to know them when they are here on this earth, is a wonderful thing.

For more, see Julie's blog.