We did the unthinkable… my friend Lisa and I, piled our 4 giant child car seats into her rented Dodge Journey and drove the route to Drumheller to stare at dinosaur bones with a 3.5 year old (Kai), a 2.5 year old (Hudson), a 10 month old (Connor) and a 3 month old (Katie)… what were we thinking?
It was comical the entire way…
1. We stopped like 5 times on the way there due to suspicious smells coming from the rear of the car (Kai and Hudson were in the very back).
2. We listened to Connor scream for approximately 70% of the trip and
3. We started to hear Katie ( quiet little button she is) as she’s putting two and two together that in order to get what she wants she’s gonna have to take it up a notch!
For about 7.5/8 hours Kai and Hudson played us like fiddles… we stopped and adjusted to their needs constantly and provided a plethora of exciting treats, drinks and toys. I climbed over seats, jimmied them into their seats and then jimmied them out, adapting and responding all the way and then… we wizened up!
The Museum was great and the boys loved it... we had lunch, toured the various rooms, touched things we shouldn't have, climbed on ropes we were forbidden too and harassed the living soft-shelled turtle; it was real preschool museum touring. Then, on the way back, we figured naps were in order... but the boys had other plans.
We attempted to simply not respond to their 10th request for another Tim Hortons timbit; their treat for excellent listening around fragile dino bones; as Lisa and I attempted to have an adult conversation…Yep, that is until the real and legitimate calls of nature took over. Seconds after leaving a truck stop for pee breaks, Kai declared he needed to “go poo poo”… cue me: “WTF!” ( i just about died, just about told him to "deal with it". But in the end, Kai took a poop on a side road and I practically wiped his butt with my hand… excellent! Then, minutes back on the road and Hudson made a poop request- Lisa ignored and drove on.
Just when we were almost home- Connor lost it… sweating, screaming, and turning bright red for like more than 15 minutes. I did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incredulous… I gave him a cherry filled, icing sugar dipped Timbit! Yep! I did it without much thought. I took my cue from Lisa… the kid had already burned through a banana and 2 mum mums! I was desperate! And it’s sufficed to say, he’s still burning off his sugar high today. It’s as if the Timbit kicked his energy reserves into overdrive for 2 days. He hasn’t stopped moving since he ate it and I've gotten to seriously questioning my lack of judgement… but then I forget what I was thinking about! ( ahhh mommy brain- love it!)
So in the end, it was a great day- hilarious, fun for all and Katie learned some future skills that will serve her well to get her needs met! My job as supportive mother-friend is done!
(Disclaimer: I am entirely NOT responsible for inappropriate behaviours acquired by your children while playing, visiting or traveling with mine)
It was comical the entire way…
1. We stopped like 5 times on the way there due to suspicious smells coming from the rear of the car (Kai and Hudson were in the very back).
2. We listened to Connor scream for approximately 70% of the trip and
3. We started to hear Katie ( quiet little button she is) as she’s putting two and two together that in order to get what she wants she’s gonna have to take it up a notch!
For about 7.5/8 hours Kai and Hudson played us like fiddles… we stopped and adjusted to their needs constantly and provided a plethora of exciting treats, drinks and toys. I climbed over seats, jimmied them into their seats and then jimmied them out, adapting and responding all the way and then… we wizened up!
The Museum was great and the boys loved it... we had lunch, toured the various rooms, touched things we shouldn't have, climbed on ropes we were forbidden too and harassed the living soft-shelled turtle; it was real preschool museum touring. Then, on the way back, we figured naps were in order... but the boys had other plans.
We attempted to simply not respond to their 10th request for another Tim Hortons timbit; their treat for excellent listening around fragile dino bones; as Lisa and I attempted to have an adult conversation…Yep, that is until the real and legitimate calls of nature took over. Seconds after leaving a truck stop for pee breaks, Kai declared he needed to “go poo poo”… cue me: “WTF!” ( i just about died, just about told him to "deal with it". But in the end, Kai took a poop on a side road and I practically wiped his butt with my hand… excellent! Then, minutes back on the road and Hudson made a poop request- Lisa ignored and drove on.
Just when we were almost home- Connor lost it… sweating, screaming, and turning bright red for like more than 15 minutes. I did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the incredulous… I gave him a cherry filled, icing sugar dipped Timbit! Yep! I did it without much thought. I took my cue from Lisa… the kid had already burned through a banana and 2 mum mums! I was desperate! And it’s sufficed to say, he’s still burning off his sugar high today. It’s as if the Timbit kicked his energy reserves into overdrive for 2 days. He hasn’t stopped moving since he ate it and I've gotten to seriously questioning my lack of judgement… but then I forget what I was thinking about! ( ahhh mommy brain- love it!)
So in the end, it was a great day- hilarious, fun for all and Katie learned some future skills that will serve her well to get her needs met! My job as supportive mother-friend is done!
(Disclaimer: I am entirely NOT responsible for inappropriate behaviours acquired by your children while playing, visiting or traveling with mine)