Lessons Learned Over 2000 Miles

After a long trip from Oakland to British Columbia... and back....in the car with kids, two and five....for twenty four hours of driving...I've developed a list of lessons learned....for next time, if ever.

1) If one of your loved ones is still in diapers......... and you stop to eat....... and then you get in the car again, you will have to stop within ten minutes for a diaper change. Good digestion should be applauded, but not on a road trip. In other words, forget about making good time.

2) If you bring apples, organic granola bars, carrots and other fine snacks, they will be loudly eschewed every time for french fries.

3) Minimize spousal conflict by staying hydrated, shutting your trap, and using plenty of eye drops.

4) Two DVD players are always better than one. Rose is small, she doesn't watch television at home....much, but next time two, definitely two. The use of earphones cannot be encouraged strongly enough.

5) If you are particular about the state of your car, do not give your children pens, paper and tape for art. Or scissors, definitely not scissors. If you are not particular about your car, it's still disturbing.

All in all, a tremendous trip. And despite all delays, miscommunication, spats and bad food, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again...but with more eye drops, DVD players and tape. Can't really explain the tape, but it's gold, pure gold.

British Columbia and Bunnies

We've arrived in British Columbia after five days on the road - lovely trip....lots of whining, mostly me, and the kids told me to stop but I couldn't help it. The trip up the Olympic Peninsula was especially beautiful - definitely thought about retiring there. Might want to get a job before planning the end of my working life.

Spending loads of quality time with our close friends who left the real estate evils of the Bay Area for a lovely career and home in Victoria, BC. And seeing lots of bunnies. Let me 'splain. I have it on good authority that once a year, people bring their hop-a-long Easter rejects to the University of Victoria. Hopefully these sweet furries are neutered. I'm certain that the lesson from Australia cannot be forgotten so soon.

When you arrive at the University, it looks like a lovely green place - lots of lawn, people with books, the normal nods to self-important educational edifices. Then you'll spot some irregularities in the grass, some black and brown spots - perhaps an inferior groundskeeper or dogs off leash doing their business? But definitely something wrong with the grass. And then the spots start to move, hop, run. Bunnies, bunnies, everywhere. Nothing is more fundamentally incongruous to the serious, staid world of learning and academia than a fluffy, bouncy, irresistible bunny. Every school should have them. Harvard Law with bunnies? I'm sure people would be happier. Harper proclaimed that her college experience would be meaningless without lawn rabbits. I agree.

Road Trip

You'd think that a two-year-old, a five-year-old and a 2000 mile road trip to British Columbia would engender plenty of blog posts. Alas, we've been having such a good time, such an exhausting time - driving, visiting and looking at pretty places, that I've had absolutely no inspiration to take up my digital pen and scribble any meaningful observations or thoughts.

Then again, I'm sure it's been done before, probably done to death before and with greater eloquence and wit that I could ever hope to imitate. The road trip - with two children....in the car.....together.....with no escape..... for 30 hours of driving. I will say this though, I have a lot of little pieces of paper all over the car, Harp has been massaging her Dad's neck with her tiny toes and Rosie used her washable marker to redecorate her car seat. More of the mundane later.....

Time Outs - A New Twist

Lately, Rosie's preferred communication method has been swatting, slapping, flicking or hitting anyone in her general vicinity. Her rapidly developing vocabulary has stalled in favor of her tiny mighty fists of fury. Evidently, her emotions are finding her hands faster than her words. Occupational hazard of being two. This latest surge in violence has coincided with the introduction of Rosie's first time-out. But time-outs with new twist.

Let me set the scene; low blood sugar, fatigue or two-year-old nature cause tensions to mount. Every need unmet increases tension, until little fists of fury unleash on the world, but let's be honest, usually on Harp. I gave her warnings in the beginning, but the hitting got so egregious, we implemented the tried and true discipline model for the milk and cookies set. So I gave her her first time out. But here's the thing, Chris and I can barely stop from laughing when we sit her down and set the timer. She just sits there, slightly smirking, yet so contrite, so serious, silently considering her actions and the consequences. She's just so damn cute, it's hard not to stare and smile. But we know our job, as fun-less as it can be some times. We know her proper understanding of the justice system depends on carrying out these critical first lessons in crime and punishment; so we walk away, smiling and giggling on the inside and later to each other.

And then there's Rose's particular response to the time-out......something I might characterize as devilishly nonchalant. Today, she hit Harper, sat for a time-out, said "sorry," gave her sister a hug, waited a beat, then promptly wailed on her again. Before Chris or I couldn't even manage to say that she was in for it, she ran over to the chair yelling, "time-out, time-out chair," took her seat, waited for a bit then ran to her sister for the "sorry" and hug-it-out portion of reconciliation. Difficult to pound in the concept of right and wrong when she loves the time-out chair, loves hugging her sister and loves apologizing.

I don't know where to go from here. The girl's so compliant, she's even punishing herself before we can get to it. A good problem to have, better than tears, kicking and screaming and evil demon kid voice, but what's next, time-outs from time-outs? Revoking hugs, apologies? Clearly, this one's gonna need a customized discipline program, because she just thinks time-outs are funny and she's clearly laughing at us...on the inside.