Road Trip Wisdom

Fun on the Fly
"Are we there yet?" The phrase makes my mommy heart cringe. Since a great deal of my time is spent driving around under the influence of children, it's a wonder I can even operate a vehicle. After years of fielding this dreaded question, I've taught my children the answer. My daughter Grace can parrot me perfectly when one of her friends asks our ETA. "Has the car stopped and are the doors open?" -- dramatic pause -- "Well, when that happens, you'll know we're there." For a 6-year-old, she has a keen ear for sarcasm. Read more.

Beyond the Barf Bag
We all boarded the plane to Mexico City for the first leg of our journey home, expecting a relaxing ride. Then, about 15 minutes from touchdown in Mexico City, Fellow cried out, "My belly hurts," and threw up a week's worth of breakfast buffet -- all over me. My shirt, pants, and socks were soaked -- and soaked through. While we had a change of clothes on hand for Fellow, all of my clothes were in my stowed luggage. And we still had another flight, and several hours to go, until we'd land in New York City. Read more.

Road Trip Rescue
I must have dozed off or experienced a rare moment of solitude when our big family road trip was planned. Suddenly Julia, Henry, and Dave were standing over a map of the country, excitedly plotting an extensive East Coast driving trip from our hometown just outside of Boston to New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. By the time I clued in to what was going on, the trip was clearly too far along for me to put on the brakes. Read more.

Conquering Car Crazies
The drive to my grandmother's takes 70 minutes, just long enough to ensure a complete breakdown in the backseat. Sure enough, 20 minutes into the return trip, things start to unravel. Natalie gets bored with coloring and starts poking Caitlin with a ratty pine-green crayon, enjoying the height advantage from her booster seat. From her left, Caitlin then gets boxed out by Ellie, who has decided to stretch, which she does with gusto, loudly and far out of her personal space. Read more.