There’s a global pandemic, in case you haven’t heard. Everyone’s writing about and talking about and TikToking about it. We are very fortunate – healthy and employed – when a lot of people aren’t one, or both, of those things. But working form home and teaching from home, with three kids learning at home, is a whole new level of chaos. Except when it’s not. See… we’re okay. I don’t really mind this reality. I’m okay with not running around to 5 different things every Saturday morning and I’m especially okay with not feeling guilty about all the things we’re not doing – because nobody else is doing them either.

Fellow parents – could we all agree to take a step back on the (pro-career that’s never going to happen) summer training camps and on the (concert pianist – the odds are even lower than going pro in the NHL) piano lessons and try, really try, to stay just a little bit slowed down when this is all over? I know that we are going to let go of the olympic gold (in what sport exactly?) dream.

So, I’m obviously much better at FBing than this.  Not that I don’t have lots to say but I seem to be better at the sound bite than the essay.  Something is better than nothing though, right?  In that spirit I share my favourite “saw it on FB” post from the past while.  But hey, at least we’re the best circus in town!

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We decided to travel to Calgary via Wisconsin because friends of our ours from Holland would be visiting family there. I taught with Dawn, she has three kids and a nice husband. She’s held my new born babies and I’ve held hers. They’re good people. Her mom welcomed our gang, and whole lot of other people, onto the family dairy farm for Fourth of July celebrations. We all pitched our tents on the front lawn and ate and drank beer and gathered. I’m pretty sure it was a little slice of Midwest American heaven. At least, it was as this Canadian imagined it should be.

The weather was perfect for camping, warm days, cool nights, and a light breeze. The children bathed in bug repellent and still look like they have chicken pox; sleep often came before baths because by the time we were done visiting it was long past bedtime. And besides, the water from the hose they’d been running through all afternoon must have cleaned off some of the dirt, right?

I spent some time on my grandparent’s farm growing up and my mom is still a farm girl at heart. There is something about everybody pitching in to cook enough food for an army, people arriving with a casserole dish, and a table full of dips and desserts that feels like home. If you have never experienced farm hospitality then you are missing out.

Today, I was thankful for old friends and new memories.

They work! The road trip boxes work! The children are colouring and doing math and playing car bingo and not watching movies! Woo freakin’ hoo! Mostly I’m just excited that the investment is showing some return.

Although, I put pay dough in the boxes. I know, I know, but it was just sitting there at home and someone on the interwebs (clearly a better parent than I) had this picture of children and play dough in the car. After the first day of being asked 83 times if we could play with the play dough I gave in… and told them they could play with it when we got to the farm. There is no way that stuff is coming out in the van. I mean, I can barely handle it at home, under close supervision, with plastic mats, and preferably a man to man defence strategy. Seriously. What was I thinking?

But then this happened.

And I’m so very glad I brought the play dough.

We hit the road bright and early, with the minivan packed up like a jigsaw puzzle, thanks to the DH.

The road trip boxes were in place and everyone had their lap tray! First order of business? A movie! Of course. Sigh. I sense, “It’s a road trip.” is going to become my new mantra. The kids went with “Bolt”, a classic in our vehicle and a movie that I know almost by heart. However, I have never actually seen it, only listened to it from the front seat. This trip though… headphones! And they worked. And we were able to work the highly sophisticated minivan technology which meant we got to listen to our own music! Thus far our soundtrack has alternated between classic rock and country. Hey, it’s a road trip.

This time three years ago we were packing up our lives in the Netherlands to spend two months in Calgary before relocating to Toronto.  This time one year ago we were packing house and moving across the city.  And now, we have spent the past few days doing laundry, cleaning house, and packing… again.  It seems that there is something about this time of year that inspires movement.  Perhaps it is like Fitzgerald says and life is renewed in the summer.  Or maybe the heat just makes us a little extra crazy.  Regardless of the reason, the warm weather has again brought chaos to our house.

I spent the day packing clothes and toys and the like and the children were remarkably amenable.  Each took it in turns to chose what particular treasures would accompany him or her on the road, and the boy was most particular about which clothes to pack.  The good news is it is only slightly frustrating to watch him pack and unpack his suitcase over and over (and over and over) because we’re so used to him doing it now.  In fact, he is currently sleeping with most of the contents that were packed in his suitcase because, well, they are his treasures after all.  At least we know he won’t leave with out them.  On the other hand, the girls suitcases are already loaded up.  I’m more concerned about “just one more thing” going in than anything coming out!

This is how our day started…

… but the minivan is now loaded, the maps are printed, and the snacks are prepared.  I’ll show you the final product once we load the children up in the morning.  First stop, Kalamazoo.  Really.