Can YOU Find Your Way Out?

A couple weeks ago we took the boys here. It's hotter than we seem to be used to, and the previous weekend was an experience in cabin fever, as it was the first weekend at home in months. So, on Friday I sent hubs and e-mail "I know what we're doing on Sunday!" (thank you SavvyMom for the brilliant idea).

My three boys, searching for clues.

Petting the barnyard residents (our oldest dressed himself that morning...black shorts, navy shirt, Batman sunhat...stylin'!)


The BEST slide EVER!!!

It's corn season at last. Those golden sweet ears, so juicy. We're corn snobs. It's the only time of year we eat corn. If it ain't fresh and from Taber, it ain't worth it.

Life Is A Highway

After returning from our respective vacations, Jennifer from 3 Little Monkeys asked me how our boys did on the road trip.

I have to admit, I love our portable DVD player. We bought it for a trip to Winnipeg a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. Our vehicle doesn't have the built-in option, and I'm kind of glad. Our boys know that the DVD player only comes out for long hauls (minimum two hours).

They're pretty good about it too. They usually have no problem about us turning it off, or if it goes kind of wonky (it's kind of a cheapy one). There's never been any arguments about what to watch. Of course, when you're two, and can't speak the best, you kind of go along with what your older brother wants to do.

And I kind of enjoy listening to the movies too. We've gone from Baby Einstein to Backyardigans, to the Wiggles. As a person who loves to sing, I am kind of drawn to Bckyardigans and the Wiggles. Now our oldest is in full-on Disney/Dreamworks mode. I have to say Cars is my favourite. No Disney princesses for us.

So, that, along with lots of healthy snacks, lots of water, and some treats, gets us through the long trips. Edmonton and beyond, the Columbia Valley, and now Kelowna. In October it will be Canora, Saskatchewan. When the boys have exhausted their books, are through with the toys, the DVD player carries us through.

We're making a concious effort to get the boys used to road trips. Our two big goals are to drive down to San Diego, and to drive Route 66. I don't enjoy doing 10-hour hauls that often, like we did coming home from Kelowna and like we'll be doing to Canora. For the two long trips in the future, I'm envisioning us driving for the morning, check into a motel, hang out and explore for the rest of the day, and then continue on in the morning.

Making it about the journey, not the destination (how profound!)

Procrastination, Lovely Procrastination

Hubs had an "EDO" yesterday. Earned Day Off. They work an extra 30 minutes every day and get a day off once every three weeks. Pretty nice.

So, on Thursday he offered to take the boys out to Fairmont for the weekend, giving me the weekend to spend as I like. Yay, right?

Well, maybe not so much.

See, I have trouble spontaneously going out. If I had known, say a month ago, that I would have an empty weekend, it would have been easy to fill. But give me a day, and the spontaneous-fun portion of my brain freezes. Uh...wha...? I have complete freedom? Huh? Can't compute.

So, what usually ends up happening is I turn into total sloth-girl and catch up on my PVR shows. Or, I make (yet another) attempt to declutter and organize, get frustrated, and end up turning into total sloth-girl, catching up on my PVR shows. Either way hubs is happy, because I've either a) gotten some much needed relaxation, or b) cleaned at least a little bit but still gotten some much needed relaxation.

But not this weekend. I really was going to get that decluttering done (as done as it can be for a weekend). Because the other day I walked into the house and lost it. Shoes, coats, toy cars, bags, papers everywhere. Overflowing recycling bin, markers strewn across the floor. After a long day at the office, it felt like total chaos.

Basically we've become lazy about our every day picking up and tidying. And I'm convinced a big part of it has to do with the fact that we have too much crap!!!

(Wow, I just noticed that I completely got off-track from what I had been planning on writing...)

So, yes, I was going to work. It was going to be a nice balance between working on the house and relaxing, giving myself nice little breaks.

Then, on Friday afternoon I realized how much work is on my desk at the office. All those properties that I need to review and get back to the engineers, so that they have time to make their corrections before the client starts screaming for results. Those client contact lists I need to review and send in updates to the admin staff. The e-mails that need to be sent, updating my boss on what's gone down in his absence.

And, on early Friday evening, after the COO popped his head in my office and told me to go home, I did. With a full briefcase. Because I'm going to log-in from home and work. Because then I can at least still do laundry.

But, for now I'm procrastinating, writing on my blog.

Holiday Recap

We're back. And we had a blast. We saw so much of the British Columbia interior, much of it we hadn't spent much time in since we were children. It was so fun to see it with our boys. What a beautiful part of the country. The weather was fantastic, it was not crowded for most of our stay (surprisingly), and our accomodations were first-class.

We started out from Lethbridge, after our nephew's christening. A view of the southern Alberta windfarms from the highway near Pincher Creek is getting to be a familiar sight. We headed north to spend the night at a cabin in Windermere.

A long drive ahead of us, setting out from Windermere, passing through Golden, Rogers Pass (the disputed highest altitude spot on Highway 1), and Revelstoke (including numerous municipalities that consist of a church and a house or two, and possibly evidence of a once busy mining or forestry industry). Driving near railway for much of the trip, this was our only train sighting! This one was spotted across the lake (river widening?) from Three Valley Gap.


Continuing through Sicamous, past the Shuswap Lake region, and though Vernon, we arrived in Kelowna and took possession of our condo. This is the view from our balcony. 17th floor! Whoot! Beautiful. It's always great when you can experience something for one week that you could never afford to live.

We played on the beach.

We swam in the pool.

We visited a lavender farm.

We tasted (and bought) wine from Summerhill, Cedar Creek and See Ya Later Ranch.

We went cherry picking.

We ran through sprays of water.

And then it was over. Almost.

Subjecting the boys to the longest road trip they'd ever been on, we travelled south along the lake and valley through Peachland, Pentiction, OK Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos. Then east over the major passes through Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Castlegar, and Creston. Back north through Cranbrook to the family cabin in Fairmont. One night there to catch our collective breaths, then back home.

In all, over 1600km was driven. And I learned that my boys are way more resilient in the car than I thought they would ever be.