Adventures in Travel Parenting

So, where the heck have I been? We have just embarked on the Z-family World Tour 2007 and let me tell you, it is not easy to drive 1200 miles with two toddlers. We didn't actually leave until last Wednesday, but Monday and Tuesday were a whirlwind of packing and planning and general hysteria.

The first leg of the trip has been with my parents as we traveled to Ohio for a family reunion. I would love to do descriptions of said family, but as most of them read this I don't want them to fight over which one is Supermom and which one is Funnymom. I will say that I really miss my cousin G who had to work and couldn't come. This just means we will have to do it again next summer and he will have to quit his job. Tomorrow we will be leaving the land of Meijer's (imagine Target stuff with Wal-Mart prices, I LOVE it) for Kansas City. There will have a mini-reunion with Hot Guy's family and our friends. I am so excited.

But all of this excitement has been hella hard on the children. Ironflower has seriously struggled with napping, which wouldn't have been so bad if each evening didn't contain family gatherings. Friday she melted down at my aunt's house with amazing histrionics, it was unreal. And this was after my aunt had made meatballs in her honor and after I finally got to meet the adorable and well-behaved daughters of my cousin who lives in Virginia. I knew that if Ironflower had to have a tantrum that seemed more like an exorcism that this was the crowd to do it with, but it was still SO embarrassing. Then after Ironflower was calm and her usual appealing self, Lovebug flipped over not being able to climb into the fish pond (we never should have taken him in the hotel pool). I don't think I got to talk to anyone for more than three minutes.

Yesterday's gathering was confined to a few minor tantrums (and had the bonus of middle school aged girls eager to babysit) but it did require me to appear in front of the whole extended family in a bathing suit , which wouldn't have been so bad except that Hot Guy and I were the only adults to get into my cousins' pool (my apologies to my cousin T, who is technically an adult but since he is the oldest of the following generation and still in college, he just doesn't count yet). It's one thing to go in front of strangers and my immediate family in bathing suit, but I didn't even like people I know seeing me in a bathing suit when I weighed 100 pounds. I'm just weird like that.

The kids had fun, though. Ironflower got over her fear of "deep" water and was perfectly happy to hang onto me, yelling "Jump!" at frequent intervals. Lovebug enjoyed the water immediately, but only with Hot Guy. After months of being the only love of his life (okay, maybe it was the nursing boobs), it's a relief and a disappointment to be kicked to the curb. He remembers me when Daddy tells him "no", though.

So I apologize for not posting much lately and it will probably be even worse next week when we go to my non-connected in-laws', but I will promise lots more humiliating anecdotes when I do get a chance to write.