I mean, we are pretty awesome and fun. There is always a lot of laughing and story telling that goes on. Lots of cards, and cooking, and a whole lot of sampling of the egg nog, if you know what I mean!!
Two days after spending Christmas with my entire side of the family, just because we apparently love each other THAT much, the majority of my sibling gang (you know I am the youngest of seven right?) all take off to invade my oldest brother's house in North Carolina to spend the rest of Christmas week, and New Years together. He is the sibling that lives the farthest away, therefore he is dubbed the "vacation house". Plus it is normally about 20 degrees warmer there, so it feels like summer to us. (We actually hang out in his driveway in lawn chairs, in shorts, soaking up the sun. I am sure his neighbors think we are completely crazy.) I love going, because there are just that many more people available to help me with the kiddos, giving me a real sense of vacation, instead of the vacations we take alone, and I am essentially doing the same job in a strange place with none of the comforts of home. As much as I love love love love this time, there are a few drawbacks to this trip. Not enough to detract us from going every year, but they are enough to give us pause every December to weight the pros and cons of making the trek. ( Don't worry big brother, we always decide on going, this year is no different!!)
Cons to traveling post Christmas with my family to North Carolina:
1. The 8 hour car ride with 4 kids, 3 of them under the age of 4.
Now I am certainly blessed to have a DVD player in the van, and let me tell you, we play that sucker the WHOLE TRIP DOWN. It is the one time of year I will let my kids watch 8 hours of TV nonstop. The problem with this is finding something that will pacify not only my littles, but also not annoy the heck out of my 10 year old. We do a lot of Disney movies, but some of them ( like Brave) are too scary for the little ones, and unfortunately the scary part is the only part the 10 year old looks forward to. He is just on the cusp of not liking those movies any more, and so where he is totally getting into the "Goonies" type of movies, the little ones aren't ready for hearing Chunk say "Oh shit, what?" when the penis breaks off of the statue. ( Though from the week I have had, I am sure they have heard that phrase anyway.) Finding the balance is a slippery little dance.
2. Packing.
Now I love the Admiral very much, and he works super hard to provide for our family. So I do not expect him to have to help pack for the trip, because once we are ready to go, he is the one that loads and unloads everything, and does almost all of the driving. So I pack everyone but him. This means, I PACK ALL 4 KIDS AND MYSELF. And because I am me, I never pack ahead of time. My bestie and I are so much alike this way. "Is it the day before the trip? Oh, I will pack tomorrow morning, it will be fine...." I realize that this is all my fault, and I don't intend for this to happen, it just does.
Then we have to play the adult version of Tetris, and pack the van with everything for all 6 of us. It is so much easier now, than it was a year ago, because the only portable crib I have to take is for Little man, and I don't need to take any exersaucers or swings anymore! Hooray! So it is all clothes and toys and videos and snacks, and pillows and blankets, and one portable crib, etc.... all in a van with 6 people already in it.
It never ever fails. I always forget until a week before we leave, to get someone to watch the damn dog. Then I am like, "AW crap! The dog! What are we going to do about the dog?" He has seizures when he is stressed, so he can't stay in a doggie hotel. For the last few years, we have been able to count on neighbors at the last minute, because they all stay home. But I don't know anyone around here yet, and the one person I do know, lives a block away, and I just can't ask for them to come over 3 times a day like that. I just can't. This year, though, I was lucky. I remembered today, 2 whole weeks before the trip! So I have a call out to one of my sisters who doesn't go down, to see if she would like to house sit.
4. The children.
Now I know, the kids have to come with us. (But do they??? Kidding. ) There was a time when we could go down, before kids, and have a good time and drink ourselves silly, and stay up late, and not care. But now, we do have kids, and these kids go to bed at 8. And they are up at 6:30. Which means, so are we. And have you ever tried to get up with a toddler while having a hangover, or even just after you have been up late sober? It is no fun at all. And usually there is someone sleeping in the living room at my brother's. So I have to keep my loud kids quiet in the kitchen with videos on my Kindle until he/she wakes up (usually my middle sister, God love her. She always wakes up with a smile, even though I know they woke her.) We just are not a quiet people. No matter how hard I try to teach them, Thumbellina does not know how to whisper.
With all of their aunts and uncles around, there is no shortage of people to ask for a cookie. Or candy. Or treats. Or soda. Or carried. Or read to. Or played with. Or anything I say no to, to ask if they will yes indeed, give in to. So when we come back, there is usually a 2 week de-tox that I have to do with them from being spoiled rotten, and out of routine. Do not get me wrong, it is an aunt/uncle/cousin/grandparent's right, or obligation really, to spoil their niece/nephew/cousin/grandchild. It just takes a while to get the entitlement out of their system.
6. The children. Part 3
At home, my kids have their own rooms, except the girls, who share. So usually it is just them I have to stomp on to get to go to bed. Over New Year's, they all sleep in the same room, so I have to usually sit out side of the room and be the "shush" police until they fall asleep. I am usually sitting in the hallway for an hour, playing Angry Birds, and wishing I could chuck one of those black bomb birds in there and knock them all out.
7. The children. Part 4
But like I said. None of that is enough to keep me away from spending time and having fun with my brothers and sisters for the week. They are cool people, and though it usually involves us making some sacrifices in the comfort department, it is so well worth it, and it is hopefully teaching my kids how important a really good relationship is with your siblings, and HOPEFULLY they will continue the tradition, well after I am not on this planet anymore. Because Christmas, is after all, a time for being together, and being with family. And I sure do love mine to death!!
And we love you to death too!
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