Sunday, July 26, 2009

The A.D.D. Tourists

How much can you cram into 36 hours? I will tell you. Start by packing up the kids and the car at the last second. Call all the hotels near Deep Creek Lake where you are going and try to find a lakefront deal. Spend half a day on the Internet, ignoring your children. Hope the cheapest place you picked isn't too much of a roach motel. Wonder how all four of you will sleep in one room.

Feed the kids pizza, bathe them, dress them in their jammies and load up the car. Drive 4 hours. Congratulate yourselves for picking the best time to drive as they are both asleep. Turn on grown-up music. Feel smug. Laugh. Try not to freak out when the family truckster has weird blinking dashboard lights indicating the engine may seize up at any moment!


Arrive at the roach motel. Be pleasantly surprised that it isn't as bad as that one bad Internet review said it was. Be pleased that it does not smell like sewage. Thank God. Thumbtack a king-sized sheet to the ceiling to make a "bedroom" for the baby's bed.


Wonder what you were thinking when both kids are bouncing on the hotel bed at 10 p.m. with no sign of being tired. Finally get preschooler to sleep on the loveseat, baby to sleep in his "bedroom" and retire to the balcony for some beers and card playing. Admire the beautiful lake.

Get up the next day and do the following:

Hike in a state park.
Take daughter on first pony ride.
Eat lunch at a cool lakeside location.Go back to hotel and take quick naps.
Go on a boat ride.Feel very angry about wearing a life jacket. Cry a lot.
Go swimming back at the state park.
Eat an unremarkable dinner in a tavern with no high chairs available.
Go to a ranger chat at the park and learn about/see/touch frogs, salamanders, snakes, an owl and a red-tailed hawk.
Cry because the campfire was cancelled due to wet weather.
Sleep.
Then, wake up and go on another hike in a different state park to some gorgeous waterfalls.
Make ill-fated attempts at a Christmas card photo.
Cram kids back in car. Drive 4 hours home. Try not to freak when the driver's side rear view mirror falls off. Arrive home. Unpack. Blog.

16 comments:

Her Mom (of course) said...

For Katie's fans,
Here is the link to her solo:

http://vimeo.com/5731572

Password is avemaria

Sorry, Katie! I HAD to share this - too many people asking for it!

Elizabeth said...

"Thumbtack a king-sized sheet to the ceiling to make a 'bedroom' for the baby's bed." GENIUS! (Will be especially impressed if you brought YOUR OWN thumbtacks FROM HOME, while packing up car/kids at last minute. I mean, I forget things like diapers and wallets and you bring THUMB TACKS??!!!!!!!!!)

Smitty 1, 2 , 3 and 4 said...

Aren't you glad you went? Looks awesome.

Smitty 1, 2 , 3 and 4 said...

Katie, I just watched it. Amazing! Thanks Carol for sharing! AMAZING Katie.

Katie said...

Elizabeth-- yes, sadly I brought my own thumbtacks from home. I'm OCD like that....

Mom--you're sneaky!

Jamie--thank you!

Joy said...

Beautiful singing, beautiful scenery, and (most of all) beautiful family!

sa_grammy said...

I am laughing, laughing at your trip,especially the car. Now is the time to turn the "clunker" in.
Great pix of all of you. Great to see Becca on a pony.

sgtsharp said...

Family truckster? you guys have a truck? or is it a SUV? I need to know or am still the only one in the Sharp side of the family with a real pickup.
Yes getting up early ( or in our case travel over nite with sleeping kids so you can make really great time) is a great Idea.

Katie said...

Jim--No. No truck. Just a Ford Explorer. It is just a line from National Lampoon's vacation as Clark is going on a road trip in his "family truckster!"

ashley said...

Love it! Sounds like so much fun!

(Explain the sheet thumbtacking thing to me.....)

Katie said...

Ash--you take a king sized sheet and thumb tack it to the ceiling--you can create a bend in it in a corner of the hotel room. Then, you put the pack and play behind it so that the baby can't see you when he/she wakes up and looks around! :)

Joel and Angela said...

I love how you do things on a whim! I have never thought of the king size sheet thing. My poor babies get stuck in the bathroom or closet. Sounds like you had fun!
A

Unknown said...

Love this post. Also, love the Ergo pics. Love the pic of Becca running on the beach. Love the thumbtack idea.

joanna said...

What fun! I agree the thumbtacking the sheet is brilliant and I wish I'd thought of it YEARS ago. You packed in a lot - and it all sounds great. But I thought you had the family photo for the Xmas card done...

joanna said...

and I must add that the solo was beautiful. You make it look so easy. I had to listen twice.

Katie said...

Oh, Joanna....don't you know? The christmas card photo is NEVER done until December 24th! :) There is always the possibility of something better!