1. Public restrooms make fantastic concert halls. Have you ever tried out the acoustics in a public restroom? The A Team has. EVERY TIME we stopped for a potty break the girls transformed into a toileting trio. They didn't care if the entire building could hear. They belted out song after song. Show tunes seem to have received the greatest praise and admiration from fellow restroom patrons. I do have to admit the girls did sound good belting Amazing Mazie from Seussical. Most of the guests at Starbucks also seemed to agree...
2. Sister Annoyance is the most fun. No matter how much planning and prepping of car activities, the most fun car activity is working to annoy your sisters. It seems to be a game. A game A1 is losing. A2 and A3 have figured out how to push all the buttons. They would tag team in the torture. A1 would scream and cry. A2 and A3 would giggle and celebrate. I would like back to see A3 grab little stray hairs still attached to A1's head and yank, but then quickly drop the hair and pretend she didn't do anything. A1 would fall asleep and A3 would poke and pinch her. A1 would cry; A3 would laugh and say, "I sorry, I sorry, I sorry, Hugs." I would feel sorry for A1, if she wasn't doing the same stuff to me...
3. Sand is just glorified dirt. Going to the beach is fun, until you meet the sand. It is everywhere and it will be everywhere for days and sometimes weeks after you leave the beach. A3 hated the sand. She hated touching it. She hated it sticking to her. She hated the mess. She is smart. I hate the post beach day mess as well. I was unpacking this morning and ended up with a huge pile of sand on the couch and I wasn't even unpacking the stuff we took to the beach...
4. Someone on the trip makes it her personal mission to make the rest of the trip miserable for everyone else. I am not going to say who that someone was on this trip, because it wouldn't be fair to her... Just kidding! It was totally A3!
Here is a drink. I don't want a drink.
5. There is no place like home. No matter how wonderful the trip is, getting home is the best. A3 summed it up pretty well when she was suffering from not enough sleep and too much people time, "I just want to go to my real house, be in my real bed, in my real room." I think one of the best things about a vacation is that is makes you appreciate what you have. In the days before a trip I start fantasizing about the carefree life a vacation brings; lounging in the sun, sleeping in, reading on the beach, eating out. Then the trip happens. No one wants to sit still, I am following crying kids on the beach, I don't even open a book, and eating out upsets my stomach. Towards the end of the trip I am ready to return to my reality. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed, taking a shower in my own bathroom, cooking my own meals, and putting the girls to bed at their normal times so they will wake up happy, even if they wake up earlier than I plan. Getting home after a vacation is the best.
I really do love a good road trip, especially if it leads us to the beach, even if it was an unplanned trip initiated by the loss of a loved one. I also love uncovering the life lessons I gain from trips with the A Team. The A Team keeps my brain moving!
3. Sand is just glorified dirt. Going to the beach is fun, until you meet the sand. It is everywhere and it will be everywhere for days and sometimes weeks after you leave the beach. A3 hated the sand. She hated touching it. She hated it sticking to her. She hated the mess. She is smart. I hate the post beach day mess as well. I was unpacking this morning and ended up with a huge pile of sand on the couch and I wasn't even unpacking the stuff we took to the beach...
4. Someone on the trip makes it her personal mission to make the rest of the trip miserable for everyone else. I am not going to say who that someone was on this trip, because it wouldn't be fair to her... Just kidding! It was totally A3!
In the last few days we have had more tantrums, defiance, and plain old stubborn brattiness from this little one. As soon as she feels like she isn't getting her way, we had screaming and crying, hitting and biting.
We would say... She would say...
Time to eat. I am not hungry.
Let's go swimming. I don't like water.
Time for bed. I don't want to sleep.
Smile for a picture. No.
Hold my hand. I will hold A2's hand.
Get out of the water. I love the water.Here is a drink. I don't want a drink.
Don't drink it then. I want a drink.
I can't put the blame all on her. We have totally messed with this nap taking, introverted, schedule/routine loving little girl. We have totally eliminated all routines. Naps, which are required and asked for, have disappeared. A3 is our sleeper. She sleeps at least 12 hours at night and still takes a 2 hour nap. On our trip she was getting less than half of that in a day. A3 is our fun loving introvert. She will be the first to tell you she doesn't like people when we go to a large crowd. She doesn't like to be the center of attention or to be touched without her initiating the contact. More than likely, if you ask for a hug she will say "No." She isn't necessarily trying to be a brat; she knows what she requires to feel good being her. We weren't providing the necessities so she was simply letting us know, in a slightly ugly and annoying way.
5. There is no place like home. No matter how wonderful the trip is, getting home is the best. A3 summed it up pretty well when she was suffering from not enough sleep and too much people time, "I just want to go to my real house, be in my real bed, in my real room." I think one of the best things about a vacation is that is makes you appreciate what you have. In the days before a trip I start fantasizing about the carefree life a vacation brings; lounging in the sun, sleeping in, reading on the beach, eating out. Then the trip happens. No one wants to sit still, I am following crying kids on the beach, I don't even open a book, and eating out upsets my stomach. Towards the end of the trip I am ready to return to my reality. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed, taking a shower in my own bathroom, cooking my own meals, and putting the girls to bed at their normal times so they will wake up happy, even if they wake up earlier than I plan. Getting home after a vacation is the best.
I really do love a good road trip, especially if it leads us to the beach, even if it was an unplanned trip initiated by the loss of a loved one. I also love uncovering the life lessons I gain from trips with the A Team. The A Team keeps my brain moving!
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