road trip adventures - part 4

The last few days have been full. We went to the aquarium and I got my mommy slushy while the kids had ice cream.

Garden Eels

Mommy "slushy"

The next day, we headed to Legoland for the last time. Abbey rode a roller coaster and the kids got to see a few shows that they enjoyed, but our run of peace with Harry ended. While we were waiting for Harry and Abbey to come off the roller coaster, he saw dark clouds and immediately became worried. I showed him the weather, but it didn't help. He just wanted to go, but that meltdown was nothing compared to the one that was coming.

Saturday morning, while we were packing up the van, the jerk dog made her escape. For those of you that don't know the story, we had Eve chipped just in case this happened, but Harry refuses to pay the $20 to activate said chip unless she's gone for more than 6 hours. Luckily, we got her back before we had to go that far.

As we headed to the next campground, we decided to stop off at Silver Springs State Park. They offer glass bottom boat rides which I thought would be fun to try. Well, little Harry was none too pleased with this change in plans. It was a mess, He was crying and fussing and refusing to do anything. Harry stayed with him through most of it while I took the girls on the boat. While we were waiting, I took some time to talk to the girls about how they were processing the meltdown. Harry and Harry finally reached a point where he was calm, everyone ended up with ice cream, and it was ok.

We hit the road again and then a migraine struck. Can I just say how messed up it is when you are trapped in a car with a raging pain in your head and a stomach that feels like you've been on a Tilt-a-Whirl machine? For 7 hours??? Needless to say, we got to the campground after dark and had a heck of a time finding our spot. A helpful lady came along and pointed out that someone had parked their truck in our spot, so she went and woke him up! He came out, moved the truck, and helped us get pulled into the spot. While it's billed as a pull-through spot, it took some maneuvering to get that to happen. Oh, and we crossed into the central time zone, so it felt like it was 10:30, but it was really only 9:30. This was definitely not a party campground. Most of the trailer lights were off when we rolled in.

The campground seems nice and it's a just a few minutes walk to Perdido Bay. Harry took the kids (I am still recovering from the migraine), but little Harry came back pretty quickly. He said it was too sandy, so I convinced him to try the pool. When he wanted to get out within minutes, I asked him what was wrong. He nodded at the clouds building overhead and asked me if there was going to be a tornado which is a pretty typical anxiety reaction from him. We headed back to the trailer and it's been thundering off and on since. Hopefully, the weather will clear for us to enjoy a proper campfire tonight complete with marshmallows for s'mores.

We pull up stakes tomorrow. Theoretically, we are stopping for the night between Monroe and Shreveport LA because are trying to get to Texas by Tuesday night. I say theoretically because a few minutes ago, Harry started talking about pushing through to Texas tomorrow. With the slow speed we go (maximum of 60 MPH) and the multiple stops we have to make for gas and the dog, we are looking at about 14 or 15 hours on the road.

Here are some photos of the camper. I apologize for the stuff everywhere, but I haven't figured out how to live out of the camper and a home within a day or two of each other. We all packed a week's worth of clothes, but I can't justify unpacking a suitcase only to pack it back up again in a day or two.

Tiny but useful bathroom. Harry has resisted us using the "facilities" because he doesn't want to pump it out.

The "kitchen" with a good sized fridge (it holds a gallon of milk and all kinds of other stuff).

Abbey's bed. It's in a little hidey hole and she likes the privacy.

Harry and Anna Kate's bed (directly across from the fridge).

View from front of trailer by the table.

The dining area which converts into another bed that Anna Kate will be using tonight.

our bed - it's directly behind the cushions for the table.

I have to admit I am a little nervous about the Texas portion of the trip. Harry's dad is still in an assisted living facility. We're going to try visiting him there and see if they'll let us take him out for a few hours at a time. I'm not sure how the kids will react to seeing him there. Depending on how it goes, Harry may need to visit him without all of us in tow. 

We're staying with Harry's step-mom (known as Bubby to the kids) which we haven't done before. Last time they visited us, I think the chaos that is our home overwhelmed them both and I'm concerned that we'll be a burden to her. We offered to stay elsewhere, but she insists we come and her home actually has an RV shelter. It'll be good to see Harry's family though. He just saw them a few months ago, but it's been years since I've seen them.

I have been pushed way outside of my comfort zone on this trip. Travelling with the dog, camping in a trailer, reconnecting with family we haven't seen in a while, etc. I am missing my quiet, predictable life in NC, but hopefully, I am setting a good example for the kids. Overall, they seem to be doing well and enjoying themselves (with the exception of poor little Harry when the weather starts to roll in). We've been playing a lot of games and trying to find things to do that each child will enjoy, Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but at least we're trying.

road trip adventures - part 3

Yesterday, we laid low because the weather was pretty bad. Surprisingly, little Harry has been handling the weather situation fairly well. There have been a few tense moments with him, but all told, he's been managing his anxiety pretty well which is a small victory for all of us!

Yesterday we played a lot of games, mostly "Apples to Apples". Abbey devised a way for the dog to play and she almost beat all of us. Thankfully, the dog has settled in at Aunt Donna's and has been behaving very well.

Today we managed to hit the water park at Legoland before the rain moved in. This time, instead of just telling Harry not to worry, we showed him the weather app with an hour by hour forecast so he could see that the rain would be a few hours off. Thanks to his internal clock, he was able to have fun and only started asking to leave about 30 minutes before the chance of rain increased. This is life with an anxious/ASD kid. It's always a fine balance between pushing them past their comfort zone and still giving them some structure to help them through.

Aunt Donna left today for Vancouver to teach some classes, so we are basically squatting in her home until we leave for our next stop on the way to Texas. We're supposed to camp for a few nights in the Pensacola area and yes, we have reservations. That's not an experience any of us wants to relive anytime soon!

I've decided tomorrow is aquarium day. The boys may stay behind, but the girls and I are looking forward to some garden eels. There's a little downtown area nearby with a daiquiri shop that we may need to visit as well. Hey, mommy needs a slushie now and then too!

road trip adventures - part 2

We made it to Florida on Sunday after a night in the camper! After the promised free pancakes and waffles, we started the long process of packing up. Now I know why people don't go camping in a trailer for one night at a time. It was a hassle to get everything hooked up just to pull up stakes 14 hours later. The campground was pleasant though, and the kids got to swim while it was dark which ranked high in the cool factor.

After a long ride, we finally made it to Aunt Donna's house Sunday afternoon. It took longer than we hoped, but we managed to pass 10 vehicles, so yeah for our going 60 mph. The dog traveled a little better (i.e. no accidents in the actual van), but she's still a jerk because she had an accident at Aunt Donna's within two hours of her arrival.

I have to give Harry props. I was aghast at the idea that we didn't have a plan for what dates we'd be in what place, but after the first night, we decided to change the plan for camping on the gulf coast (provided they don't sustain damage from Colin) to stay for a longer stretch because it takes so much effort to set up. I'm still not a fan of winging it, but in this case, it may just work out for us.

Yesterday, we managed a few hours at Legoland before the rain started from tropical storm Colin. In the afternoon, we went to see the Angry Birds Movie. With the rain lasting through today, I'm not sure what's next. Perhaps a visit to the Florida Aquarium? I love watching the garden eels there!

The effects from Colin aren't terrible. Times of heavy downpours, some thunder and lightening, and an occasional breeze, so all in all, we're doing well down here.

Road trip adventures - part 1

Our road trip adventure began today. Here are a few of the things that I've already discovered:

1. My family is slower at packing than a herd of turtles (if that's a thing).
2. My dog is NOT a good travelling companion.
3. Top speed of our van towing a trailer? 55 or 60 MPH max.
4. Because of said top speed, it takes sooooo much longer to get everywhere.
5. My children can eat. A lot.
6. My husband put a ton of work into getting the van ready for this trip.
7. We have awesome friends that loaned us the camper.
8. When going to a campground, make a reservation. You may get there to find that it's full.
9. If said campground is full, you may have to drive another 2 hours (see #3) to get to the next one. However, when you get there, things will run smoothly, the pool will be open until long after you've set up, and there's a promise of free pancakes and waffles in the morning.

Hopefully the dog will be a better travelling companion tomorrow and we will reach our Florida destination in a timely manner (see #3 again!).

Night all!

it's all about the accomodations...

My like is just one big accommodation lately. I have 3 kids and am finding that I have been accommodating each one of them in new and different ways. Now the reasons are all very good, but I am weary of accommodating.

As I type, I am sitting outside the youngest child's room in an attempt to re-train her out of some bad bedtime habits (i.e. - we screwed up trying to do the right things and now the therapist says we have to do things differently). This is after an hour-long homework routine with said child and the Autistic child and the homework plan we have for each of them. "Why are you working on homework so late?" you may ask. I'll be happy to tell you. This afternoon was spent getting an OT evaluation for youngest and a GI specialist appointment for eldest, so we didn't get home until dinner. Net result of said afternoon? Eldest apparently needs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for recurrent stomach pain. Fancy talk for eldest needs therapy because she stresses out. Congrats kids - all 3 of you inherited anxiety from the family gene pool.

I try not to feel guilty for being the one to pass on the bad side of the gene pool, but it's to no avail. Their dad has no clue what anxiety is like - but he's super supportive, so that's good. However, not only do I understand, but because I am home in the afternoons, I get to live it out in bright, bold technicolor ways with the children all while squashing my own anxiety down in an attempt to keep my stuff together for just a few moments longer.

That's it. No bang! ending - I'm too tired from all my accommodating.

Looking back

Most people that I know re-evaluate their lives in December as we begin changing the calendar to a new year. I do that too, but the bigger evaluation comes for me in Summer. It's not on purpose - it's just when life brings it around.

I wrote in an earlier post about how our summers are never boring for lots of reasons. I've found myself this week trying to keep my body busy, but not really sure why. I've been pulling weeds in our driveway. In all fairness, it's a long gravel driveway, so there is lots of work to be done. It gives me time to think. My kids have no desire to be outside pulling weeds, so it gives me a chance to be alone. I listen to music, think, dwell, and pray. Today though, I finally realized why I've been so driven this week. Today is the anniversary of when we lost our baby last year. It's also the day before AK's b-day. It's a bittersweet time for me.

Summer is the break in our routine. As a teacher, it's my time off. It's a natural time to reflect and evaluate. Plan for the future while trying to learn the lessons of the past year. And what a year it has been. From losing the baby, to difficult situations at work, to difficult stuff in our private life, it has been a challenging year for my family.

A huge part of me wants to be sad and curl up in a ball. Life is too much sometimes and I feel like I just can't take anymore. But, what if I use this time to be my Happy Mid-Year? Not dwell too much on the hurt of the past. Celebrate where we are, enjoy my time off from work, and celebrate my youngest child turning 7!

Happy Birthday AK!

It's not summer until....

It's just not summer until something happens to our family unit. My memory has faded over time, but the past 3 summers in a row, but our summers are definitely not boring!

Two summers ago, a giant tree fell on our family van totaling it and sending my Autistic son into a spiral of full-on anxiety about storms that we are still trying to help him work through. After a month or so, the family settled on a nice little Toyota Prius. I got teased by my friends about turning liberal because we went with a hybrid, but honestly, we couldn't find a van in our budget that we liked and the idea of a $25 fill up was extremely appealing. The kids fit in the car and we bought it. The Prius has been good to us for almost 2 summers.

Last summer, we lost the baby. That post is here and I can't bear to walk through it again. Suffice it to say, last summer sucked.

So now we are at this summer. It started off like a normal summer until the day of the deer, otherwise known as "día de los ciervos". I was coming home from VBS with 2 of my kids and one of their friends. Out of nowhere, a brown and white blur appeared in my right-side vision then a loud thump. When it was all said and done, we were all just fine in our little, tiny Prius, the deer however, did not fare as well. We got home, I made the phone call to the friend's mom. "Yes, Mrs. S she is fine. Just wanted you to know in case it settles in later..."

Then calls to my husband....yes hubs, I have wrecked the car. Yes, we are fine, but the car is not...

Then calls to the insurance company....

Then we had to decide what to do about the family trip to Florida that was supposed to happen 4 days later. We couldn't take the rental because we only had it until the insurance company settled or repaired. The adjuster came and declared the car totaled. There was rejoicing in my house because, of course by now, the kids have outgrown the Prius.

We borrowed a van and headed to Florida. While there we had more phone calls. The insurance company may want to fix the car instead. They are towing it to the body shop, we'll be in touch. All through the trip we didn't know what would happen to our sweet little Prius. Hubs and I have decided that if they want to fix it, we'll let them, then we'll trade it in for a van. Right now, we don't know what'd going to happen, but since it's summer in our family, it's bound to be interesting!