Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I've caved in.

I lost my temper again last night, (and again this morning). But, after a wise email from a friend, I sat the kids down and we discussed my triggers.
~Making a mess without picking it up.
~leaving me to do all the packing

While I can totally get it that my kids are...well...kids, they won't be learning how to live life any younger than today. Also, it is my duty to my children and their children to teach them how to be contributors to any relationship and life in general. Therefor, they need to learn to work and fail and succeed and make mistakes and roll with it.

All of it.

Last night was foggy. As in: "can't see one foot in front of your feet" foggy. As the fog came in off of the river, it came straight through the walls of the tent. I had two kids with me in bed and we were miserable. One of those times when you're so cold that, while you sleep, you never get rest. So each of us awakened this morning only thinking of going to sleep tonight.

So we climbed back into Barbara the Suburban after packing the camp site. We were in the thickest part of the Missouri Ozarks. (why does my spell check keep telling me that Ozarks is wrong?) We've been traveling all day and still have yet to leave the state. It's been hot (Barbara has no A/C), and we've been working hard to push through the rain (our first storm) and mileage. The boys have been doing their best to keep still, but today has been their limit. They've been squirmy and short tempered.

So now, a mere 2 hrs from tonight's destination, I pulled off the road and payed for a hotel room. I know. Crazy, right? But worth every penny to have wi-fi, the Brady Bunch on the telly, and hot hot hot showers for each of us. The boys are besides themselves because only in hotel rooms are we allowed to jump on beds. So this room makes me feel like a cop out, but it came in the form of some more wise advise in same wise email. So, this room is a bit of calm and heaven before the next leg of the journey.

Tonight we won't be camping. Tonight we will be at a friend's house. While there might not be any Brady Bunch, and there will definitely be no jumping on the furniture, we will be with a family who has loved us through the death of Andrew and all of the turmoil he chose to leave behind.

Well, gotta run out to Barbara and start her up. Wish me luck.