Long Days, Short Years, Stiff Drinks

We just got back (okay, it's been a week and we needed every minute to recover) from a ten day vacation visiting family in Massachusetts and a little side excursion to Rhode Island for some sight seeing. By and large, the trip was a resounding success, but it was by no means without its moments of pure and unmitigated insanity.  I've never traveled with kiddos without my spouse so it was certainly a learning experience for us all.  With peak travel season upon us, I figured I should depart some well earned wisdom upon my friends and followers. Lessons learned in the travel trenches: First and foremost, do not under any circumstance travel with small children without your spouse.  If you only have one child, go ahead...brave it…but you best have a child leash and some tranquilizers.  If you have more than one, spare yourself some serious agony and stay home. If, like me, you feel perfectly well equipped to handle it on your own, well intentioned advice be damned, mak

I'm two days in to the packing process for a ten day trip with my boys and my dad. We leave tomorrow morning bright and early.  I'm excited, to be certain.  We are going to see my dad's side of the family, who I haven't seen in, oh...about a decade, and to go see them with my boys and my dad is going to be priceless.  Memory making good times that I will surely never forget are just one day away. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the teeniest bit nervous.  This is my first flight with both boys and in fact, the first time Smilus will fly period and I won't have The Man there to do what The Man does best...help a sistuh out. I've got Dad and despite the fact that he is a born leader, he takes direction surprisingly well, especially when it comes to helping me with his grandsons. So we are good and it's gonna be great. I got it in my head that I could fit us into one suitcase.  The three of us.  In one normal sized suitcase. Right. I st