About travel experiences and road trips.
Finally, I have an update. I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long, but we’ve been very busy and I’m realizing that I don’t have the same energy I’ve had in years past – which is killing me. By the time I get our day documented and the photos downloaded and posted on the Road Warrior blog, I’m kind of done with the computer. This hasn’t been good, because I’ve been trying to stay plugged into the blogging world and it’s hard to do when the days are so packed.
So far, our summer is turning out to be so much fun and we’ve just completed the first week of our annual family road trip. One highlight was the day we spent at Kennywood, an amusement park in the Pittsburgh area. I have never taken the kids to such a venue without their dad (I have four kids, so I would be way outnumbered), but my friend Patty talked me into it. I’m so glad she did, because we had a great day.
The kids were all dressed in bathing suits, because they were warned by their Pittsburgh Pals that they may get wet on some of the water rides. I didn’t wear a bathing suit, as I didn’t plan to go on any of those rides. As we approach a ride called the Raging Rapids, the kids were giddy with excitement – it was palpable. I wanted to get in on some of their joy and seriously considered joining them on the rapids. Patty declared that she was not interested – and made a comment about the good chances of getting soaked on this particular one. I started to change my mind when my daughter said, “I dare you.”
In February I started a year-long project to do something new every day (or something I haven’t done since I was a kids) – the I Dare Allie Project. My inspiration was the book I Dare Me, by LuAnn Cahn. Audrey is well aware of the project, so she dangled that carrot in front of my face. She had me.
I got on the huge inner tube with my daughter and Patty’s two girl’s. All three were in swimsuits and I mused out loud that I would be the one to get soaked, since I was in street clothes. Totally jinxed myself – because I got drenched. And guess what? Patty was standing on the bridge and captured it all on film!
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I’m in the red visor.
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Although I had a spare t-shirt, I had to buy a pair of shorts in the gift shop – with “Kennywood” printed on the bottom! I’ve sunk to a new low, all in my quest to be a cool mom on the road trip. Just call me Brittney!
This post was inspired by the word “dare,” for Mama Kat’s World’s Greatest Writing Workshop.
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We’re leaving for our road trip in just over a week. I’m getting butterflies in my stomach – excited and nervous. As I mentioned in my post about the rewards and benefits of being road warriors, I’m in the process of finalizing our plans, rather late for me. I’ve been so busy. I’m also feeling a touch of anxiety, because I don’t know that I’ll be able to keep up my blogging schedule. The road trip is all about family time and that’ll be my priority.
My original blog is Road Warrior Momma, which comes back to life every summer so my family and friends can follow us. You are welcome to check that blog during June, but be warned that it is a daily recap, and may be a bit mundane for those of you not intimately familiar with our brood. I’ll also be featuring highlights here, on The Latchkey Mom, probably twice a week – along with my usual posts (but not as often). Continue reading Wisdom Gathered Along the Road
Only fourteen days until we embark on our 5th summer road trip and my planning for it has fueled my wanderlust. In the last few days I’ve been asked repeatedly one or both of the following: “Are you going on another adventure this summer?” Or, “Where are you headed?”
Then of course I get the typical head shakes, laughs and comments such as, “You’re crazy” and “I don’t know how you do it.” Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how I (we) do it. That first year was so scary, and now I can’t imagine not doing our trip. I panic at the thought that one day we won’t. I am so pleased when people get excited about our journey. I tell the kids, “You’re so lucky to do this.” Here’s what I love about being Road Warrior Momma: Continue reading The Benefits and Rewards of Being a Road Warrior