Mom Road Trip

Home Again, Home Again...

We've been home for only a day, but we miss road-tripping already. Seriously. No, seriously.

Because, that is not my house, and that is not my car. So.

The girls were good, the vehicles were sweet (thank you, GM!), and who can argue with luxurious-but-family-friendly (thank you, Fairmont!) hotels? And - most of all - the non-stop, ever-unfolding adventure (the oceans - we saw two! - the mountains, the wildlife, the friends - also a form of wildlife, but that's another story - the wonder, the everything). How are we ever going to get back to everyday life?

We will, somehow. But first we're going to revel in our memories a while longer: we're going recap the trip here, as soon as we get some rest. In the meantime, check out what our favorite stowaway had to say about the trip. And check out the video from Grandma's Pit Stop.

Are We There Yet?

Yeah, we're there. Which is to say, we're almost at the end of our trip. And we thought that we ought to go out with a little bit of a bang, or at least, go out with some prizes.

Btrendie.com has offered up a bunch of prizes to award to the MomRoadTrip followers who can identify where in the world - well, Canada - we've been. Have a look at the following pictures, and see if you can figure out where, during our travels throughout Canada, they were taken:

We'll select three winners, drawn at random from everyone who makes correct identifications! Huzzah!  (Winners must reside in Canada or the United States).

What can you win?

1. KUSHIES ZOLO PLAY GARDEN MAGNETIC ACTIVITY GARDEN
With this magnetic build-and-stack activity garden, children can build their imaginations by creating their own garden. Magnetic creatures stick to the garden, and the magnetic plant pieces stack and build. The unique garden window box doubles as a zippered carrying case for toddlers on the go. Contains: flower garden that doubles as a reusable carrying case for easy storage, and 11 magnetic garden accessories. Ages 18+ months.

2. FORGOTTEN SHANGHAI SILK MESSENGER BAG
The Forgotten Shanghai Silk Messenger Bag works well as a laptop case, airline carry-on or as a hip, fashionable baby bag. It is a light-weight bag made of the finest silk, has magnetic flap closure, a durable easy to use two-way zipper, an adjustable shoulder strap, inside zip pocket, mesh see thru pocket, and side pockets.

3. IMAGINE IF....
Imagine If... is a hilariously fun and creative literacy tool, perfect for children ages 4-8.  Inside you’ll find 75 eye-catching illustrations depicting a fun range of “who, what, and where.” Simply choose 3 pictures as the beginning of your story. Continue the story by flipping to new pictures. No two stories are ever the same!

So, tell us: where in world (of Canada) were we?

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Oh, hey! Our contest winners have been chosen by Random. org and the winners are:
1 Lala - http://crosswind.wordyblog.com/
2 Aman - http://onlyaman.net/
14 Shannon - http://whiskeyinmysippycup.com/

Contest Winners will be contacted shortly! CONGRATS!

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Join Now!  Btrendie is the exclusive online shopping network for moms!   Use invitation code:  SVMOMS

Down To The Coast

We just spent an awesome evening at the home of a good friend, and now we're headed down to the coast to Vancouver for two days.

This is the part of the trip that gets sad - I'm making a detour this afternoon to attend my grandfather's funeral - but I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to drive to and through the province of my childhood and reflect on some of my happiest memories of him.

So, yeah, today there are some dark clouds, but they'll part later, and the sun will shine again.

Onward and upward. Or, downward and coastward. Or something.

Join Us In Ottawa (We'll Bring The Ham)

After we eat our fill of crepes - and maybe also croissants - and maybe also a few buckets of cafe au lait - we'll be rolling out of Quebec City later this morning (and bidding adieu to the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Frontenac) (*wipes tear*) and heading to Ottawa.

(Yes, sadly, we have to zip right through Montreal and miss smoked meat sandwiches, but time just does not permit.) (*wipes tear*)

But we will be in Ottawa this afternoon, decompressing at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, and heading out late afternoon for a come-one, come-all playdate.

The details (courtesy of Annie at PhD In Parenting):

Location: St. Luke’s Park

Address: 166 Frank, just off of Elgin (see map)

Time: 5:00pm on July 2, 2009

What to Bring: Yourself, your kids, snacks if you wish (some of us will bring shareable snacks too), sand toys or whatever else your kids might enjoy using at the playground.

Where does it go from there? I’ll be there with my kids and they’ll probably be ready for some dinner after playing. We might head out somewhere nearby to eat and others are welcome to join in if they want. We can play it by ear.

In case of rain: There is a chance that it will be raining. If that is the case, the alternate venue is the Children’s Museum at the Museum of Civilization in Hull. Admission is free on Thursday evenings. Please watch this post early Thursday afternoon for a final call on whether we go with St. Luke’s Park or the Children’s Museum.

Check back at Annie's blog this afternoon to see if the weather is going to push this indoors. And please RSVP, too, at Annie's, so that we know who to expect.

Hope to see you there! Like I said, we'll be bringing the ham.

Quebec, Here We Come!

Hartland New Brunswick, home of the longest covered bridge in the world and a town very close to Katie's heart. It is making Katie's eyes tear up to be here for the first time with her daughter and much loved friends. Happy Canada everyone and hello Quebec, here we come (or should I say bonjour!)

Leaping Two Provinces In A Single Bound: Halifax, Nova Scotia and Frediction, New Brunswick

This morning we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia, dancing to ABBA.

This evening we were in Fredericton, New Brunswick, wandering around - some of us (I'm not saying who) without pants - looking for food.

(Dear Fredericton: you are a very difficult place in which to find food service that accommodates children. But you are pretty and you smell nice, so we forgive you.)

Somewhere in between those two places there has been much singing and story-telling and screaming and eating of Timbits, and we met a Mastodon and also very nearly massacred a family of ducks (a wholly traumatic story that will be recounted some other time, when I no longer hear my screams ringing in my ears.) And yet, somehow, we have not lost our minds.

Yet.

And So It Begins...

So we got off to a rocky start - up at 4am, at airport at 5am, struggling through baggage drop and security with three sleepy tots and not nearly enough caffeine and then only barely making it onto the plane on time - and then coping with epic shits and epic barfs during a stopover in Montreal - and then getting drenched getting off the plane in Moncton - but end of the day, once we loaded up the Traverse and got on the road?

It was pretty easy. And pretty freaking awesome.

Tonight was dinner with Katie's family (who, my gosh, are so fine and so kind and so clearly the progenitors of the lady that I call my partner and my friend), and then hanging out with this amazing lady (who is as beautiful and lovely and easy to hang out with as you would imagine her to be), and soon - we hope - a good night's sleep before hitting the road and heading up through New Brunswick.

If the baby will ever deign to sleep, that is. That hour or two of children napping in the car this afternoon is looking pretty sweet from the vantage point of a midnight crib battle.

Canada Cross Country Road Trip

Each time we, Catherine and Katie talked about this cross-Canada road trip, we started imagining something like that Ewan McGregor’s Motorcycle Diaries, only with bloggers driving a car across Canada instead of Ewan and his crew zipping around the world on motorbike. Also, with kids. And it's when we started to think about the “with kids” part that flashes of National Lampoon’s Vacation start to intrude. We've tried to prevent those Griswold moments from interrupting dreams of this awesome trip but that's proved difficult since we're being outsmarted and outrun by three year olds on an hourly basis. 

Anyhow, that thing called “reality” keeps messing with any idea of an adventure-filled road trip cross country for two friends -- plus their kids.  

But then we tell ourselves that driving across the second largest nation in the world with two three year olds and a super-strong one year old basically guarantees that we will experience enough insanity to fill many, many blog posts, and possibly a therapist's notepad. Because when everything is going insane around a blogger, the silver lining is always “this will make a great blog post.” And insanity and adventure are interchangeable words if you don’t think to hard about it.  

So here's the plan: We cover Eastern Canada first. We will fly to Moncton and grab the GM Traverse and head to Halifax. From Halifax, we head up through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and into Quebec. We'll take a breather in Quebec City, maybe stop for a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal, and then head to Ottawa. From Ottawa, we fly to Edmonton (we know, we're skipping a huge chunk of Central Canada. But we've only got so much time, and in any case, we'll be back in central Canada before long!) We hang in Alberta for a bit, and then head into British Columbia through Jasper National Park (a must-stop for a group with a baby named Jasper). We then drive south, stopping in Kamloops and Penticton before landing in Vancouver, where we'll celebrate our survival (we hope.) Then back to Toronto, where we may need to celebrate again. Again, that is, assuming that we do survive.

So how do we plan on taking this adventure-filled cross-Canada road trip?   You will just need to check back from June 29, 2009 through July 12, 2009.... as we, Catherine and Katie journey across Canada.

Come Meet The Drivers of Silicon Valley Moms Group Summer Road Trip

SUMMER ROAD TRIP '09

BlogHer Road Trip '09 Devra and Sarah:

DEVRA from DC METRO MOMS BLOG:

Devra is a contributing writer at DC Metro Moms Blog and she loves her some roadtripping. Devra travelled solo on the open road in 1989 (but her mom thinks she was with a friend, but last minute the friend couldn't make it. So shhhhh!) as she drove from Arizona to Connecticut following her graduation from college. Her most memorable experience on that trip was getting to see what looked like a giant Tampon a missile being launched into the sky over the New Mexico desert. More recently her family hit the road together and that trip resulted in over 20,000 downloads on YouTube. When Devra isn't performing Karaoke dressed like a Louisiana crustacean, she is blogging over at Parentopia with fellow road warrior Aviva.   

Devra is an author of the award winning book "Mommy Guilt" and her commentary has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, Globe &Mail, BabyTalk, American Baby and other places where people, especially parents, hang out and read. Devra has been a guest on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and got to hang out with Katie Couric. Devra is a clinical social worker and serves as a consultant for Zero To Three. She is a featured expert on PBS Parents and, along with Aviva,co-founded Parentopia, LLC a consultation and training firm helping individuals, families and organizations who care for and about kids, families and parenting related stuff.

Devra's biggest challenge won't be leaving her children behind-both kids are at summer camp until the end of July-it will be sticking to her commitment to getting into shape... other than round. You can bet your fat sweet ass she will be blogging about that over at Loser Moms Blog with Sarah.

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SARAH from DC METRO MOMS BLOG:

Sarah (Goon Squad Sarah) can be found all over the internet. Her blogs include (but are not limited to) DC Metro Moms Blog, her personal blog Sarah and the Goon Squad where she writes about anything and everything, Draft Day Suit where she writes about sports, Loser Moms a weight loss blog, Mama Pop (celebrities and pop culture), and Sarah Reviews Stuff Here. Sarah also writes about sports and fitness for BlogHer.com.

Sarah lives outside of Washington D.C. with her husband, their four year old twins and two cats. They moved there about three years ago from Tampa, Florida where Sarah grew up and became a raging Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. She spends most of her free time (as if a mother of twins who writes for eight websites has any free time) obsessing about fantasy football, food, beer, wine and Bravo Reality television.

She is very excited to be a part of the Mom Road Trip because she thinks it will be a wonderful bonding experience and a lot of fun.  Sarah has never visited Utah or Nevada  and is looking forward to seeing new places with new friends.  Sarah is also very much looking forward to spending ten whole days where nobody wipes their nose on her shirt

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Canada Moms Blog Road Trip '09: Catherine & Katie (and others along the way):

Catherine Conners and Katie York, from Canada Moms Blog.

Catherine Connors,aka Her Bad Mother, Their Bad Mother, internet layabout.

Catherine is a mother, writer and recovering acadic who traded the lecture hall for the playroom and discovered that university students and preschoolers have much the same attention span. She's the author of HerBadMother.com, the featured parenting blogger at Beliefnet, the moderator of Her Bad Mother’s Basement, the co-founder and co-editor of WeCovet, the Managing Editor of MamaPop, contributing editor at BlogHer, and most recently (deep breath) co-instigator of Canada Moms Blog. And in her spare time… oh, wait. She doesn’t have spare time. But she’s okay with that.

Her Bad Mother has been mentioned in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the American Prospect, and sundry other publications, as well as on CNN, ABC, CBC and the BBC online. Catherine doesn't have a big head about that at all, because, seriously. Getting attention for being on the Internet? She might as well say that she's big in Japan. Which she's not. So far as she knows.

The kids: Emilia, Catherine's eldest child, is three and a half years old. She is what parenting experts sometimes euphemistically describe as "spirited." Catherine describes her as a rabid but nonetheless adorable badger. Jasper, Catherine's youngest, is one year old. He's a big boy (he weighs a mere four pounds less than his preschooler sister), and he is, at one year of age, more famous (he's been in the New York Times twice, on CBC TV once and on the Internet, like, every day) than you are. Also, he was almost born at the side of the Trans Canada Highway, so road trips are kind of his thing.

Katie York, aka motherbumper, internet vagrant.

Katie was born to drive, mostly because she's too lazy to walk, but also because she was raised and weaned on family drives and road trips. A child of the 70's recession, the only kind of vacations her family took involved the car -- if they couldn't drive there, it wasn't on the itinerary. These days Katie is an active member of a Toronto car co-op where she gets to try out different makes and models whenever the need to drive presents itself. She has driven the roads between Halifax and Toronto more times than she can count and can't wait to see what lies west of The Big Smoke.

Besides being an avid driver, Katie was a developer/quality assurance person with one of those big IT companies before rebelling and joining the gang called parenthood. During the early days of marathon breast-feeding sessions, she discovered the bottomless world of blogs and quickly became addicted.  Via the internet, she found reassurance that she wasn't going insane alone and of course, she had to start her own blog.  So began a new phase in her IT career.  Besides being co-founder and a contributor at Canada Moms Blog, Katie blogs at her personal website motherbumper, gossips about celebs at MamaPop, is the Toronto editor at Savvy Source, and graphics monkey at Sweet Blog.  She figures she'll sleep when she's dead.

CLICK HERE TO GRAB BUTTONS FOR THE SUMMER ROAD TRIP '09

OUR DRIVERS FROM SUMMER ROAD TRIP '08