Tales From the Minivan

This morning I awoke, completely congested with no voice at all! I’ve been fighting this cold since Father’s day and I think it’s finally got the best of me. Actually everyone is hacking and coughing and feeling under the weather. We decided we needed another down day and went to a local weekend flea-market. This thing was huge! It was a mixture of new and used items so we ended up finding Liam a few used Pokemon items and a book. He was very excited about these finds!

The boys cooled down with some SnoCones, and fought over who was going to ride in the back of the Joovy. In they end the both decided to squeeze in, not without some fighting I might add! Finn we never heard a peep out of the whole time we were there, he slept the afternoon away.

When we left the flea market we headed decided to drive around and see what was around us, as neither Andrew or myself had ever been to this area. We hit a little town called East Stroudsburg, it seems to be a growing town as there was lots of new construction happening. We happened upon a Friendly’s, which is a very family friendly restaurant that have great ice cream desserts. The kids were really well behaved, but Ciaran kept wanting to go under the table (we were sitted at a booth), the next thing I hear is him crying…he threw-up under the table! This has always been one of my nightmares! Luckily because I’m so congested I couldn’t smell anything and cleaned it up before any of the staff had to! I think it was the sugary drink he had that left his tummy unsettled, as he was feeling fine afterwards.

After Friendly’s we decided to hit the SuperCenter Walmart to get some groceries for the week. I just love grocery shopping in the US, as does Andrew! The different brands and varieties of things, I think we spent almost 2 hours in there! On the way back to the resort the boys feel asleep in the van ride home. This was a good thing as I was feeling miserable. I even called BlueCross to make sure that I was covered in case I needed to go to the hospital. My heart started racing, which is something that happens from time to time, but this continued for almost 3 hours so it scared me a little! It was beating at about 150 bpm, I’m pretty sure this is a lot higher than it should be. After speaking on the phone with BlueCross, it seemed to settled down a bit. So I decided just to stay put and if it happened again to hit the hospital in the morning.

Mackenzie, Andrew and I watched the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks on TV then all hit the hay!

Well our day got off to a later start than anticipated. I wanted to get up at 4am, finish loading the van and leave around 4:30am. This way we’d beat the Toronto rush hour traffic on the 400 and the 401 highways. Finn had a really rough night and around 2:15 am woke and was inconsolable. He wouldn’t nurse, I tried walking with him, finally I tried bouncing him, this seemed to work until her threw up everywhere! Finally I tried putting him in his car seat and rocked him back to sleep. He finally fell asleep at 3:10am, my alarm was set for 4:00am! Needless to say I hit the snooze button a few times.

We finally got on the road around 6:30am and the traffic was not bad at all, we hit Toronto around 7:30am and had no trouble navigating through the city at all, we hit the US Border in Lewiston NY at around 8:45am. This is where the gridlock started. What a disorganized border crossing!! We spent almost an hour and a half in this mess! It started with 2 truck lines and 2 car lines that merged back into one, but no one was letting anyone from the second line in! Then they opened up another car lane on the bridge so everyone was jumping the line from the back. Once we finally reached the wickets, there was now 6 windows open but for some reason 7 lines of cars! Remind me to never cross here again! I hope that this is not a regular occurrence.

Once we got into New York State we drove as far as Tonawanda, and the kids just needed to stretch. We were hoping to find a Play Place, but after driving around settled on a regular MacDonald’s we got into the restaurant and got the kids changed and went to order our food. It was just a couple of minutes before 10:30am and they had hardly any breakfast items left. Apparently their breakfast ends at 10:30am! Who wants lunch food at 10:30 am? Not many people as everyone that came in after us also asked for breakfast!

We got back on the road again and I drove for a few more hours then needed a break Andrew took over driving and we got some Pokemon playing for the kids while I took a well needed nap. This was somewhere between Syracuse and Binghamton, NY. Just outside of Binghamton, we hit gridlock again right around the Pennsylvania border. Construction, it was needless gridlock though, if they had proper signage, people would have known that a lane was coming to an end. Instead people lined up in both lanes not knowing which one was ending then trying to merge in at the last minute and no one letting you! Very frustrating!

The rest of the drive was pretty straight forward, our directions from Google Maps were perfect and took us right to the resort in Bushkill, PA in the Pocono Mountains. It was a really beautiful drive down through the mountains. Looks like we have some exploring to do here at the resort and it’s a very large property. Our condo, isn’t quite as nice as our last one (it’s very outdated, very 80’s) but still a great alternative to staying in a hotel.

After a great sleep everyone seemed to be recharged for our day at Canada’s Wonderland. We got dressed in our matching tie-dyes and were off! We all slept in a little so by the time we drove back to the Vaughan/Maple area it was very close to lunch time. The kids spotted a McDonald’s with a Play Place, so we decided to get lunch there rather than fork out the costs at the park. I know from experience that these places tend to gouge you when it comes to food and drink. The place was a ZOO! There were kids running around throughout the dining room, and it was a Play Place that was enclosed in glass (not our favorite), not one you can sit in and eat with the kids. My biggest peeve was all of the sock-less feet!

I know this time of year is sandal weather, but if you know that you’re going to be going to a McDonald’s often, keep a pair of socks in your vehicle! McDonald’s does not enforce the no bare feet rule either. Needless to say I was a little upset that the majority of the kids did not have socks on and most were left unattended and not watched at all. We tried to get in and out as quickly as possible. One thing Andrew noticed on the way out of this particular McDonald’s was a great recycling station! Of course I had to get a pic to show the owner of our local restaurants as this has always been a peeve of mine!

Wonderland was only about a 2 minute drive from the McDonald’s, we got in and parked, loaded the Joovy Caboose and made it to the ticket counter lines. We decided to get season passes to take advantage of a park in Pennsylvania called Dorney Park, which is also part of the Cedar Fairs group of amusement parks. After about 45 minutes in line, I overheard that if you had bought your tickets online, you did not have to wait! Just wanted to let anyone else out there know, as this is what I would have done!

Liam really surprised me and wanted to go on a real Rollercoaster. So I took him on the Scooby Doo Coaster on the edge of Hanna Barberaland. This was not a kiddie coaster by any means! To top it off we were sitting near the rear so I think we got whipped around a little more. I think he was pretty proud of himself! The kids had a lot of fun, although poor Mackenzie is at an awkward age and size. She still enjoys riding the smaller rides, but was too tall for a lot of them. We did find a few rides that she really enjoyed, especially the Swing of the Century!

One other thing I found pretty hilarious was the automated Train Ride that runs by itself really slowly on tracks. Andrew took, Liam and Ciaran on his train nad Mackenzie and Finn were with me. The thing that struck me as funny was the fact that Finn could not stay in my arms, he had to be strapped into a waist-style seatbelt beside me! I yelled over to get Andrew to take a pic I thought it was so funny!

It was a pretty busy day at Wonderland I think due to the fact that it was the first day after school let out in the area. The Waterpark was especially busy, so we didn’t end up hitting there until about 6pm, by then it was starting to cool down. The boys ran around at the splash pad and Mackenzie took a few rides on the small tube waterslide.

After the waterpark Ciaran fell asleep in Andrew’s arms to a decided to carry Finn on my back in the BabyHawk and we transferred Ciaran to the stroller. Then Finn fell asleep! We got the stereotypical shot in front of the huge Wonderland Mountain and then we were off to find dinner!

We dove south one more exit and hit the Vaughan Mills Mall. What a nice mall! We grabbed dinner and did a little shopping, the kids found a Disney Store Outlet and found some great deals! We actually closed the store. We drove back to the condo and packed up the van so we could try and beat rush hour in the morning.

I woke up this morning quite literally in a haze, in more ways than one. The cold I’ve been fighting since last week seems to have re-emerged as a sore throat. It’s the kind that feels like you’re swallowing glass every time you take a drink of something. Not fun.

We were planning on heading to Wonderland, but by the time we got things together, we realized that maybe it was not such a good idea. The temperature with the humidex was 43 degrees celcius! As well there was such a haze in the air, Mackenzie and I found it difficult to breathe. So after spending the morning on the computer, and almost falling asleep at it, I took a well needed nap. Yes this is me napping. Andrew thought it would be funny to get a photo of me being lazy on this hazy day!

I ended up getting abruptly woken, but not by the kids, it was loud thunder and then a torrential downpour! The resort is on the backside of a golf course, it was so funny seeing all of the golf carts zooming over the course seeking shelter. The boys enjoyed watching the rain through the window, but really wanted to go out onto the balcony.

Since it was late afternoon now, we decided just to take advantage of some of the resort amenities. Once the rain stopped we took a walk down to the Carriage House Pool and playground, the kids played for a bit while I sported Finn on my back on the flip side of the BabyHawk. I love the fact that it is reversible, so it’s essentially 2 carriers in one!

We ended up having a great time at the pool, Finn loves being in the mesh water sling (Thank you Sarah!) Andrew and the kids played and splashed while I dunked Finn a few times, he’s becoming quite the little water baby. It’s so cute how he instinctually kicks his legs like a little frog.

After our pool adventures, I decided make use of the resort’s barbeques they have on site for dinner. I whipped up some chipotle steaks for Andrew and bacon wrapped filet mignon for myself. The kids, what else? …Hot dogs! I had Andrew keep an eye on some corn on the cob while I BBQ’d the meat, unfortunately I turned on the wrong burner, so we had to wait a little longer for it. I don’t know why it’s such a hard concept, but I’m always turning on the wrong burners! It was a delicious meal. I’m definitely going to do some more BBQ’ing next week in Pennsylvania!

I spent the evening getting caught up on laundry, as I’m going to start getting things packed up early. This time I’m going to remember to take out clothes for the day for the kids! Well I’m off to bed early tonight so we can get up bright and early for Wonderland tomorrow!

It’s Tuesday, this morning Finn and I woke up bright and early before everyone else and headed into Barrie to the Mazda Dealership Northwood Mazda to get the Air Conditioning in the van looked at. I decided just to wait at the dealer and Andrew and the kids stayed back at the resort. After about 2 hours in the waiting room, I was starting to worry! With labour costs at $90/hour, it was starting to add up in my head. Finally the service manager came out and told me what the problem was, “rotten and corroded wires leading to the A/C compressor” 30 minutes later, I was brought my key and the receipt with the cost of………………………… ZERO dollars and ZERO cents! I must say the buying that extended warranty on our van has really paid off for us!

It was after lunch by the time I got back to the resort, so we decided it was too late to take advantage of a certain amusement park in the area, so we opted for another family friendly experience….IKEA, located in Vaughan!

I so wish we had an IKEA closer to us, we had such a blast in the showroom. We had an early dinner, where else can you get a kids meal including milk, for $1.99? The kids sat at their own little area and really enjoyed it.

Another thing I’ve always been impressed about IKEA is that they are extremely baby friendly. The have a baby food warming area, tons of highchairs and even a “Babycare Washroom”- aka Nursing Room. Although I’ve never been one to shy away from Nursing in public, I like that IKEA has nice comfortable chairs in their baby stations. I was also impressed that they had complimentary diapers in there too!

Mackenzie was very excited to get a posable artist’s doll to help her with her drawing. We then grabbed some frozen yogurts after paying for our purchases. Of course I can’t call it that to Liam…or he won’t eat it…so we grabbed some “Icecreams” on the way out. Very tasty!

On the drive back to the resort I needed to check out the “Outlet” mall in Cookston. It’s a big indoor outlet mall, with quite a few stores, but also quite a few that had closed down.

It wasn’t very busy while we were there. Ciaran was getting pretty cranky by this point so Andrew decided to carry him in the BabyHawk. What is a BabyHawk, you ask? Well there has been lots of talk about them in the Baby Wearing Board. Here’s Andrew carrying Ciaran around in ours.

Ciaran stayed in the BabyHawk until Liam discovered the “Lego Store”! It was hilarious when he spotted it. He stood outside of it with the hugest grin on his face, clapping his hands! I found a sock store and picked up five pair to try and make some DIY Baby Legs for Finn. The instructions are posted on the Green Living Board
After finishing our shopping there, the kids spotted a play structure and had a blast, but boy was it HOT!

Once we got back to the resort it was another soak for the boys in the Jacuzzi (this is becoming a favorite of theirs) and a little chasing them around to get them down for the night. As I’m typing this, I’m not so sure where there is an available bed! LOL

Our day started with a well needed session of “sleeping-in”.  I think we were all still asleep until 9:30-10am.  With it being that late we decided to head into Barrie to the Mazda dealer to see about our Air Conditioning in the van.  It worked perfectly the whole drive up.  Suddenly Saturday afternoon, it started blowing hot air at us.  Not so good with the second leg of the vacation coming up even further south.

 We stopped into the Mazda dealer, unfortunately he couldn’t get the van in until tomorrow morning.  Here’s to hoping it’s still covered under the extended warranty!  If not it’s worth every penny to get it fixed.

 After leaving the dealership, we hit the Old Navy store to pick up a new swimsuit for Andrew and some socks for the kids as they spotted a McDonald’s with a Play Place.  I’m sure that Ciaran is going to go into marketing.  He can spot a McDonald’s or Burger King from miles away! 

After lunch it was decided we’d drive to Wasaga Beach.  Wasaga Beach is a 14 km long white sand beach located on Georgian Bay.

For us Saint Johner’s the water was as warm as a bath!  The kids really enjoyed themselves we basically had the whole beach to ourselves as we didn’t get there until late afternoon.  Even Finn got to take his first dip in an outdoor body of water.

We got back to the condo and made Roast beef and mashed potatoes…yes I cheated and bought the precooked ones that only need to be microwaved!   The boys had another soak in the Jacuzzi and were off to bed!

This afternoon we ventured out to the Innisfil area to meet some fellow CPOers! I finally got to meet Bonnie (henrys) and Lori (greencottage)! Although it was my first time meeting these ladies, it really felt like we were all old friends! The kids enjoyed rummaging through Bonnie’s boys things especially their “cool Pokemon stuff”as Liam put it!

I meant to grab more photos, but here’s a great shot of Lori and Finn. Sorry he was so pukey ladies.

Thanks again for all of your hospitality!

It’s not only my birthday today but my mothers as well. It’s really cool to share a birthday with my mom. I’m not so sure she thinks the same though! We decided today would be a down day. Andrew let me sleep in and really tried to make the day special. Told me we could go shopping and buy something nice just for me. So you know what I ended up buying? A new car seat! We decided to go into Barrie for a few hours, and went down to Lakeshore for the kids to play.

We then decided to try and find a grocery store we circled around and happened to find a huge Zehrs which also happened to be beside the Bonnie Toggs I was hoping to find to buy another Britax Marathon. I had called them on Thursday so I new they had another Cowmooflage in stock. I absolutely love these seats, so do the boys. I was always a big fight as to who was going to sit in it. Now they each have one, and are so happy! Once I got it installed, I noticed that the new one has black harness straps the older one had tan straps, as well the new one looks to have higher harness slots, I may be wrong, but it certainly looks that way.

We then went to Zehr’s and stocked up on groceries for the week. This is a great thing about getting a condo. Not only the extra space you have, but being able to cook meals as you have a fully equipped kitchen.

Once we got back to the condo I had a splitting headache, Andrew let me take a little nap then when I got back up we had a great dinner of Jasmin Rice, and Thai Coconut Curry Chicken with PC Indian Naan! Very tasty!

We finished off the evening down at the pool, this is when I realized that I had forgotten to pack Andrew’s swimsuit…another ooops! I played in the pool with the kids while Andrew entertained Finn. Once we got back to the condo, the boys wanted to take a bath so we all jumped in the huge Jacuzzi! Everyone slept so well!

I woke up this morning and while I’m feeling a bit better than yesterday, I’m still not at full capacity. It seems before every Vacation I seem to get sick!

I called the garage and told them why the van was there and mentioned that I bought the tires there and thought I bought the extra replacement protection when I purchased the tires. Looks like I did, and I got the tire replaced for free, and because the tires were ¾ worn they didn’t want to leave me with one brand new tire with one that was ¾ worn they gave me the second one for free too! Two free tires right before our roadtrip makes me very happy! While I was waiting for the van I managed to get some laundry done, I have come to the realization that I will never be caught up ever again! Ever. I got a few things packed and the van cleaned out! So all in all, a very productive day even though I wasn’t feeling the greatest!

I’m sick! Yes it’s Father’s Day and I did not get out of bed until noon, poor Andrew! Quickly after getting up, it was decided that we’d have to cancel our big Father’s Day BBQ at our house. I felt really bad seeing this was probably the last time we’d be able to get everyone together before our trip on Thursday, I felt even more sick about all of the food we’d bought for the BBQ that was now thawing in the fridge. Looks like I’m going to be eating lobster for every meal over the next few days!

After we cancelled Andrew decided to take Mackenzie, Liam & Ciaran out for the afternoon then go to his parents for dinner. Before leaving he noticed the van’s hubcap was off, the tire was FLAT! He called roadside assistance and they sent out a truck to install the spare tire. Unfortunately the mechanism under than van to release the tire was ceased, the driver would have to send a flatbed and have it towed.
You’re probably thinking, “That’s awful! What a pain!” While it was a bit of a pain having to take a few trips to get the kids home in Andrew’s mom’s car. I was quite happy to have the car towed to Canadian Tire as I needed to get some brake work done before we left. This was great! Now I can call in the morning and not have to take the boys and wait for it to be finished.