Western Canada Tour '08

We are off in 2 sleeps... off on the Toews Family Western Canada Tour! We did the tour just over a year ago and we get to do it again! We are heading to Manitoba to visit Kenny's family for Christmas. It is so much fun once we get there, but the drive is enough to make the most sane person lose their marbles. 22 hours one way... yes, that means 44 hours in total. And 80% of those hours are spent on long, straight, flat roads. In Saskatchewan when there is a slight bend in the road they put up a huge sign like this:

Anyhow, I have learned that in order to survive these many hours in the vehicle we need a hefty supply of items. Here is an abridged version of my list:

- 1 large bag of snacks. Some of them healthy so I feel like a good mom and some of them full of sugar and fat for those times I just want my kids to be so busy stuffing their faces that they don't talk.
- 1 portable DVD player. This is essential. This provides HOURS of enjoyment when looking at barren flat lands becomes unbearable!
- 10 DVD's. This equals 20 hours of viewing enjoyment. We watch a movie, then we stare at the lovely scenary. Then we watch another one, then we eat sugary treats. Then we watch a movie, then we knock the children out for a special little nap time.
- 1 package of gravol. Good for motion sickness on all those curvy Saskatchewan roads and also good for knocking the children out.
- 2 garbage bags. It's always a nice gesture... thinking that the family will put their garbage IN the bags. But by the time we hit Steinbach the car is filthy with shrapnel and various packaging leftovers. It's the thought that counts.
- 4 swim suits. This comes in handy when we make stops at hotels with hot tubs and waterslides. The kids get out their energy on the waterslides and we soak in the hot tub to release all the pent up frustrations from the travels. Ahhhh.
- 1 ipod. This is for me. This is for when we have been driving just a bit too long, and Kenny is getting tired. Unlike most people who get really quiet as they get tired, Kenny gets all fired up. He talks, and talks, and talks. He comes up with really strange and weird thoughts. He starts into, "Deep Thought By Kenny Toews". I used to get annoyed. Now I just grab the ipod and cleanse my soul.
- 1 fully loaded Tim Card so Kenny can make it through the trip. last time we did the tour Kenny went without Tim's for one morning... never again.
- And last but not least, 4 happy and positive attitudes. Because that many hours trapped in a vehicle while heading into -40 temperatures can tend to be a bit discouraging! Thank goodness there are dozens of happy, smiling faces to greet us once we arrive in the modern Mennonite colony called Steinbach!

Merry Christmas to all of you (I actually have no clue who reads this other than my mom, who has to read it cuz I'm her kid)! I hope you all have a great time with friends and family this year. See ya on the flip side!

Mommy gets a life and all hell breaks loose!

Yes, things are a-changin' in the Toews home. I am no longer at home all day, every day. I am out working like the rest of the adult world. I have entered a new realm, and frankly, so has my family. I am personally enjoying getting out and finding my place in this world. Creating a new business has been really fun and I have learned so much. Taking my landscaping course was also fun! I know a lot more about soil, plant material and planning out a landscape that works. But I have noticed that there have been some negative ramifications to my galavanting about.

My family is in shock. What? No clean underwear? What? We have to help bring the groceries in cuz Mommy is exhausted from cleaning a mansion all day? What? We actually have to help put dishes away? Kenny is also in shock. He thought once he got home from work our house was a virtual oasis for his soul filled with sports on the TV, games on the computer and fresh baking awaiting his drooling oral cavity. Poor guy. Now he gets home to hear, "Can you help fold that pile of laundry in the livingroom?" And after supper as he casually strolls into the living room to lounge in front of the news, I stop him and say, "Oh, you were going to help me clean up the dishes, right?" There is really only one correct answer to that... "Of course, I was just checking to see if there were any dishes to tidy in the living room first!"

Of course, I warned the men in my home about this change long before it took place. I sat them down and said, "Once Mommy goes to work, there will be a lot of things I will need help with around the house." I made up a list of chores that the boys needed to complete every day after school. They have done so well with their lists. In fact, all the men in my house are willing to help, they just have no idea what needs to be done. So there are a lot of pleas for help coming from me and lots of surprised yet willing faces who reply, "oh really? You need help with that? I didn't even notice that." Kenny is learning all about the kitchen... he now knows where most things go in the kitchen and he actually opened up 3 drawers the other day that he didn't know existed! The boys are getting a shocking reality check into how much of their crap they leave around the house now that I refuse to clean it up.

And I am realizing that no matter how much help I get around here, there is still more to be done than I have time for! Ah, the joys of running a company and a household!

Thankfully I am finding the humour in this situation most of the time and have even surprised Kenny with "flash quizzes" on the location of various items in the kitchen. He has been passing with flying colours! I think my next quiz will be to the boys entitled, "how to load a dishwasher so more than 5 things can go into it!"