words every mama wants to hear...

"Guess what, Mom! Abby threw up all over! And I was right next to her! She had to go home! And guess what else, Mama? Ethan had a fever and had to go to the nurse. He felt horrible." Okaaaay. I was really concerned about poor Abby, poor Ethan. Really, I was. But my first thought was OH NO. NO. We do NOT want BARFING in the VAN, on 24 hour drive. We are planning to drive all through the night. Not the barf bug, please. Then I saw that my niece and nephew, who were here last weekend, were picked up early today when I signed my kids out of school...I truly hope they aren't really sick....ugh.

Anyway. We are mostly packed. I get like 110% done then just go blank. Shut down. Move on. And I say "110%" because I packed lightly, then added lots more stuff after. Towels, we need towels. Even though they have them at the hotels. And Gramma has some. We should bring a few, just in case. A pail and a few shovels, just in case we find a beach. A few more jackets for the kids, just in case. Spare sandals. My pillow, for traveling. The princesses emptied their school backpacks and are filling them with Barbies and coloring books. Neither Paul or Suzanne have put their bags in the back of the minivan yet, and it is full. Do we really need all that stuff?

We have almonds and beef jerky and apples and oranges and veggie sticks and peanut M&M's, and regular M&M's, granola bars and protein bars and mini-muffins for the kids. Microwave popcorn for the hotels, freeze pops. A stack of cups to pass snacks out in, lots of paper towels and wipes. Pop-tarts. Sunflower seeds. Gum. Mentos. Jolly Ranchers.

My mother-in-law called today. She has fresh strawberries, all cut up and frozen, she made pasta salad and is preparing ribs, and planning to buy fresh local sweet corn. She has baked brownies and has bought peanut butter and potato chips for the kids. I think it has been therapeutic for her, just planning for our visit. She ordered a birthday cake for Jonathan from Publix, a cake with a bulldozer and construction stuff on it...it is the first time in his life he will have a store-bought cake. He had already made me promise him a trip to Publix, we don't have those stores here in the Northeast, and he has a Publix truck that Gramma bought him when he was really little, and has always wanted to go there. Jon is an interesting boy:)

I don't know if I will be blogging while in Florida, my computer has been being horrid. Paul may be going to France for work next month, no fair, and may need to bring his computer to make travel arrangements. Did I mention that it is NO FAIR? I love traveling far more than he does. I would be jumping up and down. He is just like, Yeah, I am probably going to France. calm cool collected.

I am trying to get my sister Cheryl to write some posts on here while I am gone, she is really funny.

So off we go, leaving in a few hours. This is the hardest part, the waiting to leave.

Now, I am hoping for a nice relaxing trip. For no trials. No messes. No fighting. No forgetting anything. Ha, right? Good thing that we know that all things work together for the good for those who love God, right?

I get so easily distracted. Sonja K. just turned on, "Let's Make A Deal", and I found myself wholeheartedly rooting for a schoolteacher dressed like a crayon to go for it and win the car. She did! I cheered! What the heck is wrong with me? I told them to turn it off and do something more productive. Unlike me, of course, but...blogging is productive, isn't it?

If you don't hear from me for a week or ten days or so, don't worry. I will be chilling, tanning, eating extremely healthy food, ha, oh I hope I do....relaxing, enjoying my sweet little Suzanne and Sonja and Jonathan and Charlotte Claire and Camille...and Paul, of course....