Spring Break Is Not for Wimps!

We just returned from our family field trip to Washington, DC with our two tween-age kids.
With our adoption petition in China at this time, we hope that sometime in 2008 we will be adding a couple of toddler munchkins to our happy family. Traveling with strollers and sippy cups will be a dramatically different family vacation...

This Spring Break had all the makings for a great adventure:
* 650 miles each way in the car, with no kids in diapers
* Hotel stays which cashed in the points hubby earns from all his business travel
* Monuments, memorials, and museums as far as the feet can carry
* Thousands of families with the same brilliant idea

In an effort to avoid arguments and endless queries like "what's next?" we prepared a calendar of events for each day (by hour) for the week. Yes, some might think that a bit overboard, but it was a helpful tool. While we didn't stick to the schedule, each evening we used this as a departure point to compare what we did see and recalibrate the following days.

Through our Congressman's office, we got tours through the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court. Yep, they did require our social security numbers for the White House visit -- I guess we passed!

Souvenier tip:
The kids decided early in the trip to collect cloissonne pins from each place we visited. The gift shops were only too happy to oblige. Still, from $2 - 6 each, it was a better value than a t-shirt from each place. Each kid got a Washington, DC baseball cap and added the pins as they got them throughout the week.

The kids were great travelers. I only needed to shout out my famous, "Don't make me stop this car!" once. We played the license plate game there and back. We kept a running list of all the states' license plates we saw during the trip. I think we saw plates from 35 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Every sighting had to be verified by another passenger -- no making it up!

Robert was on a mission to see everything -- it was like speed-dating for historical buffs!
My toes got blistered despite my unattractive, orthopedic-looking, supposed to be comfortable shoes I brought with me. By Tuesday, I was hobbling around our nation's capital like the old arthritic woman I may one day become!

Now, I'm off to recapture the magic of spring break as I plow through the mountain of laundry we brought home (mom's souvenir!).

peace,

Marina