I am not a stay at home mom but since my job is in the evenings I kind of live the stay at home life in the mornings. Meaning that I am available to take my kids to various story times, mommy and me sing classes, a colorful parachute class, an organized playgroup, etc. However, availability does not translate into actually doing these things. I have guilt at times that I don't enroll my kids in this or that, or that I don't plan my week around various kid festivals happening in the city. OK, we do go to story time about once a week but really it is because it is next door to the breakfast restaurant we are supremely addicted to, it gives us 45 minutes of happy kid time, and the parental involvement/silliness factor is at a minimum at this particular one (don't get me wrong, I like to belt out the ABCs and baby beluga with the best of them, just on my own terms, not in a room full of mommies and toddlers under the direction of a lady wearing a themed cardigan and banging a tamborine). So, when I saw in our local paper that an event called "Touch a Truck" was going on in our town, I thought I would try to be a good mom and brave this event with my brood of 3 under 3.
BAD IDEA
This is how it all went down:
I first spent a good 30-45 minutes preparing. I had snacks, water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, diapers, etc. I buckled everyone in their carseats and then wrestled our giant all terrain double stroller into the mini van. I was sweaty before we even left the driveway! Oh, and I forgot to mention that this was during a record setting heat wave. Despite my perspiration, everything seemed to be going as planned. When we were driving up to the event it seemed like it was going to be great. They had everything you could imagine--a schoolbus (super novel to a 2 year old), a garbage truck, semi trucks, fire trucks, police cars, a public bus, diggers, a helicopter and many more. Even the senior center bus that takes the local retirees to Marcs :). From the comfort of our air conditioned van we were all a twitter about the various machinery we were about to witness up close. And then, with a pleasant little beep beep beep the van door slid open, the humidity crashed in, and it was all downhill from there. The first speedbump was that we had to park across the street from the event and walk. No biggie. I just dragged out my trusty stroller (did I already mention it's giant?), strapped Ben into my Bjorn (I have not sprung for a triple stroller) and off we went. I thought things would better once we got into the action, but imagine if you will, every large truck or vehicle known to man, and then imagine these vehicles with three year olds behind the wheel--what do you think every three year old wants to do? HONK THE HORN! So every truck was honk, honk, honking which is apparently much scarier when you are two years old and two feet in front of a semi truck or a fire truck. Lydia started crying right from the get go that it was too loud and she wanted to go home. Grace looked a little freaked out but still was curious so we tried the public bus first. How much interest could there be in that one? A lot apparently. The twins hopped out of the stroller and went to get onto the bus but there were people streaming both on and off the bus so they were quickly lost in the shuffle. In the end they were both crying and I had a twin under each arm with my 5 month old strapped to my front while trying to get off of a COTA bus. We tried the garbage truck next (don't worry it was spiffy clean). Grace did eventually make it to the front of the line and was able to turn the wheel (and honk it of course) but it was anticlimactic at best. My last ditch effort was the helicopter. Lydia cried through it all then wanted to be held, so I plopped B (who was being very tolerant despite the fact that he was in the direct sunlight and strapped to a hot, sweaty human) in the stroller and perched a tearful Lydia on my sweaty hip. When she realized she had given up a prime seat to her brother the wails got even louder. Somehow, we survived the trek back to the car. We were a hot mess-- with hair plastered to our heads, our Tshirts sweat soaked and faces tearstained (not mine yet, but almost). I cranked the AC("thank you God for air conditioning" is a common line in their bedtime prayers) promised the girls smoothies of their choice at home, and we high tailed it out of the masses of kids and the moms with more patience and ambition than myself. The girls ended up having a stellar morning playing in our basement playroom . . . which is probably what we should have done in the first place :)
BAD IDEA
This is how it all went down:
I first spent a good 30-45 minutes preparing. I had snacks, water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats, diapers, etc. I buckled everyone in their carseats and then wrestled our giant all terrain double stroller into the mini van. I was sweaty before we even left the driveway! Oh, and I forgot to mention that this was during a record setting heat wave. Despite my perspiration, everything seemed to be going as planned. When we were driving up to the event it seemed like it was going to be great. They had everything you could imagine--a schoolbus (super novel to a 2 year old), a garbage truck, semi trucks, fire trucks, police cars, a public bus, diggers, a helicopter and many more. Even the senior center bus that takes the local retirees to Marcs :). From the comfort of our air conditioned van we were all a twitter about the various machinery we were about to witness up close. And then, with a pleasant little beep beep beep the van door slid open, the humidity crashed in, and it was all downhill from there. The first speedbump was that we had to park across the street from the event and walk. No biggie. I just dragged out my trusty stroller (did I already mention it's giant?), strapped Ben into my Bjorn (I have not sprung for a triple stroller) and off we went. I thought things would better once we got into the action, but imagine if you will, every large truck or vehicle known to man, and then imagine these vehicles with three year olds behind the wheel--what do you think every three year old wants to do? HONK THE HORN! So every truck was honk, honk, honking which is apparently much scarier when you are two years old and two feet in front of a semi truck or a fire truck. Lydia started crying right from the get go that it was too loud and she wanted to go home. Grace looked a little freaked out but still was curious so we tried the public bus first. How much interest could there be in that one? A lot apparently. The twins hopped out of the stroller and went to get onto the bus but there were people streaming both on and off the bus so they were quickly lost in the shuffle. In the end they were both crying and I had a twin under each arm with my 5 month old strapped to my front while trying to get off of a COTA bus. We tried the garbage truck next (don't worry it was spiffy clean). Grace did eventually make it to the front of the line and was able to turn the wheel (and honk it of course) but it was anticlimactic at best. My last ditch effort was the helicopter. Lydia cried through it all then wanted to be held, so I plopped B (who was being very tolerant despite the fact that he was in the direct sunlight and strapped to a hot, sweaty human) in the stroller and perched a tearful Lydia on my sweaty hip. When she realized she had given up a prime seat to her brother the wails got even louder. Somehow, we survived the trek back to the car. We were a hot mess-- with hair plastered to our heads, our Tshirts sweat soaked and faces tearstained (not mine yet, but almost). I cranked the AC("thank you God for air conditioning" is a common line in their bedtime prayers) promised the girls smoothies of their choice at home, and we high tailed it out of the masses of kids and the moms with more patience and ambition than myself. The girls ended up having a stellar morning playing in our basement playroom . . . which is probably what we should have done in the first place :)
August 2, 2011 at 10:27 PM
this is why I am not a stay at home mom. :) I could never do this type of thing.