Exploring...

Exploring...

It's kind of a tradition now, every year on Mother's Day to go exploring. Just me and the kids. I've always been the type of person and parent who enjoys just 'going'. I can remember as a child I would say I had to go to the bathroom really bad so my school bus driver would let me run into a friends house, just so I could see what the inside looked like. My own mother calls me a "gad-about". She says that I'm always on the road, that I'm never home.

Not necessarily true.

True, in part, because I do have four kids, and each, in turn, is always involved in something or other. Something that needs going to or prepping for or whatever. So, occasionally, in spurts, yeah. It seems like I'm always going somewhere. But, there are still plenty of Friday afternoons when I really look forward to getting home and not getting into the Pilot again until Monday morning. Sometimes I'm lucky. Sometimes not.

Mother's Day is a week away now. And, as I've already mentioned, the kids and I like to get in the Pilot and go. Okay. Sometimes, I admit, it does take some persuading to get them into the car, but I'm sure they would all willingly agree that once we actually get the heck out of Dodge, we all loosen up and begin to have some fun.

Typically we begin our adventure at the entrance to our cul-de-sac. Right or left? Sometimes the kids pick. Sometimes I pick. But whoever picks, we always end up someplace quite picturesque, where we can get out, stretch our legs and click some pics.

This year, I'm already feeling more than a little abandoned. My oldest's Senior Prom is the night before Mother's Day, so we'll be up at least until the wee small hours of the morning, as their plans include staying until the last song is danced too, then heading back to our house (thank God it's our house) and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows out at the firepit.

Because it's her Senior year, and because she has worked extremely hard (and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother) I'm trying to let her make her plans so that her and her friends will be happy - and safe. The last of her "prom plans" includes a late (since everyone will be sleeping in) picnic brunch in the park. Sounds like fun, I'll admit. But this leaves me, well, kind of in the dust.

True, I've got three other kids that I could still take exploring, but.... two out of these three love to fight. Fight like cats and dogs (literally, okay, maybe figuratively). It's like the dog is continuously circling the cat, and the cat continuously has her back hunched and all of her hair standing on end.

This is what my babies used to look like:

Cute, huh?

Now? This is what they do - CONSTANTLY!

Not so sweet anymore.

It should be pretty plain to see the reason why I don't want to be cooped up in a vehicle with my remaining three children for a day of driving. (No offense darlings!)

Honestly, we are all probably going to be way, way tired out anyways from the late night prom stuff. I think I'll just drive down to the local ice cream shoppe and treat myself to an extra-large, soft-serve, vanilla-chocolate twist.

Yep. That should do the trick quite nicely, I should think!