I have tried camomile teas, I have tried melatonin, I have even tried a little Baileys in Hot milk... but no matter what, the night before a big trip I usually lay there counting not only sheep , but the minutes of the clock ticking by.
This is not new. Anticipation and excitement... Absolutely! Maybe sometimes its also because I can have a little worry about forgetting something. All I know is that tomorrow morning I head 10 hours down 1-75 to Tennessee and I will be doing it on zero sleep. Am I worried about the ride. NO! I know my route, I know my map. I know my travel companons and how helpful they always are to mom. I also know that if I get to tired I will stop and pull over for some food, fresh air, and even sleep if I need it. But mostly I know that in the morning we'll get going and the sleep won't matter... because this maphappymom will be in motion. I'll be ready to go, and excited about where the adventure will lead me.
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![]() After our interview was featured on http://exploreall50.com, we have had so many questions and lovely comments about not only the interview, about our trips we have taken, and also interest in our blog. The question that it seems that everyone asked the most was - Why do you roadtrip? In truth, a big part of it is about affordability. The greatest expense of most vacations can be airfare. Saving on airfare and driving can also help you save in other ways.
Saving money in these areas allows you to spend it on activities for your family, and extending your vacation by a couple extra days to cover more miles and see and do more things. Roadtrips are more than about saving money though, and I have been very insistant on making sure our family gets a few of them a year and here is my reason why. Roadtrips are about my little family and the time we spend together. In a world where everyone is moving too fast, and everyone is plugged into some kind of technology, these trips are the best way for us to stay connected with each other. When we get out on the open road, we put the electronics away, and we get to spend "quality" time with one another. Jason and I as spouses get to talk and get reacquainted without his work calls or either of our usual daily responsibilities. Ethan and Emily as siblings are "forced" to share a backseat of space and get to know one another better and even become friends, without electronic games distracting them from one another. And our family will have so many wonderful memories to last a lifetime. The time we have with our children seems to be disappearing so quickly, and one day we won't all be under the same roof anymore. These trips allow us to leave our children with as many wonderful memories of their time together as we can. So why do we roadtrip? It is so that we can ESCAPE as a family away from work and life, and follow the road wherever it leads us. About the electronics.... if you plan to use one, just make sure it is for capturing those family roadtrip moments in a picture. #maphappymom #wanderlust #roadtrips ![]() Oh how I love our getaways! I love the planning of them almost as much as being on them. Yes, I know that's weird. Some people hate the planning. Not me though. I thrive in it. Planning a trip at our house goes something like this...
Yep, for me it's all about that map! I will be very honest and direct in this next statement. I am not a GPS Girl, at all. We usually bring a GPS with us on the road, but it is also usually left sitting under the drivers seat, because the fact is that our GPS has steered us wrong on more than one occasion, even when my internal compass was screaming at me the whole time telling me something wasn't quite right. I think I have studied enough maps in my life that it has created that internal compass. Perhaps this is where I should also mention I was a geography major in University! And that my parents are travelers as well and always have been. So I have seen my fair share of maps. Maps to me are faithful and loyal. One of my favourite parts of the trip planning is getting home from CAA/AAA with a handful of new maps for the next state, province or city on our list. Unfolding that piece of delightfully coloured paper is bliss!!!. You know that feeling that some women get with a new pair of shoes, well that's how I feel about paper. A new map or a new book, total HEAVEN! When reading a map, the fun is in discovering the highways, towns, rivers, mountains or parks along the way. Using a map can be a big part of the adventure for our family. It often determines not only where we are going, but sometimes where we are not going to go. You see, we don't always just choose the interstate or provincial highway that will get us from Point A to Point B as quick as we can. When we are on vacation and not in a hurry it is likely for us to choose the path that will show us something interesting and new along the way, even if it makes the drive a few hours longer. The adventure in road tripping is the time we get to spend together discovering new things to see and do. For instance, we are currently planning this summer's adventure. We could take the interstate, but if we take the smaller highway instead we could pass by three significant National Historic Sites which we would have missed if on the interstate. One is a famous volcanic mountain, one is a Dinosaur Discovery Field and one a Trail made famous by Lewis and Clark. Each of these will provide us with an amazing opportunity to learn something new. Each of these will get the kids a new stamp for their National Park passport book, and each of these will make getting from Point A-B a little bit longer. We don't care that mapquest.com tells me it will take us 7.5 hours from Point A-B, instead of just 5 hours. What I do care about is that we will get to spend more time together, unplugged, learning and loving everything we get to see. When I get out the map, I like to examine it closely, and follow each section of road. By doing this you discover the hidden gems along the way such as; discovering a lighthouse along a coast, determining the height / elevation of a mountain pass tunnel, and even like the time we realised we would have to board a ferry to get across a lake in Saskatchewan. These were all things that were new and exciting and different from home. They were all things worth changing route, and taking the time to stop to see. By opening up and exploring the map you can actually start to create your trip. You can follow your route, and see what cities , towns or sites are along your way. You can look them up, read about them and decide if its something you would like to stop and do. You can discover that you might want to stay a day or two longer, because there was so much to see, or a special place to eat that you just have to try. Opening the map and doing all the leg work before I leave does two very special things for me.
![]() https://roadtrippers.com/stories/kentucky-fried-chicken?a1=x!-96.70166015624999,y!40.830436877649255,z!5 Every day I log onto my computer, read my email, and browse my social sites like facebook, goodreads, and look for fun new things to pin on pinterest. Sometimes its just advertisements, sometimes it's quotes and fun things to make me laugh, but sometimes it's something that makes me stop and read and wonder. The roadtrippers.com article above did that for me today. The story is about 6 Canadians who drive over 6000 miles for some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now, we all know that Canada has their own KFC branches. But this family wanted the real thing, right from the founding location, deep in the heart of Kentucky itself. So it made me think about how many people have a craving for something that sends them out on a roadtrip to get it? Miles from your home, what would you travel for? If I ever had a craving it would be Persians from my hometown of Thunder Bay. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Persian-Man/399721353422346 Today we received mail from Alisa at exploreall50.com. New luggage tags and an invitation to do a guest blog. I am so excited.
![]() I discovered this pin on pinterest earlier today. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think how many times we have been on a road trip somewhere and we were surprised by how many people were in a hurry, just rushing by a location of beauty or a monument of significance. How they were too busy on their cell phones or arguing with one another to actually open their eyes and their ears to take in what was right before them. Not only do they not use their senses, but they also lack common sense. So many people spend so much money taking a trip, that they don't stop and pause to actually enjoy it. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/139963500896566275/ Follow the link to explore our exploreall50 interview!!!!
Thank you Alisa for such a fun and wonderful opportunity! http://exploreall50.com/2015/03/meet-the-richard-family-canadians-exploring-their-southern-neighbor/ ![]() What a week. Although March Break didn't take us anywhere, we truly had an amazing road trip week. First of all... we planned an adventure. Jason has some vacation to use this summer and we have some states still left to see. So we have planned a road trip out west to cover some country and to see some sights. Flights, car rental and hotels are booked. This will not be a city vacation, but rather one to explore the great outdoors. On our last trip to Albuquerque our favourite day was the day we hiked the tent rocks. We knew right then that we had been missing the adventures that awaited us on the outskirts of the places we visited. We used to love camping, and once the kids were growing we hadn't done much of it. On this trip we're going to do our own version of a glamorized camping trip. Hotels and Motels during the nights, waterfalls, hiking trails and wildlife adventures during the day. Whales, Bison an d Big Horn Sheep are on the list to see....and lets just say its a good thing our rental will have unlimited mileage!!!! That's all the hints I am giving for now. The second cool thing that happened this week was that we were interviewed by Alisa from http://www.exploreall50.com . As a fellow road tripping family she wanted to know what we as Canadians do and see in our quest to visit all 50 states. We are super excited to see how our interview turns out on her blog. We'll let you know when it is posted. Happy dreaming of the road ahead! Well we actually did it. We stayed home and traveled only as far as Windsor this March Break. The Con list won out for whether or not to go to Florida. We had visitors, and sleepovers, but no mileage was covered.... but that's okay because we have come up with the ultimate summer plan!!!!
There are pros and cons to everything in life.
Today I am discussing our vacation for March Break with Jason. The possibility for Florida is always there, yet there are more factors holding us back this year. So we make a pro/con list. Pro: Gas prices are down, great fro road tripping. Pro: Spending some time in the warmth and sun, and even even the beach. Pro: Ethan and Jason can golf together on the shorter course at the park. Pro: Seeing Mom and Bill, is always a pro. Con: $ exchange is very high. 25 cents on every dollar high. OUCH! Con: Jason has a big audit and will have to work and make calls while we are away. Con: Us losing a week of vacation with Jason , while he's working on vacation. BOOO!!!! Now it seems like we have more pros than cons, except that those CONS are pretty big.....sooooooo!!! NEW LIST! We get to try and explore some other ideas as to what to do for March Break... Visit Grammy and Grampy Go Skiing for a day or two with the kids, or we plan a different getaway closer to the spring when the audits are done and Jason has a lighter work load, and maybe even the dollar will improve and it wont be as expensive to go then. Once again opportunities are endless. ![]() What a year! Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado and New Mexico. 7 new states crossed off the map... making the goal of 50 by 50 even closer. It was a great year, so many adventures. March Break in Florida, a Southern Summer and celebrating Thanksgiving in Albuquerque. Can't ask for better than that. But as you know.... all we can do is try. Happy New Year from our family to yours. With love and Best Wishes. The Richards 1. - Cross at least 2 new states off my 50 by 50 goal.
2. - Visit at least 1 new National Park as well. - Get the kids their stamp! 3. - Climb another mountain- and see the joy it brings to my kids faces like we did in New Mexico. 4. - Forget my fears - and try something adventurous. ie: Ziplining, Whitewater Rafting. This list will grow throughout the year I am sure!!!!!!! ![]() Upon our return from Albuquerque Jason filled out the customer service surveys for the hotel, car and air portions of our trip. He commented to Southwest that as a frequent flyer, and travelling with two children, that being stuck in the airport over night was not an ideal situation. Let me just say that as a company, they listened and they heard. Today Jason came home with 400.00 in Southwest Vouchers for us. They expire in one year, so I guess we how to figure out where we want to go. Time to get out the map.... so I am one very happy maphappymom. :) http://www.southwestairlines.com ![]() Looking at our bags as I was beginning to get them organized, I realized that they are starting to look a bit dirty and broken in. But then of course they should be after the miles we have put on them. Almost 5 years ago I bought 2 black ones for the boys and 2 pink for us girls. What I love about them, and why we use them so much is that they are large enough to pack everything we need for over a week but yet they are small enough to be carry-on qualifiers for airline travel. I love that they are easy for the kids to wheel so they can carry their own bags into airports or hotels. But maybe best of all is that these bags were not expensive, just $25 each at one of those mall luggage places. I think they have been well worth the price and probably owe us absolutely nothing now. For 5 years they have accompanied us on every trip to the cottage, every weekend to Grammy and Grampy's, and every March Break trek to Grumpa and Grandma's Florida House. These bags have also been to San Francisco, Quebec City, Gatlinburg, Charleston, Thunder Bay, Savannah, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Chicago, Washington D.C. and even New York City as well. Purchasing these bags just very well may be the best money I have ever spent!!!!! I won't be getting new bags any time soon, there is lots of mileage left in these ones, plus along with the clothing, shoes and tolietries that we fit in side them, there is also a whole bag load of wonderful family memories packed in them too. ![]() Yep! This is pretty much what I must look like most days. I am busy memorizing the route so that once we are on the road I am not worrying about highway numbers or distances. By studying the map ahead of time I can have fun enjoying the sites and looking for fun roadside stops and attractions along the drive instead. With just over a week to go, the suitcases have been pulled out. (Not like they ever get put away anyways), and clothes and supplies are beginning to be put into little piles around the house to be sure nothing gets forgotten. ![]() There is a website I like to frequent called Explore all 50. It is written by a mom just like me who loves to explore and roadtrip with her kids. On one of her blog entries: http://exploreall50.com/2014/05/the-importance-of-family-rituals/ , she writes about their families rituals, one of them being that they name their car. Emmy thought this was a great idea. Coming up with a name took only a few minutes, we rambled through a list of them, while driving of course. Ethan looked at us like we were crazy, but Emmy tried to sway him by possibly calling it Hermoine in honour of his favourite book series. But then we decided that since its my truck that we do most of our exploring in, and that I so very much love all things southern, we needed something more momish, and quickly chose the name of DIXIE. Even Jason says it's perfect!!! Dixie is usual much dirtier than this picture, she has already explored more than 100, 000 km of road, but that's just because her owner doesn't keep her still very long! |
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