You Get What you Pay For

We are working on spontaneity now. No reservations, no plans, just a goal to be in Glens Falls, New York, by Saturday night. Following our impromptu picnic at Great Lakes State Park we settled in for the night in Batavia, New York, at an Econolodge off of I-90.

I gathered we were fortunate to find a nice hotel with available rooms: There was a concert at Darien Lake Theme Park and the hotels off the Thruway were booked. Perhaps we should have planned for Darien Lake in our itiniary -- I wonder what it's like. Do you know if Darien Lake Theme Park is a fun place for young kids? It's not too far from Vermont -- a half-day drive -- perhaps we can return at a later date.

With two sleepy kids in the car, I figured I'd better take the bird in the hand, although the price for a room at the Econolodge was about $15 more than our previous accomodations. We were happy to see that our room was new and clean, with a refrigerator and microwave. Paul and Adam enjoyed the outdoor pool while I got Zac ready for bed.

Our dinner at Miss Batavia Family Restaurant, a venue featured in the AAA tour book as a good place for families, was disappointing. I picked Miss Batavia, described by AAA as a recently renovated period diner with local fare, because I envisioned something like Libby's Diner in Colchester: fresh ingredients, tasty meals, comfort foods. What we ate was pre-packaged, highly processed stuff that we could have cooked in the microwave in our room. After all, I did bring microwave mac'n'cheese just in case, and I believe that is what was served to Adam. Zac had a fried fish fillet, because a kid with 8 teeth can't eat hot dogs and I knew he would not eat (nor did I want him to) the other, fried options on the kids menu. The only vegetable Miss Batavia offered was corn. I inquired about other choices, such as raw carrots (Adam's current favorite vegetable). The waitress told me that the salads are prepackaged and the only vegetable available was corn. Canned corn. That's not even a vegetable! So many kids menus offer over processed, fried foods served with French fries. Is it any wonder that obesity among American youth is an epidemic?

Paul and I suffered through our sandwiches, and I was grateful that it was fast and cheap. Dinner for four was about $30 plus tip, cheaper than a tank of gas. But I would not go there again.

Today, our pendulum swung the other way. I again referred to the AAA tour book, and we perused the main drag in Glens Falls to see what the places looked like. We settled on Davidson's Restaurant and Brewery, a brew pub with pub-style fare. We were delightfully surprised to find that Davidson's kids' menu had fresh choices and the regular menu showcased innovative cuisine. The boys had grilled chicken, rice and a variety of vegetables: carrots, asparagus, summer squash. Paul and I enjoyed fresh, innovative meals and microbrews. Our dinner bill was $100, a wee bit higher than the Miss Batavia.

Our room at the Econolodge of Glens Falls was disgusting, and I highly recommend avoiding this hotel. Upkeep and cleaning are not high on their list. I insisted that the boys wear socks or shoes to walk around the sticky floor. We could hardly wait to get out of there in the morning.

But we had much to look forward to: A day at the Great Escape!

Lake Erie State Park: Worth a Return Trip

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/

Ohio is a big state, especially when you drive caddy-corner from the southwest to the northeast! We got a late start on the road after playing putt putt golf and climbing the tunnels and slides at the Quality Inn & Suites in Richfield, Ohio, but we're in no hurry now. We're making good time back to Vermont. Zac fell asleep shortly after we hit the road, so we kept going until way past our usual lunch time, and decided to stop again at Lake Erie State Park since we had so much fun there on our way out. A known entity is a good thing when you are dealing with children.
Lake Erie State Park is in Brockton, New York, about 5 miles from I-90 exit 59. We arrived at the park at 2:00 and had our picnic PBJ's, apples and cinnamon crunch cereal at a table by the lake. The weather is so much more pleasant here than in the midwest. We had sunshine and a nice breeze off the lake. If only the flies would stop biting. Luckily, I had bug repellent for us all. After lunch, we walked the beach, played in the waves and skipped rocks. It was a pleasant hour and a half break from driving. Paul and I agreed that we should come here for overnight camping in the future. We could see the campsites in the distance, and it is much more scenic, private and natural than all those roadside campsites we saw off the highways in the midwest. Recreation in Lake Erie state park includes swimming, boating, hiking, volleyball court, playground and nature programs.

Quality In or Out?

I was about to write off Quality Inn hotels as grungy, cheap places that I don't recommend. Our hotel in downtown Cincinnati was in disrepair, with ice machines that did not work, a broken elevator and a continental breakfast that none of us could eat. I couldn't even finish my morning coffee because it tasted so bad. It did have some redeeming qualities, the reasons for which I chose it in the first place: It provided comfortable beds and pillows for a few overnight hours and it was near the Newport Aquarium, where we planned to visit the next morning. But I thought I would not again choose a Quality Inn.

Then we found the Quality Inn & Suites of Richfield, Ohio, off I-271 in the Cleveland region, on our way back to Vermont. This hotel is listed in the AAA tour book, and when I called within 30 minutes of our arrival at the exit, it provided a better rate than the only other hotel listed for Richfield, the Hampton Inn.

We were delightfully surprised to find that this Quality Inn is a great place to stay with kids. It is clean and kept up and has an on premises restaurant for dinner and breakfast. It features an indoor recreation area with adult and kids' swimming pools, complimentary putt-putt golf course, large climbing structure with steep slides and tunnels and an area with mellow climbing slides for toddlers. Our room was adjacent to this indoor rec center. The boys were very happy here. Adam said it was the best hotel of the trip. We stayed an extra few hours in the morning so the kids could enjoy the amenities.


Quality Inn & Suites, 4742 Brecksville Road, Richfield, Ohio. www.choicehotels.com

Out of the Way, Into Our Hearts

Today, at Newport Aquarium, without prompting, Adam hugged me and said, "Thank you for bringing me here!" That was all I needed to know that this side-trip on our route home was completely worth the time and expense. Today, we made memories that will last our lifetimes.

www.newportaquarium.com

Newport Aquarium is in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It is adjacent to a pedestrian-friendly area called Newport on the Levee, on the "river walk" level where there are street vendors, shops and restaurants and regular outdoor concerts. It reminded me a little of Church Street in Burlington, but with a view of a river.

We'll never remember that the morning started out rough:
* We had a lame breakfast at the run-down Quality Inn in downtown Cincinnati. So I packed some peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and fruit in the backpack for the snacks I knew we would soon need.
* We got lost on our way to Newport and Adam worried about missing the 9:15 Penguin Parade. (The Tom Tom wasn't cooperating; it didn't recognize the aquarium or address.) But we had allowed plenty of time and Paul is a master of road navigation on the fly, so we made it there by 8:50.
* We had trouble negotiating our way into a parking area, having missed several entrances and feeling panicked. By pure chance, we landed in a lot directly under the "river walk" adjacent to the aquarium, and it cost just $2 to park for the entire day IN THE SHADE of an underground garage.

I had ordered our tickets by phone in advance, because the aquarium website warned that the line for tickets might be long. Admission fees are $20 for adults, $13 for kids age 2 and up. So our total was $53, and the tickets were waiting at the "Will Call" counter. I was second in line and there was no problem.


Our good fortune continued when Adam was selected to lead the Penguin Parade! Each day, one or two lucky kids are picked to lead the parade, and we had talked about this possiblity for weeks. Adam and another little girl got to go into a special area prior to the parade and put on a royal robe and crown (he got to keep his crown), then walk in front of the carriage that transported three African penguins along a red carpet. Following the parade a staff person gives a talk about penguins. We learned that penguins eat twice their weight in fish each day and poop about every 20 minutes. It was too hot to listen to the whole thing, so we went inside to the museum. And we stayed for five hours, because it was so much fun!

We looked into gigantic tanks featuring aquatic life from all regions of the world. We watched crabs and lobsters walk, gazed at unusual fish and marveled at translucent jellyfish.
We watched sharks and stingrays swim toward and past us and talked with a young man who told us everything we ever wanted to know about these ominous, majestic creatures. We strolled through a river environment and watched otters play. We walked through glass tunnels through tanks filled with sharks, turtles, rays and colorful fish. Zac and Adam laughed and played next to a tank of penguins that seemed to be doing the same. Adam pet sharks.

Just looking at the aquatic creatures fascinates kids of all ages. I saw plenty of babies, in front carriers and backpacks, who seemed content to look at the pretty fish and turtles. During busy periods, such as now, strollers are not allowed because it gets too crowded. (During our visit, a group of senior citizens arrived in wheelchairs, each one pushed by a caregiver, which made me wonder about the double standard.)

The aquarium is arranged so that you pass by the exhibits one by one and end up at the cafeteria and gift shop. Some smart marketing people helped plan that architecture. We walked through the entire length of the aquarium, which is said to hold "A million gallons of fun." Then we rested in the caferia where we purchased drinks to wash down our brown-bag PBJ's. Then we walked the aquarium in reverse so we could experience all of it again. We had to go through the gift shop to get to the exit -- those clever architects! -- so, after a brief shopping excursion , we emerged onto the river walk plaza at nearly 2:00 p.m.

Money spent on souvenirs: a photo of our family in the jaws of a shark, $21; a stuffed ray shark for Adam, $15; a frog grabbit stick for Zac, $5. A day with my family at Newport Aquarium: Priceless.

Me and the Big Boys

We are on our way home now, with several fun stops planned along the way. From St. Louis, we headed to Cincinnati, Ohio, so that we could go to the Newport Aquarium and experience the walk-through shark tank, penguin parade and jellyfish exhibit. Cincinnati is a little out of the way for our journey home, but not by much. It's a 6-hour drive from St. Louis, and about one hour south of Dayton, Ohio.

The Franz family in Newport, Kentucky, with a Cincinnati skyline backdrop.

The Newport Aquarium is actually in Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Newport, Kentucky is considered part of the Cincinnati region. I opted to stay at a Quality Inn on the Ohio side, about 3 miles from the aquarium, because it was about $40 cheaper than staying on the Kentucky side within walking distance of the aquarium, and the other hotels I found online were further away. I like to be close to my destination, especially since we wanted to catch the Penguin Parade at 9:15, and the aquarium website warned me that the line for tickets might be long.

In retrospect, I would recommend arriving earlier in the day and staying in pedestrian-friendly Newport, because the "riverwalk" area near the aquarium has a lot of activity: outdoor music, concerts, restaurants and shopping. The Cincinnati side was run down and there was nothing close enough to our hotel to walk to. We drove around a while looking for a place to eat dinner, but it was late and the kids were tired, so we settled on the place recommended by our hotel check in girl, a Big Boy. The kids enjoyed their meals of spaghetti, fish sticks, vegetables from the salad bar and french fries, but Paul and I are not big on that genre of food. However, my goal was to quickly feed my kids a healthy meal and get them to bed, and that I accomplished, so it was a good choice for the moment.

Magic House

After a few days of family gatherings and celebrations, we went to The Magic House St. Louis Children's Museum. http://www.magichouse.org/

We had a tough choice to make: The Gateway Arch (where you can ride to the top), the City Museum (with a circus exhibit, aquarium and climbing structures) and the Butterfly House (with live butterflies that land on you) were also at the top of our list. I described all the venues to Adam and let him make the choice, and he made one that suited us all.




The Magic House is one of the premier children's museums in the nation. I was told this by Lindsay Thompkins of Shelburne who, with business partner Mia Beer, is spearheading efforts to create a Burlington children's museum at the former Moran Plant. Lindsay said the Magic House is one of the children's museums they have used as a model, and that is great news for Vermont.

The Magic House offers something -- make that a lot of things -- for kids of all ages, from babies through teens. Adults, too, can learn and enjoy the exhibits. Recently expanded, the museum holds hundreds of exhibits arranged by themes. To name just a few:
village - role play in a restaurant, car shop and t.v. station
bubble room - blow giant bubbles and surround yourself in a bubble
music - play oversized instruments and musical (literally!) chairs
star spangled - try out the president's desk and sign the Declaration of Independence
mystery - follow clues to find the answer to a problem

There are things to climb on, make noise with, dig in, slide down, explore and discover at every turn.

For the very young, there is Baby and Me, where crawlers and toddlers can put balls in tubes and watch where they go, play peek-a-boo with shuttered mirrors and climb on ladders and slides for little people. There's even a Nursing Nook with a comfy private bench so moms can nurse while watching their other children play nearby. I chatted with a mom who was pumping -- I could not see the apparatus hidden under her shawl -- who was grateful for this safe spot to create a meal for her special needs child.

To maximize each child's play time, we split up: Paul went one way with Adam, and I went the other with Zac and Grandpa. We arranged to meet in an hour, unless we found each other sooner.

Zac loved the sand table, where he shoveled and raked fine white sand with other toddlers and little kids. The table was just the right height for a young child to stand and dig with colorful plastic toys. Grandpa and I had to drag Zac out of there, clutching a rake, so we could move on to another exhibit.


He also loved the water works area. I wrapped him in one of the waterproof smocks hanging on hooks. All the smocks were much too big for a 1-year-old, but it kept him dry, except for his feet. (I noticed another child who was without shoes and socks. Probably a good idea for keeping feet dry, although I would be concerned about foot fungus. I suggest wearing watershoes or sandles.) Zac made friends with other children and practiced sharing cups and toys while he worked on his developmental skills of scooping and dumping.

Adam's top spot was the beanstalk, a la Jack and the Beanstalk, where he could climb up the leaves (surrounded by netting) and say "Fee Fi Fo Fum! He also liked fishing for magnetic fish, changing a car tire, solving math problems and serving pizza in the restaurant. And the Ginormous spiral slide that the kids ran up the stairs to and yelled "woo hoo!" all the way down.

The museum has a real restaurant, which we did not patronize, and a gift shop, where we found a robotic "Grabbit" hand for Adam and a maraca for Zac (total sale, less than $5).

The best thing was that the museum was air conditioned -- it was 98 degrees and extremely humid outside. The bathrooms were clean with changing tables, it was completely set up for families and kids and parking was free. What more could we need? Nothing. I'm glad Adam picked the Magic House.

In the summer, the museum is open 7 days a week from morning to evening (closed Mondays and weekday mornings during the school year. Admission is $8.50 for ages 1 and up.

Lions, Monkeys and Bears, Oh Hi!

Today we went to the St. Louis zoo.
www.stlzoo.org
We go every time we visit St. Louis, because 1: it's an awesome zoo; 2: We always have fun there and 3: it's FREE. There is no entry charge -- thanks to the generosity of St. Louis taxpayers. (There are fees for the children's petting zoo, train ride, carousel ride and special exhibits, plus you could spend a fortune on snacks and souvenirs). We knew it would get hot quickly, so we went early to avoid the worst heat of the day. We made it there by 8:30 and headed straight to the primates because Zac loves monkeys. The gorillas and chimps must have been sequestered somewhere, but the primate house was active with lemurs, maquaqs and furry little monkeys. Zac did his best "ooh ooh ooh! eeh eeh eeh! ah ah ah!" sounds. Big cat country was also active. We watched a lion play with a ball and a young leopard, about Zac's age, run up to the fence to entertain his human audience. We saw zebras (Adam's favorite animal), giraffes, antelopes, birds from Asia and Africa, grizzlies and sunbears. Sadly, the line for the new Carribean Cove exhibit was very long, so we opted to avoid that. It would have been fun to touch and feed live stingrays. Also, we longed to enter the cold Penguin & Puffin Coast enclosure but the line for that was long as well and the kids were melting and melting down, so we skipped that too. Maybe we can return to the zoo before we leave St. Louis. We'll definitely be back in the future. It was soooooo hot by 11:00 -- I dunno, close to 90 I guess, with high humidity --- that we reminisced about the cold the weather we had in Vermont when we were packing for this trip (I remember wondering whether we'd need long sleeves and sweatshirts!).

Staying Fit While Traveling With Kids

Mom-to-Mom: Exercising on the Road

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article about family road trips, with some tips for making it a good experience. Reporters Elisa Crouch and Ken Leiser suggest that, while most people know they should make sure their car is in good shape before taking off, they don't take the same care of the driver. They suggest getting two nights' good sleep before departing. I suggest getting the body in shape to feel better and comfortable. You'll need a strong core to keep your back pain-free during long periods of sitting, flexibility for frequent reaching to the back seats to hand out snacks and pick up dropped toys, muscle strength for carrying children and luggage and endurance for long walks at your destinations.

Here are my ideas for maintaining your fitness while on the road.

1. Strengthen your core with Pilates exercises while you are also: minding a child napping in a stroller;watching your kids play on a rest-stop break; or sending tweets and emails on your handheld device.


2. In the car, use rubber tubing (as in Dynabands or Spri tubes) wrapped around your feet and hands to do bicep curls and shoulder presses.

3. While waiting somewhere holding a squirming child, strengthen your muscles and entertain the kids by doing squats, lunges, bicep curls and shoulder presses. Here's how:


4. Get in some cardio/strength intervals while walking with your family: Jog ahead of them, then do lunges and wall pushups while they catch up (assuming that a grownup is walking with the kids).

5. At rest stops, do park bench yoga. Copy and paste this web address into your browser:
http://www.vermontfitness.org/pdf/ParkBenchPanels.pdf

Do you have more tips like these? Post them as a comment on my blog!

Send Red Robin Over

Vermont needs a Red Robin restaurant! We ate dinner at one in Dayton, and I give it two thumbs up.The food is good, service is exceptional and atmosphere is laid back, kid-friendly. The childrens menu offers a variety of healthy choices, including fresh vegetables and fruit as side dishes. Adam chose spaghetti with raw baby carrots and ranch dressing dip and milk. Zac ate grilled chicken on a stick and fresh cantaloupe slices, greatly enjoying holding the sticks and slices in his hands. The adults ate burgers and chicken sandwiches, excpet for me: I enjoyed tortilla soup and a salad with grilled chicken, black beans and cilantro sour cream. And a margerita, of course. They also brought us endless complimentary baskets of crispy steak fries -- we emptied 5 or 6 of those. A costumed Red Robin character came over to visit, and each kid got a balloon. No, Red Robin is not sponsoring my blog -- yet!

For Kids Who Love Planes

We landed in Dayton on Wednesday and stayed with my cousins whom I've never visited before. It was nice to be in a real house and have home cooked meals for a couple of days. No children in the household, just grown ups and cats, so my kids entertained themselves with the cat toys and Zac found plenty of items to remove from cabinets, drawers and low-tables. The house was not toddler-proofed, so I had to be extra vigilant. My cousins found it entertaining, I think.

On Thursday we went to the National Air Force museum. My cousin works on the base so he knows his way around. NO ENTRY FEE and miles of exhibit on all aspects of flight travel.

Kids (and grownup) will love it here.There are hundreds of planes, from prop planes to jets, and exhibit areas for aviation's early years (a la the Wright brothers), World Wars I and II, the Cold War and the modern era, including missions in Iraq and Afganastan.

The exhibits prompted Adam to ask a lot of questions about war, which I found difficult to answer. He wanted to know who Hitler was, why he wanted to take over the world, why people make missles that blow up buildings and people,why America bombed Japan and why countries fight each other. I did my best to explain things without scaring him.

We saw a B-57 jet bomber flown by Vermont's Green Mountain Boys in World War II. We sat in a flight simulator and peeked inside Air Force One planes from all of the past presidential administrations. We bought toy airplanes in the gift shop and ate lunch in the museum cafeteria. It was an inexpensive and entertaining three hours.

Cleveland Rocks!

June 16: We woke up rested and ready for breakfast -- so did everyone else at the downtown Cleveand Comfort Inn -- holy cow, this place is packed! At the little lobby restaurant you can cook your own waffles or toast english muffins or bagels, slurp yogurt or cereal and have all the juice and fruit you desire. Perfect for my little men's tummies. It's crowded -- I wonder if people walk in off the street to eat breakfast here?

We're off to the Great Lakes Science Center. Paul google mapped the directions from the hotel, I applied sunscreen, and off we go. I discover that we're in the Theater District. Very cool! There are theaters after theaters after theaters here, and lots of cool shops and restaurants. It's a beautiful sunny day. We walk, and walk, and walk. I am grateful we have a stroller. We leave uptown and walk through downtown. Not such a nice neighborhood. Glad it's day time. We go and go. Google Maps was not so accurate on distance, surprise (NOT).

Past where the Browns play football and downtown folk go to partake in Cleveland amenities......The first "Are we there yet?" was from ME!!

We arrived at the science center -- 15 minutes before they opened -- am I just lucky or what?
We goofed around in the foyer/atrium, plenty of stuff to do for 15 minutes -- then bought our tix to go in. 9.50 for adults and 7.50 for kids 2-7. Zac was free.

First destination: The polymer playroom, an area for children aged 1-7. Kids with comprehension could learn about polymers, but the rest of us jumped in the bouncy house, rolled in the ball pit and marveled at balls floating in the air and objects moving by water power. There's and indoor and an outdoor area to play in and we had both all to ourselves. Also, this place has free, clean socks to borrow instead of charging money for them like the other museum did.

At this museum we also: made our hair stand up with an electrostatic charge, tested our stability on balance boards, built things with plastic gears, traced shapes of the Great Lakes, learned what makes bubbles so bubbly, explored the states of matter (liquid, solid, gas) and gazed out at Lake Erie. We stayed for five hours! At $26.50, it was a bargain. We decided to forgo the Children's Museum of Cleveland, as we had all we needed at the Science Center. We ate lunch in the restaurant there, and Zac took a nap in his stroller.

We also enjoyed the walk to and from the Science Center, which gave us an opportunity to see downtown and uptown Cleveland. It's a big city for us Vermonters, and a real change of pace. Along with the big tall buildings and cool statues, there is a lot of green space in parks and outdoor malls. We played in some metal ball sculptures for a while and practiced our air guitar skills on a giant guitar mounted near a bus stop. After all, Cleveland Rocks!

w'sup with the cup?

The first kid melt-down was over a cup. Aiming to pack light, I brought two travel mugs, an insulated cup filled with milk for Adam and a couple of sippy cups for Zac. Adam usually drinks his beverages at home from a selection of plastic cups. I had no idea how emotionally tied he is to his cups. So when he asked for apple cider at the picnic area, I poured it into one of the travel mugs and handed it to him. He refused to drink from it, demanding one of "his" cups instead. I explained that I didn't bring one of his cups and we only had this cup. He would hear nothing of the sort. He demanded, then pleaded, for his cup. I tried to placate him with a straw, but that didn't work. He cried and stomped his feet and wanted to know why I didn't bring one of his cups. It was unfathomable. There was no reasoning with him. He would not drink and he would not stop crying. So I poured some of the cider from the travel mug into Zac's sippy cup and I drank the rest, and that was that. Finally, at the hotel, I gave Adam a plastic cup from the bathroom filled with cider. He was delighted and drank two cups full. Lesson learned: Figure out what the real comforts of home are for your child and make sure you bring them along, or your cup may runneth over with tears.

Picnic by the Lake

After a peaceful night in Syracuse we shuffled off toward Buffalo. Easy ride on 90 west, and Zac took a good nap while Adam read and watched the scenery, and I emailed, twittered, facebooked and tried to blog on my blackberry. This social networking thing is very time-consuming, but it kept me busy while Paul drove. I managed to also read the AAA map and keep us going the right way. We finally pulled the Tom Tom GPS out of the glove box and used to it find Lake Erie State Park in New York, close to the Pennsylvania state line.

The park was glorious. Clean bathrooms, walking paths and picnic tables with views of the lake. A big jungle gym, a beach. It was just what we needed right then and there. It cost $6 to enter, money well spent. There was barely anyone there, as expected on a Monday I guess. The boys ran across the manicured grass to the jungle gym. We played a while and ate and played some more. Paul and the boys took a walk along the lake shore while I checked email and put the food stuff away.

We had to convince the boys to get back in the car, but once in everything was fine. We made it to Cleveland without a hitch. We stopped just before the city to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Zac and Adam ate their ribs like boys with St. Louis roots!

They were over tired and wound up when we settled into the hotel, but now they are quiet in their beds and all is right. Paul is watching the Cleveland vs. Milwaukee game on the large screen in the lobby.

Off and running!

We're finally on the road. We were a little behind schedule this morning -- as expected -- but everything is going marvelously well. Planning, planning and more planning has been the key. I would have liked to be more laid back about the whole thing, but then I don't think things would be going so well.

Paul and I packed the car last night. There was some trial and error, trying different types of packing containers in the back of the Element: Tucker totes, bags, suit cases, plastic bins. We ditched the big tote boxes, as they took up way too much room, and ended up with a combination of plastic bins, canvas bags and rolling carry-on style bags that fit perfectly under the new plywood shelf Paul built. This morning we only had to put in the toiletries, cooler, car toys and essentials that we didn't think of until the last minute. We rolled out at 9:30 instead of 8:00, not too bad compared to our usual tardiness.

As I hoped, we found a picnic spot near Lake Pleasant in the Adirondacks, about 3 hours into the ride. It was perfect timing: Zac had just woken up from a nap and everyone needed a stretch. It was a good spot, except for the black flies. They do like young flesh. Poor Zac has little bloody bites on his neck and forehead. The boys ran around with a ball -- thanks for that great tip about bringing a ball for the rest stops -- and they rolled in the grass.They started to get cranky after about a half hour --- I'm not sure why, perhaps it was too hot or the black flies were too annoying -- but it was time to go anyway.

We got to Syracuse at about 3:00, got lost trying to find downtown but made it to the Museum of Science and Technology at 3:30. That gave us an hour and half to play at the museum, which was just perfect. We found parking right across the street, for free because it was Sunday, and we practically bounded over the road and up the stairs of the historic building. The boys were delighted to be out of the car and we had a ball -- literally.

The "MOST" has a Science Playhouse area for little kids, which is basically a five-level maze made of colorful mats and filled with foam balls, with padded stairs , tunnels and slides with netting all around. The kids threw balls, climbed, ran, slid, jumped and burned up their frustrations. Adam loved the slides and shooting foam balls from the pneumatic trajectory device. Now I know what the heck that is! Zac was a little freaked out when I held him on my lap to slide down the curving tube slide. He definitely did not want to do that again. But we found a section of the Playhouse just for toddlers, with rubber balls to throw and giant Legg0-esque blocks, and this gave him a chance to acclimate. He also like climbing on a ladder made of colorful mats and throwing balls up in the air.
The kids took off their shoes as instructed, and I got busted for going inside without socks -- I could have purchased some socks for a buck fifty, but I borrowed Paul's instead, as he waited outside holding our bags and snapping photos.

Adam lliked the human body exhibit, especially the walk-through replica of a human heart that sounded like a heart beating. We didn't have time to see the other exhibits -- the walk through cave, toothpick city, Central New York natural history -- but Zac was all worn out and I think it was just the right amount of time and activity. It was completely worth the $14 it cost the four of us for admission.

The Econolodge was less than a mile away and exactly what I wanted -- two beds, space for a pack-n-play, a refrigerator and microwave and our parking spot right outside the door. I'm so glad we stayed downtown because we could easily walk the half-mile to Armory Square to find a good restaurant. We ate at Pastabilities -- and I didn't have pasta. I had a delightful ahi tuna encrusted with sesame seeds with a black bean salsa and cucumber salad. And a bass ale. Perfect. Paul had crab and boursin stuffed ravioli and a local microbrew. Adam savored his spaghetti and Zac threw his all over the floor. We enjoyed the sites on the walk to and fro -- especially the historic buildings and signage about the Erie Canal. We actually walked on the Erie Canal, now filled in with cement, and sang "15 Miles on the Erie Canal" over and over. Now the boys are in their beds and Paul is snoring.

Tomorrow, after a continental breakfast we'll fill our travel mugs with coffee and head toward Cleveland.

Keeping them Content on the Road

Here are some of the travel-with-kids tips I have received from other moms:

- Stick to your regular schedule for meals and snacks. If you feed the kids constantly while on the road, they'll get off-schedule and cranky. Stop the car and have proper meals and snacks.
- Stay away from sugary snacks like dried fruit. Sugar will wind them up and they can't burn it off in the car, and then they will crash and get cranky.
- Bring a ball for active play at rest stops. (This reminds me to also bring baseball gloves and bat, a frisbee and my jogging shoes, too, just in case I can sneak in a quick run.)
- Tie the baby's toys on strings so that when he drops them he can retrieve them without me having to crawl in the back seat and get them.
- Make a car bingo game with bingo cards and letters. Players have to look for items that start with the letters. For example, if you pull out a B, the first person who says "I see a bird" gets that letter on his card. (Of course, this will only work for my older child, but the baby might think it's fun to hear us playing. Maybe he'll learn how to spell!)
- Bring books on tape of stories they know, likeGoodnight Moon, Are You My Mother, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This will occupy them and give the parents a break from entertaining them.
(I'd better go to the library, quick!)

Please send me more tips and ideas.

3 days and counting down!

Much to do to get ready. Work: finish writing projects and meet a few deadlines. Buy: food for the road, extra wipes and diapers, plastic bins to organize items in the car. Get: map of Ohio, books on tape. Purchase: advance tickets to the Newport Aquarium and Great Escape. Stop: mail, newspaper, garbage pickup. Organize: toys, CDs for the road, maps, cameras, GPS navigator, hotel reservations. Pack. Oh, yeah, I have to pack! My clothes, the kids' clothes, car food, car toys, rest stop toys, first aid kit, sippy cups, pack-and-play, umbrella stroller, coolers, pillows, blankets, what else? I have a list, and it's growing fast. Do you have any ideas on must-take items?

Are we there yet?

Maybe this road trip is not such a good idea. Back in March, when I decided to plan a family road trip, it seemed like it would be a great vacation. My husband and me and our two young children, ages 1 and 5, hitting the road, seeing the countryside, taking our sweet time along the way to a family wedding in the Midwest. "This will be fun!" I boldly shouted as I talked the idea over with Paul.We'll stop at fun places for kids, museums and theme parks. We'll eat at diners and sleep in motels. We'll picnic and play in places we would never go to otherwise. We'll talk and spend quality time together.

So I started planning. I google mapped cities along the route and searched for activities for young children. I asked people if they knew of any kid-friendly places to visit between Vermont and Missouri. I went to AAA to gather road maps and tour books. I used a highlighter pen to mark our route, with plans to drive no more than six hours a day for the 1100-mile journey. I scouted out hotel deals. I made reservations. Then I began to have my own reservations.

Will the kids enjoy this as much as I thought they would? Will we have time to enjoy the museums and theme parks along the route? If we take take secondary roads, how much longer will it take to get to our destination? But if we're on the highways, how boring will it be? Between the hotels, meals and entry fees, how much more will this cost than four plane tickets would have? Will my 5-year-old be bored? How long can a 1-year old sit in a car seat before melting down? Will their bones fuse? Can I sit in a car that long without becoming sore and cranky? What have I gotten myself into? I'm not sure! But I'll be sure to let you know as we go along.

We leave Vermont on Sunday, June 14, two days after my kindergartener finishes school for the year. We'll spend Saturday, after the season finale T-ball game, packing the car. Paul built a shelf system for the back of the Honda Element so we can get coolers and bags out easily without having to remove all the luggage every time we want something. It works great, maybe he can sell the template to recoup our travel costs!

First stop: Syracuse, New York. It's a six hour-drive from home, so we'll plan to picnic in the Adirondacks. In Syracuse we'll visit the Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. It has five floors of kid-friendly exhibits, including a walk-through discovery cave, an interactive human body and a Science Playhouse with a sound tube, climbing structures, a foam ball fountain and trajectory devices. Just right for stir-crazy little boys!

Actually, I'm looking forward to it. I just wonder how long it will be before I hear the first "Are we there yet?" from the back seat.