Reality check

Today, we hit the road for a short trip. These are some of the highlights so far:

11 a.m. BEAUNE. The train is late and it looks like we'll have about three minutes to make our transfer in Dijon. Katie arrives at the station carsick, which means I have to dig through my purse three times to find 50 cent coins so she could use the public (pay) toilet to throw up but she never could; dosed her with Gravol (a Canadian anti-nausea medicine that helps settle upset bellies, but also usually knocks you out) just before train pulled in, which meant carrying 35 pounds of deadweight (along with backpack) to change trains in Dijon while John carried both carryons, a backpack, and kept Liv and Jack on track.

1:30 p.m. GARE DE LYON, PARIS. Livie not pleased with how her coat feels as she gets off the train. As I pick her up to hurry her along, I knock off her headband. This insult results in a full scale meltdown (facedown on quay with kicking feet and everything, occasionally to be heard crying "you messed up my hair!"); I try to be thankful that I will never see any of these people again.

2 p.m. SOMEWHERE ON THE METRO, PARIS: Jack manages to irritate everyone with whom he interacts in the course of a 10-minute subway ride (bossing his sisters around, asking me if he could play the video game he sometimes can play on long train or plane trips after being told (several times) that he could not, not listening to John's requests to stop, wait, or hold a hand as we navigate through crowds and crowds of people...)

4:30 p.m. GARE DE NORD, PARIS. After listening to whining, fighting, complaining kids for 2:45 of the last 3 hours, John and I  call a family conference where we talk about how we are taking this trip to have fun, dammit! Forcing fun on people... that always goes over well. I won't even dwell on the part where I try to get them to appreciate right then and there all of the amazing opportunities they have, and that most people don't get to experience all of the incredible things they're experiencing, and that they are so very, very lucky and should feel grateful, too. Ah, forcing appreciation on someone... also another surefire recipe for success.

4:40 p.m. GARE DE NORD, PARIS. After ice cream (for kids), lukewarm coffee (for John), and a nice cold Coca Cola (for me), we all decide to start again. Things are looking up.

5:50 p.m. SOMEWHERE NORTH OF PARIS: A rainbow. Really. Sure, the kids were REALLY loud about it (and I don't think anyone on the train could have not known it was there, right outside their window, can't they see it?), but it offered a bit of hope.

6:30 p.m. BEAUVAIS: The map directions tooks us on a long walk when the hotel was right across the street from the train station... but it was a beautiful night and I think the walked did us all good. And our hotel has room for FIVE people in one room. Plus, it has a fancy staircase. How could you not like that?

9 p.m. BEAUVAIS: Three kids asleep. I am still debating the wisdom of ever leaving Lethbridge (and since we did that, the wisdom of ever leaving our village).  The jury is out... but I am hoping for more miracles (like the rainbow) and fewer meltdowns (like...the whole day) when we head back out tomorrow. Not too much of an Easter wish, is it?