How Many More Days?

"How many more days?" is the question of the week from my son. Pretty much everyday for at least the past week, he's been wanting to know how many more days until we leave for Canada. I should have done my usual little calendar thing where he could cross off the days so I would not be asked every day.

When he found out yesterday that there were only "two more sleeps", he declared that he knew he would not be able to sleep the night before leaving.

Unfortunately, both kids and their dad, have bad coughs, so I've been feeling kind of like I'm living on a TB ward.

When the kids were babies we would usually make the 18 + hr trip driving through the night. This would guarantee (to a certain degree) that the baby would sleep for a large chunk of time and that the parents would arrive at their destination, exhausted.

Now we do the trip in two days going and one day coming home.

Throughout the long journey the kids are kept entertained with books, books on CD, bugging each other (sometimes the favorite activity it seems) and various new little "toys" that I've brought along. Having a vast array of snacks also seems to help. At least it helps me.

We stop as little as possible. When I wrote this on a comment on someone's blog one time - there was a fiery retort from someone who got all worked up about the idea of sitting too long and getting blood clots in the legs. Obviously they don't know that when my kids are sitting for long periods they are not sitting like a statue. They are constantly wiggling, kicking, moving etc. which is the reason that children do not appear to be at risk for blood clots when traveling (so the studies say). Adults can perform various "exercises" while sitting to prevent blood clots..."Every hour or so do a few minutes of simple exercises that activate the calf muscles and help push blood through the veins. One involves extending your legs straight out. With heels resting on the floor, flex the ankles by pointing your toes as far up toward your knees as possible. Then point toes toward the floor."

I'm not sure how great he risk for this really is - like many things that we are made to fear by excessive coverage in the media etc., you may actually be more likely to have an elephant drop from the sky and land on your head, than to get a "deep vein thrombosis" while driving on a car trip.