make time for the pit-stops (with the Millers)

I'm well versed in traveling with children, painful road trips, scrambling for ideas to distract the little people in the back, without being able to explain why it's taking so long, or tell a white lie like, "we're nearly there". In our great and wonderful nation of Canada, I think most people with young children have at least a little bit of a clue what I'm talking about, right?

Once or twice it took us six hours to make the 250km road trip from Mississauga to Kingston to visit family, a trip that normally took 3.5 hours. Blergh. We were once stuck on the 401 in Toronto for so long, my six-year old son had to pee in a bottle. Necessity taught me how to breastfeed while the car was moving on the highway, kids strapped in their car seats. No small feat when you're not exactly well-endowed in the boob department. (I was in the backseat, not the driver, by the way.)

My clients, the Millers, were smart. They made pit-stops when going from one end of Ontario to the other, so their little guy could stretch his feet and tucker himself out.

I'm lucky that their pit-stop included Kingston, and that they chose the Playtrium. I've had mixed feelings in the past about indoor playgrounds (I recall a particular place in Rotterdam where all children from the international school would hold their birthday parties, and there were bumper cars and concrete, and concussions...), but i don't have mixed feelings about this place after this photo session. Below are some of my favourite shots from this day.

And next time you're on the road, remember - it's sometimes easier going through the window (look out for the photos that exemplify this), and make ample time for the pit-stops. 

PS. The awesome mama in this photo story is actually an old friend of mine, from the days of undergrad and my Costa Rica field trip (this field trip probably deserves a blog post one day). I hadn't seen her in over 15 years! Here's to many more reunions :)