Intercontinental Supermom

Packed our bags…ready to go….

The kids and I are off on our first intercontinental trip together ever…just the four of us. I feel utterly responsible and a little nervous because I’m the only adult in charge, and for some strange reason I still kind of feel an UM (an Unaccompanied Minor). First we’re taking the train and then a seven hour flight to Bahrain. Will I manage with two suitcases, and three kids to watch over ?!

Of course I will !!

It will be peanuts….I’ve gotten used to travelling alone with them now. Last year we took a trip to France. I drove for 9 straight hours, the kids felt like the Three Musketeers in the back of our Volvo and I was their hero mom, with my GPS man always available for on the spot traffic news updates.

We had a blast that summer. Packed a picnic, drinks and plenty of junkfood to survive any major six month war, and off we were. By the time we’d been in the car for 20 solid minutes, most of the sandwiches had been devoured, and our first sanitary stop was pleaded. Impatient as I am, I explained that at this rate we would never get to the south of France. So, after a quick stop, we jumped back in the car and decided to only stop again if strictly necessary. I must say the kids are now pro’s at this. We stop, jump out, refuel, pay, kids and I rush to the toilets and then we dash back to the car, ready for our next stretch. Sometimes we only stop for fuel and my son has become very handy at urinating in an empty plastic bottle in full motion ! 😉 I am so proud of him !

So, this should be a piece of cake.

I’ve explained about the different religious customs over there and even though they find some aspects incomprehensible, I think they understand that they need to be on their best behaviour. We’re off to visit my sister and her family, who left last year to settle in dust town ! They have been enjoying the expat life one that we too had as children of expat parents. Sunny weather and warm temperatures have been predicted and so we’ve happily packed our swimsuits and slippers, sunblock in hand we say goodbye to the cloudy, rainy and cold European weather !

Something I may have casually left out of my heroic tale, is that I am terrified of flying. Hence my drive to France last year. It is a fear I do not wish upon my children, so I buckle up and bravely pretend I love it. Last year on a trip to Denmark with the kids, my son kept asking me when the plane was going to crash. Having no idea what or how to answer him, I kind of ignored the question, constantly pretending I could spot something utterly amazing through the window and so leading his attention away from my biggest fear. It’s true I think, what they say, children have a sixth sense for these things and so tomorrow we will all be getting on the plane and whilst my kids are scared to death that we will crash, I will be in utter zen mode, pretending I am totally at peace about flying. As usual we will say our prayers before take off and hope that God will stick to our unspoken deal. (If we are to crash, let it be straight away and not after a long and stressful flight, that is just plane plain cruel.) Supermom and the three musketeers flying off to new horizons.

Who’s kidding whom huh ?!!