Kids and Dogs

The thing about kids and dogs are that they don't need a hell of a lot to be entertained. I've always thought that if I bought a simple dog-rope toy, my kids would be happier than if I bought them an expensive widget with all the bells and whistles. Case in point - we bought 2 big sponges at Home Depot when my kids were 2 & 3. They were stocking stuffers. Out of all our toys that we've bought in the last 4 years, we still have and still play with those (now nasty) sponges. Crazy.

Such is the same for vacations. We could have spent hundreds of dollars on musical tickets, museums, roller coasters. But the cheap stuff always ends up being more fun.

There were many highlights to my recent vacation, but the best memories were the cheapest. It had been in the 20's and 30's through the week, but sunny and clear. Of course, the last day, I had to make a 2 hour trek by car, and it had to rain. On the way, rain turned to snow flurries which turned to hail. No matter that nothing stuck to the ground, my kids were in heaven. Growing up without snowstorms, they have no idea what one is. Windows open on the highway, feeling flakes falling on their hands as we drove, and then hard little pellets, getting wet all over... it was so fun to be with them. When we got to my dad's house they sloshed and slushed and had the time of their lives.

The rain/snow/hail melted off to sunlight and we headed for the rails. One thing I miss most about Bean Town is the Subway. My kids are now in love. For $5 in tickets we spent THREE hours riding one line to another to another, stopping at the two major train stations to check out the various trains & Dunkin Donuts, and then scrambling back to the tunnels. They weren't bored for a second, and neither was I. We went to bed thinking the house was swaying back and forth, just like the T.