I have developed a plan on how to handle a 3 and 5 year old to get them out of the house for a weekend away.
1) Don’t tell them there is a plan to go away. It’s a guarantee they will flex the worst of their personality in the days leading up to departure. (I screw this up every time.)
2) When they reach peak-assholeness, pick up the phone and “call” Hershey Park to cancel.
– 5 bonus points for saying “yes, I’ll hold.”
– minus 20 points for leaving the iPhone on the home screen so M or any other 5 year old says “I see the screen, you didn’t actually call anyone.”
3) When you commence packing, don’t let them anywhere near you. If you make this mistake you will pay dearly. You will arrive at your destination without the underwear you know you packed but you will have the bathroom scale and 800 tampons in its place.
– 10 bonus points for handcuffing children to dining table so they can’t mess with the packed suitcase.
– 50 bonus points for actually having handcuffs.
– minus 500 points for leaving the kids unsupervised in the same zip code as the suitcase.
4) When you finish packing, close the suitcase, lock it, and put it in the car.
5) Surround car with a pack of wolves.
6) Return to house to finish getting yourself ready. No matter how they are behaving just ignore them. Even when they are sitting at the front door RIGHT NOW arguing whose vagina hole is bigger.
7) Take a double dose of Xanax. Bring wine. Don’t Drive the first shift. Obviously.