Cousinsanity!

Cousinsanity at the Boggio house!

I think you started something....

7 days later my boys were swimming unassisted in pools and ocean alike!  Hurray!!!

Thanks so much for the hospitality Aunt Vicki, Tara & Chris! 

The secret to crossing the border quickly

As most people reading this blog know, I frequently pass through Canada while on my way to visit family in Rochester, NY. The boys and I went out to visit earlier this month and had an absolutely wonderful time! However, the fun of our trip was only part of the excitement. I figured out how to get through Customs without waiting for an hour at each border.

Leave at 4 am! :)

I admit it's not for everyone, but for us it was perfect! Here was our trip itinerary (on a Saturday)

4:18 am - Put half-asleep kids in car & leave home.

5:30 am - Arrive Port Huron/ Sarnia border. Number of cars in line to speak to a Customs official = Zero! Kids don't wake up at all.

8:15 am - Boys have been up for about 30 - 45 minutes, snacking on granola bars, juice and such. Arrive in Niargra Falls. Number of tourists checking out the Falls at that time of day = Twelve. Number of available parking spaces in the lots closest to the falls = All of them! We were the ONLY car in the lot.

10:00 am - Leave the Falls because we want hotcakes from McDonalds and we don't want to use US currency in Canada so we gotta get through the border before 10:30! Get to border crossing, number of cars in each lane = 1 talking to each officer, zero or one more waiting in each line.

10:30 am - leave McDonalds (in the US) and get back on the road. Kids happily play with toys and sing along wiht the tunes on the radio.

11:45 am - get to Rochester, NY. So far we've lost about 1 1/2 - 2 hours off of a normal Saturday in Rochester (after you get up, showered, dressed, fed, etc. ) and absolutely saved that much in time by skipping the 45 - 60 minute waits at each border. Plus, I got to spend nearly 2 hours at Niagra, walking all over with two toddlers by myself without the slightest twinge of nervousness about them bolting or being in a huge crowd trying to manage them alone (without a stroller to strap them into). It was AWESOME! Here comes the best part.... We go see my Mom, eat lunch with her, return to hotel for nap time. I nap too. (naps are good!) Late nap means we are all energized to stay up until Midnight hanging out with Grammie (Mom) & Aunt Vicki so kids get to maximize their time rather than being to tired to visit after 8:30 pm.

Meanwhile, here was my drive home (on Sunday):
2:15 - Leave Rochester (this was my choice of a time to leave to maximize nap time in the car; plus we went to the zoo that morning with Grammie and that was fantastic - fall zoo trips, another great idea! No other people and the animals are active!)

Roughly 3:30pm - Arrive at US/ Canada border - get through at about 4:00 pm.

Kids wake from naps at 6 and want to run and play. Stop for dinner & bathrooms (less than 15 min). Start Toy Story DVD.

80 minutes of mostly silence. (well, except for the voices of Tim Allen and Tom Hanks)

Arrive at US/ Canada Border in MI at roughly 7:20 pm, just as Toy Story DVD ends and kids are mad because DVD player is out of battery life meaning no Diego which was supposed to be next.

Enter Michigan at about 7:50 pm - head home. Kids are bored and mad because it's dark and they can't see their toys. Drive with interior light on half the time so they are happy.

Arrive home about 9:20 pm. Kids aren't tired quite yet because they slept until 6pm and they have been cooped up. I am exhausted from the drive and from trying to entertain them for the past hour and a half.

Now here's the thing - each time I had a 30 minute wait at the borders. Truthfully that is a really quick wait time for border crossings! I'm used to at least 45 minutes each - often more like an hour!

So, for stress free driving I recommend leaving at 4am. That and not drinking anything for the first few hours (unless there's someone with you to stay in the car with the kids while you run into a gas station to pee. I'm now beginning to understand the appeal of Astronaut Diapers. j/k!)

Our Trip to Rochester, NY

Before summer winds down Kyle, Jeremy, Grammie and I took a quick weekend trip to visit our cousins in Rochester, NY. Kyle and Jeremy had a great time playing with cousins Nicholas (3 1/2) and Owen (11 months)! I had a great time catching up with my cousin Tara and of course, visiting my Aunt Vicki and Grandma!!! Grammie was a wonderful help with the boys and we all enjoyed plenty of adventures.

*****
Friday visited the Strong Children's Museum in downtown Rochester. If you ever get the chance to visit - it's absolutely worth it! When we were done I'm not sure who was more tired - the kids or us.

Kyle was on TV with The Count...

The boys played chess in a Giant's playroom...

Jeremy put bones on a conveyor belt to fill his friend Clifford's big bowl...

...but the garden didn't stand a chance against these four!

*****
Saturday we visited the Fish Hatchery. I remember visiting this as a kid and once again it didn't disappoint. Kyle and Jeremy loved throwing food to the fish and watching them swim and jump to eat it.

Kyle and Nicholas calmly watched to fish swim around at first

Then it was time to watch the fish get crazy while eating food.

So much fun! Can't wait to go back!!!!!