Summer is definately here........

Wow you can tell summer is finally here...school is out and the heat has arrived and I have been lax in my blog writing.  The time just flies.

Kids finished school June 9 so this year we planned our vacation to go back home to England.  We haven't been home for 2.5 years and the last time we went home during the summer Bambeano was 10 months old (he is now nearly 7).  Now flying home for the typical 10 days doesn't cut it as we rush around catching up with family, friends and try and have a vacation.

This year was different I was going to fly early with the kids and we would be there over 3 weeks and Bombshell would follow soon after.  The preparations in the house were exciting (kids) and panicky (me), not that I was nervous about flying on my own with the kids but the weather was forecasted as typical British Summer (RAIN), OMG what was I to pack.

A few weeks before the trip a curve ball came our way, my meticulous planning was out the window.  You see with school out I didn't need to have kids in camp Bombshell would be off work Monday and Tuesday and could watch the kids before driving to my work Tuesday and taking us to the airport, but no nothing could be that simple....This should have been a sign.......

Monday he did stay off with the kids but then he had to fly to Florida for a conference so he came to my work and we dropped him off......now for Tuesday, what now!!!!!!!  A great neighbor's daughter stepped in and came by at 6.45am Tuesday to watch the kids while I went to work.....taking 3 weeks off work left me thin for other vacation days......(I only had 20 days this year with a change in vacation schedule not being calendar year)  at 11.30am VACATION FINALLY STARTS!!!!!!

The trip to the airport was fraught with the kids fighting, normal I know but with the prospect of a 7.5 hr flight this was not something I was looking forward too.  Having nipped that in the bud we were off to the airport.  Parking was a nightmare but we were able to secure daily parking given that Bombshell was coming back from Florida Wednesday late so he would pick up the car, kids fighting had stopped so I finally could relax, or so I thought.

Checking in was not as smooth as I would have liked.  The seating layout of the plane is 2, 4, 2 so I had secured 3 seats together in the block of 4, not my ideal situation as the seats are cramped but at least we would be together....yeah that didn't work out.  I get to the desk and we have all been moved around.  I am on a block of 2 fortunately the same row as Boo Boo but there was an aisle and a seat between us....now where in the world was Bambeano's seat.  My 6 year old, that's right a child ticket, was moved 6 rows behind us but over on the left side of the plane, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  I asked the desk agent to seat us together and the responses was we cannot help you, you will have to go to the gate.

Off the gate I go and I am met with another disappointing response from US Airways.....
"I'm sorry but I cannot move the person at the window as they requested it"
My response...."But my children and I were all sat together and have been moved and how can a 6 year old be separated from his family"
Their response....."You will have to work with the flight attendants"
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!  In the meantime I have 2 worried children......my game plane was to give Bambeano my seat and see if I can at least get the kids together, then with it being a night flight, get them settled and hopefully they will sleep.

I get on the flight and the attendant was less than funny, gives me high fives that I am away form my kids on the long flight that it would be every mother's dream, where do they pick these crazy people,  with the kids settled together a kind lady gives up her aisle seat and let's Boo Boo move to the aisle now the kids are separated only by the aisle.  Now on to sort my seat to get closer to the kids.....

The airplane is full and patiently waiting to push back form the gate.  It appears now there is a spare seat next to Boo Boo but I am told by the attendant they are waiting for one more passenger, surely I could take the seat (in the block of 4) and they could have my aisle seat.  NO I was emphatically told!!!!

Well here comes the passenger.......a English (I can spot them a mile off) man, DRUNK, seriously you were going to a) allow him on board, b) have him sit next to my 10 year old, not if I have my way.  I patiently watched the unfolding events as well as try and keep Bombshell informed (we had been texting).  The drunk passes Boo Boo's row and comes the 6 rows back to my row, starts fumbling his pockets.  The flight attendant asks him to take a seat he is holding up the plane, he responds he is looking for his ticket (he was adamant he was in our row).  This went on for what seems 5-10 minutes before the attendant got very agitated and told the passenger sternly to sit down and points to the seat by Boo Boo.  I popped up from my seat on the opposite side of the plane and said I would take the seat he could take my aisle seat, the relief on my kids face was all I needed to know that this Mama Bear did good. 

The drunk proceeded to fall into the laps of the passengers in my aisle while I whipped my bag and moved quickly over to my kids.  Boo Boo moved over one seat and Bambeano sat next to her then we had the aisle between us.

After the crazy beginnings of our vacation I could finally relax and the kids did FANTASTIC on the plane, no fighting and Boo Boo being very motherly and helping her brother.  I was settled with a glass of wine VACATION HAS OFFICALLY STARTED!!!!!!!