The Mommy Veto

At 10:30 last night, I played the "Mommy Veto Card" and said we were NOT spending another night in a tent. It's the trump card above all others that cannot be questioned and a 2/3 majority cannot override it. I save it and use it only in situations where I feel there is imminent danger.

I didn't play it when we watched the bear video on CNN or when the wildfire in Yosemite closed roads and the smoke obscured the beautiful views or when Johnathan got carsick again and again on the drive up.

When I lost feeling in my big toe because I was so cold and got no sleep because I was shivering, I pulled the card. It got down to 33 degrees.

We weren't stupid, we had heavy snow jackets, gloves and hats and even Johnathan's sleeping bag is rated to 30 degrees. But 33 degrees is just too damn cold to camp. If all of our clothes had been purchased at REI, we might have made it.

Heck, even my doughnut was frozen in the morning. If I could have found a hotel in the middle of the night, I would have paid whatever they wanted.

We had a little fun before we left after lunch. The boys went on a little hike and threw rocks into a stream while I caught up on some reading next to the campfire. We roasted marshmallows. And we listened to 8 hours of kiddie books on tape (it was the only thing that would keep him from getting carsick). Ben and I can now recite Gordon the Big Engine to you from memory.