Chocolate, Chocolate Where Art Thou Chocolate

I took my kids and their friends to New York City for the summer holidays. My daughter had her respite worker with her, and what was supposed to be a 9-hour drive turned into a 13-hour marathon. If you know me, you know that's about par for the course—LOL! The kids had a blast, and we made plenty of pit stops. The boys took every opportunity to ride their bikes around the parking lots. Little did I know, my daughter's respite worker gets car sick. Whoops! I did my best to comfort her, but let’s just say it was a bumpy ride.

Fast forward to Day 2 in New York City. The boys were eager to hit up a famous BMX bike park to meet some YouTube bikers. No problem! I dropped them off, got them set up, and then us girls headed to an aquarium. There was a line, of course. And wouldn't you know it, my daughter’s worker gets heat stroke easily. She became irritable and rude, despite my best efforts to make her comfortable. I’m pretty sure I asked if there was any food allergies and health issues I needed to know. Nope - all was good.

I took her back to the hotel, where she asked me to drive her home. She decided to give her dad a call. Keep in mind she is 20 yrs old, and has graduated high school. I had no problem packing the kids up, taking her back home and starting all over again. I’m all for road trips - it’s all about sightseeing, fruit stands, little towns and snacks and treats on the way. Thankfully her dad did come to get her.

Almost two days in New York, and my daughter and I hadn't done anything on our list. We missed the aquarium and a whole day of shopping. But with the kids happy, we went on a bus tour of New York City, checked out a couple of wax museums, clothing shops, and had an amazing day. It was scorching hot, so we saved the M&M's store for last before heading back to the hotel. The air conditioning there was a lifesaver. The store had rows of every color M&M imaginable, chocolate bars with M&M's, and all sorts of souvenirs and clothing.

Next, we indulged in some New York-style pizza for dinner, cheesecake for dessert, and M&M's for a late-night snack. The kids and I were in pure heaven. Who says chocolate doesn’t alleviate stress?

With love,
Heather