Why can't the dog come?

We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cozy A-frame cabin.

Finally! We arrived. This should have been the best weekend of our lives. But very soon I started to regret this decision of having a family getaway in the woods. 

We all know the horror stories. Who still wants to be alone with their partner, or even some friends, in a Cabin in the woods? We better look out for the killer, he might be somewhere around the corner. Maybe we should bring our frenemies with us instead, with some luck we are the only survivors, worst-case scenario we don't make it to the end of the stay. 

No, that is not even the worst part of our trip, at least I hope not. Because the drive up here was one hell of a ride I will never forget. Let's be honest, It's all on me. Who thought it was a good idea to make a trip with 2 loud toddlers and a baby? I totally misjudged my parenting skills, I won't make this mistake another time. 

It all started when we had to decide if the dog could or not come on this trip. The kids love him, but the owner of the cabin doesn't allow dogs. The cabin doesn't have a fence around so maybe it is better he stays home with grams. Our oldest didn't agree. Ok, maybe we could sneak him in, but then what? Was it worth chasing him around the woods just because someone had left the door open (again)? I would have to be the strong one, I'm the mom after all. I make the final decisions. The dog isn't coming. 

When we informed the oldest the dog couldn't come her face changed from red to purple (I thought she was going to explode for a moment) and after coming back to her normal color she informed us she wouldn't come if the dog didn't. I couldn't believe my ears, the audacity! Who does this little human being think she is? She was coming and the dog would stay home, end of discussion! She wouldn't have it. Instead of accepting her defeat, she turned her brother against us. I know, they are small. We could easily pick them up and call it a day. But they are feisty. Have you ever seen a tiny little dog that is mad because someone looked at it wrongly? It was exactly like that, but instead of 1 mean little dog we had to take care of 2. Her brother was easily persuaded with some candy but his sister wouldn't have it. She decided to run out of the house in her unicorn pajamas and run across the street to her grandma to fuss about the situation. Grandma has some great negotiation skills. After only 5 minutes she decided to come back home and come with us on this trip. 

And so we initiated this hell of a trip. We checked if we had everything, except the dog, and hit the road. With all the fuss about the dog, we forgot to check the gas. Bad move. Once we got on the highway the little red dot turned on. There was no gas station in the vicinity and we were in a car with 2 angry toddlers and a baby. To make things worst it started to snow. Don't get me wrong, I love snow, but not when I am on the Highway about to run out of gas. At the first exit we decided to try our luck. The car started to sputter and then there was no more sound. It didn't give a kick (our luck ran out). We didn't know where we were, and there was no gas station in sight. Luckily we noticed a tiny house a little further up the road. My husband decided he would go check it out for help and I stayed in the car with the kids. The baby started to cry. Some hours had passed and we hadn't eaten yet. The kids also started to ask for food. We didn't bring any as the cabin wasn't too far away - mistake number two. When you go on a trip (especially with young kids) you should always bring food. 

Not long after my husband returned with a jerrican of fuel. We were so lucky to have found that house. It seems an older couple lived there. At first, they were a little suspicious of my husband (maybe we should have all gone with him) but he was able to persuade them with his charisma. 

With the car full of fuel we continued our trip along the snowy winding roads until we arrived at the cabin. Hopefully, the rest of our trip would be less eventful. Let's check the cabin first to see if there is no suspicious activity to be seen. The last thing we want is to end up in a real horror movie. Our trip will be eventful enough with the kids, we don't need anything more to be added to it.