Praise to the Ben

On our inter-mountain west family vacation this summer, I found one item that was indispensable. One item that every family with young kids MUST have on a long car ride. Everyone needs an Uncle Ben.

Poor Uncle Ben may not have known what he was getting himself into when he asked if he could hitch a ride to the family reunion. But then again, maybe he did. He is a favorite of my kids', and deservedly so. Uncle Ben has taken them camping and to Disney on Ice. He is the best at tossing them in the pool and tossing them in the air. He plays baseball, football, and badminton with them. He's also the owner of dogs and fish, all of which he lets them torture--I mean play with. It's no wonder I love Uncle Ben, too.

But as much as I appreciated Uncle Ben before, I am eternally indebted to him after our trip. He was, after all, the lucky fella' who got to ride in the back with Griffin. It didn't take long before Uncle Ben decided Griff's new nickname should be Pigpen or for him to understand the true blessing of wet wipes. "Griff, there is a right way to eat a churro. You can't just eat the inside. Sugar is everywhere!" Or "Can I get the wipes back here? We've got a big spill."

"I didn't spill that much," Griffin argued.

"When it takes three wipes to clean it up, that is a big spill."

The great thing is that because Uncle Ben has invested in my kids so much and because they love him so much, he is able to say things like that. Then I don't have to.

It was the best trip ever.

Inexplicably, he could not continue with us past Utah despite my efforts to bribe him. I guess he had important things to do, like drive back to Arizona in peace and quiet or something like that.

Anyway, these are hot little items, even if they only last half of the trip. The Uncle Ben. Get yours while they last.