I generally love my parent education class.  It is a multi-age class in a completely enclosed facility.  Complete with crafts, a playground, a classroom full of toys, and lots of great moms.  So, it is one of the few places I can take all three kids and actually have a few moments of an adult conversation without many major disasters.

The field trips however tend to be a bit more ambitious than I would normally be.  At least when planning a trip on my own.

So, it was seeming very unlikely that I would be attending our last adventure.  Which included  a trip downtown on a train, followed by another trip on LA’s version of a subway, and yet another ride on Angel’s Flight.  And just when the smallest among us are ready to die from exhaustion there were plans for lunch!

I half heartedly asked my husband if he would like to go with me when I first heard about the trip.  Mostly because I knew our big guy would love it.  He knows more about trains than I do.  But, as the trip approached I had lost my motivation and quietly decided I’d skip it.

That was until Zen Mama, the high priestess of being a mama, tried to convince me otherwise.  Now you must understand why this one person’s opinion matters so much.  First, she has five kids.  Second, she never ever ever does anything but smile, inspire, encourage, and love everyone.  She takes my little guy and tickles him during his worst melt downs (ie circle time) while balancing her youngest(12mos) on her knee, and keeping her other arm around her second youngest(2.5 yrs).

And when she hears me doubting that I’ll be able to make it, she assures me that she’ll bring a backpack and a double stroller so that if one of mine gets out of hand she’ll have an extra spot to him.  How do you answer that?

So, I reminded my husband of the trip and pretty much cornered him into going.

And off we went into the depths of Los Angeles public transportation with two toddlers and a preschooler. No seatbelts. No carseats.  Just leashes snacks, sippy cups and a stroller.  I felt like we should have been writing a worst case scenario handbook.
But through it all Zen Mama, who even let her next oldest skip school for the day to come along, did nothing but lead the way with a smile. When there was a vertical bar in the middle of the entrance to the first train that my double stroller was not going to be able to pass.  She strode down to the next door to see if it would be better.  Even though her own would have easily made it through the first. When we opened the emergency alarm gates in the subway because there was no other access for strollers, she held it open for all the others to pass through.  When it didn’t look like her stroller was going to fit through the doors of the Angels Flight Tram she just smiled and said,  ”We’ll make it work.”   When I told her we were bailing and catching the next train she gave me a high five and said, “Good job mama.”

So, when we hopped on an Amtrak with Metrolink tickets (like the guy at the information booth told us to) and the conductor informed us we needed an Amtrak ticket.  My husbands blood pressure began to rise.  And I could see he was getting no where with his argument.

I too was ready to scream.  But just then, I had a Zen Mama moment of calm.  Instead of storming off the train with three screaming children clinging to any possible inch of the train they so badly wanted to ride, I looked the conductor straight in the eyes and then at my double stroller filled with tired crabby fighting toddlers and my preschooler strewn on the floor at the thought of having to get off the big train he had just boarded. And wouldn’t you just know it, I didn’t  have to say a word before he said, “Oh I’ll take you just make sure you have an Amtrak ticket next time.”