OK, perhaps googling "Myrtle Beach" and then watching an eyewitness account of the 2001 tornado there, this morning, was NOT the best way to introduce my five children - ages 12 and under - to the idea of moving to South Carolina. Needless to say, I think I ended up being scared gobs more than they were.

1. Mommy, How Long After We Get to Myrtle Beach Before We Start Talking Funny? http://www.VickytheNorthernChicky.com OK, perhaps googling "Myrtle Beach" and then watching an eyewitness account of the 2001 tornado there, this morning, was NOT the best way to introduce my five children - ages 12 and under - to the idea of moving to South Carolina. Needless to say, I think I ended up being scared gobs more than they were.

2. "How AWESOME was THAT, Mommy?" "Do you think fish got SUCKED out of the sea and DUMPED all over the place?" (picture, if you will, a two year old, a six year old and an eight year old, dancing around my kitchen...pretend sprinkling "fish parts" all over) "What about sharks? Did any of THEM get sucked out of the sea and dumped into any lakes?" The questions came fast and furious, and my mind was a tornado all its own wondering if I was making the correct executive decision here...uprooting our family - five daughters - from ice-encrusted upstate New York to balmy South Carolina.

3. I am so absolutely thrilled the girls are on board with this plan. Life is short. New York is cold. Myrtle Beach is not. By lunchtime, my little scholars had all sorts of facts they had taken upon themselves to google. Between mouthfuls of warming tomato soup and rice (the temp outside is low 30's), they excitedly threw things at me like, "Did you know South Carolina ranks number 9 in the world for shark attacks?" (um...no, I did not), and, "Did you know that 40 DIFFERENT kinds of sharks live in the waters there?" (freakin' great...first tornadoes, now sharks), "And Ma!!!! What about the HURRICANES?". Slowly all THOSE 'delightful' facts morphed into, "I wonder if they have malls there?" and "Do you think I'm old enough for a two-piece yet?"

4. I am happy to report, that tonight, as I tucked all my babies into their beds, they are walking on air. We all are. We are ready to explore this beautiful world around us - to make a new start and spread our wings. I can hear them whispering and giggling - planning "stuff" in their rooms. Not having access to their computer for answers after bedtime, I find myself being summoned a ridiculous number of times to answer their questions.

5. "We're gonna drive, right?" Yep. "How many hours will it take for us to get there?“ "About 14," I answered, and then remembering 5 girls and bathroom stops, quickly changed my answer to, "more like 16.“ "Is it true they call grocery carts "buggies" there?" Hmmm....gonna have to google that one and get back to you. "Mommy, How Long After We Get to Myrtle Beach Before We Start Talking Funny?"

6. You may also keep up with our exploits pertaining to our move to Myrtle Beach by visiting VickytheNorthernChicky.com . It is going to be quite an adventure!