"Eeewww, cow poop!" squealed my son, inciting instantaneous giggles from his little sisters at his remark.

At least that was better than the bored whining I'd heard for the last twenty-five miles. After about five more miles of poop talk, things reverted back to whining, again. I really needed to come up with something fast, other than the five different versions of road sign bingo that we played the first fifty miles, or I was going to go insane.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, interrupting a "Mom, she's looking at me" and a "Don't touch me!" volley. Sort of getting their attention, I pressed on. "What would the world be like if turtles could fly?" I casually remarked. That got their attention and threw them into hysterics. Okay, I thought, this could actually work. After the laughter died down, I threw in, "and what would the world be like if birds flew backwards?" Another burst of laughter followed that statement.

Then my son got into the swing of things and said, "What would the world be like if ev'rybody's butt danced when they walked?" We all have the sillies and the giggles now.

My oldest daughter threw in, "what would the world be like if worms floated in the air?" Then my three-year-old chirps, "what the world be like if'n worms float'd in a air?" Well, she is only three, mimicking is what she does best. We all still giggle and there is magic in the air.

Even though this "exercise in funility" only lasted about thirty-four and a half minutes, its mood carried us on to our destination.

So, if you are out of ideas and almost out of your mind, try it on for size. You may find that it not only wipes out some of that "whine time" it invites happiness and silliness to plop down and buckle up in your car, plane, train, bus, bike, sneakers...