Thursday, June 21, 2012

Mini-Vacations {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

Boy, have road trips changed over the last 3 years.

Rehearsal bound...#weddingroadtrip

Before: Hubby and I pack our two suitcases (+ one bag full of books) into our tiny, two-door Honda Civic and take off.

1st road trip in the minivan! Off to a friend's wedding in West Palm.

Now: Make a page-long, detailed packing list. This becomes your brain, because for the life of you you can't remember what to pack because there are too many interruptions during the packing process. Pack the stroller. Pack the Pack'N'Play. Pack snacks (you do not go anywhere without snacks!!!). Pack lots of changes of clothes, because body fluids happen. Pack it all into your mini-van (what, what!?). After everyone's loaded into the van, look back and marvel at what's been accomplished...and take a nap on the road! Oh, and make lots of stops for breastfeeding...and letting the toddler run around.

Picnic lunch in the back of the van. #latergram
Back-of-the-van picnic lunch
Yes, road trips are a lot more work these days, but they can make for sweet family adventures. We hit the road last weekend so that my husband could be in a friend's wedding.

:) #weddingroadtrip

Honestly, the best part of the roadtrip was...the drive!! The boys did so well, and Andrew and I had hours of time to talk, think, read, listen to podcasts together. Precious time.

I love this kid.

We stayed in a hotel for the 1st time as a family, which brought back all sorts of fun memories of family times growing up. Often, my parents would not have a ton of money for planning an extravagant vacation, so they would take us on "mini-vacations." On the spur of the moment, we would pack up (there were 8 of us!), drive to a town a couple of hours away, stay in a hotel, and enjoy time swimming in the pool, eating packed lunches, and having dinner out. As kids, we thought it was the greatest thing ever!

Playing on the bed...#weddingroadtrip
Brothers playing on the bed
So hanging out in our hotel room with our two little boys...swimming in the pool...eating the not-so-great continental breakfast...it all made me smile and suddenly feel very grown up. Now I'm the parent! Weird.

He's an incredible father...I'm so grateful for him! Happy Father's Day @arp03! #fathersday #weddingroadtrip
Out and about. #weddingroadtrip #photoadayjune #day16
It was Edmund's 1st time swimming!
It wasn't all smooth-sailing (in case you were picturing this idyllic roadtrip!). The first night in the hotel we were up multiple times with the kiddos...the baby was teething and the toddler fell out of bed (and was awake for the next hour!). And keeping a 2 1/2 year old still for hours during the rehearsal, fancy rehearsal dinner, wedding, and sit-down reception was definitely a challenge that stressed me out a few times. Just so ya know. But we still had fun!

Do you take roadtrips as a family often? What are your best tips for helping it go smoothly?
_________________________________________


It's Thursday, so link up your adventurous post below!

 
Share/Bookmark

8 comments:

  1. LOL!! We are hitting the road Friday night for a 2 hr. drive to my sister's house to spend the weekend. I started my list last week and need to get it finished this morning so I can start getting stuff pulled together. (I'm SO with you on the "list-becomes-my-brain" thing!) Yes, taking a trip has certainly changed since having kids. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The hardest part of going in vacation as a family for me is the lack of sleep! What a change. I used to assume I would return well rested and that is no longer the case. Trips are loads of fun with kids, but they are no longer restful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bet this gets better as the kids get older! Teenagers are good sleepers, I hear!

      Delete
  3. We haven't taken a road trip with both kiddos yet. We are getting ready to fly to CA the first week of July though. I also make a list of things to pack! I had my husband print out a list I found online. We will take our first road trip in September to see my mom in Albuquerque. Quite honestly, I'm not looking forward to the flight to CA or being in the car for several hours going to NM. And I'm not sure how our kids will respond to the hotel room. Oh, well. At least we can get away for a little while!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am inspired by your hotel idea and by your flexible nature :) I'll be looking for an opportunity to do something like that! You look like you know how to make a road trip go pretty smoothly! Good job! Stacy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, road trips are definitely different now. I think I might still be recovering from the one we took a few weeks ago...as well as the wedding the weekend after... :) Sounds like it was a fun time though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It did look like fun! I know there is always some stress w/ long car rides and unfamiliar rooms/beds when you are traveling with kids. Hopefully you'll only remember the good parts!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You posted this the day before we left for our 1st road trip with 2! It was a blast getting there, a rough time getting back (we had to leave the hotel at 3 AM Sunday morning - long story- and skip out on the hubby's 2nd choir performance of the weekend!). But man, does a road trip make you appreciate being home. I have been basking in the awesomeness of our own beds, homemade food, and not worrying how loud we are for the past 2 days! We will definitely try it again but not for such a short time, and we may also stick to traveling at night for a few years yet. The 8 week-old was easy, the 2 year-old the more challenging. :)

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments. :) I know your time is precious, so I appreciate the time you spend reading and giving feedback.

Please be respectful of others and kind with your words.