Traveling with Kids

Do you remember a time when you could pack up your bag, rucksack, or suitcase and leave your house on a trip in under an hour? Or a time when you packed light - and I mean light - for a weekend trip? I do. Packing and going on a trip with kids is such fun, isn't it? I just love how it takes me several days to get ready for a four day trip.

First, there's the laundry. And oh, how much laundry there is! The sorting, the spot treatment, the washing, the drying, the folding, the putting away..... Lucky for me that my three year old wants to help. Unlucky for me that he is insulted when I don't enlist his help, and he actually cries that he didn't get to put the clothes in the "washing machine-machine."

Second, there is the packing. And packing. And packing. I'm usually doing this late at night, after a long day of laundry (see above). These days I have to actually make a list of things to pack and cross things off once they're in the suitcase. There is a really good chance that if it's not on the list it probably won't go (I forgot Caitlin's PJ's last time. They're on the list now). I can pack Brandon's bag after he's asleep, since nothing seems to wake him up. Caitlin, on the other hand, is a light sleeper. I have to grab all of her stuff out of her room before she goes to sleep, because if you even breathe too loudly near her door she might wake up! Then there's all the baby paraphernalia that has to come - the bottles, the baby food, the formula, the diapers, the monitors, etc. My parents have a pack-and-play and a toddler bed, so I at least I don't have to worry about forgetting those, too! It got a lot easier to travel with Brandon after the age of two, and is easier still now that he's potty trained.

Third, there is the getting there. This involves packing up the car. Planes are even harder, as you have to edit what you need down to the bare minimum! Packing up the car usually involves letting the kids either run amok in the house while you load, or strapping them in the car seat before you load. I prefer the latter. It's easier when your husband is there. You can divide and conquer the tasks and the kids. The car ride is good when kids are sleeping. Brandon has always been pretty good the car, but Caitlin is another story. There's nothing quite like feeding a bottle to a child who is sitting in the back seat when you are sitting in the front seat, just because you don't want to waste another 10 minutes on the side of the road. My arm still hurts!

Then, there is the best part - ARRIVAL! Not only am I happy, but my kids are happy, my husband is happy, and the grandparents are happy. Yeah! We are finally here! My sister and my brothers will be here, too. More fun for all of us. I know that I will sleep well tonight. I'm exhausted. My kids are exhausted. It will be great.