Our First Full Family Road Trip

The first time I was really nervous about taking a road trip was our initial family trip to Florida. Hugmonkey, you see, was all of two months old.




 Ironflower was 4 and Lovebug was not quite 3. I was still recovering from the post c-section complications I'd had, so I might not have been in the most energetic frame of mind. Also, it was the first road trip we were taking in the Kia, and much as I loved all the space we had in it, I was nervous. I didn't trust it yet.

Though I was certainly more inclined to trust it as we were able to pile in the portable crib, a vibrating bouncy seat, a triple stroller, a Barbie house, a train set, clothes for two weeks and a case of wine (what? I wasn't pregnant anymore. Actually, the wine was really for my dad, whom we were meeting in Florida).

I have to be honest; it was probably the worst road trip we ever had, as far as the being on the road part. While the Kia itself proved just as reliable and easy to drive as my old car, we had some extenuating circumstances on that particular trip down; Ironflower was sick and Lovebug was terribly unhappy. One day ended with the entire family crying as we pulled into the hotel.

But then we got to Florida.

The beach in Naples. 

And we felt better. 

I swear the whole trip was worth it just to have this picture of all three of them.

Having the Kia there meant it was easy to go to the beach, the zoo and the store with the entire family. And we didn't have to worry about rental car fees or costly gas prices. 

Ironflower fell in love with the beach.

The zoo was so much fun. 

Not the best picture of Lovebug, but I actually don't hate myself in this picture. 

We even had room for the Baby Bjorn. 

Lovebug realized that he didn't totally hate the water. 

By the time we had to head home, I was much, much calmer about the prospect of road tripping with 3 small children. I don't know if it was my calmness, the relaxing time in Florida, or the fact that Hugmonkey was just that much more able to sleep, but the trip home was much more fun. I don't remember any days that ended with all of us in tears, just fun stops in Washington, D.C. and Savannah. 

At the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. 

Ironflower still gets excited when we stop in Savannah. 

This post is sponsored by Kia.

We Finally Made It Home

So our car died while we were in Florida. Luckily, we were able to stay with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend (who are totally awesome) while it was getting a new engine (FYI, never buy a car that has previously been leased. Just don't.)  But I found it hard to blog there and I was all stressed out, except when I was trying to pretend it was an extended vacation.

Which it was, really. I mean, it was sunny and over 80 the whole time. Look.

Fort De Soto State Park. Beaches and history - it's like it was made for our family. 

Brief visit to the Car Fix set. You know it's bad when even they can't fix your car.

This is not Winter, heroine of Dolphin Tale. This is Nicholas. He is more exciting to watch. 

We did watch Winter though, I swear. 

There was too much TV watching. 

Making a movie at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Anna Maria Island is my new favorite place. 

Apollo Beach. 

Someday, when my brain is not freaking out about all the stuff I have to put away and the laundry and all the things we are behind on, I should write about traveling with kids to the Tampa Bay area. I totally feel like an expert now. 

Wordless Wednesday: Blessed

Road trip pictures.

Road Trip!

As you read this, I will be heading down interstate 95 with 3 kids, a husband and a very full minivan. Acquaintances have literally recoiled in horror as I've recounted our vacation plans with them; first we're heading to Jekyll Island, Georgia for a family reunion in honor of my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary, then we're heading to my brother-in-law's house outside of Tampa.

And then we'll drive back, possibly stopping in our beloved Savannah or discovering a new destination.

Yes, we're road tripping with our spawn. On purpose.

The first time we made the NJ to Florida trip, Hugmonkey was two months old and my brother-in-law didn't even live there yet.

In addition to having to stop nearly every hour for me to nurse Hugmonkey, Ironflower also vomited about 4 hours into the trip, right as we got stuck in bumper-to-bumper D.C. traffic. And yet when road tripping to Maryland for my cousin's wedding came up a few months later, Ironflower and Lovebug were all over it. Hugmonkey still not so much. 

But now? Every day he asks if we're leaving for our road trip. 

I don't know if it's the break from routine, the total relaxation of screen time rules or what, but my kids loooove road trips. Well, they like the destinations better, but they are no problem in the car. They are just ready for whatever adventure comes up next, I guess. And for them, a rest area can be an adventure - especially if we play tag there. 

I highly recommend playing tag on road trips, by the way. Unless the rest stop is really skeevy.  Also, never let your kids watch videos in the car except on road trips - it makes the whole experience much more exciting. I know, I know, I'm not one for giving parenting advice. . .but I feel qualified in this case, and it's so rare that I feel qualified about anything. . . . . 

1. Videos in the car.

2. Rest stop tag.

3. Pack favorite healthy snacks that are easily accessible. Do not buy junk food at every stop. 

4. Buy junk food at one stop only if you desperately need to bribe them. 

5. Put each outfit (top/bottom/underwear/socks) in a Ziploc bag so that everything stays sorted. 

6. Stay in motels with indoor pools, or really good cable. 

7. Treat the road part of the trip like a vacation, not a painful marathon to get to your final destination. 

8. Have special toys just for the car, like Etch-a-Sketch, Wiki Stix and art sets. 

9. Make them pause the videos and look at the window when you get to new parts of the country. 

10. Have a minivan. Seriously. 

No Country for Internet Girl

So I did not have a nervous breakdown.

I also did not come to some great epiphany about being able to lead a full life without the internet. What I realized instead was that I really, really, really like internet access, but that it is possible for me to survive a week without it.

It was a tough week, though.

I discovered that I am a city person, despite having spent the majority of my life living in the suburbs. I get twitchy if I can't walk to a store and/or a restaurant. I do not like driving for a long time just to go to Wal-Mart. Gravel roads make me nervous. I like traffic lights.

My in-laws are lovely people, but they get twitchy in places that are crowded. My mother-in-law thinks it's worth it to drive an hour out of her way to avoid "traffic" (meaning lots of other people on the road, not actual stop and go stuff). They are very much country people.

I appreciate the view of the night sky from their deck, the fact that my kids could ride the go-cart around their property ad nauseam and the lack of nosy neighbors. And that's where my appreciation of country living ends. I could live in a small country town, I think, if I had to. But not all isolated and In Cold Blood like, not where getting snowed in can last for a week, not where no one delivers pizza.

Still, it was worth it to watch the kids with their grandparents and great-grandmother and other family members. I'm just hoping that the next time we visit, I'll have a cell phone that actually works there. Or they will have gotten the internet. Though I'll still be twitchy, at least then I'll have some distractions.

I'm Baaa-aaack!

So yeah.

I'm sorry I abandoned you, internet.

My phone died as we prepared to leave on a 2 week long trip. We drove to Kissimmee, Florida.  We stopped in Savannah. We went to Disney. And everyone but my mother and I got sick. Really, really sick.

It started with Hugmonkey on the way down. Our entire first week of vacation was spent with everyone on painkillers and water. Full recovery didn't happen until 3 days before we were supposed to leave. It made writing for I See Kissimmee a much bigger strain than I'd expected. I mean, travel articles aren't usually about trips to the local Wal-Mart to buy ibuprofen. Though if you'd like to know which Wal-Mart is the best in the Kissimmee area, I can give you recommendations.

We spent 5 days at the parks, with my parents graciously watching Hugmonkey for 4 of them. Because I don't think theme parks are the best place for toddlers. There, I said it.

I will say that Disney is definitely the best park for toddlers. But toddlers do not care about characters, even if their parents think they do. And Hugmonkey had several meltdowns when he was too little to go on certain rides. Plus, if you only have limited time - and are unsure when/if you're going back and are not actually staying on the property - days at the Parks can be LOOOONNGGG. Even after they were healthy, Ironflower and Lovebug fell asleep in the car almost every night as we drove the 10 minutes back to our vacation house. Hugmonkey had one amazing day (except for the ride meltdowns, which were totally understandable) there and I think that was best. Especially for the rest of us.

I felt guilty when I thought it might be our one and only trip to Disney World.

But it won't be. Hot Guy - my anti-advertising, metal loving husband - fell in love with the whole Disney vacation experience. As did I. Though I don't know if I'll be able to get him to go on "It's A Small World" again. I don't know whether it was the attractiveness, the cleanliness, the friendliness of every single person who works there or the multitude of fun experiences, but it's definitely become our new happy place. Although you will never catch me there when it's crowded. Because I totally thought it was crowded, even though this was value season and everyone kept telling me it wasn't. Also? All those websites that tell you which days to go to which parks to avoid crowds are bullshit. Weekends at all the parks suck, Wednesdays are best everywhere. At least during value season.

Which I recommend, especially if you are cheap and hate people like I do.

And Next Year's Vacation Will Be. . .

Next year I am not bringing the children with me on vacation. Hot Guy can fly out to his parents' house with them, while I take a leisurely drive BY MYSELF. That will be my vacation. Alone in the car for hours on end, blasting my own music and not having to share my M&M's (a candy so popular on this trip that Lovebug taught himself to say it). After spending a few days at my in-laws' (and after investing in an iPhone so I can blog while in the country), I will then begin my leisurely drive back home. Upon returning, I will rest and organize the house until Hubby flies back with the kids.

Then life will get back to normal and I will actually feel rested instead of stressed out. I cannot express how happy I am to be home, though. Being gone for more than two weeks is just too much. Though not for Ironflower - she was terribly disappointed when she found out that we would be sleeping at home and not at a hotel last night. She rebounded admirably when she remembered all the toys she has here at home though. Lovebug, after screaming fits in his car seat (though, really, by yesterday I was tempted to join him) and waking us all at un-Godly hours and generally being a serious challenge has morphed into the sweet little boy he can be.

I now understand why people take vacations WITHOUT their children. I never really did before. As a new mother, I heard about a mom of a three month old who went to the Caribbean for a week. I couldn't imagine wanting to be away from my newborn for so long (not to mention the lack of breastfeeding involved) and while I still can't imagine needing a vacation from a tiny baby, toddlers are a different matter all together. While I know that if Hot Guy and I did escape somewhere tropical we'd spend the whole time talking about the kids and imagining which sights they'd like best, I'm ready for the chance to miss them.