I haven't posted in a while because life has been a whirlwind of emotions lately. As we are coming up on the Holiday season, my family and I have been busy planning for our vacation. We are heading to the 'Greatest Country on Earth, TX' and we're not quite prepared. I feel like our beagles look.
As a SAHM (stay at home mom) majority, if not all the prep work for family vacations, falls on me. I clean the car, get the oil changed, pack the kids' bags, I then pack my bag, ask my husband what he would like to bring, and ultimately end up packing his too. It isn't a problem for me at all, and I don't mind packing because if you're anything like me, you know that if you're the one who packs, then EVERYTHING is done right, and nothing gets left behind! :P
We leave pretty close to Christmas and have about a 12 hour drive ahead of us. A drive we have made more times than not, so much so, I could probably make it there without the GPS!
Driving with a 2 & 5 year old for 12 hours however, is not for the faint of heart. The first couple hours start off well, and there's not really anything to complain about, but by about hours 6-12 its pretty rough. The fights begin, the exhaustion hits, and headaches come on stronger than ever! If your kids are anything like mine, they never sleep when you want them to either.
I tend to pack way more crap than needed for our trip too, because the cost of entertainment for that long, is a lesson once learned over time. I try to make sure my kids don't have too much "screen time" regularly but for some reason, desperation kicks in when we're on the road. Suddenly every ounce of care, or "established rules" go right out the window. I find it fascinating that as parents we work so hard to have ground rules, boundaries. and the list of "Do's and Don't s." but when you're 2yo is screaming at the top of her lungs, in close quarters shared by 3 other not so tolerable people, you will do anything to make sure that that 'My Little Pony' movie plays as many times as possible, even if you have the darn thing memorized!
"No Apple Jack, you can't do it alone! You DO need the help of the other Pony friends of Equestria! Because friendship is Magic!"
As parents we learn to adapt, and to pick and choose our battles with our kids. We do things we swore we would never do, and we certainly say things, we never thought we would! We want the best for our kids, but we also want to remain sane. There's a fine line between the two!
As we prepare for our Holiday travels, I'd like to open this up for some tips and advice you and your family might have to help make it an enjoyable 12 hours as possible!
Feel free to let me know what works/ has worked for you & your family below!
I want to wish you all a Happy Holiday, a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy "whatever-you-may-be-celebrating-this-season"!
<3
