How NOT to Prepare for an Event

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first blog conference, Blog Elevated. I was super excited to learn all things blog, meet new people and just have a fun little weekend.

l-r: Me, Justina, Kristen, Jessica

In preparation for this new adventure, I read a lot of great blog posts like 8 Tips to Rock Your Blog Conference and In My Conference Bag and When Your Style Goes From URL to IRL. Ya'll, I'm a seasoned traveler and a preparation nerd. I'm an over planner. I have been since my competitive diving days, and it's carried over into the few family trips we've taken.

However.

Something has started concerning me in recent weeks. I've been trying to deny it and keep it a secret. But it's gotten to a severe enough stage that I can no longer avoid discussing it. I seem to have developed a mild-to-moderate health condition.

There's this old wives tale that when you become pregnant you can develop a condition called "baby brain." I scoffed at this. I never had any issues remembering things in my first pregnancy. Then I birthed the kid. And not too long after, we went and got another one. Just a year later, we had number 3. In the months since number 3's birth, my brain function has severely depleted. In fact, I've discovered that my mental state seems to be a direct reflection of the number of times number 3 wakes up during the night. If number 1 or number 2 get up as well, I'm almost catatonic the following day.

I've mentioned my Mommy Burnout on here before, but now we're beginning to see the fallout.

The may look cute, but don't let those smiles fool you.
Sweet angels by day, evil geniuses at night.

I think some all of you parents reading this can probably relate. If you can't, well, I may not be able to talk to you for a few years out of sleep envy.

The conference was just a hop, skip and jump from our neck of the woods down to Galveston, so we decided to make a family trip out of it. I researched Moody Gardens til I had it memorized. I knew everything there was to know about our destination AND the conference. But in my sleep deprived stupor, I apparently neglected a few important details.

View from our floor at the Moody Gardens Hotel.

Every once in a great while, we will have moments of brilliance. Unfortunately they are generally followed by equally incredible moments of absurdity. We packed every single thing in the house needed to possibly take care of the kids while we were away. We managed to leave right at nap time which meant all three kids promptly fell asleep in the car. Perfect. Beautiful. Hubby and I even got to have long conversations on the drive down while sleep was happening in the back seat.

When we arrived at the hotel, I bounced happily into the lobby to check us in while my family patiently waited in the car. I gave the lady my name and waited. And waited. She asked me if it could be under a different name. I tried my maiden name. She looked concerned. I started to panic. She asked if I had a confirmation number. I started to look through my email on my phone and dread set in. I didn't remember ever getting a confirmation email. As many times as I checked out the hotel and called to ask questions, I don't remember ever going through the booking process. And there it is... we didn't have a room.

Fortunately there was a room available, though, phew...

Me with the littles in the sprinkles wandering around.

We hauled everything up to the room, wandered around a bit, ate dinner, then went back to the room so I could get ready for the welcome reception. After discovering that I had forgotten to pack some... ahem... unmentionables, we also realized that we hadn't really told or prepped the girls that I would be leaving at bedtime for an event. So my poor husband was left to put three mildly upset kids to bed, in one room, in the dark, in a strange place by himself. This became the norm for all sleep and nap times for the weekend.

But this is why I'm nominating Hubby for Daddy of the Year. Count 'em- 1, 2, 3!

All three sleeping peacefully in the hotel room.

 

Although I was up almost every hour each night we were there, I had the honor of an early breakfast date with a daughter each morning.

Friday morning with Zoe.

Saturday morning with Arella.

And I met awesome new friends each day and night.

 

l-r: Me, Becky, Maureen, Bon, Cathi

Although I wasn't all put together and may have been sporting super attractive bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, I still received a boatload of education, had a blast and left feeling more confident and with a lot of very cool new friendships.

Thank you Blog Elevated (Bobbie and Lisa) for creating such an awesome conference that I could enjoy and learn from even in my current state of lunacy.

Hoping to check it out again in 2015 with a little more sanity in tow.

10 MomNinja Skills

When you become a parent, you magically acquire a set of skills, kind of like you just powered up on Super Mario Bros. You are suddenly able to do things you could never do before... or maybe just never thought or tried to attempt.

I've talked about our alter egos before in Mission: Impossible Baby. But with these alter egos comes a set of weird and fantastic skills that temporarily turns us into MomNinja and the occasional DadNinja.

In my short three years and three kids worth of parenting, I have so far acquired the following set of skills, some of which are temporary but, I believe, some may be a permanent new talent:

1. Catching mosquitoes with two fingers.
   
2. Hearing a crying child through brick walls from a block away.
   
3. A look that stops a child in her tracks.
   
4. Kisses that heal wounds.
   
5. Ability to sense a fever by swiftly brushing my cheek against a forehead.
   
6. Catching throw up with a single hand without looking.
   
7.  Sensing a urine stream or poopsplosion about to strike before taking off a diaper.
   
8. Ability to complete any task while almost fully asleep.
   
9. Holding sleeping baby in awkward position for long periods of time with little to no fatigue.
   
10. Immediate knowledge of where any lost toy or blanket can be found.
    

More experienced ninja parents, what have you acquired that I may look forward to in the future?

Another Great Mom Parody- "All About That Bass"

As I'm sitting at a cafe having some much needing "space" from family, I stumbled upon this.

"I Just Need Some Space" by Meghan Trainor
"All About That Bass" Mom Parody

You can follow her over at mylifesuckers.com

Workin' Mama

Most days I'm a stay-at-home mom. But on occasion, I get to travel, make speeches and talk about diving on tv.

Sometimes, I feel like I have an alter ego. That might also be why I'm slightly obsessed with being a superhero. I digress...

At home I'm just an everyday, regular mom trying to keep up with my kids. On good days I may attempt to shower and get dressed. I'm constantly making dashes to the toilet with toddlers or asking for privacy in my own bathroom. There is constant repetition, constant repetition, and I'm usually trying to translate toddler speak to English in my head. Although my house may not look it, I am in a perpetual state of cleaning.

Just to show you how un-Pinterest perfect I am, here's a little snippet of my real, everyday life. This is me in all my smelly, unshowered, greasy-haired glory sporting a Tom Petty shirt with USA pajamas attempting to do an ab exercise. And this picture was taken after Hubby got home from work one afternoon.

A few weeks ago I flew with just the baby to Connecticut to be a working mom of sorts. You may have read about that lovely travel experience here. My mother-in-law came to watch the baby while I went to work. It was so weird to have someone there ready to watch the baby every morning as soon as we woke up and even at night so I could go to dinner a few times with colleagues. I could shower each day, take my time, drink an entire coffee before it went cold and talk to adults on a regular basis. It was kind of like summer camp for moms.

 And I think Grandma had a little fun, too!

I won the lottery on mother-in-laws ya'll, seriously.

Basically, I got to hang out at the NBC Sports building for a week to watch and commentate diving for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. I thought it might be fun to give you a little behind-the-scenes look at life in the studio.

And yes, I'm a dork.

We had a special "green room" just for us. That pretty much means "waiting room" in non-tv talk. Although there is a little brainstorming that goes on here, too. Plus you get to hang out with cool people like 2008 Olympic silver medal gymnast Alicia (Sacramone) Quinn, 2008 & 2012 track Olympian Nick Symmonds, 2000 Olympic beach volleyball player Kevin Wong, sportscasters Jim Watson and Jason Knapp and, of course, our rockin' producer Lena Glaser.

l-r: Jason, me, Alicia, Jim

l-r: Lena, Kevin, Jim

Since the competition was in China and aired prime time in the states later that day, we watched the competition in a sound proof booth while commentating. I would always rather watch a competition live and be in the middle of the action, but voicing over is fun, too. It's not the same adrenaline pumping pressure as filming live, but we're still watching the event for the first time and calling it like it is live.

Jim & I in the booth- our home for the week.

It's always easy when you have the opportunity to work with a great team! Jim was a terrific partner to call diving with. While it was his first time working on diving, he's covered nearly every other sport, including three Olympic Games (2000 Beach Volleyball, 2004 Indoor Volleyball and 2012 Weightlifting), professional and collegiate sports. So he picked it up quickly and every event went smooth. Our producer Lena, the voice in my ear Lee Ann, the almost nerdier-than-me researcher John, the magic editor Rob and the logistics queen Kate put together five great days of diving that showcased junior divers from around the world and gave us a glimpse of what we might see in Rio in 2016.

This is just another cool area in the building near our little booth that kind of looks like mission control for sports. Actually, I think that's exactly what it is.

But it wasn't all work and no play. My friend and 2012 diving Olympian, Cassidy Krug, came to hang with us one morning. We always have fun together!

And even though I was working, I came home each day to just one little one, so I got lots of extra snuggles that made my mama heart happy.

Overall, it was a ton of fun, and I truly hope to do more diving events in the future. But as much fun as we had, I couldn't wait to get home and squeeze these two dolls and kiss them to pieces.

Mommy Burnout

There's an old adage that I'm sure you've heard; "the days are long but the years are short." I get it. I really do. But allow me to explain why I'm getting really tired of hearing it.

Somewhere after we brought Zoe home from China in December of 2012, a time warp seemed to happen. In the span of 13 months we went from one to three kids with a fourth on the way (Ethiopia adoption), moved houses, and changed jobs. And those are just the highlights. I'm still trying to grasp the fact that it's 2014, and I heard this rumor that it's already September. So yeah, I get the "years are short" part.

Occasionally our "days are long." Somehow a 10 minute tantrum can feel like a whole afternoon, and I have been known to beg my husband for an ETA post work to begin a survival countdown. Those days definitely happen.

As the girls have gotten older though, they can play more independently with less refereeing and melt downs. Our days generally go by fairly quickly and are filled with less tears and more giggles. 

Arella and Zoe taking a silly selfie.

However, recently our nights feel like Ground Hog's Day- a constant repeat every hour of crying, screaming, coughing, and whining. I sleep like an elephant- about four hours a night and not consecutive. (Thank you Wild Kratts for my new found animal knowledge.) Plagued with a teething and runny-nosed infant, a congested toddler who is already a light sleeper and needy at night, and a big girl that now wakes us to go to the potty, well, you get the idea. 

Hubby and I are great at "divide and conquer," but that's not the way these kids are playing the game. They have honed in on their etiquette early and are each giving the other the courtesy of bellowing their very own howling wake up call to the parents via the monitor.

One parent will go check on shrieking child, do a little please-I'm-begging-you-to-go-to-sleep-dance, then eventually make his/her way back downstairs to bed where the other half-awake parent attempts a middle-of-the-night encouragement with a "good job honey," although they have no idea what just happened, what time it is or if they're even awake. Both parents lay back down and quickly fall asleep. Ten minutes later (just long enough to fall into a deep stupor) a different child sounds the alarm. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Wake up for the day. Or sometimes, still up for the day.

He puts on a cute face, but you can see our tired eyes, well, definitely mine.

I know "it's just a season." I know the "days are long but the years are short." I know I should "cherish every moment because it's gone in the blink of an eye." I know. I get it. In just three short years of being a parent I can see that very clearly. But knowing all those things doesn't give me a good night's rest which is basically what I'm whining about here.

I adore my children. I love staying home with them. I cherish every second I can. But right now I. Am. T-I-R-E-D. I've been running on fumes for nearly 2 months, and I think my mommy engine is overheating. I've been trying to write 3 blog entries for a week now, but there is no down time, no rest for the weary.

How then am I writing this tonight? Well, it started on my phone last night when I was up with the baby (the second time I think), and I'm finishing it right now as Hubby is up with spicy peanut. Oh, and did I mention that our AC went out? Just the upstairs. Just where our poor, sweet, already non-sleeping children lay in bed. Somehow we managed to concoct a plan B that consists of an air mattress and baby swing next to our bed downstairs. I'm sure that'll help us all get a good night's slumber. Slumber PARTY maybe.

Even though my eyes are bleary, my mind is fairly disconnected and I'm approaching full-on mommy burnout, I see my girls' imaginations coming to life. They break out into song (usually made up with no real words) throughout the day and they play everything together. This morning Arella marched outside and announced that she wanted to be alone. Zoe said, "I want be alone, too!" and followed Arella. They enjoyed some alone time together.

And they way they love Zadok blows my mind. They want him to be a part of everything. And they want to be a part of his everything. Arella lives to make him laugh, and Zoe always makes sure his paci is in, the swing is going or he has a toy to play with.

Sweet angels by day, evil geniuses at night. But oh how I love those exhausting little souls. The nights are long, but our joy is full.

Baby Grenade

It's hard enough just being a parent, but then we pile on bringing our children to the airport, sticking them on a full plane with limited space to move and force them to be quiet. Yes, it's like pulling the pin on a baby grenade and just waiting for the explosion.

I have the opportunity to do some diving commentating this week for the Youth Olympic Games. Since I'm still nursing my almost seven month old, he gets to be my sidekick for the week. My mother-in-law was super sweet to volunteer to watch him while I work.

For the flight to New York, though, I was on my own. We had a test run on a shorter to trip to Knoxville a couple of weeks ago, and the little man was a saint. A poster child for all traveling babies to look up to. 

But in the last couple weeks since the anointing of his sainthood, this guy has grown (off the charts I might add), become mobile and started talking. See, that combo is a recipe for flight disaster, no matter how saintly your kid usually is.

So we get all checked in and through security, no problem. He started getting antsy and hungry while I stopped to grab a sandwhich. Then we hurried to the gate where everyone was already boarding, but I knew I had to nurse him before we got on or things would get ugly. 

Slightly stressed, I hurried him through his milk, and we rushed over to hop on the plane. We got seated by the window on a full flight, meanwhile he's making friends right and left with his big blue eyes shining and his smile flashing.

As we're settling in, they announce what everyone wants to hear: we'll be arriving early. Unfortunately it was followed by: they're making us sit at the gate prior to takeoff (because the airport is too busy to have a gate ready for an early flight). 

Upon hearing these words, my little man starts getting cranky, as if he knows exactly how disappointing this news is. He's suddenly extremely tired. I start going through all the things that calm him down. It worked for quite a while, but he just couldn't get comfortable enough in our tiny space to completely give in and pass out. Oh, and did I mention they turned off the AC? In Houston. In August. While we're trapped in a plane with three inches of breathing room. Yeah, that helped.

Then came the screaming. The inconsolable, desperate, blood curdling screaming. Yes... that was us. I was powerless to stop it. I was powerless to even tone it down. 

I started seriously stressing as everyone was watching us. Not a smile or knowing look of support in sight. The flight attendant even came to see if anyone was severely wounded. I laughed gently and said, "We're fine, he's just tired." But no one likes to hear that because they can't fix it. 

Finally. Finally the plane started moving. And my little man promptly passed out and slept a glorious two hours.

But the flight was over three hours long. He woke up confused and upset. Settled down, then got hungry. Ate then got upset from a diaper. He fussed while we had to wait out turbulence to get up. Changed him in the oh-so-small lavatory with the world's tiniest changing table. Sat down and he immediately started crying on decent because of his ears. 

Yes. That was my screaming child on the flight today. My precious little baby grenade, exploding in tight quarters for maximum impact.

I wanted to share my craziness with you because my immediate response in this type of situation is to always feel bad and apologize profusely. I do this for myself, and I find myself doing it with the kids. 

But as my little guy was screaming in my ear, I realized that instead of feeling bad, I need to use these moments as opportunities. The only opportunity I had in that moment was to love on my child and try my darndest. Focusing on him instead of worrying about everyone around me really kept me calm and in much better spirits. It didn't seem to make a lick of difference to the baby, but it helped me not only get through it but get through it with joy and peace. Okay and maybe some exhaustion, too.

Instead of being a tightly wound ball of stress with tears spilling forth upon arrival, I was pretty calm, cool and collected. 

And as for my little baby grenade... He melted at the sight of Grandma.

3 Little Joys Shining In The Dark

This week has been R-O-U-G-H. On Tuesday I told my husband that I was already over the week. So of course, it only got progressively worse from that point on.

Nothing earth shattering happened, it was just a week filled with sickness, no sleep and lots and lots of toddler drama because of it all. It's now Saturday. The week is just about over but apparently no one told the dark cloud hanging over our house.

But...

Every cloud really does have a silver lining. Sometimes even a few beautiful bright spots. If you choose to see them and focus on them, they will bring you joy in the middle of the chaos. They are truly gifts from God as He is the light that breaks through the dark. I choose to see His light. Then the big, ugly, dark, scary cloud becomes just a distant shadow and eventually, just a fading memory. But His light not only brightens our dark days, it also guides our steps, lights our path and leads us full of hope into His unending joy.

Nothing about this week was life-altering, but it's hard to choose joy in a really hard place if you've never done it in your small, daily struggles. So, I'd love to share with you my joys in the midst of this dark week.


Joy #1 

In the middle of the sickness and no-sleep drama, Zoe up and decided she wanted to learn how to use the potty. 

Ya'll, I was NOT optimistic. All I could think about was the added stress, exhaustion, and of course, massive clean-up. 

But...

I couldn't have been more wrong. Zoe was ready, willing AND able. By the second day she didn't have a single accident and she's always willing to try. You all should celebrate with me because I'm down to just one kid in diapers!

Joy #2

We all think our kids are adorably awesome. And it's especially exciting when someone else thinks so, too. This week we were asked permission to use a cute video of the girls jumping in a crib together for a marketing piece. I will post the links and/or piece when it becomes available, but here is the the video they took a snipet from.

Joy #3

The biggest highlight of my week came from a complete stranger. Yesterday we had to make a run to the store to get another humidifier. Since we were exhausted and starving, we stopped to eat dinner on the way home. It was early, so hardly anyone was in the restaurant, and we had our own little corner.

As we were finishing up and I was spoon feeding Zadok some bananas, a lady stopped at our table on her way out. She said, "Hey ya'll." We all said, "Hi," and I turned back to feeding Zadok. Then she grabbed my attention. She looked at Eriek and said, "I just wanted to pay you a compliment, well, actually I wanted to pay your wife a compliment."

My head snapped around as I stared at her in confusion, wracking my brain as to what she could be talking about. I guess the kids were being good, maybe that was it. But they were also covered in ice cream. But a compliment? I must have had a very dumbfounded look on my face, spoon paused mid-air full of mushed banana dripping over the jar.

She smiled really big and said words the words I never saw coming, "A few minutes ago when you got up from the table, you kissed both your girls on their heads. It was just so loving and beautiful."

All I could do was blink.

I have been told my kids are cute. I have been told (once or twice) that they are well behaved. I have been told they are sweet, they are smart, they play well together. Which is all wonderful and I enjoy immensely. But never have I been complimented on how I loved my kids.

It was so profound and coming after a day of being stressed and frustrated at those very same kids. And here she stood, telling me that I loved my kids well. This woman's simple words left me baffled, and then began to refresh me and fill me with an unspeakable joy.

In the middle of hard, in the middle of stress, in the middle of a very dark week where I doubted myself, my patience, my endurance, my strength and my ability to parent, this stranger only saw my love.

Tears are still streaming down my cheeks right now. Small words from strangers can impact like a tidal wave. Thank you lady. You made my dark day radiant. I hope I can pass it forward.

What joys have you experienced during your dark days?

I Can See Clearly Now

I've written several blog posts in my head over the last week but with a busy schedule, sick kids, potty training and hardly a lick of sleep, well, they never made it out of my head. A couple may be lost, trapped up there forever. One may have fallen out of my ear as I attempted to get 20 minutes of consecutive sleep last night.

But amidst the chaos and exhaustion that feels like a lead weight dragging me to the bottom of the pool, I started to see a little more clearly.

As we began to tumble deeper into our pit of toddler and baby fatigue, news seemed to be crashing in from every direction about pandemonium breaking out around the world. From the most recent Gaza War, the massacres in Iraq, the upheaval of Ferguson, Mo., the loss of our favorite actor that made us laugh in these dark times, to so many friends who seem to be battling one thing or another right now.

It can be overwhelming, depressing, terrifying. But in the thick of all of this, we have to make a choice.

We can choose to block it out, pretend it doesn't exist, move on with our day before we get upset.

Or...

We can choose to take action. If you don't know how to go about making a difference, start with some of these simple yet effective ideas:

• Write a letter to Congress. Don't know how? This article will show you.
• Donate to one of these organizations on the ground in Iraq that are making a difference right now.
• Christian Aid
• Open Doors 

•  Pray. And pray. And pray some more.

On Sunday evening several of us gathered at church to pray together over the situation in Iraq because it was heavy on our hearts.  There is something powerful, encouraging, enlightening and moving when everyone takes turns praying out loud in a group of people. 

 "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” -Matthew 18:20

My sweet friend, Danielle, made an agenda for our prayer time so we could be wise and intentional in how we prayed. It was very helpful for me to direct and focus my prayers outside of the group as well. I want to share it with you in hopes that it will help you, too. Reformat it for the appropriate people or issue that is heavy on your heart. Invite other people to join you.

1. Worship, thanksgiving, and asking for God's will
   "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." -Matthew 6:10


2. Prayer for the persecuted church and others afflicted
   "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." -Matthew 5:4


3. Prayer for the ISIS- justice, conviction and conversions
   "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" -Matthew 5:44


4. Prayer for the response of the church worldwide
   "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 5:16


5. Prayer for the preparedness of His people for the times ahead
   "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" -1 Peter 3:15

As I started writing this blog, I opened another window on my computer to search for something and found shear JOY! I stumbled upon this article: "Joy in U.S. at News That Yazidi Plight Is Easing"

This is so excited because this is a specific group I have praying for as my heart was burdened for the people stranded on the mountains. But supplies have been received and protectors have been escorting THOUSANDS of refugees to safety! Praise God that He hears and answers our prayers! There is still much to pray for and the battle will be long, but it is encouraging to see prayers being directly answered. It gives me hope and faith that other prayers we lift up will be answered as well, even if we don't see it in a news article.

I have been up for the better part of every night this week. But as tired as it's made me, it's also provided me time and perspective. As I pray worried mommy prayers over my little ones in the darkness of night, my thoughts quickly turn to those with little ones that have had to flee in a moment's notice. As I worry about my kids not getting a full night's rest, I pray for the moms whose laps are their child's pillow and whose arms are their child's only shelter.

I think about how desperate and scared I would feel in their shoes. And I realize that is exactly how we should pray for them, as if we are in their very shoes.

9 Lessons Learned On Our Road Trip

On the way from Texas to Iowa, we had it all planned out. We had tons of brand new games and ideas to keep us busy. (See our Road Trip Game Plan.) We stopped three quarters of the way, woke up and played at a water park inside a hotel. We just had a short cruise the second day and were at Grandma's in time for dinner. It was actually easy, laid back, fun and seemed to go by pretty fast.

They thought the duct tape binoculars were a load of fun!

They didn't totally get the whole I Spy Bingo thing,
but they thoroughly enjoyed coloring with the dry erase markers then
erasing everything.

The magnet boards and toys were a HUGE hit.
They played with these, trading toys, for about an hour and a half.

We found a hotel online right along our route with a fun indoor water park.
That was a great morning activity following a full day in the car.

 They are toddlers, so yes, there were toddler moments,
but for the most part, they were like this and enjoying themselves.
They both told us they had fun on the trip. I call that a win.

The way home was a very different experience. We had three sick kids and were up at 4:30am soothing the baby the morning of departure. After several nights of little to no sleep, we were already running on fumes but committed to getting all the way home in one day just to be back in a controlled environment and on a routine as soon as possible for the kids... and us big kids, too. So this is how the trip home looked (notice there are no pictures):

1,100 miles
22 hours awake

17 hours of driving

8 pit stops

6 dollars in tolls

5 states crossed

3 tanks of gas

2 near poop debacles

1 navigation mishap 

Made. It. Home.

Since we experienced the full gamut, I think I can safely say we learned a few things along the way.

1. Plan Ahead
   
   It was SO much easier on the way to Iowa because we had a game plan and an itinerary. We budgeted in time for pit stops to run around, stretch our legs, use the restroom and feed the baby. It was a pretty clear cut itinerary, but there was plenty of room for flexibility if we needed to veer off course for any reason. On the way home, we were just fighting to make it while our brains were still currently functioning. We were trying to hustle and move along the pit stops, but as every parent knows, that will give you the complete opposite result with small children. So bottom line, plan an itinerary for your trip, BOTH ways.
2. Pack Healthy Food
   
   We brought a cooler stocked with water, tons of fruit and two meals. Plus we had a bag of dried fruit and other snacks. Both ways we ate breakfast on the road and either lunch or dinner, stopping for the other. This cut down on cost, saves trip time, and gives the kids another activity to keep them busy in the car. We all tried to load up on water throughout the drive (and a little caffeine for the drivers), which helps you feel better when you arrive. You don't want to load up with fun surprises of super sugary snacks and juices. You are just setting yourself up for failure to sugar load your kid who is trapped in a 1x1 square foot seat with no walls to bounce off of. Meltdowns will most certainly ensue.
3. Surprises
   
   A few fun surprises will go a long way to keep kids from getting bored and realize they are locked into their seat and cannot escape for long periods of time. I prepared quite a few that I showed you in our road trip game plan. But several of them we didn't even get to on the way there, so we had some left for the trip home. Plus, at our first pit stop on the return trip, we let them pick out a new book and they were SO excited. We read for most of the first part of the day.
4. Boredom
   
   I am here to take away any guilt of thinking you have to entertain your kids the entire trip. Let them be bored for a while. We left early in the morning, waking the kids up to go. They ate breakfast and proceeded to zone out for nearly two hours. They weren't complaining and seemed to enjoy just resting to the hum of the car, so we let them just be. A few times they would stop what they were doing and just stare out the window. Then suddenly excited dialogue would break out over something they saw or something they were thinking about. It's fun to see where their minds go.
5. Technology
   
   It seems like technology is our best friend and worst enemy these days. It offers education, entertainment, distraction, busyness and sometimes a longed for silence. Like most things though, technology is great only in moderation. The days we have a little extra tv or screen time at home, I notice my kids are whinier, begging for more and harder to satisfy with other things. On days we have less, they are much more content, creative, and generally get along better. We did watch some movies in the car, but we had a limit to two a day. Actually, Zoe slept through nearly all of them. The girls seemed to have the most fun singing, reading new books, coloring and playing with little toys. At the end of the trip, both girls said they had a lot of fun, so I know we made great memories. In fact, Zoe keeps asking if we can "all go bye-bye in car" again.
6. Potty Breaks
   
   It is good to plan in potty breaks, however, be warned: DO NOT ignore a potty break request because you are making good time, even if they "just went." This WILL backfire and possibly require an immediate cleaning of one or more children, clothes and car seats. We had thrown a little potty in the car for emergencies, in case we were in the middle of nowhere and a #2 struck. Thankfully, we did not need to use it. But we had two close calls on the way home- one from our potty trained toddler who amazingly held it to an exit like a pro and another from the baby who became randomly fussy after a fresh change and feed. Fortunately my mommy sniffer came to the rescue and a blowout was very narrowly avoided.
7. Fill Er Up
   
   Every time you stop, fill up with gas, even if you're at a half tank. There are stretches of road in this great country that don't have gas stations for hundreds of miles. And kids are distracting. You may not notice until it's too late. And then on a hot summer's day, with a car full of kids, no gas station in sight, no cell signal... well, I'm so glad we didn't have to live that nightmare.
8. Expectations
   
   Set realistic expectations. Kids are not perfect and cooperative all the time on a good day, at home, in their environment. So they are almost guaranteed not to be in the confines of a seat for 17 hours. Roll with it, be flexible, prepare yourself with extra mercy.
9. Grace
   
   When you are weary, exhausted and emotionally compromised, remember your kids will be even more so. Take a deep breath, exhale, offer grace. You got this.

Road Trip Game Plan

Today is the day! We've been counting down the days until we leave for our big (17 hour) road trip to Grandma's house!

I grew up going on road trips, and I think they're a lot of fun, a grand adventure. When I suggested it to Eriek, he looked at me like I was certifiably insane. He kept reminding me that we have three children (3, 2, and 5 months). Therefore it must be deemed impossible, or just plain nuts, to attempt such a certain catastrophe.

After analyzing every possible way to get to Grandma's house, the road trip was the most feasible, so we committed to it. Eriek immediately turned white and may still in a mild state of shock and fear. Although it seems to have settled into a comfortable state of denial. He may have to get treated for PTSD after we get home.

However, I am a most positive and determined individual, well, perhaps stubborn is a more accurate description. So I poured every spare minute into hunting down ideas to keep our toddlers entertained without melting their brains to mush via 17 hours of movies (which Eriek may or may not have suggested we do).

Armed with Pinterest, I gathered items and made several fun things to occupy the girls and hopefully make the trip fun and memorable. I'll let you know once we get to Grandma's how it REALLY all plays out, but until then, I'll give you a snippet of some of the things we have come up with.

Countdown Calendar

We mentioned about a month ago to the girls that we were driving to Grandma's house. After that, every time we got in the car, Zoe asked if we were driving to Grandma's house and would get upset when we said "No." So, We decided to make a simple little calendar that the girls could help cross off each day as we got closer. It helped A TON, and it seems to have gotten them even more excited. You'll notice we didn't bother with dates. But the girls can count a bit, so we just put how many days were left. Although we're now leaving a day earlier, but they didn't mind at all.

 How Much Farther?

I LOVE this idea! It's a visual to help the girls understand how much farther we have to go until we reach Grandma's house. It's supposed to help keep the dreaded "Are we there yet?" hounding to a minimum, but even if that doesn't work, it seems to be a fun teaching tool.

I made our minivan complete with family inside ready to travel! I printed up a picture for each segment of the trip, and as we see the pictures or get to that point on the journey, we'll move the minivan past that picture. Everything is hanging by a paperclip so they can be easily moved, however we already discovered that our minivan went crashing into landmarks, so I re-secured everything with clothes pins.

How Much Farther Idea from Momsminivan.com

 We're ready! At least our pictures are happy even if our attitudes might not be.

  

 Each main segment of the trip is represented.

Our target- Grandma & Papa Dave's house!

Trip Map

I found this great free printable of the states over at I Heart Organizing. They can color in the states or just follow along the route I drew in.

I Spy

Of course we had to include I Spy for the girls! It's like a road trip right of passage. I found these great free printables at Prepared Not Scared. And I saw the adorable DIY binoculars at DIY Home Sweet Home. The girls picked out the duct tape and I went to town with a couple of toilet paper rolls.

Dry Erase Markers

It seems so simple, but it's brilliant. I'm not even sure where I read the idea, but thank you to whoever suggested it! I found these little dry erase markers with erasers on the top at the dollar store, and they work great on sheet protectors. So the girls can cross off things they see on their I Spy games or color on the states or just doodle, erase and redo. Love it.

Magnetic Travel Trays

So another simple, yet brilliant idea is the magnetic travel tray. You take a cheap cookie sheet and it you can use magnetic toys on it so they don't fall every two seconds in the car, plus it doubles as a lap tray for coloring, eating, playing, etc and things won't roll off  because of the edges. I found a simple was to make it pretty and fun over at My Kind of Makeover. I found all the toys at the dollar store and slapped magnet strips on the bottom.

Lacing Cards

I think this is a great idea for little ones learning fine motor skills. Activity Village had awesome free printables of all kinds of animals. I let the girls pick which ones they wanted.

Neck Pillows

I have no idea if these will work well in the car, but they were adorable. My girls love elephants, so at the very least, they will play with them. And I had to get Zadok a matching pair of straps.

Glow Things

While He was Napping had some great ideas. Unfortunately I ran out of time to make the play dough balloons and pom pom stuffers, but I scooped up some glow bracelets and necklaces from the dollar store for driving at night. They love flashlights and all things glow, so this is sure to be a hit! I just hope it doesn't backfire and keep them up longer.

So there you have it, the highlights of our game plan. The Little Man has some knew toys I'll break out on the trip, too. And yes, we did some fun new movies for the girls: Mary Poppins, Horton Hears a Who, and Ice Age Melt Down. Plus their favorites just in case.

Don't worry, I will definitely post about the trip if we survive to Iowa. If you'd like to follow along with our real-time shenanigans, though, follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

And all prayers are greatly appreciated... especially for Eriek! Ha!