http___www.stubbornfishtales.com_ga_2012_09_05__1.xml
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Traveling with two young toddlers Or…. I can’t believe I did this by myself and ENJOYED IT! I had my class reunion in my home town last week. Hubby and I were all set to enjoy our first road trip with our littles. Mom hadn’t met them yet, and she was so excited! Then… Hubby got sick. Really sick. When my husband catches something, his body’s first response is to shoot it’s temperature up. It stayed up for 5 days, and when he eventually went into the doctor, he had a double ear-infection. Anywho, all that being said, my sweet husband, who never gets time off of work to actually enjoy himself, spent 2 weeks SICK, so going on our trip would now have to be a solo gig. My home town is approximately 12 hours from where we live in the U.P. I was intimidated, to say the least, about driving all that distance myself with two very young toddlers. Bitty is still not eating solid foods significantly yet, and that meant that we would have to stop often. Plus, she doesn’t self-soothe much, so her ability to stay calm and entertained was also a concern. Busy Boy did great on our recent 5 hour trip down-state for a wedding, so I wasn’t as concerned about him as long as he had plenty of toys to play with. So here’s how I prepared for my journey. - I bought a good, double umbrella stroller that would easily fit in my trunk, even with all the gear. This turned out to be absolutely essential during potty breaks. I also bought a back pack to replace my traditional diaper bag. Another inspired idea that saved me a lot of frustration. - I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do all 12 hours in one shot, so I booked a hotel at about the half-way point with a kiddie pool area so the kids could burn off some energy after sitting all day in the car. Hubby had hotel points, so we were able to get 2 free nights. Awesome. (Note to self: Check reviews better! Pretty pictures do not mean a clean hotel!) - Listening to music puts me to sleep on long trips, so I made sure I had plenty of radio theatre albums to listen to. My favorites come from Focus on the Family. They have some great titles for all ages. I am still addicted to Adventures in Odyssey, but I also listened to the entire Chronicles of Narnia saga over the length of the trip. - I checked the weather report and it was going to be HOT! So I packed lots of light clothes for the kiddos, which was kind of difficult since we are already starting to prepare for cooler weather here and I had started switching things over. - When I was packing up miscellaneous stuff, I made sure that I had a bag that I could keep up in the front seat with me so I could have things handy, like extra wipes, baby tylenol, extra formula etc…. - Kohl’s has this great program where they feature different children’s authors every month and sell books and their coordinating stuffed animals for $5 a piece. In August, they had the Skippyjon Jones series, and one of the products was a really cute, toddler-sized back pack. Busy Boy LOVES this back pack. It was perfect for me to put his travel toys in, and it was something he could do to help, which is huge for him. Any time it was time to go “bye-bye’s” he would put his back pack on and I would help him load it up. The tricky part was making sure he didn’t sneak things in there that were not ours. - We took off after lunch so that the babes would fall asleep during their regular nap time. It worked. I was able to drive for almost three straight hours without a peep from the littles, and by the time they woke up, I was ready for a stretch too, but I felt accomplished that I had gotten so many miles under my tires. - I looked for Shell stations to stop at, because they typically have big, clean bathrooms. I loaded the kids into the double stroller and was able to pee in peace, change the babes, and head back out. My double stroller was even able to be folded and put in the trunk one-handed when necessary. Score! - I tried to find rest areas with safe places to walk/run around. This gave me a chance to feed the baby outside the car, and Busy Boy a chance to run around. The trouble was getting him back into the car. Yeah… Busy Boy and transitions are not such good friends. - On the way back, we stopped in Austin, MN to visit one of our favorite places, the SPAM Museum! If you are ever out that way, it’s a great place to stop with the family, or by yourself, to stretch your legs and get some good chuckles. It’s really quite an impressive place. There’s lots of interactive displays, as well as a gift shop where you can buy more flavors of SPAM than you ever knew existed. This was my third or fourth visit, so when the nice lady offered me a map, I told her I knew where I was going. Plus, it’s air-conditioned, which was a huge plus on that 100 degree day. I hope my experiences were of some interest and/or help to you. I will post more about my actual trip next. Blessings! Hannah
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Ag taisteal le dhá mamailínigh óga Ní féidir liom a chreidiúint raibh mé é seo trí féin agus bhain mé sult as! Bhí mé mo chéile rang i mo bhaile dúchais tseachtain seo caite. Hubby agus mé leagadh ar fad chun taitneamh a bhaint ár turas bóthair ar dtús lenár littles. Ní raibh mam bhuail iad go fóill, agus bhí sí an oiread sin sceitimíní! Ansin ... fuair Hubby tinn. Tá sé an tinn. Nuair a ghabhálacha mo fhear céile rud éigin, is é a chorp freagra den chéad uair a shoot sé teocht suas. D'fhan sé suas ar feadh 5 lá, agus nuair a chuaigh sé i ndeireadh na dála an dochtúir, bhí sé dúbailte cluas-ionfhabhtú. Anywho, gach go bhfuil á rá, chaith mo fhear céile milis, a fhaigheann riamh am saor ón obair chun taitneamh a bhaint i ndáiríre é féin, 2 sheachtain BREOITE, mar sin ag dul ar ár dturas bheadh anois a bheith ina gig aonair. Is é mo baile dúchais thart ar 12 uair an chloig ó áit a bhfuil cónaí orainn i UP bhí intimidated mé, a rá a laghad, faoi tiomáint go léir achar féin le dhá mamailínigh an-óg. Bitty nach bhfuil ag ithe go fóill bianna soladach go suntasach go fóill, agus gur chiallaigh go mbeadh orainn chun stop a chur go minic. Plus, ní dhéanann sí féin-soothe i bhfad, agus mar sin ar a cumas chun fanacht socair agus siamsaíocht ar fáil freisin ina ábhar imní. Boy Busy raibh mór ar ár turas le déanaí 5 uair an chloig síos-stáit le haghaidh bainise, mar sin ní raibh mé chomh buartha faoi dó chomh fada agus a bhí sé neart de na bréagáin a imirt leis. Mar sin tá anseo conas ullmhaigh mé do mo thuras. - Cheannaigh mé go maith, stroller scáth dúbailte a bheadh oiriúnach go héasca i mo stoc, fiú le trealamh go léir. Seo iompaigh amach a bheith fíor-riachtanach le linn sosanna potty. Cheannaigh mé chomh maith le pacáiste ar ais a chur in ionad mo mhála diaper traidisiúnta. Ea an smaoineamh a spreag a shábháil dom a lán de frustrachas. - Bhí a fhios agam nach mbeadh mé in ann a dhéanamh ar na 12 uair an chloig i amháin lámhaigh, mar sin mé in áirithe ar óstán ag an bpointe mar gheall ar an leath-bhealach le limistéar snámha kiddie sin d'fhéadfadh na páistí sruthán amach roinnt fuinnimh tar éis suí an lá ar fad sa charr . Hubby Bhí pointí óstán, mar sin bhí muid in ann a fháil ar 2 oíche saor in aisce. Awesome. (Tabhair faoi deara le féin: athbhreithnithe Seiceáil fearr nach bhfuil pictiúir Pretty ciallóidh óstán glan!) - Éisteacht le ceol cuireann dom a chodladh ar thurais fhada, mar sin rinne mé cinnte go raibh mé neart raidió albam amharclann chun éisteacht le. Tagann mo rogha ó Fócas ar an Teaghlaigh . Tá siad roinnt teidil mór do gach aois. Tá mé ag addicted fós Eachtraí Odyssey, ach éist mé freisin ar an Chronicles ar fad saga Narnia thar fhad an turais. - Sheiceáil mé an tuarascáil aimsir agus bhí sé ag dul a bheith te! Mar sin, pacáilte mé go leor de éadaí éadrom le haghaidh an kiddos, a bhí de chineál ar deacair ós rud é táimid ag tosú cheana féin a ullmhú le haghaidh aimsir with anseo agus bhí a thosaigh mé rudaí a athrú thar. - Nuair a bhí a phacáil mé suas rudaí ilghnéitheacha, rinne mé cinnte go raibh mé mála go raibh mé in ann a choimeád ar bun sa suíochán tosaigh liom go bhféadfaí mé a bheith rudaí handy, ar nós wipes breise, leanbh Tylenol, srl foirmle breise .... - Kohl ar Tá an clár iontach ina gné siad páistí éagsúla údair gach mí agus leabhair a dhíol agus a n-ainmhithe a chomhordú stuffed le haghaidh $ 5 píosa. I mí Lúnasa, bhí siad an Jones Skippyjon tsraith, agus ceann de na táirgí a bhí i ndáiríre gleoite, pacáiste ar ais tachrán-iarrachtaí. LOVES Boy Busy an paca seo ar ais. Bhí sé iontach dom a chur a bréagáin taistil, agus bhí sé rud éigin a fhéadfadh sé a dhéanamh chun cabhrú le, a bhfuil ollmhór dó. Am ar bith An raibh sé in am dul "fo-beannacht ar" Ba mhaith, chuir sé a pacáiste ar ais ar an agus ba mhaith liom cuidiú leis a luchtú sé suas. An chuid is tricky a bhí ag déanamh cinnte nach raibh sé sneak rudaí ann nach raibh linne. - Chuir muid amach tar éis lóin ionas go mbeadh na babes titim ina chodladh le linn a gcuid ama nap rialta. D'oibrigh sé. Bhí mé in ann a thiomáint ar feadh beagnach trí uair an chloig díreach gan peep ó na littles, agus ag an am dhúisigh siad suas, bhí mé réidh le haghaidh stráice freisin, ach bhraith mé i gcrích go raibh gotten mé míle oiread sin faoi mo bhoinn. - D'fhéach mé do stáisiúin Shell a stopadh ag, toisc go bhfuil siad de ghnáth mór, seomraí folctha glan. Luchtaithe mé na páistí isteach sa stroller dúbailte agus bhí sé in ann a Pee go buan, na babes a athrú, agus ceann ar ais amach. Mo stroller dúbailte a bhí fiú in ann a bheith fillte agus a chur i trunk aon-láimh nuair is gá. Scór! - Rinne mé iarracht teacht ar réimsí eile a bhfuil áiteanna sábháilte ag siúl / rith timpeall. Thug sé seo deis dom chun beatha an leanbh taobh amuigh den charr, agus Boy Busy deis a rith timpeall. An deacracht a bhí ag fáil ar ais isteach sa charr. Yeah ... nach bhfuil Boy Busy agus aistrithe cairde maithe den sórt sin. - Ar an mbealach ar ais, stop muid i Austin, MN chun cuairt a thabhairt ar cheann dár n-áiteanna is fearr leat, an Músaem Spam ! Má tá tú riamh amach ar an mbealach sin, tá sé ina áit iontach chun stop a chur leis an teaghlach, nó le tú féin, a stráice do chosa agus a fháil ar roinnt mhaith chuckles. Tá sé i ndáiríre go leor áit mórthaibhseach. Níl go leor de na taispeántais idirghníomhacha, chomh maith le siopa bronntanas áit ar féidir leat a cheannach blasanna níos mó de na Spam ná mar a bhí a fhios agat ann riamh. Ba é seo mo chuairt an tríú nó an ceathrú mír, mar sin nuair a thairg an bhean deas dom léarscáil, dúirt mé léi a fhios agam nuair a bhí mé ag dul. Plus, tá sé aer-oiriúnaithe, a bhí ina móide ollmhór ar an lá sin 100 céim. Tá súil agam mo thaithí a bhí ar roinnt úis agus / nó cúnamh a thabhairt duit. Beidh mé post níos mó faoi mo thuras iarbhír eile. Beannachtaí! Hannah