I'm sure my 15 followers have been wondering where I've been this summer. Well, we took the Party-of-Five on the road for two (very) long trips. The first started mid-July in Richmond for a lovely outdoor wedding of Phil's nephew Jeremiah. Usually one hears "outdoor" and "mid-July" and starts sweating just thinking about it. But as luck would have it, the weather was perfect and the personalized fans distributed at the entrance of the ceremony were unnecessary. The recommended hotel for the wedding was the Hotel Sierra in the suburb of Short Pump...the first hotel that I've ever stayed in that is attached to a mall. Highly recommended for dining and entertainment options, and last-minute accessory shopping.
Our trip took us to New York City for two days, an exhausting but exhilarating experience for both us and the kids. I didn't know how much we could fit into a 48 hour period, but we managed to squeeze in almost everything we wanted to show them. (if anyone is looking for a guide to NYC with kids, shoot me a note.) We then drove to Philadelphia, for a short visit with my brother and his family. Then we caravanned with some other family members to New Haven, CT for my niece April's wedding. Though New Haven had record 104 degree days, the town was very picturesque and the wedding was beyond beautiful. Except for the bride being taken out on a stretcher, I would say it was fairy tale. Actually, maybe the fall from dancing so wildly will make it epic- the stuff of legends for future weddings.
A two day road trip home on Saturday and Sunday followed.
Then a quick 5 days back home to do laundry, squeeze in cheer camp, LifeTime camp, a Sweet and Sassy party, tutor sessions and some playdates- then off again to Augusta for my 20th HS reunion (really it was 21 years but it didn't get organized last summer), followed by an overnight stay at my sister's in Tampa (a wonderful respite after almost 9 hours in the car), then to Miami for 4 days to visit our friends the Criados that we knew from TX. Our kids are the same age and play together wonderfully, allowing Valerie and me the needed time to talk uninterrupted. Since Valerie is from Miami, she showed us the town, hitting South Beach (both nightlife and the beach), Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and down into the Keys. We got to swim with dolphins, an amazing experience and not one we'll soon forget. On Friday, we drove to Boca Raton and spent two days with my newlywed niece April, fully recovered from aforementioned stretcher incident. She and her husband Jon were superb hosts, and enjoyed our kids enough to take them for an overnight. Not sure if they will want 3 kids after this weekend, but they had fun nonetheless, as did us all.
Then Sunday we drove 10.5 hours home.
Between the two trips, we put about 4000 miles on the minivan.
Anyone who has traveled with young children knows that this is no small feat. And although this is usually an entertainment blog, I am diverting to a quick advice blog on some of my best tips on surviving the long hours in the car.
1. CAR FOOD: It's a guarantee that road trips will make you fat. You are stuck in the car, bored and tired. What better way to break up the monotony with snacks and candy? So just make sure you get the good stuff (aka worth the calories.) For me, that's Haribo gummy bears, Raisinets, M&M's (Phil likes peanut, kids like plain, I like peanut butter) and anything with chocolate and caramel. The kids respond well to candy for good car behavior. So stock up!
2. FAST FOOD: It's also a given that you are going to have to eat some meals on the run, and with kids this is their preferred source of lunch and dinner. So if you can upgrade to a Moe's or Panera or Jason's Deli by waiting until you get to a larger town, then do it. But if your stop is in the middle of nowhere, you are forced to get McDonald's or Wendy's or if you are really lucky, Chik-Fil-A. I make myself feel better about feeding this to the kids by making them get chocolate milk to drink and fruit instead of fries. And for the record, the Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken salad is really not a bad adult option...
3. MOVIES: Bring a minimum of 12 movies on a 2000 mile trip. And even then, it won't be enough. So be prepared to find a redbox or blockbuster express machine and get some supplemental movies. These are rented for $1 and can be returned to any box along the way. Places like McD's, Walgreens and RaceTrac have these right outside their stores. And I purchase kid new releases at Target the week they come out, when they are on sale for $15. I justify this spend because with 3 kids, they will watch a movie at least 5 times, so that's really $1 per viewing. Since you will be listening to the movie (unless you make them wear headphones or you listen to your own iPod), make sure you have ones you like to hear. For us, that includes Megamind, Kung Fu Panda, Fantastic Mr. Fox or any of the Disney ones with a good soundtrack, such as Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.
4. OTHER SCREENS: This includes Nintendo DS, Leapster, iPod Touch, iPad, etc. Really anything else that is electronic that can hold their attention when the movie doesn't. Borrow what you don't have and charge them up before the journey! I am not usually a screens kind of mom, but road trips require desperate measures.
5. THE COUNTDOWN: This I have found is the answer to the "Are we there yet?" question and particularly good for the long driving days, with 7 or more hours. Just take the hotel tablet and pen from your last visit and write "8 hours" on one page followed by 7 on down to 1 hour. The whole family takes satisfaction is tearing off the page and whittling down the trip in a quanitifiable way. Everyone knew how much longer every hour and I never had to hear the dreaded question again. The countdown is key for the way home, when you have less to look forward to. For us it was getting to see our kitties, Zoe and Mario. So we'd say "5 hours to ZoeCat" or "3 hours to MarMar" which Phil turned into "30 Seconds to MarMar", a play on a band name...
I am surprised to say that our road trips were not terrible...and in fact, would do them again. Flying to all of these destinations would have been cost prohibitive for the 5 of us, but we ended up having a great summer vacation with so many laughs, fun adventures and lasting memories.
And as much fun as summer has been, I am still pretty thrilled that SCHOOL STARTS IN ONE WEEK! Then I can get back to my regularly scheduled entertainment blog and life as I know it.
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