l o n g road traveled...

seven hundred-and-eighty-nine miles.
three states.
thirteen hour drive.
six rounds of movies.
three gas stations.
five hour road closure [add that to the thirteen hour drive.]
one gluten allergy attack.
two naps.
one laundry basket full of food.
two coloring books.
one very  long trip to Boise, Idaho...with an eighteen month old.

I can not even begin to tell you how many emails and comments I have received about how the heck we traveled 13 hours with Hudson back to Boise a few weeks ago. Honestly, sometimes I have no idea who we do it! Trust me, it is not the best way to travel...it may be the cheapest, but it is not the best. It takes a lot of prep time, a lot of anxiety, and a lot of patience....but we do it often because it is so worth it!

Now, the way I travel may seem a bit extreme to some...but it works for us...and most importantly, it works for Hudson. He is an absolute champ...but I can guarantee you, it has to do with this...

[excuse the picture quality]

This is how we travel...well this is how Hudson travels.

Hudson has a Kindle...yes, HIS kindle... with about 6 shows on it. He normally doesn't watch television during the day at home, so whenever the kindle is out, it's an absolute treat for him. We have a speaker that plugs into the kindle so this kid rides with surround sound...no joke.

I also bought this tray before we left...

It was a life savor for snacks, and even coloring on the road!

And this is how I pack.

My anxiety level skyrockets when we travel.

It it my responsibility to make sure we are packed and prepared...and that's exactly what I do.

People always make fun of me for being so prepared...until they need something that I have...

medicine: you can never be too prepared...and I can promise you that you don't want a miserable baby on a roadtrip...no matter how long that roadtrip is.

will: this is probably the most important thing I pack. I know i'm not the only mother that thinks about what would happen to your children if something happened to you. Especially on these trips, I carry it with me. Most of it states what would happen to Hudson if something were to happen to BOTH Kalob and I. I'm also a little freaked out about it, and I text both of my parents and my brother our wishes of them receiving full guardianship of Hudson...I mean what would happen if the car caught on fire and the will burned or something...got to think about everything right!?! I'm all about back-ups!

birth certificate: The only reason I carry this, is because there have been times that we drive to Boise, and there are talks of Hudson and I flying back to Colorado. If you want to fly with an infant, you have to have their birth certificate...without this, you do not fly! I would have no way of getting his birth certificate in time without carrying a copy with me.
money: cash in particular. I always have about $20 in cash just in case. my bank account is always stocked for an emergency as well. I carry a back up credit card. You never know when you are going to go off the road in a snow storm, have to call for a tow truck to pull you out, and they require cash down and a credit card...[yes this has happened to me before in college!]

batteries: We have back up batteries to our back up batteries.

chargers: we also have back up chargers to our back up chargers...this trip we actually had an extension cord back to Hudson's Kindle to keep it charged the entire trip...because clearly we try and stop as little as possible!

LED head light: We always end up traveling at night...especially with a 13 hour trip. This past time, my headlight went out. Luckily I had packed this light so Kalob could figure everything out quickly so we could be on our way.

 I also pack a laundry basket  full of food. 

Snacks are usually on top [easy access], while some of Hudson's food for the week is on the bottom. 

I also found this trip, that instead of worrying about fast food for Hudson...easy mac[ not that it is any better than fast food], from a gas station, is a perfect way to eat some dinner on the road! I know I know, that also means that you have to use the gas station microwave...but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep a kid happy.

Extreme?! Yeah probably for some...but once you travel with a baby for 13 hours, in a car, in a carseat...you'll see my reasoning for everything!

Hope everyone is having an amazing week.

Just remember, it's almost Friday!