Thursday, November 8, 2012

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!



22 comments:

  1. I'm going to check out those trays! We are planning a 14 hour road trip with a 2 and 5 year old over Christmas break.

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  2. loving your blog,

    I'm very new to the blogging community but feel free to come check out my blog:
    barelyfabricated.blogspot.com

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  3. love that tray idea! We need one of those...do they work forward facing??
    We drove from UT to PA when Luke was 3 months old last summer...fortunately he was an angel and slept almost the whole drive.
    The kindle is smart too- I have had to drive two hours (frequently) to my many dr appointments (thank you baby#2!, so I have just stuck my iphone in the headrest so Luke can watch his sesame street! Whatever works...

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  4. We are about to head out for a road trip in a couple hours. My stuff looks similar to yours!

    thanks for the pointers, I forgot a couple things :)

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  5. OH MY GOSH. You're so organized! Can you pack for me on the next trip? :)

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  6. awesome advice. I will have to remember some of this

    We traveled w. my daughter when she was 6w and then again she was 13mo to myrtle beach we split it up in 2 days first day was 8 hours and 2nd was 4hours

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  7. I wish I would have read this post before I traveled solo with my toddler on a mere 4 hour drive! You're awesome, mama! I am bookmarking this for when we do our Thanksgiving road trip, however!

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  8. I love those trays! I have serious anxiety about traveling with my little ones. They each have little tvs and still after an hour or so they are bored and antsy.

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  9. That tray is awesome, I don't plan on traveling that far anytime soon but I would love to get one for hour plus trips. I flew with my daughter when she was 16 months old and it was a nightmare, I almost rather trade it for the seclusion of our car even with the 10 hour tack on.

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  10. aww, you are so organized. What a great way to pack and plan for a trip. My husband and I go on frequent road trips, I love planning and packing for the road, these are great tips. Just started following you, feel free to stop by my blog.
    Abigail K
    www.abi-asaturdaymorning.blogspot.com

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  11. Love your traveling tips! Driving 18 hours with 2 kids at the end of the month so very helpful!

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  12. Great tips girl!
    It's better to be prepared than stranded.

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  13. wow-that is one organised packing system!! well done you-15 hours is no joke

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  14. oh you are just like me when it comes to thinking about travel I am happy that we don't do it too often if at all. I was the first one to leave the province in our family this year!

    following you back from the monday mingle lovely to have met you!

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  15. Great post! We also travel on long road trips. Great tips. I'm thinking of getting that same tray.
    Following back and looking fwd to it!
    Gina

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  16. New follower from LIY...loved your guest post! I have an almost 18 month old daughter...not too much younger than your sweet Hudson!

    I loved this post! We travel regularly...as in once every two months at least, by car, from Ohio to NJ (we just moved). I have to be over prepared just like you. My daughter is actually great in the car and I am SO beyond thankful for that. And the portable DVD player :) Life saver, that thing! We pack lots of snacks and things to keep her busy. I love that tray...can you share where you got it?? Thanks! Looking forward to getting to know you!

    Katie

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  17. Oh my goodness! I feel like I have to read so much more about you after reading this post! First of all - thank you for stopping by my blog today. Second - I cannot BELIEVE how prepared you are!! I am the total and polar opposite. I need to start taking some tips though... THIRD - I'm still in disbelief that you pack an LED headlight. :):):) FORTH - new follower. I look forward to learning much more about how to be prepared!!

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  18. Wow. You are so organized! I've never thought about having a will on you with a child. We don't have children (yet) and this opened my eyes WIDE. What a great idea having a Kindle (or iPad) with movies on it and surround sound. That laundry basket full of food is GENIUS! I'm so glad I stopped by your blog. I've learned so much!

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I love reading every single one of your comments!