Over the last couple of years our very limited travel/vacation budget has largely been spent on trips that just the husband and I take. We like spending our scant vacation time in hotels, going out for lavish multi-course dinners and alcohol. This has given us some parental guilt. Not because we're jet-setting every other weekend, but simply because we don't travel far with our kids. Both our families live within about an hours distance, and the prospect of travelling more than that for the sheer heck of it just doesn't hold so much appeal after spending even that amount of time in the car.
This past weekend we went to the busy metrop of Calgary a mere five hours away for four days to attend the wedding of some dear friends. We hit up a hotel (with a giant suite, we're not completely crazy) and had plans for a trip to the zoo, the wedding, and visiting more friends and family. Doesn't that sound low key? Easy? Then why was I completely exhausted by the end of day one??
Well heres ten reasons why both the hubs and I were exhausted in mere hours and have now assuaged our misplaced travelling without kids guilt:
1. None of my kids can use a public washroom. A pit stop becomes a 45 minute adventure in avoiding the diseases that cover public washrooms.
2. Travelling with a extremely wiggly 7 month old who isn't eating a ton of solid food equals the inability to put him down for 4 days, and a proportional amount of shrieking for restaurant food.
3. How many kids can you get to nap in a hotel room at one time??
4. I've come to the conclusion that its less work to cook than to figure out what they will all eat off a restaurant menu.
5. At least one child will throw up at some point.
6. Car seats times 4 times a million stops equals....well....theres a couple of four letter words that would be appropriate.
7. I will never buy the boys non-identical toys again.
8. It took longer to pack for the trip than trip.
9. Even the prospect of driving for 5 hours filled me with dread...luckily everyone needed gravol on the ride home.
10. But one day having four kids within four and half years of each other will make for really great trips....right??...right???
6. Car seats times 4 times a million stops equals....well....theres a couple of four letter words that would be appropriate.
7. I will never buy the boys non-identical toys again.
8. It took longer to pack for the trip than trip.
9. Even the prospect of driving for 5 hours filled me with dread...luckily everyone needed gravol on the ride home.
10. But one day having four kids within four and half years of each other will make for really great trips....right??...right???
"I will never buy the boys non-identical toys again."
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud when I read that one. SO TRUE! My boys will find a way to fight about anything!
Ugh I totally hear you on this one..hope you guys had at least some fun?! Do you think I'm insane for planning to drive out to Ontario for my sister's wedding (15 hours) BY MYSELF with three kids?!
ReplyDeleteThis cracked me up. Just got back from a trip with only half the number of kids you have. Can't decide which is worst: pre-trip laundry or post-trip laundry. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, YES! The laundry! And babies make so much, you can't even cheat by just packing two outfits, you've gotta pack extra extras!!
DeleteOh man. I just read this out loud to chuck and we were both chuckling! Especially about the toys and gravol. And oy the laundry. I already did a bunch for the cruise and we aren't even all the way home yet...
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