We’ve made it Colorado! Sure, I can still see Kansas from the hotel window, but I’m calling it a success. Our big adventure/epic road trip/fool’s errand has officially begun. So far travelling solo with kids is pretty much an exact replica of every other day as a SAHM: The kids simultaneously annoy the shit out of me, and then blow me away with their awesomeness. They’ve just taken their everyday antics on the road.
DAY 1
Yesterday was DAY 1… dun dun dun. We drove from Ohio to Kansas City, which is just about 10 hours + time for stops. We killed it. Like. We made amazing time, the kids didn’t fight, they entertained themselves, Abby slept for hours. It was like the road trip gods handed me a winning lottery ticket.
It’s amazing what my kids will put up with when I promise them a hotel pool at the end of the journey.
PRO TIP: Pools are everything. Spring for a hotel with a pool.
Abby discovered yesterday that she can float in her floaties. This basically blew her mind, and she spent a good hour floating around with her eyes closed, occasionally sighing “I’m floating. It’s really happening”.
Dinner consisted of food purchased at Target – aka cereal and chips, upon request. Olivia interrogated me for a good 20 minutes about how we were in another state but it looked exactly like home. I mean, what can I say? Target and Chipotle are universal.
No one slept well last night. I Should have gotten a room with a king, because they all ended up in bed with me anyways. You’ll never find me considering a family bed, because seriously stop touching me while I sleep. But it’s hard to reject your little humans in a strange hotel after a long day.
So today we were all a little tired and a little cranky. Just a little…
DAY 2
But I’m freaking determined to have fun on this trip, so off to LEGOland we went. I did not realize that LEGOland and the aquarium shared a building and front desk, what a clever sales team. So obviously we ended up shelling out for both, plus some stupid necklaces in the gift shop that Abby has broken twice.
On one hand I wanted to be like… um hell no. LEGOland was enough, you don’t *really* need the aquarium too. But on the other hand, I dragged them across the country in a minivan, the least I can offer is some stingrays and a shark tunnel. They did love it though, so #momwin
Properly exhausted by the recycled air, I herded the girls back towards the car for our 6 hour drive into Colorado. I had hoped they would sleep after all that activity. They didn’t. They did, however, bicker non stop for eight straight hours and demand to do something FUN.
WAS LEGOLAND NOT FUN ENOUGH FOR YOU? HOW ABOUT THAT FREAKING AQUARIUM?
*Deep Breaths Megan*
Highlights from our drive today include:
Stopping 10 (yes 10) times so Abby could go potty. Pretty sure she’s either constipated or bored. Probably both.
Insulin Pump Change in a gas station.
Kid endless fighting.
Bagging up Abby poop on the side of the road.
One epic mom smackdown that could also safely be classified as an adult temper tantrum.
So after all the craziness, we are driving towards our hotel and the sun starts to set on the prairie, and damn if it wasn’t one of the most beautiful things.
I had this epiphany of sorts. Travel with kids, especially as the only adult, is seriously taxing at times. It can straight up suck and make you doubt why you chose this in the first place. But then something so magical happens and it’s all worth it. So I was determined to put my positive face on, and pulled into our hotel feeling bolstered and enthused.
By the time we got into our room the magical feeling had passed, the epiphany was over, and I was on the phone with Jake, near tears, asking him why our kids were being such dicks. Don’t worry, they weren’t listening to word I was saying anyways.
I took the kids back outside to burn off some steam, and we were standing there with the sun just disappearing below the horizon, and the kids were laughing and playing, and it was magic again.
That’s the thing about travel. It’s not all bad, and it’s not all magic. If I can keep my sanity through the crap parts, the rewards are epic. Tomorrow we will finally see mountains! And soak in a pool fed by hot springs!
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Of course days like this happen when you’re single momming it! I hope the rest of your trip goes more smoothly. I’ll be following along!
Happy to report today went much better! Thank goodness!
Are you doing this alone?? That’s hard. I like Legoland and the aquarium and they are small enough to do both together at the same time. Glad your kids liked them, for the most part!
Yep, just me! At least for the next few days. I’ll pick up the hubs in SLC in a few, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing him!
LOVE this. I’m cheering you on from the quiet comfort of my own home. But don’t worry, kids alternate between being magical amazing wonders and irrational inconsolable jerks here as well.
Haha mine are the same at home as well, so I might as well take it on the road!