Naptime Blog

Before I had kids, friends warned me that I would have to pack the entire house just to go to the grocery store. I never realized how right they were! Now that the kids are a little older, day to day trips aren’t that bad. I can pack a couple diapers, a container of wipes, two sippies and a small snack and be good for at least an hour or two if I time the errand just right.

Vacations are a different story!

When I worked a 9 to 5 job (more like 7:30 to 5:30), before I had kids, I remember how much I would look forward to vacation. I also remember how much work it was to prepare for vacation and how much catch up I had to do when I returned.

Now that my job is of the 24/7 variety, that’s still the case, but now instead of making sure someone is trained to work on my projects, I have to make sure I pack enough clothes, food, diapers, strollers, floaties, sippies, play yards to keep the kids safe at the beach, pack-n-plays, blankets, swimsuits, toys, first aid kits, sunscreen, baby shampoo, baby wash, baby toothbrushes, Goldfish crackers, portable DVD players (for the 10 hour car ride), DVDs and money for all of the things I forget. I’m tired just blogging about it and that’s only the things the kids will need while we are on vacation. I still have to make sure hubby and I have enough clean clothes, underwear, shampoo and so on and so forth.

In addition to packing all of the needed supplies, I need to do my research and make sure the hotels/condos we stay in are safe for the kids and that there are fun places for them. By the time I’ve done all this and have the kids strapped in their carseats and ready to go, I am exhausted and ready to crash in the passenger seat with my travel pillow. But hrm, what is that smell emanating from the back seat? And back inside we go to freshen up again before we leave.
Oh, and did I mention we have to make sure we have someone to watch our beloved fur babies?

With all the work going on vacation entails, not to mention the unpacking, laundry, etc. when we get home, is it worth it? I would have to say it definitely is. If a bright, bouncing beach ball on a beautiful white sand beach with gorgeous blue water puts even one smile on the face of my little boys, it’s sooo worth it and I’d do it monthly. Anything that brings joy to their hearts is it worth it to this mommy.

I can’t say that so much for a 9 to 5 job.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

This entry was posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 2:51 am and is filed under Shannon, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.