woes of a traveling baby buncher

Typically here on Baby Bunching we aim to offer two things: 1) tips and tricks for survival and 2) support.  However, I feel compelled to forewarn you that today's post is strictly a vent.  Rest assured that we will offer plenty of tips and tricks for making the most of the holiday season with your Bunch, but today's post is just a bitch-fest from Cara about how much it sucks to be a traveling Baby Buncher.  If you are one of those blessed enough to live near family and avoid traveling for the holidays and cannot in any way identify with this post, consider this a small gift from God to make your life as a Baby Buncher infinitely easier.

We have just returned from a perfectly lovely long holiday weekend, where a number of our very dearest family members worked so hard to put on a picture-perfect Thanksgiving, followed by the absolutely delightful holiday weekend wedding of my sister. They were really, really lovely events and by all accounts were enjoyed by all in attendance.  Except for me and my husband.

You see, we dragged our Bunch and their little brother, The Caboose, over 600 miles by car to attend said events.  We briefly contemplated traveling by air, but decided that this had the capacity to be a disaster of even greater proportions.  Traveling with my kids sucks because:

1) Packing in and of itself is a multi-day affair.  No matter how organized I am, we just have a lot of stuff.  It takes awhile to pack the pack-n-play, the sleep aids (oscillating fan, white noise machine, etc.), the portable booster, the stroller, the diaper bag, the toy bag, the food bag, the overnight bag (so we don't have to drag everything into the hotel on the way up) and the freaking suitcases full of clothes.  And the youngest is even old enough that we have dropped the pump/formula/baby food bag.  I am absolutely mortified to say that my MINIVAN is actually not a large enough vehicle to transport my crew and their gear.  Traveling by plane would be even worse, as at $25 a checked bag, it would be cheaper to charter a plane to transport all this shit than fly commercial.

2) One of my children (typically the baby and sometimes myself, too) gets sick every time we travel.  Can I just say how great it is to spend the beginning of every trip not sleeping for 3 days and checking out every Urgent Care and pharmacy in the flipping country!??!

3) Once we get there, we are in vacation mode but we still have children.  We have so many awesome, well-intended relatives that offer to help out once we get there, but the bottom line is that the kids are still our responsibility...in an unfamiliar, unstructured, un-baby-proofed environment.  The scenario is always the same:  lovely event that has all the makings of a good time.  Long-lost relative/friend that i haven't seen in forever sidles up and says, "It's so good to see you!  How've you been?"  I begin to answer the question and then notice that one of the children has crawled/toddled/sprinted (depending on age) out of my line of vision.  Excuse myself to chase after said child, calling, "Great!  How have you been!  Would love to hear!"  In a decade, maybe, when I can have a freaking uninterrupted conversation.

4)  Despite the abundance of free babysitters, there is no break.  This is because all of the stolen moments that hubby and I count on to get us through the day (nap time, computer time while boys are at school and baby plays quietly in baby-proofed area, early bedtime for kids, hot bath and wine after kids go to bed) never happen because there is a flurry of fun activities that keep us from sticking to our schedule.  And what kind of a Grinchy parent sends their kids to bed at 7 pm when there's a flock of relatives that only get to see them twice a year lining up to play with them?

5) Fortunately, we have awesome family members who are always willing to babysit.  Unfortunately, we are bone-tired and passed out on the couch before our kids have even begun to wind down for the evening.

6) On the ride home there is no backup.  Only hundreds of miles of open road and three small children yammering for snacks, videos, potty breaks, and release from car seat harnesses.

7) And when we get home, it's immediately back to the old grind.  Which almost seems relaxing after a "vacation".

Comments

[Linda]

Cara, I love you dearly and this post (even though I got the play-by-play while you were there) makes me want to drink and take a big ole' nap. You are a good mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter to do this. Because I'm an old poop and would have said, "No way in hell am I doing all of this with my kids," and left everyone home with dad and went on my own! Thanks for this great post!

[kelly]

This had my laughing out loud. :) Eventually you'll be laughing about it too! Makes you look forward to Christmas huh?

[Rachel O.]

With my two still under two, I can totally sympathize with #3 and #4! Amazing how dangerous everyone else's homes are (this goes for all my single friends as well). And it's so tiring to have all your breaks taken away from you... pile the stress of in-law relationships on top of that and... :(

[PamJ]

oooo #7, so true. good to get away (right?!?!), but SO good to get home again... and ugh I hate packing.

["Gidget"]

I sooooo identify with every one except #2. And with #7, you then have to catch up on all the dirty laundry in your suitcases and other things that slid because you were gone (like catching up on email, bills, newpapers, etc.) It took me 1.5 days to catch up from Thanksgiving break!

[Mamameah]

Ahhh yes. I can TOTALLY relate. I stayed with my IL's WITHOUT DH for a month this summer (that's a looong story in itself). Night #1, my little guy decided it was time to take a leap out of his playpen and landed on his sister who was sleeping on a mattress beside the playpen. The IL's house is over 100 years old so thinking we could simply barricade him in a room was impossible (the doors don't close and the door frames are beyond crooked to use a baby gate, we tried!!!).
The solution...I ran out and bought a fabric mesh expandable baby gate, put it on top of the playpen and used a ratchet tie down to secure it! It was the ONLY way to ensure my little guy would have a safe sleep without leaping out of his playpen. We also needed to use that gate on the playpens in hotel stays on the 2 day trip back home....fun...no, not really :p

Glad you survived!!!

[jean grow]

you should never worry about ranting on babybunching - often it is the brutally honest moments that help both the ranter and the rant-observer survive! My husband and I are always reeling after a trip; glad to have gone (for the sake of the kids and the family) glad to be home (for our own sanity) and wondering how we would ever survive travelling again.

[Jen]

Amen, sister.

[Alisha]

How true, how true.

[Lamb31Rachel]

When you are in not good state and have got no money to move out from that, you would need to receive the loans. Just because that will aid you definitely. I get term loan every single year and feel myself good just because of this.