I remember days long past when my husband and I would jump in the car and head out for the day without a plan other than to enjoy the day and see where the road takes us. Those days of spontaneity are past now that we have two toddlers. But we are bound and determined to not let the fact that we have little kids keep us from having fun days out. It just takes a tad more advanced planning.
We had a day out yesterday and it went quite well all things considered. We only decided Friday night after the boys were in bed that we were going to make the trip and what we were going to do. That is about as spontaneous as our life gets these days.
Even if it is only a day trip it requires quite the preparation. Medic hubby had a meeting in the morning, so I spent the morning giving breakfast, dressing the boys and packing our bags. How much can one day require? Well, with a 1 and 3 year-old quite a bit. I packed diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, a change of clothes, pajamas, stroller and of course ducky and monkey. So by 11am when medic hubby returned home we loaded up and were on the road by 11:30. This was actually a pretty successful early start for us.
We drove about 45 minutes and then stopped at a fast food restaurant for a quick lunch, which went relatively smoothly. We lost only 1 chicken nugget and a few fries to the floor and only spilled a little bit of milk. We then went to the museum that had been recommended only the day before by a friend. It was a museum that showed how they make their ice-cream and teas. The boys had fun running around and it was very kid friendly. Medic hubby was slightly annoyed that he didn't get to read all the signs (heaven help us), I was just trying to keep from losing a kid. At the end we got to taste their ice-cream which was everyones favorite part!
After a second potty break (taking toddlers to public restrooms is at the bottom of my list of favorite things to do). It usually goes something like this: "don't touch anything", "I said don't touch anything". After he goes, I usually use the bathroom too, then it goes like this: "No, don't look under the door", "no, don't open the door", "I said don't touch anything!". Sigh...I never did like public restrooms, now I hate them!
We then loaded back up in the car and they both fell asleep as we drove another hour to Medic hubby's friend's goodbye party. To my surprise neither were cranky even though they had very short naps as we visited with Medic hubby's friend and others at the party. Thankfully it was a nice day and they could play in his yard. It is always a challenge to corral 2 toddlers in someone else's house that does not have children. While we were there we walked down to the inlet close by where they watched the ducks and played at the edge of the water.
We then said our goodbyes and packed up again. We started our drive home and both were happy. As always we seemed to have slightly misjudged melt down points. We waited a little too long to stop for dinner. We stopped at a diner and this meal did not go quite as smoothly. Both were quite cranky and quite noisy. But we made it through and finished the rest of the drive home. We arrived home with two very sleepy little boys. I think medic hubby and myself were just as tired. Medic hubby said as we were driving home "I don't usually say this, but I'm ready to go home".
It was a tiring day for all of us, but it was a fun day. I'm glad we took the extra effort required to make a trip with toddlers and did it. We only have a few years to make memories with these precious little ones!
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