We try to maintain a schedule. While traveling, it's inevitable that things are going to be screwed up at some point. Don't fool yourself, you will have bad days.There will be days when you leave late. There will be times when you forget crap at the hotel you just left. There will be hours of yelling, crying, and fighting. Three-year-olds will have attitudes, two-year-olds will have melt downs, your partner will get annoying, and you will still PMS. It happens. You really shouldn't expect any less. You are with a group of people, albeit the "loves of your life"; you are bound to drive each other crazy and completely regret planning the epic adventure you decided go on.
It's only temporary, but in the midst of chaos it's hard to remember that. Just breathe, take a minute or two or twenty to go to the pool or a walk, or within a vehicle..put on head phones on and listen to your own music. Or if like me, bury your head in the pillow you keep on your lap at all time.
I thought that we were running extremely late. We weren't really, but with getting up early and craziness happening, plus add in the fact that every hotel alarm clock is either gets all kinds of messed up by "Donut" or unplugged due to a need for an outlet, it's hard to know what time it is.
Our first stop was one on my list of interests: the Mystery House (Oregon Vortex House). It's a good thing they take credit card because we totally forgot to take cash out. We got there a little after they opened and had to wait for our tour to start. Waiting with toddlers is excruciating and then add a gift shop with toys in it...hell.
As interesting as the tour was and as cool as the experiments were, it just really wasn't a place for toddlers. I would have enjoyed it more without the boys. It's just too much staying in one place listening and watching for a little one to handle. But if you get a chance to go with the older ones, it's pretty neat.
It's only temporary, but in the midst of chaos it's hard to remember that. Just breathe, take a minute or two or twenty to go to the pool or a walk, or within a vehicle..put on head phones on and listen to your own music. Or if like me, bury your head in the pillow you keep on your lap at all time.
I thought that we were running extremely late. We weren't really, but with getting up early and craziness happening, plus add in the fact that every hotel alarm clock is either gets all kinds of messed up by "Donut" or unplugged due to a need for an outlet, it's hard to know what time it is.
Our first stop was one on my list of interests: the Mystery House (Oregon Vortex House). It's a good thing they take credit card because we totally forgot to take cash out. We got there a little after they opened and had to wait for our tour to start. Waiting with toddlers is excruciating and then add a gift shop with toys in it...hell.
As interesting as the tour was and as cool as the experiments were, it just really wasn't a place for toddlers. I would have enjoyed it more without the boys. It's just too much staying in one place listening and watching for a little one to handle. But if you get a chance to go with the older ones, it's pretty neat.
Everyone talks about the things you SEE while on road trips; the mountains, the ocean, the people. They even tell you about the TASTES as the stop off at different restaurants and festivals and such. But not many talk about the SMELLS. Ha! There's normally a reason for that. You are in a vehicle, normally with the windows up so you can either hear the conversation or music or so that you can turn on the air conditioner. So, you can imagine driving around with a three-year-old, two-year-old, and three-month-old (two of which, are still in diapers). Not to mention two grown ass adults! Then, of course, the times you actually do roll down the windows because you don't want to waste the gas from using the a/c. Most of the time you smell the bad stuff and get this kind of conversation from your three-year-old: "What's that smell?"
"Cow poop."
"No. I think it's DONKEY poop!"
Oh, being the mama of boys....joy...
This day, our rest stops were parks. Like I've said before...free and gets all the energy out. Our first one was Wiard Park in Klamath Falls, OR, which I always want to call "Wizard Park". It's missing one letter that would sent this park from "cool" to "AWESOME"!
It is a really good park though. Turns out we showed up as buses of school kids were there, enjoying end of the year fun. Remember those days? One little girl even said, "I can't believe we are at the park during a school day!" Oh! When life was so simple.
Needless to say, a good playground + a good park (better if the spray park was open) + lots of kids to play with = my kids losing their crap when it came time leave.
"Cow poop."
"No. I think it's DONKEY poop!"
Oh, being the mama of boys....joy...
This day, our rest stops were parks. Like I've said before...free and gets all the energy out. Our first one was Wiard Park in Klamath Falls, OR, which I always want to call "Wizard Park". It's missing one letter that would sent this park from "cool" to "AWESOME"!
It is a really good park though. Turns out we showed up as buses of school kids were there, enjoying end of the year fun. Remember those days? One little girl even said, "I can't believe we are at the park during a school day!" Oh! When life was so simple.
Needless to say, a good playground + a good park (better if the spray park was open) + lots of kids to play with = my kids losing their crap when it came time leave.
It was getting so warm, we officially had to turn on our a/c. Meatball was still talking about seeing the dinosaurs at the Prehistoric Gardens. I can't recommend that place enough!
Sometimes when you so focused on getting to the next place, you forget little things like taking a picture. Or a little more severe, you forget to give the kids a snack and drink. Or even more severe, forgetting to give them their Leap Pads (we've gone this trip WITHOUT the use of portable DVD players). But the worst (besides forgetting your children altogether), forgetting to ask your three-year-old if he has to pee. When finally remembering he's no longer in a diaper, "Do you have to pee?"
"Yeah."
"You do?!"
"YEAH! STOP THE CAR!!" He then gets to learn the sage knowledge of not peeing in the wind. Again, "being the mama of boys..."
The second park stop on our trip of the day was McDonald City Park in Lakeview, OR. All through the town there are billboards, signs, and paintings of cowboys, so all I could hear was, "COWBOY! COWBOY!" They also had a...get this...a BURGER QUEEN! We should have stopped.
Sometimes when you so focused on getting to the next place, you forget little things like taking a picture. Or a little more severe, you forget to give the kids a snack and drink. Or even more severe, forgetting to give them their Leap Pads (we've gone this trip WITHOUT the use of portable DVD players). But the worst (besides forgetting your children altogether), forgetting to ask your three-year-old if he has to pee. When finally remembering he's no longer in a diaper, "Do you have to pee?"
"Yeah."
"You do?!"
"YEAH! STOP THE CAR!!" He then gets to learn the sage knowledge of not peeing in the wind. Again, "being the mama of boys..."
The second park stop on our trip of the day was McDonald City Park in Lakeview, OR. All through the town there are billboards, signs, and paintings of cowboys, so all I could hear was, "COWBOY! COWBOY!" They also had a...get this...a BURGER QUEEN! We should have stopped.
It was a good size park with equipment spread throughout. It looked like it too had a water park function that wasn't working, but I have to be honest, I'm glad. My children have an awesome talent of getting completely and utterly soaked. So, they opted to bug the teenagers hanging out there enough that they ended up playing with them. KUDOS to good teens!
Now between Lakeview, OR and Winnemucca, NV, there is hardly anything! It's long, rather warm, and boring. Make sure you are fueled up and have snacks. It's so boring that you start searching for things to look at! The boys had fallen asleep and Judas and I saw something in the distant mountains..."Is it a dragon perched?" "Bigfoot?" "A dinosaur?"
Nope...a freaking shadow.
There were a few nice views, once you get into the mountains and get higher in the air.
There were a few nice views, once you get into the mountains and get higher in the air.
Finally, outside of Denio, NV, we drove through a little rain and watched lightning in the mountains. I have missed lightning. And the SMELL! Finally a scent worth rolling down the windows just a little to let in the mix of rain on hot asphalt and dust. Lovely! Too bad it didn't last longer than fifteen minutes.
Just like most towns in Nevada, Winnemucca is a gambling town. The Quality Inn we stayed at was actually called the Model T Casino Resort. Yes, Judas and I each took a turn by ourselves to go and gamble away $20 a piece. This was one of the instances of "alone" time...that is until the creepy guy at the bar decides to follow you around.
It's not a bad little casino either. They actually give you FREE DRINK coupons when you check in the hotel (as well as your FREE BREAKFAST coupons for their in-house restaurant, Fill 'Er Diner), but you never need to redeem the drink coupon as long as you are gambling because all the drinks are comped.
While I was spending my time at not winning, my boys got introduced to Tom and Jerry cartoons. They loved them. Have I mentioned how much I love travelling with these boys? Yes, they have their moments, like any other toddlers, but they are awesome! They are good at entertaining themselves and each other and sharing with each other. It's such a blessing to have children who travel well!
Oh...being a mama to boys...good ones.
Just like most towns in Nevada, Winnemucca is a gambling town. The Quality Inn we stayed at was actually called the Model T Casino Resort. Yes, Judas and I each took a turn by ourselves to go and gamble away $20 a piece. This was one of the instances of "alone" time...that is until the creepy guy at the bar decides to follow you around.
It's not a bad little casino either. They actually give you FREE DRINK coupons when you check in the hotel (as well as your FREE BREAKFAST coupons for their in-house restaurant, Fill 'Er Diner), but you never need to redeem the drink coupon as long as you are gambling because all the drinks are comped.
While I was spending my time at not winning, my boys got introduced to Tom and Jerry cartoons. They loved them. Have I mentioned how much I love travelling with these boys? Yes, they have their moments, like any other toddlers, but they are awesome! They are good at entertaining themselves and each other and sharing with each other. It's such a blessing to have children who travel well!
Oh...being a mama to boys...good ones.