On The Road Again!

Our family has been on deputation for one year and four months. So, needless to say, we have  spent quite a bit of time on the road, in hotels, and eating at fast food restaurants. We've learned quite a bit during all of this time. 

•  When your toddler is abnormally whiny and complains about her belly a lot, don't take that moment to stop at Popeye's for dinner. The result is a puddle of puke in the order line and then hubby ordering some popcorn shrimp because he felt bad about the mess we left for them. Side note: your child getting shots can result in the same thing, so don't take that time to go to Dollar Tree with them. 

• Don't wait until you absolutely have to go to the bathroom before you say so. It never fails that once you say it, you enter the land of nothingness. There are no exits, no rest stops, no stops. The same goes for when you're hungry, FYI.

• Always bring diaper disposal bags, grocery bags, or even ziploc bags with you. Having no way to tie up a dirty diaper can really make your trip interesting when you're in that land of nothingness. 

• It's probably not the wisest... or nicest move to give your toddler ice cream when you make the mid day stop. It's actually kind of cruel to completely sugar them up and then strap them back in to a car seat for four more hours. 

• Just because you told your hubby three times what you are making for dinner when you get home, does not mean he won't ask again as he pulls into the driveway. Maybe I should start giving a different answer every time and see if it sparks a memory. 😏

• Sometimes there just aren't enough activity bags in the world to keep you and the kids occupied in the hotel room. I recommend knowing where the nice parks are, or the indoor playgrounds if it's raining. Chik-fil-a saw us a lot over this last winter. 

• Counting calories, carbs, or any other type of diet is near impossible. I did manage to lose my baby weight after both kids, but let me tell you, ordering a salad at Subway while your hubby orders your favorite sandwich has got to be considered torture. It's just not right

• Missionary kids can sleep anywhere...

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  except for their own bed, of course.

• Coffee is key to survival! You can travel eight hours, arrive just in time for a meeting, change both kids during the last twenty minutes of the drive (er, I mean.. I wouldn't do that 😏), set up the display table, drop your screaming son off at the nursery, run sing a special, go calm down your screaming son in the nursery, go teach the kid's class, go back and get your screaming son from the nursery, find replacement clothes for the toddler accident, make sure your toddler isn't the one running the platform after the service, clean up the display table, load your kids and ten bags back into the van, oh and smile while you're doing it all because you tend to look like you hate the world if you're not careful (WHEW, I'm tired just thinking of it). But you can do it all because you had a cup of coffee on the way, and you are going to get another one to drink once the kids are in bed. Yes, I drink coffee before bed. Don't Judge me!

     All in all, it's been a fun experience, and actually the most important lesson we've learned is to just roll with it and laugh it off.

So, do any of you have any travelling tips for me??