Traveling With Tots — Part Two (packing in grocery bags)

I shared in my previous post that my husband and I recently traveled 8 hours to northern Indiana on a quick up-and-back trip to visit family. We have experienced our fair share of traveling woes since becoming parents, but were proud to report a successful traveling venture with our two toddler boys (ages 3 and 1) on this quick visit.

To ensure that we would enjoy ourselves throughout our travels, I worked ahead of time, preparing an itinerary that would provide for age-appropriate and enjoyable family recreation, meal-times, and naps along the way (see Traveling With Tots — Part One for details). While I credit a well-planned and executed itinerary as the biggest contributor to our happy travels on this excursion, I must also credit the enjoyable travel experience to being efficiently packed.

Why is it so important pack efficiently? It’s important not to over pack because it just creates more stuff to load, unload, and keep organized. It’s important not to under pack (especially with toddlers) because the chance is good that extra clothes and snacks will be used. Here’s a summary of our luggage for this trip:

ONE large suitcase — we took this suitcase in at each hotel. It contained all of our toiletries, two pillows (Matt and I are pillow snobs — no hotel pillow can compare to our own), and the necessary clothes for each stop.

Thirty-One Large Utility Tote — I used this bag for the clothes we DIDN’T need to take in at each stop. This stayed in the van for the duration of the trip.

Black Diaper Bag — I used this bag as a purse/diaper bag. I carried it everywhere. It contained my cell phone, wallet, diapers, wipes, baby snacks, sippy cup, and of course a tightly rolled change of clothes for each boy.

Blue Diaper Bag — I packed this bag full of diapers and extra wipes, as well as a clean sippy cup for Jonah for each day of the trip. I kept this bag in the “stow-and-go” compartment under the floor of the van. At each stop, I just restocked my black diaper bag from this one. I wanted to carry enough diapers with me, but didn’t want to overcrowd the diaper bag I would carry with me everywhere. This bag was easily accessible, yet out of the way.

Cooler — This was my first experience at packing a cooler for a trip (truth). I filled it with bottled water, individual snack bags of grapes and strawberries that I had prepared for the boys, string cheese, and a few pre-made sandwiches. I know this helped us save quite a bit of money, time, and calories that we would have spent going through drive-thrus just to get a snack or a drink. We kept the cooler at the very back of the van where we could easily access it at all of our stops. *Note: we refilled it with ice from a gas station once on the trip.

Backpack — I limited toys to whatever would fit in Jay’s L.L. Bean backpack. I strategically chose toys that were small, yet would provide maximum entertainment. I even varied types of toys — from superheros to sticker books. Interestingly, our itinerary was so well planned that we never opened this toy bag on the entire trip. The boys were sleeping when we drove and enjoying an activity at each stop.

I’ll elaborate a bit on the organization of our clothing for this trip. Because I knew the activities we had planned on our itinerary, I first grouped our clothes in labeled piles according to activity/needs. My piles included:

Sunday Church/Travel clothes

Monday Zoo/Travel clothes

Monday evening restaurant clothes

Tuesday morning park/travel clothes

Wednesday petting zoo/travel clothes

Extra outfits for boys (2 each)

Extra outfits for Mom and Dad (2 each)

Swimming Attire

In each pile, I put a complete outfit for each family member, including all parts (underwear, socks, undershirt, etc.).

Second, I placed each pile in a separate labeled plastic grocery bag. (That’s right — one plastic grocery bag contained a complete outfit for all four of us — so I chose strategically and rolled them tightly.)

Third, I filled our suitcase with the bags labeled Monday Zoo/travel clothes, Extra outfits for boys, Extra outfits for Mom and Dad, and Swimming Attire. (The first of these four bags would change at each stop; the other three remained in the suitcase for the duration of our trip.)

Fourth, I placed all of the other plastic grocery bags of clothes in my Thirty-One Large Utility Tote (it was perfect size). I wouldn’t need anything from this tote until we had reached our hotel in Indiana.

When we unloaded in Indiana, I was able to grab the grocery bag labeled Monday evening restaurant clothes from the back of our van and carry it in with our ONE suitcase. I did this at each stop — only taking in the necessary clothing — and leaving the rest in the van. Also, at each stop, we were able to fill the emptied grocery bags with our dirty clothes. Therefore, when we finally arrived home from our trip, all of our dirty clothes had cycled into the Thirty-One Large Utility Tote. This meant that I “toted” them directly to my laundry room and was able to have all of our clothes from the trip washed on the very evening we arrived home in two quick loads.

Advantages to this “grocery bag” packing:

1. We only carried in the necessary clothes at each hotel stop. (meaning less baggage to handle — very important when handling two toddlers at each stop)

2. I didn’t have to waste time “picking out” which outfit each of us would wear while we were on the trip. I did all the “picking” when I packed.

3. I was confident that I had packed “enough” but not “too much.”

4. After we settled in for the night in each hotel, I grabbed the bag for the next day to lay out the clothes for each person for the next morning. It made for smooth mornings.

5. Since I didn’t know when/where we may swim on this trip, our “swimming attire” bag stayed in the suitcase for the duration of the trip so that we had it when we needed it. Having our damp swimming clothes contained in a bag that I had packed rather than scurrying to find a bag at the hotel was nice.

6. I kept the two bags of our “extra outfits” in the suitcase for the entire trip. I did have to dig into each of them. We had just enough extra to be prepared, but I limited it to what would fit in a grocery bag.

7. Because I was trying to fit four outfits into one plastic grocery bag, I strategically chose clothing that could be tightly rolled and packed compactly with minimal wrinkles.

I thought this packing technique was pretty genius — and Matt even complimented me on being well-planned and organized. He was grateful that he only had to carry one suitcase back and forth from the van to our hotel room each night, and he was especially thankful that I had picked out all of HIS clothes for the trip, too. 😉

The next time we travel, I think the plastic grocery bags will make another appearance in my suitcase.

Introducing… the Super Moons!

Ladies and Gentlemen … I would like to take a moment to introduce the brave, the fearless, the AMAZING… “Super-Moons!” The Super Moons are a family of four crime-fighting, people-loving superheroes who are a little known secret in this world. They each have different super-hero abilities, but are all learning to use their strengths to combat evil and build a strong family unit. Let’s meet them.

First, meet the youngest of the group — “Super Jonah” (also sometimes called “Super Jo”). While Super Jonah is a mere 24 pounds at 14 months of age, his superhero abilities are undeniable. Super Jo is the climber of the group. He uses his super-climbing skills to retrieve dangerous remote-controls and cordless telephones that have been hidden on the backs of couches everywhere. He also possesses super-tap-dancing-abilities. When he hears evil approaching, he quickly climbs atop an end table or coffee table and begins to tap. The pitter patter of his feet alerts everyone around of the imminent danger. Though his climbing and tapping skills are second to none in the superhero world, Super Jo is still refining his aquatic capabilities. He fearlessly leaped into the Super-Moons’ training pool one day last week to show off an underwater flip. Thankfully, Super Dad and Super Mom were both there supervising this dare-devilish stunt because little Super Jo isn’t quite ready to fight solo in an aquatic attack, though he is fearless.

The second superhero of the clan, “Super Jay” is the real aquatic adventurer of this group. Super Jay, at 42 pounds, three-and-a-half feet tall, and three-and-a-half years old can out-swim the fastest of villians. Any evil that approaches Super Jay near water will be quickly defeated with his power-cannonball. However, if a stealthy attack is necessary, it’s not a problem for Super Jay. He simply fits his super-big-brown-eyes with his super-goggles and dives underwater to catch his enemies. Super Jay’s real secret weapon, however is his mind. He has an amazing ability of memorizing. Once, when an evil villian, “The Potty Trainer,” was upon him, he was able to remember and quote a line from a movie, “SIEZE THAT CREATURE!” Amazingly, the Potty Trainer doubled over in laughter and was unable to force herself on him. On another occasion, he was able to use a memorized movie quote to fight off “Super Dad” in a training session. When he declared, “You are a sad, strange little man” to Super Dad, the super-parents decided that  superhero training for the day was finished. You see — they had just discovered that Super Jay’s secret weapon was truly his gift of memorization. Since that time, the super-parents have trained Jay in memorizing the books of the New Testament (he had accomplished this at age two-and-a-half) and several Bible verses. They figure that if all his memorizing is put to good practice, Super Jay will grow up knowing just how to use his super powers for good.

“Super Dad” is the level head of this superhero family. He is a strong leader, a compassionate spirit, and a people-lover. He uses his super-weapons, the baton and trombone, to fight off the evil villian “intonation” in most of his daily battles. However, Super Mom says that his  most pronounced super-skill is his magnetic strength. He uses his magnetic ability to lure in people everywhere — and people everywhere love Super-Dad. Super-Mom likes to say he just has a “magnetic personality.” 😉

“Super Mom,” being the only female in this superhero family grows in super strength by seeing her boys learn and grow. She delights in uncovering the powers and abilities of her super-children and rests easy knowing that Super-Dad is the family leader. You see, being the only female in a family of superheroes means Super Mom feels pretty safe and protected. However, if need be, Super Mom can take on the strongest of enemies. You see, Super Mom has a Super God that she turns to for wisdom and strength. Super Mom’s God promises that she can do anything, “through Christ who gives [her] strength.” That’s pretty SUPER if you ask me.

Sweet music to my ears…

Three-year-old Jay sporting his spider-man roller gear and “new” sun visor

Infant, Jonah enjoying the blue bouncy seat — Summer, 2012

For three days I have spent time lifting, tugging, organizing, purging, sorting, stacking, talking, selling, laughing, reminiscing, and yes … a little crying. If you can’t guess from my list of clues, I’ve been having a yard sale. I have been blessed by two full days with my Mother, sister, spunky grandmother, and my precious niece Aly. Thankfully, we ended the sale with a little more cash and a little less clutter. That was the goal, though it seems I got a lot more out of this yard sale than a little cash. It’s amazing the flood of memories that a yard sale can unleash.

I remember helping my Mom with yard sales as a little girl alongside my two-and-a-half-years-older sister. We proudly set up a lemonade stand at our little red picnic table as Mom and Mamaw sold their household goods and clothing.  I remember my Papaw feeling sorry for his only two granddaughters making just a quarter here and there on a brownie or cup of lemonade, so he brought us some of his fresh garden tomatoes to sell for $1 each. We racked up some business on that yard sale produce stand.

Fast forward twenty-some years and there we were this weekend — sisters as close as ever selling our own household goods and clothing alongside our Mom and Mamaw with little Aly be-bopping around as our helpful bookkeeper. I was reminded of my sweet Papaw bringing us those garden tomatoes as I watched my Mom and Dad offering our little Aly Hope odd jobs here and there to earn a few extra dollars throughout the two-day sale.

When three-year-old Jay came to entertain us at the sale, he, of course had to spend some time shopping in the toys. These rejected toys suddenly had “new life” when they were all boxed up together at the yard sale. Infant halloween costumes became costumes for baby dolls and an old sun visor became a new designer hat. And… spider man roller skates. Oh, the spider man roller skates. I held my face in my hand as I realized my determined three-year-old had removed his sandals and was fitting his feet in his older cousin Luke’s outgrown skates. Thankfully, Aly helped fit him in the matching knee pads and elbow pads and Jay saw the entire ensemble as a super-cool superhero costume. I assumed he would quickly be finished with his skating adventure once he found that maneuvering was quite tricky. Shame on me for underestimating him. Jay took off on the skates making careful strides around the carport, refusing to hold the hand I offered. Of course, he wiped out a couple of times, but no tear was shed. He kept this up for nearly an hour and took great pride in showing me that he was “big enough” to skate. You see, when Jay Moon makes up his mind about something, there is nothing that anyone can do to stop him. Those of you who know him well understand the extent to which this is true. His independent spirit has made for some difficult toddler moments, but in the grand scheme of life his independence, self-confidence, and determination are all qualities that will help him grow up to be the real superhero that I know he is inside. My Mom reminds me that she and my Dad raised a little girl who had that same determined spirit. 😉

Among the inventory of our yard sale was a large supply of baby boy clothing. Knowing that our families are complete, my sister and I decided to purge our collection of baby clothes from our FOUR boys as 1-year old Jonah outgrows them. It was almost an embarrassing display as we piled the sleepers, gowns, onesies, and outfits on three long tables. Yes, we have been very blessed. My Mamaw smiled as she listened to us talk about where each piece came from and which babies had worn each little outfit. Each piece carried precious memories of special days.

Though I loved each article of clothing that my babies had worn, I was happy to see new Mommies and proud grandparents carrying away my boys’ beautiful clothes for another precious child to use. I was thrilled to reclaim some floor space in my house, as well when I sold my boys’ baby swing and jumping activity center. However, when an excited grandmother carried away my boys’ bouncy seat for her third grandbaby, I couldn’t hold back the tears. I quickly found some privacy to regain my composure. I laughed a little inside (and I know my sister laughed a lot) at how silly it was to cry over a bouncy seat. After all, I couldn’t wait to get all of the little-baby gear out of my house. I did not want to store it and certainly could use the floor space. I had no idea that selling a little blue chair would evoke such an emotional response. So, why? What was it about seeing this little chair carried away that made my eyes well up and spill over with tears? It was something more powerful than we sometimes recognize. It wasn’t the thought of it being gone. It wasn’t the sight of someone carrying it away. No. It was the music. After I explained all the chair’s features to the expectant grandmother, I turned the switch to demonstrate the music it played. There was a sweet series of soft lullabies — none of which were popular, recognizable tunes — but to me, they were beautiful. Those soft little lullabies are some of the sweetest songs my ears have ever heard. I could sing along with every note and suddenly I could see my boys kicking, bouncing, sleeping; I could hear them cooing; I could feel and smell their sweet baby skin. Not even a picture, which is “worth a thousand words,” could evoke this vivid a memory and emotion in me. A thousand pictures couldn’t do what this one moment of soft music did to make me remember every detail. I pray that the next mommy listens to the music on the little blue chair and drinks in every moment with her new precious newborn — because babies grow quickly and  those sweet, sweet songs truly are worth a thousand memories.

Little Climber and Refrigerator Garbage…

Jay – 3 and a half
Jonah – 1 year old

Hello, friends. I chose to start a blog to help preserve my stories and feelings as I raise my two active, intelligent, interesting, funny, and precious boys, James “Jay” Bryson (age 3 and a half) and Jonah Matthew (age 1)  Moon.

Jonah is a very active, toddling one year old. As a 9-month old he took his first strides across the room, so at 13 months, climbing is his newest adventure — and sometimes my nightmare. He is like a little spider-baby. It amazes me how quickly and with such persistence he manages to find any leverage available to hoist his 23 pound, 30-inch self on top of the couch, the train table, or even a rocking chair. Most recently, I stepped out of the living room and came back to find him standing on the end table, playing with the lamp. Yes, things are interesting around here. No matter how “baby proof” I try to make things, it seems little Jonah is out-smarting my finest efforts. What a sweetheart he is, though. Last week I took Jonah to the diagnostic center to have his blood drawn (routine prior to his 1-year well baby appointment). I really dreaded this and put it off as long as possible. You see, when I took Jay for the same routine bloodwork, we experienced 3 pokes and no success. He was hysterical. I was a nervous wreck. I refused to try again with him. Not expecting a good experience, I called for back-up and took Nana with me for Jonah’s appointment. Much to my surprise, Jonah sat perfectly still and watched as the nurse inserted the needle, drew his blood, and applied the bandage. No whimper; no crying; no flench. (Here’s a shout out to Pikeville Medical Center’s Diagnostic Center staff for being especially good with babies.) The story was similar at his 1-year old well baby appointment this week when he didn’t even whimper at his two vaccinations. He’s a tough little man who loves to smile, loves to make us laugh, and really loves to dance.

Speaking of dancing, three-year-old Jay has a few dance moves of his own. Matt and I like to set Pandora Radio, or even our Direct TV to a Disco station and watch our boys dance to the music (okay, we usually dance along, too). Jay’s signature move is when he “shakes a tail-feather” (a move where he puts his little hand behind his back and shakes it up and down). He likes to show our family and friends this signature move in hopes of making everyone in the room laugh. He usually succeeds. He’s a real charmer, a clown, and my, oh my a talker!  He started talking pretty early and has never slowed down. Though his speech and vocabulary are quite developed at 3 and a half, he has not developed any type of volume control in his voice. He has one dynamic level — forte. This makes things super-interesting when Jay is awake and Jonah is trying to nap. Let’s just say we’ve had several “teachable” moments in which we try to model and teach vocal volume control (some of you didn’t realize that whispering is a difficult skill to master). We’re still working on it.

As parents of toddlers, one of the most important parts of being able to have a comfortable home is having a very safe, properly baby-proofed atmosphere. Matt and I have been pretty successful in feeling “safe” and “comfortable” at home because we have maintained a pretty toddler-safe atmosphere. That’s not to say that we haven’t done our fair share of scrambling. When Jay first learned to open doors with a door knob, things started to get interesting. My biggest concerns at this were him getting into the bathroom without our knowing, and getting into the kitchen garbage (which is located behind a closed pantry door). Of course, these were the two areas of most interest to him. After a few weeks of jumping at the sound of an opening door, we toddler-proofed the necessary door knobs so Jay couldn’t open them. This trick has worked like a charm for over a year and Jay even knows to come and ask us to open the bathroom door when he needs to go, or to open the pantry door when he needs to throw away a piece of garbage. He’s a very independent little boy, but has never seemed to mind asking for help with these doors until this week. I suppose in his world asking for help to throw something away  became a burden, so all of a sudden he stopped. I started noticing empty capri suns, napkins, and food wrappers in the bottom of  my refrigerator. I reminded him that he just needed to ask and Mommy or Daddy would open the pantry to let him throw his garbage away. It didn’t matter. He had already come up with his own solution and if I’ve learned anything at all about parenting, it’s that no matter what I want him to do or try to teach him to do — he does have his own little mind — and a very independent one at that. So … the baby proofing came off the pantry door. My 3-year-old now has the personal freedom to throw away his garbage on his own without asking an adult. I guess they  grow out of the baby-proofing gradually. We’ve had several days here of “garbage independence” and Jay has handled it like a big boy. No garbage messes around the house; no garbage cans turned over in the floor. But I wonder…what will we do when Jonah …well, maybe Jonah won’t be interested in the garbage can. 🙂