We’re leaving tomorrow morning for a week’s vacation in the home of one of D’s clients.
I haven’t prepared one bit. I haven’t packed, I haven’t created a single list (serious travesty), I haven’t thought about what I’m going to wear (we are vacationing WITH D’s clients, which means I have to be Whoorl 2.0: Perfectly Coiffed Edition at all times), I haven’t planned for the 14-HOUR ROADTRIP WITH TODDLER THAT I ACTUALLY SUGGESTED INSTEAD OF FLYING BECAUSE WE LACK A SENSE OF ADVENTURE SO HELP ME GOD, I haven’t done anything.
What have I done today? Well, for starters:
1. I wrote this completely pointless blog post.
2. I set up all sorts of iPhone/Flickr/Twitter/Twitpic applications. (Road Trip 2008! Live blogging! Would that be fun? Boring? Ridiculous? Do tell! If I keep asking all of these questions, I won’t have to pack.)
3. Dropped by Old Navy to buy Wito some socks and never made it to the kids’ section. (Try to deny the cuteness of this and this and these, Whoorl 2.0: PCE! Try!)
4. Actually took the time to take photos of those jackets because they aren’t listed on the website.
(Are we sensing the level of procrastination yet?)
5. Attempted to fix Crayola Disaster #2. I obviously didn’t learn anything from Disaster #1. (How about keep the damn crayons AWAY from the furniture, Whoorl?)
(My solution? Flip the couch cushion until D finds it and maims me.)
7. Laundry. (This one counts as preparing, right?)
8. Whispered sweet nothings to my laptop before saying goodbye for an entire week. (Although, I’m bringing my iPhone for quickies.)
It’s nearing 2:00. I must go. Wish me luck, my friends! Any toddler road trip wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Actually, any wisdom pertaining to anything on the planet would be welcomed with open arms. (That way, I can read your comments INSTEAD OF PACKING.)
minismith
August 14, 2008 at 5:11 pmAfter 3 ten hour road trips with a baby and a toddler, we borrowed my friend’s car dvd player that had two screens that hooked on to the back of our car seat. Holy shit, those are worth EVERY FREAKING PENNY!! Road trip #4 was pure bliss. No joke. We just popped video after video and they snacked and slept and left us alone. I know, I know…that’ll totally go against the morals of some people but let me just say, my husband and I were still SMILING at the end of the trip and actually still liked each other AND our kids. THAT is a miracle. Good luck! On a side note, I just bought the black coat and L-U-V it. Perfect combination of class and style with the funky sleeves.
whoorl
August 14, 2008 at 5:48 pmThanks for the suggestions – we are definitely bringing a DVD player! My sister gave us one of those suspend-the-DVD-player-between-the-car-seats things for Christmas last year, and i just know it will be our saviour.
sizzle
August 14, 2008 at 6:04 pmI’ve been wanting those shoes in blue. I need blue shoes!
Angella
August 14, 2008 at 6:25 pmWishing you safe travels, my friend!
kat
August 14, 2008 at 6:51 pmooh! i saw that second jacket this weekend and thought to myself…well that’s definitely NOT old navy! i was really impressed with what they have right now.
Shellie
August 14, 2008 at 7:19 pmHa! One of my fave t-shirts I see the kids wear is “Procrastinators of the world, Unite Tomorrow!”
My house is never as clean and my laundry never as done as when I have a huge piles of papers to grade and essays to read. It is utterly hilarious how much one task I deplore becomes all that more enticing when a new task that seems much more burdensome appears. Of course, the new task requires a much more timely response- such as my grading or your packing- but that logic fails to win over.
I heartily second DVDs and cheap toys that will be a “sursprise” that NEVER find their way back to the house.
I always pack last minute, or else I just know I am going to obsess over what I did or didn’t remember to pack.
feefifoto
August 14, 2008 at 9:45 pmRepeat after me: 1-800-CRAYOLA
Kristin
August 15, 2008 at 4:11 amI just returned from a 15 hour (each way! 30 hour total!) road trip with our 18 month old. You will totally survive! I can’t say that I recommend picking up a nail in your tire, then spending an hour and a half at the Wal-Mart tire and lube center in the middle of nowhere while they patch your tire. It was great in that our son got to run around and stretch his legs a bit, but getting him back in the car for the remaining 7 hours of our drive? Yeah, that part sucked.
Like many of your other readers, I also heartily recommend cheap toys for entertainment. Good luck!
Annie
August 15, 2008 at 5:02 amSo, I’m not a parent, but here’s how you road trip with a toddler.
You pack all your stuff into bags. Put the baby in the car. Pack bags around baby, thus creating a soundproof barrier. Get in car. Drive very fast. Drive fast enough that car takes flight and you arrive at your destination in, like, 2 hours — much like a plane would have if it weren’t for your sense of adventure.
Jerri Ann
August 15, 2008 at 7:09 amHey, don’t do it, just don’t do it…fly, don’t ride…no no no, don’t do it!
ali
August 15, 2008 at 7:39 amyeah…whatever…keep boasting about how awesome old navy is in the states…because it effing SUCKS in canada. we don’t have all those cute things. GRRR.
joslyn
August 19, 2008 at 9:28 ammy advice would have been benadryl, but you’re way ahead of me there… + a portable dvd player if you have one.
ridiculously cute jackets.