Hotel Stays....oh My!

With Labor Day weekend approaching,  and returning from an impromptu trip yesterday, I'd like to share some wisdom about staying in a hotel.

Last year for Labor Day I took my husband to western Kansas for a huge celebration in the town where my mom was raised. Daniel had never been there and was curious about this part of my family history. At that time, Josie would have been two and Katie about to celebrate her first birthday. When selecting a hotel, we chose one with an indoor pool so we could tire the girls out before bed, and free breakfast for the sake of ease. We also requested a room with a King sized bed  just in case we needed room for a visitor in the middle of the night. We brought our pack and play for one of the girls to sleep in and asked for a crib for the other. We thought we had planned well and would enjoy our stay; however THAT WAS THE MOST MISERABLE NIGHT OF MY ADULT LIFE!

Daniel snores. It's not usually loud, but he does it, and if you're not used to it, it's obnoxious. It, of course, woke up Josie, who not being a huge fan of the noise felt the need to join us in bed. If you've never slept with a 2 year old there are a few things you should know. First, my 25 pound 2 year old took up space in that bed than my 250 pound husband. Secondly, they kick and flop and flop and kick all night long. And finally, toddlers have not quite gotten over that nice snuggly womb feeling and like to press themselves right up next to someone (preferably their mothers). Then there was Katie, a sweet not-quite-one-year-old. Katie sleeps with a pacifier, which makes rather annoying rhythmic sucking sound. I was awake all night thanking God that it was only one night as I listened to Daniel and Katie's noises as I tried to peel Josie off my back only to be kicked and punched by her in her sleep...MIS-RA-BLE!

Last May, when planning for a weekend trip, Daniel got the bright idea to get a suite. Kids like routine, and quite frankly so do adults. At home, the girls go to bed in their own room and Daniel and I stay up a little later. In a regular hotel room this is not going to happen. This time we looked for the same amenities as the last time (king bed, free breakfast, and an indoor pool), except that we decided to pay a little more for a two room suite. I found a great room for a great price, and Daniel thought he did too and booked it. He forgot to get free breakfast, and his room was more expensive. I was rather frustrated with him for this, but willing to overlook these minor mistakes for the following reasons...1) He promised the customer service was great (which is another long story, but why he ultimately booked the room without asking me), and it turns out it was. When we arrived they gave the girls crayons and a coloring page. When the cleaning ladies had thrown out the pages (I would have too since they were left on the floor), the front desk gave Josie an entire coloring book and another box of crayons. They gave the very pregnant me a cold bottle of water every time I walked by, and there were cookies...did I mention I was very pregnant at the time?  2) I slept, he slept, Josie slept, and Katie slept. I can forgive anything after a full night of good sleep. This was a direct result of having the suite (which was his brilliant idea). We had the same bed arrangement as the previous trip only, the girls were in the living area and we were in the bedroom with a wall and a door between us, just like at home.  3) The room had a refrigerator so we could keep milk for the girls, so we could bring our own breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola bars as well as snacks for J and K.

So we get to this weekend, now we have 3 kids, how will we pull off a stay at a hotel? The answer...marvelously! We took J and K swimming in the indoor pool, fed them a snack from the fridge in our room, and put them to bed almost at their normal bed time. One slept in a pack and play the other in the hotel crib. Pooped from a long day and their swim they went to sleep almost immediately. Daniel and I were able to stay up and visit in the bedroom, and Elizabeth slept in her own bassinet from home (which folds up like a pack and play) and we all woke up fresh in the morning. The hotel had a nice breakfast which even the girls ate, and we went on our merry little way....that is until the next day when we realized we left our swimming floaties at the hotel....sigh.... nobody's perfect.

Today We Left the House

Today we had nothing to do, so I decided to take the girls to the store to choose a gift for a wedding we plan to attend this weekend. Leaving the house can be a major ordeal, and I've learned that to get anywhere it takes roughly an hour and a half to two hours.

 

I spend no less than 90 minutes on the following routine in the morning:  

· Step 1: Potty time. Remove overnight diapers/pull-ups, send Josie to the bathroom, put on dry diapers/panties, and hopefully get a chance to pee myself.

 

· Step 2: Feeding. Put breakfast at the table for Josie and Katie, get them milk, chug what's left of Daniel's cold coffee, sit on couch to nurse Elizabeth, and pray Josie and Katie don't make too much of a mess at the table.

 

· Step 3: Clothing. Chase down Josie and Katie and dress them (maybe someday I'll video tape this ordeal, I'm sure to an onlooker it would be rather entertaining, but any parent of children around ages 2 and 3 knows exactly what I'm talking about); change Elizabeth; put on pants if I have not already. Believe it or not, there are days when pants are kind of a big deal. Check out this link to know what I mean:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93aA6rAlUAo

· Step 4: Hair. Comb my hair; fight Josie and Katie to remove breakfast from their hair and run a comb through the bed head. Thank God that Elizabeth's hair is too thin to deal with. If she's lucky she'll get a headband (today she wasn't).

 

On days, such as this one, when we actually leave the house I get to deal with shoes. I wear flip-flops, they slide on, match everything, and are always sitting next to the door. The girls do not wear flip-flops. For small people they are trip-flops, and quite frankly I don't have time to pick them up off the ground and kiss their ouchies 800 times on a short trip. Therefore they have 2 pairs of shoes that they wear pretty much all the time. A pair of sandals with rubber soles that are basically breathable tennis shoes (these were invented by one smart mother) and a pair of Twinkle Toes (ridiculously over priced kids shoes purchased for them by my mother). I knew exactly where the sandals were and went to wrestle the girls to the floor to put them on. Katie is docile and I usually take care of her first. Then there's Josie, who suffers from the Thrashing Three's (props to Anna and Kristin for this name). She refused to wear anything but her Twinkle Toes, but fortunately they were easy to find, so I went with it. However, what one has the other NEEDS. So of course Katie had to have her Twinkle Toes as well. (Insert profanity). After 15 minutes of digging, I found them under my bed (how did they get there?) and put them on her.

 

I loaded the girls in the car, and looked at the clock, 11:30. We woke up at 9:15 (God blessed me this morning), it took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from bed to the car.

 

We drove to the store, I loaded the girls into a shopping cart and went to print of the registry. The lady kindly informed me that they now have a complimentary self-service wrapping area (seriously, I came here because YOU wrap the gift for me). I glanced through the list and headed through the store to pick out some lovely glasses...that they don't carry in the store. Moving on to the towels...also not available in the store. After searching out the next few items, I realized there was not one item on the registry that was both in my price range AND in the store. I went back to the front, and let the sales associate order my gift online (something I could have done from home in 5 minutes), and didn't even get to sign my children's beautiful names on the card because it took too long to get him to type Daniel and Danielle Forbes properly. Sorry Josephine, Katherine, and Elizabeth, maybe next time.

 

We arrived home at 12:24, 55 minutes after we left, and 3 hours and 9 minutes after getting out of bed. Today is one of those days where I wonder if it's really worth it to get out.

 

The New School Year

This week and last many of my friends have covered my Facebook feed with pictures of their children, classroom, and themselves as they prepare for the first day of school. At 28 years old, this is the first year since I was in preschool that I haven't had the pleasure of taking a first day photo.

This week while children are opening brand new boxes of 24 count crayons and having the satisfaction of using the perfectly sharpened edge; I'll crawl across the floor and pick up broken crayons probably a good 24 times. I'll kiss my husband goodbye, peak out the window, and pray I might hear another adult voice before 5:30 rolls around.

Being a parent is a beautiful thing. I love it. I know that I am blessed to have my children. Being a working mom is hard, I would leave early in the morning before my kids woke up, spend all day chasing the children of other women around, and return home exhausted only to see my own children for a few short hours before putting them back in bed. Being a stay at home mom (as I'm learning) is hard. It can be lonely.

When working, I would fight the urge each morning to sneak into my daughters' room and kiss them goodbye so as not to wake them up. I would arrive at work, greet my coworkers, check emails, and prepare to greet 24 students for the day. Throughout the day I would share a few words with other teachers as our classes passed in the halls. I would be welcomed with a smile by the lunch ladies, as they asked how my day was going.  During lunch I would share funny stories and difficult moments with the teachers on my team and feel their support. Upon entering the office, I would have a quick conversation with the school secretary as we compared stories of our children who were the same age. After school, I would talk to parents for a few minutes about the weather, their children, and upcoming school events. At the end of the day the janitor would come to take out the trash and we would have a few minutes to shoot the breeze. And all the while, in the quiet moments of the day I would miss my kids.

Now that I'm home when Daniel leaves, it's just me and the girls. On the really hard days I call him five or six times at work just to hear his voice. Sometimes I feel trapped, this way too small apartment  is my prison. I begin to feel sorry for myself, I feel angry, abandoned. Then a little hand places a broken crayon in my hand and says "Color with me?" And the loneliness melts away. I'm finally home with my girls, and while I get excited  when the phone rings and I get to speak with another adult, I'm blessed to be exactly where I am. Next year, I know I'll be taking a first day photo again, and tears will roll down my cheeks as my oldest child leaves me on her first day of school.