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.