We’re getting ready to take off on a 10 day vacation. Mark has a gig in Florida and since one my fellow Mama Says Om mamas lives in that sunny state, the girls and I will be tagging along. While I enjoy being on vacation, getting ready for one makes me crazy. I hate packing, always convinced I’m missing some vital element without which our good times will be thwarted. Mark has to remind me repeatedly that they have stores where we’re going, all will not be lost if I fail to remember underarm deodorant (adding to my list of things to pack). I hate the stress of traveling by air, worrying endlessly of missed connections, overzealous security checks and my girls deciding to melt down on a crowded plane. I’ve never flown with both of them before; unless you count the flight Lily and I took when I was three months pregnant with Anya. Even though I have a wonderful friend who is a super genius pet-sitter, I also worry about my dog, cat, plants and the house (more or less in that order).
But mostly, I make lists. Endless lists detailing every last thing I can think to bring or do before we go. Today I need to return an audio book to the library, pick up cat food, and make a run to the toy store to find a few special items for Lily to obsess over on the plane. I am considering stopping off at a drug store to get some sort of cold medicine for the kids that will hopefully have the effect of knocking them out and keeping the runny noses from being too horrific for the duration of the flight. I’m not one to drug my kids, so I’m struggling with this decision, not sure which way to go. Anya is a bit too young for any of that stuff really, so it’s mostly about Lil.
So, yeah. I’m a little crazy today. I’m trying very hard not to snap at my kids or curl up in a corner with my hands pressed to my ears as though they could possibly hold off the world.
How do you travel with kids? What tricks help you make it through a cross country flight? Seriously, I’m open to suggestion.
