Here we are, all packed up, ready to start our 10 hour drive home tomorrow. I debated for a while about blogging or not tonight because I’m a little bummed. But here I am. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly. Life isn’t perfect. Yesterday the hub’s came down with a bug, so Ive been solo the past twoish days. Yesterday afternoon I took the kids to see an Italian Car exhibition at the local art museum. It was cool. A bit hair raising becuase these cars are VERY rare and in MINT condition. These are cars I’ve never seen on the street. Each car had their own security…

Well, hello again. You know that point on vacation where you just need some alone time and are are just DONE with non-stop stuff. I’m there. But we only have two days left here, so I’m sucking it up (maybe a good coffee and chocolate are in order? Two things I forgot to pack for myself….ugggg what was I thinking??). Hoping to have a little down time when we drive into Milwaukee. Last night’s plans changed a bit. Carter ended up taking a super long nap until 4pm. We walked what seemed like forever in the heat, but was only 15 minutes. It’s hot. Science project hot, 92* hot. Too…

We are all beaming today after sleeping so well. The kids have their own room, and own beds, and Doug and I have a nice large room connected to a family room and kitchenette. Sleep is so important. Especially when kids are still napping! We had a free breakfast downstairs this morning that was completely nut-free. Who knew eating nut-free at Hilton was so easy? Chloe and Carter were pumped about selecting their own food and drinks. The dining room was beautiful with a waterfall and indoor/outdoor seating. Hard to believe it’s free. Super family friendly, too. We all took a shower (the kids were afraid of the old fashioned…

Finally, a great night of sleep. A feeling we have ALL been looking forward to since Saturday. Yesterday was our 3rd day of our trip. I kind of gave it away on Facebook, but we ended up moving into a Homewood Suites by Hilton, about 2 miles from Bungalow 9. First, yesterday was AMAZING. Hanging out with John and Vicky was the best. After a morning of bugs on the floor, crappy homemade breakfast and a shower with pressure so hard you could loose your lady parts, it was so nice to be somewhere comfortable and fun, their home in Franklin, TN. If you’ve never looked at the History behind…

Remember that “no technology” rule? Yep. That’s gone. We think Carter has motion sickness becuase he ended up getting sick all over the place! The drive from Champaign to Nashville was fine. Watched a few movies and stopped to eat at Arby’s. Woah. Arby’s. Totally threw me for a loop by changing the bun on the kids sandwich. Luckily, Arby’s is amazing and has a very elaborate and up to date allergy info sheet. Chloe could enjoy her lunch. Quick stop in Paducha, KY, for Harley swag for papa Joe. Last night we checked into our Bungalow and headed over straight away to see friends John and Vicky. Their house…

Day 1: We left the house, after what seemed like a month of packing, and headed toward our first stop, Champaign, Illinois. This was a little over 4 hours and the longest the 4 of us have ever spent in the car together. While we have done a bit of travelling with the kids, this is our first real road trip with them. Along the way, we only stopped at McDonalds’ since I trust their bathrooms most and it’s on our “safe snacking list.” The kids did AMAZINGLY well in the car, thanks to these one-step ahead smushy trays. I was hesitant on the purchase, but well worth it to…

Have you ever had a million things running through your mind at once? Yes. We all have. Personally, I find it helpful to just write it all down. Making lists helps me de-stress, unclutter my brain, free my mind and focus on what’s really important; the needs of my family. If you follow me on Instagram, you see my week usually planned out for food, the refrigerator chalkboard doors are my go-to. On the right side is menu items and left side is usually snack ideas or “to-do” items. I also keep a paper planner to randomly jot down, “pick up Rx, get gas, Mani/pedi, send card, vacuum car” and…

Happy Thursday! This week has surged ahead of me. Big shout out to all the Nurses who work their butts off every single day! Your work is appreciated so much. Special thanks to the Nurses that my husband works with that make his day smooth and work so hard with such a challenging patient base. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Quick update here. As I’ve made a few trips to Target, I’ve started putting together our road trip snack items. This isn’t what I consider super healthy. It also isn’t super terrible. I think it’s right in the middle of “that’s not so bad.” Rewind 15 years, and this…

Each year we try to plan one big family vacation. After a few trips to Disney, Tucson and Denver, we are road tripping it to Nashville this summer. We chose Nashville, TN, since we’ll be able to see friends + the distance is very manageable with a 2 and 5 year old. It’s roughly 10 hours, so 5 hours each day is what we’re planning, with plenty of sight-seeing along the way (Ahem, bathroom breaks at nasty gas stations, lets not sugar coat this.) How do you plan a vacation while considering allergies? Since traveling with kids can be challenging in and of itself, we have been using the website www.vrbo.com, part…