11 Hours Later

We made it here to my brother's house in Oviedo, FL right before 9:30 last night.  The trip really wasn't bad...and this is coming from the lady who is 7 months pregnant=)  The kids really did a great job!

I kind of broke the trip into different sections to keep the kids entertained with different things.  Our goal was NOT to get to FL in good time, it was to get there in one piece...with ALL my hair still in tact=)

First Stage: 10:30-12:30

We wanted to get a couple of hours down the road before having to stop so we stuck to the basic things we do in the car on a short trip like watching for animals out the windows and listening to music and playing with the handful of little toys the kid's smuggled into the backseat from the house=)

Second Stage: 12:30-1:30

Since we packed a lunch we were on the lookout for a park or playground of some sort.  Our GPS is so ridiculous sometimes and it sent us out into some random fields when we asked it for a park.  Hmmm, no place to even have a picnic.  We were out in the middle of nowhere heading back to the interstate when we passed a very small country church with a VERY OLD playground behind it.  Nobody was there and there were no signs telling us "no" so we let the kids run wild and we had a little lunch.

Yeah, this was a tetanus shot waiting to happen!

Besides the rusty playground equipment and Zeke's need to take his lunch around the WHOLE playground with him (he even mastered the slide while holding onto his luncheable and apple!) we had a nice break and were ready to hit the road again.

Rainy and Zeke (lunch and all) on the tetanus car

Rainy got in this swing and swung ALL BY HERSELF 

for the first time.  We were all pretty proud=)

Third Stage:  1:30-6:00

This was a long stretch with a quite a few bathroom breaks and we had to fill up the car so this is why the trip took so long.  2 kids and a pregnant woman do NOT = quick trips!  After lunch I promised the kids their "to-do" bags which ended up keeping them occupied until nap time.  And although no naps were had we did listen to some Praise Baby and have some "simmer/quiet" time for an hour or so.  After their rest time we pulled out the DVD player and watched the first movie of the trip.  After the movie was over we were all ready to stop and get dinner.

Fourth Stage:  6:00-7:00

DINNER - quick, cheap mexican, can't beat that!

Fifth Stage:  7:00 - 9:30

After a gas fill-up we put in another movie to see if we could make it to our final destination!

Josh and I usually get to see Andrew and Dana a total of 1 time a year so this is a special treat to be able to hang out with them an extra time in the year.

P.S. Zeke seems to always get hurt or sick while we're on the road.  So, in dedication of being on the road a LONG way from home Zeke woke up with what we think is ANOTHER ear infection!  We're heading out to go get some Garlic Oil drops.  We're going herbal this time=)

Road Rules - Packing For A LOOOONG Road Trip

This segment of Road Rules isn't ministry related at all.  In fact it is completely opposite of that. We have an 8 to 9 hour road trip ahead of us and we're leaving all our music "stuff" behind (except for Josh's guitar of course)!  

We're going to Orlando , FL!!!  No, we won't be visiting Disney World, but we will be seeing my little brother graduate from RTS.  (I'm sure we'll make it to Lego World and the Princess Place while we're there) We figured, we've never made it to see my brother and his wife in their own home, EVER, since they've been married and we also can't imagine when we'll ever have family that lives in Orlando again.  So, before they head out to live in the DC area for his PHD program we decided that we'd better make some plans.

Since it is such a long trip I've been packing the same way I always do, except that I'm doubling up our food bag and the kid's "to-do" bags for the car.

Via Road Trip Must-Have's:

• "To-Do" bag (or basket) - I went out to Target's $1 spot and racked up on some fun newbies and added in some of their all-time favorites and then divided the bootie stash in half.  1/2 for the trip there and 1/2 for the trip back to make it exciting=)

Areyna's bag is the blue / Zeke's bag is the green

(stickers, pencils, cars, pony's, Color Wonder stuff...just to name a few things)

• DVD Player - I may try to run out to the library and get a couple of new movies for the kids.  If not, we still have the favorites that never get old (Cars, Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Nemo, Mary Poppins)

• Food Bag - We're not big fans of fast food and we are trying to spend as little money as possible on the trip so we went to Wal-mart and snagged some pretty good deals with my coupons.  We have pretzels, chips, granola bars, fruit snacks, bananas, apples, juice boxes, stuff for sandwiches and much, much more!  We're still planning on stopping for lunch and letting the kids run around during meals but we are bringing our own food.

Red: Trip down / Green: Trip back

How do you pack for long road trips in the car?  What helps guarantee your safe arrival, and sanity?=)

Road Rules - Cups

Rule #1 - You may not ask for a drink until at least an hour into the road trip lest we begin the never ending potty rotations that will inevitably last the rest of the trip.

Rule #2 - Only water will be had on road trips.  I don't think I can handle any more cup sightings under the car seats full of 2-week old curdled milk!

Rule #3 - Keep up with your cup.  If you loose it, no more drinks will be had in the car for the rest of the trip for you, but you must continue to have a "happy heart"=)

Road Rules - Sickness

"What Do You Do When One Of You Gets Sick?"

Always Have a barf bag ready!!

Road Rules - The Kids

"What do you do with the kids?"

This is a very common question I get just about every place we go.  The kids probably come with us 85% of the time.  There are just so many factors involved when we bring the kids into the equation.  Here are some things I have to think about concerning our little ones...

1)Childcare 

2)Meals

3)Sleeping Arrangements

4)Someone to keep the kids off the stage while we are actually leading worship=)

These are just a COUPLE of the things going through our heads as we make the decision whether to bring them with us or not.  Here are just some general things we do with them...

REHEARSALS

You may remember me talking about what we do with the kids during rehearsal times.  For example, this past weekend we led at our home church, Southbrook, for their Sat. and Sun. services.  I packed their dinner so I could just wake them up from their nap and stick them in the car to go directly to rehearsal before the service on Sat. night.  Then we do the same with breakfast on Sunday morning.  (I get EVERYTHING ready the night before:  clothes, food, diaper bag, etc.)  I even pack them a lunch because we usually pull them out of their last class and let them eat because we don't get out of the last service until 1pm and they tend to start getting cranky!

EVENING EVENTS

Evening events, like CharlotteONE, are def. events where we find someone to watch the kiddos.  It is WAY TOO LATE for them and there is WAY TOO MUCH going on.

Rainy, Zeke and Kelsey Janes painting while we were at CharlotteONE!  Thanks Janes's

OUT OF TOWN

If we are just playing a few hours up the road they generally just come with us and we just make sure there is someone that can watch the kids while we play.

OVER-NIGHT

These are the gigs that are the most draining for me.  We all usually sleep in one room, whether it's a hotel room, host home, or cabin.  Areyna has adjusted to life on the road with GREAT ease.  Zeke, on the other hand, is going through several different "phases" right now, so it tends to be a bit more difficult for him.  So, not only do we have the crazy nights, but then there are the endless hours of constantly watching them because we are not in our normal environment.  I never know what they will find or get into.  I'm not even going to talk about nap time!

MORE THAN ONE NIGHT

Thankfully Josh's parents only live 3 1/2 hours north of us in VA so we can usually work something out with them to meet them or drop the kids off, if we need to, while we do an extended out of town gig.  They have been an AWESOME help as we've tried to figure all this out with the kids.

INTERNATIONAL

Usually Josh tries to take at least 2 international mission trips a year and I stay home with the kids.  But, we actually got to go to Hungary together this summer.  We flew the kids to Colorado to stay with my parents.  It was such a special time for all of them since my parents live so far away.  It was such a huge help and an answer to prayer since Josh and I had been talking about doing another trip together for years.

I hope that answers your question.  I'm sure there is plenty more I could put into this one, but I guess you get the gist of how we do it=)

*If you have any other questions you'd like me to answer just e-mail me from my profile info. or leave a comment below.

Road Rules - Eating On The Go

"What Do You Do For Meals On The Road?"

Many of you gave some GREAT ideas for breakfasts in the car on the way to churches early in the morning.  Thank you!!

Here are a few other things we've learned to do.  This planning helps to cut back on costs for meals on the road.  Sometimes we pack snacks and other times I'll pack a whole meal depending on how far away we're going.  Other times we'll just camp out in a parking lot and get a Hot And Ready Pizza.  I do have to think about our travel plans every week while I'm getting my grocery list ready.  For instance, I sit down with my calendar and figure out all the meals I'll need for the week, plus what I'll need for breakfast in the car to such-n-such a church or lunch on the way to a gig up North, and add them into my grocery list.  It doesn't always go as planned, but it helps to have this general system.

What do you do for meals when you travel?

Road Rules - #1

BE FLEXIBLE

With all the questions I get concerning being a mother of 2 on the road while working alongside my husband, I thought that I'd start answering some of the top questions I get.  Not that I have all the answers or even have it all together, because nothing could be farther from the truth, but I hope to be an encouragement to you through this trial and error process. 

The #1 question I get in e-mails and talking to other moms is, "How in the world do you do it?".   

Here's my answer: I DON'T DO IT!!!  I believe God has called us to do what we do and God alone will give us what we need to make it happen.  I am continually asking God to give me patience and endurance with the kids, wisdom while I try to balance everything, and above all, that people would see God through me.  

If you know me at all you know that I am a routine girl!  If I don't have consistency I feel so out of it and I'm not quite sure how to fit everything in.  You know, like exercise, quiet time, planning meals, family devotions and the list goes on and on.   I need consistency.  This is one of those areas in my life where I believe God is doing all the work and He must get all the glory.  I'm still working on it because what we do is the farthest thing from consistent and familiar but I know God is good and he won't give me more than I can handle, even when I have days like THIS and feel like I can't do it any more.

So, we finally got home tonight and are almost completely unpacked with several piles of laundry stacked up to the ceiling , sippy cups full of curdled milk sitting in the sink because we can never keep up with them on the road, and we get ready for another round.  I just smile and thank God for who He is and trust Him to give me the flexibility that our family needs.

Meels On Wheals...Any Ideas?

Sunday mornings are kind of crazy, as so many of you know. Not just for people in ministry, but for all of human kind who attend Sun. morning church and have kids. Most of the time when we are going to be leading locally at a church I have a lot of preparation that needs to be done on Sat. night, such as laying out the kids clothes, shoes, socks and jackets. I also pack the diaper bag so as not to leave anything at home that could be of necessity at church, like diapers, an extra pair of clothes in case Rainy has an accident and of course an extra "bubby", Zeke's blanket. I also have to plan accordingly for meals. I always have to pack a breakfast since we usually have sound check and sometimes even band practice BEFORE the services which means waking the kids up early and puting them directly in the car, and sometimes I pack a lunch if there are a million services that run into lunch, like at our home church. Anyway, I'm running out of ideas for breakfasts especially. The kids are getting pretty tired of granola/cereal bars and dried cereal. We eat on the way to the church most of the time so I have to have something that will not completely destroy the car and still keep the kids clothes clean for church. I tried poptarts and will never do that again. Let's just say that the gooey middle isn't always a GOOD thing. If you have any ideas please let me know, my kids would be super grateful!!

Let's Play A Game

Some of you have asked what I do with the kids while we travel around and play everywhere, so I decided I'd fill you in on a little secret. Here's what we're going to do - I got the idea from Elmo...can you find what is "The Same" in all the pictures?


ANSWER: Portable High Chair, yeah you got it!
If any new mom ever asks me again "what I just can't live without", this is what I'll be telling her. We've never even owned a real high chair (or crib for that matter, only pack-n-plays). We've gotten our money's worth out of these bad boys. That's right. I have a good 30 min. (0n average) to get some practicing in with the band from the time I place the lunchables on the tray to the time when the leftovers go flying across the floor. Areyna is old enough to know that "No Stage" means no stage but we're still working on Zeke. He still thinks he can army crawl his way up the steps and turn the monitors ALL THE WAY UP!! (sorry JT and Mike)
So, if you are in a bind and just don't know what to do with the kids, bring that portable chair and a packed snack or meal to tide them over and keep them occupied while you get to work=)