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Friday, 02 January 2009

Notes to self: On going home for the holidays

Things to remember for next year:
  1. Shop for gifts at my destination.  I live in Tennessee, which has an 8% (or more) sales tax, but went to Pennsylvania which has a 6% sales tax.  Better yet, we didn't have to haul gifts.  Sure, it made for a little more stress, but weigh that against packing your kid's toys, sleeping arrangements, clothes, and other stuff with you plus gifts that can't get smooshed.  If you're flying (we weren't), you can't wrap until you get there anyway.

  2. Stay in one place the whole time, and only make day visits to family and friends.  We haven't sold our house in PA yet, so we stayed there.  We have also stayed in hotels while visiting family, which perplexes them more than offends.  We can let my daughter run free in an empty house, turn the heat up as high as we want (my mother turns the heat up to 65 for guests….), and put my daughter to bed at night in the same place every night in moderate quiet.  We have also stayed in hotels for the same reason when other kids are in town.  It saves my sanity, and I know I'm not letting my parents wishes get in the way of my kid's needs.

  3. Don't turn nose up at family restaurants.  We have a 10 hour drive from Pennsylvania to Tennessee.  We split it up just over halfway and spend the night in a motel with free breakfast and a Cracker Barrel in the parking lot.  Those of you who haven't spent a lot of time in the south should know that this is manna.  The food is generally soft enough for someone with no molars.  And the store has enough mayhem to get your kid a bit of excitement before you drive for several more hours.

  4. Don't be afraid to smell roses.  I know it's a hassle to drag your kid out of the car seat and pop them back in, but it seems to be a real needed break for mine.  She just can't sit for 5 hours straight, and she's cutting back on her naps.  We are trying to follow the AAP recommendation not to let her watch TV until she's 2, so this requires some creativity.  I sit in back with her, and we pull over at the halfway point to our halfway point.  I have seen such things as "The Museum of the Middle Appalachians", the battlefield at Appomatox, and many small towns.  She may not care, but there are buttons to push, animals to see, sounds to hear.  It's enough.

Posted in Americas : Dec.-Feb. : Infant by Emily C at 9:37 AMPermalink

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