And We’re Off!

The husband and I are leaving for our first “REAL” vacation in 6 years and our first big one with no kids, TONIGHT, Monday, October 31st!!!  The craziest part is we are leaving the country and headed to sunny, beachy Mexico. While the excitement is brewing and the anticipation is overwhelming, so is the anxiety.  The hardest part is not picking which swimsuit or dress to wear, it’s getting 2 kids ready for their parents to be away for 5 days! My sleep the last few nights has been horrible, as I wake up in the middle of the night because I remember another little “quirk” I need to remind the grandparents of.    Luckily the kids are staying at our house and the grandmas will be alternating nights at our house but that doesn’t answer all the questions.  So here are some of the things we’ve had to do to make sure our vacation goes off some-what smoothly.

“The Explanation” – One of the hardest parts has been explaining to our 3.5 year old that mommy and daddy are going on a trip without them.  Roman, our little one, doesn’t understand, but Mia sure does.  So instead of focusing on us being gone we have focused on that fact that Grandma and Nana will be having a sleepover at HER house!  That was the most exciting thing for her. We have also talked about how she will get a special present every morning while we are gone (see below for gifts).

Schedules – I typed up schedules, gave them to the grandmas and also posted one on the fridge. This schedule included everything from nap times, to bed times, to Mia’s school schedule and Roman’s daycare drop off and pick up times.    Also, when does the dog get fed, can’t forget about her.

Health Care – We had to remember to get consent to treat forms for the Dr. and hospital in the event that something would happen to the kids while we were gone.

Household ready – Is there all the food they will need for the week, 4 gallons of milk are stocked in the fridge, all the essentials have been bought, laundry has been all done and put away, so it can be easily found.    And money has been left for all the things we’ve forgotten to buy.

Missing Mommy and Daddy gifts – I stole this from my good friend, who traveled this past summer. We bought Mia a gift to open every day while we are gone.  She will have 1 to open every day we are gone. Some things included were: a recordable book read by mommy and daddy, princess stickers and rings, new pens and notepads to write mommy and daddy notes, a little treasure box for her to paint, etc.  Hopefully this will at least keep her excited about the next day.

Calendar – My mom also made them a calendar with stickers so every time she takes a nap and goes to bed she gets to put a sticker on so she knows when we will be home.

Reminder of Quirks/Routines – Somehow along the way we’ve realized our kids thrive on routine, which is great, but can also be hard when someone else is watching them.  So we had to remember to go over all the “quirks” our kids have; Roman’s green “tink” and multiple pacifiers in the crib for naps and bedtimes, Mia’s purple and pink “tinks” and all animal/babies lined up for bed, prayers before meals, stories and prayers before bed and these are just to name a few.

Hopefully all will go well while we are gone.  More than anything I have to remember that both grandmas have raised kids and love our children unconditionally.  So even though, things may go different than how I would do things if I were home, I need to remember they are in awesome hands being loved on and probably even “spoiled”.