Stuckey’s Postcard image via Stuckeys.com
April at Adventure Wherever has a fun post harkening back to road trips of her childhood that reminded me of two things:
- I love Stuckey’s pecan logs.
- Pretty much all of the rules go out the window when I travel.
The two are actually related, in the sense that Stuckey’s pecan logs are basically bits of pecan held together by sugar and fat…NOT something you’d consume on a regular basis. But no road trip that passes a Stuckey’s is complete without one, and I’ve happily passed this tradition down to the Deal Kids.
Home Mom makes sure every meal has a protein, a grain, and a veg/fresh fruit. Travel mom gave her kids gogurt (protein), gogosqueez (fruit) and popchips (grain?) for breakfast on Memorial Day. True story.
Home Mom enforces 830 bedtime, 9PM lights out even on (most) weekends. TVs in their bedrooms? Are you nuts? Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend Deal Kid was up in bed watching “Good Luck Charlie” at 10:30PM when Deal Dad finally made him shut it off.
Needless to say, the kids like Travel Mom much better than Home Mom! The good news is that Travel Mom is only around for short bursts and the kids get that she’s a break from routine. The transition back to real life is usually pretty smooth.
Here’s my concern: we’re about to go away for a month. This is not only our longest trip, but also the one with the most transitions and the most “foreignness”-ie-the times when “Travel Mom” is most likely to let things slide to keep the peace and maximize the experience.
What happens when we get home? If you have any experience with adjustment to routines during and after a long trip, please share!
Familiar chocolates take away the “foreignness,” though I’m not sure the kids’ sugar crashes will help keep things running smoothly. 😉 Is there any way you can schedule down time into your days? I know the kids are past nap stages, but maybe a little quiet time after lunch breaks to do something somewhat routine like journal or draw something inspired by something they saw that day? Or, maybe not have that journal time at a particular time each day, but maybe just declare pre-trip that they’ll have a 30 minute journal session each day whenever the timing works? I didn’t always keep journals when I was younger, but I’m really glad that I have the few that I do.
Journals…good idea! Also, in reading the “what not to do” in family travel, the #1 I hear is “don’t over schedule”, so trying really hard to stay to that maxim.
When my girl gets home, no matter how much fun she had over the past 3-5 weeks, she seems grateful for her own bed and her own toys. She knows where things are and what’s going to happen. There have also been no transition issues for us during the time we’ve been gone except for jet lag and food (she’s a picky eater). She’s 4 and been abroad 0nce a year for at least 3 weeks for the past 3 years. She loves the excitement and newness of every day while we’re gone and the peace and predictability of home once we’re back. I’m sure your guys will too!
Thanks, Nicole. They do get restless and homesick after a few days. Strangely I’ve noticed it is happening more as they become tweens- friends, baseball, etc. takes priority.