children

Hidden costs of travel with large family

Ever wondered what it would cost you if you had a larger family? Thought about travelling, especially car travel with them during a holiday week? Let me share with you unexpected costs:

• 9 expired items in the first aid kits (yeah, I have one for the car and one to give to the grandparents. Should be updated every year, but I’m a little behind.) 
• 2 days of missed blog posts (read a couple of different books for Financial Friday and I wanted to sit still/break it down/got caught up typing packing lists/researching summer reading lists…did I mention that I’ve recently been inducted in the Overacheiving, Obsessive Perfectionists Hall of Shame? Yeah, I wasn’t good enough to get it to Hall of Fame.  :lol: )
• 2 girls night out activities (didn’t feel right hangin’ when I had another 10 loads of laundry to do, even though DH hung out with his boy who was going to Brazil for the summer…guess he missed the 10 loads of laundry or the smelly food in the refrigerator)
• 11 hours of sleep (I’m a light sleeper, but I do believe that good, sound sleep is critical for total health…but I wonder is good and sound possible when your three year old foot is in your mouth?)
• dry contact lenses (not really associated with the travel plans, but I thought I would throw that in there)
• over-inflated car tires (I couldn’t very much read the tire gauge while my sons were arguing abou who was going to play Dragon Ball Z first when we got home)
• $58.50 (the total cost of the overdue DVD, video games from the library and from Blockbuster)
• a good bra (not paying attention…ended in the dryer/underwire gave up/expensive tragedy)
• 3 broken nails (not gel or acrylic, but mine…the ones I’ve been trying to go for friggin weeks. All because I was looking through a box of tapes looking for the 5 or 6 DVDs that seemed to have walked out of the cases. Does this happen in your house? Are the DVDs joined with the toothpaste caps, the remote controls and those dayum single socks? And, can I note that I wouldn’t be watching ANY of the DVDs so why did I have to dig? Another post…)
• important items left behind
  • Both of my daughters left their jackets after they went in for a bathroom break..even though I asked if everyone went to the bathroom. (My girlfriend has a portable potty in her car…do I need to go out like that?)
  • Video camera (wrote a checklist for the whole family while I went to get the car checked out…made 4 copies/taped the list on every reasonable surface/DH was responsible for the video camera, but he missed the list/was sorta sleepy…see above statement about hanging out for more details)
  • Pajamas for me (luckily, I’m staying at my parent’s house, but let’s see I remembered everything for the kids down to the A & D ointment, the plastic spoons for the fruit cups and the special glass cleaner and car freshener that I like, but sistah didn’t have enough of a spare brain cell to get some pajamas for herself…sad but true)
• a part of my hearing because between “Stop Khari!” (which is the mantra that everyone has when it pertains to the throwing/hitting/kicking/choking antics of our two year old), “How much longer?” and my fave…”Did you consider us taking a plane home? I’m just curious.” I think I damaged something when I was covering my ears and screaming, “My name is not Mommy and you can’t guess what it is, so I’m not answering.”

Although it’s 1:06 AM on Tuesday morning and it costs me a lot to get here, sitting here in the quiet, knowing that I am going to be without the busy-ness of my full life for about six weeks…it was worth it.

For more information about developing a first-aid kit, click here.

How well do you handle preparation before the trip? How much does your family be in the vision and pitch in to help?

© 2007 DahGurl.