Moving with Kids | What Really Happened

Even with all of my preparation, let’s just say that things didn’t go exactly as planned. Do the ever?

I don’t know if you remember, but we had grand plans of leaving each morning at 4AM so that we could arrive at our destinations before dinner= FAIL. Instead we didn’t end up getting out on the road until between 9 and 10 each morning. We had to make SO many stops the first day that we only averaged 30 mph. Unfortunately, we could not manage to coordinate potty, nursing, and refueling breaks. We didn’t reach our destination until 3AM- EACH DAY! We stopped and got fast food 3 times. It was not as I had planned.

We were so very lucky though. The kids did GREAT. Parker did wonderfully with not wetting his pants, he had very few accidents on the first day-the second day not so much. We brought his potty chair in the van and he thought it was so fun to go potty on the side of the road. I didn’t end up having both kids with me as I had feared I would- we each decided to take one child in each vehicle. Parker thought the moving truck was so much fun, Piper on the other hand didn’t enjoy being all by herself in the back seat of the van.

Overall, we didn’t feel like we planned enough but realized we really couldn’t have planned any more… We were glad for the things we did- the walkie talkies were a GREAT purchase, the healthy snacks were good for our bellies and our energy, the toys were a big hit. However, if we were to do it again we would make some MAJOR changes. We would schedule enough time to maybe spread out the driving into 3 days so that we wouldn’t have been so exhausted. We would have made more stops to stretch our legs, and maybe try to explore some of the neat places we drove through.

We are already finding that our kids need an extra measure of grace right now. Parker has had a rough few days of regression with potty training because of the lack of structure. Piper is very clingy. Its so much for their young minds to understand. Parker has broken my heart with a few things he has said, “I’m so sad, I’m not having my friends.”  “I will miss my GaGa (his grandma) and my Daddy”- He was so confused as to who he would still see and who he will miss. I have had to err on the side of OVER explaining EVERYTHING to him-‘Daddy is going to work, but he will be back home after and you WILL see him at dinner time’

We all are a bit exhausted and are all adjusting, but are looking forward to all the new adventures that our new home has in store for us… Oh and we have already been enjoying some of them- like snuggling up in blankets and sipping hot chocolate while all of you are enjoying sunshine and swimming pools.

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Jess Fischer is a Phoenix native who is happily married to her very best friend Lukas. She has two beautiful babies (15 ½ months apart!!) her son Parker and her daughter Piper. She has a love for most things domestic- be it cooking, sewing, crafting, or gardening although she has never enjoyed cleaning (oh well!) She loves saving money and views it as a game that she is constantly trying to win. She enjoys spending time with her family above all else. She recently started her own business and loves keeping friends and family up to date with her life on her family blog.