Road trip to Baja

I've been driving since I was 18 years old, mostly in the city to and from school and then to and from work sometimes to run errands or just for the drive. I occasionally have driven on the road for at the most an hour or two, but since getting married in 2001 Adventure Dad does most if not all of the travel driving in this family. Why? Well he loves driving and I don't mind sitting in the car as co-pilot making sure we get where we are supposed to {sometimes}.

So this year because we had a family event in Baja Mexico and Adventure Dad had to work during the week I decided that I would be adventurous and drive all the way to Ensenada Baja Mexico from Northern California with Adventure Kids. Yes, just our 6 year old, 2 year old and I. -gulp, make that double gulp-.

This may not seem as something unusual to some moms, but for me well it was uncharted territory to drive for 550 miles and my two kids who can sometimes get a little to anxious and cranky on long drives. So I braved it and surprised not only family and friends but myself by doing so.

After this little road trip I learned so much and am now brave enough to do it again. I learned a lot from traveling with kids -alone.

The first thing I learned is that you don't give your 6 year old a 1.5 liter water bottle after taking a restroom break, no you don't. That is, unless you want to stop again an hour after and then 30 minutes after in the middle of nowhere! Oh yes, she drank that water like there was no tomorrow! Even though I explained it had to last the whole ride to the Orange County area.

When traveling even if you have GPS it is always good to research at home about the rest areas along the way, that is to prevent you from counting on the next rest area -as per a sign on the road- and then as you get within a mile closer you find out it is closed for remodeling! and the nearest bathroom is 30 miles away.

To solve this I do remember when potty training Adventure Girl that I purchased a little travel potty called potette sold at Babies 'R Us that had a plastic liner bag attached to it with an absorbent pad in the middle allowing you to just throw away after the child is done using it and replacing for each use. This allows you to travel comfortably and younger kids to use the potty when needed. This is an excellent item to have when road tripping with kids and one I put back in the car along with a roll of toilet paper just in case Adventure Girl needs it.

I also learned that if you time your stops for every 1.5 - 2 hours to use restrooms, change diapers and sometimes to get everyone a snack you will have a very easy going road trip. I used our stroller to put Adventure Boy in it every time we stopped to use the restrooms.

I had all sorts of entertainment for the kids. Adventure Girl had her Nintendo DS with her along with 4 different games and her travel charger, Adventure Boy had his little laptop , I also had DVD player with their favorite movies and some books. We played counting clouds, shape searching, I spy and we also enjoyed the views. The tip of the surrounding mountains were covered in snow and the contrast with the deep blue skies and sun was simply breathtaking.

Adventure Boy loves drinking milk in his sippy cup and likes it cold so I had a little cooler within arms reach filled with ice and 4 sippy cups with the milk served in them. This was such a fantastic idea that Adventure Dad had, every time Adventure Boy asked for his milk I just reached and handed it to him.

We decided to stop for the day and rest in the Orange County area while visiting family. The next morning after breakfast we continued with our road trip and drove to San Diego and then to Ensenada. It was smooth sailing the entire drive and I am excited for our next road trip whenever it is.

Adventure Mom tip: When traveling always check road conditions and weather at your travel destination and make sure you have at least enough diapers and wipes for 48 hours so that you are not stressed and rushed looking for an open store when you arrive at your destination.

About the photos used: Adventure Girl took all of the pictures except for the one of myself which I took before we began our road trip in the parked at home ;) Don't drive and take photos it is not safe and it distracts you. 

Trips don't always go as planned... we should know we're parents!

Our journey to the OC (Orange County) began on Friday, it was a smooth drive there with kids. When we arrived being greeted by family was the best. Sleeping? well that's a whole other story! if you've had the "pleasure" of traveling with your little ones already, you must of noticed how excited and over-stimulated they can be specially in new surroundings where they are not accustomed to be. Needless to say we had no exceptions here.

Our almost 15 month old missed his 7:30 p.m. bedtime and decided to finally dose off in the arms of daddy around 10:00 p.m. and his older 5 year old sister did not fall asleep easily either. But it was an out of town trip that we were going to make the best of.

The following morning I had it all figured out: we would have breakfast and get ready to go to the Columbia Memorial Space Museum in Downey and then head on over to Porto's Bakery for a great Cuban lunch. I have to admit it did take us what seemed like forever to leave the house so around 11 we had a small change of plans have lunch at Tokyo Table and then head on over to Downey for the Museum and after that take out at Porto's.

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice Sushi with fresh jalapeño Chili from Tokyo Table 

As my wise sister-in-law told me recently with kids it is all about "accepting", you "accept" you can't go out on time, you "accept" you can't just take off and leave. When you finally figure this out and "accept" your new rhythm of life and routine it is then that you learn to enjoy what is going on in your life. So taking that into consideration I went with the flow.

We had lunch at Tokyo Table, it is a great place to eat. Service was fantastic and even though I had to take our son out of the restaurant for a bit because he was a little uncomfortable and I didn't not want to interrupt everyone else's peace and enjoyment I decided to take him for a walk.

In my opinion I honestly wouldn't consider this restaurant kid-friendly, just because a restaurant has high chairs to me it doesn't make the place open to families with toddlers or babies. Still I went with the flow and when he got a little too loud (as all toddlers do) I took him outside and had the opportunity of going into H Mart.

Now H Mart might seem like your typical supermarket, however it is targeted mostly to the Asian population. With toiletries, home goods, cleaning items, produce and packaged meals as well as ingredients that have labels in Japanese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Cambodian. You name it they have it! Fresh seafood that is ready to cook? sure! Fresh Dragon Fruit? Of course, it is flown in from Malaysia and Indonesia... Price wise they are better than your chain Supermarket. My son was very entertained with their Seafood aisle that included fresh whole squid! and even baby squids, fresh abalone in a water tank...

Fresh Dragon Fruit, when choosing look for the one with the most vibrant Magenta color for it to be ripe.

After lunch we decided to shop and head back home. As a parent who has type "A" personality I can honestly say that I am happy and pleased with our how our day turned out and ended on a high note with a dip in the hot tub under the moon and stars.

Our Sunday got off to an early start with a family birthday party at the official training center for The Ducks at The Rinks. It is the place to go for ice skating and hockey. We had the pleasure of enjoying some fun ice skating and I would recommend this place if you know how to skate, they have two Olympic sized rinks divided by a warm and cozy lobby. Also if you are in the market for a pair of skates, hockey or figure skating apparel and accessories this is place! they have many options for any budget!

Main Entrance to The Rinks in Anaheim.

After this wonderful weekend filled with fun and adventure I have decided that next time I visit I will go with the flow and maybe squeeze some museum time!    ;-)