Remember, friends, when I advised you of how to plan a perfect road trip? Takekawa Road Trip 1.0, as I have learned, is designed for individuals without children. May I introduce to you, Takekawa Road Trip 2.0.
Rule 1: Never plan road trip in advance. This is the same rule in 1.0. So long as you're parent who always carries enough food, diapers and clean clothes, then you need not decide but moments before you leave.
Rule 2: Find relative nearest to the desired destination. After all, my friends, this is still Takekawa style which means you must not waste money on a hotel. No more are the 5am to Midnight trips. With a child you will likely have to spend the night somewhere. I understand this also triples the amount of the items you may need for your child. Our chosen destination was Minneapolis. We stayed over night with my parents in Clear Lake. Fortunately my parents have a pack and play for Emi up there. But last night, Emi was in full drama queen mode. She refused to be put in the pack and play which means she slept in the middle of the bed, Tommy slept uncomfortable on the bed with Emi with the little room she left him, and I slept on the couch.
Rule 3. Don't forget the Internet. As you will recall, Tommy and I purchased the Verizon hotspot about a month ago. This means we could take our Internet with us!
Rule 4. Find your nearest Costco.
Rule 5: Go with the flow. Gone are the days of achieving amazing amounts of things in such a short period of time. But now are the days of experiencing amazing amounts of joy from your daughter. Sure she slowed us down, but her coos, smiles and buying things for her was the best part of the trip!
Rule 6: Try something new! I am guilty of finding something I like and sticking with it. (This is a totally random story but illustrates my point well: I remember one time Tommy wanted to try Trostel's Dish. We had never been there. I was fine sticking with the sure-thing Wendy's, but Tommy insisted going to Trostel's. There are a few things Tommy and I recall from that experience: a) we paid a significant amount of money for that dinner; 2) we were served incredibly small portions of food; c) we went through the wendy's drive-thru on the way home; and d) we vowed never to eat there again).
Today our chosen destination was Minneapolis. We decided Friday when Tommy and I got home from work and immediately headed to Clear Lake.
We stayed over night with my parents in Clear Lake. Fortunately my parents have a pack and play for Emi up there. But last night, Emi was in full drama queen mode. She refused to be put in the pack and play which means she slept in the middle of the bed, Tommy slept uncomfortable on the bed with Emi with the little room she left him, and I slept on the couch.
I am blogging in the car on our way back to Clear Lake. Love! (I'll love it even more when I get that ipad I've been eyeing. Unfortunately we did not have time to stop at Costco in Minneapolis, due to some other activities we chose that we hadn't done in awhile, but I still recommend you keep Costco on your itinerary.
We went to the Mall of America which I hadn't been to in nearly a decade. I was under the impression that the mall was basically dead and wasn't worth the stop. I really do not think that was the case. The place was absolutely packed! We ended up only shopping 2 of the 3 floors! And I consider myself an incredibly efficient shopper!
Our new try was a place called The Magic Pan. Tommy and I shared a banana chocolate crepe- it was fantastic!
We had a great time. I know Emi is going to want to go back sometime to build a bear and The American Girl store. I don't know what that American Girl Store is, other than a big deal.
So go ahead. Plan your next road trip. But remember, don't plan it too soon!
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