1 Week!

We're officially one week in of nearly 4.5 weeks of travel! Technically today is day 9.

The long haul driving is over. Thanks heavens. No meltdowns going south, fortunately. We did do a couple of quick stops along the way - such as doing a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory, walking along the wharf in beautiful Monterey and visiting Solvang, a little city that doesn't know if it's Dutch or Danish.

Some fun lessons we learned along the way:

-book a hotel/motel/campsite/whatever you like when you know you'll be driving on the days when the kids are happy. It's kind of exciting to wake up in the morning and go as fast as the wind takes you. Ideally we prefer mini suites, but managed fine in a single room. It just means I actually get to go to bed when the girls go to sleep!

-Squeegee packs. I can't rave more about them. Should have brought my reusable squeegee packs from home to save some $$$. 

Baby girl trying to get Daddy's Hearing Aid (and yes, we got Jelly Bellies to go!)

Travelling with Les(s)

Another Les(s) pun to use!

We are on the road! For a whole month! One Madza CX-5 and the four of us, two adults, a 3 year old and a 9 month old.

So far, it's going pretty well... knock on wood.

We also opted not to take our cargo box, to avoid potential underground parking lot issues.  This meant that we'd have to fit everything in our trunk space. Success, given that we're newfound minimalists. Instead of bringing our double chariot stroller, it's just the single Bob. Since our 3 year old can walk pretty much everywhere. Though, should toddler get tired, we have a Deuter Kangapack (used!) for baby to ride in - that way everyone gets a ride (and a good workout).Bonus, it doubles up as our diaper bag.

This is serious business! ;)

So this is what I've purged...

• Cleaning up an inbox that had 5300+ emails.
• Finally downloading 1000+ photos to my PC from my phone (so I guess that means I have to sort through nearly 10 years worth of photos)
• Getting rid of 85% of all my cookbooks! Nowadays, I find most online.

Those are all the cookbooks I have left! (Whittled down from 47)

Comedy Routines

There are many wonderful moments when raising my two daughters. Far too many to count. I'm incredibly grateful.

Even with that, I do get a few disappointing moments.

I recently had to ask my mom what my daughter said, all because I couldn't see her lips. Because of her really, really loud voice, it's sometimes hard for me to pick out what she says. My hearing isn't good enough for me to make out what she says without having her facing me.

That sucks.

I know my 3 year old is a lovely character, and I try not to miss out anything. But there are occasional moments when I do miss the cute things she says. Like the time when she was pretending to be the Wicked Witch, turning the princess into a frog when my aunt and uncle were here at the end of February.

While anyone else would be understanding of that situation, as a mommy, it feels a little bit of a sad point. I know I'll miss some (but not all) things. 

It could be a lot worse, I agree!

Living with Les(s)

Normally, I try to steer away from trends. My hair, fashion, and what have you has not changed much in the last 10 years. 

However, this is a trend that I'm happy to take on! It's called Minimalism. It's basically Living with Les(s) - see what I did there? I can legitimately pun my name! A couple of posts ago, I mentioned I was doing a major purge (still am) of all the stuff we have in our home.

It's been an amazing experience! I feel less frazzled, and know where everything is now. My time is used more efficiently. Most of all, my eyes don't get overwhelmed by endless clutter. Each morning, I feel more 'in charge'.