Monday

Do Not Disturb

We just returned from a few days of visiting The Relatives. And I thought I'd share a trip highlight:

In a burst of genius the day after Christmas, my hubby and I remembered we had a free hotel room that would break up our long trip to the farm.

We packed in a mad dash and stuffed pajama-clad children into the car with their new Christmas slippers.

We realized hours down the road our children didn’t have any shoes for our trip.

Yeah, we’re awesome like that.

We crawled into the free hotel room near midnight.

Now, if you have a toddler or baby in your life, you know that hotel-staying isn’t ideal. Our children have all had portable bed issues. (Because we’re all in the same room and they can see us.)

So, we traditionally put the playpen behind a partition if the room has one or worse case, in the bathroom. (It fit, but the door wouldn’t close).

Please don’t judge us.

It actually worked great.

Until about 4 A.M. My two big kids had to potty in the occupied bathroom.

We all know the HORROR of waking a 2 year old in the middle of the night.

So, my hubby took them out the patio door that opened to the hotel pool.

The gates were locked.

They tiptoed back into the room with their legs crossed.

My hubby decided to make a curtain with the icky hotel comforter over the bathroom doorway so the hallway light wouldn't wake her. The kids and I snuck down to the lobby bathroom.

It was a very MacGyver moment for him.

And it would have been great if I’d remembered my glasses.

My shoes. {shudder}

Or our room number.

After squinting my way through the huge hotel and getting completely lost, we found the bathroom and then wandered around, looking for breadcrumbs that led us back to our temporary home.

We finally found our room.

It was the one with the sleeping man, holding up the Do NOT disturb blanket.

42 comments:

Joy said...

Hysterical!

Like the new blog look, too! Very typewriter-ish... hey, kind of like the font I used on your necklace! Yeah buddy!

Liz said...

LOL! Love it!!!

Tammy said...

You just have to do what you have to do.

I am SO glad we are past the sleeping in the pack and play thingy.

Of course, we've moved on to one adult and one kid in each bed! Whatever works is what I say.

Anonymous said...

That is hysterical! Loved it! I'm sorry about this, but I really want ya to keep 'em coming! :)

steffj89 said...

hotels see our vehicle and turn on the no vacancy sign i am sure....my children are the type who are permanently afraid they are going to miss something fabulous if they sleep ....so they dont sleep until they just pass out...and quiet is not in their vocabulary...
steff

UtahJenny said...

Love the makeover - and I am laughing about the hotel stay - we can relate - I dread some outings just because little ones don't sleep well outside of their own bed. That was so nice of hubby to hold a blanket for such a LONG time!

A Christian Mom said...

Ha! You gotta do, what you gotta do, right?

Love your new blog look!

Unknown said...

Great new look for the New Year.

We have put travel cots in hotel bathrooms too!

beckyjomama said...

Too funny ... and I LOVE the new look!

Amanda said...

That is too funny! made me choke on my cereal I laughed so hard. Oh and I love the new look- nice and clean-very refreshing -makes me want to type :-)

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Great story! I love your new blog look. It looks so professional & really great.

Jessica said...

LOL!!!!! Thank you for the laugh!!! In Nov we had to stay in a hotel for my sister's wedding with a 2.5 year old and a one month old! So yah, I hear ya!

Jeni said...

I like your new look!! We have trouble staying in hotels with just one toddler...I can't imagine how much more complicated it will be when we add Jumping Bean in May.

Mrs. Schmitty said...

OMG that is so funny!

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

blind and bathroomless..what we do for love!

Anonymous said...

At least you didn't resort to using a bottle...

We used to stick the kids in the closet if it was big enough! How's that for love?

Our life is a bowl of Barry's said...

Oh, that is so funny and I would never judge...we do the same kind of crazy things. We've used closets as bedrooms before...and not the walk in kind. And we've always piled into one room...slightly exceeding code I'm pretty sure. We usually go down to breakfast in groups so as to not draw attention to ourselves (which is kind of impossible given we are way outnumbered by our children). And my husband usually checks us in and we go to our room using doors other than the main doors :-) Hotels, kids, big families....lots of fun!!

Texasholly said...

Awesome. We go to a place several times a year where the pack and play fits into the small walk-in closet (it takes up the entire closet floor space) but you can close the door. So the bathroom is probably roomy compared to that.

Your site looks amazing. Love what you and Shauna have done to the place.

Anonymous said...

Motherhood: like McGyver only with shorter people who have to pee.

Anonymous said...

Hysterical. I would have done the same. There's nothing worse than waking a sleeping child.


Love the new look. Classy.

Lynn said...

We can all relate to this story in one way or another. My baby girl has slept in her share of bathrooms and closets....anything to keep the peace and GET SOME SLEEP! Great story. I was seriously waiting for you to post that you took the kids to pee in the bushes though. ;o)

JEWEL said...

Too funny. Thanks for the laugh!

Happy said...

Love the new look and that is one funny story! Totally love the pack n play in the bathroom. Classic.

Valarie Lea said...

Oh way to funny!! This is so something I would do.

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious! I can certainly sympathize!

Glad you made it back to your room...

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Tanya said...

What a riot! I can totally empathize ... we've had a few hotel nights like that. One time our son, 2 1/2 at the time, sat straight up at 1 am, smiled at me, then did a backdive off the full-size bed. That was when we learned he can sleep with his eyes open and even walk around, if he wants to.

Andrea said...

That is too funny! And I like the new blog look.

Cara said...

Just found your blog and love it. I already e-mailed you about "THAT family".
I've been know to forget whole suitcases.

Patois42 said...

Oh, good Lord, that is hysterically funny.

Unknown said...

LOL! You REALLY are THAT family!!!!

Nicole - Life in Progress said...

Oh my goodness, this is a fabulous tale. And so my family! My kids have AlWAYS had portable bed issues. I was nearly in hives thinking of an upcoming trip where we'll be in a hotel room for an entire week.

But, now? Well now I know exactly how to handle the whole thing!

Carrie Thompson said...

okay, first off love the new blog look!

second, I am reading this a loud to my dh as I do most of your posts and we are laughing so hard the kids all come up stairs to see what the commotion is!

Erica said...

When we go to people's houses one or both kids normally sleep in (ventilated) closets...they're dark and just big enough for a kid, but I can see how some people may think it's somewhat barbaric. So I understand your position, honey!

Andrea said...

Hello Friend...it has been a while and as always you made me laugh! Life has been crazy over here with a new babe and all! I never thought of how difficult it is to sleep with kids in a hotel room until last year! Sleep didn't happen then and it ain't happenning now! Happy New years!

Unknown said...

My girls are adolescents now ... but my younger one perfected the "peeing in a fast-food cup in the back seat as we drive down the interstate" technique this past summer ... this weekend she learned, however, that attempting this trick with her big sister in the car coupled with hysterical giggles and disgusted groans does not work as well ... but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... the potty/travel issue doesn't end with toddlers, moms!

Mr. and Mrs. Nurse Boy said...

You crack me up! THAT sounds exactly like us when we venture into hotel living! :0)

Mrs. Nurse Boy

Mama Melissa said...

OMG that was funny!!! (perhaps not at the time... but definitely to me!)

Thanks for sharing!

Melissa

D... said...

This is just way too funny! I feel like I could have lived it myself.

Michelle said...

How funny! I have done the Pack N Play in the sink area of the bathroom before. I love that hotel rooms have so much space.

thediaperdiaries said...

Classy. We sleep our toddler in the bathroom too. I have never thought twice about it.

Anonymous said...

thank you for making me laugh so hard my kids gave me the "what are YOU laughing at ???" look! LMBO
made my morning! I will be back to keep up with THAT family!
(ps. we are THAT family...too!)