So, for my birthday weekend, at the end of last month, Dave, Caroline and I went on a mini getaway. For years, I have been wanting to take Dave to one of my old Kung Fu tournaments to show him part of what I did every day of the majority of my childhood.

I reminisce and talk about those days quite frequently. The tournament we went to is about two hours away from our house. I used to go to this tournament every year with my martial arts school that I trained with.

I even got my parents to go and my old training partner and his wife and kids came up too.

It’s a full weekend tournament, registration and check ins Friday evening and full competitions early Saturday morning that ran until midnight Saturday night and then started up again Sunday morning, finishing a little after mid day that afternoon.

So, we opted to get a hotel room and make a mini weekend getaway out of it. We left Friday evening right after I got off work.

So, we made sure to pack Thursday night. Because it was a local little getaway, I didn’t make my usual packing checklist like I normally do. I won’t make that mistake again.

So, I want to share my misfortune with you, so, you don’t do the same thing I did, especially if you’re traveling with a little one like we are.

 Top 3 things to Pack when going on a Last Minute Getaway with a little one:

1. Bottle Cleaning solution and brush.

   First time mom here! We even went on a week long cruise and I didn’t forget this. Such an important cluster of items to have, but, I don’t know how I forgot it this weekend.

   We usually use the Medela Breastmilk cleaner (even though we currently formula feed) as it cleans the bottles best, in our opinion. I used to use Dawn Dish soap, and I still use it on occasion, but, we prefer the Medela cleaner by far.

   I completely regretted not having the cleaner for the whole weekend. I would rinse the bottle and use hand soap to clean it. It was clean, but, not the way that I like it.

   Plus, I forgot the dang bottle brush cleaner, so cleaning the bottles was a little harder than normal. We spent lots of time stuffing paper towels down in there to swirl and scrub around.

   I’m sure I looked like an idiot, but, I had to do what I had to do to get these dang bottles cleaned.

2. Way more wipes and diapers than you anticipate.

   It is only Murphy’s Law, that for some God- Forsaken reason, it will be when you are traveling that your child has a diaper blow out or throws the package of wipes into the toilet- or something ridiculous of that sort.

   I learned my lesson while on the cruise. I had my grandmother with us and she was doing the majority of the diaper cleaning and she went through wipes like it was her job.

   We had to buy off brand, non sensitive (which Caroline hated) wipes from one of the Carribean Islands to get us through. I felt like such an idiot and horrible mother, but, I truly didn’t think we’d need more than we packed.

   So, when all else fails, anytime you are going out and about or taking a mini getaway- take an EXTRA pack of wipes. You may never open it, you may never need it. But this way, you’ll never be in need.

   This trip I packed an entire extra brand new pack of wipes and about 20 extra diapers just to be on the safe side. I learned my lesson on the cruise.

3. Layers for everyone.

   So, it’s the heat of the summer here. I packed weather appropriate clothing for myself and Caroline. Dave did his own packing. We always have a little jacket for her in the bottom of her diaper bag for just in case moments.

   I, however, did not bring a jacket. Insert Face Palm here- ugh. It had been in the upper 80’s and 90’s for weeks, and, I just didn’t see the need for one. Oh boy, did I regret that one!

   The tournament area, hosted in the two ginormous ball rooms were ice cold. It felt like you were sitting in the refrigerator. It must’ve been great for competitors who are performing and being very physically active, but, for those of us who were just spectating, it was miserable.

   On occasion, I would wrap her blanket around me, just to try to stay a little warmer. So, just pack an item that may help you with the opposite climate- shorts, sweater, jacket, etc- for yourself and the little ones. Obviously, I was good for Caroline’s bag, but, forgot my own!

4. BONUS THOUGHT:
   If you have a child who has to have liquid formula or food items that need to be refrigerated- make sure to check with your hotel about having a refrigerator in your room.

   Caroline’s formula is the “ready to feed” version, which has to be refrigerated or it spoils. Insert sarcasm here- thank you MSPI diagnosis!

   I didn’t even think to check with the hotel to make sure that the room had a fridge when I was booking the place. My parents arrived to the hotel before we did.

   Mom was quick to tell me that her room didn’t have a refrigerator, so when Dave and I checked in, we needed to request one if we could.

   After dinner, while checking in, I asked the front desk person. Of course, our room didn’t have a fridge either. I explained the situation to him and politely asked if we could switch rooms, or upgrade if necessary. He understood the necessity of the refrigerator and just changed our room assignment. We were very thankful.

In the end, it wasn’t the worst thing to forget those items, but, I would’ve been more comfortable and able to enjoy myself more if I would have had those items.

Wipes and diapers are a make or break situation, but, usually you can find a local store to find these things you may have forgotten. We skid by and made it without having to buy anything- this trip.

I hope you guys have fun on your last minute getaways. What items come to mind as a necessity for your little ones? Let me know in the comments below!

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A collaboration post on motherhood

I’m so excited to share that I was part of an awesome mom collaboration post! A few other mama bloggers and I teamed up to share our thoughts on the things we wish we would’ve known before becoming a mom. Motherhood is awesome ?

I shared my thoughts and it brought back some funny memories of the early days of my motherhood journey thus far. Makes sure to hop over to The Tully Tales to check it out!

Im so proud of all the things the other mamas shared and I hope we are able to share our knowledge with future mamas and help them along the way.

Stop by the post and then share with us, the things you wish you would’ve known. Any advice for future mamas is perfect!

Thanks to Clare over at The Tully Tales for putting together such a fun post. May our words of mommy wisdom go forth to help other mom’s out there.

If you’re interested in learning more about ways to prepare for Motherhood, check out the post on ways to prepare for Mother’s while making sure not to lose yourself in the process.