Whirlwind SoCal Trip

A few months ago, we booked a week at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas the week before Christmas.  We thought it would be a perfect time to visit Disneyland during their holiday set,  not too crowded, not too hot. Unfortunately, Daddy J's work schedule changed and could not go on the trip.  We were ready to eat the cost because we were not having any luck renting the unit out.

The week before the trip, I had this "brilliant" idea that I would just go with the girls alone and arranged to meet my sister, KL there for some extra hands...plus hang out with her since we never get to hang (she lives in a different state).  She was flying into Vegas the same day with my mom to help get their new "winter home" settled in...it was "perfect" timing.  KL took a Chinesey "gambling" bus from Vegas to Hacienda Heights and I drove 45 min from Newport to pick her up.

I was super nervous about the drive down...it was 400+ miles (see above GPS pic) - the longest I've ever driven, plus I was gonna be alone with a 1 and 3 year old!  Everyone I talked to (including the girls' pediatrician) suggested that I leave in the wee hours so that the kids get at least a couple hours of sleep, and that's what I did (about 4am)..and overall, it worked out great!  It's not for the faint of heart, and I would not recommend driving alone with 2 kids, but I survived with my sanity (somewhat) intact to tell you this tale!

Here is one of my "stay awake driving aids":

I actually bought a "Rockstar" shot thingy too, but the warning labels just freaked me out too much (it had twice the caffeine as the the Red Bull shot).  In addition to the Red Bull, I also brought along a variety of candies and "quiet" food I could munch on to stay awake for the long @ss drive.  No coffee for me, I did not want to stop unless I HAD to for the kids.


I actually made it past the grapevine on one tank of gas (yah Buick!).  By the time I got off the grapevine, it was about 8am and the kids were waking and I was also out of gas, so a perfect time to stop for a potty break, stretch and snack.  We ended up at a gas station that had a small Starbucks plus drive thru.  It was perfect.


After juggling the 2 kids at the gas station, we hit the road again (not without some Baby B screaming and Baby C drama) and made it to Newport Beach at about 10am.

We made it!  Here is a picture of Baby C after we checked in...still in her PJ's by the koi pond at the hotel.

I'll blog about my trip in several posts...stay tuned!