124 - Traveling with Kids Pack the Bags & Patience

The one where Fern & Nat break down what it’s really like hitting the road with babies, toddlers, school-age kids, and teens—plus their own family chaos. From motion sickness disasters to middle child meltdowns and late-night sleepwalking scares, this one is packed with real stories, laughs, and survival tips for parents everywhere.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Welcome back to Limitless Table Talk, the podcast where we decide to go on a trip with people that we probably shouldn't ever. Because challenges.

SPEAKER_04 0:13

I'm Fern. I'm Matt. So grab your favorite cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and your favorite planner. Because today we're talking about why do we choose to travel with kids?

SPEAKER_02 0:27

All right. Quick pause. What?

SPEAKER_04 0:31

That was me. Why are you what are you doing?

unknown 0:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 0:36

Taking over, I see. Oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

I paused. I said quick pause.

SPEAKER_04 0:43

Because we gotta show love to our sponsor.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

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SPEAKER_00 1:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Alright. Today we're talking about traveling with kids at every stage, Fern. Babies, toddlers, school age, teenagers, and maybe even adults.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

So basically, how every vacation turns into a different kind of survival show?

SPEAKER_04 2:19

Basically, yeah. Let's start with what let's start with babies. Okay. They're cute, tiny, and somehow require an entire suitcase for a two-day trip.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Why do babies have more luggage than adults? Actually, how do why do they have more luggage than I do?

SPEAKER_04 2:40

Um, probably because if you forget one thing, it's over. Your trip is completely ruined. The baby's crying, your the baby's screaming, or you're screaming one or the other, and everyone is judging you.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

Traveling with a baby is basically feeding, burping, diaper, repeat, and that's it. That's your entire itinerary.

SPEAKER_04 3:02

Don't forget naps. Don't mess with the nap schedule for a baby.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

This is this is true. I mean, you don't travel with a baby, you travel around the baby.

SPEAKER_04 3:14

Oh my god, that is so true.

SPEAKER_02 3:15

Right?

SPEAKER_04 3:16

Like, I remember when we would have to go out with the baby. Um, our oldest was what six months old when we went out. No, yeah, we went to Disney. Yes, and it was like a whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

What a great time.

SPEAKER_04 3:32

It was a whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

What a great time.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

Don't forget this, don't forget that.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

What a great time, except except that's when that's wow. I heard you drink.

SPEAKER_04 3:41

I'm sorry, I was gonna start coughing again. So but she was a baby.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

I know, and even then she was like, Daddy, no, she was a baby. Change my diaper, she was a baby, change my diaper, daddy.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

She didn't talk, she was six months old. She spoke, so she cried.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

She spoke to me.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

She cried mostly.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

She took, she always spoke to me.

SPEAKER_04 4:01

No, she wasn't a crier, she was good. She she wasn't no, she was a good kid.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

She was she was a really she was actually a really good king.

SPEAKER_04 4:07

That's why we were like, let's do it again. Let's have another one.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

What a mess. What a challenge that was.

SPEAKER_04 4:14

But anyways, we won't get into that. Um that's a whole other episode.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

I mean, we we went, you know, and and and she was a newborn. And even then, she was just like, Teddy, no, she was a baby.

SPEAKER_04 4:28

She cried.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

Teddy.

SPEAKER_04 4:30

That's all. She cried.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

Teddy, I want those mini ears.

SPEAKER_04 4:32

She was she was six months old for stop it. Okay, fine. So now that we mention, well, before we go into that, but yes, we would have to travel with everything. You had a baby bag, you had a stroller, you had to make sure you had diapers, white bees, everything. It's like a whole move.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

It is, it is. On vacation, you know, and we always carried like extra outfits. Oh, yeah. Remember when like we had multiple extra outfits? Because they spit up and they're gross.

SPEAKER_04 5:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Because they don't have any control of their own bodily functions yet. So they just like destroy everything that's pretty.

unknown 5:13

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 5:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Daddy. I vomited.

SPEAKER_04 5:16

Stop it. She didn't talk like that. She was a baby. She was six months old. Under a year. Anyway, she spoke to me. Okay, since you want to say she spoke, now we entered the toddler years. Toddlers. Now this is where things get interesting for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Or exhausting.

SPEAKER_04 5:35

No, it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Toddlers don't sit still.

SPEAKER_04 5:39

Ever. Oh no. Flights, a nightmare. Road trips, are we there yet? Every three minutes.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Why why does he why does she sound like that?

SPEAKER_04 5:50

What?

SPEAKER_02 5:51

She doesn't sound like that.

SPEAKER_04 5:52

I'm like, what? Are we there yet?

SPEAKER_02 5:54

No. She says, Are we there yet, Daddy?

SPEAKER_04 5:57

Okay, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Daddy, are we there yet? And I'm like, no, no, child. You just stay back there, please. Do not let that come out.

SPEAKER_04 6:09

What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_02 6:10

We haven't even gotten into it. I know, I know, but I'm already I'm listening I have PTSD. Oh God. From traveling with our with our oldest.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

Okay. So in the car, every three minutes are we there yet?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

And snacks. You need 472 snacks.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

And the snacks.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

Yes. Because if the child is hungry, Daddy, I'm hungry. I get hungry. Okay. Automatically.

SPEAKER_04 6:38

It always happened. It always happened. You would bring 40,000 snacks. And the one snack she wanted is the one that you didn't bring.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

You know, I remember they had those, what were those little those little cereal looking things, but they weren't cereal? Those little stars. Remember the little stars that came in like a little tube?

SPEAKER_04 6:58

And a tube thing. I don't remember what they're called.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Oh man.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

They would just like dissolve in your mouth.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

They were awful.

SPEAKER_04 7:03

They were for the child.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

They were awful.

SPEAKER_04 7:06

Why were you eating it?

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Because they're snacks.

SPEAKER_04 7:09

But they were for the baby, the toddler, actually.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

We share it. We share it. Daddy, do you would you like a star? Of course, child. I would love one.

SPEAKER_04 7:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

That's usually how the conversation goes.

unknown 7:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Taddy, please read me Shakespeare yet again.

SPEAKER_04 7:24

Oh my god, stop.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Yes, child.

SPEAKER_04 7:26

Traveling with a toddler, you know, you gotta remember to bring toys. We didn't have this when our when our oldest, but nowadays parents have to bring tablets.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Yeah, tablets were not a thing when we were raising our uh our kids. Kids for the most part. Yeah, actually.

SPEAKER_04 7:44

For the most part, for the most part. No, it was around for the oldest. And then them, I'm sorry, for the youngest, yes, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

It's yeah, but it started much later.

SPEAKER_04 7:53

Yeah, but you gotta remember, bring toys. We'll stick it to right now because people are listening to us right now. Tablets, snacks, and patience. Oh my goodness, do you have to pack a lot of patience to travel with a toddler?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

Yep. Because they're gonna ask for things that you don't want to give them all the time. All the time.

SPEAKER_04 8:19

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Daddy, is that a dinosaur? Um, no child. Well, I want a dinosaur. Why do you want a child? Why do you want a child? Why do you want a dinosaur? I don't know, but I want one. It would be fantastic. It would be like Jurassic Park. So great.

SPEAKER_04 8:38

And then why were we brave to bring a toddler to Disney who let's just say she was five, right? And then we were brave to bring the five-year-old and then a two-year-old, because then by then that one became a toddler. Right, because now we had our middle child.

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Who is now a toddler?

SPEAKER_04 8:57

There are like three or two.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

See, that's what it was. It was one became school age, the other one was a toddler. So it was like we had to start over again. The problem with starting over again is that the personalities are very different.

unknown 9:10

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Very different.

SPEAKER_04 9:13

That's why I say pack a lot of patience.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

Oh, you better pack up pack a side of patience and an extra side. And you know what, just in case, order some more patience.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

I don't think it's possible. But but we did it. We survived Disney with well, it was even more of a struggle when it was a toddler and an infant because of all the stuff you had to bring.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Well, that's the eventual turn of things.

SPEAKER_04 9:39

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

But we had we had the school age child.

SPEAKER_04 9:43

And then now that is a sweet spot, I think.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

It is a sweet spot.

SPEAKER_04 9:47

Like when they're like, what, middle school? I mean, I'm not not middle school, but when they're like six and two. Yeah, but middle school, like that's teenager. Sorry, when they're like six to twelve kind of age. Oh, that's a sweet spot.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

That is a sweet spot because they can carry their own stuff.

SPEAKER_04 10:02

You don't have to carry their luggage.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

I don't have to carry their backpack, I don't have to carry their stuff.

SPEAKER_04 10:06

They remember things, they follow Nintendo.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Do you remember that they had the rolling backpacks?

SPEAKER_04 10:11

Oh yes, I remember.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:13

They even had it for school.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

What was the point? Yeah, yeah. What was the point of having a backpack? It's like a luggage. It's like a luggage.

SPEAKER_04 10:20

But anyways.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Um and they know how to follow instructions.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

But they still complain though. It let's not get crazy about following instructions.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

But what's cool is like they get excited.

SPEAKER_04 10:36

Yeah, well, and like when you're planning theme parks, going to the beach, sightseeing, they're into it. They're they're actually into it.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

And that's when family trips actually feel slightly like vacation. The thing that changed it for us though. We had the toddler.

SPEAKER_04 10:54

And our toddler was mad. Oh, well, yeah, she was a toddler, and then we had an infant right behind. Because then we decided, hey, let's do this again.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Yeah, yeah. Oh man, this was so much fun.

SPEAKER_04 11:06

Dad!

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Dad!

SPEAKER_02 11:08

She was like two years old.

unknown 11:10

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Dad!

SPEAKER_02 11:11

And then the tantrums.

SPEAKER_04 11:13

Um you know who you are. So so now, so basically, we're taking you through the travel ages. We went through baby stage, the toddler stage. We're gonna hit now teenage stage, but mind you, Fern and I have been through all three of those stages at the same time. Yes. Because now we're gonna hit teenage stage, which was our oldest. Then the middle child was in school age. School age, and then we had the toddler, which is the youngest.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 11:44

So we went on vacations with these different age groups. So we're speaking from experience for sure. Yeah, there's a lot of uh and we're talking about we were brave to go to theme parks. Um, we went on cruise.

SPEAKER_02 11:57

You know, what's funny is that we thought at the time we're like we're like, oh, we did this already. We know what's coming.

SPEAKER_04 12:04

But you don't realize that they're all different, they're so different, they're all so different, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

Very but you know, they they it it's bizarre, it's bizarre how different they are. Because by the time we got to to the youngest, and I was already tired. You know, and he and and he was just like, Hey dad, is there a Spider-Man there? I want a Spider-Man.

SPEAKER_04 12:30

He was a toddler, uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

But he still sounds the same.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

Well, yeah, we would all have to lower the radio and tell everyone to stop talking so we can everyone, everyone, hold on.

SPEAKER_02 12:42

The young one is speaking. Hold on. What's that? You would see his mouth move, no sound, no sound. You know who you are, boy. And we be, boy.

SPEAKER_04 12:52

Guys, quiet. He's trying to speak. He really was. He was a very soft-spoken soft spoken. Very quiet.

SPEAKER_02 12:58

I think it's because the other ones were so loud. Yeah, that he was just like, I can't hear myself.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

I don't know what's happening. Is that a Spider-Man?

SPEAKER_04 13:07

He didn't have a deep voice as a as a he always sounded the same.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

He always sounded the same. He always had he always yeah, yeah. He was always like, No, he's not Spider-Man right there. Can I take a picture with Spider-Man? He wasn't a stroller. Can I take a picture with Spider-Man? He was a baby. Going I want to take a picture with Spider-Man.

SPEAKER_04 13:30

Alright, so now we hit teenage years.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Ah, yes. Teenagers.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

They either don't want to go now, or they go and stay nowadays on their phone the entire time.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 13:45

Back then we didn't have phone, like, well, no, when our teen oldest was a teenager. I think she had a phone, but it wasn't like nowadays. It was like a flip phone, right?

SPEAKER_02 13:53

It was I want to say it was one of those sidekicks type things. Oh, like a razor wasn't it at all? No, no, no, where it would it it had the keyboard on it, so you would flip the keyboard and then it had a little tiny screen.

SPEAKER_04 14:03

And you had minutes, it wasn't like now.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

So so you'd be like, oh oldest, look. This beautiful view. Cool. Cool. Oh, that's right. Sorry. That's so nice, Daddy. It goes right back to the phone.

SPEAKER_04 14:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Or or at the time it was the MP3 player. She would go back to the iPhone.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

She had headphones.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

She would go back to the iPod because they had iPods.

SPEAKER_04 14:29

And she would tell us that her sister was bothering her.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

Because she wanted to the middle one wanted to hang out with her.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

And but here's the thing. Mom, Mom. Mom! The eldest doesn't want to play with me. But we were in line in Disney.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Still. It was still the same. I'd be like, child, you, you, child, stop. Please. Teddy, she's bothering me again.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Why does she make so much noise?

SPEAKER_04 15:05

And here I was going, why are we here with them? Why did we think that going for a week and a half to Disney is a great idea? Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

You know what's terrible is that as parents, you kind of lose track of the fun of it because you're you're so busy wrangling children.

SPEAKER_04 15:27

Well, and you're trying to also, based on different age groups, trying to make sure you do something for each age group. Because like we said, we had teenage, school age, and toddler. So we had to make sure we went to fantasy land for the little one. We had to make sure we went to the big coaster for the teenager. We had to make sure we went through everything. But here's the thing: if you're traveling and your teenager is showing no interest because it happens, it we're seeing it more and more now. We're seeing it more and more nowadays, especially like with technology now. Um teenagers just don't want to be involved, they don't want to be there. But you know what? This this is the thing include them in the planning.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Game changer, right? For real.

SPEAKER_04 16:16

Why are you re why you you're in my thoughts? We're finishing each other's sentences. Sandwiches? What? Anyways, anyways, it's a game changer. Let them plan something, give them a task.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Let them pick a restaurant, an activity. And then suddenly, all of a sudden, they care.

SPEAKER_04 16:39

And you might actually get a smile, maybe even a picture together. That's the most exciting part.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

I know. It's so rare. It's so rare. Like, like back back in our back in our younger days, we didn't have the uh the the smartphones. Right, right. Right. So you couldn't really just like snap a pick.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

You had to take a photo with a camera with a camera and not know how it came out.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Hope that it came out okay, and then develop it. Or you if you're at a theme park, now you have to buy the pictures. Wow. Milo is rocking.

SPEAKER_04 17:16

Anyways.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

He is rocking the toys today.

SPEAKER_04 17:19

But you know, so we went through all those stages, and you know what I love right now? We have adults. Our kids are adults now. And I, you know, we don't travel with them as much now for vacation because everybody's schedules different.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:35

But when like for instance, we're leaving soon to see our son's graduation, and we're going. Oh wow, my low.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

He, I told you, he is he needs his own microphone.

SPEAKER_04 17:47

Attach it to his collar, and that's it. You know what? He's gonna start doing the sponsor part.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Yeah, because he breeds like that for some reason. He he he sounds like uh like like the dragons from how to train your dragon. He snorts.

SPEAKER_04 18:06

Okay, anyways. Um so planning with adults now.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

It's tough because everybody's schedule is different, everyone's different, and everybody's life is in a different place, and everyone has different taste, but now they're like, so they're going with us to the graduation.

SPEAKER_04 18:22

We're hoping to hang out with them, and they won't even tell us what their plans are.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

I know it's the worst.

SPEAKER_04 18:28

They're like, we're like, oh, what are we doing that, you know, then the day after? Yeah. Oh, I don't know, we have plans.

SPEAKER_03 18:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

I'm like, but we're gonna be together. They're like, Yeah, I know, we're gonna see you, but cool, you can't know where we're coming. But it's fun because we banter with each other about it.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

Yes, it's it's playful now. It's you know, we've all gotten to that point where it's uh it's fun sometimes, and it's fun, and and we're all looking forward to it because our daughters are exactly like us, which is the itinerary and the plant.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

They did a whole PowerPoint. They did because I'm so proud. Because our adopted child's coming with us, yes. So they were showing her the itinerary the itinerary and the powerpoint, which was awesome because this is something without even realizing it's a tradition that we created on our own together, yes, and our kids are doing the exact same thing. So hopefully, one day when they have kids, they'll bring it into their family and it'll continue, which is something you and I started, because I didn't grow up like that.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

No, no, no. We started that because I'm um well we like to kind of we like to know what's going on, so we like to plan, we like to we have group chats for we have group chats.

SPEAKER_04 19:46

Um but that's something that you can look forward to. With I I know it's hard with babies and toddlers, it's hard, especially that those two ages, those age groups are true because the the the babies and toddlers all they say is like isn't a spider-man?

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Like that's all I ever hear. Isn't a Spider-Man to this day but I talked to him the other day and he said, Hey Dad, did you read the new Spider-Man?

SPEAKER_00 20:16

And I'm like, Well sorry, sorry Okay can I continue now?

SPEAKER_04 20:23

Sorry about that, but planning and everything is part of it can be uh a thing that also I know our topic today is not about like relationship or anything, but it kind of falls into it actually. Now that I'm just going into it in my head, because as a husband and wife or or whatever relationship you're in, as partners, as partners, boyfriend, girlfriend, whoever you are, um this is something you can do together and plan your trip with the children that have to come with you because you don't have a choice for those ages, okay, guys. They have to come with you and don't forget things. Try to make your life a little easier on these trips, don't forget them. Because it's important, it really, really, really is. So basically, make it fun for all ages and for yourself, because you worked very, very hard to go on vacation. But let's talk about our own kids specifically, a little more in depth, because this wasn't just about traveling with kids, this was survival. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:44

We we just didn't have challenges, we had a full cast of characters.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

We did. We did. Oh man. How about this?

SPEAKER_04 21:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Motion sickness every trip.

SPEAKER_04 22:02

Oh well, yeah. Let's start with the oldest then.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

Every every single trip. Everywhere we went.

SPEAKER_04 22:10

So we're gonna start with the oldest. Yes. So that's what we're talking about now. Okay. Didn't matter if it was going to be uh what a 10-minute trip or a two-hour car ride equaled equals disaster with her.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

It's like PTSD all over again.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

Every single time we had bags, wipes, towels. It looked like we were running a mobile emergency room.

SPEAKER_04 22:35

And I felt like it never was enough. Also, by the way. And the anxiety before every trip, like, is today the day we're gonna make it without motion sickness.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Spoiler alert. It was not.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

Well, okay. So here's the thing, and you explained this to me. She knew she got motion sickness. Every single time.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Every single time. It doesn't matter. It moved. It did.

SPEAKER_04 23:04

Well, hold on. Before you get to that, hold on. We had a minivan.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

And this was the days of the minivan that only had one door on the back. In the back, right?

SPEAKER_04 23:15

She always, yes, she always chose.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Had the side, the side slide.

SPEAKER_04 23:19

She always chose to sit all the way at the back.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Oh, so okay. Now our the minivan we had was the XLT, so it was like the really long one. Right? It had the front the front seats with the big old console thing. Then it had the two bucket seats in the middle. And then in the back it had a bench. And then there was space for luggage because that minivan was it was like a semi.

SPEAKER_04 23:48

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

You know?

SPEAKER_04 23:50

But she always wanted to sit in the back. She didn't want to sit next to her brother. And she didn't want to sit next to her sister. And she always wanted to just sit because she thought it's I can lay down as was her. But she liked to read. She loves to read. So she would always read all the way in the back. And we would tell her, don't read while we're driving. Because we started noticing that's when she got car sick.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 24:18

So imagine, guys. Just imagine.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Imagine.

SPEAKER_04 24:23

On a car ride to Disney. We're all happy in the car singing.

SPEAKER_02 24:28

It's a it's it's and by the way, when we say it's a car ride to Disney, we're talking about approximately like a four-hour drive.

SPEAKER_04 24:35

Well, with kids, it was more like four and a half, five.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Well, I'm just saying, on average, but imagine from our location, it's about a four-hour drive.

SPEAKER_04 24:43

Okay. So you're driving four hours. Fern's driving. Happy go lucky. He's going to Disney to see Mickey Mouse.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Oh man.

SPEAKER_04 24:52

He is singing away.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

It's the best.

SPEAKER_04 24:56

All right. And he's the type of dad that's singing the wheels on the bus go round and round with the oldest rolling her eyeballs because he's singing a child song. Because the the little one wants to hear it. But anyways.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

They want to hear the wheels on the bus.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

So she's reading, and as we're getting close, she tells us what does she tell us, friend? Because you use your voice. Apparently, I don't know how to do it correctly.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

Parents.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

And by the way, it's very faint because she's all the way in the back, which is like like ten feet away, right? So it's like parents. Parents. This is not good. It's not good right now.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

I don't feel good.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

I don't feel well. And then while she's saying My tummy is in a rumbly.

SPEAKER_04 25:50

So imagine she's saying that, and I'm going, don't you dare, and the middle one is yelling that she's gonna throw throw up. She's gonna throw up.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

You know what's hilarious is that the fr we weren't prepared like we probably should have been prepared. So we we got to a point where we ended up having like a portable uh plastic bag thing, you know, those disposable plastic bags from like the the supermarkets and stuff. We had like a little a little container that had those in it because of these moments.

SPEAKER_04 26:23

So once again, we're putting up.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

But they're over by where we are.

SPEAKER_04 26:27

So we're putting up to the hotel, guys, a Disney resort. All stressed now because we're trying to get there before the child decides to vomit.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

Imagine all of a sudden we arrive at the wonderful world of Disney.

SPEAKER_04 26:45

So we all get out of the car. Fern jumps out, goes to the one side that has the door, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

Yeah, I have to go all the way around the vehicle.

SPEAKER_04 26:53

But remember, we have other kids sitting in front of her. So he has to get the little one out first.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

And they're uncooperative. Yes, they're very uncooperative.

SPEAKER_04 27:04

So he's getting her out, and our oldest is like, I can hold it. She's like, I can hold it.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's when the flashbacks hit, and all of a sudden you're there and you see it and you remember it.

SPEAKER_04 27:25

And it's like, I can hold it, I can hold it. And and we're like, we look like we're at war at this point. And then what happens? Right before she's about to get out of the car, she barfs.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

The exorcist pink goo. For some reason, it was always pink, it was pink goo.

SPEAKER_04 27:46

All inside the car, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 27:48

And it was like straightforward, like no warning. We gave we would give her the bag, and she wouldn't use the bag.

SPEAKER_04 27:59

And then something you all should know, by the way. If someone vomits, Fern starts to gag to vomit.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

I do not do well with that at all.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

So then I have a child vomiting in the car while Fern is gagging outside of the car, telling me I can't do this, I can't do this. Now he's the one that's nauseous. So now I'm dealing with two nauseous people. And I just arrived on vacation. Imagine trying to clean a car that's gonna sit in the sun now for a week.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

It's gonna bake.

SPEAKER_04 28:38

Oh so every trip, guys, didn't matter where we were going, always, and then of course, she didn't we had to look through the luggage for clothes for her. Every trip, every single trip, we had the child vomiting. Every trip, no matter what we did, no matter what we did, we never learned. Now she's better, obviously, because it'd be hilarious if she was an adult doing that, but but then imagine as an adult anyway, daddy.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

This is not good, it just flies out straight up exorcist moment, and it's the the real truth.

SPEAKER_04 29:20

She was saying, This is not good.

SPEAKER_02 29:21

This is not good. That's what she would say. So funny.

SPEAKER_04 29:25

And the middle one would always tell her, it better be good, it better why are you doing it? It better be good.

SPEAKER_00 29:34

So here comes it looks like Spider-Man.

SPEAKER_04 29:39

Meanwhile, I'm over there going, uh and I'm going, you better help me. You better at least hold the child down, and he'd be like, I can't, I can't.

SPEAKER_02 29:48

Well, the thing is, there was minimal stuff on the child always, because it would always go forward.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

It went forward every single time.

SPEAKER_04 29:57

Can you imagine this chaos happening in the parking lot?

SPEAKER_02 30:00

You wouldn't hit the back of the seats, man.

SPEAKER_04 30:03

And always on her brother's car seat.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

I don't think she likes it.

SPEAKER_04 30:07

No, I don't think so. I don't know. But imagine all this at a Disney resort in the parking lot. Chaos of five people outside of the car yelling and gagging over here. But fine, that was our oldest. We're gonna stop picking on her for right now. Let's move on to the middle child.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

That stuff would bake.

SPEAKER_04 30:30

Okay, let's move on, Fern.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

We needed to have those Fabriz spray things.

SPEAKER_04 30:35

As you can tell, Fern's very traumatized, guys. Okay, Fern.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

I would I would like nuke the inside of the of the van. I would literally empty an entire can of that thing.

SPEAKER_04 30:47

Fern thought that if he if he closed the door a little bit with a little bit open, he would just spray the whole can and then close the door fast.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 30:56

Okay, let's let's leave the oldest alone for now. Let's move on to the tantrum CEO.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

That was good.

SPEAKER_04 31:05

I know, thank you. That's really good. That's our middle one. She was the tantrum CEO, proud owner, and um, you know, only member of it in our family.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

She was members only jacket of tantrum. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 31:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:24

Um, I'll say this. I'll say this. Um, middle child syndrome is real.

SPEAKER_04 31:32

The temper tantrums are on another level.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

It didn't matter where we were. Rest stop, airport, hotel lobby.

SPEAKER_04 31:42

Full performance, just no warning, guys, just full on performance.

SPEAKER_02 31:46

Oscar worthy. I mean, she was good, and it was loud, emotional, dramatic.

SPEAKER_04 31:56

And here we are, just standing there, like, we don't know this child. Whose child is this? Like, I all the time. We would step away a little and be like, whose kid is this?

SPEAKER_02 32:07

Meanwhile. Every one. Because there was no there was no chance that ever that some people would stop and stare. Right? Like, like this entire performance was planned. This was pre-staged prior to arrival. Like we sat there and told us, told this child, child?

SPEAKER_04 32:27

Action.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Go. Give me your best performance.

SPEAKER_04 32:31

Dad, mom!

SPEAKER_00 32:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

Meltdown. Complete meltdown. And it wouldn't end. It wouldn't end. It didn't matter. We could have been with Mickey Mouse.

SPEAKER_04 32:49

By the way, it was because her sister wouldn't play with her. Or her sister touched her.

SPEAKER_02 32:59

That makes so much sense.

SPEAKER_04 33:02

Or she would mock her. But you know, anyways. Travel tip, guys. Snacks help. Not always, but they help.

SPEAKER_02 33:11

Sometimes you just gotta ride out the hurricane.

SPEAKER_04 33:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:15

Because that's what we called her for a minute. Remember? We were like hurricane middle child.

SPEAKER_04 33:22

Telling you. Our trips, our vacations. I don't know how we continued going on vacations because we had we had uh we had puke patty. That was good.

SPEAKER_02 33:35

Thank you. We had tantrum Trixie.

SPEAKER_04 33:43

No, well, she was tantrum CEO for the city.

SPEAKER_02 33:46

The CEO, Captain, Captain Tantrum.

SPEAKER_04 33:49

And then we had the sleepwalking asthma warrior.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

That we didn't even know most of the time was even there.

SPEAKER_04 33:59

Yeah, the youngest, super quiet. I don't know how after um our middle one really was the tantrum kid. Like really, really it was bad. Like we went from a quiet child to a tantrum child, and we still said, let's go again.

SPEAKER_02 34:15

Let's give this another roll. Let's see what happens.

SPEAKER_04 34:18

Let's see what happens. Can't get worse. That's what we said.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:21

And he was actually very quiet, like quieter than the first one. I I I wonder I wonder if he What the heck was that?

SPEAKER_02 34:32

I wonder if he saw what was happening from the ahead of him. He was he he was in the womb. He told God, You sure you want to send me to those people? Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why are you putting me right behind the hurricane?

SPEAKER_04 34:50

He was like, God, are you sure you want to send me to those people?

SPEAKER_00 34:53

Why?

SPEAKER_04 34:54

Let's think this again.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

I mean, they do go on a lot of trips and I like that.

SPEAKER_04 35:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

And my dad likes toys. So that's pretty cool too.

SPEAKER_04 35:06

He definitely, definitely kept us on our toes 24-7. Sleepwalking on vacation. Has anybody experienced that?

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Why is that even a thing?

SPEAKER_04 35:18

I didn't even know it was a thing till he came along. Really, really, I didn't believe it until then.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:25

Like you're in a hotel room, pitch dark, and suddenly your kid is just standing there.

SPEAKER_02 35:32

Or he's trying to leave the room like he's got a meeting at 2 a.m.

SPEAKER_04 35:37

Heart attack every time. He would always try to open the door in hotel rooms. So we would have to remember, he's the we I we did say this in one of our episodes. If you've never heard it, go back, I believe it's episode three or four. Um he's the ty he's the one that would sleep on the cot. Remember in hotels?

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 35:57

We would bring a cot, he would sleep on it. Fern would have to put the bed in front of the door. So by the way, God forbid there was a fire hazard, uh, a fire, I mean, or an emergency, we would have to remove the whole child and the bed before we can get out. Yes, but we had to do that for his own safety, so he couldn't get out. You know, and then on top of that, asthma traveling meant inhalers, nebulizers, medications, all packed like essentials, guys, on top of our pukey child stuff.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

But we had you know different climates, hotels, dust, wind, air, or sometimes he would be sick. Anything would trigger this. Anything.

SPEAKER_04 36:45

So while other families were all relaxing, we were on high alert, like high alert at all times. We were on red because sometimes, for some reason, I I don't know, did he do it on purpose? He would have his asthma and then get he was our pneumonia child or bronchite, he was our bronchitis kid. He would always get sick right before the trip, like the day or two before.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

Every time, every time, and it was and the thing is it he would get sick and it was like really, really rough sick, you know.

SPEAKER_04 37:21

Yeah, so it was nebula like we said, the essentials of the fern. Did you pack the nebulizer? Did you pack this? Did you pack that? Did you pack pack the vomit bags? Did you pack this? The wipies, yes, the snacks for the child who has tantrums, yes, and then we forget our own stuff. Yes, always. There was a time that we both forgot toothbrushes for ourselves, remember deordering because we were so concerned with everyone else. That's because we wanted to so you as a parent kind of forget you also are trying to enjoy this vacation. You you want the kids to enjoy it. Okay. This is the part people don't always talk about traveling with kids who have all different needs. One throwing up, one having a meltdown, one sleepwalking, and we're just trying to make it to the destination that we paid so much money for.

SPEAKER_02 38:13

Yeah, I mean it's it's far from glamorous, it's actual real life.

SPEAKER_04 38:18

But those trips, those memories worth it.

SPEAKER_02 38:24

Every single chaotic second.

SPEAKER_04 38:26

Because look at us now, years later, those are the memories we have. I mean, and I know we've talked about this already before, and I'm not gonna go into it, but I want to make you laugh. The bird in the oldest is there. Memories.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

Oh, you can never forget the good the the horrifically horrible horrors that happen that end up being some of the greatest stories of all time.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

Yeah, it's we're just walking.

SPEAKER_02 38:58

I gotta do it. I gotta do it. I gotta do it. Go ahead, go ahead. We're walking, we're walking in She was a teenager. She was a teenager, and first of all, she's the oldest is death, like she's afraid of birds for some reason, right?

SPEAKER_01 39:14

I don't know why, but she's afraid of birds, and we're walking at Universal.

SPEAKER_02 39:19

At at City Walk. Oh, yeah, it was at City Walk. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, well, she was picking up her hair. She oh, that's what it was. She was, I can't remember how exactly.

SPEAKER_04 39:32

The details she has long hair, so she was picking it up, and while she was picking it up Mind you, Fern's walking ahead, Fern's walking behind behind her because we always, as parents, our kids always had to walk in front of us. Right. If they didn't want to hold their hands, they had to walk in front of us, never behind us.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

We gotta watch them, we gotta see where they're at.

SPEAKER_04 39:52

So he's like, Come on, guys, who's excited? Mind you, I'm trying to build this little scenario for you all. The three kids are walking and they're talking. We're all excited. She's picking up her hair into like a bun or something, and he's going, Who's excited?

SPEAKER_02 40:06

and what happens for all of a sudden, a bird. But nosedives. It was a huge bird, a huge bird nosedives into her hair as she's picking it up.

SPEAKER_04 40:21

The seagull?

SPEAKER_02 40:22

The seagull, huge, and it gets stuck.

SPEAKER_04 40:27

It got stuck in the pork kids. Stop it. It got stuck in her hair. Tati! Why, Tati? She's screaming and running, and all you see is the wings of this bird coming out of her hair, trying to get out.

SPEAKER_01 40:43

It got stuck, it got it got wrapped up in her hair.

SPEAKER_04 40:46

And she's screaming in a circle. The children are dying laughing. Fern and I are just in shock, staring. Mind you, we did not help, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 40:56

No, I mean it.

SPEAKER_04 40:58

All you saw were wings coming out of her hair.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

It was something you could never imagine.

SPEAKER_04 41:03

Well, she's screaming, going, help. And we kept saying, stand in place, stand still, let go of your hair. She was holding her hair still. And once she let go of her hair, the bird flew out.

SPEAKER_00 41:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:19

That was. And then after after that, all the birds would follow her. I think they thought her hair was a nest.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

I think that's exactly what it was. It was a nest.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

The young one was like, that bird looks like Spider-Man. It's caught up in a web.

SPEAKER_04 41:37

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 41:38

Hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

Hilarious. It was it was hilarious. Mom, look! Look! It's a bird! It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's her hair.

SPEAKER_02 41:52

It's the hair nest. Oh man. Oh man.

SPEAKER_04 41:54

So if your family trips feel wild, guys.

SPEAKER_02 41:58

Trust us, you are doing just fine.

SPEAKER_04 42:01

Because behind every perfect vacation post, there's at least one meltdown, one mess. And that one parent questioning all of their life choices for sure. I know we did. But but real, real talk for real, guys. No matter the age, traveling with kids is not relaxing.

SPEAKER_02 42:25

It's just parenting in a different location.

SPEAKER_04 42:28

But it's also memories.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

The kind you laugh about later. Definitely not during.

SPEAKER_04 42:38

All right. So we have a a listener message.

SPEAKER_02 42:45

Listener submission.

SPEAKER_04 42:48

All right. So this has been. You like that? I did a little sound of it. I thought you spit or something.

SPEAKER_02 42:52

No, I did a sound of it. I went.

unknown 42:54

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04 42:55

It was so fast. I know.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

It was fast.

SPEAKER_04 42:58

Anyways. So these are becoming popular. We're getting them. We're getting them. So we got listener.

SPEAKER_02 43:04

We appreciate you.

SPEAKER_04 43:05

And it says, Hey Fernand, we're planning our first family trip with a toddler and a 10-year-old. Are we crazy?

SPEAKER_02 43:13

Yes. Next question.

SPEAKER_04 43:15

Stop it. Stop.

SPEAKER_02 43:18

Okay, okay, okay. Real answer. Real real real truth. Real truth. Plan activities for both age groups.

SPEAKER_04 43:26

And don't try to do too much in one day.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

Sometimes the best way to do it is to divide and conquer. If needed.

SPEAKER_04 43:36

And lower your expectations. I found that lowering your expectations, that's the biggest part. That's the biggest tip from me. Lower your expectations because when you go in with high expectations, it it's never expected.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

It's true. I mean, I mean, listen, you're not traveling with travel critics, you're traveling with people that don't know anything.

SPEAKER_04 43:57

And you're making your own memories. Make your own. Don't Try to be like the Joneses and make memories like everyone else. Make your own memories. Okay. Oh, I used that same thing. Make the jones like the Joneses. You saw that? You saw that? You like that? You like that?

SPEAKER_00 44:12

Yeah. That was good. Look at you. You finally figured it out.

SPEAKER_04 44:15

You shouldn't, you shouldn't live or think like other people. Be your own family, be your own, and create your own memories. Those are the best ones because those are the ones you will talk about, like we are now, years later, and our kids still talk about.

SPEAKER_02 44:29

They do. Like, listen, the the the bird nest hair thing.

SPEAKER_04 44:34

Always.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

It's immortal.

SPEAKER_04 44:36

Every time. And if you want to know, like just to laugh when you're at City Walk, when you're passing Margaritaville, it's right in front of the right in front of the top of the shop. That's where it is.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

That's where it happened.

SPEAKER_04 44:48

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_02 44:50

By the way, that's the other thing that we do every time we go on like a trip that we always point out the things that happen.

SPEAKER_04 44:57

Yes, I'm not looking forward to this trip now.

SPEAKER_02 44:59

Right, right. Like the ice cream spa or uh fern vomiting.

SPEAKER_04 45:06

Our oldest um bird nest.

SPEAKER_02 45:08

The bird nest.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

At the end of the day, traveling with kids may be chaotic, guys.

SPEAKER_02 45:15

But those are the stories you tell literally forever.

SPEAKER_04 45:19

And the memories that actually matter. Those are the ones that actually matter.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

Even if you need a vacation after the vacation. Every time.

SPEAKER_01 45:28

It seems like that's the way it goes.

SPEAKER_04 45:30

All right, guys. This is gonna bring us to the end. I can't believe it's gone by that fast. Memories just go by so fast. And I we had such a great time. But thank you for letting us share with you all. And don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Follow us on Instagram at Limitless Couple305.

SPEAKER_02 45:51

And check out Limitless Table Talk with Fernanat. New episodes every week. And we're here. Share us. It's not fair. You selfish people. Period.