The Wilderness | Houston Family Photographer

Yesterday was Football Sunday and for a person who writes about sports for a living, this means I think something like 27 hours of football-watching in one day. And I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the presence of a child before, but trying to attentively watch something you want or need to watch for 27 hours and then writing about that thing while a child is alive and within earshot is a failed mission from the jump. With that in mind (along with the fact that the constant hum of football on TV makes me want to gaze out a window and cry), I usually head out of the city limits with the boys for the majority of Football Sunday. Husband gets to watch and work in peace, the boys get to be dragged out into nature, and I get to be where I feel the most at peace.

This Sunday we visited Lake Houston Wilderness Park – a park I’ve had on my list for a while that always got knocked out of contention by some beach. I’m not going to lie, the drive to get to this place is ugly. New Caney residents are big big fans of crawfish shacks and Confederate flags which is so conflicting because I really love crawfish and I really hate Confederate flags. But once you’re there, you forget what you just passed until you have to pass it again to go home. Worth it.

I started taking the boys on these little day and sometimes overnight trips several years ago. I honestly can’t remember why. But over the years, I’ve heard quite a few moms tell me I’m insane for doing so and have shared  the following tips with them to show them that they too can be insane.

1. Expect that this will be the worst and most chaotic 8+ hours of your life. It sounds negative but I promise it works because it’s 100% not going to be the worst 8+ hours of your life. (but be ready just in case it is)
2. Visualize or do a mental walk-through of every single step you’ll take in getting everyone to the destination, fed, entertained and back home again. As you walk through it all, type every item you’ll need into the notes app on your phone. I started doing this after the 7th time I forgot to bring a utensil to flip food on the grill. If I’d visualized the whole cooking process (charcoal then lighter fluid then lighter…) I would have added spatula to the list. You can burn your fingers exactly 7 times before you decide to commit to step-by-step planning.
3. Bring extra clothing for all of you no matter the weather is like. There were so many times it was freezing out and somehow the kids ended up in water. Literally every time they’ve said they don’t want to get wet, they’ve ended up in water. Don’t listen to kids because they don’t know what they want.
4. If showering at the park or beach is an option, DO THAT. My kids start fretting about who’s going to shower first as soon as they see me starting to pack up. It’s great to just get it out of the way and only have to worry about your own shower when you get home. Be sure to pack some soap, extra towels and that change of clothes I just mentioned.
5. If you can spare the room, bring extras like a pack of baby wipes, a portable speaker and baby powder to make brushing off sand super easy. Yes, they’ll appear to be ashy as hell afterwards but you’ll know the truth and that’s what matters.
6. Breathe. We’ve had some hellish moments like the time we went to Sylvan beach and I couldn’t figure out how to make the sun tent stand and I didn’t realize you couldn’t push a stroller in the sand and by the time we found our way around those two problems a mega storm rolled in and almost blew us all away. Or the time we went to Huntsville State Park during lovebug season and the kids were crying and freaking all the way out because it was like walking through curtains of lovebugs with every step. Also, it took us an additional hour to get there because of construction and Harvey had swallowed the beach area. Times like that just stop, breathe, and get the eff outta there. You tried.

Solo trips are hard work, but so rewarding. Most times we’re all away as a family, Husband and I are focused on each other and the kids are sort of doing their own thing which is great. But sometimes I think it’s good to be alone with them because it’s an opportunity to really engage. It’s also pretty liberating. We’ve had our share of challenges but their ratio of “THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER” to “This is terrible” is about 20:2 so I’ll take it.