Driving Down to Charlotte North Carolina

I hate packing. I am a good packer, organized - list maker - think of every possible scenario - pack everything we would ever need without over packing.. and when I am in the midst of it it is a nerve wracking process.. hence the declaration.. I HATE PACKING!

Our initial drive down was over 10 hours long.. I packed the car with a variety of snacks, a bag of activities for each child and off we went early Saturday morning.



I found a great deal on Groupon for these activity tables and they were a life saver.. though don't let that picture of H fool you he looked nothing like that through most of the trip.. argh. I had a license plate game printable for D which was a big hit.. the whole family got involved in finding plates even when we weren't in the car. For H the winner was silly putty and when all hell broke loose play doh saved the day. 

We made pretty good time keeping our stops to a minimum at arrived in Charlotte at 8pm. As luck had it our room at a Marriott had a plumbing issue and they had no other rooms at the hotel available. Luckily being a rewards member they had arranged a larger room for us at another Marriott and our stay was fully comped :)  

We had dinner at the amazingly scrumptious Zablong




The boys especially loved being able to leave their mark on the wall. 

In the morning we went to Hazelnut Creperie for breakfast. It was a little odd.. a counter service style place in an office building, but the crepes were very good..so good we didn't even bother to take a picture.  




We stopped to take a picture with the mirror mosaic Firebird on Tryon St. before heading out to Chimney Rock.

       
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Comments

  1. You are brave for letting the kids play silly putty and play dough in the car. For us, tablets :) Lucky you that the hotel stay was free. I love when that happens.

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    Replies
    1. haha! the youngest doesn't do well with tablets.. he keeps pressing buttons and ends up in a whole different place and it ends in tears.
      we had the tablet on hand for the eldest though.

      Delete
  2. Looks like a fun start to a trip! I love the pictures of your kiddos. What cuties!! How fun that they could write on the wall. It sounds like a big bummer about the hotel, but I am glad they pulled through with good customer service and you got a bigger comped room elsewhere! I agree about being a great but hesitant packer. It's not fun! XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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    1. Thanks..
      I think it was the first time they were allowed to write on a wall and found that exciting.
      The hotel situation was definitely a surprise.. thankfully a pleasant one.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous5/01/2017

    Anything to keep them happily quiet, yeah? I'm glad Marriott took care of you guys. Glad you had a great trip.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous5/01/2017

      You sure don't pick light reads. I looked that one up; oh boy. Yay for TV binging; a mum must have little pleasures in life to decompress.

      Delete
  4. Looks like a good trip, and that mosaic is amazing!

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  5. I love reading about your trips, Hena. Those tray tables look great! I should look into some myself.

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  6. Those trays look awesome. I will have to check groupon and see if they are still available because we will be taking the boys on a long road trip this summer. I am so glad you were able to get a different room!

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    Replies
    1. I can't imagine travelling without them. I think they still are available on Groupon

      Delete
  7. Hats off to you, Hena! I can never do that long of a drive with the kids, and they're older! Like seriously...so awesome you can do that:) And those are such cute pics at the mirror mosaic.

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    Replies
    1. lol.. we plan and hope to drag them across the globe. They better get used to it.

      Delete
  8. Nice find with the Groupon deal! Looks like the trip was well worth the preparation :)

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  9. Looks like a fun road trip
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  10. Such cute pics!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  11. It looks you had a lovely trip!! Great post!

    xx
    Mónica Sors
    MES VOYAGES À PARIS
    NEW POST: CITY OF STARS

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  12. This trip looks like it was fun! Your boys are adorable.

    http://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  13. I hate packing too! Such a good idea to stock up on activities for the kiddos. Sounds like it was a huge help.

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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    Replies
    1. I could have forgotten my shoes but those activities we would not have been able to survive without.

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  14. I haven't been to Charlotte is years but it was so fun. Great city to visit. NC is a beautiful state.

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    Replies
    1. I agree.. there is so much to do and see. So much time can be spent just exploring that one state.

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  15. 10 hours, eek! But so so worth it, I'm sure!

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  16. I love crepes! There aren't many places here that serve them, so its always a treat when I have one!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    Replies
    1. We don't have them often either.. that's what vacations are made for :)

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  17. Oooh, glad the Marriot took care of you! And I'm such a crepes fan, too!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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    Replies
    1. So are we. That would not have been a good way to start the trip

      Delete
  18. 10 hours is a long time to spend in a car. It looks like your boys were well entertained though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the more people comment about the long drive the more I think.. man were we crazy! lol

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  19. Wow what a long drive! Those activity tables look so cool though! And what a delicious dinner!

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  20. That sounds like a long drive! We drive down to Cornwall in the summer but choose to drive overnight, sleep always catches up with the little ones. You are so well organised, I could learn from you. Looks like a good trip all around and I am looking forward to reading more about it x

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    Replies
    1. We have tried driving through the night but that did not work well.. we had a lot of trouble staying awake.

      Delete
  21. I love to pack! I hate to travel...sigh. Loved seeing your kids, it's been a while!

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  22. I think of my drives from GA to MD--16-18 hours and we had no technology back in those days. Idk what we did for so many hours!

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  23. sounds really nice! although 10h is a long time! xx

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  24. I dont like to drive such a long time. Lovely pictures!
    Have a nice week,
    Christine

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  25. I just went to North Carolina for the first time the other day! I hate packing too!! xx

    http://www.thatnewdress.com

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  26. Never been here before. Loved your photos and travel post it was lovely :)
    http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2017/05/met-gala-2017-greatest-hits.html

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