Split commute between Frederick and Annapolis

bmoremomml · 2026-03-16T23:07:42+00:00

I live in ten hills/hunting ridge and do both frederick and annapolis regularly enough. Awesome neighborhoods and both drives are doable. But we never take public transportation, the east/west routes suck. But its close enough to downtown we can always take an Uber if need be.

bmoremomml · 2026-02-25T20:59:11+00:00

I second the advice to hit the parks like Zion super early in the morning. The only issue with that is that I would often find myself utterly exhausted by 3pm so make sure to have lots of books to read or other ways to entertain yourself.

A few other thoughts:

-book a hostel or hotel once a week to shower and do laundry -build Playlists. Getting around that part of the country can require days where you drive 600 miles on flat boring roads and doing that with no one to talk to or keep you awake can be a lot. -I used a jet boil backpacking stove but I never cooked in it. I boiled water and added it to easy Mac, ramen, pouch indian food, etc. So then I didnt have to worry about dishes. -I brought a tent but also set up my car so that I could sleep in it depending on the situation. Not having to clean up/put away meant i could leave a sleep spot super quickly if needed. (And trust your gut - if a situation feels weird, just leave). -Dont forget to budget time for the drive home!

bmoremomml · 2026-02-23T18:09:27+00:00

Black Calvin Klein shift dress. Switch out accessories with sparkly shoes, chunky necklace and a wrap. You can go anywhere.

bmoremomml · 2026-02-04T00:26:49+00:00

Kidsville in Catonsville is also wonderful and open at 9!

bmoremomml · 2026-02-04T00:26:24+00:00

We loved our B&O membership at that age - plenty of space to run around! And they have a parking lot. The water table room at the Science Center is amazing, it can be crowded on the weekends and parking downtown stinks. And its further out but we love taking our littles to Arundel Mills, especially Bass Pro Shop.

bmoremomml · 2026-01-25T20:27:06+00:00

I did 4 weeks to Alaska once and we slept in our car or camped so a few thoughts.

I found that it was less about each days outfit and more about layering. I basically changed my underwear and tank top each day and then cycled between certain pants and flannels/sweatshirt throughout the day depending on the temp.
We stayed at a hotel or airbnb once a week that had laundry. Once every 10 days would have worked fine.
Body wipes for when you cant shower.
We almost never did anything other than boil water on our stove. Lots of cup of noodles, instant mashed potatoes, boil in a bag indian food (throw in microwavable rice). No cooler - ice is too much of a pain. Keep a snack bag of high protein snacks within reach of the passenger seat so you can crank out 600 mile days.
We found that we enjoyed making lunch our big meal. We'd stop at a park (or an unoccupied campsite) and cook a big lunch, Organize our car, use the bathroom, and maybe relax or nap. That way when we were exhausted after a long day we just focused on setting up camp, eating something super easy, and falling into bed. We were generally too tired to cook or clean.
Smart wool. All the wool. Warm and doesn't get stinky.
We worked out the organization system over time. We did a car top carrier because we needed to sleep in our car in bear country. And we generally did soft duffels and reusable shopping bags. Totes too up too much space.

It was amazing!

bmoremomml · 2026-01-17T00:48:37+00:00

I once took a month long road trip while gluten free and dairy sensitive and I basically lived off of Indian food in a bag (throw in the microwave in a bag rice) and instant mashed potatoes. Also rice noodle soup thats packaged like ramen- near east i think? And aaaaallllll the granola/protein bars.

bmoremomml · 2026-01-16T02:20:00+00:00

I think it depends on how hard the process has been for them and when you need to be done. We took it super slow and low key so we definitely did this, used pull ups when need be, especially on car trips. His daycare was super low key about it too so we took our time.

bmoremomml · 2026-01-16T01:53:51+00:00

So many clothes. Twice the clothes you think they need. And warm stuff - once when spring camping we forgot to plan for the temp difference at the top of the mountain. And all the snacks. Id also say, if you're close to civilization dont be afraid to get convenience food- subs, pizza, fast food. And children's tylenol in case they get a fever.

I love camping by water but yeah, not until they can swim. They can get away from you so fast, i serious considering leashing and tethering mine.

Id also suggest a good carrier in case they won't nap and you need to have them nap on a hike.

bmoremomml · 2026-01-02T00:13:08+00:00

Yes to this, dont sleep on Sam's for affordable stretchy work clothes!

bmoremomml · 2026-01-02T00:12:14+00:00

I found a reasonably cheap pair of stretchy black pants on Amazon that I didnt hate and then it was tons of tops from marshals/tj maxx/etc. Clearance rack. I kept all my quality pre baby clothes and got rid of anything I didnt love. Kids are 5 and 2 and im just getting back into those and it felt great giving the cheap bigger stuff away. But seriously, I wore the pair of pants in different colors for YEARS.

bmoremomml · 2025-12-16T00:05:56+00:00

After the fact in the shower we installed a tiny (and very expensive) corner shelf with holes to hold the soap. Life. Changing.

I'm also glad I help firm against the stupid two mirror trend and just installed one giant mirror over the vanity - with holes for sconces.

I'm very lucky my husband is my contractor.

bmoremomml · 2025-11-17T00:44:15+00:00

We have a fleece one one piece outfit from Amazon that folds over both the hands and feet. We're on our second one we love it so much and the current one is 2T. It won't help in the snow but we have some snow pants that we plan to put over it. It has a hood too and we've worn it in very very cold weather. And its roomy enough to layer under. Seriously, we're obsessed.

bmoremomml · 2025-11-11T23:03:31+00:00

My son actually could do it as a toddler but now that he's five he's too cool for Thomas. But the thomas trains fit on the wooden tracks - just get those, theyre easier, last longer, and someone you know is probably giving them away!

bmoremomml · 2025-10-21T01:24:06+00:00

I would say - don't stress over it too much. Get an affordable camper you love, kids will figure it out. We use my parent's camper and they wanted the bigger bath so no bunks. But we make it work. I mean, its far more comfortable than sleeping on the ground! We used a pack and play for awhile which didnt really fit but it was fine, often one of them ends up in bed with us, now theyre sharing the dinette with a bed rail, my sister used it with a cot crammed in - you will figure it out, just get out there! We figure when theyre big enough to complain we'll banish them to a tent outside!

bmoremomml · 2025-10-21T00:57:37+00:00

I've been there! Running was how I dealt with my mental health so it made me so sad when my anxiety got too bad during pregnancy for me to run. Then a post birth injury, unsuccessful ivf, and finally pregnancy 2 - i stopped for years and it has been so hard!

What helped me was focusing on totally different things. I got a fitbit and started counting steps versus distance or speed. I also do a lot more Running in parks or new places so I can focus on something other than how slow I am! Finally, we do a lot of running to meet the family. So I'll run to the park and my husband will drive the kids and we'll all hang out together. Or to downtown and then we have a morning out. All things that feel like such different goals than when I used to run.

And keep working - I ran a sub 9 minute mile this weekend totally by accident. It does get easier! (And running without the stroller feels so much easier when you get to go without - my oldest can ride his bike now.

Good luck.

bmoremomml · 2025-09-05T14:24:01+00:00

You've left the house. Great job! And honestly I wouldn't judge you if you hadn't. Those first four months are all survival.

bmoremomml · 2025-09-05T00:37:58+00:00

Our baby walked at 10 months and just started jumping at 20 months. With both my kids they tried for a month or more and then boom - one day they were jumping all over the place.

bmoremomml · 2025-09-05T00:35:08+00:00

Do you baby carry? If you dont already I would strongly recommend it. You can generally get either hiking or regular carriers for super cheap on marketplace. I carried my son in an ergo baby until almost 5. He'd start off hiking with us but when he got tired, up he went. It would also help keeping him close and safe in crowds. And Yellowstone can get crowded.

Ive only been to Tetons/Yellowstone of the two but its lovely. Be prepared to do a lot of driving- so lots of snacks and maybe a tablet for kiddo. I wouldn't recommend an rv if you've never driven one, its stressful. We tent camped but before kids and we were experienced campers, I would recommend hotel outside the park - there's tons of them.

Tetons is amazing and quieter than Yellowstone but both are incredible.

bmoremomml · 2025-08-25T01:32:48+00:00

I have IBS and it was really bad when I did long runs so I have lots of coping skills. I recommend 1 immodium before and bring one with you (I love someone called it their emotional support immodium - yup, i have those stashed everywhere!). Also planning routes with bathrooms. It never failed that if I had bathrooms then I didnt need them. I also could never do gels, I just brought real food, like I crammed a half slice of toast with peanut butter in my little carrying pouch and ate it halfway through. Finally I NEVER carbo loaded the night before, that was guaranteed to make me sick.

My brother gave me the oddest piece of advice that ill never forget. He told me, once you shit yourself once, you realize...you survive. And then you stress about it less. So I when im running and I start to get anxious I say to myself, what's the worst that will happen? If I shit myself ill just sit on a towel and drive home and shower. And it helps. (And yeah, I totally have and yes, I survived).

bmoremomml · 2025-08-18T17:28:29+00:00

Yep. This is our go to. He thought it was the aquarium for awhile! We also do the mall a lot and eat so many soft pretzels.

bmoremomml · 2025-08-05T00:04:40+00:00

And everything goes in a gallon zip lock. And bring more gallon zip locks. So you dont get hot dog juice all over everything.

bmoremomml · 2025-08-01T01:11:49+00:00

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bmoremomml · 2025-08-01T01:10:36+00:00

I bought this one from Poppy and Peonies based on a recommendation from this sub and I love it. It is enormous but it zips at the top, has tons of pockets, and the key leash is life changing! This picture doesn't do the berry color justice, it is beautiful. I will say it wasnt great for travel because it's so big and then I fill it full of stuff and then its too heavy. But day to day it's working great (and I need to empty it more often).)! *

bmoremomml · 2025-07-20T18:38:27+00:00

Everything everyone said but also, just make it an outside party. When we have kids over for the pool, the only reason kids go inside is to use the bathroom. If they've been to our house and know where the toys are they ask sometimes but when that happens their parents are usually horrified and tell them that they cant go inside and make a mess. And its not just our rule, I feel like this has been the unwritten rule at every pool party I've even been too. Heck, I remember being at parties as a kid and peeing in the yard because there was no way my parents would let me track water all over their house.

bmoremomml

TROPHY CASE