On the Road Again

Road Trips and Kids.  Kids and Road Trips.  Not an easy combination.  There have been many vacations that upon our return your dad and I swore that that ONE would be the last for a very long time.  But the interesting thing is that when we look back at these trips of all of us together all the stress and difficulties seem to fade away and we only remember (or want to remember) the happy fun moments that make it all worthwhile.  We know these moments with all of you children big and small piled in our van hitting the open road together will be over and done with too quickly. And one day your dad and I will look back at these times and know they were the happiest days of our lives and we will miss it!


PS.  You will remember some of the negative moments but somehow they become comical over time. I'm not sure how but they just do.  And you will love laughing over them for years to come.

Road Trips Tips

1. Get the Laundry done.  More than half the battle for packing is being all caught up on the laundry.

2. Leave at a good time.  Each family and stage will be different but usually children tend to be more subdued in the mornings and in the evenings.  They seem to save all their youthful energy to be completely crabby in the afternoon.

3. Pack a tote bag with small plastic cups, paper towels, wipes, Ziploc bags, plastic grocery store bags, and a Car Sick Container.  I like the dishwasher pod bins with lids on them.  The cups and Ziploc bags are a great way to help han
d out big boxed snacks. And you can never have enough wipes and paper towels.

4. Make a play list for the road trip.  This helps hold off the DVDs for the really dull times in the car.  I also love playlists because whenever you hear that music again it will always remind you of that particular trip.  The National Parks play list will always make me think about our trip to Yellowstone and the great times we had there.

5. Gas up and buys snacks and DVDs for the car ride before the trip.  Once you hit the road you want to make every minute count to getting you closer to your destination.  This can be a really hard one to do because getting ready for a trip is already so busy but it is a great one that keeps the momentum moving forward if you can pull it off.

Labels: Family, Summertime, Road Trips