The Drive

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

RJ and I decided to conquer the 1200 miles (one-way) in three sections. We aren't night drivers (although it is a great technique with kids) so we thought more days with less car-time would be better. Especially driving a VW Van that does go faster than most but still shouldn't go over 70mph ever. (We did get up early once on the way home (4am) and we've decided that it's the best way to go for us in the future -- we knocked out 200 miles before the kids even woke up!)

We stopped in Vegas one night - letting the van cool down and the kids swim off their energy.

Then in Salt Lake City to visit friends.

And finally to our destination.



Remember the activity bucket I packed for the kids when we went to Colorado last year? I did the same thing but we used these some awesome travel containers RJ got for the car (each family member had one). For the kids I included a few new Dollar Store toys, stickers, new coloring books, crayons, an old iPod with Adventures in Odyssey programs, Dupelo Legos, favorite action toys, books, and stuffed animals. 

We also had The Johnny Cash Children's Album ready to go, some new music for RJ and I (since we knew we would lose 4G and wouldn't be able to play Spotify for much of the journey), and dance-party music for those rough moments when everyone needed a pick-me-up.

Finally, I had snacks galore! Peanut-butter pretzels, dried mango, fruit snacks, apples, snap pea crisps, chips, crackers, trail mix, etc. And, the magic ingredient for car-ride bliss: LOLLIPOPS. Specifically Toostie Pops for the little guy and Blow Pops for the big kid. 15-20 minutes of silence guaranteed! 

I have to say my kids are really good road-trippers. They've been putting in long hours since they were tiny so I think they're used to it. I do keep cartoons on my Kindle Fire for those tough moments, but it's very rare that we resort to using them (especially since Landon gets carsick looking down for too long). 


How do you travel with kids? Any tips or tricks you can share with the rest of us?


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You two are amazingly brave!!! A trip of this magnitude taken with two little ones is not for the faint hearted. I'm sure 160 yrs ago you could have crossed the west on a wagon train. Glad you had a great trip.
Mom

Jessica G. said...

You guys are so cute! I love that last shot of the four of you. We aren't night drivers either. Tried that once and it went miserably wrong...it was 2am, we were tired and both kids were awake and crying. Never again! But, during the day, our kids do great. I agree with you, I think it has to do with the amount of car travel they have done from the beginning.

Two Cent Sparrow.
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