Dear any caregiver...

...contemplating a cross-country car ride with small children. I just wanted to share a few activities that proved to be hits during our two week road trip.

BUBBLES:


I bought bubbles at the dollar store with the intention of using them at rest stops. Instead I used the car's air conditioning to blow bubbles every hour on the hour. It gave the kids something to look forward to. HILARIOUS to watch how excited they got about the bubbles.

LAP DESKS:


I looked everywhere for lap desks but refused to pay $20 a piece for them. Found cookie sheets at the $1 Store (I LOVE THE $1 STORE). They worked perfectly. Finn loves to thread/string things. The lip of the cookie sheet was nice because it corraled the little beads. I brought Cole magnetic letters and numbers and he worked out math and spelling problems on his cookie sheet.

TOM TOM:

Yes, it is a luxury to have a GPS (Thank you Isabel for buying Josh one for his 30th!) I don't know how people traveled before. So convenient to be able to look up gas stations, restaurants and parks along our route. We tried to stop and eat at parks so the kids could play instead of being trapped inside a restaurant.

PRESENTS:

I wrapped some new things from the $1 Store for the boys. It made it more exciting for them to be able to unwrap their activities. I spent a grand total of $23 dollars at the $1 Store. Money well spent for 40 hours of relative peace and quiet on the road.

LISA LUTZ:



A good book is a must on the road. I can't read in the car but I CAN read at the gas station, restaurant, park and hotel. Vacations are not vacations without a ton of reading. "The Spellman Files" are laugh-out-loud funny. Dark comedy. I love the series (Thank you Elizabeth for the recommendation).