The Most Important Thing to Pack For a Road Trip

This past weekend the boys and I went four hours north to visit my parents and siblings. Four hours in a car is a long time- for mama And little boys. We got them car dvd players for Christmas, which sounds like a fabulous idea in theory. In reality, Cayden has a tear-filled meltdown if I try to put on any movie except Rio 2. Let that sink in. That darn movie played nearly three times before I got to mom's on Friday night. Traffic was horrible so the trip took nearly five hours and by the end, Micah and I were both ready to throw the dvd out the window

Full disclosure- he's not wearing his seat belt because we were parked- not driving

Fortunately, I was prepared with a distraction for us all. I've been a mom for nearly twelve years now and I've learned the importance of car snacks. Whining kid? Car snack. Fighting kid? Car snack. Sleeping kid? I wish I was that lucky.

So into the trusty diaper bag, I tossed raisins, chocolate chip cookies, cheez-its, applesauce fruit squeezies, fruit snacks, bananas, sippy cups of water, and crackers. Overkill? Not at all. The kids always turn down the first three snacks offered (the healthy options, of course), until, in desperation, I give them the fruit snacks or cookies. Little do they know the fruit snacks are organic and no sugar added. It's the small victories that get me through.

When packing for a road trip, make sure you have plenty of snack options- I recommend a minimum of five. And if you have multiple kids, make sure there are individually packed snacks for each kid. The world will most probably end if two of them have to share one bag. You should also make sure the sippy cups are full, with a separate full thermos as a back up. I make sure Micah, the big kid, has a water bottle or Gatorade G2, as well.

Herding three kids through the gas station for refreshments is no fun. They seem to multiply and you find yourself standing at the register paying for armloads of chips and every type of candy low enough to be snatched by little hands. Don't get caught unprepared!

I wish you a happy vacation, safe travels, and sleeping children.

With Love,
Susanne

It's Halloween Day!

I grew up in a very strict, Baptist household and we Never celebrated Halloween. There was generally a church fall festival and we could sometimes dress up as a Bible character, but absolutely no worldly costumes and definitely no trick or treating. I guess that's why I want my kids to have the experience. I always felt left out and watched through my window as the other kids ran around with their friends on a sugar high from their candy haul. But do my kids appreciate it? Nope. Every year one of them tests my patience to the limit. This year it was Cayden's turn.

 

Have you ever tried to force a 3 year old to be happy and enthusiastic? You've got a big goofy grin on your face while speaking overly loud and cheerful. Meanwhile, your son is either hiding his face under the pillow or wailing at the top of his lungs. Yep, that was how our trick-or-treating adventure began.

Waking a sleeping child is such a foreign concept to me, I had to give myself a pep talk before I walked in. For the first five minutes he ignored me, then began crying and insisting he didn't want it to be Halloween day. He also didn't want candy, to see his friends, to wear his costume, to get a drink, to stop whining, you get the picture.

After everyone else, including the puppy, had gotten all Paw Patrol-ed, I bit the bullet. Dodging elbows and knees, I whipped his clothes off, put him on the potty (while repeatedly singing the 'potty song' to drown out his protests- that is a song for another day), and finally had him dressed as Chase the police dog. We compromised on no hat- mainly because he threw it to the ground every time I put it on.

Cayden and Ezra's favorite show is Paw Patrol and Cayden insisted on deciding everyone's identities. He would to be Chase, of course, because he's a policeman just like daddy. Dara would be Skye, the cute, tiny, pink chihuahua- never mind that by now she's the size of four chihuahuas. Daddy would be Rocky since Cayden's favorite color is green and Rocky always wears green. I had to be Everest, the only other girl dog in the show. And finally, Ezra. He was not, however, chosen to be a pup. He was relegated to being a pup treat! Poor kid. We managed to convince Cay that we needed Marshall the fire dog. I had already found a Marshall costume at the used kid's store, so it was going to happen regardless, but you get more flies with honey than vinegar.

        

 The evening was beautiful and cool and we had a marvelous time! One neighbor had a huge inflatable pig as big as his house, and Micah's friends all thought he was 'super cool' because we drove around in a golf cart. This was more so I didn't have to carry Ezra the entire time, but they didn't need to know that. Successful Halloween 2017 is in the books!