In My Mom Era

I’m going to be 100% honest with you. It’s going to suck. It might make you and your significant other pull each other’s hair out. And there is probably going to be a fair amount of screaming involved, both by you AND your kids. Sometimes just one, or maybe all of you at the same time.

I’ve taken road trips with all five of my kids in the car more times than I can count. Not just 15 minutes down the road, either. We live an hour and ten minutes from my own parents, one way.

So I’ve developed a strategy. Not necessarily a step-by-step infomercial, or an itemized number of extra shit you need – just the things that have helped us get through.

Do NOT forget the cup that you drink from all the time. I don’t care if it’s coffee, water, soda, whatever. Just make sure it’s within easy reach. It’s a good way to keep your hands busy and help you stay more awake/alert.

You already know the usual, and you know your kids. Does Joe Jr. have a favorite truck/toy/book/doll? BRING IT. Does Molly dear have a favorite stuffed animal/baby doll/toy soldier/book? BRING IT.

Don’t overcomplicate it. You’re driving anywhere from 5 to 25 hours away, depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing. Pack the clothes, pack the necessities, and move on.

No, everyone does not need a pillow – wherever you’re headed *should* have those. No, you do not need a cooler full of everyone’s favorite drinks and pouches. TRUST ME, it’s easier to grab and go rather than unpacking your entire trunk to get to the cooler to grab said drinks and pouches! That’s a nightmare best avoided! (I’ve been there.)

Bring their favorites, bring your stuff, bring the essentials you can’t live without at home. Your bathroom items, electronics and chargers, proper attire, proper footwear, AND SWIMSUITS. JUST DO IT. Then move on.

Plan based on your eventual destination. We stay in condos quite often, typically 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, bath, laundry area, living room, and sometimes a little patio. So we don’t pack kitchen utensils, pots, pans, etc. That’s all provided.

Instead, plan on getting to your accommodations and evaluating what they don’t have. Then run to the store to stock up on the things you need that the place doesn’t have. (Cooking will save money in the long run!)

While you’re driving, know ahead of time how often you’ll want to stop. You’re not driving 10 hours straight through. 10 hours has the ability to turn into 20 easily. Kids don’t go into a gas station, use the restroom, and come back out in 5 minutes. You’re talking a 10-20 minute gas station break every time, minimum.

If you happen to stop at a Welcome Center, you may encounter a playground. I cannot stress this enough: GIVE THEM AN HOUR TO PLAY if you can. That hour at the playground will save you 3 hours of headaches.

We plan long road trips around our stops and playground accessibility. The kids are ten times more likely to behave and not ask “are we there yet” 50 times in the first hour if they have something to look forward to other than the final destination.

But you’re driving to Disney World?! Great, stop at 5 playgrounds along the way. For one, more memories, and for two, more sanity. You’re also that much more likely to arrive at your destination with the kids willing to unpack the car and help out a bit instead of screaming that they want Disney NOW!!!

Plan on stopping every 2.5 – 3 hours. You need breaks from the car, and so do the kids. That amount of time is perfect for short naps, a movie on a tablet, deciding where to stop for breakfast, lunch,  or dinner and eventually where to stop for the evening if you haven’t already figured it out.

Speaking of stopping for the evening, do NOT try to push as far as you can. We’ve made that mistake more times than I can count, and I would prefer not to do it again. Try to set an end time of 6 PM so you can get dinner and find someplace to stay 10 or 15 minutes from where you eat.

Most hotels have quiet time from 10 PM to 6 or 7 AM – and with 3 – 5 kids that’ve been stuck in a car all day – they’re not going to be quiet when you get where you’re going. Use that time for them to swim in the pool or run amok in your hotel room(s). (Swimsuits – told ya!)

If you have older kids, say 5 and up, maybe you could play some car games. Eye Spy is a good one, and the alphabet game (you find the letter A on a billboard, or a restaurant sign, or a license plate; your kid finds B in a similar place; next kid finds C; you get the picture) or even seeing how many different license plates you can identify.

Your little ones are going to be more irritable, especially if they aren’t used to long car rides. Just make sure you have their bottles or sippy cups, and whatever little snacks they can handle in the car. When you get out of the car, they do too – out of their car seats, diapers changed, and LET them crawl around. You can wipe them up and give them a bath later. They’ll survive.

Most importantly, try not to say no. Your kid adores dinos? He/she sees a poster for a Dino exhibit? Try to go. There’s an aquarium that would only add an extra hour to your trip? Go, they’ll remember that. You will too.

These are your memories as much as theirs. Make them last.

Bring me your questions! I’ve probably already been there/done that!

Kelly