Some of my favorite discoveries and tips that helped us along the way...
1. The DVD player. Ahh yes, the wonderful invention of built-in entertainment systems. Although we purchased our minivan in May, we had not yet allowed Levi to even glimpse the DVD player screen. This meant that it was a huge treat for him. It occupied probably 80% of his time in the car. I am so not ashamed of this. He was thrilled to be able to pick show after show. We put restrictions on it, of course. No shows until after breakfast. No shows during naptime. No shows after bedtime. Which brings me to point #2...
2. Schedules. I wrote up a schedule for the trip. Maybe some people aren't as, uhm, particular about things as I am, but this really helped me. My schedule had three columns. One for time, for me and for Andy. I listed when we'd start the drive, how long each leg of the trip would be, how long each break would be, and what we would do on each break. Breaks were 30 minutes for short stops, 45 minutes for a snack/fuel stop and 1 hour for a meal. I wrote out what adult was going to care for which child's/pet's needs. The schedule helped us not question "should we keep driving? when should we stop?" all the time. I also scheduled in nap time for Levi at his usual nap time, which helped him feel more relaxed.
3. Stocking the car. Each nook of the van had some purpose. Snacks and cooler were up front. Toys for the kids (one bin per kid) were behind my seat where I could reach. The driver door has baby wipes, hand wipes and clorox wipes. Glove compartment has a ziplock bag of ziplock bags and rubber bands (because it seemed like a good idea). The designated trash bag was a zipper-top gallon bag I kept up front with me. It was very helpful in keeping together all the little pieces of paper, wrappers, etc. that collect in cup holders usually. I also threw a roll of paper towels in the trunk just in case. Extra outfits for each kid were in a gallon zipper bag under a seat.
4. Packing early. We packed the whole car the night before. The only things left were the "last minute bag" and the cooler. We packed the cooler with sandwiches and drinks the night before and left it in the fridge. The "last minute bag" is my old diaper bag. I put my list of last minute items that we need to get ready in the morning (the kids' monitors, sleep sacks, our toiletry bags) on it, fill it in the morning, and throw it in the car.
And some of my favorite moments of the drive...
- Levi asked for a snack. I told him I had bunnies (graham cracker bunnies). He accepted the bag happily. A few minutes later, when daddy returned to the car... "Look daddy! I have bears! Mommy thinks they's bunnies." Turns out, I had graham cracker bears. He didn't feel like correcting me.
- Wendy played with a crinkly book for so much of the drive. I loved how she'd just fall asleep, and then in an hour we'd start to hear *crinkle crinkle* again.
- Seeing Chloe curled up in the middle row, middle seat between the two kids on her own baby blanket. Half the time I forgot she was even with us, she was so good! (Whenever we stopped the car, however, she'd turn into a nutcase.
- Watching the temperature gauge climb higher and higher as we drove further south.
- The outdoor picnic lunch we had on our return trip. It was perfect weather to sit outside at a rest area. So glad I packed the extra picnic quilt so Wendy and I could play on the ground.
- Letting Levi sit up in the driver seat (keys out of ignition) during a few of our stops.
- The lunch break on our way to Florida, when Wendy and I sat in the open tailgate of the van, her practicing sitting up, and watching all the people walk by.
It'll likely be another two years again before we do the drive instead of an airplane to Florida, and I'm already looking forward to seeing Levi as a 4.5-year-old and Wendy as a toddler. I guess we'll have to take turns who gets to pick the next video to watch!
