So, I've been asked quite a bit this week how in the world we all survived 25 hours in a van with a 5 year old and 3 year old. I have to say our kiddos did really great but then again, we did have a few tricks up our sleeve. One of the best things we did was reward the kids for every hour they sat good. We would set a timer and every hour we were in the van it would go off. The kids then had the choice to either pick a money bag (a little ziploc with some coins in it) or a treat bag (a little ziploc with some sort of candy or snack item). The kids absolutely LOVED this. Parker is all about saving money and he will proudly admit that he earned $7.57 on this vacation just for sitting good. Lillie on the other hand will proudly admit she has officially tried every Dum-Dum flavor they make. For every 5 hours they sat in the van (we broke up the trip in 5 hour increments) they actually got the chance to pick a pre-wrapped gift (tattoos, toy phone, new swimming goggles etc). This was also a HUGE hit and a BIG incentive to be on their best behavior. It took a little prep beforehand but was well-worth the effort as we didn't have a bad hour during our 5 days on the road.
There is also this neat little invention called the Portable DVD player. I would be remiss if I didn't admit we watched our share of Veggie Tales and Laurie Birkner... 2008 is definitely a great year to be roadtripping with your family!
4 comments:
Love the idea about goodies for every good hour. We have spent more than our fair share of time in the car this summer and our kids are now officially great road trippers. Of course, our trick is night time driving so the kids can sleep and we can cruise without bathroom stops every 2 hours. Thanks for the ideas for what to do during the day while driving!!
haha... you guys wrote the book on nighttime driving (Margaret and Lonnie could probably write the preface) Trev and I could never do it so I guess you do what you have to do to not only survive but thrive. Hope all is well with you guys!!!
As usual you win mom of the year for your creativity. You are so wonderful at coming up with fab ideas and I steal every one of them. Love you!!!
haha STEAL AWAY! It's the teacher in me I think. I see it as lesson planning. When things are prepared and organized, then life runs smoother...Not smoothly necessarily, but a bit less stressful...
I miss you...are you inspired to take a roadtrip? I heard Cinci is nice this time of year:) LOL!!!
love ya~
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