Fun, Savvy Road Trips with Kids

What comes to mind when you think of a 20-hour road trip with three young kids? Maybe a pounding headache, or maybe memories from your own childhood vacations.

Before we had three children, my husband and I loved road trips. We escaped the city, listened to our favorite music and had meaningful conversations. Obviously with three young children, road trips look and feel different. But we still manage to listen to our favorite music, have great conversations and build incredible memories with our kids. Here are things which make our road trips more fun for all involved:

24/Savvy Mom: New York, NY

There are many lessons I teach my kids:  kindness, respect, following directions and self-confidence.  But this month’s lesson is how to eat like a human being and not like a cow.   I often feel like my children graze the fields of my kitchen like cows eating all day.  If you have little ones, maybe you can relate.  The minute they finish the breakfast you pull together bleary-eyed and half asleep, they begin mooing, “I’m hungry…I want this, I want that.”  You pull out some other edible breakfast food, which hopefully, but unlikely, they’ll eat complaint-free.  Minutes later they’re hungry again, and by the end of the day you feel like your kids have turned into farm animals.

When I became a parent 6 ½ years ago, I had no idea my CD collection would be overrun with musicians like Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Ralph’s World, Kids Music Together and Bible songs for kids.  They’re all great music choices for kids, but there comes a point, especially in the car, when I want to listen to my own music.  A highlight of my day is to sit behind the wheel, tune into a great song and get lost in the music.  And believe me it’s nice to get lost sometimes.  Like a mini-mental break in my daily mom routine.  And getting lost to Dan Zanes’, All Around The Kitchen, just doesn’t happen.  What’s the solution?

Every holiday season, my friends and I brainstorm ways to help those in need.  We have 14 children between the five of us, and we look for ways to teach our kids how to help others.  In the past we’ve wrapped Christmas gifts for inner-city families, as well as helped military families through the Angel Tree program.  This year we chose to Dine In and help feed families for Thanksgiving.  Dine In is an initiative of Here’s Life Inner City, an urban organization dedicated to helping the poor.  The concept is simple.  Instead of dining out, my friends and I ‘dined in’ with a delicious pot luck dinner.

Save the earth, surprise your kids and salvage your sanity—all at the same time!  Or just make your life easy by using these fabulous reusable snack and sandwich bags.  They come in a variety of sizes and colorful fabric designs, plus you can wipe them down with a sponge, or throw them in the washing machine!  Best of all, SnackTAXI is offering a 20% discount now through Sunday, November 7th.  Use the code, Taxi20 at checkout.  Great gift idea for the holidays!

It may sound selfish, but it’s truly savvy.  Whether you’re single, dating, married or a parent, when you take time for yourself, everyone benefits!  As a mom of three small children, I can lose myself in the day-to-day care of my kids and home.  From carpools, to kids’ activities, to meals, to errands, there’s little room to even eat my lunch.

When we don’t carve out some "me time" in our week we can become resentful of those around us.  But "me time" is a choice.  You have to make it happen and when you do, don’t feel guilty about it!  You’re not selfish.  You’re smart and those around you will appreciate how you value yourself.  My own results —I’m a calmer mom, a happier wife, a kinder friend and healthier me.

Would you rather hear your partner say, “I love you,” or show you their love by leaving work early to spend time with you?  Or maybe you prefer a thoughtful gift, or a hug and kiss at the end of a long day.  According to Gary Chapman, author of the New York Times best selling book, The 5 Love Languages, he noticed a pattern in his 30 years of marriage counseling—we all have a primary way of expressing and interpreting love.  The five ways we show or receive love are:  Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.