So this comment is about two weeks to late and while you head west, we head north. Our standard stop has been the Hawaiian Brothers and Costco in Fort Worth to fuel up! Gas for the truck and food for the humans. We have now added a third stop for Cake Shakes at Portillo’s. It is our best and longest stop along the way!
That TikTok reminds me of my mom, who on hearing me complain about not being able to sleep because of too much light, advised me to just close my eyes. And just like that, my chronic insomnia vanished!
I have been doing 16+ hour drives with my 3 kiddos (sometimes as the solo driver) since they were 3, 5, and 7. I still find leaving around 2:30-3:00am the most efficient--traffic is minimal, kids fall back asleep, and we can knock out a good 5- 6 hours with no stops. Lots of screens and audiobooks keep us sane. I stand by Sour Skittles as my driving candy of choice. They aren't my favorite any other time, but that sour tang keeps me awake better than the sweet candies do. The kids can pick out snacks whenever we stop to refuel, but everyone but the driver only drinks water for the trip. I have pulled over on the side of the road waaaaaay too many times for one child in particular whose bladder is the size of a clementine.
Even though it adds to the drive time, I will always stop to sleep in a real bed when I do the TX to VA and back again thing. I want to get there quickly, but I'm useless if I don't give myself a real break.
Back in 2008, my husband and I were living in Atlanta and invited our families to dinner where we were going to tell them that we were pregnant for the first time. As we’re coming up to the front door, someone is coming out and held the door open for us. We thanked him and right then my husband and I looked at each other as we realized at the same time that it was André 3000! It was a big night for us for sure!
Having recently completed a car trip from Tennessee to NM with an 18month old, I can confidently say that YouTube is a great invention and Ms. Rachel was sent as a blessing to parents everywhere. But overall, I really can’t complain. The sweet nugget did really well and held his own as a road warrior!
Due to family geography, I have been making 12+ hour road trips since before I could talk (and I still prefer driving over flying it is so much more efficient). My mom would always pack each kid their own snack cooler to access whenever we got hungry (or bored, more likely). (These were also the days before cell phones, so my parents would literally balance a small TV on the armrests of the driver and passenger seats so we could watch movies - on VHS! - the whole drive, but that's more of a fun fact than relevant advice). Even as an adult I find that long drives make me snacky, so I try to pack snacks for in between Chick-fil-A stops! I'm also a big fan of audiobooks, I feel like the plot gives a sense of momentum that makes the time go faster.
Screens, of course. Hotels to get some semblance of sleep, always. Every time we stop at a gas station, kids get to choose a snack (but not a drink). Restaurants and state-sponsored rest stops for potty breaks, because California and Oregon have really nice rest stops in scenic and/or funny stops. Speaking of restaurants, only stop at those that serve breakfast all day, as that is the only thing my kids will reliably eat outside of Chick-fil-A. Safe and semi-happy travels to you!
❄ Y'all this library building is a hot mess! We need a new on so bad. One of our HVACs is broken and we have no idea when city maintenance is going to get out here and fix it.
🚗 We would road trip from StL to NC once a year and my parents would start the drive at 4-5am. We always thought it was cool to get up and get in the car in pjs with pillows to sleep until breakfast. There are 5 of us, and one year we made a seating chart and outlined when we would rotate seats so that everyone got a chance to sit next to the empty seat.
🎄 My older brother is coming to Detroit on Sunday, so he can hang with us for the week before we drive to StL for the weekend. It'll be an interesting visit, but I'm hopeful that it'll be a little bit more peaceful and thus fun.
😐 My dad hasn't spoken to me since I moved and I haven't been invited for Christmas dinner. It's always stressful trying to navigate things with him and I'm curious to see how it feels without that as part of the visit.
🏡 My mom has moved and doesn't really have space for me so I'm not staying with her. Mom has a lot of things and loves to have constant noise. Her extrovert and my introvert single ladies habits are hard to mix and I always feel overwhelmed just being in her home.
😊On the flip side, we're going to invite the siblings and mom to come here next year which sounds really fun and I hope they're up for it.
Have a wonderful weekend friends! I hope you all get some moments of calm before the storm next weekend.
Oh, girl. The parental situations sound so difficult. But also, siblings help? Wishing you a joyful season amidst everything. You bring much joy on your own!? 💙
We usually get up super early (3am) and hit the road when we visit grandparents/Maine (12+ hours). My kids never sleep in the car but we all do better in the early morning dark vs. the night dark, which tends to make everyone cranky. I buy fancy bottle coffee for the drivers and slightly dehydrate my kids (nothing worse than a need for a pee break when you're stuck in traffic/miles from a stop) and pack snacks in bento boxes and stuff their seat backs with craft supplies and books. We typically download some new podcasts (Stories Podcast is a huge hit) and borrow a few audiobooks from the library (just finished the newest Percy Jackson) and try to wait until at least half the trip is done to break out screens, and then alternate an hour on, hour off. Best of luck and have a great trip!!!!
When we’re in the car (and I’m not driving, obvs) my granddaughter likes it when I look up jokes and riddles on my phone. She’s 7 and it’s so sweet to see her get the joke and laugh like crazy.
Oh, and! The Disney stories with songs playlist on Spotify. With the speakers only in the back section, of course. My kids loved these on our last road trip.
We let our kids (newly 5 and 6) have playdough in the car. Something I never thought I'd do! One just needs something in his hands constantly. It's worth a few minutes vacuuming later for some peace.
I love driving through the night now that I have a kid, we have done several road trips this way and he sleeps the whole time!! Even when we get him out for a stretch he usually will go right back to sleep.
So this comment is about two weeks to late and while you head west, we head north. Our standard stop has been the Hawaiian Brothers and Costco in Fort Worth to fuel up! Gas for the truck and food for the humans. We have now added a third stop for Cake Shakes at Portillo’s. It is our best and longest stop along the way!
pipe cleaners are awesome in the car, drive through the first night, and fruit whenever you can
This is so off topic but... add this to your hack your crying folder https://www.instagram.com/reel/C01sw60LiwQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
That TikTok reminds me of my mom, who on hearing me complain about not being able to sleep because of too much light, advised me to just close my eyes. And just like that, my chronic insomnia vanished!
These are the pants you are looking for: https://www.target.com/p/women-s-stretch-woven-tapered-cargo-pants-all-in-motion/-/A-79599718?preselect=79358978#lnk=sametab
I have been doing 16+ hour drives with my 3 kiddos (sometimes as the solo driver) since they were 3, 5, and 7. I still find leaving around 2:30-3:00am the most efficient--traffic is minimal, kids fall back asleep, and we can knock out a good 5- 6 hours with no stops. Lots of screens and audiobooks keep us sane. I stand by Sour Skittles as my driving candy of choice. They aren't my favorite any other time, but that sour tang keeps me awake better than the sweet candies do. The kids can pick out snacks whenever we stop to refuel, but everyone but the driver only drinks water for the trip. I have pulled over on the side of the road waaaaaay too many times for one child in particular whose bladder is the size of a clementine.
Even though it adds to the drive time, I will always stop to sleep in a real bed when I do the TX to VA and back again thing. I want to get there quickly, but I'm useless if I don't give myself a real break.
Back in 2008, my husband and I were living in Atlanta and invited our families to dinner where we were going to tell them that we were pregnant for the first time. As we’re coming up to the front door, someone is coming out and held the door open for us. We thanked him and right then my husband and I looked at each other as we realized at the same time that it was André 3000! It was a big night for us for sure!
Having recently completed a car trip from Tennessee to NM with an 18month old, I can confidently say that YouTube is a great invention and Ms. Rachel was sent as a blessing to parents everywhere. But overall, I really can’t complain. The sweet nugget did really well and held his own as a road warrior!
All it took to get you to the comments section was having a kid!
Like many a good parent, ask me my thoughts about kids, and I will pour them forth. Whether they are needed or not lol
Due to family geography, I have been making 12+ hour road trips since before I could talk (and I still prefer driving over flying it is so much more efficient). My mom would always pack each kid their own snack cooler to access whenever we got hungry (or bored, more likely). (These were also the days before cell phones, so my parents would literally balance a small TV on the armrests of the driver and passenger seats so we could watch movies - on VHS! - the whole drive, but that's more of a fun fact than relevant advice). Even as an adult I find that long drives make me snacky, so I try to pack snacks for in between Chick-fil-A stops! I'm also a big fan of audiobooks, I feel like the plot gives a sense of momentum that makes the time go faster.
Screens, of course. Hotels to get some semblance of sleep, always. Every time we stop at a gas station, kids get to choose a snack (but not a drink). Restaurants and state-sponsored rest stops for potty breaks, because California and Oregon have really nice rest stops in scenic and/or funny stops. Speaking of restaurants, only stop at those that serve breakfast all day, as that is the only thing my kids will reliably eat outside of Chick-fil-A. Safe and semi-happy travels to you!
❄ Y'all this library building is a hot mess! We need a new on so bad. One of our HVACs is broken and we have no idea when city maintenance is going to get out here and fix it.
🚗 We would road trip from StL to NC once a year and my parents would start the drive at 4-5am. We always thought it was cool to get up and get in the car in pjs with pillows to sleep until breakfast. There are 5 of us, and one year we made a seating chart and outlined when we would rotate seats so that everyone got a chance to sit next to the empty seat.
🎄 My older brother is coming to Detroit on Sunday, so he can hang with us for the week before we drive to StL for the weekend. It'll be an interesting visit, but I'm hopeful that it'll be a little bit more peaceful and thus fun.
😐 My dad hasn't spoken to me since I moved and I haven't been invited for Christmas dinner. It's always stressful trying to navigate things with him and I'm curious to see how it feels without that as part of the visit.
🏡 My mom has moved and doesn't really have space for me so I'm not staying with her. Mom has a lot of things and loves to have constant noise. Her extrovert and my introvert single ladies habits are hard to mix and I always feel overwhelmed just being in her home.
😊On the flip side, we're going to invite the siblings and mom to come here next year which sounds really fun and I hope they're up for it.
Have a wonderful weekend friends! I hope you all get some moments of calm before the storm next weekend.
Oh, girl. The parental situations sound so difficult. But also, siblings help? Wishing you a joyful season amidst everything. You bring much joy on your own!? 💙
We usually get up super early (3am) and hit the road when we visit grandparents/Maine (12+ hours). My kids never sleep in the car but we all do better in the early morning dark vs. the night dark, which tends to make everyone cranky. I buy fancy bottle coffee for the drivers and slightly dehydrate my kids (nothing worse than a need for a pee break when you're stuck in traffic/miles from a stop) and pack snacks in bento boxes and stuff their seat backs with craft supplies and books. We typically download some new podcasts (Stories Podcast is a huge hit) and borrow a few audiobooks from the library (just finished the newest Percy Jackson) and try to wait until at least half the trip is done to break out screens, and then alternate an hour on, hour off. Best of luck and have a great trip!!!!
When we’re in the car (and I’m not driving, obvs) my granddaughter likes it when I look up jokes and riddles on my phone. She’s 7 and it’s so sweet to see her get the joke and laugh like crazy.
Oh, and! The Disney stories with songs playlist on Spotify. With the speakers only in the back section, of course. My kids loved these on our last road trip.
We let our kids (newly 5 and 6) have playdough in the car. Something I never thought I'd do! One just needs something in his hands constantly. It's worth a few minutes vacuuming later for some peace.
I love driving through the night now that I have a kid, we have done several road trips this way and he sleeps the whole time!! Even when we get him out for a stretch he usually will go right back to sleep.