And we are off! Let the trip begin. When I told my friend we were going on vacation with the kids she said that’s not a vacation, it’s a trip. I agree with that discrepancy. So much for the days when Jon and I would relax on the shore and have all day to do as we pleased. But we also didn’t have the joy of little people cracking us up and discovering things we would never notice.
We’ve only been driving for two and a half hours and we’re already getting on each others’ nerves. How did my folks do it?! Maria screams when we roll down the window; Mario kicks Jon’s seat; I make the kids stop watching tv in order to write the alphabet. Jon “just wants to drive!”
These are the sweet memories we will have twenty years from now. Of course, twenty years from now we will look back and remember laughing and having a grand time just like I remember the times with my folks and siblings.
And for the next highway stop…Cabella’s!
"MOM!" 
Here is a tip for the ride home. We played it all the time in the car and it kept us occupied for hours! Write up a list of things that you would see on the side of the road while driving. (a red barn, a siloe, a brown dog, picnic tables, etc) keep it small and simple since Mario can’t read yet. The first kid to spot it and you confirm that they saw it gets a quarter. Then put their name next to the item on the list. Continue playing until all the things on the list have been found. I would do a list of 5 or 10 things, then once they finish the list, make a new list (or have multiple small lists prepared). Then at the end give them however much they earned 🙂