Road trips with kids can be pretty stressful.  Most kids don’t like being strapped into a car seat and they’re even less fond of staying there for hours!  Combine that with their parents’ exhaustion and you have a recipe for a pretty unpleasant drive!

But this last week, we had our least-stressful road trip ever!  Ava’s usually pretty easy-going in the car but it can be a nightmare to travel with Kelvin.  Here’s what helped us on this trip:

1. We used a DVD player…with a screen for each child!  Chad and I both agree that our portable DVD player is one of the best investments we ever made for our mental health.  And it’s even better now that Kelvin is a little bit interested in watching TV, even though it’s just for short periods of time right now.  If your kids are old enough to be entertained by TV, get a portable DVD player with a couple of screens, a few mounts, and you’ll be set!
2. We turned Kelvin’s car seat around.  Even though he was a couple days shy of one year old, he was definitely over the weight requirement and it made the trip so much more pleasant for everyone.  He didn’t even need to be entertained every second of the trip like he normally does, because he was so thrilled to be able to see everything that was going on.
3. We made several fairly long stops.  Two of the stops were to eat and one was at an Old Navy outlet.  At each stop, we made sure to let the kids move around and stretch their legs, which made it much easier to get them back into their car seats later!
4. We had a few new toys for each of the kids.  It’s amazing how long something new can keep their attention!  Plus, the new toys keep them entertained at the hotel, too!
5. We brought along blankets, pillows, and teddy bears to make it easier for them to sleep.  Napping in the car isn’t always easy, even for little ones, so this tip always helps!
6. And as always, we packed lots of snacks!

What tricks do you have up your sleeve for having stress-free (or at least low-stress) road trips?

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My baby man turned a year old yesterday!!  I’m still kind of wondering how this last year flew by so fast.  How is it possible that it’s been a year already since I became the Mommy to the most handsome little boy in the world?  This year has been so full of love, laughing, and growing.  I can’t imagine our life without him!

We had a small party for him last night (just a casual gathering…no tuxedo needed!).  We had family and some friends over and I made ziti (his very favorite food in the world), garlic bread, salad and cupcakes.  He made a total mess of himself with his cupcake, but it was such an adorable mess!  Everyone needs those cake-covered 1-year-birthday pictures!  I got plenty, but can’t upload them here so I’ll have to post them when we get home.

I think he’s a little confused about what age he turned, though.  This morning, he seems to have started his terrible two’s.  He woke up at 5:30 am (even though he was up late celebrating) and has been disagreeable and totally high-maintenance all day.  Someone needs to tell this child that he can’t start that for another year!!

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