Tips from a weekend road trip Up North with a one and three year old :

• Bring ear plugs in the car. Molly, seriously, why all the crying?
• Expect that a 5 hour road trip will take 7 hours with stops.
• Sing She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain. It can go a long way when people get bored.
• Do not put any sippy cups of milk in the van over night in the summer. Stinky! Opps. That’s my fault.
• Family trips are not vacations they are trips. Adjust attitude as such and voila! Mama’s happy.
• Over pack even when everybody else is rolling their eyes at the maxed out mini-van.
• Bring a portable DVD player even though your gut is saying but it’s time to unplug. Sick, I know.
• Let the kids stay up late for that extra S’more.
• Pay attention to the little things like the sounds of loons, smell of campfire smoke and the taste of fresh picked raspberries.
• Teach the kids to slow down and enjoy the moment. No more “What now?” Just be.