This may be forever be remembered as our road trip summer! We’ve been doing lots of planned and unplanned travel. My sister Sara who went through appendix cancer surgery, had her first check-up to see if there was any new cancer recently and on a whim my sister Miriam and I met her in Houston. I’m so happy to say that there is no new cancer, yea!!! These tips, however, are based on my recent travels.
1. Have your car serviced prior to your trip. Yes, well Jason usually takes care of this, but like I said it was a spur of the moment road trip. About an hour and a half from home the van overheated. From all my missionary kid road trip experience I knew to pull over right away and turn the car off. What I thought was a gas station proved to be a liquor store instead. I’m talented like that. Ha ha. My sister Miriam was road tripping with us in her own car. I was so glad I wasn’t alone. I called around (so thankful for cell phones) and found a guy that would come out and look at my van. He didn’t find any leaks and said he couldn’t help me. My sweet husband drove all the way out to me, switched cars with me and drove the van home. It was out of coolant. That’s it. It drove fine. Go figure!
2. Keep a map or road atlas in the car. That way you know where you’re going when say…the GPS stops working or sends you on a wild goose chase. Ahem. I have so many failed GPS stories, but really I’m so thankful for the convenience of them, but if you have a map, you won’t need to stress when it fails, just do it the old fashioned way.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff. This I have been working on, though I don’t claim to have the most success. Still when I have the right attitude everything sure does go much more smoothly. My sister Sara who is battling cancer told me, “Stress is a choice!” I’ve been pondering that a lot! When you get stuck in traffic for two unexpected hours, the kids are all going crazy, and you’re gas tank is on empty…pray and don’t scream! Ha ha!
4. Bring boredom busters for the kids. New games, books, movies, music that will keep the kids’ interest when you hit stressful times is a great thing to plan. I don’t like my kids to be buried in technology for the entire trip, but when times get stressful, it can sure spare your nerves and provide a fun distraction. When we were stranded at the…uh…liquor store I was so glad I had a new movie downloaded for the kids to watch while we waited.
5. Bring lots of yummy snacks! This is the one way I WAS prepared. I filled my van with lots of yummy snacks and the family is still talking about how much fun it was to have those treats to look forward to.
This May OREO launched a NEW 2-pack, grab-and-go snack designed for packed schedules. Whether it’s slipped into your purse or tucked away in the glove compartment, the OREO 2-pack is perfect for a quick treat on-the-go! With just two cookies per pack, this OREO 2-pack is the perfect serving size to satisfy your sweet tooth. OREO 2-pack multipacks are sold in packages of 18 and can be found at local grocery stores. 2-pack multipacks are also available in Nutter Butter. These are the perfect size for me. My family loves them!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
What wonderful news about your sister, Sara!
Y’all must be sooo relived that there was no new cancer found.
So glad that you were able to meet her and have some “sister” time = )
My heart rejoices with yours!!