Day 74: how I wore her out

09/12/2010

Day 74: how I wore her out

Does anyone else feel like we are ALWAYS in the car going somewhere or coming home from somewhere?

I am exhausted and glad to be home but ready to hit the pillow so this will be short. We drove today back to Madison from my parent's house in St. Louis. A long drive and it is critical to use the few minutes that we are out of the car at gas stations and rest stops to get some energy out of Sam. If I can wear her out even a little bit on our stops she is much better about resting and being quiet in the car.

So today I focused on using rest stops as much as possible, instead of getting off the highway in towns and using gas stations or restaurants for potty stops. Rest stops always have at least a little bit of green space for running and playing.

At one rest stop tonight I had to feed Avery but at the same time wanted Sam to run around. I sat at a picnic table with Avery in a kind of wooded area and told Sam she should hunt for sticks and see how many she could gather. She ran around the picnic table picking up as many sticks as she could. She gathered quite a big pile. Then when she started to get bored with that I told her she should run like a dog, fly like a bird, or swim like a fish as she gathered her sticks. She loves imitating animals so this was a huge hit.

I successfully wore her out and she was ready to get back into the car when Avery was done with dinner.

How do you keep your kids happy in the car on trips?

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The Nitty Gritty!

Not sure if the highway department (is there such a thing) describes the rest stops anywhere online but some are much better than others. We have several along the path from Madison to St. Louis that actually have trails that can be hiked, playgrounds, prairie areas and big green spaces. These are my favorites and I try to plan our stops around these areas.

Outside time is crucial for us on long car rides.

Sep 12, 2010 8:42:00 PM | game, outdoor activities, travel

3 Comments

UM...YES! We have practically lived in our car this summer. We generally drive straight through on the way to my parents (because it is only 3.5 hours and there are no rest stops along the way), but on the way to my sister's in St. Louis we generally have to stop once or twice. We usually rush to get back in the car...but maybe next time we'll take a few minutes to let the kids run for a bit before we get back on the road. I'm just always afraid it will be harder to get them back in the car than it is to just keep them in the car. Glad you made your trip safe and sound! :)

Posted by: amber | 09/12/2010 at 08:47 PM