I love road trips! There is nothing more exciting than getting in the van and driving down the road, soaking in all the majestic scenery. My parents frequently took me and my four siblings on road trips when we were younger. At least two weekends each month Dad would either drive us to a lake or place to hike - anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour from our home. At least once a year we would have a long road trip to either the mountains or the beach. Every time we took a road trip, I had so much fun looking out the window and letting my mind wander for miles.
Not much has changed since my childhood-road trip-days for I still enjoy the time I get to let my mind wander as my husband whisks the family down the road to our destination. Just this past weekend my husband decided it was time for an impromptu road trip up north to see my family. Yay!!! It was a short visit - we left Friday morning and came home Sunday night - but the road trip was exciting and worth it - no matter how long it took us to drive up there!
Preparing a road trip for six small children is no pint-size task - especially when Daddy is teaching all day (morning, noon, and night) the day before we leave! The duty of getting everything packed and loaded into the van fell to me but I wasn't complaining. It's just that there are SIX children and I have to remember all the hats, gloves, winter coats, extra blankets, toys, books, etc which requires me to make one massive list! The kids do help by picking out the toys and books they want to bring, but I always downsize their items because if I didn't, there would be no room for us to sit!
So I spent the evening doing laundry, packing, re-packing, and finally loading everything into the van. I was pumped to see my family because for the first time in my life I am an auntie!!! The kids were equally excited to travel up north because they couldn't wait to see their aunties, uncles, grand-parents, second-cousins, and finally they would be introduced to their very own first-cousin! With all this excitement in the air, the kids had a bit of trouble falling to sleep that night but were ready to get on the road when the sun rose the next morning!
So, what is our vehicle of choice when hitting the road? A 12 passenger white Chevy van. It may not be a sports car or look super-chic for a family of eight, but to me, it is AWESOME! For one thing, the engine is amazing and actually climbs up mountain roads quite well as compared to our Ford conversion van. Another thing is that there is space for the kids to sit two per row which means some extra leg room so I don't hear as much whining - this fact alone makes my van super-chic in my eyes! And this van enables everyone to control how much air (heat or AC) is blowing on them so that is pretty cool too!
A road trip with our six kids does involve some whining here and there but overall the kids do a great job of entertaining themselves either by reading books, playing with their toys, or playing on their PSP or DS-Lite. This gives me a whole bunch of time to let my mind wander or to enjoy conversation with my husband. This is probably my favorite reason to take a road trip: spending time in the front seat with my husband talking about whatever comes to mind while the kids entertain themselves in the back of the van = pure bliss = priceless!
Our road trip was a success - everyone enjoyed visiting the family - and I can't wait to get back out on the road again!
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