Over the Bridge and Through the Woods…

As I sit here, curled in a seat for many more hours, I am comforted by the chubby, small, hand tracing my fingers as the car’s rhythmic movement lulls sleepiness into her body.  She is engulfed by soft purple fleece jammies and grip-equipped feeties beckoning her to give-in to the rest so needed after a fun-filled weekend to Great-Grandma’s house.

Twenty hours in a car with two small children and an ever-rounding third-trimester belly in a 72-hour period has never been my idea of fun. But thankfully I have been trained in superior motherhood tricks and answered prayers of the art of distraction.

A good traveler is well equipped with many tools (snacks, various games, books, music, and naps to name a few) and for the kids involved the strategy is equaled.

A wedding in upstate New York and an overdo visit to Great-Grandma’s was the mission and it was achieved with flying colors. We hugged on cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

We dined with old fuzzy friends at our toes and prayed for Jesus loaves and fish action to happen at every meal as more family showed.

We celebrated a new marriage while Ryder and Rory gained new pals in family of family’s homes (Thank you heaps to Kelly and Emma! Your house was obviously way more fun than any wedding could ever have promised). New sleeping quarters and confined riding spaces did not deter us from enjoying the blessings of family.

We even adventured to visit a Great-Aunt as she recovered between hospital and home. I will never forget the importance my Nannie and mother taught me, that caring for our elders is of one of the highest priorities in life and it is absolutely essential to learn in order to form great character. My children, even at one and three, thankfully had the opportunity to be a part of such an adventure. Because visiting family isn’t just about showing off cute little red-heads and bubbly-blonde cuties, but its about saying, “Hi, we have time for you just because you are you. You are family. Thanks for letting us join you.”

Yes, these types of visits take strategy too. Did we ride the elevators while Grandma and Great-Grandma got a true visit in? Yes. But did I learn that some buildings have floors that are letters rather than numbers? You betcha. Or that my son can take some outstanding abstract photography?

Or that strangers, wheeling about the hallways, wishing for a spark to their day were granted that very thing as my daughter impaled herself on a table in the hallway… you betcha. Because no matter where we are, its all in the perspective. Using the God-given motherhood tools that make every moment (okay, nearly every) a learning experience. And visiting family is a great opportunity to do just that.

So as we have t-minus three hours until home, my sweet growing son has fallen asleep on a nerve in my back, my daughter is curled around a stuffed pig that needs a bath, and my eldest little man reminds me that if he can handle a bazillion hours in the car, then so can I. Family, much like fuzzy pajamas, are essential to life’s survival. They may make you itchy or hot at moments, but over all the comfort they bring cannot be replaced by anything else. And this is what makes the trip all worthwhile.

Traveling Tips:

• Timing is everything. Plan your longest drives during naps or bedtime.
• Snacks are essential. A variety. Half is for the entertainment of it. It’s a bonus if anything is actually consumed and not just wedged between seats.
• Audio or visual electronic entertainment is a real treat. iPad games/movies, Adventures in Odyssey audio stories, and fun music. But don’t think this has to be the entire trip!
• Allow for at least one-hour break for a meal. Rest stops with swings and a packed lunch or a restaurant with a play place. Less than an hour and you are setting yourself up for mommy-melt-down.

• Cookie sheets and magnet toys, magna-doodles with pens that are connected to the board!, stuffed-animals to keep them company, and even quiet time where no kid music is allowed. It’s a family trip for Heaven’s sakes, not a circus, and parents get a turn too! (Although four hours of ESPN podcasts nearly had me jumping out the window, but Daddy needs a turn too!)