Dos and Don'ts of Traveling with Toddlers

This past weekend my sister and I, without full disclosure, made the decision to road trip back to Orleans with three toddlers.  We both agreed that, if the weather was going to be enjoyable, it would be fun to take the little ones to the Pork Days Parade.  The decision was also supported by the fact that Papa was picking corn and the kids would be able to go for a combine ride.  My brother-in-law was busy and could not join his family on the trip, so Kelly and I decided it would make the most sense to ride together in one car.  What WERE we thinking?

DO plan to feed the children before you leave at 6:00 pm.

DON'T lock your keys in your car and make your husband load up the kids during supper to bring you a spare set.

DO call your sister to tell her that you will pick her up around 6:30 instead of 6:00 like you originally planned.

DON'T place three car seats in reaching/pestering distance from one another.

DO attempt to take the interstate, which is the fasted route to your destination.

DON'T get detoured off of the interstate, due to an accident.

DO laugh out loud at the hilarious conversation between two three-year-olds.  Then laugh even more when they get upset and say, "It's not funny!"

DON'T take a secondary route that has one of two lanes closed for construction.

DON'T stop for gas when one of the three children has finally fallen asleep.  They WILL wake up no matter how quietly you attempt to take off your seat belt or shut your door.

DON'T pack anything a child may want in the back of the car where you are unable to reach it during travel. (I.e. favorite blankie for sleeping)

DON'T get detoured off of the secondary route onto a gravel road behind a semi-truck, due to construction.

DO praise the Lord that all three, sleeping children were moved from the car to their respective beds at grandma's without waking.

DO soak up the adorable moments when the children are actually lovin' on each other.

DO let the kiddos have as much popcorn as they want while waiting for the parade to begin.

DO bring sacks for the candy they will collect.

DON'T let Papa teach them to be aggressive and knock down other children in order to get the candy first.

DO enjoy a beautiful afternoon in Grandma's yard.

See the butterfly?

DO take an adorable Nebraska picture while waiting for Papa to get back to the end of the field.

Money, money, money!

DON'T let Papa drop the kids from the top of the combine ladder.

DO be amazed by cousin Conner's HUGE pumpkins...

...specifically the one that is growing 20 feet up in the evergreen tree!

DO take blackmail photos of the girls being silly together in Grandma's infamous, BLUE bathtub.

DO make a complete mess of Grandma and Papa's house and look so incredibly adorable they could never reprimand you.

DO offer to be the the driver, on the way home, so that you do not have to unbuckle your seat every 15 minutes to pick up a toy/blankie/cup/snack/binky/etc.

DO be thankful you all made it back home safely and are finally able to get out of the noisy, tight quarters of the jail cell... I mean car.

DO invest in a DVD player for the next road trip that will most likely be a very long time from now.