After returning from our respective vacations, Jennifer from 3 Little Monkeys asked me how our boys did on the road trip.
I have to admit, I love our portable DVD player. We bought it for a trip to Winnipeg a couple of years ago and haven't looked back. Our vehicle doesn't have the built-in option, and I'm kind of glad. Our boys know that the DVD player only comes out for long hauls (minimum two hours).
They're pretty good about it too. They usually have no problem about us turning it off, or if it goes kind of wonky (it's kind of a cheapy one). There's never been any arguments about what to watch. Of course, when you're two, and can't speak the best, you kind of go along with what your older brother wants to do.
And I kind of enjoy listening to the movies too. We've gone from Baby Einstein to Backyardigans, to the Wiggles. As a person who loves to sing, I am kind of drawn to Bckyardigans and the Wiggles. Now our oldest is in full-on Disney/Dreamworks mode. I have to say Cars is my favourite. No Disney princesses for us.
So, that, along with lots of healthy snacks, lots of water, and some treats, gets us through the long trips. Edmonton and beyond, the Columbia Valley, and now Kelowna. In October it will be Canora, Saskatchewan. When the boys have exhausted their books, are through with the toys, the DVD player carries us through.
We're making a concious effort to get the boys used to road trips. Our two big goals are to drive down to San Diego, and to drive Route 66. I don't enjoy doing 10-hour hauls that often, like we did coming home from Kelowna and like we'll be doing to Canora. For the two long trips in the future, I'm envisioning us driving for the morning, check into a motel, hang out and explore for the rest of the day, and then continue on in the morning.
Making it about the journey, not the destination (how profound!)
6 comments:
We LOVE our portable DVD players. I was super against them at first but after our first long trip I gladly caved and haven't looked back since ;-)
We don't own one yet, but that day will come, I know it will. We leave in 4 days for a (short, by your standards!) trip to the beach and I am stocking up on cheap new toys to keep her occupied. Oh, and snacks. Many snacks!
That's wonderful that your boys are such good travelers. I get easily frustrated on even short car trips when my daughter is talking non-stop. Sometimes you just want to zone when you drive, you know? We haven't gone on any long trips so far, but if we do, we're definitely using a portable DVD player.
PS: I completely agree Re: journey v. destination.
Yup I agree, DVD players are a great traveling tool. Our oldest, 3 1/2, watches Curious George and Backyardigans. Our 2 year old isn't into many videos yet. He only likes Baby Einstein for about 20 minutes and then he's done. And of course our youngest, 1, doesn't watch yet.
I was pleasantly surprised, the boys hardly watched any videos on our trip. They prefered to look out the window and the mountains, rivers, and passing trucks!
We do have a built in one and I actually didn't want it but we got it "free" when we bought our van. We LOVE it. Our boys know we only use it for long hauls and because of it we can easily do a 6.5 hour long trip with only a short bathroom break. We have been training them their whole lives, hee hee!
Thank you for your sweet comment on my post today. I loved showing the farm to my boys and I know they will talk about it for years.
and yes, that barn is crazy big. The outside doesn't even do it's size justice. If I had a better flash I would have taken some shots of the inside. I am pretty sure my whole house would fit in the middle!
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