Car Trip Tips for Toddlers

When Larry said he wanted to accompany me to my cousin's out of state wedding, I was panic-stricken. Gone were the dreams of a short, relaxing plane ride (not to mention a night or two of kid-free fun), instead replaced by visions of two toddlers screaming for 10 straight hours in a car. My own personal idea of hell.

So like I do when faced with any problem, I went to the internet. I searched "Toddler Busy Bags," and "Toddler Car Trips" and "Toddler Games for Road Trips." I found a lot of ideas and thought I'd consolidate them here.

Cookie Sheet and Magnetic Cups

The best tip I found was to buy a cookie sheet at the Dollar Store to use as a tray and desk while on the trip. These small trays are the perfect size for car seat. I also bought some tupperware cups at the Dollar Store and put a magnet on the bottom so the boys could have a place to store the parts of their game or activity. The cookie sheets also made great lunch trays!

Alphabet Magnets

While I thought these were magnetized, they ended up not being so. But I found them in magnet form for $2 at Meijer--while on our trip. I miss Meijer....

Shape Magnets

These shapes from Target were okay (hard for a toddler to pick up), but I ended up finding even better wooden ones at the Dollar Store.

Discovery Bottle

I filled a clear plastic bottle with rice and small objects (many of which I got on the Michael's clearance rack) and used hot glue to secure the cap. I took a picture of the items before placing them in the bottle and printed a picture of them so the boys knew what they were looking for. 

Busy Boppy

I'd been struggling with what to do with our two Boppy pillows. This idea came to me when I saw "Dress Me" boards and pillows. I went to the local thrift store and bought a belt, a small child's fleece (zipper), and a pair of paints (black buttons). Then I found at home an old bib (velcro) and a pair of shorts (snaps). Finally, I ordered two types of buckles on Amazon, which I sewed onto ribbon. All of this I sewed onto old Boppy covers. I ended up leaving these at home because they didn't fit in the car, but they are a good idea for shorter trips. 

Stickers and Notebooks

You should only consider the stickers if your toddler has mastered the art of peeling them off the paper! Otherwise, it can be a lengthy endeavor.

 Lace Ups

I purchased all the materials at Michael's to make Lace Ups on my own, when I found these for $5.99 at Ross next store. I returned all the materials to Michael's!

Bead Lacing

The boys enjoyed this one. The vacuum cleaner at the Car Wash did not.

Felt Fishing

I found felt animal shapes online and then made my own versions using a bag of scrap felt I had. I cut out both a front and a back, gluing a magnet between the two pieces of felt. My dad cut a wooden dowel and drilled a hole in the end, which I threaded with twine tied to a more powerful magnet ring, which I found on Amazon or Ebay.  

Measuring Cups

My twins love measuring cups. I got these at the Dollar Store and then gave them a bag of pom poms.

Duplo Towers

Sasha Claus, the very best donor of toys, books, and clothes, gave me a box of Duplos just before the trip, so this activity was perfect. I printed the cards of the internet and then made sure I had enough of each color block to make each pattern.

 Popsicle Color Matching

I cut two Popsicle shapes per color from felt, gluing just the outer edges of the arc together (leaving the bottom of the shape unglued). Then I colored Popsicle sticks with matching colors. The boys complete the Popsicle by matching the correct color stick with the same color felt.

Finger Puppets

 

Again, two pieces of felt glued just along the outsides, and open at the bottom. I found the animal puppets online, making my own versions. The eyes are done with a fine point Sharpie. If you are intimidated by the animals, you cannot mess up monster puppets! I used googly eyes on those.

Dry Erase Boards and Crayons

I didn't even know they made dry erase crayons! The twins loved these. The boards came from the Dollar Store. For an eraser, I dried out a couple wet wipes.

Road Map

 

I looked everywhere for a place mat with a road system on it. When I couldn't find it, I decided to make my own, and give the boys a new Matchbox car with it. A place mat would have been much better.

 Felt Scenes

I really wanted to make a quiet book with felt scenes, but I ran out of time. Found these at Michael's on clearance. Might be good for older kids, but for my boys, the felt just didn't stick enough. We hadpieces all over the car.

Puzzles

As long as you have a cookie sheet, small puzzles are do-able in the car.

Coloring Books

 The cookie sheets made great desks. It was harder to manage the crayons.

Dress Up Dolls

 I got the Melissa and Doug Joey figure after reading great reviews on Amazon. 

Wooly Willy

I would have been lost without the Dollar Store.

Magna Doodle Boards

I found these in the Target Bargain Bins ($3). One was completely missing the magnet in the wand, so Wooly Willy stepped up to help.  

Egg Carton Count

This one came to me a couple of days before the trip. Fill an egg carton with buttons and have the boys count the number of buttons in each cup.

Color Match Wheel

 

 

Colored a paper plate on the edges and then colored clothespins to match. Grayden loved this one. I gave them this project and the egg carton project early in the trip, because I was quite confident the Styrofoam would not make it there and back. I was right.

Presents

I also bought items at the Dollar Store to give as gifts throughout the trip. Calculators, harmonicas, doctor kits, stuffed animals, and more. I wrapped most of them, to add to the surprise and to add to the amount of time it would entertain them. I saved half of the games and activities for the trip home, but stored everything we were using one-way in a basket in the backseat.

How did they work? I really have no idea. I drove 16 hours of the 20 hour round trip, and times I wasn't driving I was soothing our overly tired boys on the way home. The games seemed to entertain Grayden quite a bit on the trip north, and he constantly asked for them during the vacation. I think the activities would have been even more helpful if I had been able to ride in the backseat with them and guide them through the instructions. If only I could do it all.

I must say the MVP of the trip was the DVD player that my brother-in-law, Bryan, gave me two Christmases ago. It has a screen for each seat, and played non-stop on our journey. I found some $5 videos of Dora, Backyardagins, Blues Clues, and more, and the DVDs were enjoyed far more than all the crafts combined. I have no problem with a little TV on a long road trip!

The Appeal of Neverland

I don’t know where my babies have gone.

They can count to 15, say their ABC’s, hit a baseball, and catch a fish. They know their colors, digits, shapes, some letters, and the difference between a cobia and a grouper. I’ll hear them singing songs and they know all the words. They fake phone calls to their grandparents (“Hello, Grandpa, Nice to meet ya!”) and pretend play “Boathouse” with their forklifts and boats (oh, Wiggins Lift Company, can’t you please make a marina play set???). 

They say the funniest things. “Are you kidding me?” Gray asks when I tell him he can’t have a cookie. Ren answers “No worries,” when I thank him for closing the door. Last month he brought me a toy and said it needed batteries. “What kind of batteries does it need?” I asked. He looked at me like I was stupid, threw his hands in the air, and said, “NEW batteries.”

This is a bittersweet time. Life is getting easier: we can stay out past 7:30, be late for a nap, find time for ourselves, stop hovering, and no longer worry that every place we go be baby-proofed. And the rewards are endless. At least once a day, my boys ask for a hug and tell me they love me. But at the same time, I long for their babyhood to come back, just for a second, a minute, a day. Their chubby cheeks, the smell of their wispy baby hair, the smacks of their fat hands as they crawl across the floor, the coos and giggles of their incoherent chatter. This is when younger, fertile women start to think about another baby, and I mourn my inability to join them.

Potty training is our newest adventure, although I’m in no hurry. As excited as I am to stop buying diapers, it seems like their padded bums are the last bit left of their infancy. I’ll be sad when diaper butt is done. 

Bad, Bad, Blogger

I am a bad, bad blogger. I cannot believe it's been 9 months since I have updated. Maybe this 9-month summary will show you why I'm so behind:

Our summer was busy!
 

The future Captains Watts.

 The boys welcomed a new cousin:

Willa Spencer Rawl

We exercised A LOT:

Brotherly love

The twins turned TWO!

Birthday cake went over much better this year.

 We lost someone very special to us: 

Captain Bill

 Batman and Robin stole Wonder Woman's not-so-invisible jet:

Halloween 2012

Jud got sick:

Add caption

 

I got married!

November 10, 2012

I went on my first vacation in 6 years!

Honeymoon!

Thanksgiving rolled around:

Thank you, Rae!

 
 
I lost my best friend many years too early:

Wood's Jud Wiser -- April 10, 2004 - December 12, 2012

Santa Claus came to town:

They didn't cry!

We welcomed a new family member in January:
 
 

Watts' Happening, Fletcher?

We spent the entire month of February in quarantine:

 

Sick Grayden

We got a new neighbor:

Hank the Hawk

We welcomed another new cousin:

Riley Drennan Watts

And we celebrated some birthdays:

Happy 40th, Douglas Joe!

I hope that catches everyone up to speed. I'll be back soon.

In Memoriam

We lost Remy much more quickly than we had expected. She survived her surgery, but the tumors had spread extensively. Within two weeks, they caught up with her again, and we had to make the ultimate sacrifice. 

That day we planted a tree for Remy in the front yard. It's a purple crepe myrtle, sure to do well in our Southern heat and pretty enough to help us remember our pretty girl. I put it on the corner of our lot, so that Larry can see it and imagine her resounding "Daddy Bark" every time he comes home. 

 

Ren watering Remy's tree.

I also ordered an engraved brick to mark the tree. We are getting her ashes back later today, and we'll place some of them under the brick so that she is always guarding her pack. 

SOUTH CAROLINA—Remy, formerly of James Island, passed away at Animal Care Clinic on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. She was 12.

Born on March 12, 2000, Remy worked for six years as an expert duck hunter and retriever before retiring to our island. In her retirement, she enjoyed swimming in the creeks, gigging for flounder, and playing ball in the front yard. In 2011 she began a new career as a vacuum cleaner, monitoring the carpet around the highchairs for spills, tipped plates, and free handouts. She had more puppy in her at twelve than most dogs do at six months.

She is survived by her father, Larry, whom she served as a loyal companion and friend her entire life. He witnessed her first breath and her last, welcoming her to this world and guiding her out of it. Remy is also survived by her adopted mother, Vicki, brothers Ren and Gray, and animal siblings Jud, Izzy, and Bootsie. She will be forever missed.

Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, please throw a tennis ball to your pup today.

We love you, Remy.

Remy swimming in the creek, 2010. Happiness is a dog and a boat.

Dog Tired

My step-daughter is a 12 year old Labrador retriever named Remy. She came with Larry, just as I came with Jud. It's a common occurrence in these after-30 relationships; when we don't find our spouses in our 20s, we get a dog to keep us company on lonely nights. When we do finally meet the one, we end up in a house full of dogs, which is okay when it's just "us." But once we add a baby (or two) to the mix, the dogs can become unwelcome burdens rather than cherished step-children. And I must admit, there have been days I've dreamt of a Remy-less (and Jud-less, Izzy-less, and Bootsie-less) home.

Remy protecting a 2-month old Gray.

When the boys were newborns, we'd lay them on the floor. Remy would see a passing neighbor or the UPS man and carelessly bound to the window to to attack, never stopping to think about the infants in her path. The panic I felt as I saw a 70 pound beast bounding toward my 5 pound baby was indescribable, and surprisingly (and infuriatingly) not shared by Larry. He trusted her. I did not. But after one near miss, I started locking Remy up during their floor playtime.

Then there was the hair. Virginia describes the endless supply of lab hair as "little pieces of love"; I'd call it as "little pieces of filth." It's on their clothes, their sippy cups, their dinner plates, everywhere. I could probably crochet a sweater for both boys with all the dog hair they have swallowed. So gross.

But not as gross as this last story, one that I have a hard time admitting, but one I must put on paper (or in this case computer screen) in order to finally deal with it. Two weeks ago, Remy was in the playroom with the boys while I cleaned up their dinner mess. When I turned around, Ren threw a brown ball at me. "What toy is that?" I wondered. "We don't have a brown ball." Then I looked more closely. Oh yes. Yes, it was. My son was throwing a Remy turd. And there was more on the floor that Gray was running for. I choked down my own dinner that threatened to come back up, grabbed both boys, and ran outside. I scrubbed them for five minutes, trying to erase the image from my mind in the process. I wanted to kill Remy. I probably would have if I had gotten my hands on her. But it turns out, cancer was already in the process of taking care of that for me.

A tumor had been growing in her belly for the last month, causing bad breath and loss of bowel control. It wasn't her fault. When we finally got around to getting her into the vet, it was almost too late to do anything. But two days and $3000 later, the tumor was removed. The diagnosis, however, is grim. It has metastasized to the liver, indicating that it is cancerous, and that we are on borrowed time with our girl Remy.

Suddenly the thought of my boys growing up without Remy saddens me. They won't know that they fed her from their high chairs. They won't remember her exuberance or her little pieces of love or the way that she laid next to my bed every night when I was pregnant. They won't know that Remy immediately accepted them into her pack and protected them from guests, neighbors, and even the menacing mailman. They will never see their daddy at his tenderest, when he sits with his dog and loves his little "piglet." Suddenly I know how much this family is going to miss its girl.

Our first kids.

Two is for Twins

The teacher that I am, I've made little "bulletin boards" in the boys playroom. We have shapes, colors, and numbers on the walls, and both boys love to spend time pointing at each item and saying its name. For some reason, they are fascinated by numbers, especially the number 5. When we walk through the neighborhood, they actively search out mailboxes with the number 5 and often insist that other numbers are actually the number 5.

"Fie!" Ren will yell, pointing at a 9.

"No, baby, that's a nine."

"No, no, no nine. Fie!" Grayden will agree.

They know other numbers and can identify them when asked, but they just really like the number 5. Ren is so obsessed that he studies my Michigan State t-shirts, insisting that the "S" is a 5. The varsity font looks a little like a 5 so I just agree and say, "Yes, son, it is a 5!" Larry and I have started to wonder if he's figured out that he is Lawrence V. 

Anyway, I have counted to three every time I turn on their nursery light since they were born. It gives them a sort of warning to close their eyes in order to adjust to the light from a dark to bright room.So I was excited yesterday on our bike ride when I heard Ren start counting behind me in the bike trailer. "One, two, three!" he said triumphantly.

Then it was followed repeatedly  by "One, two, three, five!"

Three beach babes.

Calling All Inventors

For the last 19 months, I've been pestering my father to invent a device to make grocery shopping easier for twin moms and Irish twin moms. Whether it was a fold-up cart or universal basket system that attached to strollers, there had to be a better way than pushing a stroller and pulling a cart.

Thankfully, the Christners were listening. Parents of twins themselves, they faced the same dilemma, but rather than waiting for someone else to invent a product, they actually did it. The Buggy Bench is an attachable seat that sits right in the holding area of the cart. Check out my boys on their first Buggy Bench ride:

It's not perfect; Ren found that he could stand up, and he often did, but he was strapped into the seat so that kept him from moving around while he stood. And there is still limited storage space under Ren, but it's more than I had with a stroller alone and more convenient than creating the stroller-cart train. Overall, I am very satisfied with my Buggy Bench and would highly recommend it to moms with younger twins.