I have been wanting to post some tips from our very successful 919 mile trip from St. Louis to Philadelphia. Bella was amazing. We are so thankful that there was not one problem. Here are a few things that made our trip run smoothly and also fun (with no DVD player!).
We were on the road before 6am, so I packed a smoothie for breakfast. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe a while ago, and I have found it a healthy and helpful on-the-go snack.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup orange juice
I also add yogurt and when Mike is not looking, some ground flax seed.
Mix in blender.
(The serving size is just a little more than what will fit in one of Bella's big cups with a straw.)
Pipe Cleaners
A friend gave me the idea to string cheerios on pipe cleaners to make necklaces, bracelets etc. Bella played with this for hours, eating a few in between. My mom gave her Fruit Loops for the way home which were a big hit.
I thought I was so clever because I was making little shapes and animals for her to play with out of the pipe cleaners. But when Mike was playing with her he created this whole little fort, which she loved.
Magnets
I found some cute magnets in the $ section at Target. I was looking for a cookie sheet for Bella to be able to use in the car, but they were kind of expensive for a car toy. My sister found a cake tin, which was only $5 and ended up being just the right size for Bella's lap. It also really worked out to have the sides of the tin to put magnets on.
Finger Puppets
We got these at Ikea for the ride home. I actually have just kept them in her car seat pocket to play with all the time in the car.
Just for fun I also got one of those coloring pads where the markers will only show up on the pad. And also a Charlie and Lola sticker activity book. I put aside some books earlier so that she wouldn't have looked at them in a while... which along with some snacks filled Bella's car time!
Happy Travels!
4 comments:
Wow, I'm impressed, Shayna! Sounds like some fun activities. If Bella liked the magnets, she might like "Create a Scene" magnet folders. We got Matthew one at a toy store for our trip this summer. It's a city scene with fire fighters and equipment you can place all over the board. They have lots of different choices and lots for girls. He wasn't too into it on our trip, but he is currently really into it. By the way, Matty and I still love Charlie and Lola. =)
Thanks for ther tip Amy. I am definitely going to be on the look out for those.
If you google it, it looks like they have a website, too.
As she gets older: those red twisted licorice whips whose name escapes me for the moment - in a 1lb bag and Adventures in Odyssey cd's are hours of listening fun for everyone!
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