Stuck in the car for 6 hours with 2 kids? YES PLEASE.

Even a ten minute ride in the car can be horrendous with a child.  I think that the car companies hate parents so they line the back seats with low levels of caffeine and the longer their little hineys are in the seats the more crazy and annoying they become!  "Are we there yet" is not just a movie people, it's like nails on a chalkboard when you know you've got a half a days drive still in front of you.   As babies they start out great and then they reach exhaustion and nothing you do can make them happy - nothing, then hopefully they just fall asleep.  As small children they usually reach a breaking point about 2 hours in but they can rally and come back if you are prepared.  Here are a couple ideas to keep the crazies on their toes.

First of all - pack smart, try to find something that sits or stands between your children with all of their car activities in it, something that makes for easy storage and easy clean up.  I usually put two of everything in this tote - sharing is no bueno on a long car ride. 

   zip lock bags of markers/colored pencils (crayons melt)

   coloring books (the less words the better!)

   zip lock bags of small toys

   snacks with reusable cups that fit in the cup holders

   baby wipes - no matter what age they are!

   a reusable bottle for water (my kids have their own earth conscious ones and they love water)

   kids cds (if the other adult(s) don't mind)

   be careful with reading materials - sick is yucky on the road....I know this for a fact.

   an emergency puke bag - ours has a full change of clothes, paper towels, water, wipes, several plastic trash bags.....my son used to get sick every time until we discovered Sea Bands - they work!

  

For the more crafty kids/parents:

   colorful pipe cleaners - we made animals with them one trip, good for an hour

   a treasure hunt with a list of landmarks, types of cars, states of plates, billboards, etc

Games in the car are always fun for us (since me singing makes my husband want to push me out of the car!).  When I was a kid my mom played "going on a camping trip" where the first person would say, "I'm going on a camping trip and I'm going to take....apples."  Then the next person starts the same and says apples and whatever b word they can think to bring.  This game is fun but you run out of camping items after you've played 3 or 4 times!  So we do, "I'm going to the zoo and I'm going to see an....alligator"  or "I'm going to Disneyland and I'm going to see....Aurora."  You get the idea. 

I know what you're thinking - I only have a 3 year old that's too difficult!  Um, no.  We've been playing some version of this game since my son was born and he has played since he was about 2.  We made it easier for him and he only had to say his letter of the alphabet word and not everyone else's but when he was about 4 he started saying all the others on every turn like everyone else.  We always try to come up with the craziest animals or characters that we can think of too.  On a side note when my son did his pre-kinder tests, he had to name something that starts with each letter - he did all animals because he loves them but when he got to the x his teacher said, "there's no animals that start with x so you could say foX, couldn't you?"  to which my then 5 year old replied, "yes there are.  xenops or xenopus.  one's a bird and one's a frog.  there are more too."  It was an awesome parent moment.

We also play, "what animal am I?"  which is why my kids know so much about animals.  Someone thinks of an animal and then every one else asks yes or no questions, "does it live in the forest?  does it walk on four legs?  Is it a reptile?  Does it fly?"  When you first start playing your kids will come up with fish, raccoon, deer but pretty soon they'll come up with whale shark, sea urchin, naked mole rat, dung beetle, Tamarin....the list goes on.  You could do "what fruit or vegetable am I?"  or if your kids are older, "what country am I?"  The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.

Two things for sure though - Number one, plan ahead!  Know where you can stop for a leg stretch, on a super long ride think about rest stops and bring a soccer ball or a couple bottles of bubbles for a short stint of play time and some fresh air.  Number two, be flexible!  It's not going to go smoothly - ever.  Just when you think you've got a great rhythm going someone is going to throw a tantrum or get carsick or the car will blow a tire.......

Really the most important thing in the car that keeps everyone relatively happy and sane is you.  Find out what works and make sure you mix it up enough so no one gets bored.  It makes the rest of the trip worth it if you can start out on the right foot!