a "been-there" mom of six offers encouragement
to wives, young mothers, and those not so young,
and simple common-sense approaches to
the "ings" of life:
child-rearing (hints and helps), homemaking (all areas),
cooking (simple, cheap, and do-it-yourself)
making (toys and gifts), preparing (for the unexpected),
maintaining (sanity and peace in this increasingly crazy world) and more---
all aspects of making the most of making do on little---
and having fun in the process.

Friday, August 16, 2013

More Simple Ways to Travel "Unplugged"

. . . when there are miles to go and places to hopefully SEE as you pass through them.


When in-car videos became the thing, I threatened to send
our grandkids videos of the areas they were going to be
traveling through/to so they could see what
they were missing outside the car while
their eyes were glued to the screen
inside the car.
Picking up where I last left off:
The  mileage game and more . . .



and



Page 23 covers one-fourth of a page, leaving a lot of white space, so I'll just add it here:

are called Pelicans so much the better. The pocket on these clothes protectors stay in an open position making a great sandwich and French fry holder, as well as catching the crumbs and drips.

To break the boredom of fast food, we have allocated each family member a certain amount of money and then stopped at a large grocery store where there is a giant selection of items including dairy, deli, and bakery. Each person gets to pick what they want to eat. This can really be fun occasionally, especially if you allow them to choose exactly what they want---regardless of it's practicality or nutritional value.

Lastly,




Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, try not to let your destination be your only focus. 

There is so much of interest and beauty to see when you take the time to enjoy the entire journey. Pointing out things of interest, beautiful examples of nature, and gorgeous sunsets will help your children appreciate their country and all of our Heavenly Father's creations. We never tire of such things. Hopefully we never will. 




One night when our children were young we were taking one of their friends home and I pointed out the gorgeous moon.  The little friend's comment, "I've seen it before."  How sad is that!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Simple Travel Games for Kids that aren't "Plugged In"

"Are we there yet?"

Four of the most dreaded words in family travel! 

At least that is the way it used to be.

If your family is consumed with all the electronic stuff available today, you may not hear that phrase as much, but if you are interested in traveling as an interacting family (in the car and with the passing landscape) the following ideas may give you an old-fashioned buzz.

Life was simpler back then ---- when being together meant exactly that.  Sadly today, it too often means separate individuals doing their own thing ---- even when sitting next to each other in a confined space.

In my last post I promised some simple travel ideas to help families (who habitually tune one another out) tune in to each other and the areas where they are traveling. A unique way of traveling that somehow got lost along the way.

Just as it is unnecessary to "reinvent the wheel", it seems equally unnecessary to re-do the pages I wrote in my 2000 booklet Simply Keepin' 'em Busy about simple things kids and families can do and share while riding on those wheels.


Regarding the last item on the above page---our kids are appalled at the memory of doing that---but they all survived. 

Next: Special activities and an auto survival kit for parents of the really young.


Stay tuned!  The mileage game will show up this coming Friday in my  next post . . . along with

  • Racing Alphabet
  • Letters Game
  • Name That Truck
Plus more sanity savers for breaking the monotony of eating and motel-ing on your way to "there."

Just in time for the last holiday of summer!  But not the last chance to try something new.