We’re back from our whirlwind of a trip to NJ. We took two days to drive to and from and had 3 full days there. The first day, we drove 8 hours and then stayed at a hotel just below DC. We actually did pretty well! We wanted to get a majority of the driving over with on day one. The kids were really good! In the beginning of the trip we gave them a bunch of books to read.
We had tons of snacks being passed around the car, which helped distract when they started getting antsy! And then, of course they would nod off at one point or another.
We saved our secret weapon for last….the Portable DVD Player ! My girlfriend let us borrow hers, and it was a lifesaver! About 6 hours in, they were so ready to be done. But just about that time, we popped in Beauty and the Beast and they totally forgot that they wanted to get out of the car! I don’t know how our parents did this when we were kids!
After a long day of driving, we got a nice big supper somewhere close to our hotel. This time it was Cracker Barrel. And of course, the kids loved this! Pancakes for supper!! CHEEEEESE!
On day two of driving, we got up at 5am and left the hotel by 5:30 so we could beat DC traffic. We zipped to NJ in under 4 hours. It was great! The return trip was similar. Except 8 hours landed us in NC instead of DC. We love getting the hard leg of the trip over with on day one!
Our time there was wonderful and, as always, too short. Being with our family makes us realize how much we miss them! We got to do all of our favorite things in that short amount of time.
A pool day and BBQ with my Big Italian Family where everyone laughs constantly, talks loudly, and there are at least 4 conversations happening at once. The night always ends by singing hymns with about 50 different harmonies going on. Did I mention everyone is a musician at this table? There’s nothing better!
It’s always hard to leave. We love our routine at home, but we can’t get enough of our family! The trip really isn’t bad, so we will just have to find little windows throughout the year to make the trip! But, for now, we’re home and settled and ready to get back into our school year routine!