Momma Monday...Travel Trays

With our family vacation to Newport Beach and Disneyland coming up this week I have been thinking about the dreaded seven hour car trip.  I actually have been stressing about it. No one wants to be in a car for that long, especially two boys whom have more energy than the energizer bunny times 100.  Of course we have dvd players, Nintendo DS, and other electronics but I don't want the boys locked into a dizzy spell of portable electronics for 7+ hours. The solution? Cookie Sheets!  Yep!  That's right a plain old cookie sheet. They are magnetic, have sides and are the perfect travel tray for little laps.  Cover the bottom of a cookie tray with magnetic chalkboard paint and little kids have a portable chalkboard they can play connect the dots, tic tac toe, and hangman with their siblings.  Use the tray to hold coloring books and crayons because of the sides, color utensils won't roll off!  For little itty bitty guys, magnetic letters are a fun way to pass the time of the tray.  You can also glue magnets to paper dolls, stickers, and many other items so kids can create scenes on their boards and use their imagination! Storage couldn't be easier as you can stack the trays on top of each other and slide them under the seat.  Voila!  Other tips for traveling with kids I have compiled over experience are as follows:

• Pack a separate "My Snacks" bag for each child so their is no fighting.  Include homemade treats, and healthy options as well. 
• Plan ahead.  Go to the library and stock up on dvd's, and books to keep kiddos occupied. They will have fun picking these items out for the trip
• Keep a baggie in the back of each seat for trash and also keep wipes in easy reach for clean up.
• Keep a pillow and blanket on hand also for an impromptu siesta for tired kiddos.

Go to HERE for free printable travel game boards such as tic tac toe, bingo, scavenger hunt, even battleship!
Hopefully these tips will help us all enjoy our summer vacations a little bit more!