Pre-Disney

Can I just tell you how exhausting it is to get ready for a trip? There is so much to do and plan and even with all of my planning ahead I still feel like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the few days before hand, but it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

The kids knew we were going because the trip was part of their Christmas, but we just kept telling them we were going "in the spring" and didn't give them an exact day. That way we could get ready and set stuff out and they wouldn't really think too much about it. The night before I put their travel bags in their car seats as part of the surprise.  They had coloring books, crayons, magnadoodles, activity books, and other things to keep them busy as well as sunglasses and Mickey/Minnie Mouse ears.

Chloe

Mason

Gavin

Grandma Blakely gave them money to spend on whatever they wanted!

I also made a map on the ceiling of the van so when they asked "Are we there yet? Where are we?" etc. I could tell them where we were. I had landmarks and towns marked along the way. Each inch of tape was exactly 12.5 miles so it was pretty exact. My husband later mocked me for being "Type A"

 
 If we/when we go on another road trip I'm doing this again. The kids loved it because they could track our progress and we loved it because they weren't driving us as crazy! ; )

 This was also a lifesaver! I packed plenty of snacks and drinks that the kids would get at every pit stop to recharge them and us. The kids had their own water bottles and we had a cooler with bottled waters, cheese sticks, fruit, etc.

We also had to put brakes on the van  at the last minute, blah!!