Special Exposure Wednesday!

Caroline has the most beautiful, long fingers. But, do you notice how her pinky curves over her other finger? That is a sign of a child with a chromosome disorder.

To this day, I remember sitting in the hospital room, talking to the genetic counselor as she told us about how these little things confirm what we already knew. Our little girl would never be "normal".

It was the toughest year of my life. But some of the toughest things in life bring the most blessings. And our sweet Caroline is definitely nothing less than a blessing.

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My weekend in snapshots - and a sweet story..

It was a beautiful weekend! My black-eyed susans are blooming and they make for a nice photo subject. I love how the shallow depth of field on my new lens makes this photo almost look like a watercolor!

On Saturday, my hubby was out and about for most of the day so I spent the day just hanging out with my girls. Doing some swimming, taking some pictures, just trying to have a relaxing summer day (amidst just a few sisterly fights, tears and other frustrating and typical what-not).

As Kallie relaxed after her swim I took some cute pictures of her feet. Why is it, that those bodily parts we find so incredibly cute on children and babies - toes, backside - often become the most unattractive parts in our senior years? I mean, who takes pictures of just their grandmother's feet?

On Sunday we again made it to our local bike trail for some biking, walking and a little lunch. I just love this little park. It is so beautiful and quiet. We stopped for lunch at our favorite spot - the table by the big bridge over the creek and alongside the railroad tracks.

The girls got to wade in the creek and Christina spent some time throwing rocks. It was a perfect afternoon.

On the way out of the park, the train came through and Christina and Kallie were so excited to see it! They refused to wave to the people on the train, and they didn't like how loud the whistle was, but they were still thrilled to catch a glimpse. Unfortunately, I was further down the path walking with Caroline so I couldn't get any pictures.

The train did make a huge impression on Kallie though. Since we got home, she literally has asked me 10, 345 times if I saw the train and heard the whistle. Over. and over. and over. I put her to bed last night and said good night and she said "Mom, did you see the train? Did you hear the whistle?" And I am guessing that will be her first words when I get her out of bed this morning.

I saw some pretty flowers during our walk, snapped some pics, and then we made our way back home.

So now for the sweet story....

On Friday, while we were at our local festival, we stopped in a local second hand store. We picked up some chairs for our new pool deck, my husband got some nail gun thing, and the owners tried to give us a piano.

We have been interested in getting a piano. I used to play as a child, and I think it would be great for my kids to learn as well. However, the issue with the piano isn't the price (almost free). The issue is moving it.

I never realized how much of a PITA moving a piano is. I called a piano mover. His cost? $250! YIKES.

So my husband and I were talking about whether we should look into moving it ourselves (with the help of many MANY strong young men), or whether we should just forget it.

Christina had been listening to this story, and she REALLY wants a piano. And, the sweet, incredibly generous little girl she is, said:

"Mom, you can have my five dollars for the piano!"

"Oh sweetie, no you can keep that money for yourself."

"Dad, you can have my five dollars!"

"No, that is your money, we really don't need it."

"But I really want a piano, and I have FIVE dollars!"

Her offer literally brought tears to my eyes. She still doesn't really understand the concept of money. She can count it, she does know that a hundred dollars is a LOT. But she really thinks we need her five dollars in order to be able to afford this piano.

Now tell me, how can we possibly say "No" now?

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Photostory Friday!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

It is late...but I wanted to share my Photostory Friday photo.

This week was our little town's annual festival. It is a fairly low budget event, but it is nice to get down there and walk around and see all your neighbors. Face it, living in a small town, EVERYONE is pretty much your neighbor. You know almost everyone there. And it takes about a hour to walk a city block just due to the number of times you need to stop and chat. But hey, that is part of the reason I like it so much in my little world!

Well, we went down, talked, ate, got a great deal on some new chairs for our pool deck and then headed home for some time in our pool.

Kallie enjoyed some fries made courtesy of one of the local vendors. Again, small town, this guy has known my father in law forever. He makes the best greasy burgers and fries in town. Of course, I brought my camera with my new lens and Kallie was happy to pose and show me how much she enjoyed those fries!

One event at the festival was an art show. I almost entered one of my photos in the photography segment, but due to time constraints and a few glitches, I decided to wait til next year.

I did check out all the entries. There were 3 levels - professional, intermediate and amateur. I was a little surprised at the winning photo in the professional division. It didn't even seem close to being a winning photo in my book, but I guess I am still very much an amateur so maybe there was more to it than I realized. I definitely hope to enter next year!!

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My new baby!

I just got my new, most coveted, lens late yesterday - the nifty fifty! Otherwise known as the 50mm f/1.8.

I have been wanting this lens since I got my D40. It is a great lens for low light photos with no flash since it has such a huge aperture. It can also take some amazingly narrow depth of field shots. The only thing about this lens is that it does not autofocus on my camera so need to master the art of manual focusing. But that is OK.

I got the lens during dinner last night. I shot a photo of Kallie which turned out pretty good:

I know - more photos of just her eyes - but I was actually just playing around with the focusing and seeing how well I could focus on her eyes. Not bad. Although I had the aperture set at 1.8 which results in an incredibly narrow depth of field. You can see that her left eye is sharply in focus, but her right is slightly out of focus. That is due to her head being tilted slightly.

I also snapped some pictures of my mermaid - Christina - during her after dinner swim:

And this is a picture I snapped as my kids ate their snack after their bath. Kallie is mesmerized with Scooby Doo. The photo is OK, but not bad for an indoor picture with no flash!


I have seen some amazing photos others have been able to get with this lens. I am so excited to get started!

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Special Exposure Wednesday!

I already wrote a post today, but when I found out about Special Exposure Wednesday, I just had to jump right in!!

This photo collection of Caroline is from yesterday. She received a swimming pool from Make A Wish this year and it has absolutely been the best gift possible. She spent an hour or so just floating around yesterday. She kicked, she smiled, she splashed, and she had a wonderful afternoon. It is truly a sight to see!

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Project 365

I mentioned about a month ago that I started Project 365. This is the project where you take one photo every single day for one year.

I am still faithfully working on this project and today is day 40. This has been an interesting project so far. And a tough one.

I decided not to post every photo on my blog. Some days it is hard enough getting my photos taken. And I am not sure everyone would want to see every single photo every single day. If anyone would like to see my 365 photos, I have them in a set in my Flickr account. Feel free to stop by there!

Project 365 is a incredible way to document your year. It is also is an incredible opportunity to learn to be a better photographer. It also can be quite hard...and I am just getting started!

Some days I am so busy that the last thing I think about is taking a good photo. So it is 10 p.m. at night, I am completely exhausted and on my way up to bed, when I remember I forgot to take my daily photo. So what do I do? I grab my camera and take a pretty crappy picture.

Yup, the streetlight outside my home. Boring. But it became day #19.

And then there is the day that we were up at 5, driving 14 hours to Hilton Head in, mostly, a ton a rain. I was tired, there was nothing interesting out my window, so I set my camera to a slow shutter speed, set my camera on the dashboard, and took a picture while we were in the tunnel.

Not very good by any stretch of the imagination. But it became day #22.

But then there are days, when it is rainy, and cold and I force myself to try to get my daily picture taken. And I go on front porch and get a shot like this:

Which ends up being one of my favorites so far. And day # 17.

Project 365 is tough in many ways. Uploading a photo that I don't even care for is tough and makes me want to fill the description with disclaimers shouting "I know this is bad!".

And one of the toughest parts so far has been putting myself "out there". As I get further into the project, I am forced to try to be more creative to avoid taking the same exact photo 365 times. But being creative means you are subject to much more criticism. And criticism can be tough for people with very thin skin..like me. I have come up with photos that I thought were pretty nice, only to get very negative opinions from people close to me.

But I guess that is what this project is all about. Learning how to be a better photographer. Learning how to be more creative. Learning how not to let all the negatives get you down. Learning to be a little humble and post that crappy photo when that is all you can give that day.

But, when you force yourself out of your comfort zone, you never know what you may be able to uncover and accomplish!

Day #33 (you can see my reflection in Kallie's eyes)

I guess Project 365 can serve as a little life lesson as well!

Have a good one!

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Where were you in 1983?

Don't tell me not alive. Don't. Just. walk. away. I do not want to hear it. Yes, I am old, end of story.

OK. Anyway.. my husband and I were doing some work on our deck today while listening to some old 1980's rock and roll on the radio. Loverboy's hit "Working for the Weekend" came on. Remember that song? "Everybody's working for the weekend..." (I'm singing to you.)

As we were working, my husband mentioned that the song reminded him of 9th grade - 1983. He was visiting a friend. They were walking around town looking for other friends. They were going door to door, just being punks, trying to find other punks. Now you need this visual - in 9th grade, my husband was barely 5 feet tall and wasn't even close to topping the 100 pound mark. He was a pip squeak.

And then he said something that literally made me fall to the floor in hysterics.

"We were listening to this song on our boom box."

And he said this statement very matter of factly. With a look of "Why is that so funny?" on his face.

And that was when I started to roar!

'You carried a boom box? On your shoulders? As you walked around town looking for your friends?"

"NO!" He responded incredulously.

"We had a strap!"

At which point, I fell to floor as I continued to roar with laughter.

I don't know if you find this as funny as I do, but if you grew up in the early 80's and actually remember the days of boom boxes, you should find it quite hilarious. Especially when you remember that this boom box toting punk was all of 90 pounds at the time. The box was probably almost as big as he.

For those of you youngsters...all the 'burnouts" of the 80's used to walk around with these HUGE radio/tape players blasting Poison and Quiet Riot and other hair bands for all to enjoy. I think the other term for these monstrosities was "Ghetto Blaster". Just the thought of that time is hilarious to me. Especially when you compare it to today's days of Ipods, cell phones and other tiny high-tech devices. Of course, in 1983, a boom box WAS high tech! And they always had these things up on their shoulder right next to their ears.

Except my hubby. He was cool. He had a strap.

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Just a few weekend snapshots!

It was a good weekend. We started off Friday night with a pool party!

Eric literally finished putting the boards down on the deck only an hour or so before people started arriving.

The temp outside was in the upper 80's with lots of humidity and the pool temp was 88! It was perfect!

I whipped up some incredible frozen drinks which the adults absolutely loved and enjoyed poolside.

The kids swam until they were completely wrinkled. Even Caroline enjoyed the festivities as she spent about 2 hours floating around in the pool smiling and splashing. Kallie learned how to swim with floaties on her arms. She took it upon herself to make sure her sister was moving around in the pool so she pulled her around. It was so cute!


We also celebrated my husband's, my FIL's and my SIL's birthdays so I threw together a little cake that actually tasted pretty good!

We ended the night with a little fire out back and some roasted marshmallows. A perfect summer evening!

On Saturday we just completely relaxed. It was a crazy week getting our pool deck ready and recovering from our vacation last week. Eric and I literally laid poolside all day.

Christina had a friend over to swim with her. They swam, played and ran around. They also picked flowers. Most were Queen Anne's lace, which is just a common weed in complete abundance. However, as I looked at my flower and turned it over, I noticed such a beautiful pattern underneath! I grabbed my camera, held the flower up so it was in the afternoon sun and got some very nice shots!


Isn't it amazing how photography can make you see the world so differently!?

On Sunday we made our way up north to see my family. We did some mini golf, and then took a walk by the bay. It was a beautiful day and Christina had a blast spending time with her cousins.

This week doesn't seem to have much going on, which is a welcome reprieve. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will get more pool time!

Happy Monday!

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How bad are we!?

So I was doing my usual morning routine today - brewing coffee, surfing the web, working on photos, waiting for the kids to wake up - when I read a blog and noticed the writer just celebrated her wedding anniversary. And I gasped as I quickly turned to my hubby and said -

"Happy Anniversary!"

And his response?

"Oh yeah!"

Aren't we terrible? We completely forgot.

Although, in our defense, we have had a lot going on lately. We just got back from vacation, we are trying to finish our pool deck, and we are having a pool party tonight to celebrate my husband's 40th b-day, as well as my SIL's and FIL's birthdays. So things have been a bit crazy!

Anyway, it has been 9 years. I met my husband at work, 11 years ago, after I had completely given up hope of ever finding Mr. Right. Especially at the redneck company I was working at. And, even after I met him, I wrote him off because he was "the perfect guy....if he wasn't so short".

Well, I have since found out being a little short means nothing in the grand scheme of things. And that little guy quickly wormed his way into my heart.

Yes, my husband can be a pain in the a#s, but in a completely loving, cute sort of way. We have been through a lot over the years, but he does continue to be my best friend and confidant. The only one in the world who truly knows me and truly understands me.

And the only one who will NEVER let me get away with anything. For instance, we had only been dating a very short time when he caught me glancing at myself in a mirror while we were out at a bar. I, of course, was just making sure everything was still in place. He didn't hold anything back as he exclaimed "why are you looking at yourself?" As he laughed hysterically. And I just knew he was the one for me.

He is an incredible father, a great husband and I am so lucky that he walked into my office 11 years ago. My life has changed completely since our initial meeting, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are older, he has less hair, I have more. We have added 3 kids to our family. We have discovered what life is like with a severely disabled child. But we continue to be happy and enjoy life in our little world.

Happy Anniversary Dear!


(I would include some pictures of us on our wedding day, but those day were all shot in (gasp) film and I just don't want to spend the time finding and scanning them! We have a big party to get ready for you know!)

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My day in pictures!

It wasn't a very exciting day yesterday, but I did take quite a few pictures. Some of which came out pretty good - in my humble opinion....

We started the day looking at critters in our grass.

There was Mr. Frog:


And there was Mr. Snake (who freaked me out just a little because he kept slithering right towards me!):


And then Kallie held still for 1.2 seconds and I got this cool picture where you can see me clearly reflected in her eyes!


During the afternoon, I was holding Caroline and she was just full of smiles and giggles. I tried to capture a picture by just holding the camera while I was also holding her. It wasn't easy.

I got bit of a smile:


And then I got her being her goofy self:


And then I got one of her big, loving, Caroline smiles:

I've said it before and I will say it again..no one will ever love me like Caroline does - complete, perfect and unconditional. No one.

The girls did some swimming in the afternoon. They were sitting together on the steps so I grabbed my camera and told them to look at each other. I had just read a great article on taking portaits and one suggestion was to get the subjects to look at each other instead of the camera. So that was my project.

The girls started very seriously:

And then they started to get goofy:


And then Christina started to get really goofy:


And they Kallie had to try to copy her big sister:


And then they were just hysterical:


And then Kallie tried to get serious again, but Christina was too far gone (not to mention she really wasn't having a great hair day). And the shoot was over:


I did get one last shot of Kallie. Why can't I look this cute after an afternoon of swimming?

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We are upping the potty ante

A month or so ago I posted about our continued struggles to get our now 3 year old to even consider potty training. She has no interest, no desire...WHATSOVER. Period. End. of. story. Goodbye.

With my oldest, it was a piece of cake. We promised her an M&M every time she would go. Bingo! She was using the potty in a matter of days. And she wasn't even 3 yet!

So we tried the same route with Kallie.

We offered her M&Ms. Nope.

We offered her marshmallows (her obsession). Nope.

We recently offered her a big girl bed (she is still in her crib). Not yet...although the bed option is a little more enticing to her....

So last night we were reading a potty training book (for the 1,000 time) and again, we broached the subject.....

"Is Kallie ever going to use the potty?"

"That is a pink potty." (in the book)

"Yes it is."

"I want a pink potty."

"So if we get you a pink potty you will use it?"

"YEAH!!!!"

I seriously had my doubts. But this morning when I got her out of bed, what was her first remark?

"Mommy, I want a pink potty."

"And you are going to use it?"

"YES!"

So I may be shopping for a pink potty today. Unfortunately, this little smartie pants probably has the game all figured out. She is going to hold out long enough and weasel a new car out of us.

Never underestimate the power a 3 year old...

This photo really has nothing to do with this post. I just thought it was cute - Kallie is trying to help Daddy build and finish our new pool deck. Actually, I think he can use all the help he can get...

And late last night I played around with my camera. I think I finally have figured out how to take pictures of the moon. This one is OK. The best of the bunch. I was going to try it with my tripod too, but my battery died. This isn't a full moon, obviously. So in a few days I will try it again!

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Shark Boy and Lava Girl!...??

Do you know this movie? You don't? Well, where have you been!?

According to my kids, my nieces, my nephews, and many other 3 - 7 year olds, this is one of the greatest movies of all time!

I never heard of it either. Maybe you have, maybe I am just out of the loop. It happens.

Anyway....last year my sister gave us this movie to borrow for our trip to Hilton Head. I thought that my kids probably wouldn't care about it, but I brought it just in case.

About 3/4 of the way through the trip, Christina put the movie it and it became an instant hit. Her eyes never left the screen.

And she and her cousins probably watched this movie about 143 times that week. Once we came home, it took a good 6 months before we returned it due to my kids continued obsession with this movie.

I personally think this movie is incredibly dumb. It is a 3D movie, but the special effects are terrible, and the storyline is ridiculous. But kids in this age group LOVE it for some unknown reason.

My kids have played Shark Boy and Lava Girl with their cousins many many times. And this year, I decided to actually purchase this DVD for our trip down to Hilton Head. Suffice it to say, my kiddos were thrilled that we now actually OWN this coveted flick.

In fact, for much of the trip down to Hilton Head, I would look back and see this:


My 2 crazy kids watching a 3D movie. Interestingly, neither of them has any idea what a 3D movie is and they don't have a clue why they should be wearing the glasses. I guess they just think it is what you do.

Kallie, at 3, is already crazy about this movie. In fact, she has a tiny notebook that she tells me is her "Dream Journal". Don't know what that is? Neither do I, but I do know it is part of this crazy flick.

So if you know a kid, boy or girl, about that age who doesn't have this movie, seriously, it makes a great gift. They will love it!

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We're home!

The vacation is over. So sad, yet, for some reason, I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation.

Hilton Head Island is a gorgeous place. If you have never been there, I highly recommend it.

It is very unlike most beach communities. The beach homes are surrounded by trees and foliage, and everything is very understated. There are no neon signs allowed anywhere, so all businesses/stores/restaurants have very small wooden signs.

I think there is a law that no trees are ever allowed to be cut down except under very dire circumstances. So you often have trouble finding where to go because everything is tucked in the trees. But I like that. They even have homes with trees in the middle of the driveway. Apparently they were forced to pour the driveway around the tree. However, all their tough restrictions does make for a gorgeous island.

Our drive down was a piece of cake. The week was wonderful. The weather was great. My sister was there with her four kids so my kids had a blast playing with their cousins. We spent most of the days either at the beach or at our pool at our house.

A few of us took a day trip to Savannah. We did the horse-drawn carriage thing around the parks and then ate lunch and did some walking.

Savannah is unbelievable! This is our third trip there. I really love it. If I was young and single, I am sure I would be considering making a move to Savannah. It is such a classic old southern town.

I actually didn't take as many photos as I would have liked. I think was a little nervous about taking my camera out in the salt and sand. The last day I had planned to take some late evening family pictures of my sister's family as well as of my family, on the beach. Unfortunately, thunderstorms rolled in and literally pounded us for the entire evening. I was so bummed! We can only hope that we can try this again next year!

So here are a few of my 400 pictures:

I went out to take some pictures one early morning. The sun wasn't poking through, but the range of blues and grays were beautiful!


I also happened upon Mr. Blue Heron doing some early morning fishing. Unfortunately, I didn't have my telephoto lens on my camera, but he allowed me to get quite close for a bunch of pictures.


We also went out to the beach in the late evening one day. The light was absolutely perfect and I shot a ton of pictures.




Here are just few pictures from our Savannah day trip. I just love the parks and the moss hanging from the trees.


The homes around the parks are amazing. For a few million, one of them could be mine!



Back at Hilton Head, the pelicans are everywhere here. It is so cool to watch them take a dive into the ocean and come up with a fish! Didn't capture that with my camera, but I did get a picture of one as he flew directly over my head.

I really liked taking pictures on the beach when you could see the kids' reflections in the surf.



On the last full day, Caroline was nice enough to wake me at 5:30 a.m. I tossed and turned for a while and then decided I may as well grab my camera and go. And this was the scene that welcomed me on the beach! Definitely worth it!

We left Hilton Head at 5 a.m. the next day. The ride home was pretty good, but the kids weren't as happy. Caroline fared the worst. She just wanted OUT. OF. THE. CAR......NOW!

The last couple days home has been tough. I almost feel like I have jet lag. And the kids have been very out of sorts. We have had many MANY melt downs since arriving back at home. I am guessing we are still recovering from our vacation.

I think, as I said, I need a vacation from my vacation!

Happy Monday!

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Blogging from the Beach!!!

So far, so good! We are here on wonderful Hilton Head Island!!!

The weather is gorgeous. The beach is incredible. And we had the easiest 13 hour drive down ever.

The kids did so well, they remained happy and content. We only stopped 3 times, for short times and were back on our way. And there was literally no traffic from our door at home to our door in Hilton Head. And that NEVER happens. Usually the traffic near the beach is always congested and crazy, but this year it was all smooth sailing.

I got a bunch of gorgeous pictures at sunrise this morning on the beach. I am not sure if I will be able to upload any this week, so it may have to wait until we get back.

Until next time!!!

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Beach photography!

I am getting excited about our upcoming beach vacation!!!! Last year I had a very limited interest in photography. I liked taking pictures, but I knew absolutely nothing about it and I had an old 2 mp Canon p&s camera.

But this year is different.

This year I have Mr. Nikon D40. My best buddy. My obsession. My love. (OK, there are a few things I love more than my Nikon, but he is way up there in the list.)

And this year my photography obsession has enabled me to learn so much more. I still have so much more to learn, but I have a very good understanding of all the basics in regards to the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed and ISO), as well as the basics about composition.

So this year, I have been not only planning on how to make this a fun and stress-free vacation, but also how I can try to take some spectacular beach pictures!

I have found some great tips that I never knew before:

1. The best time to take beach pictures is during the "off hours". In the early morning and late afternoon/evening are the times when the light is warm and beautiful. The beaches are empty, the scenes are breathtaking. Another off time for beach photography are the times when storm is moving in and the skies are threatening, the waves are crashing, and, again, the scene is just beautiful.

In addition to the beautiful lighting you get in the off-hours, you also won't have the problem of harsh shadows on faces. Taking photos when the sun is high and above you is never flattering for people. However, one way to lighten up faces during this time is to use fill flash.

I never thought of using a flash during a bright sunny day, but I have since tried it and am amazed at how much it will brighten up an otherwise dark face.

2. If you have an SLR camera, NEVER change lenses outside. This is probably commonsense to most, but the beach air is filled with salt and sand and none of that is good for your precious sensor.

3. Humidity and A/C is a deadly combination for a camera. Have you noticed how your camera gets all fogged up when you take it out of the a/c and into the steamy summer heat? That moisture is not good for your camera.

To help prevent it, place your camera in a plastic ziploc bag and place it outside (somewhere safe) about a half hour before you need it. Once the camera comes up to temperature, you can take it out and start shooting. I have also read about using silica gel packs, which will absorb the moisture. I need to find some. Sounds like a great idea.

4. Don't just take pictures of sand and water... period. I know the beach and the water are gorgeous. And I used to take a million pictures of the scene because I just couldn't get enough of it.

However, when I got home and looked at the pictures, they really were just blah. The best beach photos have some type of focal point to add interest to the scene. Try including rocks, or birds, or shells, or footprints or something that stands out and makes "just another beach picture" into an AMAZING beach picture.

Now, first I want to say that I DID NOT TAKE THE PHOTO BELOW! I got this photo from the Digital Photography School blog. To me, THIS is an amazing beach photo.

You can see the colors are incredible, the light is perfect, and the photographer reflected in the water is a perfect focal point. This is an example of one of the things I hope to be doing next week. I want to be that photographer in that scene.

(as seen in DPS, not mine)

Wish me luck, I think I am going to need it!

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Wordless Wednesday - discovering new things!

These pesky little fungi look kinda cool from this view!

(Day 18 of 365)

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Tips for Trips with little ones!

As I mentioned, we are heading south this weekend for our annual Hilton Head Island trip. The trip takes about 12 1/2 hrs, but between breaks for the kids and any anticipated traffic headaches, we expect to arrive in about 14 hours. Definitely a long day for 3 little kids.

We do not do the overnight driving thing. For one, I don't sleep well in the car. For two, we aren't sure our kids would sleep the entire thing. And three, our house won't be ready until 4 so if we arrive early, we will have a car full of tired, cranky kids and parents with nowhere to go.

We have done this trip quite a few times now, and we seem to have learned a few things that really helps make the trip more enjoyable for all.

1. Leave very early - like 4:30 or 5. The kids will be excited, but will also get tired quickly. We can pretty much be guaranteed a few naps along with way. Well rested kids, in our opinion, are a bit harder to travel with since they are awake more and get restless faster. Of course, tired kids are crankier, so that isn't much fun either. Sometimes it can be a toss up on which is better. But leaving early also means we get there earlier which is nice. (Duh, I know.)

2. Use DVDs. We have a cheapo car DVD player, but it works great. We also borrow my SIL's so Christina and Kallie can each have their own. No fighting about what movie to watch!

3. Buy lots of snacks - but not messy ones. I usually get lots of treats that I usually don't buy. The kids are so thrilled for these things! But I never buy things like chips. Bite size stuff is the best, a lot less crumbs.

4. Buy new stuff - I always go out and buy the kids some new stuff to do along the way. This year I got math and reading workbooks for Christina, Color Wonder books for Kallie and a couple new DVDs for each. I also got some new pens, pencils and markers. I did not spend much at all. I bought most of it at the dollar store. The movies were each less than $10 at Walmart.

I also like to hide these new goodies and give it to them on the trip as a surprise. HOWEVER, this year, my little Tina Wina decided to snoop through the car and found the stuff so none of it will be a surprise this year. She isn't allowed to play with any of it, but now she knows what I got her. Bummer.

5. Suckers (lollipops) - Suckers? you ask. Well, I hide these goodies for use during the end of the trip. For some reason, when the kids are starting to get to the end of their ropes, and nothing is working, if I pull out some suckers, they are quickly contented for a bit. Maybe it is just my kids, but they seem to work like a charm.

6. Breaks - Obviously, breaks really help everyone. We try to stop at a fast food restaurant with a play area so the kids can blow off some steam. We also stop at rest areas with picnic areas to let Caroline lie on a blanket and stretch out and let the others run a bit. We actually don't even want the kids to sit down and eat during the break, only run and play. They can eat their lunch/snack in the car AFTER the break. Eating in the car also helps a bit in passing some time once we get back on the road!

That is a list of some of our tricks. I am also planning on getting a little map for Christina so she can track our progress and maybe I can prevent some of the "when are we going to get there?" questions.

Anyone have any other unique ideas to try?

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