Sometimes the cranky in this house is so deep, I could haul it out in a wheelbarrow. This morning for example. You would think if the kids slept in way past their normal wake up time, that would bode well for the day. You would be wrong.
If the kids are so tired that they sleep in, then there isn't enough sleep to fix the cranky. I have broken up two near fist fights this morning. One over a crayon. Not even crayons. Just one singular crayon. The other was over Legos. The Lego one I can almost understand since it happens pretty regularly. One male child of mine thinks every Lego he has ever touched or seen is his personal property and takes great umbrage at anyone other than himself touching or using that Lego. We are working hard to break him of this behavior but it involves a lot of discussions that sometimes may, or may not, end in my yelling.
We are gearing up for a few hours in the car too. Car rides are fun aren't they? Especially with kids? And if those kids are siblings, then the fun is just over-the-top, right??? Right??? We do okay, really. We have a magic formula for car rides.
We choose a book on CD from my husband's collection (he drives hours every day and has many from which to choose) and pop it in. Usually the only time we hear from the kids is when the CDs are changing or someone needs to eat or pee. It is pretty darn magical. We have been known to turn it on just to stop an argument. Bliss!
The added bonus of the books on CD is it helps assuage the guilt I feel because, though I am a former reading teacher, I don't read aloud to my kids very often. I know the research. I know the bonding moment it should bring. It is one of the most painful parenting moments I have ever faced. Everyone wants to sit in my lap. No one can see the book well enough. He or she is hogging the book. And on and on. Painful, I tell you.
Lately we have had disagreements over which book should go in the player. We lasted a really really long time listening to the Harry Potters. But now we are into Percy Jackson, Eragon, and the Narnia books. Narnia books are very appropriate, but too short. Percy Jackson is not appreciated by everyone. And Eragon does not go over well with the girl child.
Ahhh. To go back to the Harry Potter days. We would stay in the car an extra 5 minutes to finish the chapter! It was so awesome. And such good writing! Hubby and I honestly listen to them again and again as we fall asleep each night. We have tried the J. R. Tolkeins but those are a little verbose, without moving along the narrative. There are many Hobbit-lovers lighting their torches to burn me at the stake for saying that. I can't help it. I have read and listened to The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring trilogy books and I hate the songs and the long winded discussions of what to do next. Just get a move on! And the guy they have reading them is no Jim Dale. (He reads the Harry Potters and is truly an artist.) He sings the songs. Seriously! There is no known melody for these long, long, looong songs that J.R. wrote. Don't try to sing them. Just don't.
So I guess the point of this post is to ask if you have any magical tricks to deal with long car rides with kids. What are your tricks and tips to make the trip less painful?
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