No Fast Food for Us!

Well, we made it to NY!! The kids were ecstatic to see grandma and grandpa and immediately ditched Matt and I. I can barely get a good morning kiss out of each of them!

The car ride went much better than expected. I made some mini-pumpkin muffins that were a hit. I also brought fruit. Tangerines peel very easily and aren't so juicy that they create a mess. I also made bread and sliced it. So, along with sliced cheese, nitrate-free meat slices, and peanut butter, I was able to make several sandwiches over the course of the two days. We kept our water bottles filled with water and didn't allow any sugary drinks or even juice (this cut down on bathroom breaks because the kids are less apt to drink a ton of water, whereas, they are more apt to drink a lot of juice). I did allow for some whole grain goldfish crackers, and fruit snacks (sweetened with juice - not sugar or artificial anything).

My sister, Sarah, taught me a trick a while back: Take serving size apple sauce (we choose organic cinnamon with no sugar added) containers and put a straw through the top. The girls loved to suck out the apple sauce and it created less mess. This is NOT an eco-friendly option because it uses so much plastic packaging. However, for the twice a year or so I do this, I don't really feel that guilty.

Other than that, I had downloaded some new music for the girls to listen to and we did bring the DVD player. We only use it on long trips, therefore, it's a real treat and keeps them pretty occupied.

There was a lot of: "When are we going to be there?" from Olivia and very little nap taking. That was hard to take from time to time. However, there wasn't a single family screaming match and for that I'm proud of us!

I'm also proud to report that we did not stop at a single fast food joint! We stopped for dinner at one restaurant and hit a Starbucks once (coffee only). In fact, no one even asked to drive through a McDonald's and no one complained about the food I served. I am so happy about this. You can travel over 1,200 miles by car and NOT stop at a fast food joint! You just have to prepare ahead. Now that we've done it, I don't know why I ever thought it was that hard. Stopping at a grocery store along the way, had we run out of food supplies, would not have been hard either. You just have to keep stock of what you have, what you want, and be quick about running in to buy it.

The girls have been sleeping well at night and napping well (so far). They are even sleeping in the same bed and making it through the night without getting up to play. There must be something about grandma and grandpa's house!

We'll be in NY for about a week and then we'll head to Vermont for a few days before starting that long drive over! We hope to see many of you soon!