Disneyland: Getting there

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When we first started thinking about going to Disneyland, one of our major concerns was how to get there. We knew if we chose to fly, we wouldn't be able to afford tickets to the actual park, so that was out of the question. But the thought of 10+ hours in the car with a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old also seemed out of the question.

But our desire to go to Disneyland won out, and so we decided to bite the bullet and drive.

Since we will be in the car for just as long as we will actually be at the park, preparing for our car trip has taken almost as much time and effort as preparing for the rest of the trip!

The Minivan

• Get an oil change, put air in the tires, and do anything else you need to do to keep your car healthy
• Join AAA--not only is it helpful if we blow a tire/run out of gas/heaven forbid have car troubles, but most hotels give AAA discounts that can be really substantial!
• Hang a mirror on the back of the seat that Helena faces so she can see the DVD player (yep, she's still rearfacing!)

The Girls

To combat boredom in the car, I prepared four "activity bags", each designed to last 3 hours. Each one contains:

• a movie (ahhh, how did people drive long distances before cars had DVD players!!)
• several books
• a coloring activity (coloring book and crayons, chalkboard and chalk, invisible ink activity books, and aquadoodle)
• a special snack
• small toys from the Dollar Store (Disney princess figurines, tambourine and recorder, finger puppets, and Disney character fun sets that include yo-yos and kaleidoscopes)
• ideas for simple games to play in the car
• a special activity (lacing cards and magnetic paper dolls)

Another way to keep kids entertained in the car is to wrap the entertainment items you have packed. Even if they are things from home that your kids have played with before, kids love unwrapping presents and it will make them even more special!

In addition to the bags, I am packing a full cooler of snacks and drinks (for Mom and Dad, too!) and several more movies. We are planning on leaving early (around 5 am) so that the girls will hopefully sleep for a few hours in the car. We'll stop for breakfast at a fast food place with a playground and at a park for a picnic lunch to let the girls run off some energy. Hopefully the drive will take us less than 12 hours!