I keep a box of cone-style coffee filters in my car. I use them to portion out french fries if we get a big order from the drive-through, or pretzels from a big bag. The coffee filters are easy for kids to hold while they eat. The box stores flat in the glove compartment and takes up hardly any space at all. It makes a good, quick, disposable snack container.
That is a good idea Barb. I bought a value pack of coffee filters for our coffee maker before it broke. I haven't replaced the coffee maker and I have a lot of filters in the cabinet. We aren't big coffee drinkers here. Thank you for a new way to use up the filters.
I usually put some of the fries in the lid of the chicken nuggets box for our dd2, ds keeps the bag, dd1 doesn't always eat them. When she does we pour them in her bag.
When we travel I bring trail mix, chips, beef jerkey, fruit and vegetables put into seperate sandwich size ziplok bags for each of the children with their initial on the bags so they don't fight over them.They each have juice boxes; water bottles filled with kool-aid, milk, juice, and water.
I try to bring some of these things each time we leave the house. But I always have water for them to drink. We make frequent bathroom breaks also.
I keep a spare toothbrush for each of us, dental floss, and a small tube of toothpaste in the glove box of each of my vehicles. I put them in a ziplok bag. The used toothbrushes are replaced monthly at the same time our daily toothbrushes are replaced. That way I don't have to worry about how long they have been in there. Every 6 months our dentist gives us a toothbrush, & dental floss, & sometimes a small tube of toothpaste & mouthwash.
I also keep a grocery bag with baby wipes, roll of toilet paper, empty grocery bag, and a roll of paper towels in my car along with a first aid kit. We have a fire extinguisher in our trucks.
Shelly I have a tote bag packed with a spare change of clothes for each of my kids plus all the items you mentioned. We have a separate bag for an extensive first aid kid. I also carry a can lined with a bag for those that get car sick. I change the clothes about every 2 months to make sure they still fit and are for the right season. We travel so much and 2 of my kids take after me with motion sickness. In past we have had to stop at a store to buy an outfit so now i just make sure we have extras. When we went to disney I carried wash cloths in ziplock baggies and when it was hot I would wet them with the melted ice in our cooler and use them for the kids to cool down...worked great.
Hugs debbie
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Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have 2 kids so when we travel I have a big shoe box that sits between them, that way they can put in thier own game boy games or puzzle books, pens and note paper. When we get out of the car the games get put back in the box and no one looking in can see what treasures we are keeping in there.
In a slimline tupper boxes they each have their own bags of snacks and told they can eat them when they like but once they are gone that is all for the day no refills. They slip into their side door pockets.
Subway have individual wrapped straws that I have quite a few extras of, they stay clean and in the glove box, that way we can buy 1 big bottle of drink if need be and share with no one slurping on the bottle top, can be sealed put in cooler bag and used later. The cold bag also has a permanant stash of headache tabs and spare bandaids, serviettes, plastic cutlery, sunscreen and insect repellant, so we can just pick it up and go.
We find while traveling we don't eat much but drink plenty so always have spare big bottles of water in the boot with suitcases.
Deb, those are awesome ideas. I always keep babywipes in my car as they are handy not only for wiping up sticky fingers and faces but also for cleaning your car dash etc. while waiting in traffic etc.
When my dks were younger, I always packed snacks, juice boxes, crayons and small pads of paper and little cars for trips but now I pack different things for older dks.
In my car there are kleenex packages in every storage compartment. I also keep a box of M&M granola bars, a few energy bars, water bottles and a first aid kit. In a bin in the very back of my minivan are also extra hats, mittens, jackets for those times my dks think it they "don't need a jacket" and that has saved them more than once.
Today my youngest ds was sick and I had to take him to the doctors. He wanted a drink and went to take one of the water bottles and found it frozen solid. So much for keeping water on hand in the winter! LOL
Although your kids may be older you can still pack a "diaper" bag.
Just put in it all those neccesary things like wipes, extra silverware, straws, travel games.
Just change the name to travel bag or car bag or something like that or you may have an arguement on your hands. LOL
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