When the kids were younger, March Break was one of my favourite weeks of the year.  I loved the extra family time after a busy winter of hockey and dance.  

There were many years that March Break meant a trip to Florida.  My parents would spend 6-8 weeks there and partway through their vacation the Truchon’s would descend for a week of chaos in the midst of their paradise!

The Road Trip

There were many years where we would load everyone in the vehicle and drive for 26 hours straight, spend a week enjoying the sunshine and then do the trip home.

On those trips I learned many tips for surviving road trips with 4 children.  Gilles did most of the driving, so I was the “flight attendant” and I quickly learned that it was all about distraction; anything that could take attention away from “how far away we were” or the annoying sibling was worth its weight in gold.

The pool was the first reward after the road trip!
  • The snack bag was key!  I would go to the grocery store and buy all of the individually-packaged snacks that I never bought any other time; fruit roll-ups and chocolate-covered granola bars, chips and ritz bits, and even dunkaroos.
  • I don’t really remember what we did before having a television in the van. I just remember that it was a game changer when we got one! At first we used a little portable tv/vcr that plugged into a power inverter, then the “lighter”, on a wooden stand between the 2 front seats. From the front street, we listened to a lot of Disney movies, We’re Back and the Land Before Time, and those movies bought us extended periods of distraction!
  • Then there was the present bag.  I would visit the dollar store and stock up on all kinds of activities – books, crayons, colouring books, stickers, puzzle books, games, etc.  I would wrap them in tissue paper and put them in the present bag.  Then, whenever we were in dire need of a distraction, I would pass out 4 presents and everyone would have something to open.  
  • Meals were at a McDonalds with a Playland whenever possible.  One of us would get food while the other stayed in the play area with the kids encouraging as much physical activity as possible.  Then we would get back in the van and eat there…more distraction time.

It took a lot of advanced preparation but by our last trip, we had it down to a science.

Florida

We made amazing memories with gramma and grampa!

The excitement level was always high when we arrived at gramma and grampas.  The pool was the first stop and many hours were spent there over the week.  Walks around the neighbourhood usually led to parks and orange-picking for some freshly squeezed juice.  Gramma always had “sugar” cereal (again, something they didn’t get at home) and dinner always involved the barbeque.  

Most trips included one bigger event.  It might be Disney or an airboat in alligator alley or Jays Spring Training or a hockey game or Cape Canaveral.  (Another pro tip, I think it is less expensive to drive to Florida to see the Leafs than to try to take a family to a game at the ACC!  I remember paying $30 for a ticket that included pizza and a pop.  It was crazy!)

I have so many happy memories of the time we spent together in the van and during those wonderful weeks with my parents.  They were like a shared adventure for our family and such a great bonding experience for the kids and their grandparents.