When my older daughter was 4 and my younger one 10 months old, we went by airplane to see my side of the family.  We had such a great time seeing Grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins that we decided to make it a yearly event.  So, for the next 7 or 8 years my daughters and I would make the annual Trek to Texas.
     Traveling solo with two children is an experience.  It certainly got easier as the years went by and I didn’t have to pack diapers and baby food.  Flight timing and other survival tricks changed over the years as they grew and changed.  When they were much younger, it worked to take a red eye flight.  As any mom knows, it is incredibly difficult to keep a toddler quiet, occupied, and sitting in the same seat for 4 hours.  By taking a nighttime flight, I could get them settled on the plane knowing they would sleep most of the way.  
     Both my daughters became expert travelers.  Each girl had her own knapsack that she carried.  A day or two before the trip I would hit the dollar store to get little toys, special individual packets of snack foods, and other treats.  They both knew they could not open the backpack until we were on our way.  I swear, sometimes it seemed they were less excited about seeing their Aunt Patty then they were about seeing what surprises were in their backpacks!  (Sorry, Patty!)
     Each girl also had her own rolling suitcase.  When they were younger, the suitcases were filled with toys and I would put their clothes into my big suitcase.  As they got older and the little Minnie Mouse and Buzz Lightyear suitcases gave way to real pieces of luggage, they did their own packing.  I would help them with a list of necessities and the amounts of clothing they should bring, and they could take whatever else they wanted as long as it fit in their suitcase. 
     Of course, Mom always has tricks up her sleeve for times when kids are bored, or the car ride is longer than expected, or the service in the restaurant is slow. I Spy can only take you so far.  One of my favorite “mom tricks” is a Discovery Toys product called Wiz Kidz.
     Wiz Kidz consists of two sets of cards.  The first set has a phrase on each card, such as “things in a grocery store” or “a famous person”.  The second set has a letter on each card.  Play consists of taking one phrase card and one letter card and thinking of an answer that begins with that letter.  What kind of answers would you come up with if you have “things at the mall” that begin with the letter T?
     The beauty of this game is that you can simplify it for younger children.  They can be simple flash cards identifying the letter.  Or they can come up with a word for the letter ignoring the category.  Or they can answer the category without being limited to a letter.  Older kids may enjoy playing competitively, by being the first to answer, and earning the points designated on the letter card.  Or teams might want to cooperate by coming up with as many answers as possible.  Adults enjoy coming up with obscure answers.  The possibilities are endless.  The cards come in a small compact box, perfect for tossing into a purse, diaper bag, car glove box or travel bag.  Over the years, we’ve played in restaurants, doctors’ waiting rooms, the car, and we’ve even brought it to school for the kids to play when they are stuck inside on rainy days.
 

Arlene is a Christian Mom and an Independent Rep for Discovery Toys .http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/arlenegianelli

 *Giveaway* One lucky winner will receive a set of Wiz Kidz cards from Discovery Toys. Click HERE to enter!