A Few Products for the Road

Occasionally companies send me their products to try in hopes they'll get a mention on my website. Here are a few that I've tried recently:

That Gunk on Your Car was a funny reference book that I enjoyed on a recent road trip. It's a field guide to insects that have likely splatted against your windshield. It was a cute book for older children or adults. I especially enjoyed the color photos of the splats to help identify some of the insects. It was divided into chapters regarding each of the more common insects. It's not something you would necessarily read straight through, but made a great reference guide.

Along with that book, I tried a product to help me remove those sticky bugs from my car windshield. It was Prestone Bug Wash windshield washer fluid. I poured it into my windshield washer reservoir and hit the road. It actually did a great job removing bugs after I slammed into them, mile after mile. It did such a good job that I had my teenager clean the front of the minivan with it when we got home.

Finally, I tried the Energizer 15 minute battery charger for AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. It really worked in only 15 minutes, although it was a little louder than I expected it to be because of the fan that runs while it is working. It's a very small unit, but the plug adapter is as big as the unit its self. It did come with two pairs of batteries to get you started, and also a car adapter plug so you can use it on the road to keep those video game remotes charged and working. After a few uses, this unit would pay for its self, although it's a little bit of an investment for starters. You can't beat the 15 minutes to charge though!

Flair for the Road

I recently tried a new product called Glam Bags. These reusable travel bags claim that they will add a little bit of glamor and style to your life while you travel. Now, I am not normally a super fashion-conscious traveler, but I have to admit that I did feel a little bit more luxurious with my precious pretties in these designer bags than I did carrying them around in those old sandwich bags.

The pretty-factor makes me want to reuse them as much as I can too. They are convenient and attractive and that little bit of flair that they add to your trip really makes them worth it! I'll definitely be taking these along on all my trips from now on.

Ultimate Printable Car Games!

Someone finally put all the fun printable car activities into one big fat ginormous printable book. It's the Ultimate Road Trip Games book, that you can download and print. I love it!

It's over 140 pages of stuff to do in the car. Print just the pages you want, and as many as you need for all your kids, and print more for your next trip.

A few activities are similar to the printable car games that I have available on MomsMinivan, but they have taken them to a whole new level, and included many many more, in an easy printable format.

We're excited about the "secret mission" game. This one sounds just right for my school age children, and we can't wait to play it on our next trip. None of the activities require any extra materials other than a pencil and the printed sheets. Use it over and over for every trip you take.

Overall, I think it's terrific! It's definitely worth the purchase price, and I feel really good about recommending it to my readers. You can find it on their website at Ultimate Road Trip Games!

Meanwhile, make sure you stock up on printer ink! Here's a place I love to get mine - use the coupon I found for a discount! 15% Off Compatible Inkjet Cartridges - use Coupon TAK658W
(Expires 09.30.09)

Happy travels!

Melissa and Doug Travel Games

My cousin Kirsten is taking a road trip with her kids this weekend in Oregon and found some great new products she recommends! They are called "Flip to Win"

Here's what she says:
We got Hangman and the Travel Bear Hunt - and both are good. Memory looks fun. There are No parts to lose except the pen on Hangman (which has a clip to store the pen when it's not being used).


Here's More:

• These fabulous, travel-style games bring new fun and convenience to old family favorites
• Innovative flipping pieces won't get lost
• Includes one game board with erasable whiteboard, self-storing marker and eraser
• Great for the road and at home

Sounds great! Definitely worth checking out "Flip to Win".


Thanks, Kirsten! Have a great trip!

~ Road Trip Mom ~
Momsminivan.com

Travel Gear Shopping Coupon March 16, 17

Shop and Save for road trip gear!

On St. Patricks day the coupon code: 3STPAT09 will save Family Travel Gear customers 15% on every product except the CARES (Child avaiation restraint) harness. The coupon code can be used on both March 16 and 17, 2009.

They have great stuff to help make traveling with kids easier, and MomsMinivan.com gives them two thumbs up on service and quality! Shop at Family Travel Gear!

Say Cheese!

I bought myself a new digital camera recently for my travels. In the past, I've owned two different Sony digital cameras and have had issues with the display screens on both of them, and have even had to send them back to the factory for repair. Eventually Sony refused to continue repairing what I felt was a factory defect and should have been covered by the warrantee. But I digress.

I really wanted to talk about my new camera that I LOVE! I got the Cannon PowerShot 1100IS, which is one of the top selling cameras, and I can see why. It's so slim and sleek, and the view screen is large. It's easy and takes great pictures. It also shoots movies, and is a versatile all-around camera, perfect for me to shoot pictures of my family and travel adventures. I took a little time learning how to use it, and I also bought a bigger memory card for it that holds a lot of pictures.

Which brings me to another product that I am now using. I have so many photos on my computer now, that I worry about losing them before I can get hardcopy prints made for my albums, or even after I've printed them for that matter. After my experiences with Hurricane Katrina, I have seen first hand how tragic it can be to lose all of your family photos!

To keep them safe, I am using the Picture Keeper. It works basically like a flash drive that has software on it that makes a backup copy of all your picture files on your computer to keep them safe. Sure, I could take the time to burn them all onto a bunch of CD's, but then I'd have to actually organize them, and keep doing it for every update. This thing works like my ipod and updates itself with the latest pictures every time I just plug it in. I don't have to do anything. And it holds them all (up to 8000 pictures). Super easy, and no worries. (coupon code "momsminivan" will save 10% at their website).

Cherish your memories and keep them safe. Today's technology makes it so easy, that there is almost no excuse!

Classic Bingo for Travel

Product Recommendation from Road Trip Mom! -- Travel Bingo Shutter Card Game Set

This is not the old favorite "Auto Bingo", but it does have the nifty sliding windows that kids love. It's regular B-I-N-G-O, where the caller picks a random number from the bin and calls it out like "B-15"! Then everyone marks their cards. This one can be played over and over again since your numbers are marked by sliding the windows. A pluck of the finger marks your number!

I have found that kids will play this game much longer than the other auto bingo which is more like a scavenger hunt looking for items out side the car. Older kids especially appreciate this one. And if you offer up a prize for the winner (think lollipops, or Tootsie Rolls), you can guarantee to hold their interest for quite a while, though several games. Keep playing until everyone wins. Even the driver can "play" by having someone else in the car play the card for you!

This set has 6 cards in it, and is completely self contained. No loose pieces and no markers needed. Great for the car or a plane. A definite winner in my book. Get it here.

Car Sickness Blows!

Allow me to introduce my champion of chunks -- my darling daughter#2 (aka Dd2). It's a little ironic that she is such a barf queen now, because as an infant, she was the LEAST vomituous (I just made up that word I think) of my three children when it came to baby barf and spit up. As she grew older she thoroughly surpassed her older siblings in the heave-ho department. Most of her barfage is due to the dreaded result of car sickness. Poor child... motion sickness bags are her mainstay.

She is our baroness of barf. The terror of the technicolor yawn. A wizard at whistling beef. A trendsetter at tossing cookies. The heralder of heaving. Sweetheart of the stomach tsunami. A goddess at shouting groceries. Yup, she's training to be a supermodel. ;-)

We have found many ways to deal with her up-chuck when it presents its self. We try to avoid it when possible using many of these useful tips and motion sickness remedies , but sometimes barf happens anyway. When it does, I am now armed with a new product called the YakPack, a vomit clean-up kit for travel.

The kit contains vomit-absorbent/odor neutralizer, a scoop and scraper for rapid pick up, antimicrobial hand wipes, heavy duty dry cloth and non-latex gloves for clean-up. It also has a plastic bag for removal and disposal, a clear zipper bag for convenient storage, and a barf bag and absorbent lap pad to protect surfaces (although it's probably too late to use these by the time you need the kit). The odor neutralizer smells really good, or at least it does now before the barf has been added.

Where has this been all my life? (all of her life, rather). It has everything needed to clean up when I'm on the road or in the air, and it fits easily into a carry-on bag or in my glove box. I'm so excited about it that I can hardly contain myself.

That's right folks, I can't wait for my kid to hurl in the car so I can try it. . . . . . Is that wrong?

Rolling Reviews from the Backseat: Doodleballs

By The Back Seat Reviewer -- Road Trip Mom's Daughter!

Step away from the Doodle Balls. You might get addicted. These tiny magnetic balls are a perfect way to keep any kid of any age busy on a long road trip. All you do is move the magnet above the Doodle Balls to drag them around and make a picture, number, or word. Doodle Balls are also a great deal for the money. They will last a long time and be loved by everyone!!!

The only thing I don’t love about Doodle Balls is that the magnet stick is very easily lost. You can use any magnet, but it is easiest with original magnet.

Any kid short, tall, big, or small would love Doodle Balls. I like them, and so does my 9-year-old sister. I’m sure you will too.

NOTE FROM ROAD TRIP MOM: This is a review by my road trip daughter! She is becoming a regular on my website with her product reviews and backseat opinions.

Rolling Reviews - Autolite Triglo and Blink Trash Tossers

Here are a couple of items I recommend that make my road trips safer and more comfortable...

Autolite Triglo - This would have been a great item to have with me on a recent road trip when I had a flat tire on the interstate in the dark. After that experience, I am making sure never to leave home without an emergency light such as this.
It serves two functions - to warn passing cars that I am pulled over, or to light up my work area to change a tire in the dark. It can't do both at the same time though, so you need to choose one or the other. It stands up on it's own and is very sturdy.

It's is not as big as warning triangles that truck drivers use for road side emergencies in their 18 wheelers, but since it's more of a compact item, it stores easily in the car at all times. I feel better having this with me, especially if I end up changing a tire alone in the dark again.


Blink Trash Tossers - This is from a line of products for moms like me who spend a huge amount of time in our vehicles, either on road trips or carpooling kids around town. There are 20 bags per pack - more than enough for several road trips. The bags can be filled up and "downloaded" when we stop to fill up, or hung on the back of the seat and used on the go.

With three kids, my child in the way-back row never had access to the trash bin before. Now he can have his own bag for the massive pile of gum wrappers that he seems to generate on long trips. These bags are also fantastic for stashing that dirty diaper that you have to carry around with you in the car until you can find a trashcan to unload it. Hmm... and I'm thinking that my perpetually car-sick child will probably get a few good uses out of these bags too.

There are a few more tips on this video Moms Get Road Ready that I found helpful. And of course, to really be road ready, make sure you hit my printable car games page for some activities for the road! Happy travels everyone.

Blogger Mom Road Trip!

My blogging BFF's Devra and Aviva are taking it on the road! They are part of a cross-country Mom Road Trip for mom bloggers on their way to the BlogHer convention in San Fransciso this month! Five fabulous bloggers and several thousand miles to cover in a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV with all the wireless internet and gadgets they can carry, starting July 12th.

Sounds like they'll have plenty to do to keep busy. Still, the Road Trip Mom part of me couldn't help but worry that they'll get bored eventually and start hitting each other in the back seat. I mean, seriously, road trip bingo games and Slug Bug can only amuse a blogger for so long.

So, being a concerned friend, and hoping I can be there in spirit if not in person, I sent them a copy of my personal favorite road trip amusement item: All-American Car-i-Oke.

This is way better than ordinary music. It's full participation music! It has a CD with the music, and all the lyrics in the spiral bound book. It also includes several smaller lyrics booklets - one for the back seat, the way-back seat, and another for anyone who doesn't like to share (I'm wondering which booklets Devra and Aviva are going to use!).

I bought a copy of this for my kids a few years ago. We never tire of it, and use it at least once every trip. We have the most fun with the backseat drumming, and the "make up your own Blues" song. In fact, it helped evolve a rule in our car -- No whining allowed unless you're singing the Blues!

At least two of the moms on this road trip are trained singers, so I predict good times as they hit the highway. Listen carefully if you're on the road this July -- you might just hear a group of moms roaring through the Rockies singing "Proud Mary" or "When the Saints Go Marching In" over the sound of fingers flying across their keyboards. Blogher here they come!

Update: Here are Sarah and Devra on the road playing their Carioke!

Rolling Reviews from the Backseat: Vanity PL8 Puzzles

By The Back Seat Reviewer -- Road Trip Mom's Daughter!

We recently got a copy of Vanity Pl8 Puzzles. I think it is a fun and entertaining book -- on the road or off. The book is filled with over 170 vanity plate puzzles and fun facts about license plates and their history, appearances on famous people’s cars, and other odd things. It was moderately challenging and very interesting.

I had loads of fun figuring out what these license plates said. Some were harder than others, but luckily the answers are in the back.

The only problem is that some kids, like me, get carsick when they read in the car. If that is the case, you can always look for real vanity license plates and try to figure out if they have special meanings. I would definitely suggest this product as a time-passer in the car to any kid, or adult who likes solving fun puzzles.

NOTE FROM ROAD TRIP MOM: This is a review by my road trip daughter! She is hoping to be featured regularly on my website with her product reviews and backseat opinions. Please give her a warm welcome!

Diapers and Gas

Diapers and gas! Just what every minivan-mom needs for the next fill up. Here are two sweepstakes I found that give you a chance to fill your tank and pad those bottoms.

Win Free Gas - Take a survey for a chance to win a gas card worth $1500.

Win Free Diapers for a Year - Connect with other moms at CafeMom. Join now and win a FREE* year of diapers! "For a limited of time only." (*offer good through June 15!)

Good luck. I definitely want to hear about it if any of my readers win the gas because I'll be calling you to carpool my kids around town for the rest of the summer. I'll let you enjoy diaper duty on your own.

Weird Stuff is Fun

I haven't lived in Kentucky very long, so when a copy of the latest in the series of "Weird" states books was offered to me, I was more than happy to accept. Weird Kentucky is a travel guide to "local legends and best kept secrets" by Jeffrey Scott Holland.

It's a beautiful hard bound book loaded with huge clear photos of all sorts of good weird stuff that we love. It's divided into topical sections rather than by city, so it is a bit different from most travel type books in that sense.

Naturally, being a Road Trip Mom, my favorite section was the road-side oddities. I have already had the pleasure of visiting one of them recently -- Dinosaur World, which was weirdly wonderful to say the least. (I'll have photos from our adventure there posted on my website soon). After reading this book, there is lots more that I am ready to go see for myself, and when the Bible putt-putt golf course opens for the summer here in my own town, I will be ready and waiting to putt through Noah's Ark and right into the New Testament. My only disappointment is that there are a few items described in the book that no longer exist (and so we can't go visit them), and not everything is open to the public either. But it's good to know that these oddities exist (or existed as the case may be).

My kids love this book too, and it will be going in the car with us on our next few trips through Kentucky until we are familiar with everything weird we can find in our newly adopted state. I definitely recommend Weird Kentucky, and would recommend the "weird" book for your own state. There may be strange and wonderful things awaiting you, but you don't even know it yet.

Car Seat on Airplanes?

Should you bring your carseat on board the plane when traveling with your child?

Most airlines don't require it, but your child is always safer when restrained properly. There is a great new product I came across recently that is MUCH easier than dragging a car seat through airports and on board the plane. It's called a CARES (“child aviation restraint system”). It is the first and only FAA approved harness type child safety device.

It fits in your purse or diaper bag and keeps your child safe and secure aboard the plane. It's a perfect solution for the car seat dilemma when flying with small children (who are big enough to no longer need a rear-facing infant seat). Read more about it at Kids Fly Safe.

So, my current recommendation is to use a CARES restraint on board the plane and check the carseat through to your destination (you'll need that for the car when you get there). When checking your carseat with your luggage, ask that they put it into one of the huge thick plastic bags that are available at the airport (usually no charge). Without it, your carseat will be returned to you scratched up or smelling like jet fuel.

Without having to drag the carseat through security anymore, you'll have one more hand available to take care of your child, and one less item to knock innocent people on the head as you make your way to your seat aboard the plane. :-)

Speak to Me, Silvia! (GPS Nav Systems)

I love my Dodge Grand Caravan. It's silver. So we named her Silvia. She speaks to us via the built in navigational system when we are on the road.

Silvia: "Exit freeway in 1 mile"

Mom: "Thanks Silvia!!"

Kids: "Who are you talking to, Mommy?"

No more missed exits due to excessive Car-i-oke singing or intense Licence Plate hunting. Sylvia tells me where to go and when to go there. She also tells me the answer to a popular question, "How much longer?!"

If you aren't lucky enough to have a navigational system built into your vehicle, you can still get a portable navigational device. These have become hugely popular recently. Tip: Makes a great gift for dads (guys love gadgets) and then you can "borrow" it whenever you like.

It tells you where to go, and if you go the wrong way, it just re-calculates some new directions for you to get you back on track. Just think, it solves the problem many husbands seem to have regarding not wanting to stop and ask for directions. You can even change the voice on some of them. My friend Devra has the Garmin Nuvi 350 Pocket Vehicle GPS Navigator. She calls it "Lee". He speaks to her with an Australian accent.

Last summer Lee and Sylvia got to meet at the beach. How sweet. (Oh great, now I think I hear the soundtrack to Grease playing in the background). I only wish that Silvia could help me navigate through my teenager's bedroom....