Works for Me Wednesday: Car Edition

The theme for this week's WFMW is tips for traveling with your kids in the car. To see all the great ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

I only have one and only one tip to keep me my kids happy in the car. It's easy. It's foolproof. It's magic. It's...SNACKS!

Let me break it down.

S: "S" is for "stash." You must keep a stash of snacks in the car or in your purse or in the diaper bag at all times. Your kids' favorite snack (i.e. fruit snacks) will always work best, however any snack will do. Having a stash handy will prevent you from frantically digging around in the center console while in traffic for any edible remnants of happy-meals-past. And I will admit to having once given Oldest half of a dinner mint in an act of desperation.

N: "N" is for nap. The combination of a full tummy and the lulling motion of the car will surely make your child fall asleep if the planets are aligned. A quick snack might be the only thing between you and 30 minutes of uninterrupted "Oprah & Friends".

A: "A" is for apple juice. A trusty favorite. Juice is an important part of the snack attack strategy. It can be introduced as a backup snack when the Cheetos Cheerios run out, or it can be used as a peace-keeping tactic, i.e. "Mary, it's really great that you learned about fire engines in school today, but Momma has a little headache so if you promise to stop making the fire engine siren sound, you can have some juice, m'kay?"

C: "C" is for crumbs. Unfortunately many snacks will involve crumbs. Yes, they are a pain in the behind but I'll take a few crumbs over a backseat meltdown anyday. Try to vacuum out your car every now and then to keep up. And forget the gas station vacuums - who can be bothered? A trusty handvac will do the job just fine.

K: "K" is for kicking. If you have a toddler, you'll know what I mean. Whether they are just tired or hyper, a restless child will always revert to kicking the seat in front of them. Or if your child is like my Oldest, she will kick off her shoes just to drive you batty. This is precisely when you introduce the snack. Or, if you're at the top of your game, you'll anticipate the impending assault and you'll whip out the snack before the kicking escapade begins.

S: "S" is for sanity. Follow the Sacred Snack Rule and the whole family will stay sane during your car trip. Try it! I would never lead you astray my friends.

And if this sounds like a form of bribery, why yes sister, it is. And it works for me.