In Praise Of The Family Road Trip

Last summer, our family did the unthinkable: We drove 3400 miles round trip from New Mexico to Florida, and back, with all 8 of us (including 6 boys ages 1 to 12) in one SUV. We survived to tell about it, and quite frankly...loved proving to ourselves that we weren't completely insane. 

This year, we are reprising the unthinkable and throwing a trip up to Georgia and back through the midwest in the mix. Let's face it:  Flying is expensive but not impossible. Going that far for that long in one car together as a family has to be intentional. You have to choose that kind of crazy. Amen?

Here are some of our favorite reasons for road-tripping:

Enjoying summer and the beautiful weather it brings has been absolutely wonderful for our family for a few weeks. However, with the hot summer months, rain showers are inevitable. In a season when parents tend to rely on outdoor play, it’s easy to forget that the simple things of indoor life can bring much joy! I know that some of you reading today experience situations where you can’t be outdoors as much as you’d like. Today we’re taking a peek at 5 simple ways to foster creativity in children. In other words, what can we do with what we have to encourage our children to use their imaginations?

These past few weeks my Facebook feed has felt like theatre. Awash with a wild combination of varied opinion and commentary on several big issues that have made national news, I've never felt the desire to leave the online landscape more than I have recently. Friends and acquaintance acquaintances alike have bantered and argued and riled back at opposing opinions with fury, and I began to wonder: When did we all stop being kind?