Road Trips With Children and Grandchildren 
The picture above is titled, "Endless Road." And that's what it can feel like if you are traveling with children. Keeping them occupied and content while in the car for hours is a challenge.
Years ago, we decided to take our first vacation with the children to someplace other than Grandma's House. The trip was 6 or 7 hours each way. And we had four children, ages 5 to 12. I really dreaded the trip. So I prepared in advance.
I made each child a travel book. I also made one for the parent that wasn't driving. In the small ring-binder, I put jokes, games, activities, and instructions for even more games. Each child received their book with an erasable marker, coins, markers, and a pair of dice, supplies for the games. They had known I was working on something, but they weren't allowed to see them until we started the trip.
I also went to the library and checked out books on tape. I can't remember what we listened to on the way home, but I know that we listened to Journey to the Center of the Earth on the way there. It was a hit.
I used a lot of colorful paper and laminated each page.
I only recently discarded the parent book as our children are now all teens and have learned to occupy themselves quite nicely without my help. Surprisingly, two of our daughters still have their books.
Here are the pages I used:
- Travel Bingo - two pages - I found graphics on the internet of signs found along the road and put them randomly on a Bingo-type grid
- Dice Baseball - I included a baseball diamond on scrapbook paper covered with baseballs and included a scoreboard - see below for rules
- Hang Man - I included an outline of the man that the children could draw over as they guessed letters plus a rectangle for writing the emerging word
- License Plate Alphabet - I put the letters of the alphabet (in colors in different fonts) all over a page. The children marked off each letter as they saw it on a license plate
- License Plate Search - I listed the states with a circle next to each so the children could check off each state they saw
- Scavenger Hunt - two pages - I put clip art of various special vehicles (bus, wrecker, convertible, tractor, etc.) on a page - the first person to see each type could mark it off
- Punchbuggy - I found pictures of VW Beetles in various colors - the children scored different points for seeing the "punchbuggy" first.
- Tic-Tac-Toe - Peel off "x's" were included
- More Games - I included instructions for playing more games
- Riddles - For example: How do baby fish know how to swim? Finstinct!
- Tongue Twisters - Strict strong Stephen Stretch slickly snared six sickly silky snakes
- Zipper Pouch - For their supplies
Use your imagination and the internet to make your children or grandchildren travel books that they will treasure for years to come. And gain some sanity for yourself in the process.
Dice Baseball
Roll both dice and score as follows:
Red Die - single
- double
- triple
- ball
- foul
- strike
White Die - out
- out
- fielder's choice
- steal base
- safe
- safe
Doubles is a home run!
Special Offer: Free Shipping on Orders Over $50 
Now is the time to order if shipping costs have been holding you back. Laurie's Cobalt World normally offers free shipping on orders $99 and over. But between now and July 15, if you select the "Free shipping on orders $99 or more" option on the checkout page, we will accept your order for over $50 with no shipping costs to you.
So order a matching cake stand and platter, or get the set of glasses you've been lusting over. Now is the time!
Craft: Bath Tea Bags
This is a flexible craft that will be as individual as you are. Make them for gifts or treat yourself to a spa bath. You deserve it. Tip: use herbs from your garden or purchase them in bulk at farmer's markets or natural food stores. Want an even easier project? Use pre-made cloth tea bags.
Supplies:
cheese cloth or unbleached muslin
thread
ribbon or pretty string
Your choice of -
powdered milk
green tea
herbal tea
chamomile tea
quick-cooking oatmeal
dried lemon rinds
mint leaves
Epsom salt
rosemary
baking soda
dried rose petals
dried lavender
essential oils
Make 3" x 5" bags from the cheese cloth by cutting a rectangle 4" x 11". Use a zigzag stitch to sew 1/2" from each end of the cloth. Fringe down to the zigzag stitching. Sew the two sides together and then turn inside out.
Mix any combination of tea, herbs, salts, etc. together. Place 1/4 cup of the mixture into each bag. Use a length of ribbon or string to tightly tie up each bag.
To use, place the bag into the bath water and allow to steep.
Product Spotlight: 10-inch Decanter From Blenko
This beautiful glass decanter is being introduced here first. It is hand-crafted in the USA by Blenko and is a new product for them as well as Laurie's Cobalt World. The stopper is ground for a tight fit. $58.
Recipe 1: Baked Beans
I generally receive several requests to bring my baked beans to summer cookouts. Now I'm sharing my recipe with you. Don't be surprised if you start getting requests for them.
12 oz. bacon
4 29-oz. cans pork and beans
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Kraft BBQ sauce, original
2 T. mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large onion, diced
Fry bacon until barely cooked. Do not make crisp. Remove bacon and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Saute the onions over medium heat in the bacon fat until translucent. Do not allow onions to brown. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and discard remaining fat.
Mix pork and beans, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and onions until well mixed. Add bacon and stir.
Place mixture in a large, shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for at least one hour, preferably two.
Serve warm or cold.
Recipe 2: Hobo Packs
We like to make these when we are camping, but they are a great treat at home, too. The best news - no pots to wash! Just roll up the foil packs and toss them into the trashcan! 1 1/2 pounds top round, bottom round, or sirloin roast, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes 3 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks 6 carrots, pared and quartered 1 pounds small onions, quartered 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 clove garlic 2 onions, thinly sliced 2 ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar ½ tsp. paprika ½ tsp. pepper dash cloves Foil baking bags (or heavy duty foil, folded into pouches) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Divide mixture evenly among bags (at least 2 large bags, but may use up to 6 smaller ones). Seal bags, leaving room for expansion.
Cook in an oven at 400 degrees or over hot coals for 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Serves 6.
Recipe 3: Cheerwine Ice Cream
If you can't get Cheerwine soft drinks in your area, try Cherry Dr. Pepper instead. There's nothing quite like a Cheerwine, but the Cherry Dr. Pepper is the closest thing to it. 3 cups half-n-half 2 cups sugar or Splenda 1 6-oz. jar maraschino cherries with juice, coarsely chopped 6 cups Cheerwine (about ¾ of a 2-liter bottle) Mix first three ingredients in the container of an ice cream freezer. Slowly add the Cheerwine.
Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately.
Stay Cool!
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