Thanks to Google for the photo.  Our cats won’t pose like these. 
I don’t think these presents will stand a chance up against these two. 

Never before at Christmas time have I ever had the gifts wrapped before midnight on Christmas morning.   Often hubby and I  were both bleary-eyed when our three boys woke up to open presents.  Where is the coffee? 
This afternoon my youngest went out with one of his brothers and I had over six hours to my self.
 
I thought I could clean the tub and take a hot bath without expecting someone to come bursting to ask if I had seen this or that.  And then, I heard an angel chorus….I could get all the Christmas presents wrapped!  I could even use the big table and not have to hide in our bedroom.  I wouldn’t have to lean over the bed, wrapping on top of the comforter; having to be careful not to cut fabric when I cut the wrapping paper. 

After about 3 hours, Pete and Sam called to say they were on their way home…”Did I need anything?”  “Yes,” I shouted, “I need you to stay gone two more hours!”  Sam wanted to know if I was wrapping stuff for him…he wants a razor skooter…the kind that sparks.  “No,” I said, “I don’t think there’s anything here for you yet.” 
Five hours later, I had everything wrapped…including the skooter….buried behind the tree.  Stocking stuffers are in five separate bags, ready to go when my family is down for the night.  I have a  new bottle of cough syrup to go in my stocking.  The kitty treats and toys are in their own gift bags.  

When hubby got home from work and the boys returned from the movies we had bowls of Superbowl Soup (shameless plug for past post) and corn bread.  I still haven’t asked what movie they saw, (maybe I don’t want to know) while enjoyed two more hours of wrapping in peace. 

This evening I walked past the tree.  There hiding underneath was AJ, with her face buried in her gift bag. 
Even she can’t wait for Christmas.

Photo credit:  Jim McQuire:  Pumpkins in Snow

I was looking for a new recipe for dessert this Thanksgiving. 
I came across this one, which I have tweaked a bit. 
It is like those “Dump Cakes” of the 1970’s.  I have the one in the oven right now.   Wish you could smell it baking 

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 ounce can Libby’s canned pumpkin
1 box yellow cake mix, any brand
1 cup melted butter

Prepare the pumpkin according to label instructions, using only one can of evaporated milk.  I also used only 1 cup sugar as the cake mix is very sweet.  Pour the pumpkin mixture into a greased 13 x 9 pan.  I recommend using Baker’s Joy or similar product.  Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture, then carefully drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix. 

You can sprinkle with 1 cup chopped nuts if you wish, but our extended family is crazy enough already. 

Bake at 325 for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.  When completely cooled top servings with real whipped cream.  Refrigerate any leftovers….what leftovers? 

When I serve this, I will warm it up slightly, I think it is better slightly warmed. 

Enjoy.

This is one of those recipes that you find on the back of the box of sugar. 
I have a fabulous cook book that I bought 20 years ago called:
Best Recipes From the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars.  by Cecil Dyer 1989

Since it is nearly Thanksgiving in the States, I thought it was time for another great recipe with pecans. 
I’m the only one who likes pecans in my family so I’m glad these freeze well. 

1 cup packed C & H Pure Cane Golden Brown Sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish.  In medium bowl, beat sugar and shortening until fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Spread batter in baking dish.  Bake 25 minutes.  Cut into 2×1 inch bars. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.  Make a fresh pot of coffee – I’ll be right over!

Thanks to Family Fun Magazine for the photo and C & H Pure cane sugar for the recipe.

How many people clean out their medicine cabinet/storage/cardboard box of medicines regularly? 
I do.  Twice a year, usually at the fall and spring time changes.  Keep those snide anti “Martha Stewart” comments to yourselves.  This really is important. 

How many times have you been “sick as a dog” only to find that the flu/cold medicine or worse yet, that the Pepto Bismol has separated into two murky looking halves in one bottle?  Ever wonder why the prescription medication you took did not work and you find yourself sicker than when you took it?  Check your expiration dates.

It is a lovely, late summer day here behind the Orange Curtain.  Our heat wave seems to be ending, finally.  My youngest son and I are comtemplating a trip to the movies to see “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”  As he passed by me this morning, I reached over to rub his still, soft back with my hand. 
Hot.  Mom-Radar on Red Alert. 
I headed for our medicine cabinet – the linen closet in the bedroom hallway.  Armed with the digital thermometer and the Motrin, I returned to Sam.  His temperature is 102.2; he gets a dose of Motrin.

I consider Motrin to be the big guns…what I use first, when the fever is over 100 degrees.  When Sam was little and when my first three sons were under 8, I could tell you within a degree what their temperature was by feeling their upper back (between the shoulder blades) with my hand.  I don’t know if that is a marketable talent or not.  It may fall under “Mother of the Year” headings.  I remember the years when the boys would spike a high fever and I would be on watch 24/7, giving them what I affectionately called the Motrin/Tylenol cocktail.  (You can’t order that in your local pub.) 

I spent the next 30 minutes on the phone with the pediatrician’s office and Urgent Care.  They advised that if his temperature did not drop two degrees within 30-45 minutes I should bring him in immediately.  Otherwise, he should be seen in the office on Monday.  Urgent Care told me their office was filled with kids with flu like symptoms and I think I am asking for more trouble if I take him there.

While I waited to take his temperature again, my mother called.  This event, her phone call, can often have many options…ranging from pleasant to downright exhausting.  You never know who you are going to get, and she wasn’t born in June.  (My apologies to my Gemini readers.) 
I know that when I tell my mother that Sam has a fever, she will be calling ever 45 minutes to an hour.  You would think that he was my first born and only a few months old.  While we are talking she tells me about a recall of Tylenol, she heard about on the news  She has a great disdain for computers, but advises me to check to find out what product was recalled. 

I click on Google and enter the key word Tylenol.  Up pops the first item regarding a product recall.  It’s not dated three years ago.  Crud. 
I run down the list of products and here’s the Tylenol suspension liquid.  (Sam hates to swallow pills.)  I find my reading glasses and dial the number for the company.  The lot numbers of the products recalled are not listed on the site.  Could there be too many to list?  Could they want to know how many offending bottles of the product are out there? 

The customer service representative determined that the almost empty bottle of Tylenol I am holding is one that was recalled.  The other bottle, that I keep in my brief case, (should I get an emergency call from Sam’s school that he is sick and has a fever) is one of the unaffected products judging by the code.  The rep gets the necessary information to send me a coupon for a free bottle.  She also tells me that a doctor on staff with Johnson & Johnson will call me within 24 hours.  That’s very nice I tell her, but really not necessary. 
Ps – We love your baby shampoo. 

Another bit of information that she gave me was the following website with instructions for what to do with those bottles of pills and cough syrups, etc that have expired. 

Sam’s fever has dropped 2 degrees and he thinks this video looks like fun.  We’re going to go and clean out the medicine cabinet now.  He can’t wait to crush the expired pills.  I’ve got an industrial size bottle of Tylenol PM…it’s large enough to medicate a small city… It expired last December. 

http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/

If you click on the link, you can watch a video, or just read the following directions. 

A few small steps can make an important difference in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment.
Follow your medication prescriber’s instructions and use all medications as instructed. If you do not use all of your prescribed or over-the-counter medication, you can take a few small steps to make a huge impact in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment by disposing of unused medicines properly:

1. DO NOT FLUSH unused medications and DO NOT POUR them down a sink or drain. *
   • Pour medication into a ziploc plastic bag.  If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), crush it and add water to dissolve it.
   • Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag.
   • Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash. 
   • Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away.
2. Be Proactive and Dispose of Unused Medication In Household Trash. When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects:
3. Check for Approved State and Local Collection Programs. Another option is to check for approved state and local collection alternatives such as community based household hazardous waste collection programs. In certain states, you may be able to take your unused medications to your community pharmacy or other location for disposal.
4. Consult your pharmacist with any questions.

Wow! 
About 13 months ago I started blogging. 
I now have 100 posts.  Woo Hoo!  Throw some confetti and cut the cake. 

When my boys were in elementary school the 100th day of school was a BIG deal. 
Their assignment was to count out 100 pennies, 100 fishy crackers, 100 crayons…you get the idea, and bring their 100 items to school. 
It was a big celebration.  Sometimes they even made hats.  One of the boys’ teachers was hung up on hats. 

Frankly, I’ve always suspected that the day was actually a bribe for the teachers….”Hey staff, Look!  You’ve only got 80 days left!  You can hang on a little longer with the Stuart boys, can’t you?  Their mom always brings in those good brownies about this time of the year…you can do it!” 

Really, my boys are charming. 
The first three…that I am not allowed to blog about…have turned into remarkable young men. 
We are very proud. 

This last one is coming along…I know the jury is still out…but I have high hopes and sore knees from spending a great deal of time in prayer over this one.  The last one….he throws off the class curve…I sometimes thought they just hung on to him for the boost in their STAR ratings…if there is such a thing. 

100 posts. 
It is a big deal. 
I’m happy to say that the content has gone in other directions and didn’t stay focused on Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
It’s just that “once you are onto it” as Planetjan says…you want to share what you know. 
We want to debunk the mysterious persona that the N tried to create.  Seriously, he’s full of hot air.

Since we planned a road trip for late July, we knew that we had to purchase & pack the sunscreen. 
It was very hot and we managed to get tanned through the windshield. 
Next time – Think tinted windows.  
I had forgotten that Yosemite gets that hot in July and August.  We camped there for two weeks, one June. 
It was hot but the mosquito’s were worse…think sunscreen and bug spray….

While we live in a state that deeply appreciates it’s tourists, Hubby’s and my least favorite things are sunscreen, no deoderant and amusement parks.  We purposely boycott the “unhappiest place on earth” during the summer months just for those reasons….you’d have to add the admission price in as well…no, don’t even get me started on that. 

Sunscreen has never been my favorite beauty product.  I don’t like the smell, the way it makes my skin feel, the occasional allergic reaction to the chemicals, did I mention the smell?  Oh, now don’t preach…my skin no where near resembles shoe leather. 
Quite the opposite.; because I simply stay out of the sun.  And don’t start in about the unseen damage that the sun can do to our skin….I’ve had the sun damage test done and there really isn’t any. 
Really annoyed the doctor, I did.  (Where did the Yoda accent come from?) 
Anyway.  Let me tell you about some suncreens my family recommends. 
Our favorite sunscreen this trip was:  

Hawaiian Tropic Baby Faces & Tender Places Sunblock -

It has the 50 SPF  reccommended  by The Skin Cancer Foundation, and comes in a spray/ stream bottle. 
There were several things that we liked about this product. 
One, the scent.  It was has a soft baby scent.  It doesn’t blaringly yell and wave…”I’m wearing sunscreen!”   
(For you manly men, don’t worry, the baby soft scent does not last very long.  Hubby wears it and he’s got line backer shoulders.)
Two, was the spray/stream bottle.  You can spray/squirt it exactly where you want it.  It doesn’t pour out more than you want like some products.  The most important reason was the recommendation by the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

 Coppertone Water Babies 45SPF - 

We liked this one as well, but the drawback is the lotion/liquid.  It pours out too quickly, and it reminded me too much of the sunscreens of the 70’s and 80’s.  You know, that sunscreen smell.  This is one would be great for Mother’s beach or the  pool where you need  frequent re-applications.  I liked that it was the #1 brand recommended by pediatricians.  Even as cynical as I am, I would like to think that pediatricians are not getting a kickback from Coppertone. 

 Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 70 with Helioplex recommended by the Am. Cancer Society -

This is a very good sunscreen; the one that I used the most.  When applied to the skin it does not leave a greasy feel.  It is good for the delicate areas of the face and does not clog pores.  Every one’s  nose got a dose of this in the desert. 

 Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Sunblock gel SPF 45 with Helioplex recc by the American Cancer Society -

Another product that we liked by Neutrogena.  This one is really good for a second or third application throughout the day.  I used this several times on my upper arms that were getting too much sun through the windows.  The gel cools warm skin when it is applied.  It’s pleasant and refreshing and it doesn’t feel like you have on sunscreen. 

Banana Boat Sport Performance Broad Spectrum AvoTriplex SPF 50 Recc by the Skin Cancer Foundation -

The boys really liked this brand.  There was no strong sunscreen smell and it was readily absorbed, not leaving their skin oily. 
They use it whenever they are going biking or have a sporting event during the day.  Hubby slathered this all over his white knees and his farmer tanned arms several times a day.

But, the most important thing to remember is to apply your sunscreen.  Don’t count on a hat to keep you covered. 

Hubby’s first view of the Grand Canyon left him slack-jawed for about ten minutes.
Sam couldn’t believe how far down it was to the floor of the canyon, and I didn’t remember how awe- inspiringly-beautiful it was.
(Is that a word? It should be.)   
The Nintendo DS stayed in the car. 
The storm that had been chasing us was circling back around.  After about 30 minutes the thunder and lightening started.  Sam watched a bolt of lightening strike miles across the canyon.  It was then that we decided it was time to head for the lodge. 

You know how when you sleep in a bed other than your own it’s hard to drift off right away? 
Not for Hubby and I. 
Sam, it was another story.  Of course, he’d slept 6 + hours in the back seat so he read for awhile. 
He found the bible that the Gideons left in a drawer. 
Revelations. 
Seriously. 
Maybe it’s the video games, maybe it’s the generation, but his attitude is – “Bring it On!” 
Oh.
And, he loves the ending. 
He finally turned off the light around midnight but not before he hummed us a couple of songs from his last orchestra recital. 

The next morning it was beautiful outside, not a cloud in the sky.  At the Red Feather Lodge, when we were there they had continental breakfast tickets they gave us at check-in.  At the lodge’s restaurant, “Cafe Tusayan” they offer either a continental breakfast or $5.50 off your breakfast chosen from the menu.  It was delicious and filling.  Our top piece of advice would be to pick a hotel that offers a breakfast in the morning.  Several of the hotels where we stayed offered this benefit. 

After breakfast our plan was to drive around the park and see as much as we could by car.  Sam wanted to take in the IMAX theatre showing of “The Grand Canyon.”  We had a coupon for 10% off…$7.00 for a party of 6.  How much does this movie cost, anywat?  We ended up not going, we’ve seen the IMAX movies about Yellowstone & Mt Saint Helen’s. 
Hubby told Sam…”The Grand Canyon is spread out before us, who wants to see a movie?”  Apparently Sam did.  But he got over it. 

We invite you to view some of our photos of the Grand Canyon, while you listen to a favorite singer of our family. 
The song fits perfectly.  If the name Steven Curtis Chapman sounds familiar, it is because besides Steven being a DOVE award winning song writer, singer and composer, the Chapman family suffered a severe loss 15 months ago when one of their daughters died in a tragic accident at their home.  Keep this family in your prayers. 

I am cheating – you saw this one in a previous post. 

 Who needs a DS right now. 

That elusive lightening got away again. 

Glad there were no snakes hiding in here.

Years ago we traveled like we were hippies from the 60’s….a VW vanagon….wherever the road took us….wherever the wind blew…with no hotel reservations.  We weren’t total rebels…we got maps from AAA. 
Then. 
We had kids.  
It’s hard to be “free as a bird” with one in diapers, one barely potty trained and one who loved to flush toilets. 
But, we were thrilled to have had our “wings clipped.” 

We’re not in our 20’s anymore; as Sam would be quick to tell you.  We’re old.
It’s not that fun to sleep in the car anymore….we did that recently when we arrived at a camp site too late in the evening to set up our tent. 
We groaned, creaked and cracked for hours the next morning.  Where’s the Motrin? 
We like our comforts…bed…pillows…hot coffee.  We have a 12 yr old, who is very fond of electricity and sleeping in a bed…usually ours. Regardless of our now deep seated desire for creature comforts, I wasn’t worried about not having hotel reservations for our upcoming trip adventure. 

With just one son at home, we decided it was time once again to undertake that time honored tradition of a family vacation by car. 
This time it wasn’t a “V- DUB” it was a rented KIA.  We had casually mapped out our route.  The Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Mono Lake & Yosemite National Park.  I wasn’t worried about making reservations. 

“Who goes to the Grand Canyon in July?” I asked.
“It’s not like we’re going to Zion National Park on Mother’s Day….”  (Now there’s a story I must share sometime.) 
“There are plenty of hotels around Yosemite!  It’s not like we’re going to be camping there. 
They keep saying on the news that everyone is having a ‘Staycation’ this year.  It’ll be fine…..” 

Yes, I have your family booked for our last available room Mrs. Stuart. 

As we were packing the car, Sam repeatedly asked me, “Where are we staying our first night, mom?”  Lying through my teeth I said, “Outside the Grand Canyon.”  Sam really wasn’t satisfied with that answer, he wanted the hotel name and confirmation number.  But he was so excited that he barely slept the night before and we left at 4 AM the following morning.  Outside Corona CA, after pancakes and Dramamine, Sam was out.

We left CA and entered AZ.  Sam slept through gas stops, potty stops and a drive-thru visit to DQ. 
At a scenic overlook when I got out of the car, I remembered one of our favorite sayings from the road…”But it’s a DRY heat…” 
I found two lovely Navajo women there, selling turquoise jewelery.  Decades ago at a similar stop, I bought a necklace with a three inch chunk of the stone.  I didn’t find anything nearly as large this time. 

All the way to Williams, Arizona, the Great Spirit in the Sky treated us to one His magnificent lightening storms. 
In fact, we were followed all 6 days by fantastic displays of God’s pyrotechnics.  Seems there was a storm just circling around AZ, UT, NV and Northern CA. 

After we had been driving for sometime through AZ, I thought I’d better find us a room for the night.   The Arizona AAA Tour Book was a great resource.  The first hotel I called wanted $250.00 for the night.  Hubby wanted to know if that room came with someone to scrub your back in the shower and then tuck you in for the night.  I told the girl at the reservations desk that I would call her back. 

As I continued to peruse through the hotel listings, there was a particularly loud clap of thunder.  With the possibility of sleeping in the car becoming a reality, I quickly called one of my next choices….The Red Feather Lodge, just about 2 miles outside the south entrance to the park.  I had to practically stand on my head in the KIA (not an easy task to be sure) to get cell reception.  I finally reached reservations for the hotel by holding my head just so, while we barrelled along at 70 MPH. 
“When would you be visiting us?” the girl asked.  “Tonight,” I said. 
She put me on hold so that I would not hear her laughing.  After what seemed like an eternity she came back on the line and requested my credit card number.  It seems the Stuart family had gotten THE last room at the Red Feather Lodge.  www.redfeatherlodge.com

Sam was jarred awake by a deep rumble of thunder.  He was so excited by the light show and preceded to refresh our education regarding weather, storms, lightening and thunder.  There were fantastic jagged bolts of lightening every 5-10 seconds in the clouds in front of us.  I tried in vain to photograph one of them;  I finally quit and just enjoyed the show.

When we reached Williams, Arizona, Sam spotted a Pizza Hut.  The Hut in Arizona is nothing like CA.  They had a salad bar, you could pick individual orders of pasta, and the kids working there were very sweet.  Sorry, if I’m stepping on toes.  After our meal we headed for our hotel.  The hotel was very nice and the staff accommodating.  We got our luggage in the room and then headed for into the park for Sam &  Hubby’s first glimpse of the Grand Canyon…live and in person. 
It seemed like it was the first time I had seen it too.  The ten minutes when I was a tween with Teddy and Grandma, was a long time ago. 
(See Clustr Maps:  Connect the Dots!  Part I)

During one of those cross country trips when I was a tween one of the 8 tracks that we played a lot was an Nat King Cole album. 
There was one song in particular that popped back in my head during our recent whirlwind tour of National Parks.  When we were in Williams, Arizona, I saw this sign and I couldn’t stop singing the song.  Sam thought I was nuts.  Since I am a mom, I guess he thinks that anyway.

The 8 track tape has been long since donated to the Smithsonian so I don’t know the title of the album it appeared on, but I managed to find it on youtube….They have EVERYTHING! 

Years ago I read an article called “Taking the High Road with Three under 3.”  I remember thinking those parents had to be crazy!  Our first 3 were 5 and under, but still,  Hubby and I were just never that adventurous; traveling with my kids always made me think of some complex military operation….without the benefit of a logistic command post.
With just one child at home now, we decided that it was time to undertake that time honored tradition of a family vacation by car. 
Having completed a whirl wind tour of 4 states – 3 national parks, one state park and a cave in 6 days, I feel somewhat qualified to share my advice on some of those must haves for a smooth trip.

AAA
If you are going to undertake a vacation by car, then I would first suggest a stop at AAA.  The membership fee is well worth it.  We have been members for over 25 years. I have never encountered anything but polite, informative representatives.  They had me on my way with Tour books, maps and my personal favorite…the Trip-Tik in a matter of 30 minutes.  On my way to my car, I began to wax nostalgic thinking back to the days when my family drove cross country and I was the navigator.  The difference for Sam will be that we actually pull over and stop at the points of interest. 

RENTAL CARS
A little advice on renting a car:   
Two weeks ago we went to reserve a small to mid size SUV to take National Park hopping.  When you reserve your car, make sure that your rep is on the SAME page as you are. 
When we returned to pick up our rental car, she had us down to be picking up the vehicle on Thursday evening, not Wednesday evening, and had nothing suitable for us.  Hubby was reserved enough not to choke the living daylights out of her.  We drove to a competitor in the rental car business and when we mentioned where we had just been, the young man said, “Oh, the B word.  We get a lot of business from them.” 
We personally will never speak the “B word” again, because the customer service rep at the “E word” found us a KIA Rondo and we were on our way home to load up in a matter of 20 minutes.  What a great car with wonderful gas mileage.  70 MPH, through the desert at 110 degrees with the air conditioning on full blast and neither the temperature nor the gas gauge even wiggled. 

PACKING YOUR VEHICLE
Once we were home with the car we started packing.  The Rondo has this great luggage area in back where you can store water underneath, and did we ever.  By the end of the trip we had gone through a case from Costco. 
We have a list of things that we think no one should do without on a road trip. I’ve made up a blank of it and we keep a copy to check off as we go along. 
Car equipment emergency stuff – that is more of a “boy” thing and luckily it came with the car. 
Blankets – Those lightweight acyclic throws are great. 
Windex/Paper Towels – our rental car arrived with a ‘delightful aroma’ of cigarette smoke.  After cleaning all the windows, the smell all but vanished. 
Tissues & daily medications
Travel coffee mugs -  Yeah, it’s nice to get one from the National Park, but at $18.00 a mug, it adds up. 
Grocery sacks, Green shopping bags - are great for souvenirs, to hold snacks and are great to use to bring in the last load of stuff you don’t want to leave in your car overnight at a hotel. 
Pillows – this goes without saying.  We are all creatures of habit at my house.
Water - Did I mention water?  Pack several bottles in the ice chest along with ICE & maybe some orange juice, yogurt, fruit and snack cheeses.  Our Rubbermaid cooler has a neat plastic mesh tray to hold small things like these.  (FYI – Small packages of M & M’s are sealed in paper wrappers.  When introduced to the melted water in the ice chest, they liquefy.  This produces hostile travelers.)  Be sure to tuck a pillow next to the cooler to keep the sun at bay.  You’ll be surprised at how long the ice will last. 
Snacks- peanut butter, crackers, cereals.  Whatever are the things you can’t do without, we even had tea bags and coffee.  The insulated bags that Costco sells worked great for all the snacks.  Be sure to bring paper napkins and a few pieces of plastic ware., or just use those a fore  mentioned paper towels.  
(FYI – It is possible to spread peanut butter with a spoon going  70 MPH through the desert, just watch those curves.)
Diaper wipes- Get a travel size package of Huggies wipes ($2.59) to keep in the glove compartment.  You can use them to wipe the sunscreen off your hands after having to re-apply for the third time….the Rondo did not have tinted windows.  Wipes will also get the melted M & M’s off the upholstery of the back seat of the rental car when you stop for the night in Utah…can’t imagine how that happened. 
Speaking of sunscreen – I will have a post devoted to our favorite brands of sun protection. 
Reflective dashboard shade – okay, you cannot take a trip without one of these.  While you’re at it, bring along a few of those binder paper clips.  This kept me from frying in the desert sun.  Mental note…get a car with tinted windows for next time. 
Entertainment for the back seat- Sam was set with a portable DVD player, movies, his Nintendo DS, CD’s, travel games & math puzzles. 
We listened to every Harry Potter movie that has been released on DVD.   Speaking of the back seat, if your kids are prone to motion sickness bring the Dramamine.  Sam was so excited that he woke us up at 2:45 am when it was time to leave.  Tiredness combined with the medicine produced a very quiet backseat. 
Technology- Don’t forget the digital cameras, memory cards, music CD’s, cell phones, car chargers, camera chargers, video camera….

Did Ansel Adams travel like this?