Help, medical emergency with kids on board!

Following on from my last Post Road Trip to England with little ones on Board,  On the way back to SW France, we decided to pay a visit to our cousins in Brittany.  After all, it’s sort of on the way home isn’t it?  WRONG! It was actually more than 600km detour.  Still, my parents were traveling with us with my brother and cousin – it would be fun.

I was traveling with the 3 little ones in the back (James 9, Luc 6 and Frankie 3) and my second eldest Ryan (17) in the front.  We followed the camper van – it was a bit slow but we’d decided to stick together until lunchtime and then I’d speed off in my car and get there quicker.  Within about 45 minutes my Dad pulled over into an aire and I followed.  My cousin Ginny was feeling sick.  They thought it was the fumes from the hydrogen converting contraption my Dad had set up in the back of the camper to reduce fuel consumption (don’t ask).  It was decided that it was better that Ginny travel with me, and Ryan (my very capable and sensible son) travel with them in the Camper.  The reasoning was it would be a more comfortable ride for Ginny (reclining leather seats, air con etc) and we could get her home quicker.  It has to be said at this point that Ginny had a serious operation earlier this year and was still recovering from the affects of it.  

Road trip to England with Littles Ones on board

For those of you who followed my plea for help with 16 hour Road Trip alone with 3 young children, here’s how I got on.

Well, our 16 hour road trip turned into 2 days.  Following some good advice, I decided to break the trip up and stop over night about half way.  Also, I wasn’t totally alone – I had Elena our au pair with me, but I was the only driver.

Largely the journey there went well – better than I had anticipated.  The journey home, well that’s another story, (Coming soon....”My nightmare journey from England to Brittany” or “Make way for harassed Mum – this is an medical emergency!”).  But, going back to the journey there... the first day they were all excited, they watched a DVD, had a sleep.  Packing up a bag with snacks and drinks was a good idea as it stopped the inevitable “I’m hungry/thirsty” - I made sure to pack it with healthy snacks as we didn’t need any sugary things to make them more hyper than they naturally already were.  The Road Trip Bingo game went down well.  I’d printed off some forms off the internet with pictures of things you might see on a journey and the kids had to cross them off as they saw them.  Well that is until the 2 boys got overly competitive towards the end of the game.  They were both waiting on seeing a jogger (you don’t see many on the motorway).  Finally Elena saw one and pointed it out to Luc.  “Yes, I’ve seen a jogger, I’ve won, I've won!” shouted Luc.  “No, that’s not fair” said James, “it wasn’t you, it was Elena”.  Oh well, it did keep them quiet for a while.

16 hour road trip alone with 3 young children, Help!

I need help - I’m trying to plan a 16 hour car journey with my 3 youngest children (9, 6 and 3).  In 3 weeks I’ll be setting off on the nearly 1200km journey from our home in South West France to visit family in South East England.  My husband is staying here to hold the fort and so I’m journeying as the sole driver with James 9 – who’s incredibly good unless he’s bored, when he turns into the biggest teaser and tormentor of his younger brother Luc who needs no encouragement whatsoever.  Luc is the cheekiest, liveliest, most hot tempered, noisiest, “boy-est”, lovable, toothless 6 year old you could ever wish to meet.  The youngest, Frankie, is 3 going on 13 and she is the stubbornest, sweetest, winiest, cutest, tallest, girliest child I know.  Individually they are brilliant kids, but together they spell BIG TROUBLE. 

What am I thinking of?  Even 10 minute journeys to the supermarket turn into major battlefields.  Luc’s kicking James, James is hitting Luc over the head, Frankies trying to avoid the blows.  Or, Frankie’s singing the most annoying made up song in the world and Luc’s joining in, James is screaming at them to stop and the more he screams the louder they sing.  I start off with “Come on, stop it now please”, progressing to a slightly firmer “That’s enough now”, to a more irritated “Will you pack it in”, to a slightly crazed “If you don’t stop it I’m going to turn round and go home”, to a final crescendo of “SHUUUUUUT UPPPPPP!”  Sometimes my screams do the trick, but rarely for long and I’m sure they’re doing me no good at all.