How’s it going?

Since I shared about the prep and organization I did before leaving, I thought an update after living in the car for a week would be good. We’ve traveled over 2,600 miles and here’s how things are working:

• Snack bag: the individually bagged snacks are perfect. They have not only worked perfectly for the car, but I’ve been able to grab several baggies and throw them in packs for our hikes.
• Shower caddy: very helpful to have everything in one place but it was too heavy carrying it in and out of hotels. I lightened it up by putting some of the lotions or extra bits into a suitcase.
• Travel kitchen: this has been the best! Although we’ve had over 30 meals on the road, we’ve only had fastfood drive thru twice. Taking advantage of free hotel breakfasts and having a cooler we keep cold each day from ice at the hotels has helped immensely. We’ve stopped at markets and purchased cheeses and meats, fruits and veggies. We’ve even picked fruit in a National Park! Some of my favorite moments have been picnic meals wherever we are. Having the travel kitchen means we have plates, utensils, a knife and cutting board wherever we go.

This picnic started like this:

And ended like this thanks to a thunderstorm.

Extra toy bin: we wanted the girls to keep their car entertainment bags light and small knowing we’d be getting in and out of the car frequently. They pretty much are limited to a book, journal, coloring, and an iPad at their feet. However, we packed a small bin with extra books, games, and toys. They’ve only gotten into it a couple of times but it’s nice to be able to rotate out things to do.

Medical kit: this one is always good. And other than bandaids and bug bite cream, it’s stayed in the car.

Laundry kit: we’ve now done laundry twice even though it wasn’t due to lack of clothes. The laundry has been thanks to very high temps, hikes, and a lot of red dirt on everything.

Swim tote: I’m not sure if I had mentioned this before, but we have a tote that includes suits, towels, goggles, and sunscreen. It’s come in handy- especially not having to dig swimsuits out of suitcases.

Overall, things are going smoothly, kids have been happy and patient, and we’re loving our adventure. We should pass the 3,000 mile mark today!