Tag Archives: road trip

5 Top Things All Dads Should Know on the Road

Couple reading road map – Image Courtesy of Pexels

There is more to driving than simply going somewhere in your car. There are dangers and situations. So here are some things all dads should know when hitting the road.

Who to Call When It Hits the Fan

A flat tire, engine blowout, or even the dreaded car crash. These are all unfortunate, and you never wish them to happen. But not knowing what to do or who to call can make it far worse. Fortunately, there are companies like Cars Protection Plus that can help. From finding you the best roadside assistance companies to getting your car insured, car protection services can help you out when it comes to managing the worst. When it comes to car protection, it’s best to have and not need than need and not have some valuable services.

Insurance isn’t the only thing you may need to consider when driving on the roads. With populations growing, there are more people on the road and with it more chance of an accident occuring that wasn’t your fault. This means it’s important to know where to find and contact a St. Petersburg car accident attorney or one in your vicinity to help guide you through handling an accident and potentially receive compensation should one occur

How to Drive Safely

You can’t predict what will happen when on the roads. Through no fault of your own, you could experience a vehicle fault or get hit by a drunk driver. But of course, there’s no substitute for driving safely, just as you learned when you first got behind the wheel. Unfortunately, over time, it’s common for people to develop their own bad driving habits. And you mustn’t fall into this trap. Some examples include tailgating, sharp braking, and not using turn signals. If in doubt, use traffic websites to brush up on things, and be a good example for your children and teens.

All Dads Should Know How to Change a Tire

Changing a tire on the roadside is an essential skill when driving. Yet shockingly, one survey in the UK found that 75% of millennials don’t know how. Changing a tire helps you get back on the road as quickly as possible so you can continue your journey. But it also reduces the time spent on the shoulder, meaning you are less likely to become a statistic. Additionally, you will save a ton of money. Calling someone to change a tire for you will cost a considerable amount of out-of-pocket cash. However, even when going through your insurance, it won’t be free.

When to Change Oil and Coolant

Have you ever wondered what those lights on the dashboard are for? They’re the warning lights, so never ignore them. There are tons of warning lights in your car. Engine failure, no fuel, and oil and water. Oil and coolant are essential for your vehicle. Coolant helps keep your engine, well, cool. Engines get hot when you use them, and they can malfunction if they get too hot. You can use water if you have no coolant, but it will run out quicker. Oil is vital for lubricating the moving engine parts. Otherwise, they will overheat or break because of the friction. To make sure your car is running the best it can you should have the engine regularly checked to avoid any common engine misdiagnoses or issues that may impact the car and your safety.

How to Read a Map

Of course, it’s so easy to use Google Maps or something similar to find your way around these days. But a signal or access to a device isn’t always available. So you might have to grab your old dust catcher and navigate as in the olden days. Before GPS technology, only road maps would get you where you needed to be. And they didn’t tell you the best bars along the way. Learning to read a road map isn’t too much of a challenge, and it’s a skill you keep for life. But you will need to take some time to learn it and practice while out on the road.

Summary

Knowing who to call in an unfortunate event, how to change a tire, and reading a map without Google. These are all things every dad should know when venturing out on the open road.

Are We There Yet?: Keeping Kids Happy When Travelling

keeping kids happy, travelling, road trip

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Whether it’s a car journey or a long flight, kids are likely to get bored without things to occupy them. In order to avoid tantrums and the dreaded ‘are we there yet?’ question, why not try some of the travel tricks to help keep your kids happy.

Bring a tablet

By tablets, we don’t mean paracetamol (unless the kids really are giving you a headache). IPads and Galaxy Tabs and other touchscreen devices are the ultimate distraction tool. They can be used to stream bike games or you could even download a few turn-based games for kids to share. They can also be used to stream movies. You can even download audio books and music for them to listen to (you could pack some headphones for them to use so that you can still listen to the radio). It’s more convenient than having to give your kids your phone, which you may need to use for GPS or your own entertainment.

Load up on snacks

In case kids get hungry, it’s worth packing a few snacks. You probably don’t want to pack too many sugary snacks as this could make kids hyper. That said, a couple sweets could be useful for a flight to help combat cabin pressure in the ears during landing. You may have to buy these snacks at the airport after going through security, so make sure you leave yourself enough time after check-in.

Play family games

Journeys can be a great time for family bonding – you could all pass the time by playing games. Obviously, during a car journey you don’t want anything too distracting for the driver – keep to simple games like i-spy and the pub sign car game. When it comes to flights, you may have more option. You can buy small fold-up version of board games like chess, Monopoly and Cluedo that are great for long journeys, as well as card games like solitaire. Bring a selection of games so that you’ve got lots of choice.

Plan toilet breaks

Be strategic when it comes to kids’ toilet breaks. Make sure that your kids use the toilet before boarding the flight as they may not be able to use the toilet on the plane until several minutes after take-off. When it comes to car journeys, stop every two hours and make sure kids use the toilet before getting back in the car – especially if they’ve eaten or drank something. This will prevent you having to deal with agitated kids that are desperate for the toilet.

Keep them cosy

Encourage you kids to nap during the journey by bringing a blanket and pillow. This could be much needed if you’re travelling early in the morning or in the evening and could prevent you having to deal with overtired kids. There are lightweight travel blankets and travel pillows that you can buy that are perfect for such journeys.

A “Second Wind” with Coffee and Our Baby Walks….Kinda

After our “relaxing” day of handing Avery over to strangers while shopping for beer, searching for a giant dog named Polly, and injuring my foot, we were hoping to actually take it easy the next day before heading back home.

Erin’s baby shower wasn’t until early afternoon, so all of us decided to try and find a better coffee shop than the prior day’s disappointment. Kelley, Avery, and I left for the main campus hangout fully expecting to find Starbucks as our only caffeinated option.

Thankfully, we decided to walk/limp (stupid stress fracture) a small loop before heading inside the largest coffee chain. That’s when we stumbled upon a unique coffeehouse named Second Wind.

Photo Provided by their Facebook Page

Intrigued and eager to find something other than Starbucks, we walked inside and were immediately greeted by a kind barista and the best looking menu ever!

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Have you ever seen a place like this? Order anything on the menu and donate if can/want to, but it’s not required. Of course, you’d have to be a big ass to not pay anything to the hard workers, and I actually gave more than I normally would elsewhere.

After the barista filled us in on the business’ history, we ordered our drinks and found a comfy sofa to relax on. I was still in awe of such a fabulous business model and went back up front to pick the barista’s brain. She was really into the place and you could tell she put a lot of effort into every drink she created.

Kelley had a tasty dry, non-fat cappuccino and my first drink was an iced Americano with no cream or sugar. I downed that pretty quick and went back for a double shot espresso with a cup of their drip coffee. Wow, the straight espresso was out of this world fantastic, and after finished this and the cup of coffee, I had a major coffee buzz. Naturally, I had one more Americano and finally called it quits.

Once Sean and Erin arrived with Brooklyn, we all sat and talked a while as we tried to keep our girls contained.

Avery loves eating phones...
Avery loves eating phones…

Emphasis on “tried”….

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Avery was being a bit unruly most of the day and she wasn’t showing signs of letting up anytime soon. Sean tried to calm her with little luck.

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I decided I’d take a shot at keeping Avery from getting too fussy, so it was time to use her flexibility to our advantage. Not sure why, but she gets a “kick” out of having her feet in her face.

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Not that she needs our help, she puts her legs up like this every day all by herself. It makes diaper changes a blast. Sense my sarcasm…

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With our caffeine in full effect, we left the comfortable setting of Second Wind to walk around our old stomping grounds; the OU campus.

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Still beautiful as always. I would’ve enjoyed it more if every limping step I took wasn’t so painful. Despite the pain, we made sure to stop and take happy family photos.

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Well, at least Avery was looking; that’s a win in my book! Sean, Erin, and Brooklyn posed for a snapshot as well.

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The Texas heat had followed us up to Oklahoma, and we were ready to head back to Sean and Erin’s house to relax before the girls went to the baby shower. Sean has been fighting an inured back for months, and with Erin being 35 weeks pregnant and my stress-fractured foot, we joked that Kelley was the only able-bodied person with us. Naturally, she quickly walked ahead and took a shot of her ailing companions…

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Back at their pad, we lounged around as Avery and Brooklyn played around the giant dogs. It’s a blurry picture, but I can’t get over how large Hudson is next to Avery. He’s the sweetest dog, but everywhere I turned, he seemed to be RIGHT THERE, staring.

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Avery’s dress was adorable on her, and I couldn’t help but take several photos. I like this one; what do you think?

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It fits just right and she’ll grow out of it within weeks if not sooner, so I’m glad we captured the moment now. Kelley had her looking snazzy in the dress and she said Avery received many compliments at Erin’s baby shower.

Sean and I hung out in the living room with Brooklyn while the baby shower was in full swing, and once prompted, we jumped in the car to catch the end and reunite with our wives. From there, we were heading back home to Texas, but first we asked for a group a photo. After several attempts and a very moody baby, we settled on this as the best picture….

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Hmmm, everyone smiling but Avery. That’s our daughter!!

In her defense, she had a very short nap and was probably tired from all of the day’s activity. Her drowsiness was apparent the instant we began the 2.5 hour drive back home as she fell asleep right after getting strapped in. That is, until, less than an hour later!

Yep, she woke up earlier than we thought and decided to scream, cry, yell, and just be loud. We normally don’t have the radio on when driving together, and even if we did, it would be pointless trying to listen over the screams.

2.5 hours seemed like an eternity with Avery’s crabbiness and immediately after turning into our driveway, Kelley brought Avery inside to feed her in hopes of calming her down. My wife, being the wonderful mother she is, gets very worked up when Avery is crying with an apparent need, so I know it was driving her crazy for the entire ride.

We planned on catching an episode of Orange is the New Black that night, but it was almost midnight by the time we were settled, and Kelley knew she wouldn’t stay awake. So we pushed it off for the next night and called it a day…..a very long day.

I’m not sure what caused Avery’s extreme fussiness that day, but we can see a new tooth that has pushed through. So, obviously, like any parent would do, we’re going to say teething is to blame!

Have you ever been to a “donations only” type of restaurant?

As a parent, to you find generic reasons to blame on your kid’s moodiness?