Can I start by saying how much I love music? It really is wonderful, and can be such a balm to my soul. And when my kids start going crazy or life gets out of control, it is amazing to me what a flip of the stereo switch can do for us all.
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Problem is, my van stereo system is broken, there is a loose wire somewhere (kinda like my head somedays, huh?) It's been hit and miss for a while. When the van started you would have lovely (or lively) music to soothe and distract from sibling rivalry, and then the van would hit a bump or something and suddenly it was quiet... for a few moments and then the kids would find something to argue about, and peace efforts were suspended.
I miss my stereo. Some kids music, some contemporary praise music, some Seeds Family Worship... even a little bit of Adventures in Odyssey goes a long way to getting us to our destination with siblings still loving each other and having mommy in her right mind. It also wards off the complaints of "I'm bored..." (that's a whole other problem... when did kids get so easily bored?)
Because of this, I am very likely to take my husband's car any chance I get these days. It's old and small and I feel like I'm driving on the floor after being up in my minivan, but it has music, so I'll take it! If I only have one or two kids... or if I'm escaping by myself, I will fall into his rusting old Alero, ignore the clanks and clunks and crank that radio loud. Now, his tape deck (yes, tape deck) and CD player aren't an option anymore, but I can still get the radio. When the kids are with me, it's usually KLove, or Family Life Network
but (CONFESSION TIME), when I'm all by myself... it's the COUNTRY station!!!
Community Conversation: How do you entertain the kids in the car (every trip we take is at least 20 minutes)? and for the fun of it... Are you a country music fan? What song/artist do you love?
I'm sure there is a spiritual lesson to be found in this somewhere. When I figure it out, maybe I'll get another blog post out of it! :)
I don't need to entertain littles any more mine are 19 & 17 - but when they were younger they travelled really well. I filled a tote that sat on the seat between them with toys, games, colouring, books and snacks that they didn't have to ask for they could just eat when they were hungry. They also had a Fisher Price tape deck and they would listen to Adventures, or the Disney Stories or Sharon, Lois & Bram over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI love country music - adore it - Fav artists are Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, The Civil Wars, Little Big Town, Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash. I usually listen to public radio (CBC in Canada) when I'm in the car though - it helps me stay current with what's going on in the world!
Love the travel tote idea for trips. We have used that occasionally!
Deleteand I get my current news from twitter, haha! :)
When the girls were little we would usually be really silly in the car for short trips. My bookworm usually had a book with her if we had a trip of a more than ten minute duration. For longer trips they had things to read, a few toys and colored pencils with paper.
ReplyDeleteCountry music is fun on occasion. I like southern gospel, so it's only natural that I might dabble in country music, right? :-)
My older two love to read for most trips... I can't keep the library stash full enough for them!!
DeleteSouthern gospel is some good country, isn't it! :)
I was force fed country music as a child. I've been to more Mickey Gilley, Conway Twitty, and Statler Brothers concerts than you can imagine (although I LOVE the Statler Brothers). So, now, not so much a fan of country music - some is okay. We listen to a lot of Christian music and for long trips we use the dvd player. Okay, we use it on not so long trips, too.
ReplyDeleteSo funny, I grew up on oldies and country music was of the devil. My hubby introduced me to country music while we were dating! and ipads have become our go to entertainment for long trips :)
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