The huswife's guide to

Our family made a recent cross-country road trip to visit some relatives. The destination? The town I grew up in where the oldest three children were born - we moved away from just shy of two years ago. It's been an emotional week for us but the most taxing part has to be the 16 hour drive each way. I do admit while my children travel very well there were still 5 of them. Here's some of the ways we made it to and from our destination with some sanity left.

First of all, relax.

It really is going to be OK. It might take a little longer than you had planned, you might have to listen to a lot of screaming, and you might feel like driving off a cliff but before you know it the trip will all be over and you'll start planning something for next summer... Don't we ever learn...

Plan ahead

As soon as you start planning the trip start a checklist of everything you need to bring. If you're leaving in the morning don't wait until the last minute to pack up the car, it's always going to take longer than you think. The night before get everything loaded into the car including blankets, toys, and anything the kids need. Lay clothes out the night before. Anything you can't bring out until the morning should be put somewhere handy so you can find it. Go over your list.

Explain your expectations beforehand

Before we even pull out of the driveway I give the kids a rundown of what's expected of them and what they should anticipate during the upcoming drive. Some of my rules include that I get to pick the movie so there's no fighting, we don't ask for snacks at convenience stores, and do not constantly ask me for food. There are also some basic stuff like no yelling, fighting, kicking, and other typical kid behaviour. I get more lax on these rules once we've been travelling for over 6 hours and they basically go out the window when I'm trying to keep everyone calm around hour 12.

Be ready to stop... A lot

Most kids will need to use the bathroom every 2 hours or so. If it's getting close to the 2 hour mark and you have a good place to stop take advantage of it - it will take less time than hunting for a bathroom later. Ideally, make your stops at parks or other areas the kids can have some space to run around. This is especially true when travelling with kids of various ages including babies so they have something to do while you feed the infant. If you're going in the winter time fast food playplaces are your friend. We also carry a potty in case our toddler must go on the side of the road.

Embrace the technology

Long road trips are a good time to make an exception on your screen time limits. DVD players, portable devices like the ipad, handheld game systems, or even electronic writing boards can keep kids occupied. Look for stuff that doesn't require your help to operate and games with lasting power. If you have a couple of kids multiplayer games are a good way to help them interact without having the space to play.

Keep the same routine

Little ones who normally need a special blanket, toy, or ritual before bed might struggle to sleep in the car if these aren't present. Make sure to pack these items and have them ready just around naptime so they can fall asleep on their regular schedule. It's also important to make sure the kids eat somewhat healthy foods around their regular meal times so help prevent the low blood sugar tantrums. Of course you'll never be able to keep kids completely on their regulars schedule so be prepared for some battles.

Have a few new tricks up your sleeve

A couple new toys, books, or games that you know your kids will be interested pulled out at just the right time can break up the monotony of a long car trip. If you have a DVD player new movies are always a hit. Older kids can also enjoy some low key games like travel bingo and filling out mad libs while the little ones might prefer something like a small tub of play dough or magnetic drawing pad. It's also not a bad idea to pack a few treats along with your normal snacks to offer at gas stations so the kids are asking for overpriced crap.

Pack extra

Take the time you think it will take to get there and pack for about double when it comes to consumables like food, drinks, diapers, formula, and so on. When it comes to things that your kids are dependent on, like pacifiers, make sure to grab a few spares for when one rolls under the seat or goes missing in a gas station. Make sure you have one pair of clothing for ever 2-3 hours of your journey especially if your kids are newly potty trained or infants.

Play with your kids

If you're travelling with two adults that makes this one a lot easier. Games like hangman can be played from the front seat and things like travel checkers and other turn based ones can be passed back and forth. You can also pick up a multiplayer game to join in on (Mario Party DS anyone?) or even read them a book. If you're driving you can still play i-spy, point outside stuff out to them, and tell them stories. Some of my best conversations with my kids were while I was driving them somewhere.

This morning a proudly announced to my Facebook friends I intend to be worth a million in the next 5 years. The post got a couple of likes, a few jokes were made about inflation and my husband's life insurance policy, but most people didn't give it too much consideration. What they didn't realize is that it wasn't a joke - I have set a goal for myself to be worth one million dollars by the time I'm 30.

Why set the bar so high? I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I'm starting my own business and am working to establish multiple revenue streams so eventually my husband can quit his job and work with me. The business income is necessary to fund my other projects - real estate investment. The goal is the purchase low- and mid-tier housing and flip them cosmetically for a profit. The first few we'll sell but as we accumulate more cash flow I plan to keep a couple on as rentals. Real estate investment is where I plan to have the bulk of my net worth to come from.

The business I'm starting is just me branching out as a freelancer in the industry I already work in - web design. We're in a position where there really isn't any competition in our area and a lot of small businesses to draw from. Barring extreme circumstances it's a pretty safe bet that we'll have some success in our area, mostly because I have 6 years and my husband has 8 years of professional experience in the industry.

Then there's this blog which I am really working towards updating more. Writing is a passion of mine and I hope to make this hobby into something more. I don't intend to get rich blogging but it's a nice way to unwind so I will keep doing it regardless.

These goals are extreme on their own but much more so with 5 kids, 2 of which being newborn twins. They occupy a lot of my time but they also motivate - I want to be able to give them everything. The next step is to write out a practical plan to make this happen. Nothing is impossible! Being self employed and an entrepreneur are two lifelong dreams of mine and nobody can make those happen but me.

If you read this please leave a comment with your dreams and if you're working to achieve them. If you have a link to a blog post on it even better! Or tell me I'm crazy.