Road Trip Essentials

Hitting the road for this Memorial Day Weekend?  Thanks to Real Simple, here's an edited list of things you should not forget...

FOR EMERGENCIES:

• Cell phone
• Car manual (Are you SURE you know where that jack is stashed?)
• First-aid kit
• Flash light
• Jumper cables
• Emergency reflective triangles
• Fire extinguisher

BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT:

• Medications (including ones you don't take every day)
• Sunscreen
• Paper towels
• Toilet tissue
• Wet wipes

TO ENTERTAIN THE KIDDOS (AND YOURSELF):

• CD's
• Portable DVD player
• Charger for all your phones, players, IPods and tablets
• Portable games (Go old school...remember those little Bingo games with the red plastic sliders?)

TO HELP YOU GET THERE:

• Navigator (But as I have learned when you MOST needs it, you won't have signal, so also bring the....)
• Road atlas

FOR SNACKS (AND THESE ARE NO COOLER REQUIRED):

• Reusable water bottles with water or juice. (Freeze the water bottles half-full to keep them even colder on the journey.)
• Apples and oranges
• Crackers and popcorn in individual containers
• Nuts and dried fruit (How about come old-fashioned GORP?)
• Carrot and celery sticks with squeezable peanut butter

AND TO MAKE YOUR TRIP STRESS-FREE, DOUBLECHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE THAT:

• The oven if off.
• All doors are locked.
• All windows are closed and locked.
• All kids (and pets) are in the car.

BON VOYAGE!!!!!