Freedom Friday - Your Sacred Yes - Week 2

 Rest. It so often seems selfish to take time  for ourselves, but just as Jesus took time away from the crowds to go be with His Father, we need time to refresh ourselves in order to give God our sacred yes.Reading through the book Your Sacred Yes has given me the encouragements and tools I need to make every decision count. It has shown me a way to make my yes be meaningful. Sacred. It is a yes that will not leave us drained but full with expectancy and hope for what we can do for God. But sometimes, our plans to get rest leave us feeling even more stressed!For example, planning a vacation can be a way to get much needed rest, and it can be a chance to give God your sacred yes in a very specific way.Yet, vacations can evoke feelings of anxiety and stress and I will give you one word why... ROADTRIP! Yes, our family usually drives everywhere we go and we don't just go to a bed and breakfast a couple hours away.  No, we think it is fun to go across the country or at least half way across the country to the ocean! After my husband and I have traveled with our children for this many years, we don't have it down perfectly, but we have picked up a few things that allow us to make even a ride on the car a way that we can choose to create an environment where we can still give God our sacred yes. 

So, here are 5 Tips to Making Road Trips Awesome

(I did record a video for Freedom Friday, but it may or may not have been way too many takes since I did it with my children while we were on vacation. Actually we still are. Right now. It was after 5 hours in the car already, do things got silly a little. It will be edited and uploaded soon!)

(Please notice happy smiles and sleeping children in back.)

SLEEP

If at all possible on a long road trip, plan for some of your driving time to be while the kids are asleep. We leave early , early, early in the morning so the kids can get in the car and go right back to sleep and then we can have a few hours of quiet in the car.  It also works for the end of the day. Quiet nightime rides are good for the soul and canlead to many deep conversations between spouses. Just don't discuss too many deep things after 10. Ain't nobody got time for sleepy emotions during a debate, oops, I mean conversation.

SCHEDULE

Being a teacher, this one is easy for me to plan, but sometimes can be hard to implement, yet, when we do, our car rides are so.much.better.

I plan out each block of time with an activity. It can be as vague as "Electronics Time" or as specific as "Stopping at Highway 64 Rest Stop for Lunch," but what it does is gives the kids a reference for what is coming up and an ending time which helps to break up the many hours in the car. I will schedule time to read, "play" electronics, color, play car games, look at magazines, watch the movie, snack time, etc.

And as in everything here in this space, there is room for grace, so y'all, if your electronics time goes on for a few hours, no judgement here!  We are all about keeping the peace on road trips!

SIGHTSEEING

When the children were younger, we just wanted to get to the place of vacation and get there as fast as we could. As they have gotten older, we have realized that it makes a trip a lot less stressful and more fun if you add something on the way. It can be as simple as a fun stop to the very first McDonald's (This seems to be a recurring theme.) to stopping at Laura Ingall Wider's farmhouse.  It may not always work out, but if it does, it is always have more joy in the journey!

SNACKSKids are happier when they have full tummies. Enough said. SINGING When I do finally upload the video, you will see a very blooper filled attempt at showing the world our family singing in the car. Songs have a way of bringing families together whether it is a song on the radio that everyone knows or a bedtime song that their Papa sang each one of them while they were babies and it makes everyone smile thinking of Him.  It also gives a mental break that is good for a healthy heart as well. Uh, and one more bonus one:TRADITIONS(It didn't start with "S." Hence, it is a bonus one) These are the things do on every car trip that the kids can count on. This is what the children will remember and tell their children about. It may be stopping at a certain Eagle Tower and climbing it on the way. OR it may be a certain ice cream shop where you always get the.best.chocolate milk shakes. It may be a car game like "I Am Going Camping And I Am Bringing..." (longest name of a car game ever!) or giving little Dollar Story gifts every hour. Anything that evokes memories of togetherness and fun. These are all ways that remind me of the truth that Susie shares in Your Scared Yes, 

When we are sloppy with our yes, we miss out on God's best. {click to tweet}

 Even in travelling, we can give God our planned and sacred yes so that He can give us His best. May you have a beautiful Friday and if you see our family on the road, honk really loud. We may not hear you at first because we might be singing! XOXO,Angie