Top 10 Items Needed for Holiday Road Trips

What better way to spend family time this holiday season than to pack the family in the car and take a road trip? Okay, hitting yourself repeatedly with an axe might be a better way to spend your time. Putting bamboo shoots under your fingernails? Yeah, that might be a better use of your time too!

Nevertheless, spending time in a car with 3 screaming kids while arguing with your husband that he actually IS lost is a necessary evil for many of us. Here are the top 10 items you need to make the experience more pleasant.

1. Pain Killers. I'm thinking Tylenol or Advil here, but if you can get your doctor to prescribe something stronger, more power to you! Obviously, stick with the lighter stuff if you're the one behind the wheel.
2. DVD Player and Plenty of DVDs. What did we do for long drives before the invention of this? However, be prepared for lots of arguing over what movie will be next. Also, be sure the driver doesn't get wrapped up in what's playing on the screen. Eyes on the road!
3. Food--Preferably the Junky Kind. I'm all for eating healthy, but let's face it. Road trips are great excuses for eating anything sugary, fried, or salty. Plan a stop at a drive-through every hour to keep the kids' blood sugar levels from crashing. Gotta keep those blood sugars high!
4. GPS Guidance System. No more fights with your hubby about whether you're lost! Now you can both gang up on the GPS Guidance System when it insists you're going the wrong way on the freeway! And what is with that bitchy tone when she says "recalculating." Get over that attitude!
5. Coffee--and Lots of It. The driver needs to stay wide awake and alert! The other adult passengers need to stay awake to keep the driver entertained!
6. Lots of Potty Stops! Forget about the kids' needs. See number 5 on this list!
7. Ear Plugs. You'll be so glad you can tune out the kids' fighting in the back seat!
8. Eye Mask. With the ear plugs blocking out the noise, you can maybe take a much needed nap! However, don't use the mask if you're the driver!
9. Lots of CDs. Now that you have your kids hostage in the backseat, you can force your favorite music on them to show them what GOOD music is all about! Why not use this time as revenge on your kids?
10. Bottle of Champagne. This item is not for use during the drive (open containers of alcohol are not allowed in the car). It's for when you reach your destination! You might even want to share it with the driver (or the other adult if you're the one driving). It's time to survive one of the hardest tasks we have to face--the family road trip!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Kia Motors

This post is sponsored by Kia Motors. All views--and humor (I hope)--are my own.

Tea Party at Lollipop Dream

If you live in the San Fernando Valley, you know that there aren't a lot of places to host a party that caters to young girls. My daughter's birthday was a couple of months ago, and we really struggled to find a place.

Lollipop Dream hosted a blogger event last Sunday where they treated some daughters of Los Angeles bloggers to an afternoon tea party. I had never been there before as they are located in the East Valley, and I live in the West Valley. I was curious to check them out so I attended even though it was absolutely pouring rain outside. Anyone knows that L.A. folks do not go out in the rain. Nevertheless, we ventured out to check out Lollipop Dream. I'm so glad we did!

Unfortunately, not too many of the other bloggers did! Only three of us were brave enough to venture out. The staff at Lollipop Dream still gave it their all to entertain our 3 daughters! When the girls first arrived, they were able to choose a dress-up outfit from a large selection. My daughter chose a diva dress. The other two girls dressed up as Disney princesses.



The girls then had their faces painted (my daughter chose musical notes to go with her diva costume). They then sat down to eat where a beautiful spread of sandwiches and desserts were laid out for them to enjoy.



They were then surprised by the arrival of two Disney princesses: Belle and Tiana. They taught them about tea party etiquette then taught them some dance lessons. The actresses who played Belle and Tiana were very good. I was told that Lollipop Dream used to subcontract out the princess jobs, but weren't satisfied with the quality of the princesses (smelled of cigarette smoke, visible tattoos, etc.), so now they have hired their own princesses.





After eating and dancing, the girls worked on decorating their treasure boxes. My daughter really covered hers with flowers.



After all the food and fun and crafts, the girls went on a scavenger hunt that led to their earning party gift bags. The tea party wound down, and all the girls had a great time!

I was impressed with the beautiful room and the attention to details. The staff worked hard to be sure each girl had a great time.

Lollipop Dream offers a variety of parties and other events. It's definitely worth considering if your little girl wants a princess party!

Lollipop Dream did not reimburse me for this post. They did treat my daughter and me to the tea party goodies and the princess entertainment. What I wrote is my own opinion and words.

sneakpeeq Giveaway!

sneakpeeq approached me to do a giveaway. I had never heard of them and was intrigued. I checked their site out and liked what I saw. They have a wide assortment of products that change often. They sell their merchandise at heavily discounted prices. Many of the items I've seen have free shipping. So, what's not to love about their site?

It's also really fun to explore. They have special "sneakpeeq" prices where you see a low price, but you click on an icon to see what lower price they'll offer it to you for!

It's really fun! For this giveaway, sneakpeeq is giving away 20% off your next purchase just for entering, plus a chance at the Grand Prize: one winner will receive a $15 gift card to use on your favorite food, style and home products—that goes a long way in sneakpeeq’s amazingly low-priced boutiques!

Come see all the things you love but haven’t discovered. sneakpeeq only has New Products that you have never seen before!

Enter the giveaway by clicking on this link: and joining sneakpeeq! The winner will be announced on my blog on 04/07/12! There are three limits regarding this giveaway:

1) You can only enter by clicking on the link. Leaving a comment here will not enter you in the giveaway. By clicking on the link, you'll get your 20 percent discount too! Yay!

2) You can only enter if you live in the United States. sneakpeeq is not doing business in other countries. Sorry to my friends in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and everywhere else!

3) Only new sneakpeeq customers can enter this giveaway. If you're already a member, you do not qualify for the giveaway or 20 percent discount. Sorry!

That's it! I'm not going to make you jump through a gazillion hoops to enter this giveaway. If you want to follow my main page, that would be nice, but it's not a requirement.

sneakpeeq is not compensating me for this giveaway. I did sign up with the site and thought it was a fun way to shop. I hope you find it fun too!