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Paper plates, napkins, paper towel, bowls, plastic knives, spoons, forks, silverware knives, spoons, forks, sharp knife, serving spoon, plastic containers with tight lids, plastic sealing bags, garbage bags, wet wipes, cutting boards, a small bottle of dishwashing liquid, sippy cups, regular cups, straws, coffee cups. Our favorite hand-held snacks for road trips are:  cheese sticks, apples, pears, grapes, carrots, green pepper sticks, mini oranges (peeled), pepperoni, rolled lunch meat, cheese slices, granola bars, cookies, muffins, cereal, small cold pizza pieces, mini cheese sandwiches, various small packaged snacks (we use these with reserve as they usually have a lot of salt or sugar.) The other road trip essentials to include on your packing list:   Movies, books, ear-buds, coloring books, puzzles, special toys, crafts, stuffed animals, blankies, sweatshirts, notebook, crayons, colored pencils, clothing (packed by rolling each day together), medications, hair care, make-up, contact care, chargers, beach supplies, sunscreen, hats, first-aid kit, laundry soap (in the case you have to stop at a laundromat because someone gets sick all over…..everything, yup it ’s happened), portable speaker, beach items, hiking items, small stroller, day pack, dog items.

We won’t get far without our road trip essentials and that is why we came up with 10 Do’s and 10 Don’ts for the family road trip. n’t’s for planning your family’s upcoming road trip. We found that our kids had a hard time napping in the car on long trips which then made our overnight stop just unbearable. , Songs, lunch in the car or out, movement stop for one hour, back in the car, naps, games, craft, and then ready for our overnight stop.

In December at Chicago American Girl Place you will have opportunities to sign up for cookie decorating, holiday tea, holiday hair salon makeover, take a trolley ride with your girl to see the Chicago lights, or watch an Americal Girl production of the Nutcracker. Christmas Around the World in December at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is one of the perfect fun places for kids in Chicago. Kids really don’t care how cold it is out, that’s why this is always a fun place for our kids. We include Macy’s on our list of free things to do in Chicago in December with kids because there are so many things to do at this department store for free!

We were looking for family hotels that had locations close to our specific destinations and would be a fun family vacation. We came across Loews Chicago and Loews O’Hare hotels. Both of the hotels we stayed at Loews Downtown Chicago and Loews O’Hare in Rosemont were luxury hotels. Our stay at Loews Chicago Downtown was the perfect stay for our family.