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Bridget
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Although it's snowing here right now, spring will break through soon, and that always means a huge increase in our time in the van and being out and about.
In the past I have had to stop for drinks, snacks and (I'm so embarrassed)  , daipers. This year I HAVE to get our van organized to make time on the road easier.
What do you keep stocked in your van?
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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theNetSmith
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i'm sure Janette will want to enhance this list, but...
- diaper bag (of course)
- usually plenty of books
- laptop and DVDs (on extended road trips)
- cassette player (for books on tape)
- AC/DC power converter from Wal-Mart (for cassette player)
our electronic needs are made possible via the abundance of those cigarette-lighter-type ports in our Suburban (i think there are 3 in the front and 1 in the back).
-T
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jdostalik
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I try to have:
a well stocked diaper bag (with a change of clothes for the baby and toddler)
books to read for olders and picture books for youngers
some soft toys for the baby
water bottles
snacks (depending on where we're going--if it's out for an ice cream cone, we don't bring any!! 
I could use some good advice here. We really don't spend much time in the car...all our errands and activities are within 5-10 minutes, thank goodness, but we do plan on a spring vacation this year, so I need tips for then! Plus, we plan on buying a 15 passenger van in the next month and will have much more room to store extra's...
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Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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cathhomeschool
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Additions to Tim's list:
plastic shoe box containing hot wheels cars, small planes, motorcycles, etc.
twistable crayons and coloring books
field guides for trees, insects, birds
first aid kit (another plastic shoe box -- very well stocked)
training potty (for emergencies)
in diaper bag: extra underwear and clothing; hand sanitizer, kleenex
The above items stay "in" all the time. We add water bottles, sippy cups and goldfish (if I think we may be out for a while) right before we load up.
For a road trip, we would simply take more of what Tim and I listed, plus maps, magnetic lap games, colored pencils and paper (which I should really keep in the car all the time) and a cooler with drinks, cubed cheese, yogurt, etc. 
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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amiefriedl
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How about adding:
-a large blanket for impromptu picnics of all sorts
-sunscreen
-hand towel/rags in addition to the already obigatory wipes for cleanups (spilled drinks, sick tummies  etc)
-we also carry sun hats with good brims for when we go to the zoo or playground
In addition to what everyone else has listed, your van should be nice and full by now! 
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In Christ the King through Mary our Mother,
Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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my4farmgirls
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My kids have tons of extra jackets thanks to donations from well-meaning friends. So I keep a plastic storage bin packed with:
-an extra fleece and/or wind jacket for each kid
-a fleece throw for each kid
I also keep wipes and books, a potty chair(girls you know!) toilet paper, and, when I had babies, extra diapers stashed under the front seat. My diaper bag was always inevitably empty at the most inopportune moments.
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Katy
Mom to 4 beatiful girls (8,6,3,2) and two saints in heaven
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dhbrug
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We do a fair bit of travelling and our kit includes:
- iPod (and speakers if staying overnight)
- Spotter game (points for VW, Mack Trucks, etc)
- Pens and paper and colouring books
- Compulsory nappy/diaper bag (incl. first aid kit)
- Change of clothes if we go anywhere near water (within 2 miles)
- Toys for younger children
- Books for older ones
- Lana's Cross stitch bag
- My laptop computer
- Emergency bag which has jumper leads, blanket, first aid kit, and lots of other stuff.
- In summer hats for all
We don't play movies in the car as the children then miss seeing things around us. Our spotters game includes points for various items, including "interseting thing" which encourages them to see what is around us. There is no prize other than the satisfaction of winning.
Cheers
David and Lana
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lmrook
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Jennifer said:
"Plus, we plan on buying a 15 passenger van in the next month and will have much more room to store extra's..."
We finally got our big van. It is a 14 passenger, Ford E350 extended length. I used to drive an Excursion. I do like the extra seating, but somehow I don't feel we have more room for stuff! Instead of everything being contained in the back section of the Excurion, it is all over the floor in the van. I purchased small plastic baskets for under the seats, but even they shift around. And when we get in with 4 girls and their dance bags, a soccer bag, a diaper bag, a tote bag with my "stuff" and a purse, the floor is coverd and we can hardly get in and out. And also, when we have something large to put in (we had 2 big boxes the other day) they took up 3 seats. There isn't any floor room for something that size, unless you put it right at the side door.
I'm sure I'll adjust, I'm just venting about my disappointment in the amount of "room" we really have in the van. 
As a side note, I drove the Excursion the other day after a couple weeks of the new Van . . . I felt like I was driving a little sports car. The van drives like a truck, the Excursion has better pick up and drives like a luxury car (comparatively) even though they have the same engine! Has anyone else gone through "old car withdrawal"when they moved to the full size van??? 
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Kelly
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A couple things I haven't seen mentioned are:
In the front pocket of the driver's door: scissors, pencils, pens, pencil sharpener, sharpie pens. Also a small bottle of holy water, sunscreen in a roll-on applicator, and last but not least (for Mom) LIPSTICK!
In a bag hanging on the second seat we keep the all important Diaper Bag, along with wipes, bottled water, and hairbrushes.
In the well in the third row of seats, we keep a plastic box full of colored pencils (especially those little short ones that we've almost used up in the school room), another pencil sharpener,a spiral bound notebook, a spiral bound book or two of art paper, and very important, several CLIP BOARDS. These are extremely handy when doing carschooling or just sketching or playing tic-tac-toe!
Fourth row of seats (under the seats or on the sides) Sports equipment like tennis rackets, fencing gear. Rackets stay in the car always so we don't arrive at tennis without a racket. In the well of the fourth seat, a small selection of books that we rotate.
Kelly in FL
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Kelly
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Oh yeah, and hand sanitizer and a roll of paper towels!
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Elizabeth
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lmrook wrote:
As a side note, I drove the Excursion the other day after a couple weeks of the new Van . . . I felt like I was driving a little sports car. The van drives like a truck, the Excursion has better pick up and drives like a luxury car (comparatively) even though they have the same engine! Has anyone else gone through "old car withdrawal"when they moved to the full size van???
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Oh me! I HATE driving the van. Actually, I don't like driving much at all but the van is challenging for me. And I second everything you said about space...Truly, it's one of the few grumblings I really have about a big family. I HAVE to drive this giant vehicle and I really dislike it. I don't voice that often though because our van is a very nice conversion van that my husband was so thrilled to buy for us. Still, I'm driving a truck. When I was in college, I was the program director of the organization that planned big parties and events for students. I frequently drove a huge pickup truck. One day, my father commented on my "fancy education" and wondered what relevance party planning and truck driving had. Turns out, I plan giant parties all the time and I drive a truck everyday
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Bridget
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They do drive like a truck! One of the advantages is that you can find your vehicle easily in a parking lot. When I drive DH's car I always forget to remember where I parked because I'm used to ' the beast'.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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Jeanne
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We drive an 8 passenger right now, but are looking to purchase a 12 passenger(same size as a 15 but without the back seat) extended van so we can have more room.
Does anyone drive one of these?
We began looking at the 15 passenger,but thought it lacked trunk room. We like to camp a lot and felt we needed the room to take all the equipment with us.
I would love to hear opinions on a larger van.
Thanks--Peace to all.
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Jeanne
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P hi li ppians 4:13
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Anne Marie M
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Jeanne,
We have six kids, too, and made the switch several years ago from an 8 passenger van to a 12 passenger van (we actually bought a 15 pass. van and took out the back seat).
It works great for us! It's great to have a bit of extra room if it's just our family (much more peace in the van if the kids aren't right on top of each other), and it's nice to be able to invite others along on occasion.
The room in back is great. We still have containers under all the seats for stuff we want on the way, but we can fit quite a bit of groceries/suitcases/sleeping bags/etc. in back.
Anne Marie
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teachingmyown
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We have a 15 passenger as well, with the back seat out we have 11 seats. So there is plenty of room in the back for the stroller, cooler, three bat bags and all of the miscellaneous baseball stuff.
I do hate the big van also. I loved driving my Suburban, although it was a lemon. My van is ten years old and as plain as they come. And when it is nice and clean you can still see where it used to say "Radisson" on the sides.
But even if we don't have any more children, I don't think I would go back to a Suburban or Excursion when my oldest moves out. There is something special about having that extra room to take along a friend or another family.
Just last week, I drove 9 teenagers and another mother to the Kennedy Center for a play. Yes, it felt like we were on a bus, but it was fun.
What cracks me up is to hear these teenagers say how embarrased they are that their moms drive these awful vans, when all of their best friends' moms drive one too! It is not like their van stands out in the parking lot at Church.
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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cashioncrew
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The only thing that I could think of to add to the already awesome list is a bag of park toys - trucks, those games you buy in a bag at like Walmart or Target (the sticky paddle with the tennis ball, plastic horseshoes,etc...); tons of books on tape (Chick-fil-lay kind and library and Catholicity); bug catchers and ziplocs for those impromtu nature finds; a couple of towels for those BIG accidents and a roll of papertowels. I think that that about covers it!
We also drive a 15P van and I may be a weirdo, but I love it! So much room for our six with room in the middle for all of "the things that they need" to bring along! We bought it when the triplets were 1 and couldn't believe that we were happy driving a suburban for the year that we drove it! It is a bus, but it sure holds alot and then we have the extra seat when we want to transport friends!
Now that I have been trained by the WebMasters wife (Janette) and know how to maneuver the forum (HA I think!), I hope to be involved in more conversations. I have ALWAYS enjoyed lurking.
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Molly Smith
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teachingmyown wrote:
And when it is nice and clean you can still see where it used to say "Radisson" on the sides.
There is something special about having that extra room to take along a friend or another family.
What cracks me up is to hear these teenagers say how embarrased they are that their moms drive these awful vans, when all of their best friends' moms drive one too! It is not like their van stands out in the parking lot at Church. |
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My FIL calls our van "the church bus". I know he's going to come paint something on the side one day . With only 5 kids (but hoping for more) people gave us a hard time about getting the big van, but there IS something special about always having room to take anyone with us anywhere. It's nice to not have that as a concern. Same with our friends, who mostly all have big vans, too. It's no big deal to ask a friend to run a child home or pick someone up because we know there's always room.
Our church doesn't have too many big families/big vans, but our town sure does! It's funny to go to a homeschooling event (we have a ton of large Christian homeschooling families) and you can barely park all the "buses". I love it, though!
Oh, and as to what we keep in the van, picnic blankets, diapers, wipes, ziploc bags, paper towels, plastic garbage bags, bottled water and lots of dirt and crumbs!
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: What do you keep in your van?
