In less than two weeks my children and I head down south to what my parents have dubbed "Camp Cuckoo." It took 12 hours last year driving in the car through 6 states and the retch-inducing Blue Ridge Mountain roads by myself with the children, a DVD player, 6 Thomas the Tank Engine movies and the entire first season of Full House on DVD. I don't remember Cousin Joey being that annoying 20 years ago. Once we arrive it's all fun and games, but getting there is another story! This year I decided to have an entire car arsenal ready for the onslaught of my little passengers.

The first thing I ordered was the Kid's Car Organizer so I'm not freakin' when the crayons are melted all over the seats. The organizer is tall enough for children in booster seats and built with identical pockets on each side to stop all backseat bickering-yeah ("He touched me, he touched me..."). There is tons of space to organize snacks, games, music, DVDs, and coloring books. Best of all, children will be able to completely help themselves-yeah, right ("I dropped my baby, I dropped my baby...").

After you have everything packed up in your handy dandy travel organizer, here are some ways to while away the hours:

The How Much Further GamePrint out a map of where you are going. Mark major stops, cities and a happy face for your destination. You could even draw a few landmarks you'll see along the way like a bridge or tunnel. Every time they ask "How much further?" show them how far you have come, how much farther you have to go and let them mark it with a crayon for themselves. At some point, break out the Kids' Road Atlas, which contains road maps, state-by-state puzzles, and back seat games and a Book-A-Ma-Thing for the Backseat which has 33 activities in all. If that doesn't work, toss 'em the Swedish fish!

Bubble Blowing Contests

Although my son can't chew gum, I plan to buy lots and lots of disgusting flavored bubble gum and try it out!

Cow Poker

First, decide how long you can stand to play. Count the cows on your side of the car. Count fast if you see a whole field full. If you pass a cemetery on your side of the car, you lose all your cows...but only if the other side of the car yells out "your cows are buried."

Cows= 1 point

White horse= 50 points

Wind Mill=50 points

Sheep= 5 points

Cemetery=wipes out points

Look at The Bright Side Game:

You say "There is an elephant on top of the car." Your son says "Unfortunately, he's going to dent the car." Your daughter says "Fortunately, he has lemonade and I'm thirsty!"

When I can't listen to Marry Poppins on the DVD player anymore, we like to listen to audio books. If you are willing to lend your ipod, StoryNory has free children's audio books you can download.

Since I'm thinking my guys will want to sleep (you know half an hour before we get there) I'm going to try and avoid the "I'm so uncomfortable whine-a-thon" and order Comfy Kid Coddlers. These are child-size comfy travel pillows that come in toddler and kid sizes.

And I have one last word for you: GAMEBOY!

Cheers! HV