FLA to CHI 04/08

02/27 - I realize this trip is just under two months away, however, at work it gets slow in the middle of the day. So to keep my mind busy I have been researching the heck out of this upcoming vacation my family will be taking. On day one we will not be doing anything exciting really except for hitting the road, at this point we will have about 24 hours of driving ahead of us. Google maps says the drive time is around 15 hours, but I've factored in breaks for the essentials. I've got two kids, 12 and 2, so I've also been doing my best to figure out how to keep them happy for this journey. So far, I've purchased a DVD system for the car (one of those headrest ones) and ordered some books. They both really enjoy to read, but that won't do them anygood when it is dark - enter TV. I've been looking around on message boards and travel websites to get other ideas, but it is all pretty much the same and to me seems like common sense, toys, games, nothing too loud, snacks, nothing too messy.....

I have started to make lists of everything I want to buy, everything I need to remember to pack, how to pack it (seperate the suitcases for Chicago & St. Louis), what to do in each city, public transportation routes. See, we'll be leaving the car in St. Louis and taking a train into Chicago. We will be staying downtown so I feel we should have no problems getting out and about.