10 Things I Learned over Thanksgiving weekend

1. Never travel the day before Thanksgiving. We decided to try our luck at driving at night. Apparently, so did the rest of Virginia, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, and New York.

2. A reclined car seat is best to prevent baby wiplash. It was bumper to bumper traffic about 10 miles before crossing into Delaware, then stop and go in Delaware .... which is about the time that Little Man woke up.

3. No matter how far you travel, it's always worth it to spend time with family. Although it took us 6 hours to drive a trip that normally would take 4-1/2 hours, it was all worth it to see family.

4. Nothing like a little fresh air to get your juices flowing. Needless to say, Little Man wasn't having the sit around all day and watch football thing. So thankfully, we were able to go to the park across the street and the library.

5. When in doubt, say "TRUCK". You had to be there.

6. Leftovers are always better the second time around. Okay, so this one I already knew, but they are.

7. Toddlers will always find something to do, even if it means "bunking" down the stairs.

8. After Thanksgiving sales are not worth waking up at 4am. I could not believe some of the stops stores were pulling to bring people in. Our local mall was opening at midnight the day before Thanksgiving and Kohl's opened at 4am on Black Friday. I heard one store was offering an additional 10% off if you came in your pajamas. I say wait until Cyber Monday to do your shopping in your pajamas in the comfort of your home.

9. You definitely learn from your mistakes. For our return trip back we made sure to have more toys, more books, more imagination, and a reclined car seat. Little Man slept the entire way back home and managed to get back to sleep in a matter of minutes once back in his own bed. The pure miracle was him sleeping in until 8am!

10. You always have more to be thankful for than you think.