Jr High Shop Class Ingenuity

Last night I woke Miranda and the kids up @ 11pm. I had no idea the power saw could be heard in the back of the house – besides, it was just 2 quick cuts. . .well. . . that was a mistake. Anyway, we’re leaving tomorrow for a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama for vacation. The Mathews (mostly Patti) love the beach and try to take a trip every year. However, it’s been a few years since we’ve had so many births recently.

We will be in the car with two kids under 2 for at least 8 hours. We are gonna need all the help we can get to keep them from crying (or at least distract them enough so they don’t realize they’re strapped into a car seat for that long.) I decided that there was no need to buy a portable DVD player (mostly ’cause I’m cheap) when we have our laptop, so the quest began. How could I set up the laptop in the car for Kasen to watch movies/tv shows/cartoons from itunes? I already have a converter so I can plug in the computer and the audio link could be run through the Aux input. All I needed was a little tabletop. Here’s where my old Jr High Shop Class ingenuity kicked in. Here’s a pic of what I ended up with. It’ll work this time, but maybe next time I should invest in a headrest monitor.

I even arranged for the shelf to be taken out when not in use.

Without the Shelf
Without the Shelf

With the Shelf
With the Shelf
Finished Product
Finished Product

4 Replies to “Jr High Shop Class Ingenuity”

  1. Cool! Good thinking. We had our kids back in the day when you didn’t have laptops or DVD players. We used to leave to travel right after supper – so close to bed time, then they’d fall asleep in the car and wake up when we got there. Then David and I would take turns sleeping on and off to make it through the day. But the kids were happy and never minded traveling. These days past fast – enjoy!

  2. I see you bailed on the TV tray. This is heavy duty. You must have gotten up early. When our boys were little and we went to South Dak we gave them Diimetap. Ha, just kiddin. We had a little TV & VCR and those Barney songs would run around in my head like a circus tune. Headphones when they got older! Have a safe trip.

  3. So… Will you strap the computer in? Just wondering if you came to a quick stop if the computer could hit the poor kid in the face? I’m sure a bungee cord (or duct tape if your desperate) would work just fine. Yes… I know.. so very Crowley! Just a thought. Have a great trip!

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