My husband, two kids (ages 5 and 7), and I recently went on a road trip—a big road trip. After about mile 5 of the journey, I really wished we were home or in a place where we could spread out, and the kids could run free and play.

Shopping for family members can sometimes be tricky. For your children, maybe your son, you can probably shop for him in your sleep.

Before this year, our homes were more or less a meet-up zone. The kids dropped off bags after school before jumping in the car to head out to football practice.