Introducing Car Journeys with small children.

I am probably a terrible mother. I don't spend car journeys with my children singing the alphabet and pointing out cloud formations like I am sure good mothers do. I spend our journeys laughing at the comments that come floating through from the back seat and playing competitive games with them where if I can win I will!

Take today for example;

There we are family W setting off for a fairly routine trip to our local town.
Husband turns to me and says "Wow its a really nice day today"
I reply with "Yes its really autumnal"
Husband "Fresh"
Me "Crisp"
Daughter Number 1 shouts from the back "FISHFINGER?!"
Seems to me she thought we were putting together a shopping list of some description and wanted to make her own request.

Later in the journey D1 starts shouting "look Daddy a plane, a plane, A PLANE, LOOK DADDY!!!"
Husband (who admittedly is driving and doesn't turn around. We have a lot of plane related excitement with D1) "Is it oh that's exciting..."
D1 "No look Daddy plane. LOOK DADDY"
Husband "Daddy cant look Darling Daddy is driving. Mummy will look."
I turn around asking D1 where she thinks the plane is. She points at her window.
Me "No Sweetie thats a smudge on your window."
D1 "Oh (sheepish smile) Sorry!"

We as a family like to play the "yellow car" game. Most people will know it I'm sure (Its the one that normally involves punching someone when you see a yellow car. However due to our very competitive nature we have had to take away the punching element and stick to merely shouting "yellow car" instead!) and it used to be that just myself and Husband played it while Daughter number 1 merely watched us in a slightly confused manner.
That is until the day that she called a yellow car first. A two and a half year old won a point over both her adult parents. The first time it happened it was cute. We were very impressed with the fact that she had picked up the idea of the game and could recognise a yellow car.
Then she did it again. The competitive creature inside me stirred "Sorry Darling that one was gold. Gold doesn't count so you lose a point."
Brilliant we had outfoxed her and the adults were once again on top.
Later in the journey husband called a yellow car only to be admonished from the back "No Daddy you cant have that. That car is gold"