Packing for Kids - Quick Tip

Packing for kids is the fun part of vacation packing.  You have to remember all the special things they will need to make the trip comfortable, but not over pack.

My kids have their own bags that I dig out for them to pack stuff to keep them comfortable on the trip.  Most of it is stuff for the car, but sometimes it's stuff that can make them feel more at home in the hotel.  A stuffed animal, or a special action figure.

Make sure you remember your child's special item!  It can make all the difference!

Keep 'Em Busy

I've never flown with kids before, so I really don't have any advice.  I've heard of parents putting together a little baggie for their fellow passengers, outlining the situation, and giving out ear plugs and pieces of candy.

As for road trips, though, I have a few tips.  My kids are older now, so it's easier to travel with them.

Here are some of my tips for travelling with littles:

• DVD player.  It's just one of those things that I have learned to love.  
• Coloring Books and crayons - just don't leave the crayons in the car for too long!
• Road trip games.  There are games that can be purchased at the store that are magnetic, so they can be played in the car, or you could play games like 'I Spy' or the license plate game (which I've never played, so don't ask me how).
• Snacks.  I don't know how you feel about eating in the car, but we've tried road trips without eating in the car, and it just doesn't work.  One of my littles gets car sick, so I make sure to keep crackers and peanut butter on hand.  
• Stretch your legs.  It may not sound like much, but leg stretching can bring renewed excitement to your road trip.  My knees get stiff (my right knee will probably need to be replaced, it's so bad, so I have to work it more than the other), and it always makes me feel better to stop and take a minute to step out of the car.
• Music.  Make sure to bring music with you!  When we went on vacation the last time, there was a stretch when we didn't have music we cared for.  It made it a very long few hours!

That's all I can think of right now.  Check out my Pinterest board "Road Tripping" for some more ideas!

Vacation Packing Checklist

It's March!  You know what that means?  Spring break is right around the corner, and just around the corner from that is Summer vacation!  In honor of road trip season coming soon, I am going to cover different ways to make road tripping easier with kids.  I'll publish a post each Sunday (except for Easter), so, here goes:

Are you a list maker, like me?  Someone who has to write a list to write a list?  Well, this is the post for you.  I put together a vacation packing checklist to help you get it all in order before your big trip.

I call it the Vacation Helper.  The printable has two versions, a version for one individual, and another with a grid for families.

Let me know if you think of any ways I can improve the Vacation Helper!

See ya later, and happy vacationing!

Summer Bucket List

Well, Summer is officially over.  You can't tell where I live, though.  It's still averaging in the mid 80's, and sometimes into the 90's, but I'm not complaining.  Hot weather is my jam!

This year I made a summer bucket list.  It was just a couple of things that I thought would be fun and take my mind off of the crazy of the past few months.  Some I accomplished, some I didn't...

Here's a quick breakdown:

♡ Learn Hand Lettering.  This one is still in process, but I'll count it.  I've always envied those that could do this, so I figured, why not try it?  I don't have the right kind of pens, and I don't always have the time, but I enjoy when I do get to practice.

♡ Plan 2016 Garden.  Yep.  I got it all planned out in my head where it's going to go, what I'm going to plant, all that.  I'm super excited to get started on it.

♡ Make Homemade Icecream.  Nope.  Didn't happen.  I would tell myself that I wanted to do it next weekend, then the next, then the next.  Never got around to it.

♡ Plan Trip To Disney.  That one was scratched off.  We decided against it.

♡ Dye Yarn.  Again, a no-go.  I was just going to use the egg dying kit that I bought at Easter, but I still haven't found the time!  It may make it onto my next list, along with some other types of dying methods.

♡ Make Paper Airplanes And Kites.  That one barely happened.  One of the boys got a paper airplane book for birthday or Christmas or something, and Youngest brought it in and we made one each.  Still counts!

♡ Plan Vacation.  That went along with the Disney trip that never happened.  I got to thinking, we live in the exact place where we vacationed every year for almost ten years!  Why would we want to go anywhere else?

So that's all that was on my list.  Time to get started on an Autumn list!

Summer Fun

We found a beautiful little
waterfall while exploring
a local park

Summer break is finally upon us!  Now the hard part begins.  How to keep the kids from saying the dreaded "B" word - BORED! 

I have spent years wracking my brain to figure out how to keep them entertained and not spend a fortune, so I'd like to share a couple of my ideas.

■  The pool.  A lot of neighborhoods have them, the YMCA is a good place to go, but if you don't have access to either of those, a simple backyard inflatable will do the trick.  (Of course there are safety procedures that should be followed if you get your own, so please be aware!)  This idea does have some cost, but I think it more than pays for itself!

■  Rainy day fort making.  The classic blanket/pillow fort is always a hit with my kids!

■  Geocaching.  This is a relatively new activity for my family, but it's so fun!  It's like a scavenger hunt, and the kids love it.  There are apps that will help you locate the caches, some are free, but all have a "premium" feature that you have to pay for.  We use the free apps, and have a ton of fun with it.  There's a ton of information about it online, if you're interested!

■  Rainy day movies.  My kids and I like to spread a blanket on the floor and watch movies.  We pop some popcorn and make some hot chocolate  (yes, even when it's scorching hot outside we enjoy hot chocolate) and binge watch movies.

■  Make juice or Kool-aid popsicles.  These can be done in a variety of low cost ways.  We have used ice cube trays and toothpicks, small plastic cups and popsicle sticks, and the store bought molds.  The method is up to you. 

■  Free parks.  Of course there's always the free local parks.  There are some in my area that have waterworks for the kids to play.

■  Field trips.  The kids can stay busy and learn about the area in which they live.  There's a field trip app that works off of your GPS location, and will bring up all kinds of facts and places to visit.  It's called 'Field Trip'.

How do you beat back the boredom during the summer?