5 Easy Ways To Make Travelling With Kids More Tolerable

I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but this SoCal weather we're having is GORGEOUS right now! Warm days with breezes and cool nights to snuggle with the little ones. That means Spring is here, but Summer is coming soon and so is Vacation Travelling Season!

With the economy being what it is right now, I'm sure most families are opting to travel by car to places closer to home rather than shelling out big $$$ for the family vacation of a lifetime. We're fortunate that all the great stuff to see in California is within a few hour's drive of us.

"Are we there yet?"

Ugh, not a phrase ANY parent wants to hear, especially over and over and OVER again!

So I've been browsing through Pinterest again, looking for great portable ways to keep both of my boys (and maybe your kids too!) entertained and happy during travel and wanted to share them with you!

Source: containerstore.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Whether you use this one, find another free printable on the Internet, or make a list of your own, this is probably the #1 key to your family's happiness when travelling. Can't forget that favorite Spider if it's on the list!

Source: aunnajames.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Every family needs to have quick access to some kind of an emergency kit in the car. Keep this on the floorboard of the passenger seat or within easy reach during car trips so you don't have to unpack the whole trunk for a bandage or hand sanitizer. An easy up-cycle of something you'd probably throw away! Here's a quick tip: glue pieces of no-slip drawer/shelf liner to the bottom to keep it from sliding around!

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

I loved this idea the when I saw it! Another great trash-to-treasure find that we all have plenty of floating around in our diaper bags! This, a coloring/activity book or two and a lapdesk can keep the kids entertained for hours (or at least a few minutes!)

Source: pmkcrafts.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Personalized snack box? Yes, please! The key is to fill them up before the trip and make sure the kids know that once it's empty, that's it. My personal preference would be to fill it with Goldfish crackers, pretzels, nuts, raisins, dried fruit and maybe a couple of sweet treats. Make sure the snacks are age appropriate!

Source: leapfrog.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

This baby has been the savior of boredom around here since we got it for Logan. He practices his writing, reading, and loves taking care of his virtual pet! Don't forget the batteries for this; if you have an adapter for your car, even better!

Hope these will be handy for you; I can't wait to test them out myself this summer!

Happy Travels!

(PS If all else fails, just hand over the iPhone and let 'em play Angry Birds; works every time!)

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

Source: melissagoodrich.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

First a word of warning here; I rarely if ever discuss religion, politics or the like in public because I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable with me. It’s bad enough that I have to battle shyness when I’m in public, but the last thing I want in untoward attention on me, especially of the bad kind! This post today is about Ash Wednesday and my family’s faith, so if you don’t feel comfortable reading, please don’t feel like you’re offending me because I meant no offense about writing it.

You might be asking yourself why I’m equating the old nursery rhyme “Ring Around The Rosie” with today. Today marks the first day of the Lenten season, Ash Wednesday.

Doing some research, I found that origins of the nursery rhyme date it back to the 14th century during the time of the Black Plague. Apparently it was a child’s game developed to help keep little minds off of the Plague as people continued to “all fall down” around them. In a time of despair the game gave children a way to face the worst and then see above and beyond to start once again.

What does this have to do with Ash Wednesday?

Today we take ashes in recognition of remorse, repentance, and mourning.

We are reminded that we all fall down and that one day we shall return to ashes. We are symbolically reminded of these words, “From dust you have come, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Tradition dictates that we “give something up” as a sign of our repentance as well, but I think this year our family will participate in a different way than you may think.

Our Parish has a service project this year to help out the homeless in our city; it’s a huge project that is sponsored by them year-round. As a family, I would like for us to contribute items needed according to the Church’s wish list. I also want to see us as a family return to regular worship; I’ll admit it’s mostly been my fault (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa) that the children and I don’t go as often as we should and I want to change that!

Even if you’re not a Catholic, this time before Easter can become a way to focus yourself on your family and community.

What will you do this year?

I'm Not Perfect (and Neither Are You)

It's a common misconception for women who take the plunge into leaving their careers for SAHM status that their homes will instantly become tidy (they're at home all day), their bodies will become fit and slender (lots of time for exercise and creating healthy meals), and that their children will remain perfect little darlings with impeccable manners.

Really?

For the first few months of my tenure as a new stay at home mom, I thought I could do it all. I’m at home all day, every day, so why not.

The first week I spent cleaning my house from ceiling to floor in every room until it sparkled. I even got down on my hands and knees to scrub the bathroom floor with bleach and a brush to get the grout back to its original white color.

The next week was spent coming up with fantastic, wonderful gourmet meals for my family. I didn’t care that they weren’t met with the same enthusiasm that I had in making them. It’s the thought that counts, right?

After that, I scoured my cookbooks and the Internet for cookie and bread recipes, telling myself how much my family would like it and love that I did this just for them.

After a few months of this, I quickly started losing steam and my “progress” faltered. Things started going in the opposite direction.

Piles of laundry. The sink overflowing with dishes. “I don’t wanna cook, let’s order a pizza.” Again.

I think the reason I started out so well is that I had this idea in my head that I had June Cleaver, Martha Stewart and The Pioneer Woman all wrapped up inside me, just bursting to get out.

It’s now been one full year since I started staying home with my boys. A lot has changed and will probably continue to evolve.

First, I’m not really that crafty. Quite frankly, I pin a lot of crafty and fun stuff on Pinterest (have a look through my boards and you'll see what I mean), but am I really going to do all those projects? Probably not. One or two maybe…

I don't even know how to use a sewing machine, people!

Source: gltc.co.uk via Stephanie on Pinterest

I love the photos of perfect living rooms, perfect kitchens, perfectly organized pantries and linen closets. I’ve come to realize my house will never look like those pictures, at least not until after the boys are grown and moved out. I like our lived-in look. 

I’ve found that simple meals are much more preferred by my family than the complex meals I tried when I first started staying home. I realize my five year old doesn’t like prosciutto or avocado as much as I do and may never. Oh well, spaghetti it is then.

I’ve found MY way of organizing my pantry and I like it. So what if all the labels are facing different directions or the peanut butter is next to the pasta? It may not make sense to others, but it works for me.

My kids are not as perfect as I’d like them to be, but that’s okay. There are MANY days when my boys are not the little darlings I’ve always wanted them to be. They somehow morph into devil children heathens little monsters misbehaved little boys, but I’ve learned to accept the bad days. They are far outnumbered by the good ones. 

Dishes and laundry still pile up, and I’ve come to terms with it. Don’t believe me? Take a look at these pictures and you’ll see I tell the truth!

New Year, New (Better) Mom

Happy New Year!

... a week late...

I hope you all had great holiday experiences over the course of the last month; I know we did! Logan wrote his first letter to Santa, we had the annual Santa and Kids photo taken, and we even took a little trip down to Disneyland!

I am sure that by now, everyone has made (and broken) several resolution lists, myself included. I've decided that instead of calling them "resolutions" they should be more like "promises to my family".

1. Try to be more patient.

2. Become better organized in my home and my life.

3. Take better care of my health and the health of my family.

The patience thing is most obviously going to be my most difficult task this year, especially as both boys are continuing to grow and learn (to push Mommy's buttons!). 

Moving sucks... just saying

I'm currently in the midst of packing, sorting, trashing and moving from a small house to a much bigger one. Our family has grown in the time we've lived here and in the process, we've outgrown our little two bedroom house.
Unfortunately, the last time we moved was five years ago, before the kids and the cramped quarters. It was easy then, pack as you go through the rooms, discard what you no longer need or want, and move on to the next room. It's much more difficult with two little ones who keep UN-packing everything you just wrapped and stacked!

We thought "hey, this house will be great!" I hate the fact that we settled when we decided to buy this house, thinking that we would only ever be blessed with the one child that was on the way at the time, never thinking there would be another added in the mix later.

I've learned my lessons; never buy a house with "just enough room", never buy a house WITHOUT a dishwasher (!), and never buy a house that's "valued" way more than it should be. Do the research, know what you want in a new home, and buy accordingly. Don't be NAIVE!

It's hard for anyone to cop to their faults, let alone something that has huge life-changing repercussions. But you learn your lessons, plow on through, and try to come out on the other side a little wiser, a little older, and a little happier.

I know I'll be much happier the minute I pull my first load of dishes from that dishwasher!

What Makes You Happy?

I used to think that shopping, eating out, vacations and the like were the things in life that could truly make me happy. BC (Before Children!), we would frequently take a day trip to Solvang, or down to Los Angeles and just wander and be happy together. We’d get lost for hours, driving with no end in sight, not worrying about the day to day business of life or needing to rush back home to care for anyone.


With the two boys now, our spur of the moment trips are few and far between, in fact requiring lots of patience and planning to prepare. I always worry that I’ve left something behind that we’ll need, or that we’ve packed too much in the trunk of the car for just a day trip.


This weekend, we’re off to the forest, to see the giant trees. I don’t know what the trip has in store for us, if we’ll be able to keep the boys happy in a longer than usual car trip, or even if anyone will get car sick. But what I do know is that there will be some good memories made and that will make me happy.


 If my patience can hold out...


I’ll give your regards to General Sherman if I see him!