Road Trip Travel Hacks

Road Trip Travel Hacks

Growing up our family went on quite a few road trips. We drove everywhere. We’d go to the beach, the lake, friends houses, visit family, and go on adventures. IT wasn’t until I had kids that I realized why we drove everywhere.It’s freaking expensive to fly the whole family! It wasn’t as bad at first because babies fly free. As soon as they turn two, life changes again and now you have to fork out a few hundred dollars for them.As a family of five, you can imagine how expensive it gets....So road trips here come. Buckle up kids and get ready for an entire day in the car! Prepare for constant bickering with your brothers on how much they touch you or the fact that they’ll try to eat all your snacks. Excited!?The funny thing is none of that matters to my kids. They love road trips! They love looking out their window and seeing all the new places, bugging each other, and watching movies on their iPads.At least my hubby and I have slowly figured out a few road trip hacks to surviving family road trips.

Pack light.

The assumption when traveling with kids is to BRING IT ALL. Don’t do it! As a parent you’re the in-house pack mule and carrying it all is a nightmare. Bring the essentials and let each kiddo bring ONE special toy. Being a minimalist for a few days won’t hurt them.

Pack a cooler with snacks.

We recently picked up these coolers for the kids, and they’re a lifesaver! We load them up with snacks, and it keeps them cold. It cuts down on stops, and it keeps them busy.

Get something novel.

Novel is key on a road trip. If you have a DVD player you can get a new movie from the discount section, or you can get a little activity book. Pull it out halfway through your trip when your kids are getting restless.

Plan 1-2 stops where the kids can get out and stretch their legs.

The goal of road trips is to get to your destination fast, but planning at least one stretch your legs time will help. I don’t mean a potty break either. Find a rest stop and play a game of tag. Let them run and get their wiggles out.

What are your road trip hacks?

Traveling Families You Should Be Following

Traveling has always been a huge passion for me. I love the idea of scouring the whole world and learning about different cultures and ways of life.The problem is I got married and started a family at 21.... Everyone says you can't travel with kids, so I guess I cut my traveling off before I even got started...I quickly learned that it was all a load of garbage. I met dozens of multiracial families that traveled the globe together! What a concept. A family that travels! I started looking for them online too. I wanted to learn all of their tips and secrets to see how they made it work.I wanted to know how to make traveling with the whole family a fun thing!We started traveling after we had our second son. After a lot of fear, we decided to just do it. Dozens of hotels, road trips, and planes later we finally have a handle on it. So far we've just traveled around the US together, but we're hoping to hit India this year!Traveling truly is a beautiful thing for families. It takes them out of their bubbles and teaches them about a world bigger than themselves. My hope is that my kids will fall in love with different cultures around the world by seeing them firsthand.The Almost Indian Wife We document all of our travels with the kids. Our family shares the ins and outs of traveling with toddlers! Even the moments that make you question traveling at all! At the end of the day we love traveling together and making memories around the world together.Kid World Citizen Becky shares about her love of traveling with her multiracial family. The scour the world together to learn about different cultures, taste unique foods, and all while raising her kids abroad!Suitcases and Sippy Cups One mom and dad decided to leave everything behind and let their wandering spirits guide their family around the world. She shares tips for other parents wanting to travel as a family and helps you make it happen!Travel With Bender Josh is a dad who documents his family travels. They defy the world's saying that you can't travel with kids. By the time his kids were 2 and 3, they had visited over 65 countries! They're living the dream and telling you every step of the way!Two Kids and a MapOne mom teaching her kids that adventure is everywhere they turn. She also shares how they travel on a budget and how you can too!The Family Without Borders This family decided to travel for 6 months straight when they had their youngest daughter! They didn't stop there, they travel all over the world and teach their kids about the world around them.World Travel Family Travel isn't just a dream for this family, it's a passion! They travel the world and let you know allthe details. They help families find great deals, places to go, and teach you how to live an adventerous life!The Jet Set FamilyThis family shares all of their traveling adventures with the world. They go all over the world and want you to see exactly what it looks like! Curious where to go? Check them out and get inspired!Walking On Travels This family is here to remind you that you don't have to give up on traveling when you have kids. Just take them with you and experience the world together!Exploramum and Explorason This mother son duo is here to share the lessons they've learned from a life of travel with you. They have a passion to travel the world and spread kindness everywhere they go.

How To Survive A Long Distance Relationship

Nothing can beat the feelings you have when you first fall in love with your partner. Everything's new and you start to realize what true love really feels like. You wonder how you ever survived without this person in your life and start to picture your lives together.Then you wake up one morning and realize you've ended up in a long distance relationship.Long distance relationships are no secret to interracial couples. Many of us have fallen in love across states and different countries. The distance seems scary at first, but we want to make it work. We know we found the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with and we want to fight for it.The love you have for each other can conquer the distance between you.I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you today. It's hard. Relationships on their own require hard work, but add in a few hundred miles in between you and it's catapulted into a new level of chaos.I've been asking couples in my Multiracial Motherhood Facebook Group for some advice. I wanted to hear from all of them and find out how they made their long distance relationship work. Here are the tips they wanted to share with all of you!

Talk Regularly

Find time to talk every day. Schedules get complicated, but it's important to always make time for each other.

 Schedule Date Nights

Even though you're apart, you still need date nights. Schedule a time to FaceTime over dinner and make it special.

Send Each Other Care Packages

Write each other letters and fill up little boxes to send to each other. Nothing beats getting a package from your loved one.

Remember To Talk About The Little Things

When you're far apart, it's easy to fill your phone calls with the big things. You want to make sure they know what's going on in your life, but it's easy to leave the small stuff out. Find time to talk about what you had for lunch, what you did with your friends, and the little moments of your day.

Have Fun Together

It's okay to be silly! Send funny messages, lip sync battle together, and keep your relationship fun!

Don't Keep Score

Don't make your relationship a competition by keeping track of who calls the most, who visits the most, or who does things more often. All you can do is the best you can.

Trust Each Other

Trust is huge in a long distance relationship. Keep the lines of communication open and don't let yourself constantly second guess your partner.

Start Your Day By Saying Good Morning And End It With Goodnight

Start and end every day by sending a quick message to say good morning and goodnight.

Try To Keep Your Times Together Simple

When you visit each other, you'll want to fill it with everything you miss doing together. Try not to overload your schedules for the few days you get to see each other. Try and keep it simple.

Let Yourself Feel All The Emotions

Long distance relationships are hard and it's important to allow each other to go through the emotions.

Make Trips Happen

Save as much as possible, even if it means cutting things out. Then take trips when possible.

Prepare Yourself For Criticism

People are going to make comments about your relationship and try to get you to second guess your partner. You know your partner and your relationship. That's all that matters.

Stay Positive

Your long distance relationship will be full of good moments and rough days. At the end of it all, you need to stay positive. You can make this work because you love each other.

Avoid The Potty Training Backslide This Summer!

Is The Potty Training Backslide Worth It?

When a parent thinks about potty training their child, they're usually filled with a sense of dread. All they can see is accidents on their couch, pulling over dozens of times during their 20 minute drive, and endless loads of laundry to wash the pee stained big kid underwear.Then if you're "smart" like me, you attempt to potty train them before you go on vacation. You convince yourself, it's going to be fine. They will just keep working on it there.Wrong.Instead of improving on their potty training skills, they end up backsliding. All of your hard work goes down the drain as vacation goes on. It may even feel worth the backsliding while you're out laying in the sun.The problem settles in when you get back home. Instead of an eager child, you end up with a disinterested toddler with no desire to potty train again.It's not worth it!I have potty trained 2 1/2 children in my nearly six years as a parent.My four year old practically potty trained himself. He wanted to be like his big brother and made it all happen. He motivated himself to get it done!My five year old was a different story. He was my first child and I basically had no idea what I was doing. He was an early talker and I just assumed he was ready to be potty trained. Shortly after we "potty trained" him, we went on vacation to Chicago. He completely gave up on potty training there and I ended up in an 8 month potty training battle with him when I got home.I definitely learned my lesson with my two oldest boys. Now, I'm using everything we've learned with my toddler this summer.Today, I'm partnering with Huggies to help prevent the potty training backlide this summer.

Ways To Avoid The Summer Backslide

If you haven't started potty training before your vacation, I would suggest you wait. You want to potty train when you know you'll be home for a while. I usually schedule a full week at home and then slowly venture out. Take a look at your schedule and plan to start your potty training adventure after you get home from vacation.If you've already completed potty training your child, summer time doesn't have to be a disaster. You can help your child to stay potty trained with a few simple steps.Make It Fun AgainWhen a toddler is on vacation, everything seems more fun than working hard to pee in the potty. Why do something that takes work when you can just go in your pants and let your parents do all the hard work?If you see your child starting to loose interest with remaining potty trained while on vacation, make it fun again. Take a small step backwards and reinforce them every time they use the potty. You could grab a set of stickers or small candy to give them as a reward.Model By ExampleYou can only tell your kids to use the potty so many times. At a certain point, they start to tune you out. This is when it's important to go back to the age old saying, actions speak louder than words.If your child has siblings, let them see how they use the potty. Kids look up to their siblings and they are a huge source of motivation for them. Make sure to point out how they use the potty like a big kid.BackstepIf you notice your child beginning to backslide, take a step backwards. Instead of letting them tell you when they need to go potty, you can set a timer. Put in a simple timer to your phone and use that as a reminder to have your child try and go potty.While on vacation, it's easy for your toddler to miss their body's cues telling them to go potty. They end up waiting way too long and have an accident. Step in and stop the chain by reminding them yourself.

Let Huggies Help You This Summer

I've used Huggies diapers and wipes since my kids were little. I love to see their passion for kids and their parents. They don't just sell diapers, they want to help parents hold onto special memories with your little ones. Whether it's your child's first step or the first time they use the potty like a big kid, they are there for you.Are you ready to avoid the potty training backslide?If so, head over to your local Sam's Club and pick up a box of pull ups and wet wipes! With a big family, I'm always looking for a good deal. By shopping at Sam's Club, I know I can stock up on my pull ups and wet wipes without destroying my monthly budget.Head over today and save $10 off any two, or $18 off any three diapers, wipes, and pants today! 

People You'll Meet While On Vacation

My family and I just got home from vacation! Our week was full of late nights, early morning, friends, hysterical laughter, games, and new friends.It’s been a while since I’ve gone on vacation with so many people. Originally, I was going to go to Orlando alone attend BlogHer. The more my husband and I talked about it, the more we realized it would be more fun to turn it into our family vacation for the year!Who doesn’t want to take their whole family to Orlando!?We ended up traveling with a total of 5 adults and 5 kids. As you can imagine things got crazy and we made some beautiful memories that I hope my kids have forever.It didn’t take long for us to realize we all like to vacation differently.

People You’ll Meet While On Vacation

The Lazy VacationerThis person likes to relax during vacation. They don’t see the point in filling up their whole trip with dozens of activities. Instead, they sleep in, enjoy a nice cup of coffee on the balcony, and soak it all in.Every day is an opportunity to savor new memories.The Cram It All In VacationerThis person has an idea of their perfect vacation and crams in every activity on that list. Exhaustion is the last thing on their mind. The biggest concern for them is missing something.You won’t miss anything either because they’ll take enough pictures to last a lifetime.The Couch Bound VacationerThis person likes the idea of vacation rather than the vacation itself. All their itinerary includes are the couch, snacks, and binging the latest show on Netflix.Don’t bother trying to get them to do anything on vacation. You’ll hardly see them leave the room, much less get them to check out the tourist spots.The Dare Devil VacationerThis person likes to chase the thrill during their vacation. As soon as you get to your destination, immediately find the closest hospital. Some of their crazy adventures end in broken limbs. They have no fear because their broken bone is their souvenir from their latest thrill.Your vacation won’t be boring if they come along.The Indecisive TravelerThis person is always up for fun! They just want to be there for the experience of it all. The only problem is getting this person to make any decision is like pulling teeth!You better hope you’re not alone on vacation with one of these vacationers or you’ll end up in your room the whole time trying to figure out where to go.The good thing is they’re up for anything!The Early Bird VacationerThis sums up just about any child you go on vacation with. They don’t care what time everyone goes to sleep the night before, they’re still up at the break of dawn!They’re so excited for the vacation that they wake up before everyone else to make sure they don’t miss anything. If you’re really lucky, they’ll even wake everyone up with a Smurf song like my little boy!While they’re full of energy, no one wants to room with them in fear of losing all sleep while on vacation!

What type of vacationers do you have in your family?

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How To Pack For Your Next Road Trip

Summer is officially here and it means vacation season!I love vacation season. It's my family's chance to travel around and see family members that live a ways from us. This summer we have plans to go to Chicago, Cincinnati, Orlando, and hopefully Vancouver!As our kids have gotten older, planes trips have become more expensive. Our youngest is now old enough for us to buy him his own seat. In reality it's a double edged sword. Part of it is nice because it means I don't have to hold him the whole time. On the other hand it now means we have to buy 5 tickets when we travel as a family.Expensive.Hundreds of dollars just on the tickets.This summer we're saving by road tripping instead of flying. This means more money in our pockets, more crazy car ride adventures, and some amazing memories.

Road Trip Essentials

Before you set off on your own road trips, make sure you pack well. I've made the mistake of packing way too much, not enough, and about every other packing faux pa!This time I'm learning my lesson and taking advice from all of you! Here is a list of travel essentials needed on every road trip.

First Aid Kit

Make sure your first aid kit has all the medical essentials you need. You never know when someone can get hurt and it's better to have it all with you if it does happen. You can even add in your allergy and car sickness medicine.

Cooler With Snacks

Pack a medium sized cooler with some of your family's favorite snacks. Don't pack things you wish they would eat, but do things you know they eat daily.

Small Blanket

Find a light weight blanket that is perfect for your kids. Then you don't have to worry about them fighting over how cold the AC is.

Spill Proof Cup

Spills and messes are going to happen, but don't let it be a sticky juice mess! Find spill proof cups for the kids and make it a bit easier.

External Battery

Electronics won't stay charged forever. This is why it's important to pack an external battery pack to help in your time of need.

Accessable Change Of Clothes

Take out a change of clothes that you can grab during the ride if the kids have an accident.

Notebook and Crayons

Switch things up a bit and have another activity for your kids. We like to grab a small notebook and crayons.

Headphones

Pick up some headphones so you can have a bit of peace on your drive. You kids can plug them into their electronics and then mom and dad don't have to hear the games the whole drive.

Favorite Toy

Don't. Forget. The. Toy. Find your child's favorite toy and be sure to pack it!

Mess Free Snacks

Pick up some mess free snacks for your kids to snack on during the drive!

What are your road trip essentials?

A Year Of Tiny Living

Hi! My name is Sara Miedema and I blog over at Tiny Home Dream. A little over a year ago, my husband decided to return to school after over a year of unemployment. In an effort to save money and stretch our resources, my husband, 2 children (ages 2 and 4) and I moved into a 300 sq foot RV.

We spent a month ripping it apart and renovating it before our big move and it’s been such a great home for us! I thought I’d share a little bit about what tiny living with a family is like by reviewing our first year.

Summer

We moved in right at the beginning of summer and it was SO lovely! The space that our RV is parked on is totally fenced in, so our kids were able to enjoy lots of freedom in our backyard, something we missed in our old house! The first summer felt a lot like camping, in the best way possible. We spent most of our time outdoors. Lots of campfires and hot dog roasts!

Our tiny home was easy to keep clean and tidy and since we were hardly ever inside, it was hardly a chore to clean it. Our kids learned so much about playing together, pretend and outdoor play. My husband and I enjoyed the relief from financial stress and the time we were able to spend together.

Adjusting to our tiny space was surprisingly easy, we transitioned our kids to sharing the same room and once they were used to the idea, the rest of it was easy. We got used to cooking and baking in a small kitchen and got comfortable using a compost toilet. We spent more time at home than at parks and beaches, because we love our outdoor space so much!

Fall

Thankfully, we enjoyed a mild fall and it gave us time to get used to the idea of spending more time indoors. We invested in good rain gear for the kids and pulled out some hidden boxes of toys as we moved indoors more and more. Unless it was absolutely pouring, the kids continued to play outside for several hours a day. We also began to attend programs in our county to help us get out of the house more often. Storytime, drop-in preschool, dance class, Bible study and toddler time kept us busy almost every day.

We rarely felt cooped up, and relished a quiet day at home! As the days grew colder and it rained more and more (PNW, don’t forget!) I started implementing daily quiet time with our kids. Our 2 year old gave up naps right around this time and I needed a few quiet moments to myself every day! The kids spent a lot of time listening to audiobooks and playing quietly with their toys. As the rain poured, we found several leaks in the roof and did our best to repair them. It was discouraging and frustrating, one of the downfalls of living in a 25 year old rig….

Winter

Our biggest challenge was definitely surviving the winter! The previous winter was mild and we only have a tiny dusting of snow and very few days below freezing. Of course, this winter was brutal! I’ve heard it was the coldest one we’ve had in 30 years! On one of our first cold days, our pipes froze and we were not only without water, but facing the reality that we had a whole season of freezing weather ahead of us!

We brainstormed and budgeted and researched and in the end, came to the conclusion that there wasn’t much we could do without spending a fortune. Instead, we turned off the water and drained our pipes each time the weather dipped. This meant many days, and weeks, of no running water. We lugged water in in 5 gallon jugs, did laundry elsewhere and showered anytime we were visiting friends or family. Our friends got used to us tossing in a load of laundry and bathing our kids each week at Bible study and our neighbors graciously helped us out when they could!

It’s also worth mentioning that we found out we were pregnant at the beginning of the winter. So along with these challenges, I also struggled with nausea and exhaustion. We celebrated a simple, cozy Christmas in our tiny home and loved it!

In January, an ice storm presented us with another challenge when our power was knocked out. Several large branches broke and landed on our roof and the strong wind rocked us back and forth so it felt like we were on a boat. We ended up making the trek to my parents’ house to wait out the storm.

Surprisingly, staying warm was never an issue. 4 bodies and a couple space heaters in our tiny space kept us nice and toasty all winter! I found myself growing discouraged and burnt out on tiny living, especially when the weather forced us to stay home for days on end. The first stretch of days above freezing were such a relief!

Spring

I can’t describe the joy we felt when the weather began to get warmer! Running water felt like such a luxury and doing laundry in our own space was a treat! The kids began spending more and more time outdoors again, usually ending up filthy and muddy, but I didn’t mind!

We were able to pack up our space heaters and dehumidifier, which made our small space feel larger. The kids and I were able to go for walks and play outside and visit parks and beaches again. At this time, we were also able to make the last payment on our student loans and that gave us another big reminder as to why we made the choice to live tiny! We realized that we had been able to save almost a thousand dollars a month in living expenses and that gave us renewed motivation and determination!

As we approach summer again, we’re loving our home and space! We just passed the one year mark and we wouldn’t change a thing. Our next big challenge is coming this month, as we’ll be adding a newborn to the mix! We’re preparing our home for a new baby and trying to envision what the next year of tiny living will be like!

Follow Sara Along On Her Journey!

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Unusual Things I've Discovered About My Family While Moving

We're Moving... Again..

If you've known me for long, you know my family has a thing for moving around. Since my husband and I have been married we've lived in California, Washington, Illinois, and now we're about to set off on our next adventure.North Carolina!We're sad to be closing this chapter of our lives in Illinois, but excited for something new in North Carolina. Not to mention the relocation means my husband doesn't have to travel for work anywhere near as much as he did last year!The kids had mixed feelings about moving... That is until my husband told them he'd be home now and *drumroll please* we'd be getting a new dog...I'm pretty sure the marriage rulebook says you have to check with your wife BEFORE you bribe you kids with a pet of any kind.. Luckily, I love dogs and we're about to have a lot more space.Little does he know I'm planning my revenge. He may or may not come home from work one day only to be greeted by a pet of my choice that I decided to surprise him with.Hmmm.. What would I get? A kangaroo? No. A monkey! Not quite right yet. Don't worry, I'll think of one!

5 Things I've Learned While Moving

Our family is pretty used to packing up our house. Over the years we've landed on a common theme and it's that we have way too much stuff! This time around we decided to get rid of as much as we can to make things a little easier.While packing I've uncovered some unusual things about my family...

My Kids Don't Actually Need Their Toys

I did things a little backwards this time. I most of the kid's toys first. I was waiting for them to start losing their minds, but it never happened. They didn't care. I left out one of each of their favorite toys and boxed up the rest. Then something crazy happened!They started using their imaginations even more!Instead of dumping out all their toys, they run around the house playing bad guys and superheroes! It's a different theme every day but they're having fun.

I'm A Hoarder

I thought I've purged a lot over the years, but I was wrong. In the last two weeks I have done at least 6 trips to Goodwill and each time I had a full trunk. They must think I'm crazy there.How does this woman own so much!?I donate everything in the trunk and come home, only to look around and realize their is so much left!

My Kid's Have Secret Stashes Around The House

I've always known my three year old likes to keep a little secret stash. He's done this since he was little and hid his pacifiers around the house.His go to spot is under his pillow. My husband and I check it before we go to bed at night and we're always surprised! We've found scissors, permanent markers, candy, and toys. If you ask him him about it he just gives you his sly little look and says it's our present.As we've been packing up the house, I'm starting to find little stashes around the house! They're everywhere!

I Love Purging

I have fallen in love with purging! I gave myself one box to keep all of our sentimental items and then had a little routine with the rest. I made myself touch everything I own and then I asked myself if I really needed it. If I didn't need it or haven't touched it in 3 months it went straight to the donation box.I don't want to show up at our next home and have it filled with things we don't need. I want to look around and see things that bring me joy.Hopefully my kids feel the same way when we get to the new house and they see quite a few missing toys!

I May Just Keep All Of My Stuff Boxed Up

We're one day away from the moving POD coming and I feel good. We're living out of a suitcase and eating fast food, but I don't have to clean all day. There are only a few things left which means the kids play with them and bring them with them.I'm not cleaning up after them all day or doing a tower of never ending dishes.I may just tell the POD to keep all of our stuff and just drop off the furniture!

Follow us on our journey here!

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What unusual things have you discovered about your family while moving?

My Multicultural Family: Our Thanksgiving Adventure

Early flights, skipping children, and making Thanksgiving memories! Combine them all together and that's what our little almost Indian family has been doing the last few days!

My Multicultural Family: Our Thanksgiving Adventure

Our kids have been counting down to our Thanksgiving vacation to Texas for weeks! They couldn't wait to visit their Chininnas, Pinnis, Thathas, and Nanammas. They were so excited that they would even announce their upcoming trip to everyone around them while grocery shopping! Needless to say, they have been ready for a while!As excited as they were, I was worried about them the morning of the flight. We had to wake the kids up around 4 am to make it to the shuttle in time. My oldest, Liam was the first one to start walking around the hotel room.Momma, I'm the opposite of awake...He started to tell me he was going to go back to bed and take a later flight. Then his excitement got the best of him and he shot out of bed when he realized the trip he had been waiting for was finally here!They are the only kids I know that will skip down the the shuttle at 4 am!

I don't think everyone was excited as they were about the early morning flight.Momma and daddy followed them around the airport trying to remember about a dozen pieces of luggage.We definitely took traveling without kids for granted. We could do early morning flights in a breeze because we'd end up sleeping the whole flight and we only have two pieces of luggage.Three kids later and you get this...

Momma's Well Deserved First Class Upgrade!

Luckily I've been blessed with a wonderful husband who gets his wife upgraded to first class with the baby! The baby that sleeps through most flights. I wish I could say I felt bad leaving my husband and the two big kids behind in coach, but... no.I figured they all owed it to me for every pregnancy, labor, wiped nose, early morning wake up call, back rub, Indian dinner prepared, and ounce of love I've given them. Yes, I went there.The problem is that I slept through the first class meal and drinks! Ooops.I planned on staying awake, but my first class baby passenger cuddled me right to sleep!

When we woke up we were a few minutes away from Texas. As you can see we were very excited to arrive at our Thanksgiving vacation destination!Be sure to follow us on social media so you can see what we do over the holiday week!

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What is your funniest traveling story?

The Ultimate Travel Guide For Families

Traveling with kids is hard, but it doesn't have to be impossible. Check out the ultimate travel guide for families to see what you can do on your next trip!

The Ultimate Travel Guide For Families

The Rule Of Traveling With Kids: KISSAs parents we want to try and think of every possible situation that could come up when traveling. The problem is that means we end up taking an obscene amount of things with us. Or you end up like my poor husband and end up carrying it all while waiting for the flight because the kids have decided they can't carry anything and your wife is carrying three kids...Instead of trying to fit your entire house into your luggage remember one thing.Keep It Simple Silly

The truth is you don't need many things to travel successfully with your kids. All you need is a few things to keep them busy, the essentials, and a whole lot of patience!The novelty of the airport is usually enough to get your kids pretty excited anyways. However, many of us have been those parents on the flight with the whiny or crying kids.

5 Things To Do So Your Kids Won't Lose Their *$&# On The Plane

Walk Up And Down The Aisle.

Sometimes your kids could be feeling to cooped up on the airplane. Give them a little break from sitting by letting them walk up and down the aisles. My kids love it and always make a few friends!

Keep Their Toys Novel.

Give them a new activity every so often on the plane rather than everything as soon as they sit down. It keeps the toys novel and keeps them engaged in their toys longer. Or if you're letting them watch a movie, get a brand new movie they haven't seen before. Keep whatever it is novel and they'll be more interested.

Wear Comfy Clothes.

Nothings worse than sitting on a long flight in uncomfortable clothes. Set your kids up for success by putting them in cozy clothes. If it's an early morning flight, pj's all the way. Or if it's during the day think comfortable.

Ignore The People Around You. 

People will inevitably stare at you. If their parents, they somehow forgot what it felt like to have a kid on an airplane. Or maybe their kids were the model of perfection... Yeah right. All you can do is ignore them. If you let them stress you out, your kids will smell your fear and use it as an excuse to lose their minds!

GET GUM!

It doesn't matter if your a crunchy mom that doesn't want their kids chewing sugary gum, you want them doing exactly that while flying. I've made the mistake of not doing this and felt horrible the entire flight as my child cried in pain! Get them some gum to CHEW during take off and landing, a sippy cup, sucker, or a pacifier. Anything you can find to get them to suck on something to pop their ears.   

Must Have Travel Items

As your'e trying to decide on what essentials you actually need on the flight, take a look at these.These are a few of our families favorite travel must haves! The headphones are my favorite! We've tried so many, but these are great! They're cozy and the kids fall asleep with them on all the time!Disney Store Limited Drinks & Snacks Bottle J World New York Sunny Rolling Backpack Disney Store Frozen Fever Plastic Snack Drink Cup Cozyphones Kids HeadphonesMarvel Boys' Avengers 12 Inch Rolling BackpackPhil&Teds Lobster HighchairBRICA Fold N' Go Travel BassinetErgobaby Original 3 Position Baby CarrierContigo Trekker Kids Water Bottle WeeSprout Reusable Double Zipper Food Pouch

 What are your tips for traveling with a family?

This post has affiliate links. As always all opinions are my own. 

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How To Fight Jet Lag Naturally

Traveling with a family is tough work. My husband and I have taken our kids on dozens of trips around the US and each one is equally difficult, hilarious, and exhausting. Even the simple trips can be intense! My last trip with the kids can be summed up in a few words... two spilled Starbucks drinks, a crying baby, an exhausted momma, and jet lag! Jet lag makes it all worse. Even just a few hours can throw kids into a tail spin for weeks! Here are a few ways you can fight jet lag naturally so you can actually enjoy your trip! 

Tips For Fighting Jet Lag

Your first reaction when you want to fight jet lag is to load up on the caffeine. Or maybe you think sleeping all day will help... The truth is both of these will only make your jet lag exponentially worse. The best thing you can do is fight jet lag naturally.

Stick To Your Normal Routine

One of the most important things you need to do when traveling is stick to your normal schedule. It's easy to think you want to let things like nap and bed times slide, but it's the worst thing you can do. It's hard enough to train your body to stick to the new times, but sticking to the same routine during the day will help your body adjust. Timers are your best friend when you want to fight jet lag naturally.

Try To Adjust On The Plane

If you're going to encounter a large time difference, try and adjust on the plane. Whether that means staying awake the whole time or sleeping for the entire flight. Do your best to get it all done and over with while you're flying to you're not doing it your first day on your trip.

Eat Before You Go To Bed

One of the biggest reasons people end up waking up in the middle of the night when dealing with jet lag is that they're hungry. Their stomachs wake them up so they can get something to eat. Be sure to have a snack before you go to bed to make sure you don't wake up hungry.

Keep Your Body Moving During The Day

When you need to fight jet lag naturally you need to avoid things like caffeine. The problem is your body starts to get tired and all you want to do it go lay on the couch. Instead you need to keep your body active. Schedule things like site seeing and different activities during the day.

Limit Naps

When you're exhausted all you want to do is take a dozen cat naps throughout the day. The problem is that your body is trying to figure out what time it is and if you sleep throughout the day it's going to take even longer to acclimate. Resist the urge to nap during the day.

Keep Your Room Dark While Sleeping

After doing your best to stay awake all day, you're more than happy to lay your head down on the pillow at night. The problem comes the next morning. The moment the sun comes out your body thinks it's time to wake up. Even if it is only 5 in the morning. The best thing you can do is to set up a dark room to sleep in. It will help trick your body to adjust to the new time.

Wouldn't You Rather Fight Jet Lag Naturally?

Whether you're dealing with a 1 hour time difference or 13, it's tough on your body. It takes it time to adjust but you can fight jet lag naturally. You don't have to load up on caffeine and energy drinks to try and keep your eye lids open. In the end caffeine only makes you feel like garbage on top of being wiped out.By being willing to fight jet lag naturally, you can spend your trip feeling great and enjoying your new surroundings rather than trying to play catch up on sleep the whole time!

How Do You Fight Jet Lag Naturally?

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Lies About Traveling With Kids Revealed!

As a mom, you know traveling with kids is highly overrated. People are constantly talking about their "perfect" vacations, with their perfect kids, and their stress free travel time... What's the first thing that comes to mind?You instantly think their either a big fat LIAR or they don't have kids. Traveling with kids is anything but stress free. It's full of broken routines, cranky kids, sleep deprived parents, and non childproofed houses. If anything, parents need a vacation after family vacations just to handle everything that went down!

Lies About Traveling With Kids Revealed

If you keep your child up or miss a nap before a flight, they'll sleep the whole time.

While this may seem like a great idea, it'll backfire on you more often than not. Instead of bringing a well rested child onto an airplane, you'll bring your child's evil twin. Flights are exciting and the seats aren't as comfortable as their bed. It's not as easy for them to fall asleep while flying, so it's better to set them up for success by bringing them to the airport well rested. 

You will never be the parent with the crying child.

My husband and I promised we would never be those parents... Until, it happened to us. Our baby cried for the whole three hour flight. Flights and little ears are not a good mix. If you're not really careful and have your child suck on a bottle or nurse while taking off and landing, their ears will get extremely irritated. Even if you do it all right, their ears could rebel against them and cause the screaming you feared. It's ok. We've all been there and people around you can suck it up and deal or get off the plane... Wait, I guess they just have to suck it up and deal. 

You can prevent your child from kicking the seat in front of you.

Kids are squirmy by nature. Think about how wiggly they are at home. It's difficult to get them to sit still for dinner or even their favorite cartoon. How can you expect them to sit still in a little, itty bitty airplane seat for a few hours? You can have them try and keep their feet down or sit with their legs crossed, but it's inevitable. They will kick the seat in front of them at least a few times. All you can do is audibly talk to them about how they wouldn't like someone kicking their seat and hope for an empty seat in front of you. 

You packed everything you'll need.

You're going to spend hours thinking about what to bring, making checklists, asking people to run you through lists, asking your kids if they packed x, but you'll forget something. You'll forget to plan for your child's inconvenient bloody nose on the plane, their blow out diaper in the terminal, or their un-washable marker fiasco. You're not a mind reader and kids are chaos at all times.

You'll never judge a fellow parent traveler.

You've probably promised you'd never be the parent to judge another fellow parent. Lie. The moment will happen when all of your children are quiet on the plane (even if just for a brief moment) and you'll hear another child. They will be freaking out or crying and your first thought will be, "Can you shut your child up!" You just got yours quiet and don't want anyone messing with your groove. Then it's going to bite you in the bum because as soon as theirs go quiet, yours will start up. Then you'll feel bad you ever judged another person...maybe... or you'll blame them for your misfortune. 

You'll sleep on the plane.

I don't even think I really need to debunk this one. If you actually think you'll sleep on the plane with your child you're either crazy or in denial. I support you either way, but come on. Really? If you fall asleep you're just asking for trouble. Your sweet and innocent little child could slip out of their chair while you're asleep and cause complete chaos or completely embarrass you on the plane. For real, everyone already knows you're the one with the kids... Do you really want anymore attention on yourself? Just keep one eye open. --Traveling with kids can be straight up exhausting, but I'll leave you with one truth... You and your caffeinated self will get through it.. eventually. 

Share your crazy travel stories with us in the comments!