Our Family Adventure At Wise Acres Organic Farm
As some of you know, my family and I moved to North Carolina a few months ago. Since we've been here, we've slowly been venturing out looking for fun places to take the family.This week our friend invited us along on her homeschool co-op field trip! We were sold when she said strawberry picking! I was surprised to see just how close it was to our house.
If you're ever in the Charlotte area, you have to head over to the Wise Acres Organic Farm.It's run by a family who moved here from Chicago. They wanted to have a small organic farm and it wasn't possible in the city. Now, there family is able to run a small organic farm where families around can bring their kids and spend the day!
They have tractor rides without all the itchy hay!
The best part of the tractor ride was the little Dr. Seuss flare! During the tractor ride, the kids were on the hunt for Truffala trees! Every one they spotted ended with kids yelling and pointing! They loved it!
They even have a cute horse tire swing. My kids could have spent the whole day on the swing! Levi was so in love with it, he even gave it a little speech as we left.OK I think this is it. Don't worry, I'll be back one day. 
Luke's favorite part were the animals! He got to meet some bunny friends and even hold a baby chicken! It was all good until the chicken started flapping his wings! The little guy was convinced it was after him!
Strawberry picking was the biggest success! The boys went up and down picking every red strawberry they could find. I figured they'd stop when their little baskets were full, but no. Luke found a way around it. He started filling his little mouth with them instead!Overall, the day was a success and the boys are already asking when we're going back!
Be sure to watch my Insta Story to see what we make with our strawberries!
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
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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Go To Sleep!
My husband travels for work a lot. At first, I hated nights without him. I thought every sound was an intruder coming to get me. I’d send our dog out to check the rooms and even outside. Don’t even get me started on what would happen when my dog would bark because she heard something outside! Nights were the worst. I couldn’t wait for them to be over. I’d even have my kids sleep with me for comfort. Yes, I know a little one year old couldn’t save me from bad guys, but hey. Do you like to sleep in quiet or do you have to have background noise?
Your Inner "Greatness"
As you all know, Joel travels quite a bit for work. He had a bit of a break in travel the last week or so, but he's getting really busy the next two months. I'm due in December so he's trying to get all his travel in before so he can take some time off. It's definitely worth the next few busy months for help later. I'm still not entirely sure having three kids under four is possible...
These little boys sure miss their daddy when he's gone. We decided to take a little family trip to Vancouver, Wa. We packed it full of some super fun things!
Bollywood Theater was by far my favorite! It was delicious! If you're in the Vancouver, WA area you have to go and tell me what you think!!! You walk in to see a Hindi movie playing and stand in a super long line. The word is out. This place is a hit! Don't let the line scare you, their service is amazing!!
They use authentic Indian utensils and dishes. If you were to go to a restaurant in India, you would see the set up in the picture above. They even have a little modern flare to some of the dishes. Everything we got was spicy. On purpose. Oh man was it amazing. Don't worry, they have white friendly, not so spicy food as well. Liam wasn't as thrilled with the heat level. I kept giving him these cucumbers in yogurt to help. Nothing was helping. He was getting upset and I made a final attempt to give him a cucumber. Joel saw what I was doing and stopped me. "Babe, you know those are really spicy right?" Umm..... Nope. I'm a "great" mom. I finally gave Liam regular yogurt and it fixed it all. After I tormented him. Come on, I know you all have them. Those moments where your inner "greatness" comes out. Share your stories!
3 Things My Husband learned in India
3 Things My Husband learned in India
Honking, it will actually save your life
A common sound that you will hear in India is honking. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, autos, and even bicycles. At first I thought it was because the Indian population at large has a serious issue with road rage. Then I drove my grandpa to a church. We literally drove less than a mile and honking my horn actually saved my life. The horn is an acceptable and key factor in how vehicles navigate the road. Here just a few examples of why you would honk your hornIf you’re passing – you typically drive in the middle of the road and the right and left lanes are there for necessity. Want to pass someone? No problem, just give that horn a blast and move forward.Intersections – This is how my life was saved. Prior to entering any intersection honk your horn to let people know you are coming. Silence means there is no traffic.People jay walking – Save yourself the horror of vehicular manslaughter. Honk your horn when you see people jay walking. They have no fear of vehicles and if they don’t hear your horn will let you run into them.
Cell phones on blast, no need for vibrate
In the U.S the majority of individuals keep their cell phones on vibrate. The exception of course is the Jr or Sr. High student that wants the world to know that they are rocking Miley Cirus’s wrecking ball as their ring tone. You never want to be THAT person that has their cell phone blast during a movie, church, or during that important work meeting. While in India, please, feel free to keep your ringer on blast. Rock the new tune and don’t worry what social context you are in. Honestly, its ok. In fact, I even saw people answer their phone or make phone calls during meetings and church services. In fact my grandpa’s phone just rang while I write this in a meeting with a room full of doctors.
Keep the handshake limp
Men are typically taught to give a firm handshake. The worst experience is greeting someone and getting the limp handshake. In India, every handshake is limp. I’m still trying to figure out why…no one seems to have an answer for me but I’ll try to find out the story behind this phenomenon.Here are a few pictures from my trip so far.
-Joel Muddamalle
On My Way To India
Sometimes, and it seems more often these days, we have no control over timing. I just got done with an 11 day work trip where I was at the following:
· Resurgence 13
· Veritas Apologetics Conference
· The Gospel Tour
Brittany and the kids drove down to Seattle to pick me up and we are staying at a hotel, since I leave from Seattle the next day to jump on a 14.5-hour flight to Dubai and then a connecting 4-hour flight to Hyderabad, India.
It’s been almost five years since I’ve been to India. My memories of India are filled with incredible food, heat, stray dogs, and bright colors surrounding the landscape. Five years is a long time and every time I have gone to India, something significant has always changed. Things don’t stay the same and at times it can be shocking to see how much change can occur. In my mind, India should have stayed frozen the way I left it five years ago.
I’m excited to see my grandparents, their ministry, and spend time with friends and family. One of the things I know is that I will absolutely love my time in India. One thing I remember, as a kid, was the last few days of every trip to India. I would get incredibly depressed leaving! I grew to love the culture, the people, and the food.
More to come while I’m in India!
Check out my last trip below.
-Joel Muddamalle (The Indian Husband)
First Week of No Husband Down, Two More To Go
So, my first week being alone didn't go as planned. Does it ever with kids? Instead of starting my list of to do' sand crafts, I laid in bed sick. While I was sick, the little ones roamed the living room, pulling things out every where they went. I didn't min. Because it kept them occupied. My aunt and cousin helped by getting me medicine and taking Liam for a few hours so I could lay in bed with Levi. My aunt checked on me a few times to make sure I was still breathing. It took a few days of recouping, but I'm finally better. Now, the worst has happened. Levi is sick! I hate when the babies get sick. It breaks your heart because you can't snap your fingers and make it better. The crazy thing is my kids are usually pretty happy while they're sick. Levi is pretty happy and calm as long as he is snuggling with mama. He even has his moments of silliness with his big brother and cousins next door.During a few hours of happy baby, this morning, we decided to run a few errands grabbing last minute items for Joel's India trip and craft items for the boys and I. So here is my updated list of crafts and challenges for the next two weeks. 1. Finish three photo albums for Joel's family in India. (Who doesn't want to see tons of recent baby pictures!)2. Finish my blanket for the living room. 3. Make Christmas pj's for the boys and I. 4. Make our family stockings. 5.Make a list of family Christmas gifts and start working on them. 6. Blog every day!I will try and show my progress each week on all of these! What are your craft goals this month?