Games on a Plane - How to Pack for Flying

beach day - the other 2 went to a baseball game

I just got back from our Florida vacation, and it was awesome! We had a very nice condo with plenty of space, a few quirks, but a terrific location. We went to the Theme Parks and the Beach with some down time to play games and rest. As vacations go, this was one of the great ones!

Some of the keys to a smooth vacation are Planning & Proper Packing
But I think the most important key is Flexibility!

Here are some Travel Tips:

• When you have a tentative schedule, it will help you plan what to pack.
• When flying, you don't want to over pack. If you can fit everything into a carry-on, you'll save the extra money for checking a bag, depending on your airline.
• Sometimes, we ship our stuff to the place we're staying. It depends on the cost. 
• We love playing games, but with the tight packing for flying, it's hard to fit those clumsy boxes... so I get out my ziplock bags and cut the size of the games down by 75%!

before

after!

Ziplock bags are the best! They're great for:

• packing lotions and shower items
• packing powders and sprays
• packing snacks
• keeping the phone dry at the beach or pool
• keeping credit cards or park tickets easy to find in a cluttered bag!

And when things don't go according to plan, or if it rains on a day you're supposed to go to the beach - have a backup plan, like going to the movies or playing games! Plans change, even on vacation. There's no point getting upset when things go wrong--we just have to deal with it and adjust!

Your vacation is as fun or stressful as you make it. Don't worry about the things you can't control - like the weather, nature, and personalities! Do you have any travel tips?

Hope you've had a great summer so far!

Road trips - Don't forget the food

If you're going to eat, you're going to want a drink, right little mouse? And that means you'll have to stop, probably before you want to... so factor that time into your itinerary. Here's my advice for food on a road trip:

• Sometimes snacks are good diversions on a road trip in themselves.
• A small, soft-sided cooler comes in handy for drinks, the healthy refridgerated snacks, and those unexpected delays
• Snacks will tide kids (or you) over until you're ready to stop in twenty more miles at the better exit
• When picking/packing snacks - individual servings are best and I use ziplock bags to make individual servings
• Raid the pantry & fridge - the stuff is going to go bad while you're gone anyway, so bring it! This is also a great time for CREATIVE TRAIL MIX
  
• Take the last bowls of cereal from the boxes the kids think are empty and won't finish
• Use the remnants of crackers, popcorn, pretzels, chips, cookies, even granola bars - just break them up, use what you have!
• That's the beauty of Trail Mix - it doesn't really have to go together because none of the pieces lose their flavor so picky eaters can pick out what they like!
• And if you want to make above healthier, throw in some granola, raisins, or nuts
• Bringing healthy snacks is super smart - they have limited options in the car (and hotel) - if they're hungry, they'll eventually eat the healthy stuff!
• Pack drinks w/lids - nuff said
• Don't give kids easy access to snacks and drinks or you'll be stopping every thirty minutes. Take heart - they're bladders do get bigger as they grow and so do their appetites, but so does the ability to suppress it - trips have become quite easy with teens. (one thing in their favor!)

Well, I hope this helps on your next road trip!

What do you recommend for road trip snacks?

Road Trip Tips!

Summer = Travel.

In the Fall, I'm a football mom like Liz. But in the summer, I'm a baseball mom. Two of my boys travel for tournaments on the weekends. Needless to say, we are on the road a lot! Those drives and hotel stays are fun at first, but they can become tiresome. So this week I'm going to talk about how to make road trips easier. Start by planning ahead!

• For the driver
• audiobooks!
• update your music - because finding a good station is almost impossible on the road, even if you have satellite - it repeats!
• I like to listen to a movie with the kids, like Wreck it Ralph or Despicable Me, it makes the time and the miles fly
• For the kids

• get movies onto the devices - they can take a while to load, don't wait till the last minute!
• don't forget the chargers!
• don't forget the headphones/earbuds!
• bring a book - mine have summer homework, and even if they didn't I encourage them to read something
• something different - mine will sometimes bring an old gaming system for a change of pace, like a PSP or Nintendo DS
• for younger kids - there's a ton of creative, fun stuff available that wasn't when my kids were little - Crayola mess-free comes to mind
• what NOT to bring - no stickers, no little pieces, nothing you can't replace! (see Liz's article about how to keep these things safe)
• do bring something different to pull out at the pit stops or buy a trinket on the road - more waiting and sitting still at restaurants can be tough!
• Know where you're going
• GPS isn't perfect, I print out a map to be safe
• figure out how long it will take
• see if you can avoid construction
• pick good spots to stop for meals or rest breaks
• if I have friends in the area, I like to give them a heads up, possibly meet them for lunch between games
• Be comfortable - sitting for a long car ride, you need to be comfy or you'll be cranky
• bring long sleeves--even tho it's hot outside, the a/c keeps a car brrr cold even when the fan is on the lowest setting
• pillows if space permits
• sunglasses and a spare
• don't pack stuff in your suitcase you want easy access to in the car
• Food! I'll be talking about snacks and drinks on Wednesday

Got more to add? I'd love to hear it! Any travel plans coming up? Happy Trails!

Summer Travel Tips

What's more fun than summer travel?

Traveling without losing items that are dear!

Add a phone number (not your own) to your cell phone lock screen. If you drop your phone and a Good Samaritan finds it, they will need a way to contact you. If your cell phone is pass code protected, they won't be able to access your phone's info to return it. 

If you're using a digital camera, snap a picture of your phone number. If it's lost, a Good Samaritan may scroll through your pictures and be able to contact you. My husband and I once found a camera at a state park, and were able to return the camera because the people had napped a pic of their name and address...I'm thinking leaving stuff behind was something they did frequently. The address and phone number worked, but I'd rather someone just give me a call.  

Taking pets on vacation? Be sure to attach tags with cell phone number to their collars- not a home phone number. No cell phone on your trip? Make a "tag" with hotel or realty company phone number and your name. While traveling, pre-cell phone days...I'd buy a cheap collar at a dollar store and write my name and the number of the place I was staying in black marker. Jut in case my dog got a way...I'd want a way to find her!

Any other tips? Share them...and of course, they will be "borrowed".