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!

IRL Tips for Staying Sane

The other day, I was feeling sorry for myself (again? don't worry, this is a more upbeat post!) I was driving home to an empty house for the weekend. No one to cook for, no one to watch TV with, no one to talk to or play games with. It was awful! Wah, wah, wah.

Then, as I changed radio stations, I heard three songs referring to being ALONE!! I thought that only happened in movies. I had to crack up--actually LOL!

As Liz said last week, time has flown. My middle son just graduated high school as well and is joining the Army, but he was a ghost his whole senior year - except when he crashed stuff and needed rides. *eye roll*

With active teens flying the coop (pun on my son, Coop) there will be many lonely days ahead (husband doesn't count, but that's another post) Empty Nest Syndrome is real! Though some of you may not know what I'm talking about yet, I know there are days where you find yourself with unexpected, unplanned extra time on your hands and wonder "What do I do now?"

So here are my... Tips for Making the Most out of Alone Time!

• Reconnect! - And I don't mean get on Facebook and look or even just texting/messaging. In Real Life Face-to-Face time!! Do it! We used to have play dates that were just as fun for the Moms as for the kids. No matter how busy our lives get, we need our friends.
• Do something! - A job or hobby or volunteer work is a great thing to keep us active and social and sharp. Being alone, I can get loads of neglected chores done, but I start to get down if I'm alone doing thankless tasks for too long...
• Go somewhere! - It's tough to find time to reconnect. We can't just sit around and wait. Try doing something by yourself! Shopping and taking a walk are awesome and not so bad to do by yourself. I'm going to try hiking again, something I used to love before kids. I also suggest eating out or going to the movies, worth a shot to get out of the house!
  
• Travel! - Go further than your part of town. Spend some time with relatives or friends you haven't seen in a while. I'm going all by myself, driving 8 hours to visit my parents next week and see a bunch of my friends. I can't wait! So excited!
• Do something for you! - Above I mentioned a few things to keep you busy. But this one is all about you. Writing is for me, but I'm trying to turn it into a job... And I can't do that all the time, so I turn to my Wish List - not for things I want, but of things I've been meaning to do, and it's a mile long. I love to organize, so purging closets and our basement always needs to be done. Scrapping/organizing my boys' sports memorabilia is another item that gets pushed aside. ETC!

It's funny--I've been complaining about not having enough time to do things most of my life with kids. Now, I can see the readjustment coming when the kids will be gone--thank goodness they're never really gone and they still need us sometimes!

Have a pleasant week!

Holidays = Travel = Photo Ops

For Friday Fun today, I'm going to share some of my pics from my latest travels... It was great to see my sis and her family in Disney and Universal Studios over Thanksgiving. Had a blast!

But first, I want to share my favorite road sign...

Kids grow up fast, so I try to take as many pics as I can - here are just a few memorable moments!

Where's your favorite place to vacay? Ever go to a fun getaway during the Holidays? Do tell!

Happy Friday!