A Couple of our Favorite Travel Tips

Wow!  It has been awhile since I posted.  It has been crazy and fun since the boys have been out of school, which leaves little time for posting.  Sooooo, today I decided to share a couple quick travel tips that are so handy when travelling with kids.  These are not my ideas, but they are ones that I have tried and liked.

First, I found this great idea for packing clothes in Ziploc bags a couple of years ago.  Basically you put one outfit in each bag and it helps keep things in order and also protects clean clothes from dirty clothes, if you have to throw them all back in the suitcase and change locations. 

I have also used this method for my boys while they have stayed with cousins or grandparents.  I labeled the bags with the day they were to wear them.  That way, I knew that the boys would end up wearing the proper clothes to school and the play clothes on Saturday.

I have loved this method.  When we unpack after we return home, we keep the Ziploc bags inside the luggage to be used on the next trip.

Second, I found this idea for travel snack boxes on Pinterest last summer.  I was a little skeptical at first.  I was sure my kids would totally overindulge, eat all their snacks right away, and be sick.  Luckily, they did great and made those snacks last for the entire trip (both going and coming, over 8 hours each way)

I cut little vinyl labels for each of their snack boxes.  The boys love them and it helps them actually look forward to that long car trip each summer.

National Donut Day

Today is National Donut Day.  My boys felt that we were obligated to celebrate.

It is also National Chocolate Ice Cream Day today.  I might feel obligated to celebrate that after dinner.  Hmmmm.  Do you think the sugar high will last long enough to get me through a doubly long workout tomorrow? 

Chore Cards - free printable

I have seen chore cards like this around the internet for awhile, and finally decided to try this system out myself.  I made up a simple printable chore card for my boys and explained how the new system would work.  My boys love it!!

Since I took way too much time designing this little printable, I decided I might as well share it.  This is not perfect and cannot be personalized, but we put each boy's name on the back of their card and it has been working great around here.

Click here to download a sheet of chore cards.

If you like the idea of chore cards but would like something that can be personalized or is simply just better looking than this, you can find all sorts of these in several different etsy shops.  One is bound to suit your fancy.

 

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No Bake Cookies

Today was my boys' last day of school.  To celebrate we have been eating these.

Lots and lots of these.

Summer Fun List

Today my boys started their last week of school before Summer break, and I realized that I had better get my summer fun list together pronto. We won't be doing these in any particular order, but I hope to get to all of them.  Here is what I have so far . . .

1.  Indoor Picnic
2. Outdoor Picnic
3. Make Dinosaur fossils
4. Have a boy friendly tea party
5. Leaf Rubbings

6.  Go fishing!.  Arizona has a free fishing day in June and we always take advantage of it.

7.  Sharpie Plate Art
8.  Run through the sprinklers
9.  Slip and Slide
10.Water Balloon Target Practice
11.  European Breakfast
12.  Bubble Painting
13.  Ice Cream Sandwiches on a stick

14.  Simon Says Art - maybe with sidewalk chalk outside.

15.  Silk Screen T-shirts

16.  Make and play with play dough

17.  Make, play with, and eat peanut butter play dough.

 

18.  Giant Bubbles
19.  Homemade Ice Cream
20.  Diet Coke and Mentos explosion
21.  Make necklaces for movie night
22.  Make milk carton watering cans
23.  Create pieces of art, then set them up for display and have an art show - complete with refreshments.
24.  Celebrate some unusual holidays.
25.  Elephant Toothpaste science experiment.
26.  Make Firecracker Sugar Cookies.
27.  Make Chip Bag Shrinkies.
28.  Exploding Bags with baking soda and vinegar.
29.  Have a backwards day.  Start the day with dessert, end with breakfast.  Wear clothes backwards.  Reverse your routine where possible (i.e. stories in the morning, chores in the evening.)
30.  Ivory Soap Explosion

I will add to this list as I think of, or find more things to do.  I will also try to blog about what we are doing and share the fun!  Here is hoping for a fabulous and fun Summer!

Mother's Day Flowers

This is what my little guys (and my awesome husband) did for me for Mother's Day.

It's actually starting to feel like Spring around here.  Thanks guys, I love them!!

Round and Round

My youngest two boys love, love, love running and pushing their big Mega Blocks dump trucks in a circle around the coffee table and sofa in my living room.  (In truth - all of my boys have loved this activity when they were little.)  I usually have a "track" in the carpet where you can see they have pushed these trucks over and over.

 It can get pretty loud with all of the laughing and the wheels running against the floor when they hit the hardwood, but amazingly, the loudness of this particular activity never bothers me.  In fact it always makes me smile and provides some of the happiest moments of my day, along with some fun memories of their big brothers doing the same thing.