Tips for Road Trips with Young Children

 I love road trips! When I traveled the country on two different professional golf tours with my dad (he caddied for me) we almost always drove the circuit which meant weeks at a time on the road. I've been to all but three continental states and pretty much all of them involved getting there by car. I consider myself a seasoned road warrior.

My husband's family lives in Ohio, it's about a 1,000 mile road trip. Us road warriors started making this drive when Haley was three and Harrison one. Pretty much everyone thought we were crazy and they might have been right! But, strangely we actually enjoyed these trips.

I love being in such a small place for so long with the three people that I love most in this world! These early age long road trips created a bit of an adventurous spirit in both kids and they are pros at traveling these days. My hope is that I can encourage you to hit the road with your kids and also give you a few tips to make traveling with kids just a little bit easier.

Snacks are a must:
I have one word for you when traveling with kids: snacks. I've found that bagging the snacks in individual portion sizes works the best. It avoids the inevitable spilled box of cereal if you hand a small kid a full box of a snack. Be careful not to do much sugar, if any. You don't want to get your kids all sugared up then expect them to stay still in a car. A small cooler in the back seat is also nice for fruit or cheese. I find it best to be in charge of the snacks by having easy access to them myself and handing them to the kids, otherwise they will eat them up right away. I always hide the snacks before the trip and keep them a surprise  It's kind of fun to buy things that I wouldn't normally splurge on for the trip as well.

We stop, we go potty:
One rule that we stick with is every time we stop the kids must try to go potty whether or not they feel like the need. I don't think there is anything more frustrating than getting a few miles down the road after a stop only to hear, "Mommy, I need to go potty."! So, this rule is a must!

Know your kid(s) and be prepared: 
Our sweet Harrison has been carsick ever since he was a baby. This can make road trips quite interesting. If the car gets too hot or we hit stop and go traffic, he would most likely loose his lunch! I got to where I could sense when this was going to happen and once I heard that sound, I turned around catching throw up in a bowl. This was not one of my more favorite memories of traveling with kids, ha! We always had extra clothes for both kids in an easy to access location. One time, it was a really bad episode and we happened to pull off the road in "who knows where" Illinois to discover a car wash. We actually sprayed off his clothes and the plastic part of his car seat to get rid of the odor. We were professionals at disaster control! Then, we saw a sign for a historic covered bridge and neat old town and went of a fun little detour. Now that's turning lemons into lemonade  This of course may not apply to you, but thinking of situations that can come up ahead of time is important and always have access to a change of clothes and wet wipes is a must.

Keep your eye on the prize:
We break up our treks to Ohio or Florida into one long day and a half day. So, the prize for the first day is finding a hotel with an indoor swimming pool in the winter or outdoor in the summer. The kids are always so excited to jump into that pool, and it's especially exciting when we are traveling in the winter. The second day's prize is, of course, making it to their grandparents house or final destination which happened to be Destin, Florida last summer. My mother-in-law is the master of making the kids welcome with many fun gifts as soon as we arrive. 

Overnight bag:
If you plan to stop at a hotel in route, I find it best to pack an overnight bag for that stop. That way we don't have to unpack a week's worth of luggage for that one night. Park close to the front of the hotel in a well lit area for the night. We generally choose a Hampton Inn or a Holiday Inn Express for that one night. They are almost always consistently nice and offer a little continental breakfast. If you are traveling in the north, then those hotel chains will most likely have an indoor pool as well. 

Take short stops:
It might sound like a good idea to stop at a park or somewhere to let the kids play, but when you're taking long trip you are eating up valuable time. You must keep the car moving forward as much as possible. Unless, of course, you see a giant watermelon, then you must stop. We'll take a potty break at a place with an indoor playground on occasion and let the kids play for a few minutes. Sometimes, we even just do some jumping jacks at a gas station. Try your best to plan for naps and fill up your car with gas right before. Nothing is worse than finally getting a youngster to sleep  only to discover that you are running low on gas. One time the kids were asleep and I was in desperate need of a potty break. Matt rolled into a rest stop and I jumped out as the car barely rolled to a stop and then Matt circled the rest stop until I came out. It actually worked and the kids stayed asleep!

Entertainment:
We let the kids each have a small bag that they can fill with the toys they would like to bring along. This gives them some control over their domain. We also have a portable dvd player. I recommend limiting the movies that they bring. Going to the library and checking out a few new movies would be a great idea as well. We've had some fun doing a roadtrip scavenger hunt. On one trip to Ohio, I made up my own list of landmarks that we would encounter on the road, like state lines we would cross, rivers, and all kinds of things that I knew we would see on our journey. Haley really loved this and it kept her attention on the scenery. I love looking out the window and seeing small farms or big cities and wondering what life is like in such places. Of course, you can bring some books and read to the kids as well.

Bond:
This is a great opportunity to bond with your kids and have their attention, so don't waste it. Start conversations and enjoy their fascination with new sites. I guarantee that they will remember these trips and I know that you will have many great stories from your adventures. This is what childhood is all about, make the most of it!

Do you have any road trip advice to share?

Thanks for stopping by and hit the road!
Jennifer

Haley's Eighth Birthday Tea Party

Haley and I had the best time planning and throwing her birthday tea party and I just couldn't wait to share the pictures with you. Since, we don't have a lot of space, we knew it was going to be an intimate affair where only her closest church friends would be in attendance.

In planning the party we first wanted to give out the perfect elegant invitations. Using a coupon at JoAnne's, we bought a large packet of girly scrapbook paper. This paper would be used for our teapot invitations and in many decorations.

Haley and I had the best time searching for the party favors. We went to several thrift stores and found tea cups. Our goal was to give each girl their own individual tea cup. The cups were filled with nail polish, a chocolate and a note pad.

Haley made a festive sign to greet her guests.

I pulled a lot of decor out of Haley's room to outfit our elegant girly mantle. I also made many banners out of the scrapbook paper. These banners also hung over every window in our living area and kitchen. 

My mom and I pulled together our resources to outfit the borrowed table for the occasion. I also hung balloons with tape from the ceiling  Each girl had a name card. My mom made a strawberry cake and muffins. I bought several fun cookies and fruit from Trader Joe's. The girls had a choice between two caffeine-free teas or pink lemonade. Of course, fresh flowers were a must for the tables and classical music playing softly in the background.

All the girls arrived in sweet dresses and ready for tea.

And Daddy even wore his pink shirt.

The girls were quite lovely and well-mannered sipping their tea.

There was a homemade pink cake.

And there were presents...

And dancing...

And they all lived happily ever after.

I'm Writing an eBook, Here's a Sneak Peak

Hi friends! I'm excited to announce that I'm in the process of writing my first eBook. I've had it on my heart to write one for quite some time, but I got the extra nudge that I needed from my friend, Robyn, the other night and it is coming together so quickly. Much faster than I thought! My vision for this eBook is to give you a seven week guide to turn your home into a clutter-free, clean haven and the tools to maintain it. Here is a little sneak peak into day one of the journey:

Week One

Monday

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 

Genesis 1:3 

The first thing I want you to do is go and open those blinds, drapes, curtains, what have you. Let some light in! Really, go do it right now. There, doesn’t that feel better? I always open up my fabulous “white faux wood two-inch blinds” every morning and just let that natural light shine in.

Now, take in your space. I want you to think about what you want to accomplish in the next seven weeks. Do you want to be able to invite friends over without worrying about what they will think of your messy nest? Do you want to just be able to enjoy your home and relax? Are you sick of all the clutter and want a clean clutter-free home? Do you just want the burdensome feeling of taking care of this home to go away?

How do you want your home to make you feel? I think we all yearn for a beautiful, peaceful space to not only be our home but our haven.

Today, I want you to write down exactly what it is that you want to accomplish in the next seven weeks. This is your mission statement. It’s not always going to be easy, so you need to know what your goal is when things get tough to keep pushing you forward.

An example of a mission statement might be: In seven weeks my home will be a beautiful clutter-free space that my whole family will enjoy. 

Once you get your mission statement written, put it somewhere that you will see often like on the fridge. I also want you to add this verse to the end of your mission statement. 

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1

Proverbs 14:1 will be our theme verse throughout the next seven weeks. Ladies, let’s build our house and stop tearing it down! We can do this!

Now, I want you to spend some time in prayer. Ask God to give you the time, energy and strength to make your home the haven that you desire. Thank Him for all the blessings in your life.

Today’s cleaning chore will be doing a load of laundry from the start to the finish. And by finish I mean putting the clean clothes where they belong. I recommend throwing the load in the washer right after you wake up. I do this right after my morning potty run and then get back in my bed for some quiet time and reading. This is the first chore that will be in our daily chores list. This list will grow as we continue on this journey together.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll keep you posted as I enter this new journey of writing an eBook!

Blessings,
Jennifer

Filling My Cup: Mom Heart Conference Part Two

It's been awhile since I wrote my first post on the wonderful experience I had at the Mom Heart Conference in February.  Honestly, I took away so much that I wasn't sure how I could possible put it all into words.

I know without a doubt that God has used Sally Clarkson, the speaker, author and blogger on motherhood to speak directly to my heart. In the last year or so that I have had her mentoring voice in my life, I have been changed in how I parent my children. And friends, I am seeing the fruit and it is so good!

Now that it's been a few months, I am going to share with you some knowledge that I took away from the conference and how I've implemented it into my mothering.

One of the things that first jumped out at me was when Sally talked about treating others the way that you want to be treated and how this applied to your kids. How do you treat your friends when they come over? You clean the house for them, encourage them, light a candle and offer them tea. Are you encouraging your kids in the same way? I've taken this to heart and really tried to go beyond just meeting their needs, but really trying to speak their love language and filling them up daily as a friend might fill me up.

I've always loved being a mom and homemaker. I do feel like it is my calling. But, I now realize even more that there is no higher calling or service to God than loving my children well. I guess this acknowledgment has opened my eyes to being more intentional and not letting time slip away. I used to go to bed at night at times feeling regretful that I hadn't read with the kids or spent enough time with them. Although I was with them physically, I wasn't always mentally present.

Ironically, one thing that has helped me be more present with my kids is carving time out during each day for me to sit and drink some tea and read a book. I also spend time first thing in the morning doing a devotional and reading a couple of blogs that I find encouraging, like I Take Joy and even playing around on Facebook. This has allowed me time to fill my own cup and then I can be more present with my kids when they need me. I haven't gone to bed with that regretful feeling at all lately.

Sally pointed out something that I really needed to hear. She said that when a child is misbehaving we need to look at their needs first. Are they hungry or sleepy? What is the need behind the behavior.  Even though my kids are getting bigger, they can both melt down when they are hungry or tired. Hey, I can too, my hubby will attest to that, ha! So, instead of reacting to that behavior, address their need and understand that is the cause of the behavior.

Probably one of the biggest revelations that I've had is fully understanding the fallen nature of humans and that none of us are perfect. I know I'm not, that's why we all need Jesus! I realized over the last few months that I had unrealistic expectations on my first child. I compared her to older children on their best day and that's just not fair. I needed to understand her capacity to reach her heart. If I am constantly on her for every little thing, then I will not be able to build that relationship needed to really reach her heart. My kids will mess up daily, just as I will and I need to offer them the grace that I need as well.

I could go on and on, but I feel like I have been able to offer my children much more grace each day since my eyes have been opened to these truths. I've spent more time reading to them and less time correcting them. I've done my best to be a good example for them "as the student will be like his master". I've also done my best to stop using a firm voice or worse yet loud tone to get their attention. Being gentle and loving is much more effective anyways. I want them to know that nothing that they can do will ever make me stop loving them.

If you're a mom, then I highly recommend jumping over to Sally's blog, I Take Joy. I've also read several of her books that have been huge in my journey to being a more grace-giving, loving mother. They are Seasons of a Mother's Heart, Desperate and Ministry of Motherhood. 

Blessings,
Jennifer

Things to do in San Antonio

My mom, the kids and I took a two day/three night "field trip" to San Antonio and had the best time! Have I mentioned how great homeschooling is for field trips? Just in case you're taking a trip there, I thought I'd share what we did and challenge you to think past Sea World. Although, Sea World is fun, we didn't want to devote an entire day to it with all the other fun things to do in San Antonio.

Of course, you have to see the Alamo if you are visiting San Antonio. The story of the Alamo is one of such heroism and never gets old. What you might not expect is the lovely grounds around the Alamo full of colorful flowers, large oak trees and historic aquifers as well as an original well. The long barrack is set up as a museum covering the history of the Alamo. The Alamo is free for visitors.

The San Antonio Zoo is also phenomenal. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The kids were especially intrigued by the butterfly garden, feeding the birds and the hippo show. 

If you have little kids the Kiddie Park is a must stop. Established in 1925, it is known as America's oldest amusement park. If you like vintage like I do, then you will get a kick out of this place. It's definitely for little kids, but my seven-year-old still had a blast.

We enjoyed a picnic at Breckenridge Park. We picked up a light lunch at Central Market just down the street and took it to the park. We had a few duck and bird friends join us for lunch and the kids had fun climbing trees and looking at the river. We parked right at the zoo, which is located on the park grounds along with a train. The kids and I had fun riding around the park on the train after our picnic.

Right next to the zoo is a beautiful place called the Japanese Tea Garden. The garden if free and simply beautiful with many flowers, streams and a waterfall. It is a must stop while visiting San Antonio.

The Wittie Museum proved to be a wonderful destination. This museum has something for everyone. The grounds were lovely as the museum sat right in Breckenridge Park on the San Antonio River. The museum is more of a campus with several buildings and homes to tour. You can come and go during museum hours with a wrist band, so we left for lunch and came back later. The science tree house was spectacular along with a new building featuring the history of the original settlers to the area. Everything was so interactive and engaging for the kids as well as us big kids.

We did enjoy a meal out at an enormous fun restaurant right in market square called Mi Tierra Restaurant and Bakery. It was just good Tex Mex with quite a lively atmosphere. It would be an ideal place to visit if you have a large group.

As you can see, we had a great fun-filled two days in San Antonio! I hope this gives you some ideas if you are planning a trip to the area!