Birthday Boating

We don't usually make a big deal out of my birthday, but I turned 30 yesterday and really wanted to do something special! Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places in the whole world! We decided to rent a boat and spend the day on the lake. My parents came along to celebrate with us (and drive the boat)! I couldn't believe how great the kids were; they loved it and were completely entertained the whole time!

Blueberries for Sal (and Brayden)

The other day, a friend asked Brayden where apples come from, and he answer "the store." Clearly I'm failing as a parent. Time for a real life lesson on where our food comes from! I really hope to teach my kids that food doesn't magically appear on their plate or in a grocery store. Someone had to plant a seed, water it, take care of it, pick the fruit, and then deliver it to a grocery store. There are many more steps than the ones we're seeing on a daily basis!

We headed up the foothills with some friends to a u-pick berry patch. Brayden was in blueberry heaven! Always a fan of blueberries, he couldn't get enough of the seemingly endless supply of delicious berries.  We didn't come home with many blueberries because as soon as we would pick them, they went straight into someone's mouth. 

Camden was obsessed with the blackberries, and worked like a machine to fill his bucket! Now, both boys have been intensly interested in knowing how our food is grown (underground, on trees, or bushes). The school of life!!! 

When we were almost ready to leave, we saw a quaint koi pond with the most beautiful lilies! 

Happy Adventuring! 

Traveling With Toddlers!

Forced family fun in Ephesus, Turkey

We're gearing up for our first international trip with both kids! We've traveled to Europe, and Asia with Camden, but Brayden has never been out of the country. Some may say not to travel with toddlers because they won't remember the trip or appreciate the experience as much as they should. True. They probably won't remember the trip. But, guess who will remember the trip? ME! And, I like having my kids with me. 

As I was getting ready to make my packing list, and gather packing essentials, I remembered some of the mistakes me made traveling overseas with Camden, and some of the things that worked really well!

Filling a water bottle with rocks and sand in Rhodes, Greece

Slow Down:

 This is probably the #1 thing to remember when traveling with kids: slow down! Go with the flow, chill out, and don't over book yourself! If your kids are really interested in something, follow suit! It will be a much more enjoyable vacation if you aren't spending the whole time trying to hurry the kids along. They might even notice and appreciate all the things you walked right passed. It can be frustrating, but sometimes you can't expect your kids to do everything on your itineraries. Keep them in mind while planning your vacation! 

Sleeping in his stroller in Athens, Greece

Don't Mess with Sleep:
Nothing is more miserable than an overly-tired, cranky toddler! It's wonderful if your child will nap in a baby carrier or stroller! Mine will nap on the go, but only if they're exhausted. The naps are never quite as long, or quite as peaceful, though. If that afternoon nap really interferes with your itinerary for the day and the nap on-the-go didn't work out as planned, make sure you get your little ones to bed earlier at night. You can't expect them to miss naps, get to bed late, wake up early to get going, and still be perfectly happy. It doesn't work at home, it definitely won't work traveling! Provide time for them to make up for lost sleep or take advantage of the early risers, and plan your activities in the morning!



Bring On the Screens:
We try very hard to limit screen time at home! My boys know when they have screen time built into their schedule, and we rarely veer from that. When we're traveling, we encourage the kids to still play and explore, but when we're on a long plane flight, we'll do anything just to get through it as smoothly as possible. Don't feel bad if your kids play on a tablet for hours, the other passengers will be very happy! We love our Amazon Fire Kids tablets because we can download tons and tons of books to read together! That way, they aren't solely watching shows on the tablets.  


Eating spaghetti in Rome, Italy

Full Tummy, Happy Toddler:  
Eating out, and buying snacks gets really expensive really quickly! I can't stress this enough: order food your kids will eat! If they won't eat spinach at home, they aren't going to eat it on a vacation. It's more important for them to have full, happy tummies than to engage in a power battle over food. 

 I like to pack snacks in plastic containers, because it isn't going to go over well if their goldfish crackers are smashed to smithereens.  The food containers may take up some precious packing space, but they'll stack up nicely for the return flight home. You can't typically carry fresh produce into another country, but you can bring a lot of other snacks! Some of my toddlers favorite travel snacks are: gold fish, pretzels, plain bread, mandarin orange cups, applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, fruit leather, beef jerky, granola bars, Teddy Grahams, olive cups, and dried fruit. 

Cuddle & Connect: 
Traveling can be really overwhelming for adults and kids! It can be difficult when everything feels so different: eating new food, sleeping in a new place, etc. If you can keep some of the routines that you have at home, that can be really comforting. If you always bathe the kids, and read them a special book before bed, make sure to do that while traveling too! Connecting with your kids through the crazy can help them feel much more settled!

Your Secret Weapons:
When my kids have lost it, and nothing I do seems to help, I like to pull out the big guns. The secret stash of special snacks or brand new toys that will eradicate any memory of why they're so upset. Lolly pops, M&M's, chocolate covered raisins, new Hot Wheels cars still in their packaging... all the good stuff!


Happy as can be in Rome, Italy

Don't Say Cheese:
I know you want the perfect family picture to remember the vacation, but you don't need 10,000 pictures. A few posed pictures is plenty! I am so guilty of pulling out my phone every time I'm enjoying something. I urge you to live in the moment, put your camera down, and enjoy what you're doing instead! Or, at least take pictures of your family enjoying the moment instead of forcing them to smile at the camera!

Good luck, & Happy Traveling!

Practice Makes Perfect

Camping last year was a disaster.  My two-year-old, Brady, kept everyone up all night long crying. I'm not sure if he was scared, or cold, or just anxious because it was a new experience. It was miserable. We suffered through the first night thinking he would be tired enough the next night to just sleep. Nope. The screaming started in again, so I started up the car engine at midnight and drove all the way home. Camden was pretty confused when he woke up the next morning to find mom and Brady gone. I headed back up the mountain to pick up Matt and Camden after a much better night's sleep at home.

Brady, the screamer.

I want to have an adventurous, outdoorsy family, but being in nature isn't very natural for me. We decided to go camping again, and I was quite nervous we'd have a repeat of last time.

Hike to a nearby waterfall. 

 I spent a lot of time planning and preparing our trip to prevent another nightmare. 

We spent many Friday nights "camping" in the living room. That way when the time came to really camp, Brady was already comfortable sleeping in a sleeping bag and tent. Our plan to "practice" worked really well, and we were able to have a relaxed weekend away from the world camping.

We headed up the mountain after my husband was done working on Friday. I was worried about losing daylight before we could get everything set up, so we picked up a pizza at one of the last stops before the campground. Once we got to camp, dinner was already ready, and we didn't have to worry about starting a fire, cooking over a fire, and keeping kids safe with a fire while also trying to get camp set up.

The cardboard pizza box also makes great kindling for when you do decide to start that fire. 

We packed these bug containers, and they got plenty of use! All electronics were left at home, except phones. But, the phones were mostly turned off and useless without service anyway. 

I brought a handful of toys to play with, but they honestly didn't get much use. Camden found this giant pinecone at the beginning of our hike to the waterfall, and carried it for the remainder of the hike.  

The very best thing I packed were our books! In a two night camping trip, we were able to read Frindle, Polar Bears Past Bedtime (Magic Treehouse Series), and The Circus Ship. I should have brought more picture books because The Circus Ship got read quite a few times. I was also able to read The Read-Aloud Family by myself.