Road Trip Tips From A Family Of 6!

We've been on our fair share of road trips, most recently to Disneyland, and I've learned a few things along the way. Hopefully I can give other families out there some useful tips and tricks to survive long car trips with kids. My children are currently 7, 5, 3 and 1. We are planning on embarking on a 20 hour road trip up to Oregon in a few days and I'm back in planning mode. Time to revisit my tried and true tips, so here we go.

#1 - A MUST for me is a DVD player in the car. We aren't huge t.v. watchers here, in fact, we only have Netflix at home, but this is a must have for me on long car trips. With so many kids and such a broad range of ages, this keeps them all happy and content at least for a little while. Our van came with a DVD player that holds 6 DVDs and it is a Godsend.

#2 - Anything they can color. I am a huge fan of those little Grab and Go packs from the Target dollar section. We've gotten Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty, etc from there and they are perfect for on the go. My three year old is especially entertained by these and they are only a dollar.

#3 - Some sort of tablet. We are blessed to have two iPads for our children to share and once again, they are a lifesaver when kiddos are getting bored. Normally our children have to earn turns on the iPad, but on vacation there are no rules. When someone is getting bored in the car, we can hand them an iPad and let them play educational games or my kids' favorite, Minecraft!

#4 - A new toy. We don't always do this, but for Disneyland we did. We got each of the kids a new small toy that they would love. My girls got small Lalaloopsies and Michael got a small Lego set. This gives them something exciting to play with in the car for awhile. It definitely keeps their interest having something new and buys me a few hours of happiness.

#5 - A special drink. My kids think it is so fun to have special road trip drinks. We never buy juice boxes at home, but on road trips we do. We love Honest Kids pouches. They are organic and super affordable at Target. Offering my kids a fun juice pouch keeps them happy for a little while.

#6 - Snacks. And not just any old snack, something special that they don't get every day. We bought Organic applesauce pouches, beef jerky and for a special treat, Muddy Buddy Chex Mix. My kids are going to be so excited. Sometimes a snack is all you need to keep kids happy and I am totally willing to bribe my kids with snacks.

#7 - A new DVD to go with our DVD player. I never tell my kids about this. We always find some fun new movie we think they would like watching and this always works. Of course, we bring tried and true favorites along too. This trip we bought Despicable Me. My kids haven't seen it and I hope it keeps them happy.

#8 - Frequent stops! When you plan a road trip with kids of any age, stopping frequently is a must. We try to make stops and let the kids get out and run around a little bit. This is exciting for kids because they get to explore a place they haven't been. For some reason, rest stops are fascinating places for a kid.

#9 - Easy access. This is for the parents, but it prevents meltdowns, so I'm adding it here. Pack smart! Keep everything organized and within reach. I know I get stressed out when I realize someone's special blankie is in the trunk or the pacifier I need is not in reach. For me, this is HUGE. I organize like a mad woman and anticipate anything. I make sure I have extra pacifiers and plenty of drinks, snacks and blankets within reach to throw at my kids.

#10 - For my 3 year old - Her portable potty! Hands down, I bring this along. When she has to go, she has to go, even if it's on the side of the road.

#11 - For my 7 Year old - A chapter book and a journal he can notebook in. I think it's fun for kids to keep a vacation journal and my son gets a kick out of this. He can write and draw anything from our trip and create a memory. My little guy also gets migraines which lead to him getting car sick every time. Needless to say, we have a bucket for him that goes with us.

#12 - For my 5 year old and 3 year old girls - Stickers! We bring small notebooks and a ton of stickers to keep them busy. 

#13 - Pillows and blankets! For my kiddos, nothing comforts like a blankie and we always bring theirs and a pillow along. I encourage sleeping on long road trips lol.

#14 - Last but not least for me, try and travel at night. The roads are way less busy, it's less stressful and the kids can sleep! I get to listen to music instead of Disney movies and my husband and I can enjoy adult conversation, not fighting over fruit snacks!

So there you have it. In no particular order, all of my road trip tips and essentials! Share what works for you on long road trips in the comments below! I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July. Wish us luck driving that weekend!

Danielle

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to show any of these items. I just wanted to have some visuals, so I linked them to Amazon. I am not affiliated with Amazon in any way. Some of these products we currently own and others I used as an example(like the DVD player).

Improving Our Whole Family

One of the things we talk to our children about is ways we can improve ourselves. We frequently talk about no one being perfect and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's okay to throw an occasional tantrum, it's okay to get angry, it's okay to cry. Being able to control our emotions is still a very important thing to learn. We can get angry without hurting another person. We can be frustrated without saying things that will hurt others' feelings. 

Today was a day that I needed to be reminded of self improvement. For some reason, today was just harder than normal. I had to practice patience and there were a couple of times I forgot to remind myself. The thing is, I talk to my kids about ME not being perfect either. And when we aren't perfect, we always talk it out and apologize. My kids know I will always forgive them and they will always forgive me.

We decided to write 3 things we can each work on on our white board in the school room. We agreed to leave it up for awhile and remind each other of the things we need to improve upon. I wanted to share what we all came up with together.

Michael - My 7 Year Old Son

1) Focusing! - This is his number 1 by far. Sometimes I get so frustrated at his lack of focus. He is also 7 and learning, so we get through those moments one at a time.

2) Drink more water - A major one for him. He gets migraines and it's because the kid forgets to drink!

3) Talking - He came up with this one on his own, which was HUGE. He sometimes has a hard time saying how he is feeling or he wont talk to me about things.

Violet - My 5 Year Old Daughter

1) Listening - She is her mother's daughter lol and stubborn as all heck. My husband always says we are going to fight a lot when she is a teenager. I hope he's wrong. I always say someday she will be a strong woman but it's gonna be a rough road getting there. She really needs to work on ignoring me and doing what she wants anyways.

2) Bathroom - She was my nightmare child to potty train and while she is potty trained, her bathroom habits need some work for sure lol. We will leave it at that.

3) Tattling - Because she is her mother's daughter, I know she does this for attention. She constantly needs recognition that she is doing good and she loves to point out when others are not doing good. We are working on this. We are working on encouraging others and tattling less.

Josie - My 3 Year Old Daughter

1) Screaming - I always say it's terrible 3s not terrible 2s and she is proving this to be correct for me for the 3rd time! She is a shrieker lately. I remind her to breathe, calm down and use the words we taught her!

2) Hurting - The only one of our children so far that has felt the need to harm another person. She gets upset, doesn't use her words and harms. We are definitely working on this and it is never acceptable in our home. I say Josie is my sweetheart 95% of the time and those other 5% is my Darth Josie. lol don't mess with her!

3) Listening - When I am trying to calm you down, Listen! lol stop screaming and hear what I am saying girl! But she is an amazing helper and listens most of the rest of the time.

Mommy - Yes! I had my kids help me come up with 3 things for me. Believe me, these things can be hard to hear, but once again, we teach our kids that no one is perfect and we all need to try harder. They listened to the areas I thought they needed to work on and I listened to theirs. Bless their little hearts.

1) Yelling - I WILL say, I don't yell a ton, but when I do, it's because I've snapped and I have to remind myself to breathe(just like me 3 year old lol). I definitely understand why they want me to improve on this and I am trying to get down to NO yelling. I would hate for them to look back and remember a crazy mommy.

2) Playing - My babies are SO sweet. They tell me I work so hard and I never get to play. So I am resolving to play a lot more! I love these guys.

3) Frustrated - My 7 year old chimed in with this one and he is right. I do get frustrated with him a lot. I get frustrated when he stands there staring at me and wont talk to me, I get frustrated when he cant focus on his school work and I get frustrated when he cant remember what he is supposed to be doing. This is a huge reminder to me that he knows his flaws and he IS trying and I need to not get so frustrated with him. He's doing his best bless his heart. I love how sweet and loving this boy is and I hope he always stays that way. I need to show him that I accept him for who he is, but that we all can try harder.

So there you have it. We didn't come up with any for daddy yet haha, but I think we need to. We also made a column called ALL and these are the things they agreed upon:

- Say I love you

- Help each other

- Encourage

- Hugs and Kisses

I absolutely am the luckiest mom in the whole world and I hope my kids feel like lucky kiddos!

How about you guys? Has anyone else run into this situation?  I know I am not alone! I am just being honest and in this house, that is encouraged 100%.

One thing I have learned along the way is if the way they want to do something isn't going to change the outcome, then let them do it their way and don't fight for it to be done your way! I learned this years ago and it has prevented so many tantrums and arguments! 

Thanks for reading! Follow my blog and visit me on all of my social media outlets!

Danielle

New Blog and Business Direction!

Hi my loves!

I know I kind of went MIA on this blog. Life just got away from me and I lost my way. The thing is, I really miss blogging and social media in general. I feel like this is my niche and where I belong. I've made a firm decision to blog daily and publish useful content for you guys. I may still do reviews, I may not. I am not sure how I feel about being a review blog anymore. I really want to take this space in a whole new direction. I want to post about my family, who I am, what I love doing and anything I can post that might help others.

I guess that is what it comes down to for me - helping others. I want to be a blessing in peoples' lives, an encouragement. I hope I can be an encouragement through this blog and all other forms of social media I offer. I really want this blog to succeed and I know it can with your guys' help!

As far as my new business directions go, I've signed on with the Scensty company and I am very excited about it. There WILL be Scentsy posts on here, as I really want to be a blessing to anyone looking for information. This company is all about positivity and being generous and gracious with others. I am hoping I can publish useful information and tips for other Scentsy consultants. I signed up with Scentsy not to be rich, but as a hobby and something for me. Being a mom of 4 doesn't leave me with very much me time, as you all know by my blog neglect. But no more. I plan on pouring my heart and soul into this blog, my social media accounts, Scentsy and any other directions I find myself. I really want to open my own Etsy shop and sell bath and body products. Fingers crossed I can accomplish that by the end of the year!

So what does all this mean for my blog and for you guys? Here is a sampling of some of the many themes you will now find on my blog:

Essential Oil Posts - I am obsessed with essential oils right now, they have changed my life. Let me show you how to use them and what recipes kick serious butt.

Homeschool - I am a homeschooling mama and I am so proud of that fact. I absolutely love watching my little ones learn and grow! Be prepared for me to share all about our Conner Homeschool. I will be posting about our curriculum choices, how I teach certain subjects, my planner, our homeschool room and many other topics.

Paleo Diet - Yes! We are Paleo and loving every second of it. We have only been at it a few months now, but I really want to share this journey as well. I'll share with you the highs and lows of Paleo living and I'll also share some recipes too!

Breastfeeding - I am 100% a breastfeeding advocate! I have breastfed all of my babies for at least a year and the longest was 2 years. I am currently nursing my 12 month old son and we are still going strong. I want to share some of my breastfeeding tips, tricks and sanity savers as well as document my breastmilk donating journey. I am currently pumping up a storm to reach my goal of donating 300 ounces. I would love to share this journey with others and I hope I can inspire someone else to donate breastmilk. It is such a blessing.

Day in the Life - Ever wonder how a semi large family works? Well, let me fill you all in! It's crazy and silly and full of love around here on a daily basis. I plan on documenting our days in a life periodically on this blog.

Summer Events - Follow us around the hot Arizona desert this summer and see what we are up to! We are also planning a big trip to Oregon and the redwoods!

Scentsy - Like I said, I will be posting about Scentsy on my blog. It's a huge part of my life right now and I want to be successful. Don't worry though, I am posting information only. I promise not to be pushy. There will be buttons on my blog if you are interested in buying anything or signing up with me. I have an amazing team of girls! You wont be seeing posts begging anyone to buy or sign up, only information. I will post the monthly specials and any tutorials for other Scentsy consultants. I plan on making a Scentsy tab on my blog where these types of posts will be listed. If this is not something you are interested in, please just skip by it. 

Cloth Diapering - I will be posting a ton of cloth diapering 101 posts on this blog. I have been cloth diapering for 5 years and I am going strong. Let me introduce you to the types of diapers out there, my favorites, what my stash looks like and the best places to find great deals!

WAHM Tips - As I navigate working from home and being a busy mama, I am hoping I can share my successes and failures with other moms in my shoes. I hope I can actually help someone out there! Anything I learn along the way will be shared :)

Videos - Any youtube videos I make will also be imbedded in a blog post on here. I am pretty camera shy, so come say hi! And please bare with me while I get more comfortable in front of the camera!

Giveaways! - One giveaway I can guarantee is a monthly Scentsy giveaway! I will be sponsoring my own monthly Scentsy giveaway and there will be multiple ways to enter and tons of extra entries. Keep your eyes peeled for my very first Scentsy giveaway! For the next week or so I plan on revamping my blog and updating all my information and links and then it will go live. Subscribe by email to keep up with when it will be posted!

I am sure there will be tons more featured on this blog including natural living tips and tricks, my favorite green brands, a whole series about our garden in the desert, and much much more.

Thank you all for sticking around. I am so proud of all the subscribers I have and so happy so many have stayed subscribed. All I can hope is that I do not disappoint anyone in my new journeys. Life is about personal growth, love and helping others and I hope to show all of those things on this blog!

Until tomorrow,

Danielle