Road Trip Activities for the Kiddos

Last year we tackled air travel with the kids and I shared some of my tips for making the trip a little smoother. This year we took our first road trip with the kids. We only traveled 5 hours to the other side of the state but with 3 little ones it's always better to be extra prepared. I wasn't too worried about keeping them entertained once we arrived at our destination because we were traveling with family and had lots of great plans for the 3 day excursion. But I was worried about the car ride itself. We frequently take an hour long drive to visit my in-laws and by the end of that they are already starting the "Are we therrrrreeeee yet?" questions from the back seat. I didn't want to listen to that for 4+ hours each way so I came up with some fun stuff to make the time in the car both enjoyable and hopefully memorable.

I started off with some cookie sheets from the Dollar Store. These created the base for all of my activities and are perfect because they are both magnetic and create a tray perfect for lap play in the car.

The first activity cards I created were these Road Trip Bingo cards over at Housing a Forest. I printed off a handful and then attached printable mazes from Game Idea For Kids to the back.

From the same site as the mazes I printed off some character based memory cards. Scooby Doo, Diego, and Sponge bob are sure to make the kiddos smile and keep them entertained! After attaching card stock and magnets to the back, they can also double as markers for Bingo.

Awhile back I picked up some plastic sandwich containers in the dollar section at Target and thought they could be put to good use on this trip. The obvious choice probably would have been to put snacks in them but I instead decided to use them to keep some of the loose pieces for the activities together. You can see the crayons and I ended up putting the memory cards in there as well.

I also printed off some sewing cards from Kids Sewing Projects and punched holes in the cards. I would have liked to have laminated these so that they would be more sturdy but didn't get a chance. Luckily these didn't cost anything so even if they only make it through this one trip, they will be worthwhile. Paired this with some shoe laces that were 8 for $1.00 and they made for an easy letter sewing activity.

 While at the Dollar Store getting last minute supplies for these activities I also picked up some blank drawing pads which ended up giving the kids a way to write and/or draw about their experiences while we were traveling. That made for some precious keepsakes from the trip. I also found some mini playing cards that didn't get used this time around but that I plan on adding magnets to for future activity packs.

After tucking all of these goodies into backpacks, we were set for the road. I must say I was very pleased with how much use the kids got out of their stuff and we had very few "I'm bored" moments. Bingo became a whole car activity that took us all the way home. Hope you enjoy these ideas and feel free to share what you like to do with your little ones on those longer than usual car rides.

10 Ways to Save in the Kitchen this Holiday Season (Guest Post)

Today's post is contributed by guest writer Jakob Berry. Enjoy!


10 Ways to Save in the Kitchen this Holiday Season

With the holidays here and many people having guests there’s a lot of room for things to get out of hand, especially in the kitchen. That’s where the potential for a lot of waste exists.

Think about it: Food, drinks, gifts and increased energy usage, which can jump dramatically when having extra people around, are all added expenses that can turn a sweet holiday into a stressful decision making process based on money.

That’s why in order to stay grounded, be that wonderful host you love to be, and enjoy this time of year with family and friends here’s a few tips that can help take some of the financial burden off your mind. Let them transform your home into a more efficiently working mechanism and carry you into the new year:

1. Compost: Some towns charge for the amount of trash put out each week. If you have a lot of scraps from cutting fruits and vegetables composting will take weight off those garbage bags and if you live in a garden friendly state like New Jersey JerseyCity gardeners won’t hesitate to tell you how much important nutrients all that organic matter adds to your soil.


2. Repurpose: Whether freezer bags, containers, plastic bottles, or glass jars, you’ll probably be    handling more than usual. Use them over and over so you never have to purchase new ones.


3. Boiled water: Try and plan ahead when it comes to boiling water and reuse it for something else. For example, you may steam green beans or another veggie and instead of pouring out the water use it for the soup you were hoping to make.


4. Cut out disposables: Instead of buying fancier disposable plates and cutlery for the table use your real dishes and silverware. Yes, it will mean a little more work cleaning up but chances are your guests will be happy to help out.


5. Dishwashing: Cutting out disposables might mean a higher water bill because of the extra dishwashing. To prevent using excessive water fill two dish pans; one for soaking and another for rinsing after the dishes are scrubbed. If this isn’t feasible scrub everything and then turn on the water to rinse. Never leave the faucet running.


6. Veggies: Limit waste when cutting vegetables and try to use as much as possible freezing extra pieces for a rainy day. Example: If you’re cutting broccoli freeze the trunks for soup.


7. Thermos: Keep a thermos with hot water available so you can make tea or coffee without having to constantly reboil water.


8. Portions: Don’t give out large portions that may not get eaten. It’s better to serve smaller amounts and have guests come back for more.


9. Monitor electricity: Unplug appliances when not in use as they still use energy when plugged in.


10. Delegate: Have guests bring an appetizer, wine, or desert and don’t think of it as being cheap. You’re actually giving them a chance to contribute and lend a hand in the festivities.

Jakob Barry is a home improvement journalist for Networx.com. He also blogs for contractors across the U.S. like Hialeah remodelers and electricians in Aurora.

Air travel and kids

As you may have read in my last post, we just got back from a trip to Arizona. As if air travel isn't stressful enough, we added our 3 kids under the age of 5 to the mix. I thought I would share with you some of the ways we made our trip a little smoother.

I think one of the best things I did in preparing to fly with kids, was to make a trip to the Dollar Store in the weeks leading up to our departure. I wanted to pack a bag full of new things the kids had never played with to keep them busy at the airport and on the plane and I wanted to do this without breaking the budget. By going to the Dollar Store I was able to spend $8.00 and get all of this which was easily carried by one of the boys in a small backpack:

2 Kung Fu Panda coloring books, 3 3D books that included glasses, 1 sheet of airplane stickers and 2 Wooly Willy Magnetic Cards

 I did have to make a slight adjustment when it came to the magnetic board. The wand it came with was free floating and I knew that would be an easy thing to lose so I attached it to the card by hot gluing one end of a string into the hollow part of the wand and then tying the other end of the string onto the card itself.

I put a dozen or so crayons into a Ziploc bag to go with the coloring books. I was worried about them losing the crayons on the plane so we just got the coloring books out at the airport. They could find a space on the floor and color away which worked out perfectly. I think it also gave a good first impression to our fellow travelers who may have otherwise been concerned about flying with all of these small kids. Another thing the coloring books were good for were mornings at Grandma's house. There aren't a lot of toys for them to play with so they could get up and entertain themselves by coloring while waiting for the days activities to start.

The airplane stickers are great for making a picture after you've arrived at your destination. The kids can tell a story about their experience on the plane and have stickers to decorate it with. My kids used the stickers to add to the handmade birthday cards they had already made for Grandma:)

Another important part of traveling with kids is keeping them fed. I know that our crazy flight schedules did not allow us to feed the kids at our regular meal times so I packed snack bags to tide them over. I prepared a Ziploc bag full of goodies for each kid for each leg of the trip. It had their name on it so they knew it was theirs and it was up to them to make the food last throughout that days traveling. The suckers were specifically for take off to help ease the plugged ears that you sometimes experience and that really worked wonders. I took the advice of my sister-in-law and gave the sucker to our 13 month old as well. It kept him busy for sometime and he didn't fuss at all during take-off.

These are just a few of the ways I was able to make air travel with my little ones a bit more bearable. What are your top tips for traveling with the kids?

Putting those food stockpiles to use (Part 2)

I know that I said that I was going to do a post on non-food stockpiles next, but I got a few additional ideas after posting the first Putting those food stockpiles to use so I thought I would share those ideas first.

My fellow blogger and internet friend Laura of Happily Ever After suggested rotating your stockpile to make sure you are using the oldest items first. This way nothing goes to waste due to expiring. I have to admit that I just got around to doing this the other day. My husband usually puts the groceries away and he tends to just shove and pile things where ever they fit. Since I have started to increase my couponing I have been bringing home more stockpile items, so I decided to heed Laura's advice and organize my cupboards. Not only are they now more organized and neat, making it easy to see what I have, I made sure to order things according to the use by dates so they won't expire without me knowing. Thanks for the tip Laura!

I also got to thinking about trying to make meals based on what you have on hand. Some people are good at this naturally. Confident enough in their culinary skills to add a handful of this and a can of that and know it will turn out edible. I feel like I am getting better at that after a handful of years of cooking regularly for my family. But if the thought of trying to go it alone in the kitchen scares you, there is help! Try a site like Supercook.com where you can put in the ingredients you have on hand and they will show you what recipes you can make. I think this is such a great way to stretch your budget and utilize every last bit of food in your kitchen.

I think that's all I got (for now at least!). I would love to hear any more tips you have as I am sure there are lots of great ideas I have missed that we could all learn from.