Why I Use a List when I go on a Road Trip

When I go on vacation, I always make a list because I don't want to forget something. I do really well with making a list.  It is so expensive when you forget to pack something and you have to pay for it in a hotel gift shop or a beach store. They know you don't really have much of a choice so they charge whatever they want. I remember when we went to Disney World and I forgot to pack aloe. I ended up spending $14 on a bottle of it because I was so sunburned. It's also really important to remember to take with you some travel essentials when you go on a cruise. There is no other option to shop anywhere except locally and if you are at sea you are out of luck. I also remember a time when CD players were still big having my batteries run out at the airport and having to buy batteries at the airport to listen to music. I know I didn’t really need the batteries, but it helps when I listen to music when I fly. It makes the flight go by so much faster.  Sometimes you don't want to go to a big store or that's just not an option. Depending on where you visit, you may not have access to a car.  My aunt and uncle live in the mountains and the closest store is thirty minutes away. I love visiting my aunt and uncle because we just hang out and watch movies and chat the whole time. We sometimes do a little sightseeing and have a great time.  You can prevent these worries by making sure you have everything you need when you’re traveling. When you are driving in the car, it can waste time if you have to stop at a store that you can't find. 

As you are packing for your summer trips check out my list of road trip essentials.

Preserve Memories with a Travel Journal

I love to scrapbook and create pretty things. I have started making travel journals where I write down things like where we ate and take a lot of photos. I love to design the pages and add all the cute things I can find. Sometimes I just add shells I found to the pages.  I wish I would have started doing this earlier in life. I also scrapbook old photos from trips too.

Noah loves to make his own travel journals. He loves to write notes and reminders. He is a pretty good photographer once he stopped taking pictures of the tv screen. He is learning a lot. He has quite the talent for writing and photography. He already makes fish journals and space journals. He is a great illustrator too. I can't wait to see what he creates for our next trip. It's also a great way for him to remember trips we have been on.  My grandma Rose used to write down everything. We still have her travel journals. That's where it really started for me. They used to go cross country in my aunt and uncle's RV. My Grandma Rose's journals were so detailed  it felt like you were there. She didn't skip a beat. I love to read them even now. I can imagine my grandchildren looking at my travel journals some day, imagining they are off with me on one of my adventures.

Check out my post on how to create your own travel journal.

I need a Kid Free Vacation ASAP

I love being a mom, it brings me such joy but sometimes I just need a vacation away. I love taking time and traveling to different places usually to see friends. I love going to New Hampshire and spending girl time with my best friend Brandy. Of course her sweet little ones are there which is fine. Her daughter is so amazing and since I only have a son it's fun to have a little girl time with Brandy's daughter. I would love to go on a trip where there's only adults. It's really important to have some me time or girl time. I am hoping sometime I can get Brandy away from her daily life and go somewhere fun together where neither of us has to but our mom hat on and we can just hang out and do whatever we want to.

It's easy to feel guilty especially if you are seeing families together but it is an important and vital part of parenthood. It's not going to be the end of the world if you spend a couple days away from them. If you can't afford a vacation, how about a night in a local hotel? That one night doesn't sound like much but it is a big deal and you will feel like new. You may even want to add another night to your hotel stay.  It's really important and a requirement to have some time to yourself every so often.

Enjoy your kid free vacation!

Poisonous Snakes at the Rest Stop

It’s important to be safe at rest stops. We love to travel and go on day trips. One time we were coming back from the outlet mall in Ellington Florida, it started pouring really hard as it tends to do in Florida. We had to pull off the road because we couldn’t see anything. It was honestly pretty scary and not safe to continue driving. Thankfully we found a rest stop to just stop at and wait out the rain. As you know, rain storms like this usually don’t last long in Florida in the rainy season. After the rain stopped, we decided to get out and use the restroom. As the rain was clearing and I could actually see the signs that were right in front of me, I saw a warning sign for snakes. Not just your garden variety of snakes, but venomous dangerous snakes. If you know me at all, you know I hate snakes, venomous or not. I was pretty scared to get out of the car, but we had a fairly long drive. I was very aware of my surroundings that day.

I was used to alligator signs and occasionally seeing an alligator off in the distance, but snakes was a new thing. I have been in situations where snakes were probably present, but they didn’t make themselves known to me or I would have freaked out. I think I am more scared of snakes than alligators. I could just cut up the alligator and deep fry it. I have heard horror stories about rest stops. I am sure you have heard them too about women being kidnapped at rest stops and people hiding in their backseats waiting for them to return.  While most of them are probably just urban legends, it is good to be vigilant with your safety especially if you are alone.

Here is my post about Rest Stop Safety.

Eating Healthy on the Road with a Picky Eater

My son Noah is the pickiest eater in the world. He is very specific about what he wants to eat, he has a really hard time trying new things. He is stubborn like his mama. He won’t eat meat. He won’t eat chicken nuggets. He won’t eat hot dogs, or fish sticks. When we travel it can be a total pain to feed him. He doesn’t really have any options at McDonald’s or Wendy’s. He used to just get apples and milk or sometimes ice cream and milk. I have learned that while I would be fine with McDonald’s, Noah isn’t good with it, unless I let him get ice cream. That is a great treat every so often but not for a meal. I have started packing him foods and stopping at places with healthier options. I used to be able to eat McDonald’s and other fast food a lot, now it is an occasional treat. I am getting older and I feel that it makes me feel sick and greasy if I eat too much.

We don’t have allergies but it would be harder to eat on the road if your family did. Noah is pretty good about eating the stuff I pack him like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Honestly, the only “fast food” Noah eats is Steak N Shake and Panera. I don’t consider either fast food. He will occasionally eat Subway because they have good cheese sandwiches and lettuce. That’s what he told me a week ago. I don’t really mind though, because he’s not obsessed with fast food like I was when I was a kid. I only got it once a week but I loved it so much. It was my favorite thing about Thursdays or spending time with my dad because I knew I could have fast food. Of course I love my dad but fast food was just a huge bonus. I think it’s important to start good eating habits young and when you are traveling it’s difficult to remain consistent. 

Here are my tips about Eating Healthy on the Road.