Family

Our mornings are always busy. Between getting the kids ready, making lunches, taking the dogs out, making breakfast, and finally getting ourselves ready, we end up rushing around most weekdays. We’ve talked about shifting tasks around so that there’s less to do in the morning, and here are some great ideas for things you can do to make your mornings less stressful – we’ll be trying some of them ourselves!

Check out What to Do in the Evenings to Make Your Mornings Easier

by Tend Editor at Mode

Each year I choose a word that’s a theme, if you will, for my year. And after the insanely busy end of 2015, it was crystal clear that my word for 2016 would be connect. My kids are growing up way too quickly, and it’s crucial to me that we connect as a family. We do this at family dinners most nights of the week, focusing on each other and each sharing the best and worst parts of our day (if you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it – it’s a great way to learn about the highs and lows of your child’s – or spouse’s – day, and our kids typically can’t wait for their turn to share).

We get a lot of time together as our group of five, and I love it. Game nights, movie nights, bike rides around the neighborhood – or even just all doing separate things in the same room – we spend a lot of quality time as a family.

One-on-one time, however, can be harder to come by. I first thought about this as each of my children ended up grocery shopping with me on various weekends. It was a rare chance to have extended time with just one of our three kids, and I loved the opportunity for conversation with each of them (and oh my, how topics differ from child to child!).

An idea was born from these shopping trips, and I decided I’d implement it in 2016 as a resolution of sorts – a way to have intentional time with each child. I created a chart that allows for purposeful time for my husband and I with each of our children throughout the year. In January, I get a date night with our oldest; my husband gets one with our middle son, and our daughter gets to choose a family activity for us to enjoy together. In February, the names rotate. I get a date night with our daughter, my oldest son is paired with my husband, and our middle son gets to pick the family activity. Each child has a special role for the month, and each parent gets one-on-one time with a child.

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If you’re like millions of other people in the United States, you’re probably gearing up for a road trip in the coming weeks. Although we’ll celebrate Christmas at home, we traveled for Thanksgiving with our three kids. Our trip was relatively short – about three hours – but still, we went into it with a game plan. We’ve learned from experience (a very long trip from Texas to Florida to Georgia and back) that it’s crucial to be prepared in order to make your time in the car as pleasant as possible.

Everyone has a different approach as to what’s important to bring – some people want to be minimalists, and some people pack so much that the car is practically stuffed! I like to think we fall somewhere in between, and we’ve figured out what works well for us to bring. I’ll share one of my must-haves below, and then I hope you’ll go check out my guest post over on the Ames Ford Lincoln blog to see the rest of my tips for road trip survival.

Have plenty of supplies. Snacks and drinks are key. I can’t even begin to tell you the power of a snack to calm a whiny child! We bring practical things like pretzels and applesauce pouches, but also have some heavy hitters like fruit snacks and candy as a special treat. Also be sure and have a stockpile of inexpensive, wrapped toys that kids can pick from at random points along the trip (if they have good behavior – it’s a great motivator to have a good attitude!). Be sure and bring plenty of blankets and pillows so the kids can get comfy (and hopefully take a nap or two as you travel down the road). See more here.

This partnered post is brought to you as part of my Denny’s Ambassadorship. All opinions are honest and are my own.

The holidays will be here before we know it. I know from years past that we’ll get busier and busier as the holidays get closer, so I’m already starting to plan ahead – I know I’ll be thankful when we’re in the midst of the holiday season. And since the holidays can also be one of the most expensive times of the year, I’ve got three great – and affordable – ideas for family holiday fun. You could do all three in one evening, or you can split them up. Either way, these will make for some fun family memories:

1. Make looking at Christmas lights extra special.

Driving around town to look at Christmas lights is a tradition many of us probably experienced as children. I have lots of memories of driving past a particular neighborhood in Fort Worth, where the lights from houses reflected on to a small pond and seemed almost magical. If you’re planning on taking your kids to look at lights, you can easily (and cheaply) step up the experience a bit with a few special touches:

• Line the car seats with cozy fleece blankets, and have extra blankets and pillows for each car rider.
• Have everyone (you too, Mom & Dad) wear pajamas.
• Pack a travel mug of coffee or hot chocolate for everyone, complete with peppermint for an added Christmas flavor.
• Bring along popcorn, cookies, and/or candy for the kids to have a special treat while you drive around.
• Have a Christmas music playlist ready to go for background music.
• Get a cheap pair of binoculars and let the kids take turns looking at houses up close and personal!
• Play a version of BINGO, having the kids look for various decorations (i.e. inflatable snowman). Here’s a link to a free printable card.

2. Have a fun holiday-themed meal.

Eating out as a family doesn’t have to be expensive – in fact, I’ve written before about how we fed our family of five for just $20 at Denny’s. You can have an affordable – and extra-fun – meal for you and the kids with Denny’s great holiday offerings for kids and grown ups alike:

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We received passes to the Thinkery to facilitate our review. All opinions are honest and our own! 

We’ve been looking forward to a family getaway ever since school got out. We went on a big vacation last year so we decided to keep it simple with a long weekend road trip this year; the first part of our trip took us to Austin.

We knew we wanted to try something different, and we wanted to look for something that would be a lot of fun for the whole family. We began researching kid-friendly Austin attractions, and when we visited the Thinkery’s website, we read this and knew it was a place we wanted to go:

The Thinkery is Austin’s home for “why” and “how.” A place where science and families play side by side. Where people connect with ideas by doing, making and experiencing. It’s a foundry for a new generation of innovators and creative problem solvers. And it’s a heck of a good time.

When you walk in the doors, you instantly get a vibe for how your experience will be. It’s not a quiet, sterile place. It’s vibrant, colorful, and full of happy noise. This chalkboard in the front part of the museum gave us an idea of all that was going on that day:

We decided to start out upstairs and work our way back down; the water room was our first stop. First of all, loved that they provide aprons and Crocs for kids and parents to wear, so you’re not wet the rest of the day! The water room was so fun for all three kids.

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Summer is here, and in Texas we’ve been getting record rainfall. That means lakes are at a great level and people are just itching to get out on the water with their families for some fun summer memories!

I have great memories associated with boating; I can vividly remember going up to visit family and going out on Lake Michigan. Everything seemed so serene, and the cool water breeze on our faces was perfect. I also remember going out to Lake Granbury in Granbury, Texas (go figure, right?) with friends and trying tubing for the first time. SO much fun! Brian has great boating memories, too – many of his include fishing, which is something I’ve actually not tried yet!

As our kids get older and we think about things we want to do with them, I know boating will be a part of our activities. There are just so many ways to have fun out on the water, and we want them to get to experience that! I think it would be a lot of fun to take a picnic out with us, do some fishing and just relax. I know some lakes have fireworks for the Fourth of July – how fun would that be, to watch fireworks from a boat?

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We love game night in our house. Like, love it.

Brian and I started collecting games when we were dating back in college. Rather than going out to dinner and a movie, we’d cook and use the money we would have spent on a board game.

As a result, we have a whole closet in our house dedicated to our collection, and we have a ton of games we really enjoy playing. Here are 7 strategy-based games we enjoy playing as a family that you should try for your next family game night:

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I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

With a family of five, we are always busy. Brian and I both work full time, too, and when we’re home in the evening with the kids we want to spend quality time with them and not be in the kitchen all night. Now that our oldest has started kindergarten and bedtime is even more important, we want to find meals that are fast to prepare but still delicious and nutritious.

When we get home in the afternoon we unload all of our things and let the kids have some downtime to play a little. This is our time to get dinner ready, and I have a perfect easy recipe to share that is great for busy weeknights.

I love this recipe because it’s SO easy to have the ingredients on hand. I like to go to Sam’s Club and stock up on things to keep in our pantry and freezer.

Here are the ingredients you need – just THREE:

• Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips
• Hunt’s Tomato Sauce
• Daily Chef Spaghetti

And here are the directions, busy-family style:

1. Walk in the front door. Preheat the oven and set water to boil on the stove. Pour a can of tomato sauce into another small saucepan and set that burner to low.
2. Unpack backpacks, check folders, change into comfy clothes, let the dogs out back, or any other things you need to get done.
3. Put the chicken on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven; put spaghetti in the boiling water. Add spices as you’d like to the tomato sauce (we use Italian Seasoning blend, garlic powder and crushed basil).
4. Use the next ten minutes to chat with the kids and ask them how their days went.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and drain the pasta. Plate the dish with spaghetti, then sliced pieces of chicken, and then the seasoned tomato sauce.
6. I keep mozzarella cheese sticks in the fridge for the kids to snack on, so I pulled some strings of cheese off and scattered them over the top of the chicken.

Delish!

How can driving on vacation save us money?

The summer holidays are fast approaching, but if the budget’s tight it can be hard to plan the perfect family vacation. Airfares are high, accommodation isn’t cheap and there’s usually activities to splash out on once you get there. Driving to your destination may not sound like your idea of a relaxing break, but it could leave you with more money in the bank and, if you play your cards right, some very happy kids! Here, PassSmart’s blogger, Isabelle, shares some top tips for saving money on your driving holiday.

Stock up and save

One of the main advantages of driving on holiday is that you can take more with you. If you opt for a self-catering holiday, you might want to consider taking food supplies with you in a cooler box to make sure the things in your refrigerator don’t go to waste while you’re away. You can also save money by making sure you take everything the kids need to keep them entertained whilst you’re away. After all, If they’ve got their favourite toys and activities with them, they’re not going to be asking you for new toys from the local shop… hopefully!

Fuel savers

Whilst driving may be a cheaper option compared with the cost of flights, we all know fuel isn’t free. There are, however, ways to conserve fuel and money, even on long road trips. Try to find the most economical route for your journey. Even if highways are the quickest option, they may not be the most fuel-friendly. If you have a GPS navigation system, it may have an option to help you choose the most economical route, so check yours out before setting off.

Another positive of avoiding the highways is that you’ll get a chance to actually enjoy the journey. The drive doesn’t have to be a chore, and, if you plan your route carefully, you might even have a chance to stop off and enjoy your surroundings on the way!

Explore

When you’ve got your own car to get you from A to B, you’re not restricted to staying in one place. Unlike when you fly abroad, you’ll be able to travel to different places, taking in new experiences. This may sound like an expensive way to travel, but, because you’ll be so busy exploring during the day, you can find budget accommodation to use as your base. Consider staying in one place for a few days before moving on to another town. You’ll get a lot more for your money in local hotels and B&Bs, and you’ll be able to fit much more into your time away.

Go off the tourist trail

We all know that tourist-friendly areas are more expensive to visit. Save money by going off the tourist trail and into quieter areas. Restaurant prices, hotel rates and the cost of souvenirs are all likely to be lower if you go off the beaten track, and, thankfully, having your own car makes that a whole lot easier!

Make memories

Remember, making memories is free so all you have to do is enjoy yourself! Drive safely, take plenty of photos and enjoy your vacation!

This partnered post comes from our friends at the British company, PassSmart.com.

I couldn’t think of a good photo for this post, so I’m including a favorite one from Christmas – my attempt at a sweet PJ pic Christmas Eve night. Instead I got rolled eyes from C, a not-so-happy look from E, and J’s attempt at a convincing smile when all he wanted to do was unwrap one gift as promised. It makes me laugh every time I see it – love these kids!

Well, we’re only five days in to 2013 and I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of a year already.

I started a new job Thursday, designing magazines. I love what I’ll be doing, who I’ll be working for and with, and it’s in the same office space as my husband. I can’t see him from where I sit, but it’s still nice knowing he’s mere feet away – and we can carpool. So, I’ve only worked two days but it’s gotten off to a good start and I feel really good about the change. It was bittersweet leaving my old job, because there are a lot of people there who are wonderful and several who have become dear friends to me, but I feel confident this is the right path for me and for our family.

So, there was that change. And because I’m back to work in an office, that means baby E started day care. That was a rougher transition that starting a new job, although not nearly as traumatic as when J started back in 2008. I guess now I know from experience what a great nursery our day care has, and how well the kids have thrived there, so that helps. But still – as I walked away from her class that first day, there was a slight catch in my throat. She was fine, mind you. They said she did great and was her typical smiley self all day. I was smart and took her for a trial run the day before work began, so she could have a shorter day but I could still get that first day over with. It also helps that one of my great friend’s daughters is in the class with her, so I know she’ll have a little buddy there. When, y’know, they can actually interact with each other a little more than lying beside each other under the play mat arch. But still! BFFs in the making, I tell you.

Another transition is that our three year old, C, moved up to the “big kids” class. It’s the class he should’ve been in this past fall, but potty training challenges meant he was with the kids a few months younger than him. It was a blessing the way it worked out, because the teacher in that class was just what he needed, and he got to experience being a leader, which I think gave him a new level of confidence. Being a younger sibling to a very Type A older brother doesn’t give him a lot of chances to take the reins, and I think he really got to shine in that class. I really felt like it was time for him to move up, though. For one thing, the teacher he has now (whom I adore and think is really great) is much more strict, and I think his little three-year-old self could use some of that.

J’s still in his same class and is excited to be back with friends, which is a total 180 from the whiiiiiiiiiiining we heard on the way that first day – “I don’t waaaaaaaaaaant to go to school!” We’re trying to really make sure and enjoy this first half of 2013, while he hasn’t yet hit kindergarten and the new realms of big kidness. August will bring about a truly big transition for us, and I am trying to steel myself to prepare and not be a blubbering mess at my baby going off to school.

I haven’t blogged since New Year’s Eve, because we’ve been in the midst of adjusting to our new routine, and because I’m trying to really stick to my word – purpose. I want to be more present with the family when we have the opportunities to all be together and enjoy each other, so blogging has been pushed slightly to the back burner. I’ve still got a few commitments to fulfill so I’ll be taking care of those, and I do have some upcoming partnerships I’m excited about, but my hope is to write more posts like this. I’ve shied away from writing too much about our day to day life, because I’ve tried to post content that would be appealing to a broad audience, and I admittedly got swept up in a lot of product reviews. I’ll still do those from time to time (especially here at the beginning while completing agreements previously made) but you’ll notice a reduction in those, or at least more editorial content in proportion to those posts. Brian and I love to cook, and I’m trying to incorporate one new meal each week, so I hope to write more food-related posts this year, too. If you think of anything you want to see on this blog, let me know. I’m always looking for ideas!

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, everyone.

As I’ve mentioned quite often before, we LOVE to cook and to involve the kids in the kitchen too. It’s a great time for quality family fun, it’s hands-on and creative, and they can even learn a little math (counting the number of cups of an ingredient, for example) and science (like how yeast works) along the way!

The boys love to eat pizza, but it had been a while since we’d made one, and I thought it’d be great to involve them in the process. We even added another touch of fun by making our pizza Halloween-themed.

To start, we got the Chef Boyardee pizza kit.

The boys helped me make the pizza dough – they each had to have a turn stirring:

Just a note – you can very easily incorporate extra flavors into the dough! I added some Italian seasoning, but you could add garlic powder, red pepper flakes, or whatever else you really like.

Now, earlier I mentioned we made our pizza Halloween-themed. How, you ask?

Pepperoni bats! We bought large pepperoni from our grocery store. Then Brian folded each one in half and cut out half of a bat shape, and voila! J helped us make the scene on our pizza (I cut out a little crescent moon, too).

What do you think?

I ended up taking the leftover pepperoni pieces from our bats and cutting them up into very small pieces to scatter around the bats. That way we didn’t waste any pepperoni, and we decided those were stars in the night sky. :)

Speaking of cooking, be sure and join me and some of my blogging buddies for a fun event tomorrow to really get you in the mood for fun in the kitchen! You’ll even get to see me and my five-year-old J working on another great Chef Boyardee recipe. Here are the details:

What: A virtual Cook-Along called Everyday Fun, part of The Little Chefs Project series on The Motherhood. 

The Little Chefs Project series consists of live chats called Cook-Alongs taking place every Thursday at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. Central for all you fellow Texans out there!) until November 15, and each Cook-Along covers a different topic around cooking with kids. Everyday Fun addresses how you and your kids can create fun, lasting memories in the kitchen around events like sleepovers or holidays, or around everyday events like family dinners.

When: Thursday, October 25, at 2 p.m. ET.  It will last 30 minutes.

Where: The Motherhood – This is the link to the page where the class will be held!

About the class: From weekend breakfast rituals to holidays like Halloween, you can find any occasion to cook up some everyday fun with your kids. Grab a can of Chef Boyardee and join in for further inspiration and ideas for getting started.

To participate, just click the link above, log into The Motherhood using your member ID (if you don’t have one, it’s easy and free to sign up), and chat away in the text-based comments. We’ll also have a video feed running during the half-hour Cook-Along, so you’re welcome to show up simply to watch if you’d like!

The Cook-Along is sponsored by Chef Boyardee, and it is hosted by The Motherhood.  You can visit Chef Boyardee online at http://www.chefboyardee.com/ or on Facebook.

Like I mentioned, I’ll be there with several other bloggers to co-host the class, and I hope you’ll join us!  The fabulous people who will be co-hosting with me are:

Brett, This Mama Loves Her Bargains  
Carrie, Making Lemonade 
Corine, Complicated Mama 
Kim, Shop With Me Mama 
Michelle, Ace and Friends Co.  
Roxanne, Children Teaching Mama

As if I haven’t already crammed enough fun in this post, I’ve also got a great GIVEAWAY for you!

One winner will get their own Chef Boyardee prize pack, with tons of great things included! Check out what all you’ll get:

• Kids’ kitchen measure and prep kit
• Kids’ recipe box
• Scrapbook album
• 2 Chef Boyardee chef hats
• Chef Boyardee adult apron
• Chef Boyardee child apron
• Chef Boyardee pizza kit
• Time capsule
• 2 coupons for free Chef Boyardee Beefaroni
• 5 Chef Boyardee recipe cards

This contest is open to all U.S. residents aged 18+. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Wednesday, November 14. By entering this giveaway you agree to the Official Rules.

Note: I am participating in the Chef Boyardee Little Chefs program with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

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Traveling with kids isn’t always the most enjoyable of experiences. It can be trying on the nerves of even the most patient of parents. When the children are whining, crying, tired, and hungry there is no chance that anyone is going to have a good time. The good news is though that it doesn’t have to be this way! With a little early planning and choosing your holiday carefully you can up your chances of having a family holiday filled with happy memories that last a lifetime.

What then are these magical travel tips? Well, the travel experts at Sykes Cottages have compiled five handy ideas that can help to alleviate the cost and stress of a family holiday.

1. If you are going to need to travel any length by either car or airplane consider organizing the trip for overnight when the kids would normally be asleep. Have some dinner, get them in their pj’s and set them up in the back of the car or in an airplane seat for a nice long sleep.
2. Always make sure to leave yourself more than enough time to get to your destination so that you aren’t feeling rushed. This is especially important if you are flying because there are few things worse than trying to run through an airport with a small child – this is not a good way to start your holiday!
3. Consider staying in a holiday cottage rather than a hotel room. Not only is it generally cheaper, but you will also have more space and privacy and no worries that the noisy people in the hallway will wake the baby at 3am. You’ll also be able to cook your own meals in a fully-equipped kitchen, which can save you an unbelievable amount of money. To see the kind of self-catering holiday cottages that are available in the UK and Ireland visit http://www.sykescottages.co.uk.
4. Everyone knows that kids don’t like to have their schedule changed and few things upset the routine worse than travel. While you can’t keep everything the same, trying to keep meal times and sleep schedules similar to at home is best for everyone.
5. Make sure to have some activities organized in advanced so that you can get the best out of every day. If you end up with a rainy afternoon you want to make sure that you know what is around so you aren’t just stuck inside. Visiting attraction websites in advance can also save you some money by buying discounted advanced tickets, which often allow you to skip the line-up and head straight in. It’s a win win situation, really!

Photo from:  FreeDigitalPhotos.Net