Travelling with Kids

This time of year, my Facebook Newsfeed is littered with pictures of People going on trips! Friends and family posing beside Mickey Mouse, laying on the beach, in front of a ski slope and packed up at the airport ready to hop a plane somewhere!

I'm very jealous.

We travel frequently with the kids and usually take a mid-winter trip. However, we stay within our budget, which means staying within a few hours drive of our house.  This year we're forcing ourselves to stay put so that we can save our money for one of those big trips everyone is going on this time of year!

Traveling with kids is always a challenge, whether you're just driving a short distance, or hopping a plane for a foreign destination.

Here are a few tips I think are worth sharing.

1. Hotels
When booking a hotel, check for family rates or if breakfast is included in the price. I rarely stay at a hotel that doesn't offer a complimentary breakfast. We're a cereal and toast type of a family who love buffet style meals.
If you're traveling with a baby, check ahead to make sure they have proper baby sleeping essentials available so you don't have to lug along yours.

2. Sticking Together
My biggest fear on trips is that I'll lose a kid. In a new place, we always designate a meeting point in case anyone gets separated and make sure the kids repeat the plan back to us to make sure they understand. It's a good idea to have them wear bright colored shirts, or similar colors so you can spot them in a crowd.

3. Snacks
We always pack a cooler of snacks whether it's for a long drive, or if we're headed to an Amusement Park. Park food can be abnormally expensive and not very healthy. If my kids want to survive a full day of fun, they need fruit and water, not french fries and Pepsi.

4. Entertainment
Whether you're waiting at the airport, on a plane or driving a long distance, your brain could use a break from entertaining. Pack some books, games or a gaming device. A few minutes of silence can be golden.

                                       
                                                      

5. Get Along Bag
I always have a small bag of essentials with me like it's my 3rd leg. It can be a long walk back to the van and a huge waste of family time just for a new pair of underwear.

6. Easy Pack-Up
When you're packing to come home, do your best to make the unpacking as smooth as possible. Put all the dirty clothes together in a bag so they're ready for the wash and pack everyone's clothes separately so clean clothes are easier to put back in drawers. I've been guilty of just tossing everything in the suitcase and telling myself I'll worry about it when I get home. I've discovered that when I get home is NOT when I want to worry about organizing clothes, garbage and laundry.

Happy Traveling !!

Family Days

Mike was off this weekend and we had a free Sunday afternoon to spend altogether. Since we're a large group, we like to plan frugal activities. Lunch and an extended playtime at McDonalds followed by a free swim at our local Wellness Center sounded like the perfect afternoon. We topped the night off by supper in front of the tv together watching some Twilight and We Bought A Zoo.

Well done Matt Damon.

We spend a lot of time altogether as a family, but mainly it's running from a lesson to a birthday party, rushing through breakfast on our way out the door to school or a quick snuggle at bedtime. With Mike working shiftwork, and busy schedules our life includes a very limited amount of family time with all 6 of us.

It wasn't overly exciting activities. We stayed in our community and we had already visited these places before, but it was fun to get out of the house, do something active and be together. It had been a while since we had been to McDonalds or the Wellness Center so this was a treat for them. It's so fun to see my kids run around excitedly and just constantly be happy.

We laughed, made jokes and did tricks in the pool. It gave Mike and I the opportunity to take time to enjoy all the kids, together or one on one. It also gave the kids the chance to play together in a neutral setting, which I feel is important sometimes. There were no territories and no toys that belonged to another sibling. They only focused on being silly, having fun and just enjoying each others company.
Of course there were fist fights, dramatic tears, a bladder mishap and an unlimited amount of ear splitting whining. It wouldn't be a proper Talbot-Melanson-MacLean outing without any of those.

At the end of the day all the kids thanked us for the fun day. No matter how exhausted I was after such a busy day, making my kids smile was well worth it.

I think it's necessary for every family to have these kind of days. With life as busy as it is, it's so important to set aside that time to be together.
Happy Monday!

Family photos over the years

Vacations are the best time to take family photos. All of our kids are together, and there are lots of fun and interesting things to take pictures of. It's easy to snap a quick family photo op in front of a funny statue, or a setting sun.
We've gone on repeat vacations over the years and it's become a tradition to take pictures of the kids in the same location each time. When we travel to PEI we always take a picture of us on the ferry, or on the big plastic cow at Cows Ice Cream. We have traveled to Amherst several times to visit friends and we always stop at a little cafe along the way for a photo op with the Moose Mountie!
Here are few of our traditional Photo ops!

 At the Chatterbox Cafe in Pugwash with the Moose Mountie

2009

2010

2012

 At Cows Ice Cream in Prince Edward Island

2010

2012

2013

 At Shining Waters fun park in Cavendish

2008

2011

2012

2013

 It's fun to look back at those pictures and see how much the kids have grown since the previous year. Maybe it's time to start thinking about some new trip destinations?

Summer Family Checklist - go on a picnic!

Last week were finally able to check off our first Summer Family activity! Go on a picnic. We spent a beautiful Wednesday morning at a local Provincial Nature Park that has picnic areas, and a fresh water river. Amazingly it was our first trip to this watering hole. The kids loved it! It was a great day for a picnic and a refreshing swim in the river.

We brought along all the traditional picnic essentials, except the wicker basket. That would have really made the experience. I put together a little checklist of picnic essentials when bringing a group of kids.

1.A blanket. It's not a picnic without one.
2.Paper towels, napkins or baby wipes (my recommendation) for sticky hands.
3.Drinks in cups with lids, or juice packs. Spills are frequent and hard to avoid during picnics.
4.Snacks that don't require much preparation or mess. Sandwiches (peanut butter and jam with the crust cut off if you're looking to feel nostalgic), crackers, pre-cut fruit, granola bars, chips etc.
5.Paper plates and utensils if you are eating something a little more elaborate.

Everyone loves a picnic and an outdoor swim! This was a great way to kick-off our Summer checklist!

Post Vacation & Summer Family Checklist

After a fun-filled trip to PEI we're home and slowly easing back into our normal routine. Don't you hate that feeling of the post-vacation blues? The reality wake-up call that you really can't continue to eat out at restaurants, spend lots of money, and hold onto that "who cares Im on vacation" attitude. There's something invigorating about being on vacation, and coming home is almost like a let down. I think we're all feeling that today. And the dark, rainy weather certainly isn't helping! I came across a few tips to help you ease back into regular life, especially with kids. Most of these I've tried to adapt into the end of our vacation.

1. Give yourself a "rest day". Book off the day after you return. No work, no school. Just give yourself a day to rest, unpack, do laundry and mentally prepare yourself for reality.
2. Plan a fun, but easy activity with your kids. Baking cookies, or renting a movie you've never seen. You don't want to overdo it on your "rest day" but it's nice to give yourself and your kids something to look forward to and make them forget about all the fun they just left behind.
3. When you're packing to come home, do your best to make the unpacking as smooth as possible. Put all the dirty clothes together in a bag so they're ready for the wash and pack everyone's clothes separately so clean clothes are easier to put back in drawers. I've been guilty of just tossing everything in the suitcase and telling myself I'll worry about it when I get home. I've discovered that when I get home is NOT when I want to worry about organizing clothes, garbage and laundry.

Aside from a few disappointments from Mother Nature, we did have a wonderful time, squeezed in everything we could and took lots of photos to remember such a great weekend! We revisited some of our favourite stomping grounds and indulged in the some of the best treats PEI has to offer!

We managed to check off one of our activities on our Summer Family check-list! Ride the PEI Ferry!
This has always been so much fun for our kids, and I look forward to it as well. It's such an excitement for them to drive up onto the ferry, then run upstairs to explore the boat. We can eat at the restaurant, play arcade games, and sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous view. To end our trip,we took the last boat of the day, so a gorgeous sunset was our background for our sail home.

I'd love to hear about some of your Prince Edward Island experiences!

Friday Funday - Prince Edward Island

When I was a kid PEI was a smaller version of Disneyland. It was a magical, storybook place hidden away on an island. It was like a whole other world to me. I loved riding the ferry, driving along all the farms, and quaint villages. It felt like one big amusement park surrounded by the ocean.
Everything was just better in PEI. Drinks came in glass bottles, the ice cream tasted creamier, and life seemed more slow paced. Vacation in PEI meant Cows Ice Cream, lobster suppers, staying at a cozy cottage, and visiting the many theme parks on the island. We're big fans of Anne of Green Gables and Road to Avonlea. It's fun to visit and see some of the places you recognize from television.
Of course things may feel differently for those who live there. I've only ever gone to PEI for vacation so all my visits had a free-spirited vacation feel to them. I still feel a little of that magic just thinking about the island.
There's still something about the feeling you get when you first see the Wood Islands lighthouse. It's still so exciting to me, and I'm 31. PEI has so much beauty and history that you fall in love with over and over again. It still holds a nostalgic place in my heart, and now I see my kids making room for PEI in theirs.

This Friday Funday will be spent in PEI ! We are headed there today for the weekend.
Mike and I have been taking our kids there every summer since we met, even if it was just for a day. We always take the ferry instead of the Confederation Bridge, visit Cows Ice Cream, and Shining Waters Fun Park .
We've taken in other attractions like Anne of Green Gables, Ripley's Believe it or not, and the Cavendish Boardwalk. It's fun to visit new attractions each year. On our last trip to PEI we visited the Haunted Mansion. Unfortunately, no one actually went inside the mansion and my husband is still upset over it. We did visit the water gardens and a few rides they had set up there. We also took a trip to the Cavendish Beach in the evening and it was beautiful!

At Green Gables circa 2008

Mike with Lily and Madison on the Charlottetown waterfront

Visiting Cows Ice Cream last year

There are still some attractions on the island we haven't visited that are on my list:
Avonlea Village
Grandpa's Antique Photo Studio

I've only ever driven from Wood Islands, through Charlottetown and as far as Summerside, so I would love to someday take a complete tour of the whole island.

I'm hoping for sun all weekend! It's not looking like it, maybe stay tuned for a blog post on how to enjoy PEI without ever going outside?

Weekend Family Fun & Summer Camp

Our weekend road trip was a success. We scheduled pit stops when the kids got bored and loud, and we brought lots of snacks, books and games to keep them busy in between. We stopped for a traditional "new to us" park play (somewhere outside Halifax) that gave them a chance to get out and stretch their legs, and explore a cool new park!

There were a few tears, whines and "are we there yet's" but we all managed to get through the long, boring drive in 1 piece.
Of course, we stopped at our kid's favorite, McDonald's for supper(with a playplace hooray!) and a very impromptu,sunset swim at the falls at Victoria Park. Without towels or swimsuits. Luckily I had enough extra, dry clothes packed and used mine and Mike's sweaters as towels (aren't parents supposed to suffer so that our kids are comfortable). Our road trips always seem to lead us in a completely opposite direction that what we plan and pack for, but that's what makes it more fun! Random family fun turns out to be the most fun and memorable!
Unfortunately my camera battery died before all this random fun took place, and I have no pictures to document! I'm still having trouble getting over this even today.

On Sunday I sent my oldest daughter to camp for 3 days. The first time she's ever been away from home that long without a family member. I went to the same camp when I was younger, and enjoyed every minute of it, so I know she will too! This is a huge milestone for her and for me. It means she's really and truly growing up and that I have to somehow accept that fact. I think going away to camp is a traditional right of passage on the road to growing up. It feels like yesterday this beautiful, animated 9 year old used to be a delicate, helpless baby that I would cradle, and rock to sleep. It hasn't hit me until now that she isn't a baby anymore, and this is a whole new step in life that I'm dealing with. She of course settled in with no problems, and actually pushed me out the door. I guess this means she'll be fine? But will I?

I sent a little notebook with her with a note from me, and lots of space to write about all the fun she's having. We sent some mail for her to receive while she's there so she won't miss us and I made sure to reassure her that she wasn't missing a thing at home!

I'd love to hear your camp stories!

Friday Fundays - Road Trip Prep

It finally happened. I didn't think it ever would, but it did. And I don't know how to handle it.

Blogger's block.

Here I am on Thursday night, the kids are asleep, my tea is steeping and I'm ready to start my blog for tomorrow's Friday Funday! However, it's an hour later and I have nothing fun to write about. No ideas, no witty comments, no pictures. I thought I could write about my plans for the day. I could write that it's my mother-in law's birthday, that the sun is shining, or that I'm avidly considering taking a nap after lunch. But I didn't have enough material to fill a whole blog, and is that really what you want to read about?
What does one do when they encounter this problem? I actually googled it and there was a "Getting through Blogger's Block for Dummies" The internet is a wondrous thing. There were lots of interesting ideas, but none that really inspired me.
My husband's advice? Skip tomorrow's blog posting. What kind of advice is that? Disappoint my fans? I'm kind of joking about that, but I do have an aunt who sends me threatening messages if I miss a post or don't post early enough in the day for her to read.

After hours of thinking, backspacing and several rejected ideas from my 9 year old, I've decided I'm just going to post some inspirational pictures that will properly narrate our weekend. We're planning a road trip to the south shore for a family reunion. It's at least a 3 hour drive, and with kids, bathroom breaks, and pit stops I imagine we'll be driving all morning.

Our worst road trip was to Prince Edward Island 2 years ago.We drove in February so we had to take the Confederation Bridge, instead of the Ferry. It took us 5 hours, Lily threw up twice, and not one Tim Hortons had lemon doughnuts. I'm hoping (praying even?) this trip will be a bit better.

Here's a few pictures from previous road trips we've embarked on:

Nothing tops a road trip like sleeping kids...ahhh so quiet

Pit stops are a must

Always bring some sort of entertainment

I'd love to hear some entertaining road trip stories and suggestions!