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How to Prepare for a Long Drive With Children

November 7, 2022 | Leave a Comment

If you’re thinking of going on a long drive with children, you may be wondering whether there’s a way to make the inevitably hard trip a bit better for everyone. The good news is that there is, and with a few tips, you can get the best outcome and arrive safe and happy at your destination. Here’s how you should prepare for a long drive with children and you’ll find family trips get a lot more doable.

Don’t Drink Before You Drive

While you may say to yourself that having a drink will help you to calm your nerves and make it easier for you to survive the drive, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Use a combination of the rest of the tips below with soberness and you may be surprised at how easy it gets to take long drives as a family. Do this with the fact in mind that a report shared by the Colorado Department of Transportation stated that drunk drivers were involved in 30% of all the fatalities that took place across the state in 2019. This should show you just how risky it is for you to drink and drive, and also motivate you to avoid doing it.

Pack Snacks and Water

In order to avoid the grumpiness of hungry children on a long drive, pack enough snacks and water with you. These should be healthy options because, at some point, your passengers may want to eat simply because they’re bored, so prepare for this adequately. Getting filling snacks is also going to cut out the need for having to buy additional food while you’re on your trip. These may be overpriced and you may not have as many options while on the road as you’ll have if you shop early and from your favorite store.

Service Your Car Before You Leave

Next, remember that it’s important for you to service your car before you set out. Doing this is going to help you get an amazing time on the road since your car will operate a lot more efficiently when it’s in a good state. When making repairs or replacements, remember that you should also look at the quality of what you’re getting so you can make sure you have the best and most durable option. For the windshield and other glass, for example, note that laminated tempered glass is four to five times harder to fracture than normal glass. Work with a professional auto mechanic to be sure that you get the best advice and service.

Carry Games and Activities

You’re probably hoping to minimize the occurrence of the dreaded question, are we there yet? To do this, you should pack enough games and activities to keep your children busy throughout. Let the children pick the games that they love the most and they’ll have entertainment while on the road, on top of a sense of responsibility. These should be light and handy so they don’t take up too much space, yet they’ll only be used while on the road and not necessarily when you arrive at your destination.

Plan Your Route Well

Last but not least, plan your route out in advance so that you can have a good idea of what to expect on your drive. This should have enough rest stops along the way for your family to stretch and use the washroom if they need to. Remember that people who log the most physical activity may have a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease by an impressive 60%. That said, try to balance out the time that your family spends sitting down with ample time to move around.

Keep these tips in mind when planning to go on a long drive with children. You may just be surprised that it’s actually possible to keep your children in control while in the car. They’ll be happy with the experience as well, so everyone wins.

4 Simple Ways Your Family Can Save Money

October 31, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Saving money is important, regardless of the size of your family. This is because unforeseen occurrences can come up at any time and you’ll have to rely on the money you kept away for a rainy day. That said, you may want to know some of the ways you can save money and build up your emergency and other savings. Outlined are four of the ways in which you can save money with your family and live securely in the knowledge that you have security in the form of finances.

1. Plan Early for Holidays

Holidays can be fun, but the dread that comes with having to spend a large chunk of your money isn’t. This doesn’t have to be the case because you can cut down on holiday expenses simply by planning for the holidays in advance. With advance planning, you can shop for the holidays earlier and get some amazing deals that’ll help you to save money. Doing this as a family may help you to come to a decision that works for everyone. With between 40% and 50% of marriages in the United States ending in divorce, it’s not worth it creating an opportunity for a fight that may come up thanks to something like spending on the holidays.

2. Get Orthodontic Treatments That You Need Early

Another way in which you can make savings as a family is to make sure that you’re all in good health. To this end, go for regular checkups both for general and oral health. If you discover any issues, it’s a good idea to have them taken care of right away. Doing this can help keep the treatment affordable as the issue won’t have progressed and you may need to get treated for a shorter time. You may also have time to plan and save for a longer treatment such as braces if someone in the family needs them. Also, make sure to follow through with the treatments you’re prescribed to the end for a chance of getting the best outcome fast. For instance, around 25% of the patients wearing braces need to get them again as a result of failing to wear their retainers.

3. Talk About Budgeting as a Family

It’s also a good idea to discuss saving and budgeting as a family. This is because doing so will give your children an early start to the culture of writing budgets and living within their means. This should touch on all aspects of your life, including pets if you have them. You may be one of the estimated 38% of all households in the United States that, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, have a dog. From picking affordable food to heading to the vet as soon as you suspect an issue, there are a number of things that you could do to show your children the instances and ways in which to budget and save.

4. Shop Secondhand

Finally, don’t be shy about getting secondhand items that you need, as opposed to buying new things all the time. These will be a bit more affordable and you may also save some items from the landfill, a service that the environment will appreciate. Things that are especially a good idea to buy secondhand are kids’ shoes, toys, and clothes. This is because they grow up so fast, you may end up having to go shopping more often than not just to make sure their needs are adequately met.

Use these four simple ways to save money as a family. You’ll be glad that you did so when you have a considerable amount in your emergency fund. Your children will also thank you for the lessons, as they’ll learn to be responsible adults if they take what you practice and teach them into account.

How to Travel with a Kid Who Isn’t a Great Traveler

October 20, 2022 | Leave a Comment

My husband and I love to travel. Neither of us traveled much during childhood, so we want to share the world with our kids. However, we’ve had to figure out how to travel with a kid who isn’t a great traveler because one of our children dislikes traveling. This child has always struggled with travel, and while we respect that, we don’t want to stop traveling because we feel it’s an integral part of the life experience we want to cultivate for our kids.

How to Travel with a Kid Who Isn’t a Great Traveler

Our child, who I will identify in this post as “Blair,” has struggled with traveling since the toddler years, so this isn’t a new phenomenon. However, we’ve learned these tricks to make travel better.

For Younger Kids

Take Breaks

When we traveled when Blair was younger, we scheduled plenty of breaks. While driving, we’d stop every hour or two, ideally at a rest area or restaurant with a playground.

When we were at our destination, we planned one event per day. The rest of the day was downtime. For instance, we went to Boston when Blair was a preschooler. There was so much I wanted to see and do, but we just did one activity per day. We went to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and then returned to the hotel so Blair could watch some favorite kids’ shows and relax. Even though we didn’t get to go to as many destinations as I would have liked, Blair still remembers throwing the crates of tea off the ship.

Bring Travel Diversions

We usually travel by car, so I started packing travel diversions when the kids were little. Before the trip, I would buy small activities and trinkets like a water coloring book or a fidget spinner. Then, I would wrap the item, and the kids could open it once we reached a predetermined destination. So, the package would have a label, “Effingham, Illinois,” and the kids could open the package when we drove through Effingham. This gave them something to look forward to, and then the activity occupied them for some of the ride.

See Child-Friendly Sites

When you’re traveling with the preschool set, you won’t be able to see all of the destinations you’d prefer as an adult. Instead, know that you’ll have to include many child-friendly sites and activities. For our Boston trip, Blair remembers throwing the boxes of tea off the ship and the costumed interpreters throughout the city.

Remember, your kids are only little once. As they get older, you can visit attractions designed for tweens, teens, and adults.

Bring Lots of Snacks

Two things make kids this age cranky—lack of sleep and lack of food. We always bring abundant snacks to combat the latter. We have car snacks, which is especially important if you’re traveling in a deserted area without many food options. When we’re at our destinations and seeing sites, I always put snacks and bottled water in my backpack because a child will get hungry, even if we’re only out for two or three hours. My kids are all teens now, and we still carry ample snacks when traveling

For Older Kids

Once our kids got older, they needed fewer breaks on the road trip, so we were able to travel faster. However, I continued to bring travel diversions for them. We also used these techniques.

Create a Travel Map

Using Google Maps, I printed out our entire route for each trip. I put the maps in a transparent cover and give the kids dry-erase markers. They can mark our route as we go and see exactly where we are and when they get to open their road trip surprise (yes, I pack surprises for the kids to open at specific destinations even into their teens!).

Give Them a Say in the Trip

I would be happy visiting museums, historic houses, and living history museums everywhere we go. Some of my kids, not so much. Instead, now that they’re older, we let them each determine at least one activity we’ll do during the trip.

For instance, we recently went to Philadelphia, and one of our kids wanted to go mini-golfing. Since we could have gone mini-golfing anywhere, that wouldn’t have been my choice in a vacation destination. But we did it, and this child had a great time. Mini-golfing was one of the highlights of the trip for her. My other daughter picked visiting The Franklin Institute, which, again, I would not have chosen, but we had a good time, and that destination was another highlight of our trip.

Give Them a Digital Camera

If you have the means, give each child a digital camera. They can take pictures of the sites you’re seeing and make albums of the trip. They can also have fun taking silly pictures of themselves or one another.

Spring for Extra Space

If you travel with a kid who isn’t a good traveler, is that child an introvert? My guess is yes. Blair is an introvert and, like most introverts, needs time to unwind and recharge alone. Unfortunately, that can be tough to do when sharing a hotel room.

If you can, consider paying for extra space. For instance, instead of booking a hotel room, book a vacation rental by owner. If each child can get their own room, the reluctant traveler can have time to recharge and unwind alone. For Blair, part of the travel struggle is spending all day, every day of the vacation with family with no personal space. Larger accommodations can solve this problem.

Final Thoughts

You may consider abandoning travel with a kid who isn’t a great traveler, but remember all of the benefits that come from traveling—seeing new locations, how other people live, and learning living history. Rather than abandon traveling until your child grows up, try some of these techniques to make your next trip smoother.

4 Road Trip Tips When Traveling with Tweens

Traveling with Toddlers: How to Bring the Kids without Going Crazy

Melissa Batai

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.

Ways for Your Family to Stay Healthy

October 20, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Finding ways to keep you and your children healthy is part of daily living. You will see that a nutritious diet, exercise, reduced stress, and regular health checkups add up to good overall health. Driving safely and teaching your children this skill is another important asset. Let’s take a closer look at the ways to stay healthy.

Eat a Well-Balanced Diet

The best diet for the whole family is a well-balanced diet that includes multiple food groups. Try to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals. Use vegetables in soups, salads, stews, and main entrees. Fresh fruit can also sometimes make a better dessert or snack than cake, cookies, and ice cream. Switch to whole grain bread and pasta because it has more nutrition and provides your body with energy. You could even do some research and look at these Gundry MD Olive Oil reviews to see if incorporating this into your diet would be beneficial to your heart health, immune system, and other essential functions.

Cut down on sugar in your diet because too much can cause diabetes, weight gain, and blindness. According to the National Institute of Health, 90% of blindness caused by diabetes is preventable. You should also cut down on baked goods, cookies, cake, ice cream, candy, white bread, white rice, and carbs. Substitute soda with seltzer water, low-sugar juices, iced tea, or lemonade. Check labels for too much fat, sugar, and fat in frozen, dry, and canned products. When shopping, cut down on snack food and sweet treats for the entire family. Serve popcorn, nuts, granola, fruit, and seeds for snacks instead.

Fit Exercise Into Your Routine

When you have younger children, find ways to get them to exercise and play. Jumping rope, playing games outside, hopscotch, and kickball are fun ways for kids to exercise with others outdoors. Walking in the neighborhood or parks, riding bikes, hiking, swimming, and working in the yard are effective ways for a family to exercise. Encourage your children to develop a form of exercise they enjoy so they will keep doing it. Let them help with cleaning and yard work, starting with small tasks. A swing set, a basketball hoop, and an outdoor sprinkler can be a simple, easy way for your children to exercise in warmer weather.

Teach Teens To Drive Safely

Teaching teens to drive safely by taking courses and setting a good example will prevent accidents and injuries. More accidents are caused due to people driving when distracted or intoxicated. When using a cell phone, it is better to pull over or stop at a gas station or restaurant before using it. A good driver’s education course will teach your teens the basics, but your driving will set an example for them to follow.

You should set rules for teenagers or older drivers and have consequences if they break the rules. According to the World Bank blog, over 1.25 million people die in vehicle accidents each year, and 20-50 million sustain injuries and receive permanent disability from accidents. As a family, practicing safe driving techniques will help you avoid accidents.

Find Ways to Relieve Stress

Find ways to reduce stress for adults and children. Learning deep breathing techniques and meditation can be effective ways for children and adults to beat stress. Developing a hobby can be a way to learn new skills and develop concentration. Drawing, making crafts, gardening, cooking, listening to music, and reading are all good hobbies and ways to relieve stress for the entire family. Even if you don’t stick with a new hobby, finding an event for the family to do together can help.

Get Regular Health Checkups

Parents should get regular yearly checkups for themselves and their children. Regular doctor and dental checkups prevent chronic disease in adults and children. Dental checkups prevent serious problems with teeth. Over 3.5 million children and teens start wearing braces every year, according to the American Orthodontics Association. Dental cleaning and checkup can let you know if your children need braces. Regular doctor checkups help prevent chronic disease by treating it early. If you don’t currently have a doctor that you visit regularly, be sure to ask your friends and family for recommendations.

These are some ways to keep your family healthy. If your whole family is dedicated to healthy living, it will be easier to stick to these ideas. Once you get into a routine, it will be easier to follow.

4 Things New Parents Should Stay On Top Of

October 13, 2022 | Leave a Comment

When you become a parent, there are so many things that you are now responsible for. You have to take care of a small person that is totally reliant on you. The stress of this situation can make it difficult to know what is important to remember and what isn’t. However, there are some things that might seem unimportant but can have a major impact in the future. Here are four things new parents should stay on top of.

1. Dental Appointments

As soon as your child begins to grow teeth, you should start bringing them to the dentist. Dental hygiene is extremely important and your influence in childhood will set your child’s habits for life. Make sure that your family goes to the dentist regularly. This will ensure that their teeth remain clean and that all problems are caught early. Going regularly will also allow you to get them orthodontic treatment as they get older. About 25% to 50% of children require orthodontics. This means there is a good chance your child will. If they are visiting the dentist regularly, their dentist will be able to refer them to an orthodontist as soon as they show signs of needing that treatment.

2. Vaccines

Your family needs to get their vaccinations on time. Generally, these vaccines are given at the pediatrician’s office during their annual wellness exam. This makes it easier to stay on top of the standard childhood vaccines. These injections help their bodies build up a defense against certain diseases. That way, if they’re exposed, your child has less of a chance of getting ill. Some vaccines are only required once while others have to be redone regularly. Make sure that you keep track of when your child needs vaccines and that you get them done. Their health depends on it.

3. Technology

As your child gets older, they are going to be more connected with the technology around them. If you are unaware of how that technology works, you won’t be able to supervise their use as well as you might want to. This can lead to a wide array of problems in the future. Do your best to stay current with technology. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to know what your child is using. This has impacted parents before. When Napster was invented in 1999, P2P file sharing became a big deal and there were legal consequences. Parents who didn’t know how music downloads worked weren’t able to help their children avoid these consequences. If you have a basic understanding, you can help your family make good choices.

4. Digital Safety

You need to be careful with your digital life in order to protect your family. If you accidentally download malware onto your computer, people are able to access things like bank accounts and other personal information. They can use this to steal your money and your identity. Unfortunately, one in three home computers are infected with malware. In order to keep your family secure, you need to keep your computer secure. So invest in the technology and services you need in order to do this. That way, you can focus more on your children and less on the computer.

As a new parent, you might not be considering the future right now. But as you keep your young baby safe and healthy, remember these tips as well. They will help you to build a safer, healthier future for your whole family. Incorporate them into your routine early and they will become much more common and comfortable to do in your everyday life.

7 Unexpected Expenses as Your Kids Get Older

October 6, 2022 | Leave a Comment

My friend recently had a baby, and she has so much fun dressing him in cute clothing that she buys from Etsy. He has a better wardrobe than most adults! I understand her excitement in decking her baby out in adorable clothing (I did the same thing when I had my first child). However, I know her budget is tight, so I want to tell her, “Save some of that money for unexpected expenses as your kids get older,” but, of course, I don’t say that. Yet, parenthood has taught me that life will always throw you and your kids curve balls, which are often expensive!

Here are some unexpected expenses to plan for as your kids get older:

Larger Vehicle

You may think your current vehicle will suffice, especially if you only have one or two children. However, you may be surprised how quickly your family outgrows the car. We had a Toyota Echo when our first child was born, which I thought would be fine. However, we traveled frequently, and all the gear we had to bring for the baby didn’t fit in an Echo. So, in less than four months, we moved up to a minivan, which we still have 18 years later!

Don’t forget that your kids will likely want to bring friends to different activities, which is another reason you might need a bigger car.

Increased Grocery Bill

Everyone knows the grocery bill will increase when you have kids, but no one is prepared for the tween and teen years. Kids that age are growing rapidly, and they need a lot of food! When my son turned 11, I was shocked at how much he started to eat!

Private School or Homeschool

Public school is a good option for most kids, but some need a different environment, so their parents send them to private school. Or, parents like us might decide that homeschooling is a better option. Unfortunately, you may have planned for your kids to graduate from public school, so you’re unprepared to pay for private school or homeschooling when public school doesn’t work out.

Therapy for a Disability

No parent thinks their child will have a disability. I didn’t, yet, I have three kids, and each one has two diagnoses—two with autism, two with dyslexia, two with ADHD. These disabilities have cost us thousands of dollars in therapy that insurance would not cover. Thankfully, the therapy helped and the kids are doing great, but we did not anticipate having to pay for therapy, let alone having to spend so much.

Psychologist

Likewise, many kids, especially during COVID, needed a psychologist’s assistance. While most insurance plans cover psychologist appointments, you will likely have to pay a co-pay. Even if your co-pay is only $20 a session, you’re paying $1,080 over a year if your child goes once a week.

Electronics

Thirty years ago, parents didn’t have to pay a lot for electronics unless it was for a Nintendo or Atari game. Now, kids need laptops for their schoolwork, especially since some of the work (or all of it) may be online. In addition, most teens and tweens have cell phones that you’ll need to pay for.

I bought my youngest two simple Gabb phones, but they still run $50 monthly for two lines. Electronics expenses add up quickly!

High School Fund

A wise parent will start a high school fund when their children are young. Many activities in high school are pricey. Consider saving for

Class trips,
Homecoming,
Prom,
Senior pictures,
College application fees,
ACT or SAT prep and test fees

Final Thoughts

If you have a baby or a toddler, pour yourself into them, but remember, there are many unexpected expenses as your kids get older that you’ll want to save for now. Even though it’s cute to dress babies in adorable clothes, make sure you’re also saving for the future.

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Melissa Batai

Simple Ways to Create Memories with Your Kids

September 22, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Sometimes when your kids are little, every day might seem so LONG. The kids have endless needs you have to meet, and they might fuss, cry, or have tantrums. However, smiling older women look at you in the store and compliment your beautiful family and reminisce about their now-grown children. People tell you, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Yet, while you try to enjoy the days, sometimes you struggle. As your kids grow older (and it happens so quickly!), you realize that the time you have with them is fleeting, and you want to create memories with them. Here are some suggestions to do just that.

Simple Ways to Create Memories with Your Kids

Creating memories with your kids doesn’t have to be expensive. You simply need to spend your undivided time with them.

Actively Watch Their Sports

How often have you gone to kids’ sporting events and seen parents not watching the game but instead giving all of their attention to their smartphones? Put the phone aside and watch your kids. They notice, and they’ll appreciate that you spend time on them, not on the internet.

Have a Dedicated Movie Night

One fun family tradition is to have a dedicated movie time. In our family, we watch a movie on Sunday afternoon. This activity may not seem like much, but your kids will likely enjoy this tradition and remember it fondly when looking back on their childhoods.

Play Board Games

Likewise, you can have a family game night. Or, if you can’t play board games with the family that often, make a habit of playing a board game with your child at least once every two weeks. Your kids will enjoy playing the game and the time you gave them.

Read Aloud to Them

This family tradition is best started when your kids are young, though you can begin any time they’re in elementary school. When my kids were babies, I started reading aloud to them, and we never stopped. My younger kids are now 13 and 12, and I still read aloud to them every day. I’m sure this is one activity they’ll cherish and hopefully repeat with their children.

Have a Yes Day

Too often, we parents say no because it’s more convenient than saying yes. Challenge yourself to say yes one day and see how different the day will be. “Mom, can we go to the park?” Yes. “Can I bake a cake?” Yes. If the activity the children propose isn’t dangerous or out of your budget, try saying yes and see what happens.

Take Them on Vacation

Finally, if you have the means, take your children on vacation. Getting out of your element and exploring new places leads to family bonding, especially when you reminisce about your adventures years later.

Final Thoughts

Kids grow up too quickly. The older women in the stores are right—the days are long, but the years are short. Cherish the time you have by utilizing simple ways to create memories with your kids. You’ll be glad you did.

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Important Advice for New Parents

September 19, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Nothing ever prepares you for starting a new family and becoming a parent. There are thousands of books that can provide you with information, but this still would not be enough to know how to be a successful parent. Fortunately, these tips below are common sense and can help you by providing important, practical advice when starting a family.

Save for Medical Expenses

Did you know that over 3.5 million American kids and teenagers wear braces every year? If your child has braces, this means they will need to visit the dentist on an almost monthly basis, if not more. It’s best to save now for future medical expenses such as dental work, medical emergencies, and special treatments.

While you might not want to think about your child becoming sick, it’s best to save for medical expenses in case of an emergency. Add your child to your family health insurance plan, or consider starting a medical savings fund. You can use your savings for medical-related and out-of-pocket expenses.

Plan a Custody Agreement That Works

If you feel you will need to divorce your spouse, you should prepare beforehand by creating the best custody agreement for your family. Consider that, in divorce cases, the non-custodial parent will usually have around 88 days with the child in a year. Speak with your spouse and try to work on a co-parenting plan that helps you both have access to your child the same amount of days out of the year.

Consider An IB School

If your child is exceptionally gifted or you want to expose them to better educational opportunities, consider enrolling them in a school that offers an IB program. Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programs. These programs include the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), and the Career-related Programme (CP). While a school might have a candidate status, it gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted for an IB program.

Thus, when looking for an IB school, look for a fully accredited program in your area. Evidence suggests that children who enroll in an IB program perform better in school than children who are not enrolled in an IB program.

Save For School Events

It’s important to save for school events such as field trips, prom dances, and other school-related activities. These events are incredibly beneficial for your child to develop social skills and create life-long memories with their friends. Consider creating a savings account to save for school events.

In addition, many schools require parents to pay a fee if there are overnight school events such as camping trips, trips abroad, or other special festivals. Saving for these school events can also help teach your children a valuable lesson about the importance of creating a fund for themselves. You can ask your child to save a portion of their allowance to go towards school events as well.

Always Offer Mental Health Help

Both adults and children might struggle with the effects of mental health disorders. If your child is experiencing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or trauma, it’s always best to offer mental health help. Remind your child that you can offer them therapy to help them heal and will not judge them on their decision to seek help.

Children’s brains develop quickly, and it’s essential they get the mental health treatment they need to prevent mental health issues from escalating further. Talk to your child about the importance of treatment, and offer them treatment options such as therapy, inpatient treatment, and medication.

Follow these tips above to help prepare you for parenthood. These tips can help you keep your family safe and cared for. Whether it’s creating a savings fund, preparing for medical emergencies, or finding a talented school, create the best life for your family using these tips above.

Vacation Before Your Kids No Longer Want to Hang with You

September 8, 2022 | Leave a Comment

When I was a teenager, my mom and I traveled together, just the two of us, for one week every year. We both enjoyed these trips. However, teenagers don’t always enjoy traveling with their parents, even when their parents take them on a once-in-a-lifetime trip somewhere like Europe. Often, kids as young as 11 or 12 would rather be with their friends than their parents. Therefore, you may want to have an epic vacation before your kids no longer want to hang with you.

Many Families Struggle Financially in the Early Years

Unfortunately, many families struggle financially in the years when kids are young. Parents have to pay for diapers, formula, and daycare, none of which are cheap. In addition, parents may be younger and starting their careers, so their pay is low.

Once the kids are older, say ten and up, parents are on firmer financial footing and have more money to spend on vacations. Unfortunately, this may coincide with the time kids don’t want to do as much as their parents.

Prioritize Fun in the Younger Years

In his book, Die with Zero, Bill Perkins suggests that you spend most of your money upfront when you’re young enough to do the activities you want to do physically. This allows you to create a rich memory bank to sustain you in your older years when you’re not physically able to do as much.

Likewise, your children have a sweet spot between eight and 13 where they enjoy vacations and traveling with you before they get too involved in their own lives and friendships. That is when you want to prioritize travel with your children, even if it means scrimping in other areas of your life to find the money for travel.

My Experience Traveling with Kids

When our kids were young, we lived in the Midwest. We didn’t have money for travel, but my husband frequently had to attend work-related conferences. For the conferences a day’s drive away, the kids and I could tag along because my husband’s work paid for the hotel room. We’d pack food and try to visit as many free attractions as possible. The kids loved it. We went to Philadelphia, Ohio, North Carolina, Minneapolis, Quebec, and our favorite, Boston.

When the kids were 10, 5, and 4, we moved to Arizona. We couldn’t travel with my husband anymore because conferences were no longer within driving distance.

Now, we recently moved to New York. My husband has a conference in Philadelphia, so we were excited to resume our tradition with the younger two kids, now 13 and 12, and take them with us. To our surprise, the 13-year-old is indifferent to the trip and the 12-year-old is complaining about having to go. So now, our travel window seems to have closed. Of course, we’ll still travel with them, but we miss the excitement they used to have about traveling.

Final Thoughts

If you have younger kids, I recommend you prioritize taking a vacation before your kids no longer want to hang with you. Hopefully, they will always enjoy traveling with you, but if not, your memory bank and theirs will be filled with earlier, fun vacations.

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Our Favorite Quick Lunches for Kids

August 25, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Back-to-school season brings the dreaded lunch prep. If your child doesn’t get a meal at school or you need to pack food for daycare, you know what I mean. Parents should pack a lunch that the kids like, has variety, and is relatively healthy. After a few weeks, getting into a lunch-packing rut is easy. My kids used to go to school, and I remember how time-consuming packing lunches could be. Now we homeschool, but last year, instead of making lunch every day, I started packing our favorite quick lunches for kids so they could pull them from the refrigerator at lunchtime, and it was a time saver!

Time-Saving Techniques

Utilize these strategies to save time preparing lunches:

Get the Kids Involved

Let the kids help you by making sandwiches or filling containers with chips. Kids are more likely to want to eat what they help make because they can make the food the way they want (within reason). For example, my girls split this job. One makes all the sandwiches for the week, and the other fills all the chip containers.

Take Advantage of Dead Time

When cooking dinner, I often have dead time when I need to stir the meal I’m cooking, but I don’t have anything else to do while waiting for the food. I use this time to cut carrot sticks and celery or other fruits and vegetables to add to lunches for the week.

Prepare in Bulk

Another good strategy is if you’re making a few, make many. For instance, if I need four hard-boiled eggs for a meal, I’ll make 12 so that I have extra that I can use for future lunches. Likewise, if I make energy balls with peanut butter and oats, I’ll make a double batch and stick some in the freezer for lunches next week.

Easy Foods to Prep

Some foods are quick to prep and freeze well.

Frozen Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Instead of making one PB & J sandwich, make sandwiches out of an entire loaf of bread. Then, freeze each sandwich. Remove it from the freezer in the morning, and the sandwich will be thawed by lunch.

Muffins

Make a batch or two of banana muffins or another flavor your kids like and pop them in the freezer. Then, you can pull them out individually to put in lunches each day.

Easy Fruits

Some fruits like cantaloupe and watermelon require you to cut them open and chop them into bite-size pieces. These aren’t the kind of fruits I pack. Instead, I choose easy fruits such as clementines or grapes. All I have to do is stick a clementine in the lunchbox or give the grapes a quick rinse and put them in the container.

Final Thoughts

Making lunches can be time-consuming, but the process doesn’t have to be. Our favorite quick lunches for kids are easy, nutritious, and taste good. Plus, you’ll have more time in your day when you’re not spending as much time prepping food and packing lunches!

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5 Ways We Inspire a Love of Reading in Our Kids

August 14, 2022 | Leave a Comment

As a child, one of my favorite activities was reading. This love of reading and later, writing, helped lead me to major in English in college, become a college English instructor, and learn more about the world than I ever could have without books. Because books enriched my life so heavily, when I had kids, I wanted them to love reading as much as I did. Luckily, most of them do. We inspire a love of reading in our kids using the following methods.

How We Inspire a Love of Reading in Our Kids

To help your kids fall in love with books and reading, you need to immerse them in the reading world.

Read Aloud to Them

From the time our kids were born, we read aloud to them. At first, we started with short board books like Goodnight Moon and The Going to Bed Book. (At this stage, don’t be surprised or annoyed if your child asks you to read the same book over, and over, and over again!) Then we expanded into longer stories until we were reading our kids chapter books when they were in preschool. I continued reading to them all through middle school.

Have a Home Library

To foster a love of reading, surround your kids with books. We always had bookshelves filled with books the kids could look through when they were little and read when they started school.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this. For example, we picked up most of our kids’ books at garage sales for 10 cents or less.

Take Them to Library Activities

The public library is a wonderful resource that we utilize frequently. We started by bringing our kids to the library to pick out their books and to join in on story hour. Because of these early experiences, our kids always associated the library with fun.

Participate in Reading Rewards Programs

In the summer, sign your kids up for reading rewards programs. For example, Pizza Hut has the Book It program. Your public library likely has a reading program, too. Our son was one of the top readers one summer in elementary school, so he got to join the other top readers for a bowling and pizza excursion compliments of the library. He still talks about how much fun that was.

Let Them See You Read

Kids learn best by watching your actions. You can tell them that reading is fun, but if they don’t ever see you reading, you’re not reinforcing that lesson. My kids see me read books and hear me listen to audiobooks in the car. I love to read, and they see me regularly taking time to do so.

Final Thoughts

We inspire a love of reading in our kids, which was one of the best things we could do. Today, they still read for fun and recreation, enjoy learning, and have an exceptional vocabulary.

Why Our Child Decided to Take a Gap Year

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Why Our Child Decided to Take a Gap Year

July 28, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Our 18-year-old son graduated from high school this year. As most seniors do, he applied to several colleges in our area last fall. He got into all of them and received substantial scholarships to two of the colleges. He planned to start college this upcoming fall. And then his life was upended, which is why our child decided to take a gap year.

What Is a Gap Year?

For those who don’t know, a gap year is when graduating high school students take a year off before they begin college. They use that time in various ways, such as working to raise money for college, volunteering in the field they want to pursue, or traveling.

Why Our Child Decided to Take a Gap Year

In May, my husband got a new job 2,200 miles from our current location. Our son had always wanted to go to college nearby to live with us and save money. However, because we were moving in July, he no longer wanted to go to the colleges where he had received scholarships. He had to start his college search over again.

Unfortunately, the college scholarships that were plentiful in October had all but dried up by July.

He found colleges to apply to in our new location that accepted applicants on a rolling basis. He did get a few scholarships, but not nearly as many as he would have gotten had he applied to those schools in the fall.

To make matters worse, he would have had to pay out-of-state tuition because we hadn’t lived in the new state for 12 months before he wanted to start college. So, after careful consideration, he decided to take a gap year.

How He Plans to Use His Gap Year

Even though he never considered taking a gap year, he’s warmed up to the idea. He’s made a long list of activities he plans to do for his gap year.

Volunteering

Our son has always been interested in volunteering. During high school, he volunteered more than 100 hours. He hopes to volunteer at a local cat shelter and the public library during his gap year.

Working

In addition, he plans to work part-time and save money for college.

Applying to College

In the fall, he will reapply to the colleges he applied to in July. Since he’s applying at the typical time students do, he’s hoping he’ll be eligible for more significant scholarships.

Final Thoughts

My husband and I understand why a gap year is the better choice given that we’ve recently moved to our new location and colleges in the area would be pricey. We are slightly concerned that he may decide not to go to college after this. However, our son was always the youngest in his class because he has a summer birthday, so taking a gap year may be the perfect way to give him more time to mature and qualify for larger scholarships.

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