I remember loving to visit my parents at work.   Office supplies can be loads of fun and I could make copies for hours.  Looking back, I probably wasn’t has helpful as I thought and they likely got very little work done with me around.  So what do you do when you have to take the kids to the office?  Try these tips to keep them entertained for at least a little while.

Toddlers and Younger Kids:

• Give them a box of tissues.
• Position them in front of a blank wall or stretch of floor and hand out a pad or two of post it notes.
• Cut some paper into shapes and have them color the shapes and then use tape to create a picture on another sheet of paper.
• Draw pictures using different color highlighters.
• Make several paper airplanes and have a contest to see which one goes the farthest.
• Make a pouring game with 2 cups and water or M&Ms

Older Kids:

• Have a scavenger hunt – while reminding them that there is no running!  Create your own or use one we created.  Office Scavenger Hunt
• Practice rubber band shooting.  Create a target for the floor and try to hit it 5 times in a row – the catch is the rubber band has to bounce off the ceiling.

Hopefully this gives you enough time to get a few things done at the office!

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We are planning our annual spring break road trip and, on a 14 hour drive, the last few hours are after dark.  The kids are restless, tired of movies, and not the least bit sleepy.  After enduring incessant whining for 3 hours on the first long road trip because “it’s too dark to do anything”, I now pack a few night toys.  They are a huge hit!   Over the years we have experimented with various items and finally ended up with a few must haves:

• Glow sticks
• Glow spring toy
• Glow ring
• Flashlight or book light
• Glow toys
• At least one flashing toy (like a top or wand)

And a few tips:

• Glow items need to be exposed to light to “charge”.   This is fun for kids to do with a flashlight (and leads to great experiments).
• Remember batteries – many kid’s flashlights are sold without batteries.  An alternative is to get the manual flashlights but they can be loud (and inevitably one kid would wake up the others by using it).
• If traveling for a while at night and you want the kids to sleep, limit the number of glow toys.
• Don’t expect kids to share a flashlight or glowstick – everyone needs their own.
• Keep the night items hidden and surprise the kids when it gets dark.

Don’t have time to find your own?  Check out the NightKiddy – a fun collection of glow toys that is sure to entertain on long road trips.  The NightKiddy can be used over and over just by replacing the glowstick!

The same items are also great in dark hotels.  Kids can use the glow stick or flashlight to find their way to the bathroom or just keep away the monsters.

glow sticks, Travel With Kids Hide

The upsides to a traveling spouse are lots of frequent flyer miles and fun tag-along trips but I am not sure those outweigh the very sad kids every time daddy leaves on a trip.  Through trial and error we have worked out a few things that help.  He leave each girl one of his favorite t-shirts that they sleep in or suggle with every night.  He sends pictures from the road and calls frequently.  And he never goes on a trip without explaining to everyone when he leaves, where he is going and when he will be back.

I know there are a lots of families that deal with traveling spouses/parents – my question for you:  What are your tips and tricks for helping kids deal with a traveling spouse?

traveling spouses Hide

Creating a travel journal or log is an easy, inexpensive way to get kids excited about a trip and keep them entertained along the way.  While there are elaborate versions on the market, a simple notebook or printable version works just as well.   You can download ours here.  We print out a log or coloring page for each day of the trip and spend 15 minutes every evening winding down and completing the page.  At the end of the trip, the kids have a wonderful travel log to remember the trip by and, for school age kids, this is a fantastic item for “show” days.

Some tips:

• Keep the log pages simple – decorating the pages is part of the fun.
• Include a mixture of drawing and writing – even for older kids.
• This is a great activity on the plane or in the car.
• Customize by adding extra drawing or writing pages.
• Put the travel log pages in a fun folder, add a cute pen and new crayons and give it as a present right before the trip.

travel journal Hide

I hate getting party bags filled with cheap novelties.  Especially since the bags aren’t cheap (just the toys)!   After several request from current customers, I decided to create a line of party favor bags using high quality toys that are kid tested and mom approved.

We start with a color-your-own gift bag, stickers and crayons.  Let the birthday kid decorate bags for everyone or use this as a party opener.  Hand out the bags at the beginning of the party and let the kids decorate while waiting for everyone to arrive.

Bags are filled with an assortment of high quality items – choose from our pre-made options or create your own.  We can match almost any theme or budget.  Kids will flip for the great bags and mom won’t cringe at the selections!

The best part – ordering is fast & easy!  Just a few clicks and your favor bags are on their way.  Start here!

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Kids think every trip is an exciting adventure.  Why not feed the excitement and throw in some education on the side by working with maps?

Road Trips:

• Buy a map that shows the start and destination.  Let the kids find both spots and highlight the route.  For older kids, have them read the legend and figure out how long it should take.  Check the answer on-line.
• AAA member?  Request maps and route information.  Let the kids pick a few pit stops along the way.  Also visit www.pitstopsforkids.com for some suggestions about places to stop along the way.
• Bring the map along.  When the chorus of “Are we there yet?” starts from the back seat, hand out the map(s) and let them figure out where they are.

Destinations:

• Buy several destination maps and give the kids the hotel address to mark on the map (this is great for on the plane!).  Keep one clean – you might need to use it later!
• Let the kids pick several activities and figure out their map location and how to get there.
• Many cities have colorful, free maps of historic, tourist or shopping districts.  Grab a few of these and use them to find an interesting spot to visit or to recap the day.
• If the kids need to return to school with a journal of the trip, mark a map with small stickers and use Post-It notes near the stickers to record interesting facts.

What ideas do you have for keeping kids entertained with maps?

entertaining kids with maps, maps, travel wth kids Hide

Kids Ski Packing List

Travel Plans

Travel Journal

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1. One pair of mid-weight ski socks is really enough to keep little feet warm.
2. Use glove gators to keep gloves/mittens attached to jackets – especially if your kids are always taking off their gloves.
3. NO POLES for beginning skiers or kids under 6.
4. Don’t pressure instructors about getting kids on the lift as soon as possible.  They want to get them up the mountain but it takes some kids a bit longer to master the basics.
5. Don’t tag along during the lessons.  If you see your kids on the mountain, wave hi and keep on skiing.
6. No yelling at kids during pick up about how many hot cocoa breaks they took.  Little hands and feet get cold and legs get tired.
7. Do tip good instructors.
8. All gear must be waterproof – water resistant is not enough.
9. Pack a few easy snacks in jacket pockets – M&Ms or skittles are easy to eat and provide energy along the way.
10. Be on time for drop off and pick up.

I know I am missing a few – please comment and let me know!

ski school, Skiing with kids Hide

I don’t generally do product reviews or plugs but I am always on the look out for great tools to make a family vacation easier.  So when the people at eMotionCam contacted me about their helmet cameras, I thought it was worth a try.  Every time I ski, I see parents struggling to record their kids skiing down the mountain.  I don’t ski well enough to keep up with my kids, much less while trying to balance a camera so why not a helmet camera to memorialize the ski day?  Bottom line is that it was fantastic.  Crystal clear high definition footage with no hassle of a hand held camera!  It was a great way to capture the day.

The camera is incredibly easy to use.  It comes with a strap to attach to a helmet but I opted to attach it to my goggle strap.  Simply press the on button and slide the switch to record.   The record button is large enough to work with ski gloves on, which is important because the  battery only lasts for about 3 hours of record time.  When not recording,  the camera powers itself off after 10 minutes so it must be turned back on.  To confess, I didn’t know that it powered down so my first day with the camera was a total bust!  You can test that it is on by pushing the power button and looking for a red beam coming from the top of the camera.  I was worried about the weight of the camera on my goggle strap, but at a mere 4.3 ounces, it was barely noticeable.

You can rent the cameras at ski shops in California, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Wyoming (see the complete list here.)  I picked up mine at Lone Star Sports in Breckenridge.  It costs $34.95 plus an additional $4.95 for  a loss/damage waiver.  I highly recommend springing for the waiver – just in case you take a tumble on the camera!  Your credit card is charged a $300 deposit fee that is refunded when you return the camera.   When you return the camera, it takes about 20 minutes to download the footage to either a DVD or USB stick.  The DVD is included at no charge.  You can purchase a USB stick at the kiosk or bring your own.  The rental fees are mush less than most cameras and you don’t have the risk of breakage (if you follow my advice and purchase the waiver) – plus it’s on your helmet so you can capture all the action with the slide of a button.   I was also surprised by the clarity – it was much sharper than my hand held.

Overall I had a great experience with the camera and highly recommend trying one out.  Given the overall cost of a ski vacation, this is an inexpensive way to bring home memories from the slopes.   The hands free operation makes it easy to use when teaching little ones to ski – a difficult thing to capture with a traditional camera.  Older kids would love to record each other doing tricks in the terrain park!

Some tips on use:

• Don’t waste time recording while you are waiting in the lift line and riding the lift.
• Make sure the camera is on each time you start recording.
• Let everyone take a turn – the different perspectives are very interesting.
• Have someone check the camera angle periodically.  No one wants 2 hours of skis or sky because the camera was at the wrong angle.
• Look up the mountain so you can have footage of where you’ve been.
• Ski ahead of the family, stop,  and turn around to capture the rest of the family coming down the hill together.
• Be prepared for lots of comments – all the young boarders and skiers asked me questions about the camera all day long.  Nice to be cool on the mountain for a change!

Many thanks to eMotionCams for allowing me to use a camera free of charge for a day.  I plan on renting one for our next family ski day later in the season!  You can find all the details about rentals here.

Happy Travels!

Skiing with kids Hide

I hear that phrase a lot – especially from parents contemplating an expensive trip with kids.  Is it worth the time, expense and effort to take a vacation if you come back more tired than when you left?  Let’s face it, vacations with kids are tiring – just the thought of eating 3 meals a day in a restaurant with toddlers is daunting.

Back to the question – is it worth it?  Absolutely!  Will you arrive back home tired?  Likely – but help yourself out with these planning tips.

• Don’t over-schedule the vacation.  I know you are spending a fortune on the vacation but everyone will enjoy it more if you leave some breathing room in the itinerary.
• Come back on Saturday (or maybe even Friday).  This gives you some time to unpack, do laundry, and generally catch up.
• Actually unpack.  It is easy to leave bags packed and sitting out for days (or weeks) after a vacation.  Spend the time immediately after getting home to get unpacked and put stuff away.  Trust me, you will be glad you did!
• Go to bed early Sunday night.
• If you can, take Monday morning off from work.  Pack the kids off to school or hire a babysitter to come in for the morning.  Spend a few hours catching up on things (maybe even just reading the paper with a cup of coffee!) and then head to the office early.  If you are lucky, you might have a few quiet hours to catch up at work with no one expecting you to be there yet.

How do you ease the transition from vacation back to work/school?

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