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How to Survive a Long Car Ride with Kids

August 22, 2021 by KT Leave a Comment

Car Ride Travel Hacks for Long Car Rides with Toddlers and Kids

Are you looking to do a long car ride with babies, toddlers, and/or kids soon? Are you looking for some car ride travel tips? Well, I have some tips on how to survive long car rides with toddlers and kids.

We have done a lot of car ride travel lately thanks to the pandemic, and it’s honestly not as bad as I thought it would be. Our longest trip was a 24-hour trip to visit the in-laws and it was more enjoyable that I thought it may be.

So here are a few ways to survive long car rides with children because there’s definitely better ways to make the long hauls than others!

Drive Overnight

Driving overnight is the best when traveling with babies, toddlers, and kids.

I know it’s not always possible, but when it is, it is so much easier!

We drive from New England to Florida, and we leave at 6-7PM at night, and arrive in the later afternoon/early evening the next day. We go straight, and we find it preferable from driving two full days and a hotel stay in between. (But we are also crazy.)

It’s exhausting for the parents, but you get quiet kids for a big portion of your trip if you travel overnight! My husband and I have a system… 6 hours each back and forth until we arrive, when humanly possible.

We are EXHAUSTED, but it’s so much better! Especially when the kids are sleeping for half the drive!

We have also done half overnight where we will go to bed at home early and sleep for awhile and then wake our kids up in the middle of the night to get an early start. They will go back to bed (usually) and we get to sleep in our beds and get a few hours of shut eye before we begin our journey.

Whenever possible, try to do some or most of the drive during the overnights. The road and the car is more peaceful and you’ll make better time because you’ll have less rest and food stops and you’ll need less mental breaks too!

Be Boring Beforehand

I think one reason why my kids do so well with long car rides is that they are use to being bored. We don’t always entertain them– especially during car rides. We never had a DVD player or any screens in the car, and don’t really entertain them during short or medium car rides.

Keeping kids bored can be such a blessing because they can figure out how to entertain themselves and enjoy the little things.

Start training your kids now to be bored and entertain themselves so they will do better in the car for future car rides!

Take Breaks Wisely

We like to plan out our breaks and use them wisely. We usually start at the evening, and plan to go through until we need gas (and pee), which is usually six hours in our case. And then in another six hours we get gas again and then get out and grab breakfast.

We usually take our breaks only when needed. Sometimes we just do McDonald’s or other foods to go and eat while we are driving, because the kids keep busy eating their meal in the car for a half hour while we don’t waste any driving time, and sometimes they need that time to get out and run wild for a half hour out of the car.

You’ll kind of know when you can get away with more travel or when you need to just stop. And sometimes just bringing them into a gas station and picking out snacks will do the trick, and other times, you may need to find a playground or restaurant or something else to break it up.

We like to stop only when we all need it, because sometimes we’d rather just get to our destination and other times we need more time.

Plan for Anything

One thing I didn’t realize when we started our road trip adventures was how interesting it was driving in other parts of the country was.

I didn’t realize that the South didn’t have the convenient travel plazas that the northeast has with gas, bathrooms, and food right off the highway. Once we hit Virginia on i-95, I realized we would need to get off the highway everytime.

We would try to find big gas stations attached to restaurants to help us save time, but sometimes it was hard to read maps to make sure we would pick correctly.

I found that we made a lot of mistakes our first go around. When we first started our road trip adventures, we wasted more time on our breaks, just because we didn’t have it planned out as well as I thought.

We’d arrive at 24 hour gas stations, but the inside would be locked because the gas was credit card only, so we wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom, and would need another stop.

We also would hit more traffic or make better time and not be where we thought we may be on the road.

I would try to plan for everything or as much as possible and try to be flexible.

You may want to keep a travel app like Priceline on your phone so you can book a hotel on the road if you need it and other handy apps on our phone like gas apps and such.

I also made a list of playgrounds right off the highway and other short travel stops if we needed a break for my kids.

You never know what can happen when you travel, so I always find that planning for different scenarios can be helpful.

Dollar Store Finds

I love going to the Dollar Store beforehand and getting some new toys and new finds. I find it’s a great way to keep the kids busy with something new without spending a lot of money.

It’s amazing how something new can keep someone busy for a little while. I also like to bring in some of my kids favorite toys that I don’t let them play with as much for the sake of keeping them busy when I really need it.

Some other toys that I like for road trips besides dollar tree trinkets are:

  • Tegu Blocks
  • Wikki Stix
  • Melissa & Doug Water Wow!
  • Etch A Sketch & Drawing Boards
  • Paper and Markers

The Best Snacks

Snacks. Snacks. Snacks.

Snacks can be a lifesaver when traveling. My kids get the best snacks when traveling. Usually new snacks to try or their favorite snacks they don’t get often.

I usually try to go with less messy snacks and snacks that take a long time to eat like fruit roll-ups.

You may also prefer to have them pick out their own snacks beforehand or at a truck stop so they have something to be excited about too.

Movie Time

It’s one of my last moves, but movies or tv shows can be great for long car rides with toddlers and kids. We usually do so to either reward very great behavior or to save our own sanity.

I especially put a movie on when I need to sleep and everyone is wide awake and making many requests to me while I’m riding shotgun.

Because I’m cheap, I never invested in a portable DVD system or anything. I usually just put my kindle fire on the arm rest and let the kids use that, but there’s so many different ways to use movies and screens as entertainment.

Bring a Potty with You

If you have new potty-trained children or children that need to go quickly, you may want to bring a potty with you.

I have a fond memory of my son always picking the worst times to need to go the bathroom, so the potty can come in handy for those emergency stops in unideal places.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you travel, the easier it gets. At least, that’s been my experience. Our kids have gotten so much better with driving in the car. I remember feeling so defeated when it took us DOUBLE the time it would normally take, but now with my kids 4&6, we don’t take nearly as long when they were younger.

We’ve been better at picking places to stop, and we’ve learned when we really need to stop and when we can push it a bit. Also, the older they get, it’s gets better too because you can stop less and they will be more comfortable with longer trips!

Good Luck on your road trip travels with young kids!

Filed Under: Travel, Uncategorized

Seashell Letter Art for Kids

July 23, 2021 by KT Leave a Comment

Seashell Letter Art, a great seashell craft with kids for some free home decor!

Collecting seashells with toddlers and kids is such a fun summer activity. My kids love bringing buckets to the beach and bringing home seashell treasures!

I also love when I can turn one fun activity with the kids into another!

There are so many fun seashell crafts and projects you can do with seashells after collecting!

We ended up turning our seashells into artwork– letter art to be precise!

It’s pretty easy to do….

First collect your supplies:

  • Seashells
  • Letter(s) (Cut yourself or buy pre-cut from an art store like Michaels)
  • Glue Gun and Glue
  • Hanger for the back

After you have your supplies, wash and dry your seashells. We used a hose to wash all of our seashells and then left them to dry overnight on a beach towel when the weather was really nice.

Seashells on a blanket from the beach getting ready for seashell art and crafts

After the seashells were ready to go, decide where you want your seashells on your letter of your choice. You can also use a canvas or something else if you don’t want to use a letter.

We used a letter for each of our children’s name, and then used their letter for their seashell artwork.

After you layout the shells how you want them, carefully glue each one with a hot glue gun.

Creating Seashell Letter Art, a great arts and crafts with seashells for kids

My kids put the shells how they wanted them, and then my husband did the hot glue gun part so our kids didn’t burn themselves.

Let the glue dry… and then hang it up and enjoy!

It’s pretty easy to do and it’s a great way to have pretty artwork from your kids and the beach!

Have you done any fun seashells arts and crafts with kids?!?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Easy Gluten Free Playdough with 3 Ingredients!

July 12, 2021 by KT Leave a Comment

Quick and easy gluten free playdough recipe with 3 ingredients that is edible and no cook, perfect playdough for babies and toddlers!

Are you looking for a super easy playdough recipe for babies, toddlers, and kids? Well, I have a great one for you!

Okay, so I wish I found this great playdough recipe when my kids were younger because this is a great first playdough recipe! It’s simple to make with just 3 household ingredients and it’s edible just case those little hands get curious!

This is such a great playdough recipe for babies because it’s edible, no cook, and super quick and easy to make!

Here’s what you need to make this super easy, gluten-free playdough recipe:

  • 1/3 Cornstarch
  • 2 tsp of Coconut Oil, overflowing
  • 6 Marshmallows, regular sized
  • Drops of Food Coloring, Optional

Add the cornstarch, coconut oil and marshmallows in a microwavable dish.

Microwave for 30 seconds on high.

Add the drops of food coloring of your choice, target the marshmallows.

Combine all the ingredients. You may have to use your hands toward the end. (A parent may want to do this part as the dough may be a little warm.)

Then, have fun when it’s all mixed together!

If the mixture is still a little sticky, add a little more cornstarch and if it’s still a little sticky, add some more coconut oil.

I placed some cornstarch on my hands when I hand to mix with my hands so it wouldn’t stick at first, and it worked liked a charm! It’ll get less sticky once you mix it really good!

My boys really liked this playdough! It was more of a mix of playdough and strechy putty, which was nice because it wasn’t as messy as some playdoughs!

It was also great for certain allergies because it does not contain wheat/flour like most playdoughs! Just make sure you use gluten-free marshmallows and gluten-free cornstarch if you specifically need gluten-free playdough! This Celiac mom loved that she could play with it too!

I hope you love this recipe and have fun! Enjoy!

Filed Under: Kid Activities Tagged With: kid activities, playdough recipe

7 Easy Indoor Activities to Do with Toddlers

January 8, 2021 by KT Leave a Comment

7 Indoor Toddler Activities

Looking for some super easy indoor activities to keep your toddlers busy and entertained!

Here are some ideas of simple yet fun things to do with your toddlers when you are stuck indoors!

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Make a Crib Fort

Easy Blanket Crib Fort for Babies and Toddlers

Forts are a go-to favorite of mine and we make so many forts, mainly in the living room with pillows, blankets and cushions.

However, my two year old is fazing out the nap (wahh) and I needed the break during the afternoon stretch so a Crib Fort was invented.

I took a large comforter and threw it over the crib and my 2 and 4 year old LOVED it.

The Crib Fort was a hit.

They played in the crib under the blankets for over an hour.

I sat my butt in the rocker and rested. It was seriously the best and my kids had so much fun!

Make sure the blanket you pick is a big one because throw blankets may be a tad small and consistently fall off.

I did a full comforter and it was great. Depending on the blanket, it may get dark so you can add some flashlights or glow sticks to add to the activity as well!

Forts are great, but the crib fort was a new twist and a big hit with my boys!

Make and Play with Snow

Easy Fake Snow Recipe for Kids

The winter (or anytime really) can be long with little ones, especially when you can’t get outside.

When my youngest was really little is was so hard to get outside when it snowed when it was just me, and my older toddler was so anxious to play in it.

Sometimes it’s too cold to go out, it takes too long to get ready, or just too hard in general, that I’ve brought the snow inside.

I’ve scooped up snow from my deck, put it in a big container, and threw down some towels underneath. Viola— instant easy activity!

If you don’t have snow currently, or never get snow, you can totally make it.

I’ve made this recipe with my boys. Warning– it’s totally messy, but a big hit! Who needs real snow right?

Water Play in the Bath Tub

Getting an impromtu bath and water play can be a fun and easy way to break up the day.

I feel like my kids love getting in the bath when they don’t have to get clean, ha.

Sometimes I’ll even throw real toys (like legos) in the tub for them to play with. That’s so silly mom.

PLUS, throwing toys in the bath tub with the kids gets the toys clean so it’s a win win during flu season. And Ex

Big Box Play

Boxes are always a hit in my house. It’s like an extra perk of getting all those online orders 😉

There’s SO much to do with a box! I usually just put it down and see where the imagination goes!

When my son was really little, I would just put him in there with crayons and he was contained and having fun!

Sometimes I’ll participate or grab supplies, but usually I’ll have my kids lead the way when it comes to box play!

Playdough

Playdough is one of those activities that I always pull out when I need an extra few minutes to cook dinner, wash dinner, or just need a minute of quietness.

I usually opt for the easy option of store-bought play-doh with some tools to go with it, however, you can also make play dough too.

I’ve had a few Pinterest fails when it came to homemade playdough, but I know many people make it with no problems! Even better, you get an activity making it and then an activity with playing with it!

I just hope you have a little more luck with finding a great homemade play dough recipe– mine always comes out too sticky and messy! (I’ll link when I find a good one though!)

Play dough is such a fun and easy activity for indoor play. Make sure to tuck it away and use it on days you really need it to make play dough more fun.

Fun with Magnets

magnet tiles kid favorite toy

There’s so many different things you can do with magnets!

We have so much fun experimenting with them! We will use our fridge or baking pan as a base and see what will stick to it!

We use magnetic tiles a lot and it’s such a fun toy because it’s a magnet and a block!

My kids can play with Magnetic tiles for hours. It is probably the best investment toy in my house. They are a little pricey, but we’ve gotten soo may hours of play out of our magnetic tiles!

The best part is that the kids will usually play with these with little help from mom. Sometimes I’ll play and make things with them, but other times, they can play for quite awhile with them by themselves!

I’ll even put them on the fridge and have them play with magna-tiles while cooking dinner!

Magna-tiles can get a little pricey, we actually don’t have any of the original brand, but we do have a few knocks that work just as well!

picasso magnetic tiles for fun building activity for toddlers

We have Picasso tiles and PlayMags and another random brand. I like the PlayMags a tad better if they are the same price, but Picasso tiles and other brands are fine too!

The different brands also work fine together, I think as long as they look like they will work together, they will.

Magnetic tiles are also great to experiment with other magnetic to see what sticks to what!

Have a Picnic Indoors!

Can’t get outside? Have a picnic indoors!

My boys love to throw the blanket down in the kitchen and eat our snacks and/or lunch on it!

It such a great way to combine mealtime and playtime!

My boys love playing picnic and will usually initiate it too! They’ll grab a blanket and start thinking of ideas for food and things for our picnic!

It’s a super cute activity– and practical too!

Who needs to go outside when you have a picnic anywhere!

Dance Party!

There’s no better way to get all that energy out with a Dance Party!

My kids love when I turn on the music and just dance! It’s such a simple activity too and a great way to burn some energy!

Just turn on some music of your choice and have fun! You can also add some balloons, glow sticks, dance mats, etc. to make it extra fun!

Silly Obstacle Course

On days that you can’t simply get outside and there’s A LOT of energy to get out and a dance party won’t cut it, try making an indoor obstacle course.

Lay some pillows on the ground for them to jump over, a tunnel to go through, silly rope to go under, etc.

Some times I’ll tape construction paper shapes to the ground that they need to jump to and from, and it’s a hit with my 2.5 year old.

It’s great to get energy out when we can’t get outside!

I hope you find a few ideas to keep your kids busy while stuck inside! Enjoy!

You May Also Like: How to Keep Your Toddler Busy When You’re Exhausted

Filed Under: Kid Activities, Parenting Tagged With: kid activities, Toddler Activities

Super Easy Slime Recipe for Beginners

October 27, 2020 by KT Leave a Comment

DIY Easy Slime Recipe for Kids and Beginners with No Borax

Are you looking to make an easy slime recipe for the first time?

For some reason, slime was one of those kid activities that I put off for a long time. I think I always assumed making slime would be REALLY messy.

Well, I think I did every other child activity known to man during the pandemic except for slime, so we gave it a whirl.

Well— now I know why slime is so popular!

It was a lot less messy than I expected (much better than playdough, cloud dough, etc!) and it was really fun to play with!

It was a hit! Even my husband was playing with it!

The nice thing about slime was that it was pretty easy to make AND you can throw it in a ziploc and keep it and play with it for awhile!

There’s also so much you can do with slime and there’s so many different recipes and variations!

However, for a slime first-timer, I’d recommend this basic slime recipe that is perfect for slime beginners:

Basic Slime Ingredients Needed:

  • 8 ounces of white school glue (or 2 small glue bottles)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda
  • 2 Tablespoons of contact saline solution
  • Few drops of food coloring of your choice

How to Make Super Easy Slime for Beginners:

Pour 8 ounces of white school glue in a bowl.

Then add a few drops of food coloring of your choice and mix. The more drops, the darker the color.

Then add the baking soda in and mix.

Finally add in the 2 tbsp of saline solution and mix. It may be easier to use your hands at this point. If it’s still pretty sticky, add in some more saline solution. (And use less saline solution if you like sticky slime– which I don’t!)

And now play!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Kid Activities

Make Your Own Puzzle Activity

August 23, 2020 by KT Leave a Comment

Make your own puzzle, an easy kid activity for all ages!

I felt like I’ve done every single kid activity known to man in the last few months.

I’ve totally run out of both energy and ideas, and haven’t felt much motivation to share anything we’ve really done either. I’m just completely exhausted at the end of the day, and don’t want to focus on anything kid-related.

However, I felt a little inspired today and thought I’d share a new kid activity we did!

My 5-year old and my Dad are pen pals and they send mail back and forth to eachother to keep in touch. (It’s really cute and a recommended activity if you can do it.)

Anyway, my Dad will send little silly drawings and things along, and today he made a homemade puzzle.

Here’s the Curious George Puzzle that my Dad made and sent the boys:

DIY Curious George Puzzle for Kids

My son loved it! First, he tried to do the puzzle and the secondly, he instantly wanted to do a puzzle back!

So, hoorah! Something new we haven’t done!

It was actually really cute. I mean, you can do a puzzle so many different ways.

My husband came over when he was doing it and was like …. oh get some cardboard for the backing, and trace it and yayayayayaya.

But he’s five and I don’t really feel like getting all fancy.

There’s so many better ways to do what I did, and more pinterest-y stuff out there, but I like to keep it simple.

Here’s what I did. I took an old calendar, and took the cover picture (because it’s already harder) and had my son cut it up however he wanted!

He just really did squares and nothing too complicated but it was cute noneless!

You could use any picture you want, and if you don’t save your old calendars like me, you could use any pictures already on harder surfaces (like the pictures on a cereal box!)

You could even take pictures from magazines, or anything you find laying around the house.

You could even print something out from the computer and then glue it to cardboard!

I also found after that Crayola has a free puzzle template for drawing your own puzzle! Just print out the template and have them make a drawing and then cut out the puzzle! Super cute!

There’s so many different ways you could make a puzzle and you can easily adjust it to fit any age!

Hope you have fun with this one and hang in there!

Filed Under: Kid Activities

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