Things I've learned...

For me, it will never be easy to get up in the morning. I am a night owl and I particularly dislike getting up before the sun, it's unnatural!

But with the starting of school, I have had to adjust myself a bit. The first morning of 6:30 was rough. Not necessarily the getting up, but the managing to stay up all day long. By 5:30, I was a complete zombie and I was grumpier than I have been in a long time. I know I could take a nap, but that's hard for me too.

Naps and I have a love hate relationship: I love to take naps, but I hate them come bedtime when it's even harder to fall asleep.

You see, I have a very difficult time actually falling asleep each night. Don't know why. Maybe I am a slight insomniac, maybe there's just too much going on in my head to stop thinking about each night. I don't know what keeps me from drifting off into slumber land. Oswald puts his head on the pillow and he's out! It's so frustrating sometimes!

So in order for me to maximize my amount of sleep and still get my Buddy a good meal before he heads out the door, I have had to impliment a few things. Maybe these few things will help you as you start a new school year.

1. Get clothes out the night before. He picks out his clothes, gets socks and shoes all ready. They go on the table, so in case the other kids are not awake in the morning when he gets ready for school, he doesn't wake them.

2. Pack the lunch and the snack the night before. I usually do this right before I got to bed. I am a big proponent of the food pyramid and I try to give him a fruit, veggie, dairy, grain and protein in each lunch.

3. Shower at night. This not only saves time in the morning, but it will also help the little guy drift off to sleep. There's nothing like being all warm and snuggling into the bed to help the sand man make his appearance faster. (maybe I should try that myself?)

4. Pack the book bag before you go to bed. This helps the morning shuffle out the door be less frantic. The kids know that all of the paperwork and homework is inside and they can grab the bag and leave. Instead of running around the house to find their binder, their homework, and their lunch box!

5. Take the time to give your kid a hug and a kiss. Emotional support is just as important as the lunch, homework, and the ride to school. They need to know you love them and are so proud that they're going to school. It will make their day even nicer.

6. And if you have a kid who can read, put a little love note in their lunch to let them know that you're thinking about them and that you can't wait to see him/her when school gets out! I used to do this with Oswald's lunches when I used to pack them for his college days...it's nice to get reminded in the middle of the day that someone loves you.


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What are some tricks you have learned through the years that have helped school mornings easier? Tell this first time school parents your tricks!

What can I do to help myself fall asleep each night easier? When Friday gets here I am not going to be much fun if I can't get more sleep!
--I used to write all the things down that I was thinking about each night. In the morning I would wake up and they would make no sense to me. But I at least got them out of my head and that really helped!

Before and After...

This morning, I awoke to dishes covering every counter space I have (which is very limited), a bed that needed to either be made or the sheets cleaned, and laundry that had been waiting to be folded for over a week. 

I made myself a bet. The bet was, how much I could get done in one hour. I set the timer on the oven and decided I would not answer any texts or phone calls during that hour. I even told my kids to play by themselves, but I promise, I did attend to anything that was a serious matter.

This is what my house looked like:

 A bed that needed to be made/washed with clothes that needed to be put away!

 A kitchen that was NASTY! Dishes that needed to be washed, counters that needed to be cleaned, and dirty floors.

At about minute 56 of my 60 minute time frame, I got some laundry helpers....

 The big kids can actually put their clothes on hangers...my little man...all he does is throw clothes everywhere!

 Here is my house after about 70 minutes of cleaning...

 Looks like my table needs to be re-finished.

I decided to wash the sheets, there's nothing better in this world than clean sheets! 

So if you feel overwhelmed by the mess in your house, just remember that this Mormon Mommy cleaned her disaster in an hour! Giving yourself a time-frame really helps make you feel super productive. Because right now, I'm listening to laundry being washed and dried and the dishwasher going! It's a wonderful sound. 

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

6 kids

 

I do a babysitting trade with a friend of mine every couple of weeks/once a month. We each have three kids, the oldest being her daughter, 6, and the youngest being my little man, 10 months. In there we have two 5 year-olds, an almost 4 year-old and an almost 2 year-old. Needless to say, it's busy around here when all 6 kids are over.

Monday night she watched our kids because it was our anniversary. Last night was our turn. The kids came in and began playing so nicely. They continued to play nicely. But we were having issues of doors being closed to keep the smaller ones away. It's hard being big and having little ones come in and mess up what you're playing. It's also hard being little and not being allowed to play with all of the other kids.

It's also hard when Jennie doesn't allow doors to be shut in her house. Was a rule growing up, now it's a room in our house. That way I know what's going on at all times and no one gets their fingers slammed in the door. It's a good rule to have, if I may say so myself.

We had big girls playing puzzles and big boys playing cars. It was a good time, until they each got tired of puzzles and cars became boring.

I do have to say that no one fought! (score one for us!) But what do you do when you have so many kids under one (very small) roof who are all such different ages? I know there's always the TV, but I think that the TV gets used as a babysitter far too often. (I'm even guilty of it when I need to take a shower or something like that).

I'd like to know what you all do to help keep your kids happy and occupied in doors (since I live in an apartment and don't have a backyard). Help a girl out!

Healthy eating

My Buddy decorating cupcakes Christmas 2010

Healthy eating is not something that comes naturally to me. Eating licorice and ice cream, that is natural to me. Eating bread with every meal, it doesn't get any more natural than that for this girl.

But as I try to turn over a new leaf, I find myself getting stuck in slumps. I don't want to be stuck in any slumps or ruts or anything like that. I want to enjoy the food going into my mouth and enjoy cooking the food.

Here is where I may be different from you. I love to cook. I love to follow directions to see how delicious I can make something be. I love to see the look on Oswald's face when I make something out of this world. 

And for me, Healthy does not always = delicious. But delicious is what I want! I want to sit back from the table after eating dinner and think to myself, "Now that was darn good! I'll have to make that again."

After searching the web, I have found a few sites and recipes that are must-haves and that I have added into my dinner arsenal.

A website I love is TrainerMomma. Mandi is fantastic. She not only has out of this world recipes, but she has workout routines for everyone. She shows us how to focus on our trouble spots. If you've never checked out her site, go there now!! Don't walk, run...you'll burn more calories!

Another website I have found, those not exclusively healthy is, MelsKitchenCafe. She has this black bean recipe that is to die for! And recently, I stumbled upon this salad. Amazing! and oh so easy!

The third site I have found that has some super yummy recipes, plus the calorie/fat breakdown is SkinnyTaste. She has a baked chicken nugget recipe on there that I will be trying ASAP! My kids love nuggets and if I can make them healthy, I'm going to do it! I will admit, I have not tried any of the recipes on this blog, but I plan to. It's actually on my list of things to make next week.

What are some ways you're bringing healthy back in your eating? I'd love to hear more ideas to help me in my quest for healthiness. 

PS. eating healthy and exercise has had it's perks on my waistline...I've lost 10 lbs in the last month! Pretty exciting!!

A simple how-to...

My family April 2011

How to have a perfectly, fabulous vacation:

Every year, at least once maybe more (I prefer more), Oswald and I pack up the kids and drive south. 

We drive for about 5 hours to our vacation destination of choice...Jacksonville. 

We stay at a lovely bed and breakfast that includes free childcare, whenever we want. 

Not only does this bed and breakfast have free childcare, but they have a couple of excellent chefs at our disposal. They make things like; country ribs, spaghetti with made-from-scratch sauce, and roast to name a few.

But the best thing about this bed and breakfast is the fact that they take their services on the road. They travel to the beach taking their luxury with them.

A canopy, beach chairs, boogie boards, beach towels, sunscreen, pack-n-play (if needed), their charcoal grill, hot dogs and all the fixin's, and anything else you could imagine or want.

Oh, and another great thing about this bed and breakfast is that me and my family stay for FREE! That's right, FREE and the people there think babysitting while Oswald and I go on a date, is fun!!

And it get's even better...when we're on the other side of the country we have a desert vacation spot just like our Florida vacation spot...guess we're just super lucky!

Three kids in tow...

Me and my three sweet kids...November 2010

A good friend of mine asked me a question on Facebook the other day and I thought that here was as good of a place as any to answer her question.

She asked what advice I might have for taking three kids out and about ALL AT ONCE all by myself.

First, I must explain that each of us mom's have challenges. For some of us going from one kid to two blows our minds! For others of us, going from two kids to three makes our head explode! I would fit into the second category.

Also, I was alone for the first 6 weeks that I had three kids. But that's not an excuse, I think three kids is hard. I think that their ages have a lot to do with it, but it is also completely manageable. I've been doing it for 8 months now and I have not lost a kid or lost any hair!

So here goes, when taking my kids out and about ALONE I:

1. Always get the shopping cart before getting the kids out of the car. This makes a huge difference. That way I can snap each one in at my own speed. I always look for the carts (or buggy's) that will hold 3 people. These are always at Wal-mart and Target and some grocery stores. If they don't have three people carts, put the car seat in first, the next youngest child in the basket and have the oldest hold the side. That way you always know where they all are at all times. Same goes with the stroller, don't let any kids out until you have the stroller ready

2. Always have snacks in the bag. You just never know when you'll have to pull over on the side of the road to nurse. You never know when the dressing room at Target will be you "mother's lounge". You just never know.

3. Always make sure the potty trained kids go to the bathroom before leaving the house. This is HUGE! It's not fun to drag three kids into a nasty public restroom to help wipe a dirty bottom. Trust me, been there, done that!

4. Always let the big kids help with the baby. Like, my buddy is the paci finder. My Princess holds the little man's hand. My kids love to help and so giving them an assignment is something they love. It also lets them feel like this baby is "their" baby.

5. Have fun. No matter what you're doing or where you're going, have fun. People are going to look at you like you have two heads because you have three kids. Let them look. You're doing what you love and what you know is right. You're blessed because you get to be a mother of such beautiful Children of God.

It might be hard at first, but once you find a system that works for you and your family, it gets easier. This goes for 2 kids or more. You just have to find what works for you.

Tell us, what are things to do to ensure a smooth outing when you have more than one kid with you?

Rainy Day Fun

We've had quite a few rainy days here in North Georgia. Like torrential downpour. This weekend we were given a healthy dose of rain DURING our Young Women fundraiser for Girls Camp. We were having a garage sale...let's just say that rain makes having a garage sale difficult. (more on that in another post)

When it rains I try to get more and more creative with my kids. Instead of just letting them turn on the TV, I try to find other things for them to do.

1. We paint. My mother-in-law bought my kids some Crayola Washable Paint as part of their Christmas present. This paint has be a huge hit in our home. What my kids love, they get to paint, make a mess, and be creative. What I love is that this paint washes out of their clothes!! No JOKE, it washes out so easily!

2. We play games. When the baby goes down for his naps, we get out the cards and board games our kids got for Christmas. They play go-fish and Uno very well. Plus, Candyland. In my mind these games are also teaching them things; numbers, matching, taking turns, colors, rotation of playing, and also being patient while another person has their turn. All important things for 3-5 year-olds to learn.

3. We make forts. I get out blankets and sheets and make a fort out of their bunk beds. They have a blast when they get to pretend they're on a rocket ship or pretend they're on the movie Transformers. I love seeing their imaginations run wild and free.

So next time it rains or snows give some of these fun things a try. You'll be surprised at how much your kids appreciate doing things with you!

I want to know, what do you do with your kids when the weather is not nasty?

What's for dinner?

Those have to be three of my least favorite words. I don't know why it's such a big deal that everyone knows what we're eating for dinner, it's not like they will get to pick and choose if they're going to eat it or not. I am not a short-order chef, nor do I ever plan to be.

So in order for me to never ask myself, "Jennie, what's for dinner?" I do a few simple things.

1. When planning my grocery shopping trip, I plan out my menu's at the same time. This helps me make sure I have all ingredients on hand. (because it really stinks when you have to run to the store to buy one ingredient) So planning the menu's ahead of time is very helpful.
2. I also plan a leftovers night. Usually on the night when I have mutual, we eat leftovers. It just makes one less thing for me to have to plan and execute that night. Mutual nights are pretty busy and when I can make it less stressful, I do.
3. I keep my list of menus for that week close. It's usually in my purse or on the desk where I can look at it quickly. I don't necessarily eat the meals in the exact order I planned them, but at least I know what options I have to chose from already on hand.
4. Start prepping dinner early. At our house, we eat around 5pm. My kids are raging wolves if we eat any later, so I begin at about 4:30 depending on what the meal is. Then my kids can see and smell what we're eating for dinner, plus by then the question, "What's for dinner" is not so traumatic for me. It's already cooking, so they have no choice!

What are some things you do in your house to avoid the "what's for dinner?" question? Tell me what works in your house, I can use all the help I can get!

Biometric Test

 My Princess, My Buddy, and me at a pumpkin patch in North Carolina Oct 2009

Oswald's job provides us some awesome health insurance, and because we are healthy people, we get a discounted rate. Recently, we got these forms in the mail telling us that in order to keep our discounted rate, we needed to have a biometric test done and to fill out a questionnaire on-line.

Upon completing the on-line questionnaire, my score was a 79. It asked questions ranging from how often do you exercise to are you a smoker. A point value must have been correlated with each different answer in order to give me a specific score. It never said if 79 was good or bad, but I obviously have room for improvement.

Then we woke up early one morning, didn't eat breakfast, and had our Biometric Test done. What is a biometric test, you ask?

According to www.kershwellness.com it is "The standard procedure collects height/weight, blood pressure and blood chemistry from individuals... The blood chemistry includes: Total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, VLDL Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Glucose."

Basically, it's a snapshot of my overall health. After waiting for almost an entire hour to be seen at this Urgent Care facility is company had approved, I was called back.

I stood on the scale, and I am happy to report that since my 6 week postpartum Dr visit, I have lost 17 pounds! I have grown 1 whole inch since I was in High School. Maybe instead of shrinking as I get older, I'll be the rare case of someone getting taller!! My BMI is not exactly where it should be, but because I am a nursing mom I carry more fat on my body anyway. However, my bad cholesterol is High. My good cholesterol is Low. My sugar and all of the other things they checked were good.

Now my focus is on my Bad/Good cholesterol numbers. I am checking out the steps I can make to eat the right food to help this problem here. And I am also following this blog that gives good exercise advice, and has super yummy recipes!

About a year after Oswald and I got married, I had a health scare. I ended up having a full panel of blood work done, and found out that my cholesterol was high. I don't exactly know how high, but I will never forget what the doctor said to me.

He looked at me and scared the pants off me, "If you don't lose 20lbs, in 20 years you'll have a heart attack and die!"

That's all it took at that time to scare me to change my eating habits. With this biometric test, I have been shocked back into reality. Heart attacks are the #1 killer among women in the United States. I don't want to be one of those women. I have 3 beautiful kids and want to have more. I need to be healthy to be here for them and for Oswald because let's face it, what would he do without me?

I need to hold myself accountable for my health. I need to be my biggest supporter, and I'm trying!

Needing Motivation

About a year after my Princess was born, I went on a diet, The Biggest Loser Diet to be exact. I lost quite a bit of weight and I was beginning to feel really good about myself. I liked the way I looked in my clothes and I liked the way I felt.

Not only was I eating correctly, but I was also exercising. I had energy to do things around the house. I had energy to play with my kids. I had the energy to be the kind of wife and mother I wanted to be.

Then, life got stressful. When life gets stressful, I eat. I find comfort in food. I let food temporarily remove the stress from my life. 

Then, I got pregnant. When I’m pregnant I like to eat. I feel as though I should be allowed to eat what I want because I am trying to grow another person inside my body. 

I rationalize eating. I rationalize everything.

I recently started to watch my eating and to exercise on a regular basis. Little did I know that my Little Man would sabotage my weight loss plan. He had been sleeping through the night like a champ, and then one day he decided to wake up every two hours. This went on for weeks and there was no way I was going to wake up extra early to work out when I was only getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night.

Enter rationalization. I decided that because I am nursing a baby, I am burning calories and I don’t need to exercise. And a lack of exercise led to my lack of desire to watch what I eat.

I feel that in the last few days I have completely undone everything I had worked so hard to achieve. “Why do I need to eat right if I’m not working out” is what runs through my brain these days. 

I need to change that mentality. I need to be motivated to get my act together; to eat right and exercise, if not for me, then for my family. I need to take care of myself, so I can be here to take care of them. 

So what do you do to stay motivated when trying to shed the extra pounds? Do I really need to buy a scale and focus on the number, or can I just watch my pant size go down? I need some motivation here!! Help Me!!!

Road Tripin' with little kids

A good friend of mine and I went on a vacation--if that's what you call a road trip with 6 kids all under the age of 6!

I had a great time, but I learned a few things along the way. Let me share 'em with you!

1. Make sure the seating arrangements are the most ideal for the situation. If needed, place the oldest between the babies to insure the little ones are played with, pacified, and have ample attention given to them.
2. If the DVD player is on, make sure that the movie is what my Princess wants to watch. If this rule is not followed, beware of the incessant whining. (don't say I didn't warn you!) 
3. Upon arrival to your destination, make sure there is enough Mexican food to last the week. I'm just sayin'
4. On the subject of food, don't drive with 6 kids if you're on a food plan. Your eating habits will plummet when you sink into that huge bag of Hershey's and grab a caffeinated soda (something you haven't had in 5 months!)
5. Make sure the driver is paying close attention to the direction he/she is going. That will save you at least 20 minutes: 10 minutes going the wrong direction and 10 minutes finding the freeway again! 
   

If you follow these 4 simple steps, the road trip will be smooth sailing! But if not, it just might take 5 hours to reach your destination that is only 3 hours away. I'm just sayin'

(in all honesty, we had a fantastic time. The rides were smooth, the food was yummy, the conversation was great and best of all we got away from the norm for a few days! Thanks friend!)

Lesson Learned OR Meanest Mom Award?

My Princess and my Buddy changing their sheets

I am the kind of mom who makes her kids help around the house. They're expected to put their dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. They're expected to put their clothes in the laundry room. And they are expected to clean their toys up each night before they go to bed.

Not to much to ask, if you ask me. But one night, my two big kids just couldn't get their act together. They had been trying to clean for at least 30 minutes, so I told them, "You have until I clean this kitchen to put your toys away, or they're being thrown in the trash!"

Oswald gave me the stink eye, like "did you really just say that because now you have to follow through with your threat."

I began cleaning the kitchen. There were dishes everywhere and the dishwasher needed to be emptied before dirty ones could be added. My Buddy and Princess had plenty of time, plus I always give them a warning.

"This is my last dish." I called as I finished scrubbing the last pot. I went slowly, but they didn't seem to care.

I opened the cupboard door that holds the trash bags, "I'm getting a bag." I slammed the door closed and opened the plastic garbage bag as loudly as I could.

Still my kids did not clean up their toys, so I marched my mean self into their room and began putting toys in the bag.

Instantly, my Buddy's eyes filled up with tears. My Princess was beside herself as her new Barbie was put in the bag. Transformers were "thrown away" and so were stuffed animals. Oswald kept giving me looks like I was the meanest Mom he had ever seen, but I was tired of these kids not listening to me! 

I picked up so many toys I filled an entire garbage bag! The kids showered while crying and begged me to give them their toys back. By the time they had gotten out of the shower, I had discussed with them why their toys were in the garbage bag. I let them have them back and told them the next time they were gone for good!

So did I teach my kids a lesson or just win the Meanest Mom Award?

She cleans...

 Before...

 My little Man's room gets used for a lot of things...mostly for storage. You see, I moved from a house in NC to an apartment in GA. Storage is almost impossible to find. I had to get rid of a whole bunch of our stuff, but the stuff that I did not want to get rid of is now in just about every nook and cranny of our house. And my little man's room suffers because of it. 

I tend to just stick things wherever I have space and since he takes up the least amount of space his room ended up looking like a bomb when off in it. But with just a little bit of effort and a little time, his room now looks like this...

 However, I must admit, I am one of these "cleaners" who moves her junk from one spot to another. And instead of going through the bags of clothes, I just shoved them into his closet and closed the doors. Under his bed are tons of frames that I am refusing to hang because I don't want to live here a minute past the length of my lease.

So for now I am totally okay with the fact that his room is used to store things because at least I can see the top of his bed and walk on the floor to get his clothes out of the closet. But there's no tellin' what will fall on my head when I open that closet.

Oh well.

So how do you clean? Do you move from one spot to another or do you actually put away like I should probably do?

Princess to the Rescue...

It's chore time at our house. I have been washing 5 loads of laundry, scrubbing bathrooms, vacuuming floors, and sorting toys. I feel like Cinderella as her step-sisters, aka my children, are busing playing. But alas, the last thing on my list are the dishes overflowing in the kitchen sink.

But I need not fear, my Princess is here...she will pull her stool from the bathroom and gently place it on the kitchen floor. Climb up on it and plunge those plump little fingers into the warm soapy water. She'll swish those bubbles all over the place, not really cleaning anything. But, at the same time, feeling as though she's the biggest helper her mommy ever had!

For a few moments those bubbles are free. Free until they hit my floor
or her shirt
or the sides of the counter tops.

She's big into helping this 3 year-old of mine. And it's amazing how good of a job she can do, when I actually let her help me with the chores.

You see, she's a Mommy In Training and how will she ever perfect her skills if she's never given the opportunity?

How do you teach your kids to do their share of the work around the house? What are some of your tricks to make them think they're having fun while they're actually working!

Turning over a new leaf

me and my "breast friend" (as she calls me). This is how she looks when she's told "no"

I have been reading about Resolutions, setting goals, and starting afresh. This new year is bringing new experiences with it, but I'm hoping it mostly brings a new me.

I am ready to change who I am. Change the way I am as a wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, leader. Every roll I assume, I want to change it for the better.

How do I plan to change?

1. I am changing the way I eat. I have a goal to get up each morning at 6:03am, I know that's a random time, but waking up at an odd time works for me. After I wake up, I plan on doing a daily devotional with myself. Maybe if the little man is awake, then he can get in on that devotional, too. 
2. After my devotional, I plan to exercise. I have gotten a Zumba DVD that I want to try. I don't know if it will be my thing or not, but at least I will be able to get moving. That's what's most important to me, that I move.
3. I also want to be a better mom. I need to spend more time "on purpose" with my kids. I need to paint with them, color with them, do puzzles and read books with them. They need to know how much I love them.
4. I am hoping to develop who I am as a writer. I want to remember what made me love writing in the first place. I want to express myself creatively again. Let myself go when I write. 

What are your plans for the New Year? How do you plan on being the best you in 2011?

We had to get out...the one where I almost lost my cotton-pickin mind!

I am one of these mom's who loves to be home with her kids. I will transform Transformers all day long. I will put dress-up's on and take dress-up's off time and time again. I will do puzzles and read books. I will color and let my kids cut paper into teeny tiny pieces.

I love being able to stay home with them...but sometimes...I get so close to my breaking point and today was one of those days!

It's been cold and rainy. Being an Arizona girl, I don't like days upon days of dreary weather. I like the sun. I like to feel it's warmth on my skin.

Being cooped up for days on end combined with whiny kids is at times more than I can handle.

So that afternoon when Oswald called and said he would be much later than he expected, which happens a lot these days, I told my kids, "Get your shoes on, coats on, and let's go!"

20 minutes later, we found ourselves in the parking lot of a big box store. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to find out what My Buddy would want for his birthday.

We wound our way through the clothes and baby stuff and into the toy section. They picked up everything they could find. They pushed buttons and rolled cars along the isles. I know it's probably not the best place to entertain my kids, but these helmets were fantastic.

What a fun way to get out...and keep me from losing my cotton-pickin mind!

What do you do to keep your sanity on days when the sun is not shining and your kids keep whining?

Fun Family Outings

As a mother of three small children, I am constantly looking for things to do with them. From playing at the park to going out to a museum, there are things that as a mom I need to remember.

• Always make sure you have snacks and water for the kids. My kids are notorious for getting thirsty 5 minutes after stepping foot on the playground. They’re also notorious for wanting a snack. If I have taken the extra two minutes it takes to remember their water bottles and a snack, life is so much easier when the inevitable, “Mom, I’m hungry” happens.

• Don’t forget the stroller. I have an almost 5 year-old who will walk for the most part, but his little sister who is 3, thinks she can walk everywhere, but tires out rather quickly. Just recently we went to the Georgia Aquarium and half way through, my daughter came down with a fever. We were really enjoying ourselves and she was comfy in the stroller we brought for her, so we stuck it out. She ended up having a good time and said her favorite part was “eating the shark”. Interesting how her favorite part was something we didn’t do

• Make sure you know where the potty is. My son, the 5 year-old, ALWAYS has to use the potty EVERYWHERE we go! It’s like his bladder has an censor that tells him " hey, we’re in a public place, let’s test out the facilities". So I make sure to be very observant when it comes to knowing my location versus the location of the nearest bathroom.

• Be ready to change your plans at any given moment. I will plan a fun day at the park, picnic lunch included, and my kids will foil the fun. Either they’ll be tired of playing or just don’t want to be there, but one way or another they’re over the fun day I had planned. Just be flexible, this fun was made for them and if they don’t want to enjoy the fun you’ve planned, no biggie. 

I have learned that remembering a few simple steps before I leave the house and remembering to have a good attitude can really change the outcome of taking my kids on an outing. And don’t forget to get out in the grass and play with them, it’s always more fun when mom’s playing too. 

Do you have any tips and tricks to making outings with kids easier and less stressful? I’d love to hear ‘em!