COUSIN MOMS â—½ TIPS
Mom of Three
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If I’m being honest, date nights – going out – are few and far between. We were in a season for a long while where we really didn’t want to leave the kids, because free nights were few, and we wanted to include them. Date nights are definitely important, but there is also a balance. For us, we do a good job of connecting on a daily basis – at night when the kids are asleep we chat and talk. Other times, we get a random night when kids are at a sports practice or with grandparents. This past season, while the kids were in school, my husband and I had lunch together because we both work at home! I do know that having time with him, dating him, is important. But only “date night” connections every so often is not enough, and we also have a budget, but day-to-day connections work as well.
It’s the day to day connections where we chat and spend time over coffee, or even a ride in the car to pick up the kids, that works for us! Our date nights don’t have to be big or fancy or every week. They can be a simple lunch or a shopping excursion to pick out wood floors for the house!
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When we do have a designated date night, we often stay in (to save money). We watch a show we enjoy together, and have dinner at home, and make it cozy. If we do go out, it’s a coffee date for sure – and sometimes bowling! Our love language is coffee, and we sometimes play a game. We don’t visit the theater a lot, because we watch enough shows at home. We like to go somewhere that we can talk and do something, or even just walk around!
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Sometimes we plan our dates nights together, or sometimes we surprise each other – especially on birthdays.
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So both – date nights out and daily connections – are a great balance for us! I’ve been so grateful for this season. Finding time with toddlers is hard, but now that the kids are in school we have more time. We also love to serve together, and call that connection, because we are super compatible that way!
Travel Hacks
by Charissa & Kamrin
Kamrin
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Traveling now is different with older kids. I don’t feel like I don’t have any good moms hacks to keep them occupied, because they pack their own bag – one backpack – like cards, games, their headphones, audio book, etc. But my tips are for budgeting, because we are a family of vie, and for streamlining, and unpacking.I like to say work smarter, not harder.
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Utilize lists. I know lots of moms pack for the kids and their spouse, which is fine. But if you don’t have time to pack for everyone, and you want to teach the kids to pack, it’s good to have lists for the kids. I have used a packing list for the kids since they were small. When they were little I drew pictures and how many of each thing! At the age of five, they were packing their own bags! This gives Mom a break. I just double checked, and then it works! They still ask for the list when we pack, and now my daughter has it. She just wants to know the number of days and if there’s anything “fancy” on the dinner. We recently went on a cheer competition weekend, and the girls stayed with the team in their own hotel rooms without parents. When we had to check out, I was nervous that my daughter would leave stuff – but she had all of her stuff packed. Part of that was because she knew what she had packed! Lists are everything!
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Take a dirty clothes bag. We take this and stuff it, and we come straight home with all the dirty clothes in one bag. We dump in the wash and dry it. Also, we
make sure our washer and dryer is empty when we leave so it’s ready to wash when we get home. One big bag is super helpful, and it gets packed in one big suitcase as we head home.
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We include their tablets. And headphones are a must, as this allows you and your husband to have quiet time instead of listening to three different movies at the same time! Melissa & Doug have great paint books with water, so no mess involved. Crayola has books that use colorless markers that only emerge color on the pages, nowhere else!
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Your cooler is your best friend…on a road trip. With a family of five, it’s expensive to travel. I would love to eat out, but it’s not possible. To save money somewhere, we rent a place with a kitchen or at least a fridge/microwave so that we can eat there. We did fly to Colorado one time, but we ate lunch in our cabin or packed sandwiches in the car. Waters can go in the cooler to save money too, so you’re not buying drinks. We pack breakfast items too, because all those meals add up. We then put our money towards other things.
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A portable charger is a must. It goes with me everywhere, with family or when I’m alone, or even traveling with sports teams. So many places or cashless, or tickets are digital, or itinerary is on your phone, I’m so glad when I have this charger. I even charged some friends’ phones at competition because their phones died! Phones are used for so many things so a portable charging block is a must. Some good ones are on Amazon, or you can get one from your phone carrier.
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Create tradition. Not sure if this is hack but one of our favorites is stop at QT for a drink and a snack. We do this every time. We also create playlists of our favorite music for family time in the car singing. We create a family playlist – and we play it in turns – we have fun singing and laughing. We also play old school games, like the license plate game or create stories while we drive. Making the kids a part of vacation and the planning!
Charissa
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In regards to travel and organizing, we have done a lot! Travel “hacks” do change as the kids get older. Here are a few of my faves:
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It depends on whether you’re traveling in the car or plane:
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For every day organization, we have a black organizer in the back of the car full of diapers, wipes, sanitizers, books and small activities to go. This helps if I forget my diaper bag or the kids need something, as I can easily grab from this box.
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For longer car rides, we have small organizers that hang on the back of the seat where it holds the water bottles, snacks, their tablet can hang there, and the pockets can be filled with what they need. They get excited packing it and grabbing what they need on their own.
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We include their tablets. And headphones are a must, as this allows you and your husband to have quiet time instead of listening to three different movies at the same time! Melissa & Doug have great paint books with water, so no mess involved. Crayola has books that use colorless markers that only emerge color on the pages, nowhere else!
Books are great for those that can read, while in the car. And for a very long trip, like eight or more hours, we purchase Dollar Tree treats to open each hour. One might be a bag of chips, the second hour might be a coloring book, and so on. Each gift is unwrapped on the hour. Healthy snacks are a must, as well as a surprise candy. Beef Jerky is great for protein, and cashews or nuts are great as well. And we keep their water bottles full.
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At an Airbnb, most of the time they provide a Pack n Play so you don’t have to pack your own! Sometimes the sheets are not the best or not there, so I bring my own, which are easy to pack.
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On a plane, each kids has their own backpack with all of their activities, as well as an empty water bottle for each person – to save water and use at the airport water fillers. You also can gate check your stroller and car seat, which is great, so that you can use the stroller in the airport.
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Most of the time, the flight attendants give the kids a pin, and the pilot sometimes invites the kids to explore their area. Ask the flight attendants about this!