As any mom knows, the key to a successful outings with our kids is to always be prepared. So whether you are headed to the playground, a quick trip to the grocery store, or road trip to visit grandma, you need to have all of the essentials in your car to keep everyone happy and content. So with just a little planning, you can put together your own DIY Emergency Car Kit that contains everything you need when traveling with your kids.

Start by grabbing an empty plastic wipes container or a small plastic container with a lid and start packing the basics:

The basics:

· A First Aid Kit with lots of band aids and antibiotic cream

· Hand Sanitizer

· Sunscreen

· Travel Wipes

· Several Diapers and a swim diaper (just be sure to change out sizes and refresh if you use these diapers)

Click right here to see the entire list

Planning a road trip with your family is the perfect way to visit and explore new places with your family. But if you have a large family, you know that planning a family road trip isn’t just a matter of tossing a few suitcases in the car. So before you hit the open road with your kids, here’s a few tips to make the journey a little easier on everyone.

Plan early! If you have a large family, grabbing airplane tickets at the last minute will end up costing you’re a small fortune. But if you plan early, you could save big bucks or see that the more budget friendly idea is to travel by car. Either way, planning early will help you set a budget and save money for the entire trip. The same goes for making reservations for meals and attractions. With a larger family, you’ll need to book all of these details early to guarantee your family has a spot.

If you’re staying in a hotel, pack a twin size air mattress. They are easy to pack and will save you a lot of money in the end. Some hotel chains allow a roll-away bed in the room, but these are not guaranteed to be available. In some hotels, the roll-away beds are not permitted.

Click right here to see the entire list

It’s usually around this time of year that planning a vacation seems to be the best way to beat cabin fever. So if you are planning a trip, you need to try these travel planning hacks to save you money, time, and a little bit off sanity.

1.       Clear That Cache- Make sure to clear your cache and use the private browsing feature when booking your vacation, especially for flights. Because prices go up based on browsing history, you could be seeing those flight prices increase because you didn’t clear your cache

2.       Take a Picture as a Reminder- Before you leave your car at the airport, parking lot, or tourist attraction, take a picture of where you parked so when you return, you can easily find your car.

3.       Map it out before- Before you leave for your trip, take a screen shot on your phone of any important maps, public transportation, or any other important info you might need. This was you won’t have to waste battery life while you travel looking up the same map or info.

4.       Download the Sit or Squat App- When you are on a long road trip, someone will need to use the bathroom. The Sit or Squat App uses your location to tell you where you will find a restroom and then ranks cleanliness if you should sit or squat.

Sometimes when you need to pack a suitcase, you have plenty of time to pack everything you and your family will need for a trip; however, sometimes you don’t have the luxury of time and that’s usually when your suitcase starts to burst at the seams from over-packing. Even if you don’t have a ton of time to pack, here are quick and effective hacks to pack a suitcase like a pro in a few minutes.

– Instead of just tossing clothes into your suitcase, pack by outfit. This means lay out each outfit that you’ll need on your trip

– Looking for an easy way to pack all of your small pieces of jewelry? Use a daily pill box to store your earrings, rings, and small necklaces. They will stay neatly organized and you’ll never lose them again

– If you are packing a few pairs of shoes into your suitcase, you won’t have to worry about dirt or germs from the bottoms of your shoes getting on everything inside your suitcase with this easy hack. Grab an inexpensive shower cap and put your shoes inside the cap before you pack

Click right here to see the entire list!

Whether you are shuttling your kids to their after school activities or packing up and taking your family on a quick trip-you are going to need lots of snacks. But instead of grabbing unhealthy snacks or spending a small fortune while you are on the road, here are a few ways to make sure you always have healthy and yummy snacks on hand for your kids.

Healthy Snacking is Easy When You Pack:

Fresh fruit is always a great option for a healthy snack. Since you are going to be in the car, go for easy to serve and less messy fruit options like sliced grapes, sliced apples and peeled oranges.

We are also big fans of freeze dried fruit like strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Before the trip, divide the fruit into individual servings and place in plastic sandwich bags.

Fresh veggies like carrots and celery sticks are a great option and easy to serve with dips like peanut butter and hummus, which can be found in individual travel sizes as well.

Click right here to see the entire list