Questionable Choices in Parenting

Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me

Smartphone Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier

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Where would we be without our smartphones? From documenting every adorable thing our kids do daily to staying connected through email and texts to having the internet at our fingertips all day long. However, even though our handy phones can do just about everything, there is always a few more tricks that can make your busy days a whole lot easier. From always knowing what you need at the grocery store and how to hack a quick stand for your phone while you are in the car, here are smartphone hacks every busy mom needs to know.

 

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Super Easy Weekend Road Trip Hacks for Parents

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Weekend road trips offer a quick get-a-way from the busy work week. Before you have a little fun with your family, check out the vacation hacks to make the most of your vacay.

  • Download a white noise app and pop your phone into a glass on a nightstand. The app will drown out noises outside your hotel room-I’m looking at your noisy spring breakers and ice machine that never stops-and the cup works like a DIY speaker so the whole room is bathed in sweet white noise that is perfect for a peaceful slumber.
  • It may be sunny outside but your little one needs a nap. So grab a few hangers from the hotel closet and use the clips to hold the curtains closed. Still too much light? Aluminum foil works in a pinch as blackout shades-plus it’s super inexpensive. Just roll onto the window and secure with tape for perfect napping conditions.
  • Worried your kids will roll out of the bed? Ask for a few extra pillows or towels and place them under the fitted sheet for a DIY bed rail.
  • Need to get up early? Order room service. I’ll always get up for coffee and my kids will rise and shine for chocolate milk delivered to our hotel door.
  • Rent when you can and skip packing extras. Call your hotel to see if they offer beach chair and umbrella rentals and if they give out beach towels. Less is more when you’re packing.

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Roadtripping With Young Families—Tips to Make it Easier

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This time of year there is a lot of discussion if vacationing with your kids is really a vacation. One thing all parents can agree on, traveling with young ones can be tricky. There is a lot of prep that goes into packing and even if you think you think you have the most perfectly packed suitcase, your baby will probably find some way to throw a tiny wrench in your perfectly packed plans. But no need to fret, because here are six tips when hitting the open road and traveling with your baby.

 

  • Make Lists – Even if you aren’t a list person, traveling with a baby is the time to become a list person. Because your baby needs so many things, don’t get caught without an essential item because you didn’t make a list. Staying organized before you leave will help your entire trip.

 

  • Keep it Close – If the items you need are important: lovies, bottles, diapers, and extra clothes, keep the close to you. While you are traveling, you don’t want to unpack the entire car looking for a new outfit. Keep all these items in your diaper bag or in a small bag near you and the baby.

 

  • Prepare Your Car – From adding sun shades to the back windows to making sure you have a cooler for snacks, food, and bottles, making sure your car is roadtrip and baby ready will make the trip run smoothly.

 

  • Plan Around Naps – If it’s possible, leave at a time that make the most or your baby’s nap time. This doesn’t always work when it comes to distance or traffic, but if you’re baby is sleeping while you drive, you can relax a bit.

 

 

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Items Every Parent Needs to Keep In Their Car this Summer

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Sure summer should be all about easy breezy days of lounging in the sun, but if you have kids, the warmer weather means you are on-the-go. Since being a mom means you need to be prepared for just about anything and everything, here’s a quick go-to list of all the things you need to stash in your car to have the best summer ever.
Outdoor Fun Supplies – When the weather warms up and summer activities are in full swing, you might find yourself shuffling kids to practice and games as well as entertaining siblings. Keep everyone happy and active by putting a laundry basket in the back of your car and filling it up with items like soccer balls for quick games at a park, sidewalk chalk for the budding artist, and smaller toys for younger siblings that are waiting patiently at their big brother or big sister’s spring activities. The laundry basket is a great place to toss everything so you don’t have to worry the items will make a mess in your car.
Rain Supplies – Summer weather cab be unpredictable. So we need to be prepared for lots of summer rain! So toss a few rain ponchos or an extra rain jacket into the back of your car and don’t forget an umbrella. Use a canvas tote to hold all of the rain supplies. Anytime you get caught in the rain, you will be so happy you planned ahead.

Saving Money on Your Next Family Roadtrip

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Traveling with your family can get expensive. From summer gas prices, hotels, eating out, and all the extra vacation fun-the money adds up fast. So while you are packing, why not save a little extra cash on items that you will probably need anyway. Here are a few items I always grab from the dollar store before we hit the road for our family vacations.

 

  • Snacks and Water bottles – Snacks make a family trip a lot easier and I always spend way too much money stocking up. However, a lot of the snacks I would pay full price for at others stores are only a dollar or less at the dollar store. So grab some yummy snacks for the trip and save some money.
  • Extra USB Chargers – We never seem to have enough USB chargers around here and when they only cost a dollar, I don’t mind grabbing a few extras for everyone before we travel.
  • Kids Sunglasses – If you have little kids, you want to grab sunglasses for them; however, if your kids are like mine, those sunglasses won’t last too long. From getting lost somewhere in the car or trampled on by siblings, sunglasses have a short lifespan. But if you grab a few pairs for just a dollar, you won’t need to worry about lost or destroyed kids sunglasses and you can keep a few on hand to replace the last pair.
  • Puzzles, stickers, coloring books and workbooks – There’s no need to spend more than a dollar on these must-have travel items. You can fill up a book bag full of these fun-filled activities for your kids and not spend a lot of money. You can also grab a baking sheet from the dollar store and use it as a lapboard while your child works on the puzzles and workbooks in the car.
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Road Trip Packing Hacks that Will Save You Space in the Car and Time Packing

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Summer is the perfect time to plan a road trip with your family. However, once you get everyone in the car, you quickly realize that their “stuff” is going to take up way too much room. But who wants to spend hours packing and re-packing?

  • Rather than packing multiple pill bottles in your bag, grab a pill organizer from the dollar store and fill each compartment up with different types of medication or vitamins. Then use a sticker to label each type of medication on top of the pill organizer. Now you can toss this in your bag and you’ll be covered with any type of medication that you may need while you travel.
  • Use contact cases for more than just your contacts! These handy little containers are easy to pack, are inexpensive, and can hold more items then just your much needed contacts. Small jewelry like earrings are the perfect size for contact cases and is a great jewelry case alternative. Also, you can pour in your liquid makeup like foundation and concealer into the contact case, and now you don’t have to carry the entire bottle while you travel.
  • Re-purpose a sunglasses case to hold your power cords for all of your electronics or to hold your makeup like lipstick and mascara.
  • Always roll your clothes. Skip the folding when it comes to your carry on and roll your clothes instead. You’ll be able to fit more clothes into your bag and can roll smaller clothes into heavier clothes like jeans and pants.

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Tips for Planning a Last Minute Roadtrip with Your Family

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Sometimes we have weeks to plan and prepare for a trip. However, some of the best trips are the ones we throw together quickly and hit the open road. So this summer, if you are looking to getaway for a few days but you don’t have a lot of time to plan and pack, here are a few tips to make it all work.
  • Instead of packing every piece of clothing, have a spare set of clothes, bathing suits, or pajamas packed in a plastic freezer bag. This way your entire family can quickly change depending on what is happening, and you won’t have to pull out all of the suitcases to find what you need.
  • Make sure everyone in your family has headphones for their electronics. You can grab an inexpensive pair for everyone for under five dollars. This will save everyone’s sanity because no one will have to listen or compete with other family member’s videos or shows.
  • If you are traveling late at night or early in the morning, keep kids who aren’t’ sleeping entertained with glow in the dark toys. You can stock up on these items at the dollar store and they will be a ton of fun on long car rides.
  • For older kids, use landmarks, road signs, and other vehicles as part of a scavenger hunt.
  • Long car rides are hard on everyone. So consider breaking up the trip with a few extra stops. It may make getting to your location a little longer, but you’ll have fun the entire way there.

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The Best Hacks for Family Travel

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Before you had kids, all you needed to do was toss a few things into your suitcase and hit the open road. But now you have a baby and when it comes to traveling, you need a little more prep and a few more items in your car to keep you baby entertained. So before you plan your summer travel, here are some great hacks that will make traveling with your baby a little easier.

1. Have groceries delivered to your hotel room. Rather than taking your baby with your to a grocery store when you arrive on at your destination or try to make just a few snacks from the car trip last your entire vacation, have groceries for the entire family delivered to your room. You’ll save money and your sanity with this tip.

2. See what amenities your hotel offers or what you can rent when you arrive. Rather than bringing everything from home, your hotel may have cribs or pack n plays your baby can sleep in. Even complimentary breakfast can help as you plan your vacation with your baby. If you don’t want to pack big items like strollers, you can often rent these items, even double strollers, and have the delivered to your hotel room.

 

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Maternity Clothes Hacks

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When you’re pregnant, it’s not just your body that has to change–so does your wardrobe. But instead of spending a small fortune on brand new maternity clothes, I’m on TLC sharing a few of my favorite maternity clothes hacks. From making your current wardrobe work a bit longer to easy fixes to cover your growing belly, check out my latest video!

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