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Homebody, meet Adventurer.
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| That little speck is him. |
My husband likes to go new places, see new things, even if it means that we get out of our normal routine and have to squish all of us in one room overnight.
He is good for me.
I love that he pushes me to do things outside what is easiest and most comfortable for me. I think staycations are awesome (and sometimes needed), but he pushes me to go places and do things that I wouldn't otherwise. And those times traveling with our kids and experiencing new things together have been (and will be) some of our best memories together.
This is how we do it:
I love that he pushes me to do things outside what is easiest and most comfortable for me. I think staycations are awesome (and sometimes needed), but he pushes me to go places and do things that I wouldn't otherwise. And those times traveling with our kids and experiencing new things together have been (and will be) some of our best memories together.
This is how we do it:
Location, location, location.
We really like being outside, and our vacation choices reflect that. Here are some places we've visited (and a few we hope to!)
Texas and Missouri--Our families are both out of town, so we spend quite a bit of our vacation time traveling to visit either Texas (my parents) or Missouri (his parents). When at my parents in Dallas, we visit cousins, go to museums, get peaches (when in season), play at parks, and see friends.
Daniel's parents live on a farm, so there, we ride the tractor, the 4-wheelers, walk around in the corn, and go down to the river.
Colorado--Both Daniel and I love the mountains, and we grew up going to family camp every year at Horn Creek Conference Grounds in the Sangre de Cristo range. We went different weeks our whole lives, and finally met when we were summer staffers there. It holds many, many special memories for us. We have been a few times since we had kids, but it is an 18-hour drive from our house (as the Google maps), so we will probably wait a couple years until we do it more regularly.
Michigan--A couple years ago, some sweet friends offered us the use of their vacation home in Michigan. We had a blast! It was such a mix of rest and fun (which was nice because I was 8 months pregnant!). We picked raspberries, played on the beach, went to Sleeping Bear Dunes. I'm a bit of a beach snob (we lived in Hawaii for five years, after all!), but I was pleasantly surprised how wonderful Lake Michigan's beaches are. The water was clear, shallow, and warm (perfect for wading and splashing) and the sand was clean (perfect for sand castles!). We had so much fun, we decided to go back this year. We reserved a place in Petoskey through AirBnB because we love to ride bikes, and there are lots of bike paths and trails to choose from. My folks are coming too, which makes it extra awesome!
We have lots of other places on our list for when our kids are older, like The Smokey Mountains, Assateague Island (I loved the Marguerite Henry books as a kid), Washington, D.C., and maybe New York City.
Our older kids especially are great travelers; Daniel recently did a 15 hour trip in one shot and stopped a total of three times. The little ones are doing better than they used to, but still have a hard time past about three or four hours.
We do have some tricks and tips that help get through those hours, though.
Books--Our kids love to read/look at books. Ava will read anything on the road now; I pack her novels, picture books, and comic books (she's partial to Mutts and Calvin and Hobbes). I also try to get new Look-and-Finds at the library for the pre-readers, and I always pack the Books That Make Noise for the littlest ones. Because listening to Elmo beckoning my child to use the potty is better than screaming, amiright? A dish tub like the one below works well for books because it is not so wide that it blocks the buckles for their seat belts.
Coloring & Toys--I usually keep a bag of activities which include coloring books, sudoku puzzles, crayons, (markers always turn bad, see below) and toys that are one piece (like bead mazes, puppets, and latch puzzles).
Texas and Missouri--Our families are both out of town, so we spend quite a bit of our vacation time traveling to visit either Texas (my parents) or Missouri (his parents). When at my parents in Dallas, we visit cousins, go to museums, get peaches (when in season), play at parks, and see friends.
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| Us having fun at the Perot Museum in Dallas |
Daniel's parents live on a farm, so there, we ride the tractor, the 4-wheelers, walk around in the corn, and go down to the river.
Colorado--Both Daniel and I love the mountains, and we grew up going to family camp every year at Horn Creek Conference Grounds in the Sangre de Cristo range. We went different weeks our whole lives, and finally met when we were summer staffers there. It holds many, many special memories for us. We have been a few times since we had kids, but it is an 18-hour drive from our house (as the Google maps), so we will probably wait a couple years until we do it more regularly.
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| Horn Peak, home of Horn Creek! |
Michigan--A couple years ago, some sweet friends offered us the use of their vacation home in Michigan. We had a blast! It was such a mix of rest and fun (which was nice because I was 8 months pregnant!). We picked raspberries, played on the beach, went to Sleeping Bear Dunes. I'm a bit of a beach snob (we lived in Hawaii for five years, after all!), but I was pleasantly surprised how wonderful Lake Michigan's beaches are. The water was clear, shallow, and warm (perfect for wading and splashing) and the sand was clean (perfect for sand castles!). We had so much fun, we decided to go back this year. We reserved a place in Petoskey through AirBnB because we love to ride bikes, and there are lots of bike paths and trails to choose from. My folks are coming too, which makes it extra awesome!
We have lots of other places on our list for when our kids are older, like The Smokey Mountains, Assateague Island (I loved the Marguerite Henry books as a kid), Washington, D.C., and maybe New York City.
The Packing.
I'm not sure that there is a task that my particular brain is less suited for than packing. I have a hard time keeping track of the things that can be packed ahead of time, the things that need to packed the morning of, the things that need to be packed but are sitting wet in the washer. But, I find that it helps a lot to have a checklist. I have a reusable one that I use for road trips in an app called Paperless. I just go through the list, select the things I need, and check off the items as I gather them up. It helps a lot not to have to figure it out each time!
Road Tripping
Since airfare + minivan rental are not in our budget, we pretty much drive everywhere now (I sometimes fly to Texas with children #3 and #4, but that's logistically complicated and uninteresting, so I'll spare you).Our older kids especially are great travelers; Daniel recently did a 15 hour trip in one shot and stopped a total of three times. The little ones are doing better than they used to, but still have a hard time past about three or four hours.
We do have some tricks and tips that help get through those hours, though.
Books--Our kids love to read/look at books. Ava will read anything on the road now; I pack her novels, picture books, and comic books (she's partial to Mutts and Calvin and Hobbes). I also try to get new Look-and-Finds at the library for the pre-readers, and I always pack the Books That Make Noise for the littlest ones. Because listening to Elmo beckoning my child to use the potty is better than screaming, amiright? A dish tub like the one below works well for books because it is not so wide that it blocks the buckles for their seat belts.
Coloring & Toys--I usually keep a bag of activities which include coloring books, sudoku puzzles, crayons, (markers always turn bad, see below) and toys that are one piece (like bead mazes, puppets, and latch puzzles).
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| Unsanctioned (but fun!) Activity |
Audiodrama and Audiobooks- Our kids LOVE Adventures in Odyssey. We have been gifted a lot over the years, so we have a pretty solid collection, but we also get new ones from the library. (If you're new to Odyssey--this set and this set are a great place to start!). We have also enjoyed the Radio Theatre Chronicles of Narnia Series (though they are more suitable for older kids). On our trip to and from Texas, we listened to Winnie-the-Pooh (this version had different voices for all the characters, and was highly enjoyable). The kids also really enjoyed Pippi Longstocking (we listened to the entire thing twice!).
"iBag"--We haven't historically watched movies in the car. This last trip though, I jerry-rigged a plastic bag (mine was one of those bags that sheets come in), cut a hole for the auxiliary cable, and mounted it with the iPad in between the front two seats. We were making a two day drive, and it helped so much to let them watch a movie when (especially) the little ones started to get restless.
Craft Caddy turned Lunch Caddy--I got these little caddies for a dollar each in the Target One Spot. They are the perfect size for little lunches--either kids meals or homemade "momables." They make lunch on-the-go a lot easier. I use them around town quite a bit too!
Pulley System--We have a minivan, which means that my oldest two kids are WAY back there. A couple of years ago, I happened upon this idea for a pulley system to get things back to them. It works wonderfully. It keeps me from having to turn around so much (which is good because I get carsick), and also from nailing my son in the head with a sippy cup (again. Sorry, Buddy).
"iBag"--We haven't historically watched movies in the car. This last trip though, I jerry-rigged a plastic bag (mine was one of those bags that sheets come in), cut a hole for the auxiliary cable, and mounted it with the iPad in between the front two seats. We were making a two day drive, and it helped so much to let them watch a movie when (especially) the little ones started to get restless.
Craft Caddy turned Lunch Caddy--I got these little caddies for a dollar each in the Target One Spot. They are the perfect size for little lunches--either kids meals or homemade "momables." They make lunch on-the-go a lot easier. I use them around town quite a bit too!
Pulley System--We have a minivan, which means that my oldest two kids are WAY back there. A couple of years ago, I happened upon this idea for a pulley system to get things back to them. It works wonderfully. It keeps me from having to turn around so much (which is good because I get carsick), and also from nailing my son in the head with a sippy cup (again. Sorry, Buddy).
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| Totally staged these pictures! |
Date it up!--Once we are in the car, Daniel and I usually have some time to talk while the kids listen to Odyssey or nap. We often use these times to talk about the bigger picture--how to respond to what the kids are struggling with, planning for whatever new season we're coming into. It's kind of like a really long date. Punctuated by demands of "WA-WA!" Hey, you take what you can get, right?
When We Get There
Once we get to wherever we are going, we try to strike a balance of fun and relaxation. Vacations need to be restful for us, but we don't want to loaf around the whole time either. We go on adventures, but also spend time doing more low key activities, like playing games (Did I just say that games were low-key? In my house?). In short, we do stuff that satisfies the Homebody and the Adventurer. The goal of vacation for us is to pause from the everyday, spend time together, and make memories. |
| Catching Pancakes at Horn Creek |
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| Hike Date |
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| Mountain Meadows |
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| Lincoln Logs! |
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| Dirt Bikes in Michigan |
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| S'mores! |
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