5 Tips for Traveling with a Toddler and a Baby

This past week AJ and I decided to take a spontaneous road trip to Omaha to introduce Mara to his family and get out of town for a while. I was a little bit nervous to drive four hours with an (almost) 2 week old and her older sister- considering that I barely left the house for the first month after I had Evie. I think we were ready for a change of scenery though, and taking our first road trip as a family of four was a good bonding experience for us all.

I thought I would share some photos from our trip as well as a few things we learned along the way! I'll apologize in advance for the massive photo dump that is about to happen, but I had a hard time narrowing down which photos to share. Scroll through to hear what I learned.

Both girls were SUCH troopers during the long drive. We had to stop once to eat and nurse Mara, but otherwise, Mara slept and Evie (mostly) dealt with the fact we were sitting in the car- compliments of lots of snacks and bribery. Whatever works, right?

The photos above are from a sushi restaurant we tried on our second day there. It wasn't exactly the first place I'd pick to bring my kids (it would be THE perfect date spot though), but Evie did great, minus a few moments of laying on the floor and running to neighboring tables.

Of course coffee was dessert. One of my all time favorite coffee shops is in Omaha, so if you're ever in the neighborhood, be sure to check out Beansmith Coffee Roasters! Also, there was a lot of breastfeeding in public.

After being gifted my great-grandfathers record player, we are constantly on the hunt for new vinyl. We stocked up on a few oldies here. :)

And, despite the insane heat and humidity, our absolute favorite part of the trip was taking the girls to the Henry Doorly Zoo. Evie is in love with all animals and it was SO precious to watch her as she discovered that these animals we read about in books all the time actually exist in real life. Her favorites were the petting zoo and the aquarium, but she adored all of the animals.

Mara did a lot of this.... ^^

 

Traveling with children is general is hard and each age presents its own challenges, but as for traveling with a toddler and a baby- here's what I learned: 

1. You don't actually need as much as you think you do. Obviously you need the essentials- diapers, wipes, burp cloths, snacks, clothes....but don't get overwhelmed. I tend to try and pack everything that we use at home, which isn't always necessary. Try to plan ahead and bring only what you'll really need- there are drug stores for anything else ;)

2. Pack distractions for the toddler. Evie did great on the car ride, but only because we brought lots of things for her to do. Snacks, games, books, songs...whatever it takes to pass the time. These same distractions come in handy when you're waiting for food at a restaurant or stopping to feed the baby. 

3. Don't get embarrassed. Sometimes the saying "kids will be kids" rings true. We had our fair share of screaming babies and temper tantrums, and as traumatizing as those situations can be, it is important to remember that kids are kids. Don't let what people think worry you or pressure you. 

4. Try to stick to your usual schedule as much as possible. This one is hard, hard, hard. We didn't have an extra bed for Evie, so AJ ended up sleeping on the living room floor with Evie while I slept in the spare bedroom with Mara. Sticking to our usual routine of bath, stories and songs helped Evie wind down enough to sleep in an unusual place. 

5. Be flexible. You'll probably have to stop more times than you wanted to. Your child will probably spill orange juice all over themselves and your brand new pants. You will probably have to nurse your crying baby while your husband chases your toddler around a coffee shop that closed five minutes ago. It's ok. The crazy moments are the moments you'll smile about later- so don't get stressed if things don't (and they won't, I promise) go exactly according to plan. 

That was a long post you guys....thanks for sticking with me! I want to know- what have you all learned in your years of traveling with young children? I obviously can use all the help I can get!

Happy Monday!

Simply,

Liv

Simply DIY: Easy Summertime Placemats // A Guest Post

Hi everyone! My name is Natasha and I am so excited to be here posting for Olivia during this special time for her family. I have a fun summertime DIY project to share with you today but before I jump into that, Olivia asked me to share a little about myself so here goes...

I live on a beautiful island in the Pacific (Oahu) with my husband, daughter and sweet dog, Rocco. We are expecting to welcome our second bundle of joy at the end of this year and couldn't be more delighted. When I'm not chasing my insanely busy toddler around I really enjoy cooking, organizing, crafting, reading, etc. and you can read about more of that on my blog.

So, on to the tutorial! I don't know about you, but I love summer evenings. It feels like there is something almost magical happening in the air when the temperatures start to drop and the sun starts to set. These DIY summertime placemats are perfect for those summer evenings when you want to eat your dinner outside while you enjoy the magic.

All you need to make your own summertime placemats are some rope, a hot glue gun (with plenty of glue sticks), a can of spray-paint in your favorite color and some patience.

Shoot, did I lose you at patience? It's really not bad since hot glue dries super fast so sit down with a cold glass of iced tea, put on your favorite podcast and let's get rolling!

You are going to start building your placemats from the inside and work your way out. Take the end of your rope, apply hot glue to one side and fold more rope on top. Without burning yourself, pinch the rope together while the glue dries to ensure you have a nice foundation.

Once that glue dries, continue to do the same and watch your placemat grow larger and larger! After I had a nice base built (my glued portion was about the size of a half dollar) I started glueing about 3-4 inches at a time which was a major time saver.Don't worry if you need to stop and take a break - this is a super easy project to stop and pick up again at a later time since there really is not a lot of set up/clean up required.

When you think you are almost done, grab one of your dinner plates and using it for a size reference. There really isn't a right or wrong when it comes to sizing so do what you think looks best. When you have decided you are done, cut the rope and then apply a dab of hot glue on the end of the rope to keep it from fraying.

I really like the natural look of these placemats and think they would be beautiful on any table just the way they are. But I was feeling bright and summer-y so I busted out the leftover spray paint from my daughter's birthday party and added a little pop to the bottoms. Really, do whatever you want here! You know what will look best with your table/dishes or fit your style best.

Now all that is left to do is to sit outside on a beautiful evening, relax and enjoy your unique, summertime placemats! What is your favorite summertime meal?

Cheap Summer Date Nights // A Guest Post from Julie Hood

Since we have a lot of newness over at our house right now, I've lined up a few awesome blogging friends to guest post for me over the month. I'll still be posting regularly, but I thought it would be helpful to plan ahead and give myself a little flexibility, as well as introduce you guys to some great bloggers who I've loved getting to know. Be sure to check out their blogs and follow along!

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Hey, I'm Julie Hood, and I blog over at A Hopeful Hood, where I talk about faith, married life, diy projects, and fixing up our little house. Feel free to come by and hang out--I'd love to chat about life, Jesus, or your favorite summer craft project. Or, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

I'm so excited to be sharing some of my favorite summer date night ideas! My husband and I got married at 20 (we were babies, I know) but we've been married for 3 years now, which means tons of dates before and after we've been married. Plus, we've had to figure out fun things to do on a budget! So, here are some of my favorites:

1. Have a bonfire in the backyard: Admittedly, this requires a firepit. But you could also find a state park that has spots for fires! We trash-picked a firepit and have since been given one, and it's been a staple of those cooler nights--and we've had just great conversations around the firepit. It's a good chance to get out from in front of the tv and get outside, even when it's dark out.

2. Go exploring in the city/town near you: Make new memories by trying a new restaurant, finding a new park, or strolling through some artsy shops. One night, Devin and I took the train to downtown Philadelphia and ate at a bar that someone recommended that had twinkle lights and outdoor seating. their food was SO good, and it broke our normal routine of going to dinner around our house. Plus, since we took the train, we got to walk to and from the restaurant on a beautiful starry night!

3. Find a local festival, concert or fair: This is kind of like #2, but try searching for events near you. I know Philly has a bunch of free fairs and concerts during the summer!

4. Go stargazing: We have yet to do this, but it's on my list! Our plan is to pile Devin's pickup truck with pillows and blankets and drive to an open field, park, and look at God's beautiful starry skies, away from the city lights. But you don't need the truck--just a blanket and some wide-open space!

5. Hike or walk a trail: Devin and i love hiking, and it's free, good exercise, and usually includes a great view at the end! If hiking isn't happening, try to find a trail near you that's relatively flat. Although it wasn't for a date, I just did this with my sisters-in-law! So fun, and we got to enjoy the scenery amidst great conversation.

6. Plan an overnight trip: Our favorite way to make this an inexpensive trip is to go camping! But you can also find a cheap hotel on all those sites that have annoying commercials (Kayak, Hotwire, etc.) Borrow a tent, pick a state park, and go on a mini-vacation.

7. Skip mini-golf and hit the driving range or chip and putt! (unless mini-golf is your thang. In which case, nevermind.) We love whacking a golf ball as hard as we can and working on our terrible form in chip and putt. Plus, sometimes you can find coupons online!

8. Get the family/friends together and host a BBQ, for no reason: It's summer! Guys can fire up the grill (or girls can, I'm equal opportunity pro-grilling), and it's always more fun with people. We love playing horse shoes and we have big plans to make corn hole so that our cookouts are amp-ed up.

What are some of your favorite summer date ideas? 

An Introduction

Our sweet girl finally joined us! We are all so in love and she couldn't be doing better. I'll share her birth story soon, but here are some photos I snapped just to hold you over. My heart is full and I'm so grateful to have her in my arms.