Naptime Blog

The older I get, the more I fall in love with the beach!! I can’t remember very many trips to the beach as a child, but my kids will have very vivid memories of the beach.

It seems like we have been going almost every weekend lately. We are really close to some beautiful beaches. We live about an hour away from 2 great beaches; the OBX & Va. Beach.

Jeromy Jr. and Jeromy Sr. seem to think they are pro-surfers!! NOT
I have yet to see either of them stay up on a wave. They love the boogie board and appear to be having a blast, but at every attempt it is a total wipeout.
Baby Jayce was enjoying the feeling of sand running through his fingers. He looked amazed and after the amazement wore off her tried to eat it!! He is at the wonderful phase were everything goes in his mouth for a sample taste. I am very cold natured, so I don’t play in the water much. I like the feel of salt water on my feet, but that’s about it. We love going to the beach, it is very inexpensive. We pack a small picnic basket, load up on sunscreen and we head out!!

I try to have all my paparzzi equipment ready for any magic moments that may come up!!

Here are a few shots from the beach,

This is the 1st time Baby Jayce felt the ocean,

-Shanta

Last week I told you about getting away without the kids on occasion to refresh and unwind. Truth be told? We miss them badly when we do getaway alone so we do plan the majority of our vacations with babies in tow.

This can be stressful because it seems like we have to pack the house, but with careful planning, that doesn’t have to be the case.

I have figured out that some of the most enjoyable getaways for toddlers and young children are local ones that can be planned around naptime. If you can’t do that, try somewhere where they can snooze in their stroller or wagon. The boys adore the zoo because they think the animals are funny and they enjoy it when I pack a cooler of little boy friendly food for them to gobble up. Notice that I said pack a lunch. Although our zoo does offer concessions, I find it much more affordable (and healthy) to pack food for the boys. We usually fill the cooler with a jug of sweet tea, water, juice and milk along with sandwiches, yogurt and fresh fruit. We also swing by the store and pick up some store brand cola for the adults along with a box of store brand graham crackers for the kids to snack on while visiting the exhibits. Strawberries and blueberries mixed together with a banana or two makes a nice and easy fruit salad that the boys love. I just cut up the banana right before serving the salad so it stays fresh. We save so much money on lunch that we can then treat the boys to a frozen something or other later in the afternoon.

Not a zoo person? Other local getaways could include children’s museums, a different park than their usual, water parks or beaches.

If you would like to get away for more than a day and soak up new scenery but don’t want to pack the house, check out hotels that are family friendly. Most hotels have cribs available, but be sure to call ahead as many have a limited number. Ask the hotel staff to have the crib ready for you when you arrive since babies usually need a nap right away after a long car ride. If your family likes to swim, make sure the hotel has a swimming pool. Many hotels also offer free full breakfasts and evening snacks. This service can really save money. A lot of hotels also have refrigerators (for baby bottles, snacks from homes, leftovers) and microwaves right in the room. Don’t want to pay to board Fido? Some hotels allow your fur children to be part of the fun. My advice is to write down the features you want in a hotel then call around or do your research online to find hotels that offer those services. I was also recently enlightened that many cities have companies that offer reputable babysitting services in case mom and dad want to go out for dinner or a date alone. I haven’t tried that option myself though.

I think its fun to book a nice hotel and stay in and enjoy the amenities (hello, maids!) but if you like to venture out, check for free shuttle service or be sure to book a hotel near places you want to visit. Many tourist centers also have coupons for attractions and it’s usually easy to find deals and discounts by booking ahead via the internet.

Do you have any tips to add?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

I am a stay at home mom and don’t get sick days, vacation days or even a proper lunch hour. That’s just how it is, right?  I have figured out, however, that you have to carve out “me” time  to recharge the batteries, so to speak, if you want to give your children your all and be the best parent you can be.

On a weekly basis, I have my personal blogs and this blog as a creative outlet when the boys are napping, still asleep or already in bed at night. I also meet up with several very supportive girlfriends for Bible study once a week. And, even though we are on a tight budget, we try to find creative ways to have weekends away when we can. You don’t have to have a lot of money to enjoy a weekend or several days away without the kids (I’ll give a few tips I have learned about getting away with kids next week).

First off,  find someone to watch your children. Do you have a grandparent, other family member or close friend that would watch the kids overnight or for a couple days? Perhaps you could do a trade off and watch a friend’s kids for them the next time they need a break. If you are new to the area or don’t have anyone nearby that you trust with your precious little ones overnight, many hotels can help you find a local reputable babysitting service to sit with the kids in your hotel room while you go out to dinner, etc.

Secondly, figure out what you’d like to do and make it happen. This past weekend is an example I will use for you. I am lucky that my in-laws live in the same town as us so they offered to watch the boys for us while we took a weekend trip to San Antonio several hours away. I have a sister who works at a hotel and earns free nights that she can give to friends and family so our hotel stay was free. I know most people don’t have that option, but many people have reward nights through credit cards and frequent flyer programs. If not, you can always try staying on off peak nights. How about a business hotel that is virtually empty on weekends? Many times, you can get a great price on a hotel room if you shop around and use these tricks.

Our idea of fun is eating out at restaurants and hanging by the pool and in the hot tub so we chose a hotel with two pools and hot tubs. Check out restaurant deal sites like restaurant.com to save money on dining out (sometimes as much as 80% when they have sales). We also choose hotels that offer free breakfast and free evening snacks to cut down on our food budget. Many hotels have refrigerators and microwaves so you can bring food to warm up and eat in your room as well.

I also like to pack light. This weekend was awesome because I only had to pack one tote bag for me and one for hubby along with a few hanging clothes as opposed to the whole house when traveling with my boys. It is so worth it when they are with us (because we miss them when we’re gone), but it’s nice to pack light on occasion.

And, lastly, to save money on snacks and other travel supplies while traveling to and from our destination, we always stop by the store and stock up on store brands. We save a lot of money doing this as opposed to shelling out 2-3 times as much at truck stops or convenience stores on the interstate. We also save on bottled water, sun block, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash and toothpaste by opting for the store brand version.

Do you have any tips for saving while traveling? Do you have any ideas for ways to refresh and unwind?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Staycation is defined as a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home/close to home and relaxes or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high.

Things are so expensive now days. It is really easy to have some family fun right at home. My oldest son Jeromy loves the pool, and Jayce likes the bathtub. We decided to get a hotel room for the night. We paid about $50 for a nice room with an indoor pool. I stopped by our local Dollar Tree and picked up some floats and pool toys. I packed sandwiches and snacks and we had a ball!!

We stayed in the pool the majority of the time and once we returned to the room we rented a few Disney movies. Both boys really enjoyed the pool and THANK GOODNESS the water tired them out. My husband and I were able to relax and enjoy some QT time while the boys went fast asleep.

As much as I would love to travel and see the world; I was very satisfied enjoying some inexpensive “Quality Time” locally with my boys.

This is my BIGGEST / OLDEST boy (husband) having way too much fun.

-Shanta 

We are going on a 5 day weekend vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia next week…  That is me, my husband, my seven year old daughter, my twin sons, my father-in-law and his wife.  We are all driving in one car (my father-in-law’s truck with a hitch and a roof rack) and leaving NYC around 4 am Friday morning.  Are we nuts?

Since it is still spring, I am not sure exactly what to pack.  Do I bring mostly pants and jeans for the kids or shorts and tank tops?  Spring is so unpredictable (especially these days!) so I am unsure.  I know it will be a few degrees higher in Virginia, but even there it could be a bit chilly, and since space is tight, I have to be careful with what I do.

What ticks me off is that my husband called the hotel to reserve two cribs for our twins and was told that they do not reserve them, as it is on a first come, first served basis.  Of course we can’t take any chances, so along with everything else, we need to take two Pak ‘N Plays for them.  I guess this is a blessing in disguise, because I am never keen about sharing cribs, and I just feel safer knowing my babies are sleeping in a clean place!

OK, so right off the bat we have to take:  two Pack ‘N Plays, two car seats (obviously), their double stroller (which is big and bulky anyway!), luggage with clothing, baby bottles and formula, baby food jars and spoons, cheerios and puffs, regular diapers, swim diapers and overnights diapers (plus wipes), some books and toys to keep them occupied, bibs, baby wash, and more.  And this is just for the two littlest members of our family!

Then of course there is Juliana, our seven year old.  I went through her drawers yesterday to pick out her clothes and put them in the suitcase that I will be sharing with her, and I was once again amazed at how messy a seven year old girl can be!  Her drawers were an absolute mess!  I cannot believe how many things I found with tags on them rolled in a ball along with clothes two sizes too small!  Ok, I am very much at fault here for not going through her old clothes more frequently, but in my defense, I only did this at the beginning of winter when I changed to her winter clothes!  She had Christmas presents and birthday presents that I had originally put all in one drawer for her when I put them away, but somehow they are now mixed with all the other clothes rolled into a ball of mess!  So before I was able to pack for her, I had to sort through what fit and what didn’t, what was old and what was new, plus what was season appropriate and what was not.  Done.

And then it was off to shop.  We first went to Babies R Us to get travel sized baby wash, powder, baby food and Puffs, those little traveling plastic placemats to stick on restaurant tables so baby can self-feed, Benadryl, and new convertible car seats (because they have almost outgrown their infant ones and need to be comfortable on our 5 hour drive).  So the car seats were not in stock, there was no travel sized baby wash (so I bought a regular sized one and figure I will just use it at home when we return), there was no baby powder in the store at all (never mind travel sized!), the only Puffs they had were strawberry (which the pediatrician said not to give them until a year old!), and for the life of me I could not find any baby Benadryl (or any Benadryl, for that matter!)

So by the time my husband and I got to the register (and we still managed to spend $70 – go figure!), I was ticked off!  I asked the clerk why nothing was in stock and he said that Saturdays are their busiest days (we shopped on a Sunday afternoon).  Um, Babies R Us cannot prepare in advance for a busy Saturday and plan to have a restock on Saturday night or Sunday morning?  Wow!  So I finished my shopping at Walmart.  Should have just gone there in the beginning!

As I cross off items from my list of things to pack (I live by lists!), I keep adding things to them!  By the time we are all done loading my father-in-law’s truck, there will be no room for us!  Oh well, I am still looking forward to a very well deserved five day family vacation.  And I hope it all goes well, we are planning a week long road trip to Myrtle Beach in August!

Jennifer
Mom to Juliana (7), Louis (9m) and Anthony (9m)
Expecting #4 in September!
www.nevaland.com

Tristan, Rick, my mother in law, and I are going to California for nine days. I went round and round about taking Tristan out there that long. Tristan lives by his schedule, usually that is wonderful. Then there are the random holidays that totally throw him off. I am worried he will be ready for bed at 4:30pm California time, and will he get adjusted only to come back and be off again. Then I sat and thought many babies go on vacation all the time.

My next stressor was do I buy him a seat or not. I spent a few hours on the computer researching this. I decided since we are flying from Washington DC to California and I know it’s a 6 hour or so flight that it was best for Tristan to have his own seat and space.

Since we leave in about a week, I have started packing. I decided that I was going to pack as minimal as I can since I can buy some things out there. I don’t want to have to pay the outrageous luggage fees. I am packing 12 outfits, 2 blankets, 12 bibs, 6 burp cloths, 6 pajamas, his folding highchair (it attaches to a dining room chair), his blow up duck bath tub, 2 baby bath towels, 2 wash cloths, and a few toys. I also have to check his pack n play. I plan on going to a Wal-Mart as soon as we get there to buy formula, diapers, wipes, baby food, and baby snacks. I will pack enough diapers and wipes for the flight out. We will just bring back the unused diapers and formula.

For the plane I bought two blue plastic containers that have four compartments each. Each compartment holds exactly enough formula and cereal for one bottle. That is enough for eight bottles; I should be safe until we get to the store. I read the TSA rules and you are allowed to carry enough juice and formula to get to your destination. The 3 oz rule does not apply. I pray that I have a happy baby on the plane. I was always the person that was annoyed crying babies on planes. Now that I am a Mom it doesn’t bother me. I checked with our airline and you can gate check the stroller, and we will use his car seat on the plane.
 A friend of mine just made the same trip she recommended taking a few zipper storage bags to store wet clothes and dirty items in. Her baby, who normally doesn’t spit up, got really sick flying. She also recommends taking an extra shirt for Mommy and Daddy, so I will pack those in the diaper bag. I am so excited that Tristan will get to meet his West Coast family. I just hope he tolerates the heat and time change.

On a different note but kind of related, Tristan is becoming scared of strangers. His pediatrician said it was normal around 7 months. This should make him meeting all of his family who is new to him fun. I can’t wait to leave, I am a traveler at heart and I hope Tristan is too.

–Chrystal