Winter Holiday Travel Guide: Part 4

Welcome to Part 4 of The Undomestic Mommy’s Winter Holiday Travel Guide. You can find the rest of the series here.

For my final post (and belated, but it’s one that is useful all the time) in my Winter Holiday Travel Guide Series, I’m going to post some of my favorite ways to combat the Are-We-There-Yet Blues, because seriously, that shit is like nails on a chalkboard. So, without further ado, here is my list of tips and tricks for much less annoying more peaceful travel with children:

• One Word: Snacks – Never ever ever EVER think that feeding your munchkin right before the 1+ hour trip will be enough because they still may whine of hunger as if you haven’t feed them in a week anyway (possibly because they cannot think of anything else to complain about at that moment).  And planning ahead and packing snacks also has the added benefit of putting you in control of the nutritional value of the snack rather than leaving your options limited to fast food or whatever you can find at the gas station.
• Crafty Stuff – Obviously don’t bring stuff that involves a ton of tiny pieces and glitter is likely to lead to disaster.  Do bring coloring books, crayons, markers, etc. though.  You may also wants to get one of those lap desk type things too, with the squishy bottom and hard top, to avoid the frustration of coloring on a non hard surface.
• Books – This can keep children, especially more proficient readers capable of reading longer books, busy for quite awhile, BUT you may want to consider having them put on Sea Bands first if they get motion sickness or if you are unsure if they do because reading in the car is the most miserable thing ever for someone with motion sickness.
• Movies – Preferably one they haven’t seen yet (bonus points if it’s something they really really really want to see).  Built in DVD players are an amazing feature!  And for all you Wisconsinites in the market for a new vehicle and considering this option you can check out a new Chrysler Town & Country S Van or other DVD equipped vehicle from Sheboygan Chrysler of WI.

Have yourself a safe and happy winter, stay warm, and be sure you check out the rest of my Winter Holiday Travel Guides!

*This is a sponsored post, but all opinions and ideas expressed are 100% mine.*

Puppy Bowl Gift Pack **GIVEAWAY** {ENDS Jan. 24, 2014}

Confession time: I’m a Seahawks fan. So obviously I’m thrilled with how last nights game went!  But I’m also super excited for the uber cuteness that is Animal Planet’s annual Puppy Bowl!!!  What’s not to love about a bunch of cute puppies playing while some guy blows a whistle at them (which none of them care about at all)!  Plus the kitten half-time show is beyond cute!!!  And now Animal Planet has a bunch of Puppy Bowl themed merchandise for your favorite pooch to wear/play with/use! (also available at Petco)  And it gets even BETTER!  Because I love you all so much* one lucky reader of The Undomestic Mommy will win the Puppy Bowl gift set pictured above!

To Enter, Fill Out THIS FORM!

 

*And also because Animal Planet has provided me with a gift pack to giveaway on my blog.

 

 

Winter Holiday Travel Guide: Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of The Undomestic Mommy’s Winter Holiday Travel Guide. You can find the rest of the series here.

Part 3 of my Winter Holiday Travel Guide will be focused on being prepared for emergencies when driving in the winter, since we all know that even small issues on the road are amplified when you add kids to the equation! Think breaking down is bad? Try doing it with whining kids!

• Pack All Your Winter Gear– For every person in your vehicle.  Seriously, I don’t care if you are all in formal attire, if you end up in the ditch or you break down, theres a good chance you won’t be able to run your car, and even if you can, you only have so much gas to do that with.  And depending on your location, time of day, and weather conditions, you could be there awhile before help arrives, and the last thing you want to add to such a stressful situation is cold kids.
• Keep Phones Charged– Calling for help is a billion times easier with the modern convenience of a cell phone than using smoke signals.
• Stock Your First Aid Kit– Not just for the above mentioned emergency scenarios, but also for the kid who needs a band-aid like NOW! for the imaginary boo boo they all seem to get so often.
• Bring Snacks– Again, for the reasons given for the winter gear, you should bring snacks, because no one wants to see the kids go all cabin fever on each other because they had to wait in the car for fifteen minutes lifetimes.

There are plenty of others I’m sure I’ve missed here but these are the basics.  Another helpful option, if possible for your family, is to get a vehicle with OnStar to help get assistance to you ASAP when you need it, like in the new Chevy Tahoe LTZ (which my fellow Wisconsinites can check out at Lynch Chevy of Kenosha).  Whatever you do, stay safe out there and slow down, for your family’s, and everyone else’s, sake.

*This is a sponsored post, but all opinions and ideas expressed are 100% mine.*

Winter Holiday Travel Guide: Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of The Undomestic Mommy’s Winter Holiday Travel Guide. You can find the rest of the series here.

For most of us, holiday travel is a must! Especially for those of us with kiddos that everyone wants to see! (And let’s be honest, they really are the only ones people really care about seeing, lol.) I don’t know about all of you guys, but I never felt more pressure to make appearances at so many holiday get togethers with family than I do now with little ones. It’s akin to right after you have a baby and everyone comes to visit to see your cute new baby; meanwhile you’re in the background all like, “yup, I just gave birth to another human being, but I’m totally fine, thanks for NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO ASK!” So before kids, no one really questioned it when I didn’t show up, but now it’s like, “you better be there so we can see (i.e. feed all the sugary treats we have to right before you leave) those girls of yours! In a cruel twist of irony, once you have kids it also becomes much more stressful to travel, especially in the winter! For those of you in Wisconsin like me, or in any of the other northern states that get snow, you know this all too well. So I’ve decided to put together a short list of some essential tasks/considerations that can help put your mind a little more at ease when it comes time to brave those winter roads this year.

• Make Sure You Have Good Tires– I’m not exactly sure about the mechanics of tires and the difference between their designs, but from experience I can tell you that snow tires are your friend.  And be careful about all-weather tires because even those typically have a certain weather type the work considerably better in.  Case in point, my Alero had all-weather tires but they were more geared toward rain than anything else, which they handled great in, but snow?  OMG it was a nightmare!  So make sure you have the right tires and you can save yourself from a potential piss-your-pants moment later.
• Make Sure You Have Good Working Breaks– This is an obvious one that, obviously, always applies.
• If You Can Get A 4-Wheel-Drive Vehicle, Seriously Consider It– We used to own a big pick-up truck, and the 4WD handled sooooo much better in the snow than any 2WD vehicle I’ve ever driven.  And for those of you here in Wisconsin in the market for a new vehicle, you can check out some of the new 4WD vehicles like the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra at the Sheboygan Chevy Dealership.
• Make Sure You Have Your Registration & Insurance Info– You never know what might happen out there that may cause you to need it, and additionally, you are required to have your insurance information in the vehicle or on your person when you are driving on a Wisconsin roadway.  It is also important to be familiar with your insurance’s policy regarding things like towing, which you’re more likely to need in Winter.

This list is far from all inclusive, but it covers a few very important basics.  Have a safe and happy holidays, and be sure to check out the rest of my Winter Holiday Travel Guides!

*This is a sponsored post, but all opinions and ideas expressed are 100% mine.*

Winter Holiday Travel Guide: Part 1

Welcome to Part 1 of The Undomestic Mommy’s Winter Holiday Travel Guide. You can find the rest of the series here.

We all just made it through the first big holiday of the season, Thanksgiving, and hopefully all in one piece and with our sanity in tact! Lol. But for most of us that is merely the beginning of our holiday travels and many of us will be doing a ton of running around and going from one relative’s home to another. And with so much running around, and most likely staying with family for at least a night or two, it’s important that you have properly packed, so today I’m going to give you all some of my tips and tricks for packing when you’re traveling with kids.

• Get/Make a List- I cannot stress this enough!  This is my number one tip by far and it’s a life saver.  There are some really great pre-made lists online you can find by just doing a quick google search for ‘kids packing list’ which at the least are a good place to start.  Making your own has it’s benefits as well.  You can either write it on paper, which is great for adding things to on the fly when you think of them, or make an electronic version on your computer or smart phone (there’s an app for that…a lot of them) which is great for those who like to categorize things/get a little neurotic about how your lists look.
• Bring The List With You- Because you’ll have to repack all that stuff before you leave and this way you hopefully won’t forget anything.
• Pack Extra Clothes- Not just for the kids who are liable to get wet/dirty and need three outfits every. single. day. but for you too, especially for those who will be heading to states that get snow, like up here in Wisconsin, because regardless of what the weatherman, who is ~*nEvEr*~ wrong, says, there is a chance you may be staying longer than planned due to a blizzard.
• Hold Off On A Lot Of Toys- If it’s within a couple days of Christmas and your kiddos will be getting gifts, keep that in mind when you are deciding how many toys you allow your child to bring.  It ends up being a lot to keep track of and will most likely all be ignored in favor of the novelty of brand new toys they get.
• If In Doubt, Pack It- This is my personal rule since if I think about bringing something and don’t I almost always need it (which is why my purse is heavy enough to use as a weapon).

The longer you will be staying the more you inevitable need to bring along.  As much as a hassle it is, and how tempting cutting corners may be, it’s worth it to err on the side of caution and over pack (within reason) than it is to under pack.  This requires you to have ample cargo room in your vehicle, which is definitely easiest with a van or SUV (personally I prefer a van as far as ease of getting kids in and out goes).  And if any of you fellow Wisconsinites are looking to yourselves a new or used vehicle, like a Honda Odyssey mini-van perhaps, you could check out David Hobbs Honda out in Glendale, WI.

Have yourself a safe and happy holidays, and be sure you check back here for the rest of my Winter Holiday Travel Guides!

*This is a sponsored post, but all opinions and ideas expressed are 100% mine.*

 

Lovable Labels Black Friday Sale!

Back to School Allergy Tips

I don’t know about you all but at my house fall is the worst allergy season and it’s always thrown a wrench into the back-to-school adjustment period, and my girls have my allergies too.  So I’m going to take the advice from the allergy medication brand I trust most: Children’s Claritin!

Children’s Claritin Back-to-School Allergy Tips

1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!

2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multi-vitamin part of your

child’s daily routine.

3. Let there be light! Mold doesn’t like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy

during the summer months!

4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow

your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.

5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing

machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.

6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days

can be particularly high in pollen.

7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens

from body surfaces and hair.

8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the

day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.

9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the

day.

 

 

*Disclosure: As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.*

Lovable Labels SPOOKTACULAR Sale! *sponsored*

The Heat Wave Is Over!

Finally!!!!

First Look at Trailer for The Delivery Man!!