Homeschooling =/= School at Home

We are homeschoolers.

Last year was our first *official* year of registering with a school board with the intent to homeschool. Before that my son went to kindergarten in a regular public school and before that I "home schooled" preschool (but I also owned a preschool at the time so it wasn't too much of a stretch).

Of course when we decided to homeschool we came across many different opinions of why we should not. Allowing him to be behind in academics was one concern, another was not being able to be on the sports teams within his school,  or not having access to IP programs and aides for his ADHD. The biggest concern that friends and family had (and perfect strangers for that matter), was socialization.

Socialization is such a funny concept though, because if you look at our society as a whole, the schools idea of socialization and putting children into little boxes that are all the same age group isn't really how the real world works. We mix together with children of different ages, ethnicity and backgrounds (both educational and economic). So to say that one has to go to their neighbourhood public school to be socialized is erroneous at best.

Watch: Ken Robinsons Talk on Learning Revolution

Another common misconception is the "what exactly do you teach him?" What don't I teach him? If you go to your local provinces guidelines for education outcomes you can see that the ones for elementary school are really quite basic. Some of the learning outcomes kids already know before they go into the system and others can be taught by a variety of methods outside the traditional classroom.

"But you are not a teacher!" That is right. I am not trained as a professional teacher, and I don't pretend to be. I am one of those homeschooling parents who contracts out for my kids education. I look at their strengths and weaknesses and my strengths and weaknesses and I find the ones that mesh and the ones that don't.

My son goes to a particular program that is really well suited for children with ADHD in my city, and we are so lucky that it is available. He goes to classes two days a week where the professional teachers teach math, science, social and English in a thematic based approach. (Thematics means all of the subjects together, and project based). This is a wonderful approach for a child with a short attention span who can't be bothered, or gets bored, doing worksheets. The rest of the week we have other classes. Swimming lessons for gym, piano lessons for music, and an incredible City Ecosystems class for getting outside and learning about habitats every single week. (which also means me living in my car for hours on end…)

We do have days where all we do is science experiments with kits that we have bought at Scholars Choice or from The Magic School Bus. We do math games, games for learning, games for writing, and games for reading all just for fun. Not scheduled, just thrown in whenever we have a spare time to learn. We also have days when we do nothing but play and read and learn just by living. It's this balance that is so wonderful for our family, and why I choose to continue the path that we are on.

Learning is all around you. It doesn't have to be so rigid and doing what works best for your family and your child is really all that matters in the end. So if you are thinking that homeschooling needs to look like something in order for it to work, re-evaluate and see that parenting doesn't have to look like something for it to work as each and every parent will do it differently…and that is okay too.

                                                       My Vlog about Car-schooling. :P

Corn Maze Fun for Everyone

Fall in Calgary the last couple of years has been as hot as the summer. Since the winter can drag on we try to get out and enjoy ourselves as much as we can during these warm September and October days. Finding things to do is never a problem, but we like to do things that are outside and close to home. Since the Calgary Corn Maze is only 20 mins outside of the city it was a perfect outing for our family to enjoy each other and the weather. 

Visiting the Calgary Corn Maze

We love visiting the maze, so much so that we get a seasons pass every single year. There is so much to do that we usually come at least 3 or 4 times a month, which is really well worth the value. Also, my youngest son is under 2 so he is still free. (which is always a bonus). 

The Calgary Corn Maze adds new attractions each year so my kids are always excited to try out the old and the new. Plus the maze itself changes as well. 

First thing on the agenda was to go to the "Little Kids" maze. This maze is a really fun one for both the kids and the adults. The point is to find 5 different stations and colour each one of your fingers with the chalk provided. It can change every time, and each person can have a different sequence depending on the fingers that they have chosen to colour. 

"Just one finger!!!"

This maze is small enough that you can let the kids take the lead and get "lost". One year the owners let us know that if you always went right, you would find all the stations and get out quickly (if you had small children that were melting). This maze only takes about 15-30 mins, depending on how many times you get lost and how much you allow your 4 year old to choose the route. At the end of the maze there is a big board with all the colour combinations that give you a "task" to do that corresponds. I felt it was ironic that my middle child was to "act like a wrestler." He joyfully accepted the task!

See the glint in his eyes?

After the kids corn maze we decided to check out the petting zoo. My sons love goats for some reason, and so they ran as fast as they could to their enclosure. On the way, we noticed people lining up next to the pig pen and a man came out to tell us that the piglets were going to be racing. Pig racing!! How cute! We each chose a colour and cheered on our little pigs. Pigs may be one the smartest animals on the planet - but these 4 pigs were a little slow to the gate. Green came away the winner for the first race and then for the second heat. I think this was because he was the only one not concerned with getting grass in his belly! The race after lunchtime was much more of a nail biter! 

"Here, piggy, piggy, piggy!"

We headed off to see the rest of the animals. There were bunnies, chickens, and ducks to see and they did not disappoint. My middle child spotted the "yellow ducky" race and had to challenge his older brother in a game or two (or three, or four or five - you know what? I lost count really). The duck race was really a hit. It is so neat to see as well as all it is; is a piece of pipe and an old fashioned water pump. However, this was a real draw for all of the kids there and they all really wanted to have a turn. 

"Yellow Ducky, you're the one!"

We stopped at this point to eat our lunch and play on the fabulous new playground. The Calgary Corn Maze does have a concession. It sells the regular food that you would expect. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, chips, pop, ice-cream and Popsicles. We decided that we would just brown bag it as we are vegetarian and you never know if concessions will have suitable food. I have heard that the food is really good - but I cannot comment for myself. After we had our lunch and played for a little while, the husband spotted a cow train. I have absolutely no idea how he squeezed himself in there. I had a hard time and I am only a small little lady. The sacrifices that we do for fun…I mean, our children.

Looks pretty cozy.

Since this was the first time that the husband had been to the Corn Maze with us, I wanted to show him the big maze. The kids were not as interested as there was a time when I owned my preschool that they had gotten a little traumatized by it. It was late October, it was super cold, and we were not properly dressed. We had a field trip and it was mainly little babies and their 3 year old siblings. We allowed the kids to choose the route and got incredibly lost. We walked for quite a long time before the moms started to bail out of the "emergency exits". I promised the kids that it would not happen again. (we were much more prepared and hey, daddy was with us!)

We did both phases of the maze. It was in the shape of a big gorilla and the boys liked to jump on it's head and arms etc. My husband carried the map so that we could make it out in a reasonable amount of time. (and yes, I know it was cheating). The coolest thing is that they actually have nights where you can do the maze in the dark, and if we got some childcare, we would do that for sure. Flashlights and a corn maze, how fun is that?! (unless you are Mel Gibson.) 

Running through the maze! 

Last but not least the kids visited the 3 different slides that the Corn Maze has to offer. Tip for moms - dress the kids in farm appropriate attire. The bike track, and the bouncy pillows had to be the biggest hits for my kids. Now, I am not a huge fan of these things because I like to be in control and even the dads like to double bounce whoever is on the pillows..so if you have little toddlers that want to bounce, send someone with good balance or go during a weekday when all the big kids (and dads!!) are at school/work. 

My kids spent a good half an hour on these bouncy pillows. They loved to run across them and double bounce each other - much to my dismay. But, in the end, they loved them so mommy just has to learn to let go a little bit more. 

We stayed at the Calgary Corn Maze for over 4 hours and STILL did not see all of the attractions. We had an awesome time (as always) and we will be back again for sure. 

If you want to get more information about the Calgary Corn Maze you can visit their website here or like them on Facebook.

***This was not a sponsored post - I just love this place and wanted to share it with my local readers***

Can the Cupcake or Tips for Sending Treats to School

My Son's Allergy Bracelet

It's that time again, and so the topic of sweets and schools is in the forefront. With allergies and sensitivities at an all time high, many parents do not realize that sending a treat to school can lead to disappointments and tears for a growing number of children (or worse). Who can blame these parents for wanting to send something special for a class party or a birthday? Food is one of those things that has been the center of a community for countless generations.

Switch Witch

Disappointment is something that children with allergies/sensitivities and/or food preferences are just going to have to learn at an early age. As adults we can understand fully what happens when we eat something that we should not, however, children have a real hard time understanding this especially from the ages of 3-7 when being like your peers is a daily goal. Protecting our children from disappointment is easier when they are not in daycare/preschool/school as we control the environment and/or we can distract and/or we can be prepared in advance.  For example, being the "switch witch" at Halloween you can take all the candies that your kids cannot eat and leave a toy in its place, or you can take your children to venues that have goodies that they *can* eat. It is only when the child is asked to do this self-policing that things can get a bit trickier…

As a parent with a child with food challenges here are some ideas to make the early years a bit more manageable:

Can't get any simpler than that. 

1.) Ask the teacher for a list of all the birthdays in the class. Make sure that when they land that your child has a substitute (frozen treat that they can eat) already at the school or send with the child in his/her lunch.

2.) Ask the teacher for a list of all the food sensitivities/allergies and preferences and then sign up to bring a treat and make sure that it does not have any of the trouble foods in it. Tell the other parents so that they know and are aware of the food challenges in class.

3.) Get shirts, pins, bracelets or labels to go on your children’s school items so that all the parents/teachers that see your child will know that they have food challenges. With more education comes more change.

4.) Get involved in your child’s parent council. Especially if your child has a severe allergy. Peanuts are not the only food that can kill a child, and again education is key.

5.) Consider doing a presentation or have a coffee meeting with the parents to let them know that having a heads up when they want to bring treats is preferable… sometimes parents will just keep kids from home, it  can be simpler that way.

As a parent of a child who does not have any food challenges.

Leave the Cupcakes at home.

1.) Try not to send baked goods. As much fun as it is to have the whole class celebrate with your child, baked goods are one of the most common things that all children can not eat. There will always be one child who must miss out. If it is the child with diabetes, the vegan child or the child with a dairy, egg or gluten allergy; one of them will be disappointed when everyone else gets to share in the celebration and they can not.

2.) If you really want to send baked goods, ask the teacher for a list of all the food challenges that are in the class and try to accommodate. The children may not be able to eat it anyway, with all of your efforts as cross-contamination is really easy to happen when baking, and most parents will not let their child take that risk.

Little Tree Crayons

3.) Send stickers, pencils or homemade crayons as a way to celebrate. This way the celebration can last longer than eating a cupcake in 5 seconds flat!! (and I bet the kids will treasure it more!)

4.) Make your child an extra special birthday lunch with their favourite foods. You could also make a themed lunch. Just typing into google-bento lunch and your child's favourite thing can give you a whole host of ideas to try. It will also make your child feel really special – and isn’t that the point entirely?

5.) Save the cupcake for home or the birthday party. A lot of it comes down to the parents of the other children not knowing that a treat is coming so that they can prepare accordingly. If you save the treats for the party the other parents can warn their child or have a substitute.

6.) Send fruit or vegetables. Childhood obesity is on the rise and many children do not get the proper servings of fruits and veggies needed for optimal growth, a celebration day is a great way to get them into children.

We don’t have to take food completely out of celebrations to make everyone happy, but we can choose other things to make it a more inclusionary practice. There are many different ways that we can dress up good allergen free foods to make them fun too. It just takes a little more creativity and some time…time you have when you are not icing 24 cupcakes. 

It's even Vegetarian!

A Hidden Gem - Patterson Springs Farm

Big Sky

If there is one thing I like to do it is going on outing with my kids. The more we go out the less mess that they can make inside my house and the less work I have in the long run! After a long vacation and even longer car rides back I was excited to see that my friend Lindsie, who runs Patterson Springs Farm with her mom, was having a farm play day!

My Yummy CSA

I already love Patterson Springs Farm for the yummy CSA that I get each week and wanted to show the boys exactly where their food comes from. I called it homeschooling - and my husband called it an excuse to visit my friends. Can't argue with that - it is really the best of both worlds.

When we got there after a short drive from southeast Calgary, we were instantly surrounded by an idyllic setting. I have always wanted my kids to grow up in the country - but we honestly can't afford it and I honestly don't think I could handle the work of running a farm by myself for the most part. Being able to go to Patterson Springs and just walk around the property and explore is a really nice treat.

Rock Staircase up to the Garden

Since it was the Farm Play Day (which they have once a month) there were plenty of other mothers around to talk with and for the kids to play with. Since it was a nice day the moms had just put their blankets on the lawn and were having a picnic. We packed our lunch too, so we just joined right in.

After lunch, Lindise took us on a tour of the upper garden. It was really cool to see where all the vegetables that we get from our CSA come from. And sadly, my boys did not recognise that this garden was food. It was a great learning opportunity where I was able to get down at their level and show them what a carrot and an onion look like while still growing in the ground. The kids especially loved the sunflowers and played around them for a couple moments before heading to the bees.

Sunflowers surrounding the Veggies

Lindsie showing off her Bees! 

My son holding a piece of honeycomb.

I am not a huge fan of bees as I am afraid of being stung, but I appreciate how important they are for pollination and for food production in general. (not to mention for the honey). Lindsie carefully separated the comb so that the kids could see where honey comes from. My kids were enthralled. My eldest one loved seeing all the hexagons inside the honeycomb and took a piece home for his nature collection.



After we had seen the bees the kids ran down to visit the animals. We buy our eggs from Patterson Springs as well so the kids wanted to help feed the chickens. We had an impromptu lesson on why not to put your fingers in the cage for too long! The chickens wanted a taste of my little ones fingers!! It was so funny to see the surprised look on his face!

Careful not to get your fingers nipped!

The kids really enjoyed feeding the animals and the highlight of the day was when my middle child was able to feed the goats. These are his favorite animal and they were so friendly and trying very hard to say hello. We spent some time down by the animals as the kids just wanted to keep feeding them. Once they were done we headed back up to the farmhouse for a potty break, and a snack.

This goat was hilarious.

Magic Show

While having our snack Lindsie's son shared his magic tricks with us. He is my oldest son's best friend and so they were happy to be the magician and assistant for the duration of the show. Another friend of Lindsie's shared a Waldorf inspired puppet show with the kids about fall after the magic show. I was surprised how my kids sat so quietly and attentively for this soft, beautiful performance.

The Yurt

We ended the day by grabbing some more snacks in the Yurt (which is used much more in the Winter Farm Play Day's as it has a fireplace). The adults chatted while the kids played inside and outside until their hearts content.

As we left Patterson Springs, I felt a sense of gratitude that these ladies open up their home once a month to share it with city dwellers to get away from the hustle if only for a day.

For more information visit www.pattersonspringsfarm.com or like them on facebook.

Lindsie and Lousie (mom&daughter) owners of the farm.

*This is not a sponsored post - all opinions are my own.*

He and ADHD

My son was diagnosed with ADHD.

Lego Ninjago

How many times have you read that? Many I suppose. It's not like it is some new age diagnosis that has been over diagnosed by pediatricians that have no idea what they are really talking about since it is a brain thing - and not a body thing - or is it both?

The point is that yes, many kids have it.

It's not a death sentence. Its not something that can be cured. It's not something that needs to be worn on the sleeve if his shirt to let everyone know that hey, he may be a little different. It's not an excuse for bad behaviour. It's not an excuse for any behaviour at all.

It's the way he thinks. It's in his DNA. In his brain chemistry. And yes, some if the behaviours that are symptoms can be hard to deal with for me. But they are also hard for him. He doesn't think like me. He doesn't understand some social cues. He doesn't understand personal space. He doesn't understand why his playing really loudly can sometimes cause adults to be irritated - he doesn't realize that he is doing it. And he isn't doing it on purpose.

I can tell him a million times that he needs to "be quiet" or that he must "calm down" or "stop moving" but that isn't going to make him stop. It will just make me more frustrated. It will also hurt his self esteem. But I will still do it. I am only human. 

Loves to Learn! 

The worst part about ADHD is that these kids are smart. Not just book smart, but smart beyond their years. They are creative, and think outside the box. They are leaders, forward thinkers and trail blazers. They take risks. (this may be because they lack the executive functioning not to think about risk, before they take them... But this is beside the point.)

The reason why this is bad is because you, the parent, the teacher, the adult can forget so quickly that these children are different and your expectations of them will be off. You will expect more of them than needs to be expected - and that isn't fair to him and it certainly isn't fair to you.
But life isn't fair. 

The best thing I can do is educate myself and continue to ask questions. Try to view the world from his eyes. Try to remind myself daily that he isn't like his brothers and to stop comparing them. To see them as individuals with different strengths and weaknesses - not better nor different - but unique to them. 

Inquisitive

It has taken me a long time to write this post. We knew that he was a challenge when he was younger and had flags go up as he progressed in school. Why such a bright kid was having so many problems, we knew it was coming. I didn't want to know - and even now am wary of the diagnosis as it is a label..and who really wants the label good or bad or indifferent? 

But I need to own it. To be an advocate for him and for our whole family. To learn and share my knowledge to other families going through the same thing but maybe not as vocal as me.. (who is) who maybe don't have the same background as me and maybe don't know what questions to ask. 

I struggled when they gave me the 12 page report that outlined all the tests and issues and suggestions and considerations about my son. But you know what? Its just a piece of paper. He is who he is for a reason. It is my job as his mom to give him the tools to be the best that he can be just by being himself.
                                                

I love this boy!!

**update Aug 31 - After writing my blog I recieved some comments and so I decided to compose a Vlog for you. (sorry for the lighting and the crappy quality - working on it)

Calgary all the way to Winnipeg

5 mins into the Epic Journey

In my last two blog posts I explained that my husband and I were taking our 3 sons across Canada in an epic 5 day roadtrip to get to the cottage. I explained how to pack your suitcase to save time and stress and also what to pack for entertainment in the car. Make sure that you check them out if you haven't already.

The thing is that we actually didn't take the full five days - we gunned it and made it in 2 and a half. (no speeding).

We started the trip early at about 6am leaving our house in the far south of the city of Calgary and of course we had to go back not once but twice to double check and grab last minute forgotten items...we then stopped at our local Starbucks to grab coffee and a chai (a must need for early mornings in our family) and finally set off at about 7am.

Where is Dora?!

Our first stop and pee break was at Medicine Hat where we saw the "largest" tpee in the world. My middle son was incredibly disapointed that it wasn't the largest TV as we had promised. After being thoughougly unimpressed we continued on until we hit Moose Jaw.

The Front of the Moose - on purpose! 

I remember seeing that moose as a child but thinking that it was much bigger than it actually was. We lined up the kids for the obligatory tourist picture and my oldest commented that the moose had gigantic testicles!! (the funny part is that I remembered noticing that as a kid too - why exactly does a plaster moose need them? - especially when it is missing its penis)

We got back on the road and headed to Regina. By the time we entered the city it was only 3 o'clock and the thought of staying in a hotel and waiting until the kids fell asleep at 10pm (at the earliest) was more petrifying than just continuing on. I called the hotel to cancel our reservation and we continued on to Manitoba.

Cute little grain elevators in Saskatchewan.

We made a quick pit stop for a pee and a bag of chips in a small town 2 hours out of Brandon. The kids had the DVD player on by this point and we were listening to episode after episode of Ninjago. I am not a huge fan of media for my kids but in this case the quiet was worth it. We powered through to Brandon Manitoba and stopped for our final break at the Quiznos on the highway.

I know that I have said before that we are vegetarians, but more of the problem with food is actually the cheese. Both my oldest son and I are allergic to dairy and so most vegetarian options are out fr us when travelling. We decided to just get turkey subs for the kids so there would be some protien and I grilled the clerks on what was vegan and what wasn't. I think that they may have thought that I was speaking a completely different language. By this time my husband had really had it and we had been driving for over 15 hours. I told the clerks as much and tried to get the kids fed and to the bathroom with as little drama as possible. There may have been some tears and some sharp words exchanged.... But this being the one time people were showing signs of stress we decided to put the kids jammies on and make a reservation in a hotel in Winnipeg.

15 hours in the van and he is still smiling.

It got dark rather soon after we started driving again and the kids were really unhappy that we had turned the DVD player off and rudely expected them to go to sleep. (sleep?! What is that?!)

In classic kid fashion both the littles fell asleep an hour outside of Winnipeg and I bribed the oldest to be quiet with a "surprise" for the trip in the morning. We pulled in, took the dog for a pee, my husband took the bags and the dog and the oldest and put him to bed and came back down to help carry child #3 while I carried #2.

We made it!!! 

We walked as fast as we could through the lobby, prayed that the elevator didn't wake them. Put them into their beds and as quiet as mice we slipped out of our clothes into our pjs and crept in beside them.

We work really well as a team in instinces like that. (any other time - not so much).

Stay tuned for the second part of this blog - Winnipeg to Sault Ste. Marie.


***update - since it was a crazy trip there and an even crazier trip back - the second day is all blurry so not sure when I will be able to blog about it***

How to Pack for a Roadtrip - Part Two

In my last post I explained how I packed the suitcase for our 5 day trek across Canada. Today I am going to talk entertainment. 3 kids, all boys, 7, 4 and 2 stuck in a van for a minimum of 6 hrs a day to a maximum of 10…you need to be prepared! (addendum *we ended up driving right through so it was 3 days with a minimum of 5 hours to a maximum 18 hours *)

1. Go shopping in your house first.

Nothing new is in this picture.

You can be surprised about how much stuff you can find in your own craft room (or cupboard). Pipe cleaners, pom poms, crayons, paper, beads and the like can be used for various activities and will save you time and money that you can put towards other parts of our vacation.
Many moms will pick up books when they are on sale and then put them away for a rainy day. A rainy day or a full day in the car are basically the same thing. Use up old workbooks, activity books, colouring books, even pull out the pages if it is half done. You can make up your own activity books by using these pages and a stapler. Put crayons or markers into a sandwich bag and also connect it to the book with a staple or a ring, this will help immensely in the car or van.

2. Pack supplies separately.

Separate Bags

Count how many days that you are going and think about how many hours that you will be in the car each day. With any road trip there are long days and there are short days, so for the long days make sure that you have more things in that particular bag. Since we went on a 5 day road trip I packed 6 different bags filled with colouring books, toys, etc. Check out this vlog to see some examples. The reason why I packed 6 bags was because the last bag was full of the emergency stuff that came out in the last hour of the road trip when all other things had been used and thrown on the floor in frustration. Make sure when the kids are done playing with the item that you put it back into a bag and then put it away for the trip back or for another day.

3. Make sure you have novel items that you know they really enjoy.

Ninjago, a Starwars Fan, Non-Spill Bubbles and a flash toy.

At the beginning of each day give the kids a new item like a book, or something to colour etc. If they start to act out, or become bored take a pee break, or a snack break and try again. If they really seem bored bring out a novel item and you should be able to get another hour out of them. I let my kids pick a couple toys that I wouldn't regularly buy and then saved them for when the started to get squirlley.

4. Use your imagination - or theirs.

Distraction is really key when it comes to long road trips and if you find that the kids are melting ask them to see if they can see a cow, or a semi truck or a piece of scenery and ask them about it. Kids want your attention on a good day and even more when trapped in a car. Play "I spy", or make up silly songs, or even get each person to say one sentence of a story and see how long you can go.

5. Don't rely too heavily on electronics.

Must Haves.

Notice that I didn't say not to use them. Electronics in the car are really great to make it through a rough patch. We had a rule that the DVD player did not come on until after lunch. We would wake up at 5am and get on the road by 6am. We would have lunch by 1pm and if the kids seemed like they needed a bit of a break we would let them watch a movie that they had never seen before. It worked really well for us. (we also chose movies that we knew they would really like).

6. Use the trip as part of the vacation.

We visited Winnie the Pooh!

Depending on how your kids are you could use the road trip as part of the vacation. Many little towns and big cities have really interesting points of interest and really cool playgrounds to check out. Do your research before hand and see what is available. You could also use the information of the places you visit as a history lesson. Kids love to see these kitchy things and any opportunity to stretch your legs is a good one. Of course, if you are insane like us you may decide just to drive through if your kids are in good spirits. (we went from Calgary, Alberta to Sudbury, Ontario in 2 nights 3 days)

7. When all else fails….

In case of Emergency.

You know your kids best. I brought Jelly Belly's and gave them out whenever the littlest was having a meltdown. I am not a big fan of candy for a little guy like him, but it distracted him until we made it to the next town. I also programmed my iPod with games that the kids would like to play. This is a road trip and a vacation and sometimes you just have to think on your feet! We also have stopped at a walmart to get the kids out and buy a new little lego set - just because we knew that it would keep them happy until the next stop.

This system really works well for us. Another couple tips that I would suggest is pack a lot of snack foods (healthy) and make sure that you feed and water your kids regularly. I gave my oldest son his own cooler and packed it each morning so that he could help himself and I would not have to throw granola bars at him in hopes that he would catch them. (hoping that they wouldn't fall to the floor)

Great Investment.

Speaking of not dropping things on the floor... The last tip I would say is to get some thing for them to put on their lap. We bought the Star Kids Travel Trays and they were really invaluable. I was able to pack all of the items for the day (keeping a couple really special things up front with you.) That way you can also place all the other bags in the seat backs or in the trunk to free up your floor space.

Road trips are a great way to make precious memories for your family. Do you have any tips or tricks that your family does to make it more enjoyable for the whole family?

How to Pack for a Roadtrip - Part One

About a year and a half ago we traveled to Arizona. The kids were 5, 3 and 1 and it was 4 long days in the car. Long, long days. We had said that if we made it through alive that we would consider going out East to the family cottage. That time is now upon us as I am busy packing for 5 full days in the car all the way to Ontario.

We will be driving for a minimum of 6 hours each day to a maximum of 10…which is a bit ridiculous. We will be driving our Honda Oddessy completely packed to the roof with all we will need for a month. Remembering that this is Canada and the weather can go from stifling hot 34c to a mere 5c in the summer. (depending where you are).

She is so cute!

Did I mention that we will also be bringing our 3 year old German Shepard Rotti (mutt)? She will be seat-belted in next to Special K so that means that I won't be able to utilize the stow and go. Everything has to be packed correctly.

I learned a couple tips and tricks from travelling to Arizona and I thought, why not share them with the world? I mean, it made my life easier… so maybe it will do the same for you.

Let's start with the suitcase.

1. Use a separate suitcase for the adults and either give each child a suitcase (like a …..) or just put them all in one. 

I chose to put all the boys together in one suitcase because they are still small people. I also wanted to make sure that we still had the space for snacks and activities as a few of the days will be really long and boring. Once the kids are older I will probably give the oldest his own suitcase and then the littler guys will share one.

2. Buy Ziploc Freezer Bags. 

A diaper, t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

This is the best idea ever. What I do is pack a full outfit in each freezer bag and then label it. So if we have the baby for example; he has a diaper (using disposables on the trip for ease and limited space), shorts, and a t shirt. Then I mark it with his name and write "shorts" on it. If it is a bag with long pants, it will also have a diaper, a long sleeved shirt and socks. It will again have his name on it and the words "pants". Pretty self explanatory.

Name and what is inside.

3 swimsuits in one bag.

It doesn't stop there. I also packed 2 pairs of pajamas for each boy, a warm pair and a cold pair, and put them in a ziploc. Each hotel that we are stopping at has a pool (a must have) so I took three ziploc and put 3 swimsuits in each of them. So when we stop at the hotel we can just grab the pajama bag, one swimsuit bag and one of the clothing bags and leave the suitcases in the van. (Don't forget to bring a backpack or smaller bag for this.)

All 3 rain-pants are in a ziploc, as well as all 3 pairs of water shoes and runners are in separate ones.

3. Think before you pack. 

Left the hoodies out so you can see.

I placed the pajamas in the front so that we can grab them right away and they stay separate from everything else. The swimsuits, swim diapers, and water wings are in the lid (is that what they call that part?).  The two bags each that the boys have containing the long pants etc, are in a separate mesh pocket (probably meant for socks and undies). I changed this from last time as we were always searching through the suitcase trying to find the bag with long pants - so now they will be much easier to find. The last mesh pocket has the bag with the rain pants and rain jackets in it.

Rubber boots at the very bottom. The shoe bags go next. All the rest of the bags are just placed in the suitcase on top. I divided it into 3 so all of Special K's are on the left, R's are in the middle and the Baby's are on the right. (they will inevitably get mixed up by day 3, but that is why separate suitcases would be great too.)

Last but not least I put their hoodies on the very top so that we have access to them right away if the weather is cooler. I also have a bag with the outfit that they will be wearing on Day 1 when we leave. I did this so that it was something that would match the other outfits and so that they wouldn't wear it the day before or something!

4. What goes in must come out! 

I already mentioned bringing a different smaller bag just to take the pajamas, swimsuits and tomorrows clothes in, but you also need somewhere to put all that dirty laundry. Yes, the clothes can go back into their bags, but you don't want to put them into the suitcase or the dirty and clean will get mixed up and that isn't helpful at all! Bring an extra bag (I am using my cloth diaper wet bag), something small and that doesn't take up much room. It can still be in the suitcase (and I would place it to one side) but it is more of a divider than anything.

Well, that it is it! Stayed tuned for two more posts on how and what to pack for entertainment, and how to pack the van for optimum space and comfort for everyone. :)

Happy Travelling! Do you have any tips to share?