MilSpouse Life
At seven months pregnant, I waddled over to my empty red suitcase and flipped it open. My eyes glanced over at the pile of clean laundry sitting in a basket to the left. To the right, toys and toiletries sat in another pile. I sat there for a moment staring at the mounds of belongings that needed to fit into one (very small looking) [...]
Family Travel
Military ResourcesMilitary Families: Take Your Dream Vacation With Armed Forces Vacation Club®
A huge thank you to Armed Forces Vacation Club® for sponsoring this post! For the first time in years the kids are with a babysitter and my husband and I are on vacation—alone. It’s almost like we forgot how to enjoy ourselves without the constant interruption of little voices shouting our names and little hands tugging at our [...]
Schedule / RoutineHow to Help Kids Sleep After Traveling
From something as simple as daylight savings time to something as challenging as international travel, time changes are tough adjustments for most kids. I often laugh when I struggle to even move my son’s schedule by a one hour time difference. Trying to get kids to sleep when you want is an awesome way to feel totally inept as a human [...]
Raising KidsWhat Really Goes Down on an International Flight with a 2-Year-Old
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to travel internationally with kids, you’re in the right place because I’m going to tell you. When our family first moved to Okinawa, Japan I swore up and down I was never going to leave the island until my husband’s tour was finished. It's hard to tame temper tantrums at home, let alone when [...]
How to Survive Road Trips with Babies and Toddlers
We’re a family who road trips. We live 1000 miles from family, and so far our record for driving to visit them is four times in one year. That’s 8,000 miles of road. That’s a lot of Raffi. We started the kids young -- I think the earliest long trip was a 13-hour drive to Arizona when my son was barely two months old. It’s [...]
Mom LifeTraveling with Kids? 8 Ways to Save your Sanity
So you know how vacation is supposed to be really relaxing? Then you get in the car or plane for the never-ending travel to your destination, your complaining child screaming in the background, and you are wondering what is so enticing about vacation anyway. Yep, I’ve been there. Don’t get me wrong, vacation is awesome. But sometimes [...]
8 Best Tips forInternational Travel with a Baby
Whew! We just traveled from the Midwest to Okinawa, Japan. I have to say, international travel with small children is not for the faint of heart, but it most definitely can be done. Travel with kids is tough. Travel halfway around the world is...a whole other ball game. We kept really low expectations beforehand, and when it goes well, [...]
How to Handle Road Trips with a Baby
Our family—my husband, 1 year old son, and I—took a road trip from coastal North Carolina all the way back to the Midwest, hauling a trailer. Yikes! The trailer and baby slowed our trip down immensely, and by the time it was all said and done, it nearly topped 24 hours. Road trips with a baby are tough...but it can be done! I recently [...]
How to Help Your Baby Sleep During Travel
My Baby + Sleep posts are very popular around here, so be sure to check out my Baby Sleep Series for more tips on improving sleep! Traveling with a baby or toddler can really wreak havoc on sleep for both you and your child. For the small child, new and unfamiliar environments can lead to difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. [...]
How to Take a Baby to the Beach
Summer is fast approaching, and if you live in a warmer area you may have already embarked on a trip to the beach. For all of you folks living in cooler areas, hang in there! Beach season is just around the corner. Don't let babies deter your beach going plans. Taking the baby to the beach is easier than you might think, and there are [...]
