How To Survive Traveling With Your Family With Most Of Your Marbles.

In the weeks leading up to our last trip across the world to Melbourne, Australia, every time I thought about the 29-hours of flying, coupled with being away from home for 21 days, I could barely sit down I was so riddled with anxiety. As a result, I spent weeks leading up to the trip planning, prepping and organizing like a crazy person. 

In order to alleviate some of that anxiety, I made preparing for my son's needs on our journey my first order of business. And... Well...  I TOTALLY overdid it. In an effort to save you the same overthinking, preparing and worrying, below are my, 5 Sanity Saving Tips For Family Travel.

1. Choose Your Seats Wisely: Seat choice is crucial when flying with your family, especially if you don't want to sit anywhere near them! (Kidding... Kind of...) The goal when flying with your family is to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible, and of course, the ever important window seat is crucial for entertaining your child in flight. If you are flying a carrier that does not offer early seat selection, call the airline and inform them that you are flying as a family and see what your options are. The seats could make or break your journey, so make sure you get the best ones you can!

2. FOOD! Food is essential. In fact, it is the one thing that should be considered if nothing else when prepping for family travel. My rule of thumb is to consider how many meals, including snacks, we will need, and then pack accordingly. TIP: Make sure to pack plenty of healthy, low-sugar snacks.

3. Child-size Pillow and blanket--Even when flying, most long haul flights provide each passenger with a blanket, but it's more like an oversized paper towel. The pillow is laughable, at best. The last thing you want on a flight or long car ride is a freezing child. Plus, you'll have way more luck settling a child into a favorite blanket than a paper towel or your jacket. TIP: When flying, the pillow is EPIC for keeping your child's head and your arm comfy. Trust me, smashed up against the side of a plane holding a sleeping child is a recipe for a numb sore arm.

 **Photo: Ollie passed out at LAX waiting for the connection to Melbourne, Australia. 

4. Let your kid pack their bag. Explain that ONLY the things that fit in the bag can go, so choose their favorite things. Once your child has finished packing, throw in a favorite book, crayons and a coloring book, if not already packed. The bag is "THEIR BAG" to look after and dive into during downtime. 

5. Pack light and limit carry-on. It's hard enough navigating a large airport with a child in-tow, it's another to do it with six bags! If at all possible, pick an airline that allows the first bag to fly free, or, consider the idea of paying to check one large bag, especially if you have multiple connections. 

BONUS TIP: Pack as light as possible. You will buy plenty along your travels and will need room in your luggage to bring things home. 

10 Spring Inspired Money-Saving Life Hacks

We are a family that lives by our budget, and when I can squeeze it a little more, I do. Being that I'm a first-time parent, I feel like each season we start over with buying new clothes and season appropriate toys and snacks, all can be big budget busters. So, for today's top 10 Tuesday, I'm sharing a few of my favorite ways to save big on Kid's things for spring... and summer too!

1. Make a list: I learned very early that kids do not need half as much stuff as I think they do. Before my baby was born, he had enough clothes to go a month without wearing a new outfit. Most of which, he never wore because he grew too fast! I quickly learned that I need to make a reasonable list of what I actually needed for my son, taking into account mid-season growth spurts! I cannot recommend this enough, make a list of the number of shorts, shirts, and shoes that you actually need to start the season, also include seasonal toys and future big buys like bicycles, ride on toys or backyard trampoline if you're brave enough. Having a list early will allow you to do online shopping for better deals as well as put feelers out with your family to look for things on sale.

2. Shred those winter clothes: When it comes to outside playtime, kids get to get dirty, so the last thing you want them to do is grime-up the nice new clothes. Go through those winter clothes that have holes in the knees or tears in the sleeves, and cut them off to make shorts and t-shirts. Then, deem those play clothes so you won't cry when you can't get the grass or ketchup stains out.

3. Borrow Budget Busters: For those one-off family portraits or special occasions where you normally end up buying an incredibly expensive outfit, your child will most likely only wear once, check out Etsy, eBay, and your friend's closets before paying full price for anything.

4. Secondhand Shops: Places like Once Upon A Child and other children's secondhand shops are full of clothes and everything else you need to cover an entire winter or summer wardrobe, for under $20. (Shoes too! Did you know Crocs are machine washable?)

5. Facebook Finds: Every city has at least one Facebook mommy group that has clothes exchanges and lists where big family sales are taking place. To find them, on your Facebook page ask your friends if they know of any great mommy groups on Facebook. I bet you'll get plenty of replies!

6. Garage Sale Heaven: Garage sales are a great place to pick up those big toys that people want to get rid of because they take too much space, but you desperately need because it's time for your toddler to start riding a bike. On Fridays, go to Craigslist, or wherever your city list garage sales, and find ones close by. Look for multi-family sales then grab a friend and some coffee and start shopping!

7. Discount Dealers: I love Groupon, ZuLily, Plum District, Living Social, Overstock, and other sites that can offer great things at a huge discount. All will be fighting for attention this season, so capitalize on it!  Most are even offering free shipping on the smallest orders.

8. Daily Deals: Did you know there are hundreds of websites that crawl the Internet daily for the best online daily deals? They do, and then list them in an easy to search format so you can quickly search for items on your must-have list. My favorite is DealNews.com.

9. DIY For Family Health: When it comes to springtime treats and healthy fruit snacks, the budget can bust very quickly. I make our Popsicles, grow our fruit and cut out juice and soda, we are water drinkers during the warm months. If you have a sunny spot in your yard, patio or balcony, you have a place to grow your own fruit! Did you know strawberries grow well in a pot? Go to your local nursery and ask for help finding the right fruits to grow for where you live (Grower's Zone).

For a total of $20 I have strawberry plants, blueberries and grapes thriving in pots and around my yard. The best part is that I can use that fruit to make Popsicles! (For my Posicle DIY post, Click here.)

10. Price Shop From Home.  There are way too many apps and websites available today that make price comparison shopping from home a breeze. Gone are the days of driving from store to store or waiting for the Sunday Paper deals. Pull out the list you made of spring must-haves and start going through each item online and list where the best deal is, for that item. Once you've gone through your list, check the entire list for stores that overlap to save you a bundle on shipping and time. Between the coupon apps and the compare-and-save apps, there is no reason to pay full price anymore.

If you have any great tips, please leave a comment below, or join my Facebook discussion, here. 

The 19 Safest Sunscreens For Kids + Sensitive Skin #SpringBreak #Travel

WhooHoo! It's time to start talking spring, family vacations, sun, fun, and sunscreen! Thank goodness, too. #SoOverWinter

If you've been a long time reader, then you know, I was diagnosed with skin cancer at 22 years-old. As a child growing up in Miami, the sun was a part of life. What wasn't a part of my life was, sunscreen. My sensitive skin would burn from the first drop of the PABA loaded, chemical concoctions that doubled as sunscreen in the early eighties. My mom tried to keep me out of the sun, but in south Florida, it was pretty much impossible.

Now that I'm a mother, and totally freaked out about my son having the same skin issues I do, I am the queen of safe fun in the sun.

5 Disney Tips Everyone Should Know

Doing Disney In One Day? Read This First

Last year, FTD, Ollie and I were challenged to do Disney in one day. We had three free ‘one-day hopper’ passes allowing us to visit each of the four parks; Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood studios. Needless to say, with a complimentary hotel stay and Disney passes, we would have been fools to pass it up. 

Saturday morning, we arrived at Hollywood Studios prepared for a long day of epic fun. Since the boys were desperate to see the new Star Wars attractions, specifically the Star Wars Star Tours ride, we made it our first Fast Pass, which, allowed us to skip the line and go right to the front! 

As we stepped off the ride, minds fully blown, FTD and I looked at each other, giddy with excitement; this was going to be a magical day, no doubt about it. We had the game plan to fast pass and fast track ourselves from one park to the next. Which, we did. But. In doing so, we learned a few very valuable lessons, starting with, never ever do Disney in one day again. 

Below are five lessons learned. 

Make a realistic wish list. A.k.a This is not about you, it’s about your child. We drug that poor child from pillar to post. Luckily, he was in a stroller for half of it. Still, I was so focused on using our fast passes and seeing as much as possible, that I sort of lost sight at times of the ultimate goal, letting my son experience as much of the magic of Disney as possible. Setting realistic goals and putting your wish list aside, to let your child’s wish list shine, will, in the end, prove to be the very best thing, for all involved. (Keep reading to see why)  

Bring a stroller.  You can rent them for $15 a day, but you can’t take it from park-to-park. Which, can be trying when transferring buses to go from park-to-park. 

BRING SNACKS AND WATER! You are more than welcome to bring your own snacks and water to Disney. DO THIS. Or, pay stupid prices for soft pretzels and ice cream. Sure, it’s the experience, but with the insane amount of crap available, you’ll surely find other things to spend ALL of your money on.

Plan your Fast Passes the night before. Did you know, you can download the Disney Experience App, add your tickets and plan out your first three rides or attractions before even stepping foot in the park? DO THIS!

We were able to plan our Star Wars attack the night before. Which, took a huge weight off my shoulders. The boys were desperate to see the Star Wars Star Tours ride and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. In a matter of minutes, I reserved our spots on both rides. I also went ahead and got a seat for the Aerosmith Rock ‘n Roller coaster. (DO THAT!) TIP: Tag team with fast passes so both parents can ride the rides the kids are too short or scared to ride.

Pick a park, or two… not three or four. Even though we proved visiting all four parks in one day can be done, it’s definitely NOT a good idea. In fact, It’s a horrible idea. DON’T DO THIS. We basically managed to see 60% of Hollywood, 40% of Animal Kingdom, 20% of Magic Kingdom and 5% of EPCOT. This left us wanting so much more, and sad our toddler missed so much. The poor guy didn’t even get to meet Mickey. (I felt like the worst mother. For like 10 seconds.)

Above all, Disney is magical and worth every penny.  We were beyond blessed to have this time and experience as a family. Which, that’s what it was all about, walking away from technology, phone calls and most of all work, to spend a weekend as a family, bonding and making memories. DO THIS. 

5 Sanity Saving Tips For Family Travel #SpringBreak

In the weeks leading up to our last trip across the world to Melbourne, Australia, every time I thought about the 26-hours of flying, coupled with being away from home for 21 days, topped off with my fears about making the journey with a four-year-old, I could barely sit down I was so riddled with anxiety. As a result, I spent weeks leading up to the trip planning, prepping and organizing like a crazy person. 

In order to alleviate some of that anxiety, I made preparing for my son's needs on our journey, my first order of business. I TOTALLY over did it. In an effort to save you the same angst and overthinking, preparing and worrying, below are my, 5 Sanity Saving Tips For Family Travel.

1. Choose Your Seats Wisely: Seat choice is crucial when flying with your family, especially if you don't want to sit anywhere near them! (Kidding... Kind of...) The goal when flying with your family is to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible, and o course, the ever important window seat is crucial for entertaining your child in flight. If you are flying a carrier that does not offer early seat selection, call the airline, and inform them that you are flying as a family and see what your options are. The seats could make or break your journey, so make sure you get the best ones you can!

2. FOOD! Food is essential on any flight. In fact, it is the one thing that should be considered if nothing else when prepping for a family flight. Even though you can't bring a bottle of water through TSA security, food is completely acceptable, and 100% essential if you are flying with children,  For our flight, I packed a Cooler lunch bag with 5 Lunchables, a bag of grapes and two cutie oranges. In a separate bag, I packed my son's favorite cereal bars and cookies. My rule of thumb is to consider how many meals, including snacks, we will be traveling for, and then pack accordingly. Between the fear of a short connection and the high cost of airport food, I make sure I have plenty of healthy, low-sugar snacks.

3. Child-size Pillow and blanket--preferably easy to smooch into a carry-on or small vacuum bag and seal. While most long haul flights provide each passenger with a blanket, it's more like an oversized paper towel. And the pillow is laughable, at best. the last thing you want on a flight is a freezing child, stuck under an air conditioner vent that won't turn off. The pillow is EPIC for keeping your child's head and your arm comfy. Trust me, smashed up against the side of a plane holding a sleeping child is a recipe for a numb sore arm.

The pillow and blanket came in handy many, many times on the trip. **Passed out in LAX waiting for connection to Melbourne, Australia. 

4. Let your kid pack their carry-on. Explain that ONLY the things that fit in the bag can go on the plane, and to choose their favorite things. Once your child has finished packing, throw in a favorite book, crayons and a coloring book, if not already packed. The bag is great for in-flight fun, that will hopefully buy an hour of two of quiet. It was also nice that my son had a few of his favorite toys from home on the trip. I could whip out his backpack for downtime in the hotel, or to keep him busy on a road trip. 

5. Pack light and limit carry-on. It's hard enough navigating a large airport with a child in-tow, it's another to do it with six bags! Actually, it sucks. Bad. If at all possible, pick an airline that allows the first bag to fly free, or, consider the idea of paying to check one large bag, especially if you have multiple connections. 

After dragging my son and six bags across the globe, I bought one large bag in Australia to make sure I NEVER did that again. Also, not only do you have to lug the carry-on around the airport, finding an overhead compartment is near impossible, and nothing fits under the seats anymore. Just imagine being stuffed in the luggage bay. Same thing when you fly with a ton of carry-on.

Also, pack as light as possible. You will buy plenty along your travels and will need room in your luggage to bring things home. Think two pairs of PJ's instead of one for each night away. 

I have to say, all of the prepping made a huge difference. Most of all, packing food for the trip was the game-changer.  The food and selection along the 26-hour journey were, SO NOT!, stuff my son wanted to eat. It was really nice to pull out his favorite snack, rather than try to make him eat something he didn't want. 

I also think children are great plane-riders. My theory is the fear, mixed with the excitement,  mixed with the fun, mixed with vibration and hum of the aircraft keeps most kids in an overload-comatose.  I have yet to see a child go mental for an entire flight, or really even more than a few minutes. And now that smartphones and tablets exist children seem more well-behaved than their parents! (At least that was the case for my son.) For more about how my son did on the 20,000-mile journey, read, How Children Really Act On Flights