Weekend Family Getaway to Sedona Arizona - Day 2

Day 2 in Sedona. A nice  relaxing morning in our cabin, drinking coffee outside near the fountain.

Our first stop was to the Palatki Heritage Site to visit the Palatki Ruins and Petroglyphs. This was by far the highlight of our trip. Both the ruins and the Petroglyphs were short structured tours with a docent explaining the history and meaning of what we were seeing. I'm not sure that Grady got much out of the history lesson, but Gracie absorbed it all and was full of questions. Both kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt that we were given at the registration desk.

After visiting we headed back in to town for lunch and some Christmas and touristy shopping. We lucked into live music at the Tlaquepaque International Day of Peace which was perfect for the boys while the girls shopped for jewelry.

The next stop was an offroad jeep tour with "A Day in the West." Tim did his research for this activity by watching numerous youtube videos of all the companies, and comparing reviews and groupon deals. We were quite happy with this tour, and the driver. I've said this before, but I've become such a scaredy cat since I had a baby; heights, bumps, deep water, and fast speeds all terrify me. At times this ride was fast and steep, but we had seat belts and the kids whooped and hollered and had too much fun. Their ear to ear smiles made it all worth while.

The jeep tour picks you up and drops you off on the main downtown strip, which makes it easy for shopping and restaurants and minimal walking. Parking can be difficult with the traffic, but the jeep tour has a parking lot in the back if you ask. 

After dinner we headed back to Phoenix and to the airport for our flight home. Amazing 2 day kid friendly weekend adventure getaway for the family, and we will definitely be back for more!

Have you been to Sedona? What's your favorite thing to do with the kids?

Whole30 Day 29 - Grumpy Case of the Mondays

Monday, Whole30 Day 29

I should be feeling great and excited, but today was a bad case of the Mondays. I was grumpy, depressed, short tempered, sluggish, and just not motivated.

Breakfast was an omelet with leftover pork and sun dried tomatoes. I ended up eating around the pork because it didn't taste good anyore.

Lunch was huge. Chopped cucumber and jicama, 3 applegate beef hotdogs with mustard, and then a couple baked new potatoes with ghee. I was hungry.

Dinner was a few slices of Costco beef with a tablespoon of guacamole and a smoothie (banana, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, jicama, and Knodsen's cranberry juice). 

And then I was up late packing for our next trip... :)

Weekend Family Getaway to Sedona Arizona - Day 1

Day 1 started out at 7am in Phoenix, after arriving at midnight. 

We had breakfast at Seed Café (read about the Sedona restaurants here) and headed straight to Montezuma Castle outside Sedona.

Montezuma Castle has a nice little hiking trail to see the cliff dwellings, and a small indoor museum with artifacts and historical information about the Sanaqua (pronounced Sanawa) people who lived here. Sanaqua means "without water" and I love that kids are learning these things.

Advice from a Cliff Dwelling 1. Find Your Niche 2. Be Constructive 3. Stick Together 4. Rise to the Occasion 5. Stay Close to the Earth 6. Build Upon Strong Foundations 7. Don't Go Down in Ruins

We spent a long time in their gift shop. I'm such a sucker for souvenirs.
After Montezuma Castle, we drove through Sedona, ate lunch, and stopped a couple hiking trails along the road. The main hike we did was the Cathedral Hike; The scenery was amazing. We hiked down to the river, and then turned and headed back. Poor Tim could have hiked this trail all day, but the kids (and ok, me too) were hot and hungry and ready for a little rest. 

Next stop, Chapel of the Holy Cross, built right into the rocks. This place was serene and beautiful, but the courtyard scared me. I'd say it's plenty safe, with a stone bench outlining the perimeter, but I'm already nervous of heights, and having a 2 year old running around, and climbing on the ledge just about did me in. If only I was less afraid of heights, and Grady was more afraid...

 

I love little touches like these signs.

"Please don't pick us [flowers], we're smiling at God."

 



 

"And He shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all ways."

 

 

One thing I absolutely love about this vacation spot is the plethora of activities within short proximity to the downtown area with shopping and restaurants. This meant that we could hike, stop and let the kids rest in air conditioning (eat, drink, be merry), and then take off on another adventure. And we did very little driving in between.  

After dinner we headed to our hotel fairly early, so that we could relax and swim. Swimming is one of the best free vacation activities! We stayed at the Sedona Pines Resort in what was called a one bedroom cabin, but looked like a brand new manufactured home. So clean and so cute. We loved it. It almost felt like we could hitch it to the back of our car and take it home with us!
  The pool at the Sedona Pines Resort was huge, and mostly shallow which allowed for a lot of easy playing. And it was my first time in a salt water pool without chlorine; It felt good and clean. The best part of swimming were the bats. There were bats everywhere and 3 swarming around the top of the pool. At first Gracie was nervous, but then it was just too funny. Once or twice the bats dropped onto the surface of the pool to eat a June bug. It was so fast that if you were not watching them, you seriously would not have seen it happen.

We'll definitely be back to Sedona for more hiking, and maybe even camping.

What's your favorite trail in the Sedona area for family friendly hiking?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 28

Sunday, Whole30 Day 28

Day 28! YAY! 

Breakfast was a fabulous smoothie for the family made with pumpkin, coconut milk, rooibos tea, cinnamon, ginger, mace, and cardamom, and bananas. That's probably a third of a banana each.

Lunch was an omelet with heirloom tomatoes, green chiles, and bell pepper; topped with guacamole.

The boys left to ride bikes in the afternoon while I worked on the computer. When they returned Grady and I shared an apple for a snack.

Dinner was simple baked chicken breast topped with sundried tomatoes, green chiles, and chopped tomatoes. The pan had a little ghee added to the bottom, and I sprinkled thyme, and a tiny bit of cumin over the top. We'll definitely make this again and I'll use more thyme next time.

Can you believe it's Day 28?!

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 27

Saturday, September 27

Whole30 Day 27

I made a conscious effort today to stay compliant and true to the book, starting with eating a large breakfast. I chopped up a handful of broccoli, and mixed it in a bowl with leftover Kalua Pig and a couple spoonfuls of sun-dried tomatoes. Delicious! I'm pretty happy about the big bag of broccoli that we bought at Costco. We split the bag into 2 gallon size freezer bags and put one in the freezer. The one in the fridge has been so convenient to add handfuls of broccoli to this meal, and other meals like the salad a few days ago.

After breakfast we headed to the Dallas Arboretum to take a few pumpkin pictures, and get some sunshine and exercise. We did have a snack of dried apples and fruit leathers. And for lunch we grabbed Chik-fil-a nuggets (grilled for me) and regular unsweet iced tea.

Dinner was more cucumber slices and burgers. I added more chopped broccoli, more sun-dried tomatoes, Mrs Dash Table Blend, chopped onions, and garlic powder to the burgers. Pretty tasty! We also finally bought 2 bottles of Tessamae's dressings at Whole Foods and added a little to the plate for dipping.

 

After dinner I made smoothies as a weekend treat for the family. Pretty delicious: frozen bananas, pumpkin, coconut milk, crushed ice, and spices (ginger, mace, cinnamon). I think we'll make this for breakfast again tomorrow too.


Can you believe we made it 27 days already! YAY for clean eating and no chemicals, no sugar, and no toxins! How are you feeling on Day 27?
 
 
 

Whole 30 Day 26 and Exhausted

Friday, September 26, 2014
Whole30 Day 26 and TGIF!

Woke up feeling fine, but my energy depleted throughout the day, so much so that I crashed at 8.30pm at the same time as my kid.

I think these are the reasons:
1. Not drinking much water at all throughout the day.
2. I've barely had any food (breakfast or lunch) at all this week.
3. My body is still regulating and healing after years of fast food, restaurants, and drive-thru convenience foods.
4. Too many bananas and potatoes
5. Possibly fighting allergies/virus

So, root cause equals complacency?

It's time to regroup and start fresh. With only 3 more days left in this Whole30, I think it's fair to say that I'll be extending my Whole30 to a Whole45 or even a Whole60.

Here's one picture from today's meals. Leftover Kalua Pork and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and sliced cucumbers and jicama.

How are you doing on Day 26?
 
 
 

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 25 - Exhausted and Not Hungry

Tuesday, Whole30 Day 25

I'm so tired and just not hungry. My body is playing tricks on me. I was starving by dinner, but then half way through I was stuffed.

Breakfast was the typical. Don't ask. [I promise] I will work on this...

Lunch was an apple and almonds.

Dinner was Nom Nom Paleo's Kalua Pig, super garlic skin-on mashed potatoes, and sautéed spinach.

This plate needs more color. Maybe some steamed baby carrots.

For the mashed potatoes,  I first baked them. After they cooled I gave them a rough chop and tossed them in the KitchenAid with some coconut milk and roasted garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and thyme. I was craving ghee to add but we're all out.

I definitely do not have excess energy today. I have focus and clarity, but physically I'm tired. In fact, I'm quite sleepy... That is all. night night.

 
How was your Day 25? Anyone else tired...?

Weekend Family Getaway to Sedona Arizona via Spirit Airlines

 This post contains Amazon affiliate links; For more information, read my Disclosure page.

 A couple weeks ago, Spirit Airlines posted their fall deals, and we took advantage. We've flown Spirit many times, and highly recommend them, especially for weekend getaways like this one. Let me begin by saying that Spirit doesn't know that I love them, or that I'm writing this, and is in no way compensating us for this review, or any part of this blog post.

With that said, we decided to take advantage of the great Spirit sale and fly to Phoenix from Dallas Fort Worth for a weekend getaway with the kids.

I've had friends and coworkers comment that we must be rolling in the dough if we can afford so many trips. We're not by any means. With the Spirit $9 Fare club we flew to Phoenix for $23 each way per person. That means it only cost $96 for the 4 of us to fly round trip!

Spirit has what they call a Bare Fare, which essentially means you're not getting any free peanuts or sodas. You can read more about this here on their Spirit 101 website. You also only get 1 smallish free carry-on bag and pay for another carry-on bag and checked bags. This is only a big deal if you're traveling for a long period of time, and even so, the checked bags rates combined with the base fare is still cheaper than many airlines.

Spirit says their seats are smaller due to an extra row, but I haven't noticed the difference.

For carry-on bags we bought the kids High Sierra XBT Wheeled Backpack, Carmine/Red Line/Black, which the kids LOVE. The bags hold all their clothes, have a pocket for books or toys, have a spot to tuck away the shoulder straps, and very smooth wheels. I love the bags because they are roomy, and yet count as a free personal item on the airplane. Even Grady who at 2.5 years old had no trouble wheeling through the airport on his own. And be careful if you try to do it for him, "That's MINE! I can do it by MYSELF!"

For this weekend getaway, we had an 11pm CST departure flight on Friday night, that arrived in Phoenix at 2.5 hours later. The kids wore their jammies, so they only had to pack 2 outfits: one for Saturday, one for Sunday, plus a bathing suit.

Tim and I put our 2 outfits with the kids clothes in their backpacks, and carried a few extra essentials (like snacks, diaper wipes, pull-ups, snake bite kit for the Arizona desert hikes) in the diaper bag and Tim's Camelbak (Camelbak Products Men's Rim Runner 22 Hydration Pack, Charcoal/Chili Pepper, 100-Ounce).

So that's how we flew for only $96. We still had a rental car, airport parking, 2 nights hotel and restaurant meals for 2 days. We utilize a lot of coupons, online deals, and reward points, to get the best possible deals. We don't have, or spend, a lot of money.

When it comes right down to it, these trips and experiences are the best gifts we can give our kids, and that makes it worth the money. Grady will be 3 in November, and Gracie is 8.5, and both kids know how to travel.


Now the real question, and debate of the day is... where are going to fly next?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 24 - The Dream Is Free

Wednesday, Whole30 Day 24


My pants are not the slightest bit looser. But my rib cage, under my bra band is 3" smaller, so yay for skinnier areas (that no one sees... ?)!

OK, it's a process right? I'll get there... I'm sure the scale is lower too. First my body has to remove excess water and bloat (in my fingers, toes, neck, and ankles), and then perhaps in my belly. 

In all seriousness though, I've eaten out at restaurants, A LOT, this month, and a lot the past few days. That fact coupled with not eating breakfast like I should, and all my excess weight, means it's probably going to be a while for me to see significant differences.

The important thing is my new relationship with food. My decreasing dependency and craving for sugar and easy processed foods. I have a long way to go, but the ball is rolling steadily, and I am definitely happy.

I took this picture hiking in Sedona Arizona this past weekend, and used the new Studio app and Whole30 remix package to add the text. Love it!

Isn't this quote great? And applicable not only to physical prowess, or clean eating, or increased health, but also to career aspirations, personal projects, and pretty much ALL goals.

OK so back to food and what I ate on Whole30 Day 24...

Breakfast was bad again; A banana and almonds with a coffee (coconut milk, date, and cinnamon). While driving to the office. It's going to take me a long time to get into the habit and desire to eat breakfast. But hey, if that turns out to be the biggest hurdle (as opposed to candy corn and bowls of Halloween candy), I will take it!

Lunch was a big boring salad at Cheddars. I ordered the grilled chicken pecan salad sans cheese and pecans. No dressing, just olive oil and vinegar. Even after a discussion with the waitress about no sugar, no dairy, no grains, she still brought the typical warm croissant topped with sugar/butter. Ugh. It smelled sooo good. 

Dinner was grilled steaks. I was so not hungry at all, but Tim still fixed my plate with a scrambled egg, a couple pieces of broccoli and sliced tomato, and I added a 1/4 cup of guacamole. I ended up eating 2 full pieces of steak!

And the crockpot is running with Nom Nom Paleo's Kalua Pig for tomorrow's dinner... 

Are you struggling with anything on Day 24?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 23

Tuesday, Whole30 Day 23


Breakfast was a banana and almonds again while listening on a conference call and trying to get Grady to play quietly next to me because I let him sleep in and didn't get him to school before the call started. It was a little rough, but I'm glad I got that extra time with him to snuggle.

Lunch was... I don't remember. Shoot. I think I worked through lunch and didn't even realize it. How sad is that!?

Dinner was grilled chicken thighs, baked sweet potato coins with olive oil and cinnamon, and a salad with symphony heirloom tomatoes from Costco, Mrs Dash table blend, olive oil, and lemon vinegar. Yum.

Big Non Scale Victory (NSV) today. After dinner we were playing in the back yard and jumping on the trampoline. Normally I'm a scaredy cat and feel awkward and unstable on the trampoline, so I just walk around it or jump tentatively without my feet leaving the surface. Today was jumping HIGH and even feeling confident enough to bend my knees while jumping. This was a very odd and unexpected NSV, but I'll take it! 



#IamWhole30strong!

I guess I got some confidence and goofiness too because I not only requested this picture to be taken, but here I am actually posting it...


Did you know that trampoline jumping (rebounding) has great health benefits?

According to WebMD, rebound jumping on a mini-trampoline is low impact and can burn 160 calories in half an hour. 

The healthextremist.com website states that rebounding can:

1. Increase white blood cells
2. Stimulate lymphatic system
3. Detoxify
4. Boost energy
5. Improve digestion
6. Improve varicose veins
7. Weight Loss
8. Prevent Cancer
9. Build Bone Mass
10. Reduce cellulite (because of stimulated lymphatic system).

For more information about these items, and to read about NASA's roll in this, and the G-force of rebounding, read this article.


Have you had any surprising or unexpected non scale victories with Whole30?

Do you jump too?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 22 - Travel Recovery and Exhaustion

Monday, Whole30 Day 22

Our flight landed at 5 am, and it took almost an hour to get our car, then an hour to drive my step-daughter to her mom's house to get ready for school. We stopped at Waffle House for Breakfast along the way. I almost cried in the car at the thought of another restaurant meal. In the past I wouldn't have cared, but since doing Whole30, and since coming this far and actually making it 23 days (YAY!) I just wanted to get home and cook a clean meal. But we were all hungry. and Exhausted. So we went to the best place we could find at 6am. I ordered eggs with hash browns (onions and tomatoes), and an orange juice.

It was a rough morning getting home and getting the kids to school and getting ourselves dressed and to work. THANK GOD I work from home and didn't have to dress up.

Lunch was a banana. Not compliant and not good. No excuses.

Dinner was beef and broccoli stirfry made with coconut aminos, garlic, and fresh ginger. It was good, but it was my first time cooking with the coconut aminos, and I could have used more.

We spent the evening shopping at Costco and Sprouts and got all stocked up with healthy food to last us a couple weeks. It feels so good.

Feeling... like I still need to detox. A Whole30 group of 30 days is definitely not going to be enough for me to detox. My skin is brighter, and my nails are growing fast. My neck/jawline seems to be thinner.

My sugar dragon is hibernating...

How's your sugar dragon. Is he slain or just hibernating?

September 2014 - Whole30 Days 20 and 21 - Traveling and Restaurants In Arizona

After dinner yesterday on Day 19, I bet you thought the kitchen was closed? Well almost, at 8pm we packed up the kids, hopped in the car, and headed to the airport for a weekend getaway to Phoenix and Sedona Arizona. I'll share that story in another post. For now I'll focus on the food aspects of the trip and how closely I remained loyal to Whole30.

At the airport we bought bottled waters. Tim bought us a couple apples at Starbucks, and Gracie picked out a bag of pistachios at the bookstore. It felt good to make good choices and not succumb to the usual chips, soda, and chocolate treats.

Our flight was 11pm to 1:30am, arriving in Phoenix at 11:30pm. We picked up our rental car and headed straight to a nearby hotel to get some much needed sleep. Tim had us up first thing in the morning at 7am ("But it's 9am our time" Tim says).

Anyway Breakfast on Saturday, Whole30 Day 20 was at Seed Café. Amazing! I ordered their turkey tomato and spinach burrito wrapped in an omelet. And to top it off I go their Coffee Nut drink which is made with homemade almond milk with dates. It was delicious! My stomach did churn a little after drinking the coffee, so I don't know if my body is starting to react to the almonds, or if maybe it was the acid in the coffee?

Lunch was in Sedona at the Red Rock Café. I ordered their chef salad with oil & vinegar for dressing, and no cheese. I also ordered their homemade fancy homefries because they sounded so delicious (and compliant).

It feels so good, emotionally and physically, to eat clean. I can't imagine life without Whole30 eating. OK yes, I do occasionally miss pasta, and I really miss cheese, but I'm really not missing anything else at all. And with that said... I sure hope the weight starts melting off...

Dinner was at the Cowboy Club in downtown Sedona. I forgot to take a picture, but I ordered the beef filet with sweet potato and veggies. The waiter told me the sweet potato was made with cream and a "little" sugar. I don't know. My body didn't seem to react to the sugar at all, so either there really was a minimal amount, or I am still needing quite a few more weeks of detoxing.


Sunday, Whole30 Day 21

We woke up in our awesome cabin and lounged about, and drank black coffee. Sadly we did not make an effort to go out and get breakfast before our scheduled morning hike. Bad, I know. But we did eat some leftover fruit and nuts, and drank a TON of water. And check out these R Bar snack bars that we found. They "may" contain nuts, but since it's not listed in the ingredients I consider it compliant and a perfect snack for hiking while on vacation.

Lunch was at Oaxaca Restaurant for traditional Arizonian food. The appetizer was great. Grilled Arizona cactus with a Romesco sauce made of red chile peppers and almonds. Yum. I'm not sold on cactus in general, but the sauce was fabulous. And I did my best to eat around the cream sauce decoration.

My main meal was the side salad, again with olive oil and vinegar, and the Oaxaca Posole (A New Mexican & Native American stew flavored with chicken, red & green peppers, onions, herbs & spices). The posole was good, but the chicken was a little dry and the posole in general wasn't as strongly flavored as I hoping. It needed more...depth? Regardless, I felt healthy and rejuvenated after eating, which was good because we had a full day of hiking and adventures.

Dinner was at Open Range Grill & Tavern. I didn't take a picture of my meal, perhaps because subconsciously I knew it wasn't compliant. There really wasn't much on the menu that caught my eye and I was feeling tired of lettuce...  So, I had the meatloaf, potatoes, and broccoli. Good enough.

I did get a picture of the family by the window. Check out that view!

After that it was time to return home to Dallas and continue Whole30.

How was your weekend?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 19

Thursday, Whole30 Day 19

At the risk of repeating myself... Yay Day 19! So excited to make it this far. I'm sleeping really well and dreaming a lot. My skin is looking brighter. My nails are growing faster. I'm not bounding with energy, but I am more energetic and getting little projects down around the house. Our kitchen is always clean these days and we're somehow using less dishes with this clean eating Whole30 program. We're quite happy!

Breakfast today was a banana and half a sweet potato cooked in olive oil. We also boiled some eggs that I'll eat with lunch. Also drank a huge cup of water with a little Knudsen's Cranberry juice added for flavor.

I forgot Lunch today. Or rather I got caught up in work and forgot to eat. Who does that? Who forgets to eat? Odd I tell you...  And definitely NOT Whole30 compliant!

Dinner was great! We had grilled steaks and grilled Spanish squash. Side of Guacamole. And a cucumber tomato salad tossed with olive oil and chopped sunflower seeds.

Well that's it... I won't be posting Whole30 meals for the next couple days, but don't worry, I'll catch you up on Monday!

Are you prepared for Whole30 this weekend? 

My 11 Tips for a Kid-Friendly Road Trip with minimal Mess and Clutter

                  This post contains Amazon affiliate links; For more information, read my Disclosure page.

Before I begin sharing with you our family trip to New England, I thought I'd share with you My 11 Tips for a Kid-Friendly Road Trip with minimal mess and clutter. If you've been following my blog for the past month you'll know that we embarked on a 9 day road trip from Dallas Texas through Amarillo Texas to Albuquerque and Santa Fe New Mexico, up into Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and back down to Texas with various trips along the way this past July. This wasn't our first big road trip, and I'll share adventures and lessons learned from other trips (Oregon, Tennessee, Oklahoma, California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and more) in the future. 

I'm no expert in organization, or in childhood development, but I am a mom of 2 kids who has traveled a lot in my lifetime, and a lot with the kids. This list is based on my experiences.

1. The first, and perhaps most obvious of tips is to have toys and books. But not any toy. Certain (non-electronic) toys will entertain the kids for hours with minimal mess in the car. Here are a few examples:
   
   

   Books and Road Atlas	Oversize hard back puzzles:  Melissa & Doug Hangman Melissa & Doug Latches puzzle board Melissa & Doug Hide & Seek board Melissa & Doug License Plate Game
   Melissa & Doug Water WOW! This is paint with water on cardboard pages. Each Water WOW holds it's on refillable water paintbrush in the cover and can be painted over and over again!	Travel Games Spot it! On the Road Scavenger Hunt Game Travel Bingo Free Printable Travel Games at MomsMinivan.com or at Free-Puzzles.net

   
   
2. Snacks/drinks. Seems simple and yet we often get caught in the car without a snack or drink and succumb to a fast drive-thru to end meltdowns. It's a lot easier and cheaper to plan ahead with apples, bottled waters, dried fruit, or other snack pack.
   These reusable fabric snack bags can be filled before you leave with crackers, fruit, or any kid-friendly snack that you like. The zipper means the kids can have a few bites and reseal the package with the food spilling all over your car. And these can be reused over and over again which is great for the environment!

3. Organization. Lots of containers. Trash containers. Toy containers. Food containers. I've heard some recommendations to have one toy per hour of driving, but how does this translate to a 9 day road trip? My recommendation is to get one container per child, and fill it as much as makes sense for you and your kid, and vehicle space.
   

   Trash Container Any container, even a plastic trash bag, will work. I like this container because it is leak proof.

   One container per child. These are perfect for lap desks in the car, and when closed can stand up between the kids or on the floor of the car. The handles make for easy transport into the hotel at night.

   
   
4. Music – for when the fussing/fighting/whining kicks in. Start singing. Our current favorites:
   

   Animal Crackers by Wee Hairy Beasties	Bear Tunes by Brent Holmes
   It's a Big World	Acoustic guitar lullabies

   
   
5. Blankets. Naptimes are always more enjoyable with a snuggly blanket. Blankets will also work for impromptu picnics or toga's for late night impromptu hikes.


6. Kindle/Nook/IPad for Games and Movies. I’m on the fence about this one. Our 8 year old can handle electronics and will play games on a phone or her DS or kindle, but the 2 year old needs assistance and gets frustrated when we can’t assist from the front seat. I’d rather the kids not use electronics at all, and I try to keep these as an emergency last minute toy, or a restaurant-(let’s not disturb our neighbors)-only toy.


7. Limit restaurant and pitstop souvenirs. Do we really need MORE plastic souvenir cups, crayons, or miscellaneous paraphernalia? It all ends up in the trash at some point. Never put it in the car in the first place, and never have to deal with it later.


8. Empty trash and reorganize toys and papers at every stop. We didn't always do this, and then at night, when all we wanted to do was check into the hotel and shower, we'd be cleaning junk/toys/trash off the floors and stuffing it in our bags.


9. Drive after physical activity and plan pitstops and sight-seeing accordingly. Take the kids to the park/museum or somewhere they can run wild, and then drive while they sleep from the exhaustion. For example: during our New Mexico Colorado road trip we walked around and shopped in the hot sun of Santa Fe, then drove while the kids napped, got out at Sand Dunes National Park and ran the kids around again, then drove while the kids played quietly with their toys and rested. By the time we arrived in Breckenridge the kids were refreshed and ready to go again.


10. Driving at night. This is similar to #9 above. Assuming your kids will sleep in the car, driving at night keeps the kids on their regular sleep schedule. And if you tag team driving and sleeping with your spouse, then there’s minimal impact on the adults as well. This is hands down something we try to do with every road trip, even if it's just a 4 hour drive to see Grandma.


11. And a few more miscellaneous items that you shouldn't leave home without...
    

    Baby bottle nipples for water bottles.	Sippy Cup of any kind. Even for the older kids. Cups that contain the drink and keep it from spilling in the car.
    USB Splitter for all the phones and electronic devices	Baggu. Just an extra bag for those times when you need one. These fold into themselves into a nice little pouch.
    Food Trays I haven't tried these vehicle food trays, similar to an airplane tray, but they look pretty cool.

Well that's it. My top 11 tips for road tripping with the kids with minimal fuss, mess, and clutter. What additional tips do you have?