Babywise Mom Parenting Hack Day

Babywise Mom Parenting Hack Day. Share your best parenting hacks for your Babywise baby.

Today is our first-ever Babywise Mom Parenting Hack Day. 

Today, share you hacks you have found to make parenting easier. Any hack is great. I would love to hear any Babywise hacks you have found to make your Babywise Mom life easier. Found  a way to keep track of the schedule? Found a way to to make traveling with a Babywise baby easier. Found a way to get your Babywise baby to sleep on the go? Do you have great tips for making sure you stay in the parenting funnel? These can be things you do or things you have purchased or made. 

10 Uses For a Timer That Will Make Parenting Easier

Uses For a Timer That Will Make Parenting Easier. Tips for making discipline, chores, reading, and technology tracking easier. 

A highly underutilized tool in parenting is the simple timer. The timer can help you with discipline, teaching manners, chores, reading minutes, independent playtime implementation, and tracking video game or television time. Basically any time your child doesn't want to do something or wants to do something too much, the timer is your friend. Here are my favorite ways to use the timer  (affiliate link) to make parenting a little easier.

Quick and Easy Meals for Busy Nights

It is currently soccer season for us, and soccer season means that we have a lot of busy nights. This has never been more true than this spring since it is our first time having four children playing soccer. That means we can have 8 games a week. We have 5 practices a week (Kaitlyn practices twice a week). My husband coaches two of the teams and is the assistant with Kaitlyn's team. Oh, and did I mention we are still working on our house addition (you can see progress photos on Instagram!).

I know we aren't the only ones out there with busy seasons. We all need great ideas for busy night meals. Here are some of my favorites. I would love to hear yours!

Breakfast for Dinner

Breakfast foods typically do not take a lot of time to make. Having breakfast for dinner is a great option for a busy night! Various pancakes, breakfast burritos, quiche, omelets, waffles...so many options. 

Slow-Cooker

Ah the good old slow cooker. Another great, classic option for your busy evenings. I try to always have one slow cooker meal worked into my weekly meal plan. I have shared some of my favorite recipes in the past:

I have these two books below I reference often when I need slow-cooker ideas. They even include how-tos on changing any recipe you love into a slow-cooker recipe. These are both affiliate links. 

Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is the new slow cooker. I have been testing the waters with the Instant Pot and it is a great way to cook something faster. It can also be used as a slow cooker, so you can have your cake and eat it to with this one machine.

One of my favorite things I have tried in the Instapot is this curry soup from Six Sisters' Stuff. Something to keep in mind when turning to the Instapot is that it takes time for it to come up to pressure. So you might think something will take 30 minutes, but it takes 45 because of the coming ot pressure time. Just keep that in mind as you are planning out what to do for dinner and when you need to start. This is the Instant Pot I have and love (this is an affiliate link):



Sandwiches
Hey some nights are going to need to be a sandwich night. My kids love these nights because I allow any kind of sandwich and they can choose what they like. Peanut butter and jelly, meat and cheese, grilled cheese...sandwiches don't have to be boring. Even fancier ones can be done rather quickly. Add some avocado or some pesto sauce to a turkey sandwich and it takes that sandwich up a notch! Don't forget about things like egg salad sandwiches, sloppy joes, and BLTs! Add some raw fruits and veggies for a fast, easy meal.

Pastas
A lot of pasta dishes can be cooked rather quickly. Even if you make the sauce from scratch, a lot of them can be done in 20-30 minutes. If I want to do spaghetti and meatballs on a busy night, I will put the meatballs in the slow cooker all day with the sauce, then I only need to cook the noodles when I get home. We love salad (which can be made ahead of time), green beans, or asparagus with our pasta dishes.

Salads
The first time I made a salad for dinner, the kids approached with trepidation. Salads are for sides, and they envisioned starvation ahead. Now they love it! Salad with some grilled chicken...some homemade dressing...delicious!

Leftovers
If your family will eat leftovers, having a busy night be leftover night is a great way to get dinner done.

Favorite Recipes
As you go about your food-making year round, take note of the recipes you like that are fast so you can turn to those on your busy nights. Beyond the general categories I have shared, some specific

recipes I like are:

• Tacos
• Asian Lettuce Wraps from (affiliate link -->) Our Best Bites
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches. I have TONS of  recipes for this and I love them all. 
• Stir Fry from (affiliate link -->) Our Best Bites - side note. I super love Our Best Bites. Aaanndd they have a 30 Minute Meals list on their blog. So you're welcome. 

Extra Tips
If you are having a buy night, you will have so much more success with dinner if you plan ahead a bit. Make a meal plan for the week. Think through each day and take note of the ones you will need something fast for. I typically like to leave my meal plan fluid, meaning I just choose 7 meals for the week and decide as I go which I will make which day. During busy seasons, though, I assign ahead of time so I am sure I get the fast meals on the busy days.

At breakfast each day, decide what you are having for dinner and do any prep that needs to be done. That way you aren't at 3 PM realizing you needed to do a slow cooker meal that day. Oops.

What are your favorite meals to make on busy nights? I would love to hear ideas!

How I Feed My Family for Around $100 a Week

In a recent post, I remarked how I typically spent around $100 a week on groceries to feed my family of 6. I had a few inquiries on how I did that, and understandably so! As are most things that are real solutions, the answers are simple and it isn't anything you haven't ever heard before. I don't have a magic formula. I do all of these things, combined, and it works for us.

As you strive for a budget goal that is reasonable for your family, keep in mind cost of living. My area is a little below the national average for food. If the national average is 100, my area is 97. New York City is 125 on the same scale. Los Angeles is 95.5 on the same scale. That might give you an idea of where I am coming from.

Meal Plan

I plan out my meals before I go grocery shopping. I make a list of what we are going to eat for the next week, make a list of what ingredients we need based on those meals, and then go shopping. If I ever go grocery shopping without a plan, I find I spend just as much money as when I go with a plan, if not more, but I come out without items to create meals.

Eat What is In Season

I make an effort to eat the foods in season. I don't buy fruits and vegetables if they aren't on sale, when possible. Obviously it has to be done sometime, but I don't plan a meal full of blueberries in January. No way. I do that in the summer when blueberries are 1/4 the price of January blueberries (and three times the flavor goodness). If I really want to make a recipe that has an item that isn't in season and is expensive, I often just cut out the expensive ingredient. 

Speaking of, I will often substitute really expensive items for something less expensive. For example, when I make pesto sauce, I usually use almonds instead of pine nuts. I know--almonds aren't cheap. But they are cheaper than pine nuts, and I like them just as much in my pesto.

Include Inexpensive Foods In Your Meal-Planning

Plan meals that don't cost a ton. This can mean vegetarian meals. It can mean meals with potatoes or rice. Pay attention to what meals cost a lot and space those out in your planning. 

Have a Leftover Night

One night a week, we have a leftover night. When I make 6 meals a week, leftovers build up. My husband and I both eat leftovers for lunch most days, but there are still more leftovers than we can eat for just lunches. Leftover night is basically a night of free food.

I will also be strategic in my meal planning so leftovers can be used. If we have a pork roast on Sunday, I will plan to make pork tacos later that week with the meat leftovers. Leftover night is not always the most popular with kids, so if you can work leftovers into other meals, they will be better received.

I typically shop on the same day each week. I plan out seven meals even though I also intend to have a leftover night. I do this just so I have a little bit of flexibility in the meal making. The meal I don't make that week is rolled over into the next week.

Get Milk Delivered

We get our milk delivered from a local dairy. This doesn't look like a money-saving method on the surface because the milk is much more expensive that way than from the grocery store. The way it saves me money is that it makes it so I don't have to go to the grocery store as often. In the summer when our garden is going crazy, I can go a long time between grocery store trips. Many milk delivery services will also deliver other perishable items (like eggs), so you can avoid the store when you want to save money on groceries that week. This is further made possible when you have a food storage in place (see next section below).

Buy When It is On Sale

I buy items when they are on sale and avoid them if they are not. When an item is on super sale, I buy a lot of them and put them in my food storage (assuming it is non-perishable). Yes, I get some weird looks and questions from cashiers, even when living in Utah, land of the food-storage people. "So...are you having a really big party or something?" Ha! "No, just stocking up." 

It took me years to build up my daring to buy tons of something when it is on super sale, but now I just go for it. 

Shop Quickly

Like I said, I make a list before I go. I shop at the same grocery store every time. I have that store memorized. I make my list in order of where things are in the store. That way, I can go in and zip through. I have literally parked my vehicle, shopped, and loaded my vehicle with a week's worth of groceries in 10 minutes. And I had a toddler with me. No lie! On my honor. I have done that more than once.

I do keep an eye out for super deals. I know my store, and I know which tags mean "pay attention to this price." I stop and buy those things even if they aren't on my list. Otherwise, I keep my head down and respect the list.

I will make one note--every few months I go to SAMs Club (not my typical grocery store. My typical store is a local store). There are some things at SAMs that are much cheaper than they are at my local store and I stock up on those items then.

Some people successfully go to several stores to get the best deals at each store. That doesn't work for me on a couple of levels. Level one is that I want to spend as little time shopping as possible. When my kids were younger, there was no coupon or sale that would make multiple grocery stores worth it to me. Our stores are not right next to each other--I am talking miles in between each store. No way! Not my idea of fun.

Another reason that doesn't work for me is that I know I would go into that store for sale item A and walk out with several other sale items on top of that. For my personality, it works best to stick to one store and to the deals of that store. Store hopping might work great for you, though.

Shop at Specialty Stores

I stick to one grocery store, but I try to buy certain foods at certain specialty stores. We have a lot of dairies where I live. I buy my cheese directly from a dairy rather than the grocery store. I can easily get it for half off of a good sale price at the grocery store. I buy cheese blocks that are imperfect, so they are even cheaper than what they would be. We are totally fine with imperfect-looking blocks of cheese. 

Buy Meat From Butcher--Or Buy the Animal

We usually buy a beef or pig directly from the person who raised it. This isn't always less expensive than a great deal at the grocery store.  It isn't any more expensive than buying it from the store, though.Something I like about it is buying the animals from a trusted source and knowing what went into the raising of it. The meat always tastes much better than store meat. And it keeps my benefit up that I don't have to go to the grocery store as often. It is food storage that allows me to take a week off of shopping when I need to. The obvious limitation to this is freezer space. You will need a deep freeze or upright freezer to purchase meat from an entire animal. You can often find a friend or neighbor to split the animal with if you don't have a lot of storage space.

Keep Budget In Mind

While you are shopping, keep your budget in mind. Aim to stay in it. Cut out excess foods that you don't need. Pay attention to how often you are throwing out food at home that has gone bad or stale. Try to keep your purchases so you aren't throwing so much out. Do not buy foods that are unnecessary that will push you way over budget. 

Also, look at your budget on a larger scale. If I spend $150 one week, I aim for $50 or less the next week.

Take Shopping Weeks Off

Every so often, I just don't shop that week. Because I have milk delivered and foods in storage, I can do that. It forces me to really look at what I have for meals instead of buying new stuff. 

Grow Your Own Food

We grow a garden and preserve what we can. The garden helps us keep food costs down during the harvest and helps provide foods to eat through the winter months. Be like the ants and prepare your food for the winter. If you don't have space for a garden that produces excess, you can preserve foods you buy at the grocery store when they are in season in the summer. Also keep an eye out on farmers markets and nice neighbors. Most people with gardens are very happy to share their excess food. 

Cook Meals

I make our meals from scratch. It is much less expensive to make a meal than it is to buy pre-made meals. There can be expensive up-front costs when you are cooking meals. For example, many spices are quite expensive, but they last you a long time, so you have an expense the first time, but not again for a while.

Conclusion
This is my secret recipe to spending around $100 a week on groceries. There isn't anything new on this list. They are all old tips that I have found work very well all mixed together. 

5 Must Have Items for Parents Keep in the Car

Without fail, the moment a child is required to sit still for a few minutes or more, the child will become thirsty. Not just thirsty. Parched. The child is suddenly dehydrated and is bound to die at any moment. This happens during family scriptures, at bedtime, and of course, in the car.

I have responded in logical ways, "We don't have any water in here, but as soon as we get where we are going, you can have a drink." That, of course, is not received well. The child is at death's door. How could logic work?

I have met the continued wailing with, "Then get a drink!" That usually stops the wailing for a while, and sometimes even for good. When the child is told to get a drink and realizes there really is no drink in the vehicle, the child just might stop the drama.

But hey, I am a problem solver. Here is the reality. Children don't even walk from room to room; children run. Children are movers and only pause when necessary (or when a screen is on). When the child is forced to sit still, the child will start to notice pesky things like thirst. The body does need water to survive, so the emergency is broadcast from the child immediately.

The child is thirsty and does need water for life to continue on. I like my children and want their lives to continue on. I also like not hearing the irrational meltdown that comes with the inevitable thirst in the car.

So I keep water in the car. Always.

There are other things I keep in the car as a rule. I have learned over the years that these simple things in the vehicle make life happier. As your children get older, you spend more and more time in the vehicle, so it is nice to keep what is necessary.

I don't over-do it. I don't mind children being "bored." I don't like having an over-crowded car, either. So these are the basics for survival (emotionally, mentally, and physically). This post contains affiliate links.

Water

As I just discussed, I keep water in the car. I like to keep a case of water bottles in the car in case of real emergency. If we get in the vehicle and we are 10 minutes away from home and someone is going to die of thirst, I assure her she can last ten minutes until we get home. I don't like to open bottled water unless it is a must. If we got in the car and were 10 minutes away but we had been at the pool for the last few hours, for example, I would open some water to drink.

When we are going for a long drive--like an hour or more--we usually fill up reusable water bottles. We do at least one per person (our vehicle has a lot of cup holders). That way we can have plenty of water for drinking on our drive.

Food

I keep some food in the car at all times for emergencies, also. We are not a snacking family; we don't need to eat at all times. But I often find that a Brinley stuck in the car while we are driving people around is a lot more pleasant if she can have a granola bar every so often. I just keep a box of granola bars in the vehicle. We also use them often when I am driving Brayden to swim team or McKenna to cheer straight from school. They need a snack but are literally going from school to their activity. 

Books
I like to keep a few books in the car in case of boredom. We chose to not have a movie player in our car at all times. On really long car rides, we bring along our Kindle Fires and watch shows on those for part of the time, but for driving around town or driving usually less than 2 hours, it is books and music only. I keep picture books in there at all times for Brinley's entertainment. 

Motion Eaze

We have a couple of children who get car sick. They mostly only get sick when driving through canyons, and we live in the Rockies, so we are often going through canyons. They can also get sick if they look down too long. So we keep some natural drops that help with nausea in there at all times. Side note, these drops are fantastic if you have morning sickness. I also find they bring some relief when someone has a stomach bug. So I have one in the vehicle and a one in the house.






Wet Wipes
I mean, kids are dirty. We frequently need wet wipes, and always at random times. I just keep a package of wipes in there at all times. I has never been a regret.

Conclusion
These are five must-have items for you to keep in your vehicle at all times, year round, if you have children. There are other things that are smart, like an emergency kit, first aid kit, and blankets. Sunglasses, tissues, napkins, chapstick, pens...those are all things that you might find handy at times. These five listed above will be common sanity savers for you and your children. Then when your child buckles that seatbelt and suddenly realizes how parched he is, you can respond with "Here's some water" and get peace in return.

If you don't already, be sure to follow me on Facebook. I share what is posted here each day along with other articles I find helpful and interesting. I also answer questions and do live Q&As each week. It is a great way to connect!

Laundry Tip: Stain Fighting with Fels-Naptha

This post contains affiliate links.  Chances are you have heard of the soap Fels-Naptha. It is a common ingredient in home made laundry soap. Many years ago, before the home made laundry soap became all the rage, my mother-in-law gave me a bar of Fels-Naptha. She said it was fantastic for fighting stains. It really is! If you haven't tried it, you must get a bar and try it out! 

Above you see Kaitlyn's fleece pants. She wore them to a soccer practice. I didn't notice the grass stains until after I had washed and dried them. I was folding her pants and saw the stain (this is a major hazard of having kids sort the laundry to be washed). At first I thought, "Eh. Oh well." They are just fleece pants and really the purpose is for things like soccer practice. So they are stained. Plus they had gone through the dryer and it would be a tough battle if I chose to take it on.

Then I remembered my Fels-Naptha. I decided to give it a try.

Above is the after. There is still some green there, but it isn't so noticeable. I actually gave it another scrubbing and it is even better.

Above you see leggings. These had matching stains on each knee. I decided I would do Fels-Naptha on one knee and not the other to see the results. Pretty amazing right? I have since used Fels-Naptha to get both knees looking good as new. 

All you need is some stained clothes (you probably have some of those if you have kids), a bar of Fels-Naptha, and some sort of brush. The brush pictured to the left isn't ideal for all fabrics--it is very hard. I use it when there is a bad stain and I will either be getting the stain out or the clothing item will be moved to play clothes only status. You can use something like a toothbrush if you have more delicate fabric.

Here is how I do it. 

1. I get the stain wet. 
2. I get the tip of the bar of Fels-Naptha wet. 
3. I rub the bar over the stain. 
4. I then rub the soap in with the brush a bit.
5. I then run the stain under water for a bit again. This is so the fabric will get more wet.
6. I rub the stain with the Fels-Naptha again. 
7. I then use the brush and really scrub it out. 
8. I toss it in the washer and wash it. 

This works even on old stains that are set in. You can get a 4 pack for less than $10 on Amazon (see link below). One bar will last you a really long time, so find 3 friends and go in on it together. It is so worth it!

See Also:

Vinegar and Laundry

Making Laundry Easier (and more tolerable!) {5 Tips}

Quick Cleaning: Laundry Day

Disneyland and California Adventure Tips

We recently went on a family vacation to Southern California. We had such a great time! There are a lot of great blogs out there with tips about visiting the various parks in SoCal. I read a lot of them in preparation. I wanted to add to these great tips available with my own tips. I am starting with Disneyland and California Adventure.

City Pass

First of all, we purchased most of our tickets by simply getting a Southern California City Pass. This gets you into Disneyland/California Adventure (three day park hopper pass), Universal Studios, and Sea World. You can also add on San Diego Zoo OR Safari Park (we added on the Zoo). You can also add on Legoland. We did not add on Legoland even though we went there. We did some pricing and found we could get into Legoland cheaper by buying tickets with our buy one get one free coupons Brayden gets in his Lego magazine (this is a free subscription). We had trouble using the coupons, but I called Legoland and they helped me out. 

If you want to go to all of these parks, there is a good chance it will be cheaper to buy the City Pass. Check out prices and any deals you can find that are going on at the current moment. If you do buy a City Pass, note that they ship it to you. You can get free shipping if you order early enough. I did not order early enough! I think it might be two weeks or more. I had to pay for two day shipping, and it got here the next day. Shipping wasn't terrible, but I was still frustrated with myself. So keep that in mind.

How Many Days?

A big question a lot of us have with these parks is how many days should we plan on? I highly recommend more than one day for Disney. There is so much to do, and there is so much more to Disneyland than just rides. If you are looking at it strictly as a rides experience, you might be satisfied with one day at one park if it isn't a busy day. We rode almost everything at Disneyland on our first day. My favorite day, however, was our second day. We did a lot of princesses that day, and my girls loved that as much or more than any ride. A lot of Disney is the magic. The shows, the characters, the themed areas--just immersing yourself and enjoying being there. We could have been happy with two days. Three days got us to do almost every ride in both parks (we could have done every if we didn't go on certain rides, like Space Mountain, ten times). We got to experience the parades and the princesses. I think we would have been happy with a fourth day, also. 

When Should You Go?

I have heard November and February are really great months. The Disney website says mid-September through mid-November and mid-January through mid-March are the best times. It also says Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days. We went mid-November and it was good. It was also fun because we saw the Christmas decorations up and they had all of those fun Christmas shows and activities going on.

Fast Passes

You will read a lot about Fast Passes. I felt very confused when I was doing research on the Fast Pass. I promise it is easy to use. Once you do it your first time, you will be fine. Here is the Disney info on the Fast Pass: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/fastpass/. Here is another tutorial I found helpful: http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/cadisneyland/ss/fastpass.htm.

A Fast Pass is absolutely worth it. Use it. They were beneficial even on the non-busy days. Now, you can only have one fast pass out for rides at a time, so you will likely get into lines for rides without fast passes, but if you can get it, it is worth it to you. The Disney link above will tell you the rides that offer fast passes. Here are some things to note:

• The World of Color is a very cool show at California Adventure each evening. On weekends, they have several showings. On weekdays, usually just one. You can get a fast pass to get good seats for the show. They might have them all over the park, but we got ours by the entrance to Grizzly Peak at California Adventure. You can have other fast passes as well as your World of Color fast pass. If you don't get a fast pass, still go to the Paradise Pier area to watch the show. You can see it still; it just won't be prime seating.
• Attendants are helpful. There is always someone working the fast past area. Ask the worker when you will be able to get new fast passes. We got some different stories from different workers. One told us you can't get a new one until you have used the one you have. Another told us you can get a new one 60 minutes after you got the one you have. Rules might change based on the ride or day (some days are busier than others). It is always helpful to ask workers questions.
• Radiator Springs is a must-get first thing. If you want to ride Radiator Springs, I highly recommend a fast pass. The workers said the fast passes usually run out within 3 hours of opening for the day. This is true even on non-busy days. Keep this in mind if you want a fast pass. We were at the Radiator Springs ride on a Saturday and the line without a fast pass was a 2 hour wait. That is insanity. Get a fast pass. If you are doing a three day park-hopper and will be there on a weekday at all, I would highly recommend you go for Radiator Springs on a weekday. On the Saturday, even with a fast pass, we waited in line for 30 minutes. Not very "fast," but better than 120 minutes. The wait time on a Thursday evening was 60 minutes without a fast pass. So a weekday is a better day for that ride. NOTE--the fast pass distribution location for this ride is not by the ride. It is by the entrance into "A Bug's Land." It is good to ask a worker.
• Space Mountain in Disneyland gets super busy on a weekend, also. That line without a fast pass exceeds an hour. It is a ride where the fast pass will get you on in about 10 minutes. So it is worth the fast pass for you.

Parent Swap

Another must for you to do in order to get the most for your time at Disney is the "Parent Swap." I talked with a season ticket holder in one line who didn't know about this feature! The way they did the parent swap while we were there is that you told the attendant at the beginning of the line that you were doing a parent swap. They either gave you a parent swap ticket or they gave you an electronic key card to give to the attendant right before you get in line, then that person gives you a ticket. The ticket is good for the parent and two children. The parent and children get to get in the fast pass line even without a fast pass. It is only good on that day and on that ride. Look and make sure the ticket has been dated and signed when you get it--one time it wasn't when I got one and I made sure they did. Some attendants can be real sticklers and you wouldn't be able to get back in line.

So the way it worked for us is I would get in line with Brayden, Kaitlyn, and McKenna because all three of them are big enough for every ride. Nate would go get in a line of a ride close by with Brinley that she could ride. We would go through the line, get our parent swap tickets, and then meet up with Nate. He was typically done before we were. He waited by the exit for us. Then I would take Brinley and a child while Nate took two children. We just took turns with who sat out. Then the older child, Brinley, and I would go on a ride while they rode. 

If the ride took a fast pass and we had fast passes for the ride, then Nate would use his fast pass and his parent swap ticket and take all three children. We figured this out after a bit. 

No one required to see Nate and Brinley for me to get the parent swap ticket, so they could just go straight to their ride while we went to the big ride.

Ride Information: Disneyland

I have read to start your day in Adventureland and to work your way clockwise. We started in Tomorrowland because both Nate and I remember our favorite ride being Space Mountain, and we figured our kids would like it, too. We were correct, that was the favorite of Kaitlyn and McKenna and the second favorite of Brayden (his first favorite was Star Tours, which is also in Tomorrowland). We liked starting there. 

Our favorite rides at Disneyland (starting in Tomorrowland and going counter-clockwise) were:

• Space Mountain
• Star Tours
• Buzz Light Year (this was a Brinley favorite--she always rode this while we were riding stuff in Tomorrowland)
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
• King Arthur Carrousel (this is Brinley's favorite by far--she loves Carousels) 
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Indiana Jones Adventure (but all three of our kids HATED this ride)

Those were all rides that we rode over and over. Other rides we rode that were worth the wait but not one we wanted to do repeatedly were:

• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
• Autopia (we may have done this again if the line wasn't as slow as it was--that was even on our least busy day)
• Peter Pan's Flight (this is always a long line)
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Sailing Ship Columbia
• Pirates of the Caribbean (this is always a long line)

Everything else was just "eh" for us--but of course this is all subjective. You might have very different opinions. Take note we did not ride Splash Mountain (can't be getting wet when it is only in the low 70s now!). We also did not ride the Haunted Mansion. No child had interest in that. Mark Twain's Riverboat was closed.

Ride Information: California Adventure

Let's note here, California Adventure is significantly less busy than Disneyland. From the lineup in the morning on through the night, this place is less crowded. We spent part of our Thursday here and the first half of our Saturday here. Both days it was significantly less busy. If you are doing more than one day and one will be a weekend, this is the place to be on the weekend.

Our favorites at California Adventure were (Starting in Hollywood Land and going clockwise):

• Monsters, Inc. (this was a major favorite of Brinley's. Even on Saturday, we walked right on over and over and over).
• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
• Luigi's Flying Tires
• Radiator Springs Racers
• California Screamin'
• King Triton's Carousel (again, a Brinley favorite)
• Toy Story Mania (this is another ride that seems to always have a long line)
• Mickey's Fun Wheel
• Goofy's Sky School (McKenna's favorite ride at California Adventure)
• The Little Mermaid--Ariel's Undersea Adventure (probably Brinley's absolute favorite at both parks if you exclude carousels)
• Soarin' Over California 

Other rides we rode that were worth the wait but not one we wanted to do repeatedly were:

• Bug's land has some fun stuff for little ones. For me, I didn't love any ride in that land, but they were all Brinley friendly, so it is a good place for the toddlers.
• Silly Symphony Swings
• Golden Zephyr

The rest are "eh"--but we didn't ride the Tower of Terror because none of our children were willing to go. We also didn't ride the Grizzly River Run because we had become like the locals at this point and the 70s were much too cold to be getting all wet. Brrr.

Strollers

You can bring strollers in. You can also rent strollers. I debated on bringing our big Graco or our small Jeep umbrella. We went with the big one, and I am glad. We could store stuff in the basket. The Graco also lays flat, so Brinley could lay down and go to sleep, which she did each night promptly at 8 PM. 

Disney has designated stroller all around the park. A great thing about these spots is there is 1-2 workers at the stroller parking who watch the strollers. They also rearrange the strollers as people take theirs away, so don't be freaked out if your stroller is in a different spot. 

Eating

Here is a big question. What to eat? The food choices between the two parks is highly overwhelming. I think the food prices at Disney get a bad reputation. I didn't find the food to be overly priced in comparison to what we pay at restaurants here. Every place we ate had excellent food and every kids meal came loaded with fruits and vegetables, so I loved it. 

We started with breakfast at our hotel. We had a hotel with continental breakfast. Our kids loved it and ate a ton of food at breakfast. We stayed at the LaQuinta Inns & Suites in Anaheim. I can't decide how I feel about it. It worked great. It is close to Disneyland and a shuttle stop is right by the hotel. We had a room with two rooms and one of the rooms had bunk beds, so that worked great for our family. It also has a mini-fridge. But the door to the hall had a gap under it. It made it so we could hear everything in the hall. That wasn't a huge deal because we have sound machines and the kid room was in the back of our space. We also were getting up earlier than most of the hotel. The breakfast was okay, but I have had better (thought the kids absolutely loved it). I will say it is quite cheap for the room size. The pool is definitely not a place we would want to hang out--we didn't even swim. It feels like you are swimming in the parking lot. It is across the street from the Cheesecake Factory, so that was nice. We haven't decided if we would stay there again or not.

The kids room at the hotel

We then packed a lunch in a backpack. The Disney website says no food in the park, but they check your bags as you enter and no one told us not to. They won't allow coolers, but our food in the backpack was okay. We packed sandwiches or bagels, carrots, string cheese, and grapes. We also brought granola bars, cashews, and dried apples as sacks. We would just sit somewhere and eat whenever we wanted to. 

We then at dinner in the park. Most tips you read say to eat at "off" times. Our time is an hour ahead of California, and we eat dinner about 5-5:30 each day. So we were hungry 4-4:30 and were naturally off of what normal people would consider dinner time. Our first day, we ate dinner at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante in Frontierland. It is cafeteria style, which means you can get food, leave, and get other food elsewhere. I would eat there again, but beware that the kids meals were pretty bland. Our children aren't used to no spices or seasonings on their food, so they were kind of "eh." Nate and I split an adult meal and it was plenty for us. 

For our second day, we ate in California Adventure. Kaitlyn was in the mood for a corn dog, so she got one at Corn Dog Castle. It was huge and she loved it--she ate it all. A worker there told us it was his favorite food in the whole park. The rest of us got our food at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. I had the ravioli and Nate and the other kids had Pizza. This was our favorite place we ate. It was very good. Both places were in the Paradise Pier area.

Our third day, we ate at Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square. The kids had macaroni and cheese and it was delicious. Nate and I both ordered the Monte Cristo Sandwich. We should have shared--it was gigantic! It was good, but I don't think I would get it again. It is a friend sandwich, and we aren't really friend food eaters so it kind of leaves us feeling sick. 

There are also lots of fun treats in Disneyland. We got Dole Whip, which is only available at the Tiki Juice Bar in Adventureland. It was very good, but I think it would be even better on a hot day.

Anna and Elsa (and others)

The main event at Disneyland right now is to see Anna and Elsa. The way they are doing it is to have people get tickets first thing in the morning. The ticket is like a fast pass and you use it to go back in your time window. There you wait in another line to see them. 

I had a worker give me great tips for success on our first day, so on our second day we were able to see them. I felt like we won the lottery! Here is what you do.

1. Arrive to the park at least 30 minutes before it opens. This is because you have to wait in line to get your bag checked, then you want a good spot in line outside the gates. Take note that there are three days that Disney does a "magic morning." This is a day you get in an hour early. You need to have a 3+ day ticket to get a magic morning. They are Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. We had a magic morning and did this on Thursday. If you do not have a magic morning pass, do not even try to get tickets on a magic morning day. 
2. Once you are in the park, immediately go straight back to where the tickets are distributed. Do not get distracted by anything! We speedwalked back to the spot. You will go straight back, through the castle, and line up by Village Haus Restaurant. This is close to the carousel. Do not try to cut through Frontierland--they had the gate closed between Frontierland and Fantasyland. Just go straight back.

   

   Here we are, going as fast as we can.

3. Get in line. You will need the admission ticket for every person who wants to see Anna and Elsa. It will be scanned. Not everyone needs to be in line, but they need to be in the park. You can't just go early ahead of the family. 
4. Wait in line. I got in the park about one minute after it opened and we booked it back there. I was still in line for an hour to get these tickets. Nate took the kids on rides while I waited in line. There were people who said they entered the park right at opening and came straight back and they were many people behind me in line. You definitely need to get here first thing to have shot at these tickets. 
5. They will scan your admission tickets and give you a time to return. 
6. You then come back at that time window. You will wait in line again. But at least they have a cute little Olaf on top of the building so you can be entertained.

   

   Olaf talks to you while you are in line

7. Then you meet them! And they are so sweet. McKenna sang "Let it Go" for them. They talked with the girls and were so fun.

The Royal Hall is a great place to meet other princesses. After we got our scanned tickets, we went and got in line at the Royal Hall. They have three princesses in the Royal Hall. They will also have princesses randomly around the park. If you ask a cast member near the Royal Hall, you will be able to get the info.

Dressing Up

A lot of girls dress up in their princess dress. You can buy them there, but I am positive it is cheaper to buy ahead of time and wear it in. I think the girls had the most fun the day they dressed like princesses. The cast members all make a big deal about it and other little girls ooh and awwe as you walk by. 

Photographs

There are photographers everywhere waiting to take your picture. They scan cards you can then access the pictures online with. But they will also take your photo with your own camera. They are very happy to do so and even thank you for asking them. So be sure to get some photos with the whole family! Here are some photos the photographers took for us just on my phone.

Parades

Brinley watching a parade

There is at least one parade at each park each day. People line up hours before the parade starts on busy days. You can see the route on your map. We did the Disney parade on the Wednesday, which was the least busy day. We didn't get spots until the parade was starting and we still got good spots. It is a fun parade because you will see lots of characters. The California Adventure parade not crowded at all. You can definitely get good spots without staking out for hours. 

If you have no interest in parades, you should be aware of what the impact of parades is on rides. Many rides shut down for a lengthy period because of the parade. This is also true of World of Color. The rides around the pier all close earlier than other rides in the park to prepare for World of Color.

Fireworks

The fireworks each night are totally awesome. Know that when the fireworks are over, there is a mass exodus from the park. Imagine 90% of the people there trying to exit at the same moment. 

Autograph Books

Getting the autograph
from the Mad Hatter

I bought some autograph books on Amazon before our trip. We loved having autograph books. Each character is happy to sign it. The kids loved it and love having that as a souvenir. The double-edged sword of the autograph book is that you then feel compelled to wait in line to see characters even if you wouldn't otherwise. So take that into consideration when deciding if you want books or not. I don't think kids would notice other kids with books and want them. Brinley got this one. Kaitlyn and McKenna each got this one. Brayden got this one.

Disney Pins

Disney pins are another big thing in Disneyland. I again pre-purchased these online on Amazon. I got this 3-pack for the girls and I got this one for Brayden. I then bought Disney Pins LOT of 50 Official Trading Set. The kids each picked 12 and I had a couple left over in case some got lost (and they did). The idea is you can trade pins. The kids never did trade, but they liked wearing their lanyards and having the pins. This is again something kids probably won't notice. 

Get a Button

If you go Guest Services, you can get a button that marks your special occasion. You can get "First Time at Disneyland," "Birthday," "Anniversary"...it is fun. We got ours at Guest Services on our way out so we didn't have to wait in line.

Check the Website

I learned a lot for every park we went to by perusing the website. I read through their FAQs and felt like they offered as much good info as any blog with tips. Definitely worth the time it takes you to look the website over. They want you to enjoy yourself as much as you do, so they put effort into it.

WHEW! I think that does it. Be sure to read up on my General Travel Tips I wrote up after this trip, also. It has more good rules for any sort of trip. If you have any questions, please ask. I am more than happy to answer if I can. If you have your own tips, please share! This was so worth it and so much fun. We made such great memories. You can find more tips on my Southern Cali board on Pinterest. It includes hotels I considered, tips for all of the parks, and condos I considered. 

Pizza Cutter Tip {Meal Time Life Hack}

I have to share a tip with you that if you don't know about it yet, will change your life at meals when you have small kids.

Use your pizza cutter.

Whenever possible, I use a pizza cutter instead of a knife. This is especially handy on something like pancakes. Anything you need to cut into bite size pieces for your children that a pizza cutter can get through, do it! Using a pizza cutter is so much faster than using the "old fashioned" knife and fork way. Give it a try!

Do you have any tips that make your life easier?

Potty/Poop Training Tip: Give Fair Warning

We are now having success with pooping in the potty for Kaitlyn (2.5). The thing that ended up working is really what worked with Brayden, too, so I thought I had better post about it!

Brayden and Kaitlyn are two different people, and I learned quickly after Kaitlyn was born that they are often opposites in every way. They get along really well, but what worked for one doesn't usually work for the other. Therefore, I hadn't tried this tip with Kaitlyn even though it worked well with Brayden. Since it worked for both of them, my guess is it would be useful for almost any child.

Ready for this super secret? It is really simple. It goes something like this:

Mom: You are getting to be a big boy/girl now. It is time for you to stop pooping in a diaper and start pooping in a potty.
Child: Oh (or some other response that makes you sure the child isn't really grasping what you are saying)
Mom: In ____weeks (whatever time you want. I would do 2-4 weeks), you are going to start wearing underwear for _____ (naps, day, night...whatever you are shooting for). That will be after _____(insert event here. With Brayden, I used his birthday. With Kaitlyn, I used Valentines Day).

Over the next couple of weeks, remind your child often of the upcoming event.

When the day comes, follow through. Put on the underwear.

There you have it. That is my amazing tip.

IT WORKS?
It did for my children. My best guess currently is that it worked because it gave them time to think about it.

"Okay. I am not going to poop in diapers. I am going to poop in the potty." They then have time to think about the process when they poop/pee. How does it work? What are the cues?

Of course, your child must be old enough to understand what is going on. Brayden was three and Kaitlyn is 2.5. Keep that in mind.

OUR STORY
With Brayden, I was changing his diaper one day in early May and just decided I was done with diapers. I told him when he was three he wasn't going to wear them anymore. The morning of his birthday, he woke up, went over to his drawer, and pulled out some underwear. I was nervous because his birthday party was that day and I didn't want lots of accidents, but I had laid down the law and he was complying so we ran with it. He had a couple accidents in the morning, but then never looked back so far as pee goes. After a couple of weeks, he had pooping down, too.

Kaitlyn is a bit different, of course. She went to pee trained around 18 months old. She has always been great with it, but has had a hard time pooping in the potty. She asks me to teach her how, and try as I may, it just isn't something you can teach :). Each day, we put her in a diaper for naps and that is where she pooped.

After trying lots of things, I decided to give the fair warning like I did with Brayden. I gave her two weeks warning. Valentines Day came and no more diapers for nap. She did awesome! No accidents and she pooped in the potty! She still did it at nap time. I put her little potty in her room and she called me after she pooped. By the next Saturday, she went to the bathroom to poop all on her own.

I don't want to completely rejoice yet. I think there is a great chance we will have set backs in the future. It seems to happen. Who knows. But we are on the right path for sure and I am so excited about it!

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS

• Potty Training
• Pooping

Index: Tips and Tricks

Baby Gear

• Big Toys for Baby
• Highchair Features

Baby Related Tips

• Calculating Age

Breastfeeding Tips

• Tips and Tricks: Breastfeeding moms, give your baby a bottle

Church Tips

• Church Nursery/Daycare/Playcenter 

Diapers

• Diapers
• Diapers At Night

Discipline Tips

• The Timer

Doctor/Dentist

• Dentist Tips 
• Tips and Tricks: Vaccinations
• Vaccinations: When you have two children 

Mealtime

• Pizza Cutter Tip {Meal Time Life Hack}

Motherhood Tips

• How to YOLO When Parenting Solo
• Postpartum Survival Tips

Money

• How I Feed My Family for Around $100 a Week

Moving Tips

• Moving Tips

Parenting Tips

• 5 Must Have Items for Parents Keep in the Car
• Get To Know Your Child's Personality
• Tips and Tricks: Teamwork

Playtime Tips

• Out With the Old, in With the New (toys) 

Problem Solving

• Problem Solving Tip: Detailed Log 
• Problem Solving Tip: Experiment 
• Tips and Tricks: Take Notes
• Tips and Tricks: Take Notes While Reading

Sickness/Pain

• Tips and Tricks: Dealing with a Cold
• Tips and Tricks: Got Gas?
• Tips and Tricks: Teething

Traveling Tips

• 5 Must Have Items for Parents Keep in the Car

• 7 Tips for Attending Parades with Young Children

• Camping Tips 

Making Babyfood Tip

As McKenna has gotten older, I have come to realize a great little tip for making babyfood in mass quantities.

If you are making babyfood for 2-3 months (or more), my tip is to not thin it much when you make it initially. I discovered this accidentally. I made some food that I just didn't add much water to (carrots). It was smooth, but thick. When she was younger, I would add water to get it as thin as she needed it. As she got older, however, I would add less and less water until I didn't add any.

As they grow, their consistency needs change. If you make it thicker, you can always add water when you serve it, but you can't take the water out. So, if you are making a large batch, try not adding much water so the food can "grow" with your baby.

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:

• Making Babyfood blog label

Moving Tips

We have moved a few times in Brayden's lifetime. The first was when he was two weeks old. The next was when he was one year old. The last was when he was four years old. My friend, Kelli, also moved in the last few months. Here are our tips for making the move easier on yourself and the family. Please be sure to comment with your own tips if you have them!

DOWNSIZING

• Plan Ahead. Know how much space you will have. We called ahead for actual room sizes, then taped off our rooms to get the dimensions of the space we would be moving into to make sure we could actually fit what we were bringing. (by Kelli)
• Less Is Better. I would suggest bringing only what you think you absolutely need. Then eliminate 10% more. (by Kelli)
• Sell What You Can. It costs so much to store furniture these days, that it is worth it to sell off unused furniture that you can part with. Local online classifieds like craigslist.com is good for this. (by Kelli)
• Share Storage. We ended up getting a local storage locker to store a washer and dryer. The cheapest place we could find was $35 a month. We later found friends here who had extra room in there storage space. We now pay them $10 a month for a portion of theirs. It is a good arrangement all around. (by Kelli)
• De-Junk: View the move as an opportunity to "de-junk" your stuff. We often hang on to things that we really will never use. I like to throw stuff away (or set aside for good will) as I pack. I also get rid of stuff as I unpack. Don't get rid of things you might need in the new place (that is just a waste of money!), but take advantage of this organizing opportunity. (by Val)

PACKING (by Val)

• Start Early. I personally like to start packing quite early. Even when I was in college and moving a car full of stuff, I started a month early. I know that is a bit extreme...start early enough that you can really organize things as you go.
• Organize By Room: When you are packing your boxes, group items by room. Do it by rooms the items will go in at the new house, not where they are in the current house. Why? It makes unpacking so much easier.
• Label: Label your boxes according to room. You can just write which room it goes in. Some readers have said they assigned a color to each room and put a colored index card on each box. Do what works for you. I labeled which room it went in as well as what was in the box. Label all sides of the box. I put the room it went in on top and each side. I then put more details on the top or sides.
• Pack a Suitcase: Pack a suitcase (or whatever) for each member of the family as though you were going on vacation for a few days. A vacation in a tent :). Pack as though there will be no amenities (but you will have electricity). Include toiletries, clothes, pillows, toys, books for bedtime, etc.
• Pack Important Items Together: Something I did was pack bedding for each bed in a box together, then I marked it in a very noticeable way. I knew we would need all of that for that night. Make it so noticeable that you can find it in a sea of boxes.
• Pack Monitors In Purse: or somewhere else you can't lose it. Our first night in our new house, I easily found Kaitlyn's monitor and Brayden's monitor. I could not, however, find McKenna's monitor anywhere! I had just packed them a few hours before. Her monitors were some of the very last things I packed. I didn't find them for days. Luckily, I just used Brayden's for her. He is old enough to be able to come to us if there is a problem. If I had to do it over again, I would put the monitors in my purse and keep in on my person.
• Pack Yourself: When we moved when Brayden was one, my husband's company paid for a moving company to pack and move us. While it was nice to have them do all the packing, and they packed everything in one day, it was really a pain to unpack. I don't think it was worth it for me. I prefer packing my things in logical (logical to me) groupings. Movers are just putting everything in boxes as fast as they can. No worries to them if the kitchen spoons are mixed in with the toilet paper. I am sure there are people out there who prefer movers. Decide what will work best for you and do that.
• Get Free Boxes: Most grocery stores or fast food chains will give you their boxes for free. We got all of our boxes from our local Wendy's. Their boxes were very sturdy and strong.
• Send the Children Away: If you can, have the kids visit grandma or a friend so you can get some packing done without them distracting. But do let them help with their own rooms.

PREPPING CHILDREN (by Val)

• Talk About The Move: Tell your children you are moving. Talk about what you will take and what you won't take. At first, Brayden thought we were going to leave all of our stuff in the old house (even his toys). He was surprisingly fine with that, but very excited to learn he could take his toys with him.
• Read Books: It might be helpful to read books about moving to your child.
• Let Them Help: Let your children help pack, especially their own stuff.
• Visit the New House/Look at Pictures: Since we didn't move far, we were able to visit our new house often. We would go there and show them around the house and show them their new rooms. If you can't do that, try to get pictures of the new house to show your children.
• Have Open Communication: Talk with your children about the things and people they will miss. Tell them what will be different. Tell them what will be good. Ask what they like about the new house. Give them something positive to look forward to, but don't dismiss feelings of loss for leaving the old house.
• Walk Through the Empty House: After a few days in our new house, Kaitlyn (2) started requesting we "go home." I decided she needed to see the old house so she could feel some closure. We went over and visited it all empty. We looked in every room and saw that it wasn't our home anymore. After that, she was totally fine with the new house. If you are moving far away, I highly recommend you do a walk through with your children before you leave your house.

TRAVEL

• Plan Ahead: We had friends who did not book hotels and plan stops in advance, and ended up spending at least one night in a car. (by Kelli)
• Make an Itinerary: After we mapped a route and booked hotels, we printed off an itinerary for both vehicles with local maps and information as well as contact info for truck return and landlord arrangements when we arrived. (by Kelli)
• Bring Help: My husband drove the moving truck, and my mom did most of the driving in our car so I could devote my energies to entertaining our two boys. We would not have made it without her. (by Kelli)
• Fly if Needed: I had a friend who flew to their new home with her 14 month old while her husband drove the moving van. The flight was much shorter and easier on her baby. (by Val)

POST-MOVE (by Val)

• Unpack Fast: Unpack your children's things quickly. When Kaitlyn started asking to go home, I thought about things from her perspective. Most of her toys were boxed up and she was living in a new house full of boxes. How fun is that for a two year old? Brayden (4) was fine with things being unsettled, but he has always been very flexible with change like that. I know it is a big job (believe me). I also know that a room like the kitchen is very important to get done quickly. But be sure to put the kids' rooms high on the priority list.
• Send the Children Away: One option is to have the kids visit grandma or a friend for a day or two so you can really focus on packing and get things as settled as possible before they come to their new house.
• Maintain Routine: Try your best to keep the routine the same for your children. Everything around them has been uprooted. Maintaining your routine will help them have something familiar to hold to.
• Have Patience: Over the course of Kaitlyn's life, she has literally never protested independent playtime. Our first day in our new house, she did independent play just fine. Day two...she cried. I had her come out of independent play and didn't try again for a week. I wanted to be sure she was emotionally secure before trying it again. I used her extra time with me as an opportunity to finally hit potty training again (I had stopped when McKenna was born since she was not able to pull her pants down by herself at the time). We reintroduced it slowly, and she now does it as usual.

There are our tips. Please share your tips! I am sure there are many great ones out there.

RELATED BLOG LABELS:

• Moving
• Tips and Tricks