Travel Tips for Single Parents

I know how tricky traveling as a single parent can be.  You want to visit family for the holidays, or go on vacation, but the thought of doing it solo with kids probably makes you want to run for the hills.  Don't worry! I've got plenty of experience, and I've compiled a list of my top 10 travel tips!

1. Make a list. Write down your packing list at least a week ahead of time.  This way, if there's something you use regularly, that you forgot to write down, you have time to add it.

2. If you're flying, Make sure you have everyone's passports/IDs, tickets, etc. in an easily accessible place. You don't want to be searching for it in the security line, with cranky kids.

3. If you're driving, plan on taking frequent breaks. I map out our route ahead of time, and look for a few fun stops along the way. My kids get excited about the next stop, and it breaks up the boredom & driving. (Plus, regular bathroom/driving breaks helps everyone!)

4. Pack a "Boredom Bag". Fill a carry on bag with small, inexpensive activities for your kids. (Coloring books & crayons, word puzzles, Rubix cube, travel games, etc)

5. Let your kids help with the planning.  My kids always get more excited about a trip if they've had a hand in planning it.  When they're excited, they don't complain as much!

6. Allow for extra time.  Whether you're driving, or flying, you need to give yourself extra time to get where you're going. Kids have one speed- SLOW. 

7. Get your car checked out, before you go.  This is a great tip for any traveler, but take it from me- you don't want to be broke down with whiny kids, in a hurry... by yourself. (Can you tell, I'm speaking from experience?!)

8. Eat before you leave. This will help you get a good start if you're driving, and save you lots of money if you're flying. Airport food is crazy expensive!

9. Play games.  There are tons of fun road trip games out there!  You can even tweak some of them, to be played in an airport.

10. Pack your patience. This is always important, but even more so when you're a single parent. Be patient with your kids, but also with other travelers.

Visiting the White House

I love history, and sadly only one of my kids shares that passion with me.  So, when I decided to apply to visit the White House, I knew I had to take her with me.  I got a ticket for my brother, who also likes history. So, after being approved (and maybe screaming with excitement), I planned our trip to the nation's capital.

We live less than two hours away, so we made this a day trip.  Since we were visiting the White House, I got tickets to tour the Capitol building as well. All I had to do for both, was reach out to my local congressman's office. They took care of everything.  It was a very easy process, and they answered all my questions.

We took the Metro into DC, and went straight to our first stop, the White House. Security takes FOREVER, and we were in line about twice as long as we were inside! Make sure you hit the bathroom before getting in the security line.

After leaving the White House, we grabbed hotdogs at a food truck, and hiked down to the Capitol building for our tour.

It was so beautiful!  I didn't get a lot of pictures, because there were so many people.  I just enjoyed the tour.

On our way back to the Metro, we saw this flower statue, and my daughter wanted to get a picture with it.

We had an amazing day, and I'm so glad we did it.  I don't think I would go back to the White House, but it's definitely something I think everyone should do once. The photos don't do it justice- it's gorgeous inside, and there are so many details you have to see in person to enjoy.

Kings Dominion Day!

One thing I do every year, for Christmas, is give my kids tickets to something.  The last few years it has been season passes to Kings Dominion.  I'm switching it up this year, but I'm not sharing that yet, since the big kids may be reading this ;)

We are super excited for the brand new Winterfest, opening this year, but I wanted to share some photos from a recent visit. Before we even entered the park, we saw some people we had to meet!

Let me stop right here and mention again that my son is almost 14. Getting him to take character photos is a huge WIN any day!

Once we were in the park, we hit our favorite rides.  Taking three kids, by myself can be a challenge, because my girls prefer the kids area, while my son loves the bigger coasters.  One thing I do to make my life a little easier is to plan ahead as much as possible.  Before leaving the house, we decide which rides we HAVE to go on which ones we WANT to go on, and which ones we can skip.  At the park we typically do one bigger ride for every 2-3 smaller rides.  The kids take turns choosing which ride to go on next, out of the choices I give them (based on where we are in the park, and our list of have tos and want tos). Of course I drive them crazy with all the beautiful photo ops this park has!

One of our family favorites is the antique cars.  We all love them, and it's a nice break from the heat and walking.  The line moves very quickly, and it's a slow, shaded ride. This time we actually rode three times, because the kids each wanted to drive, and there was NO LINE!

I will just say that I am so glad there's a track, because we probably would've ended up in a tree. 

My biggest complaint about Kings Dominion is the food prices. I will never understand why they have to jack up the prices for theme park food. $15 for a (mediocre) slice of pizza and a drink is a little insane. We split two meals, for lunch, then grabbed dinner on the way home. I can't wait to go back for Winterfest!

Welcome To The Crazy Train!

Hello, and welcome! My name is Jennifer, and I am a single mom of three kiddos. This post will be to share with you WHY I decided to start this blog, and what I will be posting about, as well as introductions to the family. So, grab a cup of coffee and come meet the fam.

I have always been a big fan of making fun memories over having lots of material things.  My own dad passed away suddenly in 2009, and the best memories I have of him were simple activities and day/weekend trips he took us on. I decided right then and there, that I would make those same memories with my own children, so that when I am gone, they have great memories of their time with me.

I love documenting these activities and trips with photographs, and up until now, I have just posted them on Facebook and a few on Instagram.  However, I wanted one place where we could look back on these fun times, and I could inspire other parents to create fun memories with their kids.

I will be posting all the fun things! We try to do a lot, so I will have plenty to share on this blog. I hope you follow along, and I'd love to hear from you, if you decide to do any of these things with your own family. Speaking of family, let me introduce you to mine.

Like I said, my name is Jennifer, and I am a mom to three human kids, and 3 fur babies. I am a huge history nerd (as you will notice, with some of our most frequent day trips), and I am a lifelong Disney fan.  I work from home, and love it. My hobbies include reading, spending way too much time on social media (most of it is for work, I swear!), and having fun with my kiddos.

My son, Joey, is almost 14. He is pretty obsessed with video games, which is another reason I love our fun family activities. It gets him out of his room, and away from the TV for a while.

My oldest daughter, Lexi, is 11.  She's quite the diva these days, and loves all things fashion! She drags her little sister into doing regular fashion shows, and loves being the center of attention.

My youngest, Kaitlyn, is 8.  She's got such a big heart. She loves everyone, and is such a big helper to her family, her friends, and her teachers. She's also got the most energy of any kid I've ever seen.

We also have an adorable cat, named Luna, and two guinea pigs, named Ginger and Cookie. They don't really do much with us, but I'm sure you'll see them every now and then.

Thanks for joining me on this journey, and I can't wait to share more!