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Planning a multi family vacation with friends, neighbors or family members can be a great, low stress way to get away with kids. But it’s also a scenario that can go downhill fast if you don’t think (and plan) it through.  Bad vacations have been known to wreck relationships. The effects can continue well past the time away.  You don’t want your vacation to turn into a total nightmare. So we have compiled this  list of considerations that you might want to check out before you book your ticket. We wish you good times and smooth sailing!

1. Consider disciplinary differences. Does the idea of your children flinging spaghetti across a restaurant cause you little stress? Are you offended when someone else tells your precious snowflake to quit flinging spaghetti? Does the site of children flinging spaghetti make you break out in a cold sweat and consider spanking? It’s important to consider these things before you hit the road. If you know your family’s “style” is radically different from that of the other family’s, it might be a good idea to set up group standards for behavior and discipline before you travel.

2. Consider space requirements, and that of others. Cramped families are unhappy families.

3. Bedtimes and mealtimes matter. Are you adamant about sticking as close as possible to your home schedule when you travel? Do you adhere to a strict no junk food policy at home and on the road? Or do all rules fly out the window when you hit the road? A quick discussion about the road rules for dining, napping, and bedtimes can go a long way towards group harmony.

4. Consider your childcare needs and expectations for adult time. Are you hoping to get some grown-up time during your trip? A night out as a group or with your partner? Have a chat with everyone involved about your wishes and expectations and the possibility of hiring a sitter or taking turns getting out and staying in.

5. Share and Share Alike? Are your kids toys and snacks for their use and their use alone? Or are you ok with throwing all the toys and snacks in the center of the room, community style? Sharing considerations are not just for kids.  Will meals be eaten family style? Who will do the cooking or shopping? How will you split the bills at the grocery store or in the restaurant? Sharing can be a problem when it comes to dining as well. Are you a germaphobe with friends who like to share each other’s drinks?

6. What’s your family rating? G? PG? R? It’s a funny thing to consider, but less funny when your four year old comes home from vacation with a new vocabulary of four letter words you’d hoped not to encounter at such a tender age. If no one in your family smokes or drinks, your kids have never seen a movie that wasn’t Disney and you abhor swear words, you’ll probably be miserable camping out with an R-rated family that watches Texas Chainsaw Massacre 10 with their toddlers whilst enjoying a brewski and a smoke.

7. What’s your idea of fun? Some families consider a day working on a farm, cooking organic produce and sleeping in a tent, a lot of fun. Others consider it unpaid labor. If your family likes to rock climb and your friends like to pig out on junk food and see a double feature, you may not be vacation compatible. Best to know this before you get to your destination.

Group family travel can be tense, but it can also be a wonderful thing. With the right travel companions you’ll never run out of conversation, the kids will never get bored because they are without playmates and everything is more fun, because you are doing it with friends. Make the most of your multi-family travel experience by ensuring your travelmates are compatible, and have a great time!

We’re in love with the site Nature Rocks. This informative site offers up fabulous advice and planning guides for families who want to take a Nature “Staycation” this summer. Log on and enter your zip code and you will be amazed by the fun (and FREE!) activities that come up in a search. Extra bonus: evidence suggests that time spent in nature is actually good for your brain and makes you smarter. Smart, fun… cool! Look for some of the Nature Rocks  suggestions in our Car&Caboodle Summer of Fun posts this summer.

Exploring Tide Pools with Kids

One of my favorite summer activities is exploring the marine life in local tide pools with my family. From starfish to sea urchins to tiny crabs and giant sea cucumbers, these natural aquariums never fail to delight and amaze us. We’re so  fortunate to live in an area with many natural tide pools, and try to check them out several times a year. Here is a check list of items that can make your tide pool experience more memorable.

1. A tide chart: know before you go. You don’t want to show up at high tide or get caught when the tide is coming in.

2. Water shoes with good grips. Tidal pools can be slippery

3.  A Water Scope can give you a unique up close look at sea life. These underwater magnifiers are also fun to use in shallow pools.

4. A disposable, inexpensive (or waterproof!) camera to capture your little brother holding a giant sea cucumber

5. Spend a little time researching the animals you might see. Make your own field guide. Laminated cards can help you identify the sea life.

6. Bring a small trash bag. It’s illegal on most of our local beaches to take away any sea life, shells, or rocks as a memento. That does not stop others from leaving a piece of themselves behind, however. We always carry a trash bag in case we have our own trash to dispose of , or come across anyone else’s.

7. Snacks and water. Clamoring over rocks makes you hungry. Power bars and plenty of water are a must have

8. Sunscreen! A broad spectrum high SPF sunscreen is a must have when you are exploring Tidal Pools. Even on a cloudy you can get badly burnt. Choose a waterproof variety and apply frequently.

9. Spare set of clothes. It’s Murphy’s Law. Noone will fall in and have to endure a wet sandy drive home, unless you forget to pack a spare outfit. Leave this in the car, and hopefully you won’t need it

10. Baby Powder. Did you know that baby powder gets sticky sand off you quickly and easily? Talcum works best, but if you are worried about little ones potentially inhaling this, the cornstarch version works as well. A little bit of baby powder, applied to feet, legs and sandy bums works like magic. This can make for a much more comfortable trip home in the car!

Is your family ready for some summer traveling fun? Well, these 5 tips will help you on your way, steering clear of unwanted traveling mishaps.

1 – Snacks - In the past we’ve hit the gas station right before and loaded up on junk food. Although it’s yummy and delicious, I now try to pack some snacks made at home instead. This also saves on time so we don’t make an extra food stops in between meals. Also, have a garbage sack at the ready for wrappers and fruit peels to keep the car fairly clean. I like to have a garbage bag reachable for each child.

• PB&J’s are great to make ahead of time and store in plastic bags. Avoid sandwiches with mayonnaise unless you plan to bring a cooler.
• Wash & dry fruit and veggies ready to eat
• Drinks – I like to give each child their own water bottle that I freeze before we leave. Then it melts on the way there, giving them just enough to drink every hour or so. Try to avoid juice boxes as their straws tend to leak and spill even after it’s gone. Sippy cups are great too as they’ve got lids.
• Treats – It’s cheaper to buy candy from a grocery store than it is on the road at the gas station. Try to get your snacks early to save money. We love licorice.

2 – Toys – I have a tub of toys within reach of the kids. It has a lid so it can be stored some place else when we aren’t using it. Here’s what’s inside:

• Magna doodles
• Travel Aqua Doodle – love this! But have a water bottle close by to refill the pen.
• 5-6 picture books, we love Where’s Waldo and I Spy books.
• Sticker books – the large Costco ones are great
• Action Figures
• Stuffed animal & Blankey

3 – Music – Bring tapes or CDs of your kids favorite music. It’s ideal if you have a portable CD player, then the whole car doesn’t have to hear the latest Disney sensation playing over and over again. But if not, try to give the kids a turn with their music in between the chapters of your book on tape!

- We’ve also love Satellite radio. We have XM radio and it’s fun for us as well as the kids. They have a children’s station that plays great kids songs and stories all day and all night.

4 – Bathroom Breaks – We’re in the middle of potty training and I know my daughter can’t hold it for 12 hours! We had to go back to pull-ups for the road trip. It’s not this easy for a girl!

- I’ve also heard it suggested to bring a large plastic container to have the child sit and “go” in. You can even line it with a plastic sack first for easy disposal. I haven’t tried this but it sounds like a good idea. Just have Hand Sanitizer and wet wipes at the ready.

5 – Extras – If your car doesn’t come with a DVD player, I highly suggest purchasing/borrowing a portable DVD player. This makes the trip fly by, keeping the kiddies entertained. I wish I’d had this when I was growing up. It would have saved my Mom from always hearing, “Are we there yet?” I really would say that about every 10 minutes.

Here’s a few links with great information about traveling with kids:

• Travel for Kids
• Trip Spot
• Travel with your Kids
• Fly with Kids

What have you done to make your car rides fly by with ease?

Marie is a crafter, traveler, and mom to 3. You can see more of her crafty goodness at her blog Make and Takes.

No one wants to plan for an emergency, but a little bit of planning goes a long way towards making the most of your vacation days and can help prevent a tragedy. Worth the effort!

If you are planning a trip then you will want to check out some of the offerrings at the Chicks and Cubs website.  Some picks to consider:

1. Physical IDs for children to have all the information they need, ON them, to get back to parents quickly if they become lost. ID bracelets, Shoe Stickers, Shoe Tags, Dog Tags, Temporary Tattoos, Electronic Child Locator ($8.00-$30.00)

2. Wallet IDs These are great for putting all the important information in one place. Parents carry the card and hand it over to authorities if you child is lost. Also great for giving to other caregivers (child care on a cruise, playdates,…). This can also be a physical ID for tweens/teens – since they don’t have a drivers license yet. ($10.00 for 5 cards)

3. Parking Pal Magnet This is a magnet that you put on your car. It gives children something to do while you get babies and/or other gear out of the car so they don’t dart out into traffic in a parking lot. (set of 2 magnets for $16.00)

4. Information for before you go on a trip (to busy, crowded places!!). Kid Escape! from Child Abductors DVD – teaches kids physical moves to try there very best to ESCAPE from an abductor.  ($12.00)

5. Mini First Aid  Kit This first aid kit is great for little scrapes. Great size for diaper bag, camera bag, purse. ($6.00)

In a world where schools no longer allow cupcakes in the classroom for birthday celebrations, sweets have been getting a bum rap. And yet, the more we marginalize our treats, the more we long for the simple pleasures we remember from our childhood – the penny candy, the bubblegum cigarettes, the technicolor gummy worms. It’s so bad. But so good.

Forbidden fruit tastes all the sweeter and throw in a little nostalgia and you’ve got sugar shock in a good way.  Powell’s Sweet Shoppes turn everyone into the proverbial kid in a candy shop, serving up sweets, toys and novelties for just about every age and gender.

Got a hankering for an obscure, novelty, foreign or oldtime sweet? Chances are you will find things here that noone else has. Zotz, Flying saucers, Mary Janes, Aero Bars, Violet scented gum, Flicks, Crows,  Pez and hundreds of others took us on a stroll down memory lane. Meanwhile our kids delighted on newer novelties like Grilz and browsed the gummy bins for everything from gummy letters to gummy fried eggs.  With scenes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory playing on a wide screen tv at the back of the shop and a custom candy themed soundtrack piped through the aisles, we knew we’d entered a magical place.

Not a candy person, I enjoyed the fresh gelato at the newly opened Powell’s in Laguna Niguel, California.  We were delighted to discover that this shop also stocks a grand assortment of  boutique and old fashioned sodas and a very impressive collection of sugar free confections that just about anyone can enjoy. Even if none of the edibles tempt you, the collection of retro lunchboxes and old timey toys and games will win you over.

If you are travelling out west, make one of these shops a destination and your kids will remember this as the best trip ever. It’s definitely worth going out of your way. For a complete listing of all the locations, see the Powells Website.

And don’t forget to say "Thanks for the Memories!"

Whether it’s an all day road trip or just the regular errands and school runs, a backseat full of kids and their stuff can quickly get out of control. We love these options for corralling their clutter and keeping their snacks fresh and cool.

1. The Cooler Backseat Organizer by Talus ($21.99)

This multifunctional organizer works at your destination as well as in the car. It folds into a tote bag and is perfect for picnics. It keeps up to a dozen bottles cool! Just be forwarned that you surely are going to need to pack a travel potty if you let your children consume that much frosty beverage back there. Additional storage slots hold wipes,snacks toys/games and reading material close at hand.

2.The Kid’s Backseat Organizer ($32.99)

If you have seat space to spare, and kids who need to share but like to stake their own territory, this organizer is a great solution. Multiple outer pockets (identical on both sides, in case that matters and you know it does!) organize smaller items and the inside is partitioned so each kiddo has their own stash space. The sturdy lid is perfect for games or as a drawing table and has flip up sides that prevent items from sliding off the surface.  

3. Kids Backseat Console and Organizer with Cup Holders ($49.99) 

If you have bucket seats in the back – this  molded plastic organizer/console brings the storage up to the right height for kids to safely access. It also works well on bench seats. This one is an especially good choice for families with younger children. 

“On top of Old Smoky, all covered with …”

You may have run out of storage space in your brain for the names of your sibling’s latest girlfriends, but chances are you have a bunch of cheesy song lyrics rattling around in there, hogging up that vital bandwidth. Turn this annoyance into an asset on your upcoming holiday roadtrips, by cranking Susie Tallman & Friends “Let’s Go” travel, camp and car songs CD. Not only will your children be impressed by your heartfelt singing of “Blowin’ in the Wind”, you will impress yourself when you realize the beltway miles that have flown by while you were all belting out tunes. This collection of songs brings you back to childhood in a good way, with acoustic guitars accompanied by non irritating, actually-talented singers. With 26 songs to choose from, you may even say “Are we there already?”