Luggages packed and closed 10 mins before we left for the airport. Since we use a set travel packing list and everyone is responsible for their own stuff, we tend to procrastinate as much as possible. I still have that feeling like I forgot something though. Does that happen to you? #familytravel A post shared by Practical Mama (@practicalmama) on … [Read more...]
Packing list for traveling with babies and toddlers
The other day my son calculated that he spent more than a year of his life – of 11,5 years so far –traveling. He flew overseas 20 times, flew within the North America half a dozen times. I flew with 2 kids, a toddler and a baby, alone when my daughter was 6 months old and my son was 3. Countless road trips, camps, and mini getaways later packing … [Read more...]
Camping Packing Checklist (Printable)
Camping season has started quite early for us. We had a great weekend camping, hiking and just resting at the camp. We prepared our camping packing checklist in advance and marked everything checked as we loaded the car. Then at the camp, we realized we forgot some few important items such as pillows and speakers, which we added to our … [Read more...]
Tips to avoid jet lag with children
We have been traveling between Chicago and Istanbul with children every summer for the last nine years, six of which were with two children. I listed the method that helps me and my children avoid jetlag traveling +8 hrs in time zones and back. I am very confident that these tips work because we courageously book our return tickets to the day … [Read more...]
Kids’ Summer Vacation Away with Grandparents – Vol. I
Almost 2 weeks ago, kids packed their luggage for their annual summer vacation in Turkey. We went to the airport, checked them in, and handed them over to my brother and sister-in-law before the security check point. There went the kiddos, with their cousins to get on their 11 hour flight to Istanbul, without us.This year, I and my husband … [Read more...]
Geocaching: A Modern Day, Global Treasure Hunt
Happy Earth Day!Last year, during summer, our local public library held a small workshop on geocaching. I’d heard about it from few parents but didn’t have time to research myself. We learned what geocaching is, downloaded the app and searched and found our very first cache during the workshop.It sounded really fun, mostly for kids but … [Read more...]
Fun activity ideas for long rides and flights
We've completed yet another successful long flight to Aruba and back. I am quite experienced in entertaining children in long flights and road trips, as you can read in this post titled, Preparing for long flights and trips with babies and young children. Good news is it gets easier, as the attention span of children grows by age. Parents or … [Read more...]
Why I love family vacation
After 7 days of teachers union strike, public schools started 2012-2013 school year today. The extended summer break came to an end.Before the summer break, among most of the parents around me and on the blogs that I read, the main consensus about vacation was “a vacation is not a vacation when it's with kids”. I seem to be the one of the few … [Read more...]
Games and tips to make your next museum visit with kids the best one
During the winter, especially places with colder climates, museums are the top destinations for indoor entertainment. We, as an example, visited, at least, one museum every week during this past month.Children's museums aside, I find museums here in the US quite kid-friendly. Even for younger children, they offer many areas where kids can play, … [Read more...]
Preparing for long flights and trips with babies and young children
We finally have returned from our two-week overseas trip without any incident. We were so busy getting ready for the trip. Adding the exhaustion from the trip on top of that, we literally need one more week to relax but spiritually it was a very relaxing vacation.We had a more comfortable 12-hour flight than we expected with our son. This fear … [Read more...]
Safety: Car safety for babies and children
According to the laws in USA, you must take your new born baby home from the hospital in a car seat. When travelling in a car, make sure you baby sits in the back seat in a car seat and make sure to fasten the seat belt. Making excuses such as, car being too cluttered with baby seat, that the distance is too short, baby not liking the car seat … [Read more...]