Keeping up

Wow!  Has anyone ever mentioned how busy owning a business can become.  I knew I was in for a ride when I started my own business, but this ride sometimes goes way too fast!  There are so many things to do besides the everyday tasks of running a business.  Here is a quick update on what we have done.   

Miss Plan It All Inc., is now accredited by the Better Business Beureau and we  have joined the ICLMA, which stands for International Concierge and LifeStyle Management Association, they have been a great educational resource.   Our website, www.missplanitall.com has been updated with a “resources” page where you will find several of my favorite places and resources in the local Tampa Bay area.  Also working on several other projects that will involve teaching and certifications as well as adding more concierge type services for moms!

All of the things above come after family time!  That means I try to get as much as I can done.  To add even more family time to my already busy schedule,  I have joined a mom group called Small Fry Society, in the Tampa Bay, Fl area.  It’s a great concept; moms & babies get together for socials once a week.  Each social is something different and provides an opportunity for moms to get to know each other.  I love it!  Only thing is, I always have to make sure I put it on my schedule every week and that I make time for it.  To those working moms out there, I strongly suggest joining a group where you can meet other women and have some down time to have fun.

Multi-tasking children’s toys…

As a busy mom and as Miss Plan It All, I am constantly trying to come up with ideas to keep my boys ages 2 and 10 months entertained while we are out.  Especially if we are going out to eat at a restaurant.  I pride myself in the fact that for the most part my boys are well-behaved.  But, like all kids, there comes a point where they need to stay busy and they will find a way.  That is why  I figured it’s best for me to keep them busy than to let them find something on their own to stay busy with.  Like, banging the silverware on the table at a restaurant.  Let’s be honest, no one likes that sound and I don’t want to be that parent who is being stared at by others who are trying to enjoy their meal.  So, I came up with a few ideas that have helped us while out in public.  I hope this helps other busy parents out there and if you have ideas to share with me, please bring them on!

Bath books- you know the ones that are plastic and kind of puffy.  These are great because you can easily wipe them down after the kids have smeared food on them and they don’t take up too much space in your diaper bag.  Or if you are like me, in your restaurant bag.  Yes, I have a bag already ready in the car with these items in it, so it’s always there for us.

Bath squirts- these usually come in a themed pack.  I like the animal ones or the little people ones because you can play pretend with them.  They are fairly inexpensive, so if you lose one or forget one you don’t feel bad.  These are great for restaurants because they are easy to wipe down, you can pretend they are eating too which will encourage your child to eat as well or try something different and they don’t make noise.  I recently found little cars.  These are great because they don’t roll off the table.

Place mats- the disposable kind.  You can find these pretty much at any kids store and even in the grocery store.  These are great because you stick them onto to the table.  They usually have characters the kids recognize and kids can write on them or color them.  Another added bonus to these, is that if you have a baby who is teething and insists on gumming the table, you can rest assured they are not actually putting their mouth on a dirty table, that while yes, it has been wiped down, remember it has been wiped down with the same towel all the other dirty tables have been wiped down with.  (sorry for the visual)

Foam letters (the small ones)- I use these in the tub as well to teach my toddler the alphabet and numbers.  Toss a handful of these in the bag.  They are easy to clean and educational as well.  And also quiet!

A special toy- right now my toddler is into Cars, with  Mater being his favorite character and Thomas train.  I keep these in case there is a delay in being seated or our food is taking too long and my other options are not working.  I have not used these often.  They are not as easy to clean because they have a lot of crevices perfect for hiding food and if we lose one, well, they are NOT cheap!  So you might regret it.

Snacks- limit these so you don’t ruin their lunch or dinner.  Usually a few gold-fish go along way or for the baby, the Puffs.  They work well too.  My toddler usually wants the puffs if he sees me giving them to the baby!

And last but not least and perhaps the most important for me:

Plastic rings- these usually come in a pack of a million.  Just kidding, but a lot.  You can connect them to each other and hang them on anything.  These come in handy because you can attach them to the toys I have mentioned above and prevent your little ones from dropping or throwing their toys all over the place.  In order for these to work you have to get a little bit creative with the toys though.  I take a hole puncher and punch a hole in the toys, this way I can thread the rings through the hole to keep them in place.

Of course most restaurants offer crayons and a coloring page to keep kids entertained, which is great.  However, my kids are not there yet.  They will not color quietly and wait until their food arrives. They will eat, break, throw and poke themselves with the crayons, crumble the coloring sheet and throw it on the floor.  So for now, this is what works for us.

Road trip day 4.. Indiana bound

Woke up this morning in Louisville KY after another good night sleep.  So proud of my boys.  Miss Plan It All, planned for sleepless nights, but they are really coming through for me.  We got ready had our breakfast and got on the road again.  Our drive would only be about three hours.  Which then turned into about four.  Still not too bad.  We decided we would be staying with my husbands maternal grandmother, Betty because, my husbands father’s house(where we usually stay) was already full with guests.  My husband’s sister was already staying there.  I was looking forward to staying with grandma Betty because she is an amazing cook and I knew it would really make her happy to have a house full of guests.  Especially two little guests in particular. 

After settling in at grandma’s we headed to my husband’s fathers house for a cookout.  I knew my toddler would be loving the scenery and all the land around him to roam.  I say he is my outdoor boy.  He loves to be outside no matter how hot or cold it is.  We visited my husband’s grandfather as well, since he lives close by.  It is amazing to me to see my children with their grandparents and great grandparents.  I did not have either growing up and it is important to me for my kids to be around theirs.  There is nothing like the love of a grandparent.  On a side note, I forgot that the sun doesn’t go down in Indiana in the summer until ten o’clock at night.  This is not good news to a mother trying to get kids to bed.  I said I was not sticking to a schedule, but this was putting bed time way out of line.

Another good day on this wonderful road trip.  Last week, when we were still home,part of the Miss Plan It All’s business included running errands for myself.   I ran all my errands to include little things I knew we could use on the road.  A few of those things  that come to mind right now because we have already used them are: to go laundry detergent perfect for one load and  After Bite wipes-I knew one of us would get stung by something.  Luckily it was me and not one of the boys.  Keep these items in mind for the next time you travel.

Road trip continued: day 2 & 3….

Okay, so I really am trying my best to post these blogs during this vacation but, it is kind of hard.  I feel like I need to hire Miss Plan It All to do some things for me right now.   The only time I have is when both the boys are asleep for the night.  During the day I am too busy doing things with them.  So, here it goes: Day 2 woke up at the Miller’s home,  boys slept through the night for the most part.  I am so proud of my toddler for staying in his bed all night being in a different environment and all.  We had breakfast with our friends and the kids, my husband took our toddler to their community park so that he could play before having to get in the car for another five-hour road trip (with stops in between of course), while I packed and got the baby ready to go.  By 11:30 a.m. we were all Kentucky bound.  Ready to see our friends and their kids. 

We arrived in Louisville, KY at around 6 p.m, checked in at our hotel and headed out to a restaurant to meet our friends for a little while.  My toddler gets shy around people he has not seen or met and now during this trip he handles his shyness by putting his entire hand in his mouth and gags himself.  Oh, it is great when in public and people stare like what is that little boy choking on.  My husband and I know better so we really don’t pay much attention.  Anyway, that is just a side note for those parents who go through similar things with their toddlers.  We make it back to the hotel, get the kids in bed and much to our surprise they sleep through the night.  Ahhhh… this is the best vacation ever so far. 

Day 3: We are up and at em.. ready to go the Louisville Zoo with our friends and all the kids.  Had a fantastic day at the Zoo.  I must say my baby is awesome.  He was so good all day at the zoo.  Took his naps in the stroller and was just as happy as can be.  He is such a laid back and happy baby,  we feel so lucky.   We let our toddler play in the Wet play ground at the Zoo with the other kids.  Of course I bring his swim diapers and swim gear, but don’t pack anything for myself or my husband.  So, we take turns chasing him around the pools and fountains and slides, so that neither one of us would be completely soaked.  So, I decide to help out our toddler get on one of the slides and I got completely soaked by a giant pail of water that they seemed to pour down on me as my son went down the slide.  Ahhhh… it actually felt good since it was about 100 degrees outside.  After the zoo we made it back to the hotel got ready again and headed to our friends house for a cookout.  It is so nice to be at a house that is already child proofed.  Since they have a 16 month old boy who is everywhere, their house is equiped to handle kids.  This ended day three of our trip, back to the hotel, for another good night sleep. 

Tomorrow, we are Indiana bound… stay tuned!

Planning the road trip…

We are two days away from taking off.  As promised, as Miss Plan It All, I will be giving updates on what I have done and will do to make this trip with the boys as smooth as possible.  By now, you probably know we are driving to my husband’s home town in Indiana, with several stops along the way.  It’s me, my husband our two-year old and our 81/2 month old.  Yesterday I started my day with writing the list of things we would need for the boys and I did my shopping for things we did not already have.  I also started sorting out what I was going to pack for all of us.  Decided on the following: 1 weekend bag for boys and for my husband and I.  Since we would be staying at two different places over the weekend, I figured there would be no need to carry out everything we are bringing.  Sounds like a brilliant plan, until I have to decide what outfits for weekend bag and what outfits for rest of week!  Yikes! I have my work cut out.

Today, my husband took my car to get one of those things installed on the top for extra storage!  Extra storage???? What, the trunk of my midsize SUV is not enough.  I guess not.  Now, I have to make sure I don’t park inside a garage for the next two days because my car won’t fit.  I believe the thing is called a Tulle or maybe that is the brand.  Anyway, point is we have more room for more stuff!  The up side to this extra storage unit is that I won’t be able to reach it.  So my husband has to get up there each time.  The down side to this extra storage thing is that I can’t reach it.  So I better keep what the boys will need on hand.  You know they are going to want something that is up there as soon as we get moving!  Here is my list of items to pack.  Hoping this post helps my readers in case they are crazy enough to take a road trip!

Things for boys:

Daytime: Diapers, diaper cream, baby wipes, baggies for poopy diapers, 2 outfits per child, per day.  Total days = 9, total # of outfits needed= 18 plus one each for photo w/ great grandpa, plus 9 pairs of PJ’s each, socks for both and shoes for the 2-year-old! Bibs, and tons of burp cloths!

Bath time: Wash cloths, soap, bubbles, bath toys, bath mat, bath ring for little one, rubber duck that covers faucet (yes, we need that for safety), hooded towels (i love their towels), tooth brushes/toothpaste  and baby lotion.

Meal time: Baby food for little one, place mats (the kind that stick to tables, but remove easily when done), spoons, baby snacks, sippy cups, bottles, binkies, bottle brush to wash, regular & disposable bibs, meal time toys and books (keeps them entertained while waiting for food), hand wipes, Clorox wipes (i wipe down all table tops prior seating them, I am a clean freak), paper towel and extra wash cloths. High chair cover for little one, booster seat and tray.  Teething rings for little one. Insulated bag for bottles/sippy cups/etc.

Play time: toys, and by toys I mean mainly cars, books, movies, dvd player, SUNSCREEN, pool floats, swim gear, swim outfits, swim diapers, large zip lock bags for wet clothes

Sleep time: (Naps & night), night diapers, blankies, sleep toys: penguin, dog and car, pillow for 2-year-old.  My own bedding… I don’t like hotel sheets for their cribs or pack & play..

Things for parents: Clothes, shoes, toiletries.. LOL… keep it simple.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update… packing continued and additions to the list above that I probably can’t think of right now!

Road Trip

Our first family road trip is approaching.  It’s just me and the boys making our way to my husband’s home town in Indiana.  I am excited because we will be making several stops along the way and seeing some friends, but I am getting nervous.  I think about how the boys will do.  It will be interesting to see my two-year old’s reaction to the new places he will see.  Not sure how my 8 1/2 month old will do.  He is a very laid back baby, so fingers crossed!  

At least I can count on my planning skills as Miss Plan It All, to plan ahead and try to foresee as much as possible.  The most important thing is that the kids remain entertained and as comfortable as possible along the way.  That said, I will be picking out favorite toys, videos, books, games (for toddler) and my newest favorite thing to do in the car with him, flash alphabet letters at him to recite.  We are up to F. 

 I will start researching some of my go to resources for tips on trips and will share.  Stay tuned for the rest of the packing list and updates on how the road is treating us.