My wishes for everyone are that you have a great day, enjoy the company of your friends and family and eat lots and lots of food.

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.

To all those out there working, raising families, doing a ton of other things and blogging, I am with you!  It’s not easy, but it is fun!  Now, if I could only find time for an exercise routine again!  Yikes!!!

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.

As a working mom and small business owner, I am away from my kids for a significant amount of time.  However, I am luckier than most working moms because I have a job and a business that allows me to make my own schedule, which in turn allows me to spend a lot more time with my kids than most working moms.  I usually make it a point to schedule an activity outside the home to go to with the kids. It is a bit challenging because one is 2 yrs old and the baby is 9 months, so finding something that is suitable for both is hard.  It makes me feel a little bit better to know they took part of my days schedule but I still think about them the days I actually do work and leave the house for 7 hours (which is the most I am ever gone).  As parents it is difficult not to think about our little ones because they are a piece of us.  We are so in tune with their actions, the new things they do or say.  My advice to this mom was; don’t worry about other people thinking you are crazy because your baby is on your mind all the time.  Consider it a blessing that you have someone so important to think about all the time.

I know she felt at ease with my response and knowing that I was going through the same thing with my kids.  To me it is so important to make new parents feel supported and to let them know they are not alone with their thoughts.

Great grandpa pulled out a box of old John Deer tractors that my husband used to play with when he was a child and gave it to my toddler to play with.  His face lit up when he saw them.  He played with each one outside in the what seemed to feel like 200 degree weather.  It did not seem to bother him at all.  In the mean time I was melting and so was the baby.  I had two portable baby fans attached to the stroller and he was still sweating.  I did slather them both and myself with sunscreen even though we were in the shade.  I was finally glad when it was almost dinner time and my husband said we had to go. 

Home made chicken and noodles here we come!  I was so excited.  When we got back to grandma’s house she had dinner ready.  She even baked a cherry pie!  Now this is my type of vacation.  Dinner was amazing, my boys liked everything, (I gave some to the baby mashed up and he took to them very well) and my husband ate so much I think he almost made himself sick.  Spending time like this with family has made this trip very special. 

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.

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!

So, I finished packing and running last-minute errands late Thursday night and left only the last-minute things for Friday morning.  Our goal was to be out of the house by 9 a.m.  Well, that did not happen.  My toddler woke up a couple of times through the night, so needless to say, we had a rough night.  All and all, we ended up leaving by 10:30 a.m.  Not bad at all.  So then the fun began!

On the road Day 1:

Kids did just fine in the car to our first stop which was about  three hours.  We decided to stop at a McDonald’s that had a play place so that my toddler would get to stretch out, play a bit, eat and then go.  Great idea, until we get to the McDonald’s with the play place and it was slammed!  People everywhere,  I really think it was one of the smallest McDonald’s I had ever been too.  The play place area was fine, except for the fact that the air conditioner was not working and we are going through a heat wave in what seems to be the entire East Coast of the United States!  WOW!  We managed to get out just fine, bellies full, diapers changed, potty breaks for us too, all is well! 

On the road again.  Georgia bound!  We drove another three  hours and made it to Cordel, GA.  We pulled into a gas station that really seemed like it put us back 40 years in time.  And of course, it was slammed.  Got gas, I managed to change the baby in the front seat of my car, he is really too big, but I managed and decided to drive down a bit more and go to the rest stop.  We made it to the rest stop and it was lovely to find that none of the bathrooms had a changing table.  Really!  No changing tables at a rest stop where people go to rest and change babies diapers.  So, my husband changed our toddler on a bench where they were both attacked by nats.  It turns out that there are Buffalo Nats that bite.   Not bites on the boys, but it is nice to know that biting nats exist! 

Back in the car, headed to our friends house in Dallas Ga, where we would be spending the night.  The last half hour of the car ride was challenging.  The baby was done with being in the car seat and my heart breaks at the sound of his cries.  He is such a good baby, never complains, never cries or fusses.. that when he does I know he needs to be in my arms!  So, thankfully we got to our friends house soon after the fussing and he was fine. 

It was so nice to visit the Miller’s.  I finally met their baby girls who is beautiful.  What a lovely child.  We had dinner, gave all the kids baths and put them to bed.  I was pleasantly surprised that the baby went to sleep right away in the pack-n-play that he never sleeps in, and that my toddler slept just fine in his inflatable toddler bed that I bought just for the trip and to make the transition to a big boy bed once we get home.  I had to lay there with him for a bit, but then he was fine.  I must admit, it was rather difficult for me to get out of the inflatable bed because it is so low to the floor, but I managed. 

Then we got to visit with our friends, talk and catch up.  Lovely evening.  Day 1 down… 8 days to go!

 Stay tuned..

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!