Surviving a LONG Road Trip

We just got back from our family vacation to Lake Havasu, AZ.

It was a LONG road trip. It took us nearly 15 hours to drive home.
You know what….it didn't suck.

In fact….the ride out there was actually enjoyable. Yes, it was kind of fun. Yes, we still had our three kids 5 and under with us. (Although it would have been a lot easier without them)

So, now that we survived and didn't kill each other I thought I'd share some of my best "road tripping with kids" tips.

One of the best things I did was make a trip to the dollar store. I purchased a bunch of stuff to make an "activity bag".

I bought paper, coloring books, stickers, and little prizes I could had out.
I also bought little containers where each kid could have their own box of crayons, markers and wipes.
This way there was no fighting over a certain color, marker. I also put the wipes and kleenex in there so they didn't have to ask me for them. I put sunglasses in there too. Dollor store kids glasses are the best thing ever. Seeing as how my kids lose them like crazy.

I also gave each kid their own lap tray so they could color or hold their snacks. You can find these online.

I handed out the little prizes (chalkboards, "guys", toy horses, games, etc) every few hours or so. This was a nice way to break up the long trip with something new for them to do.

I also had a snack bag. Lots of snacks seemed to be the key to happiness. I tried my hardest to buy food they don't get at home but they would love to snack on. But I also tried to avoid sugar as much as possible. There is no need to get them all jacked up on energy in a confined place. 

Every time they asked for a snack I gave it to them. It kept them happy, and kept our sanity. I had little plastic cups I would fill up for them. That way I didn't have to prepackage snacks at home. 

I packed a cooler too with food for a picnic lunch. That way we got out of the car, stretched our legs, and ran off some energy, and saved money. 

They each got their own water bottle, to avoid fighting over one. Dollar store….love it.

Find rest areas to stop at, so they can run around like crazy people.
We also stopped at a Burger King with a play place to use the potty and let them play for a bit.

On the way to the Lake we stayed a night at a hotel, so the next morning we could see the Grand Canyon.
This was out of our way, but we really made it a priority to see it. Who knows if we'd ever make it back that way.
This broke our trip up a bit, and added a mini vacation in the middle of a long road trip. I really suggest making the most out of the trip. Go a bit out of your way to enjoy it more. It was totally worth it!

Invest in a neck pillow.

Ok….I actually did have a neck pillow for all three of them….they didn't even use it.
Geesh! I guess kids will sleep no matter what.

But I think one of the best tips I can give is to just go in with a good attitude. We mentally prepared that the trip was going to be draining. But we prayed, and allowed God to control the time we had as a family.

And we did.

Hope you can enjoy these long road trips too!

DIY Stepping Stone Pathway

Sorry people! I've been a bit scarce around here. You see, when summer rolls around James and I get super busy with the kids…and after all….it's summer time.

Plus, we're always working on  a new project. We just {nearly} finished our walkway in our backyard.

This is what we had. Do you see all of those tiny red(ish) pebbles?

They are lovely, I really like them. The problem is that the kids love them too.

They love to throw them in the grass, and everywhere. They dig in them. James had it. Just one day he shoveled them all up and we were left with a eyesore. Until I found this on Amazon.

Find it here! 

Better yet, hit the garage sales or ask your neighbors. I didn't realize how many people I knew already owned this!

We just followed the directions on the mold.

But here's some tips to help you out better. You learn as you go, so here's what we learned. 

: Concrete is different. If you want a really smooth stone, use sand topping mix concrete. It's not nearly as rocky as the cheap stuff. But it's over $5 a bag (which is darn pricey for concrete), so we opted for the regular concrete mix that was recommended on the mold.

You could lay the rocky stuff, and then use the sand topping mix to give it a smoother finish, but that's just asking for trouble.

: Get the right tools. We didn't want to mix it in our (borrowed) wheel barrow. So we purchased this tub for about $6. And this trowel was good for working in small little corners and creases. 

: Remove the first inch of dirt from the ground to make it harder. Tamper the ground really well to even it out. You need a really flat surface to work here!

: Wear gloves that fit well. I didn't have any gloves that fit, so I skipped it all together. I thought it was easier to deal with the concrete that way. The concrete package warns of burns, they weren't kidding. OUCH!

: Work as a team. James and I did this together. He did all of the mixing, and pouring. I worked with the trowel, and the smoothing. I can't imagine doing this alone, or having James do it all by himself. Impossible. It's already back breaking work, but it goes so much smoother (pun intended) when you work as a team. 

: Have a plan of attack. Before you begin to mix and lay the concrete, know where you want each mold. You can overlap the stones (by cutting off the ends of some of them with the mold itself). But when you come to the end of your path, it gets tricky to make it look perfect. So take your time and plan it out. 

: Use a mister to add water when smoothing the top of the concrete. I found the more water the better, but be careful not to add too much water. It won't hold it's shape. This is by far the most tedious part of the process (especially if you are using "rocky" concrete). But take your time, keep the hose (or watering can) handy. 

: Don't use a concrete stain. If you are working on a large area, and you are mixing it bag by bag, it would be impossible to get the same color mixture for each different tub. Well, that's my opinion at least. 

: Use an attractive border to pull it all together. We used the paving sand and the river rock (we already had the big stones there to begin with). A quick note about paving sand…we didn't have it go all the way to the top of the stones. We liked the stones sticking up higher than the sand. It gave it a more "organic" look and feel. 

Phew! It was a lot of work. Our backs are sore, our hands are dry and torn to shreds. But it was worth every blister. Plus, a path like this would have cost around $500 from a landscaper and it was just under $100. I'll take a $400 savings any day!

Also, make sure you're following me via BlogLovin!

Clean & Organize a mess in 10 minutes {Seriously}

I'm pretty sure I learned how to clean from my mom.
She's smart….and pretty…and I like her wisdom.

So…I'm now passing her wisdom onto my kids.
Let's tackle the playroom, shall we?

The best way to clean a room is to make a huge pile.
Seriously…
it's all about the pile.

Here's what I mean...

This is what the room looks like after a playdate.
I fully believe in freedom to play with ALL the toys.
Make a mess…go ahead.
Just remember, we're going to clean it up.
But don't worry…it will only take 10 minutes.
Ready…set…go!

Step 1: Put all of the toys into a huge pile in the middle of the room and place your organizing bins ($4 at Wal-Mart) around the mess.

 Step 2: Sort, sort, sort.

Fill the bins up!

Smile, because cleaning is SO fun.

Step 4: Put  the bins away.

 Ta Da!

It's seriously the easiest and quickest way to clean & organize.

The kids don't mind it, and neither do I.

It goes so quickly. 

Thanks Mom…you're so smart!

Norwex Cloths {Change the way you Clean}

I am a born skeptic of commercial products.

I never jump on the bandwagon, and I never spend money on name brand products.

That being said I have to plug Norwex.
I had a fellow mom, Rachel, come over for a playdate. While she was here she showed me these amazing Norwex products.

These are life changing!

I've talked before about how I love thrifty cleaning products, but these microfiber clothes take the cake.

Not only are they sanitary (using silver as an antibacterial), but they make cleaning SO EASY!

Here's what she showed me:

These were two of the exact same tubes. Filled with the same amount of liquid.

Then she rub raw chicken on my counter. Yes. Raw Chicken. Ew!

Then she tested the area she rubbed the chicken. Look at all that protein that is evident.

She wiped it with just this cloth and tap water. Just water!
Then retested the area for protein.

None.

Amazing. It really, truly was impressive.

These products are designed to clean without any chemicals, just water. And they work!

I cleaned my windows (which are the bane of my existence with three small children) with just water. I was able to clean up bacon grease with one easy wipe and the grease was gone. Then I went over it with the window cloth and they were no streaks. My home has never been so streak free. I even cleaned my TV screen and MAC screen. No exaggeration!

Imagine the money you can save!
I am one step closer to being a completely chemical free home.

I'm in love.

Thank you Rachel for changing the way I clean forever!

Check it out for yourself!

Tour De Backyard

What a difference a couple of years can make.

2012

We purchased our newly built home in 

2010

 This is what we had.

This is what we did.

James (with help) put in the sprinkler system and sod (about $600 all together).

We hired a company to put in the spit rail fence (about $1,500)

We laid a rubber mulch path from the driveway to the back yard with the spare (tires) from the play area and plan on adding trees and bushes to the front of the fence.

The is our side yard.

This is what we had.

This is what we did.

We had a professional landscaper come to our home and draw out a plan for the yard.
He priced it out at $20,000 for the finished backyard.
His plan did not include the retaining wall, brick garden box, or rubber mulch.

Then we hired him to pour our GIANT patio ($4,000).

 James built the retaining wall ($700 including dirt and mulch).

We laid and filled the retaining wall with planters dirt, flowering bushes (they will grow), and some wood mulch and spaced out a couple of spots for seeded flowers to grow (they will grow…hopefully).

This is what we had.

This is what we did.

We got a steal for this playset at a garage sale for $55.

James laid the rock path to my garden box..it's so pretty up close!

We laid rubber mulch down around the play area.

Now….about that…

It is EXPENSIVE. I won't sugar coat it.

We could have probably filled this for about $90 worth of wood mulch, but this cost us about $300.

Why would anybody do that?

Rubber mulch is soft on feet, doesn't deteriorate, and keeps it's color!

It's made of old recycled tires and is then painted.

It cost $550 for a ton. 

We purchased a ton of it and have been using it in the front yard as well. 

We had a lot extra.

We totally think this is worth the investment, and should make us our money back within 5 years (seeing as we never have to buy mulch again).

James built the garden box (about $300 including dirt and plants). 

There is nothing better than fresh tomato and basil!

James laid the rock path to my garden box..it's so pretty up close!

We're not finished yet. In the fall we'll plant lots of trees and bushes to give us that privacy we're missing now.
But like I said earlier, we were quoted $20,000 from the landscaper.

Here's what we spent(ish) and the breakdown:

Patio- $4,000
Fence- $1,500
Rock- $575
Sprinklers and Lawn- $600
Brick Retaining Wall- $700
Garden Box- $300
Rubber Mulch- $550 (whew!)
Misc tools (edging, drip line etc)- $300
*Trees and Bushes- $1,500

Total: $9,725

*We still plan on spending close to $1500 on trees and bushes this fall so we'll add that now!*


When the landscaper drew out a very basic plan.
It didn't include the retaining wall, the mulch, the brick garden box, or the pathways.
So we saved over $10,000 by DIY.
And were able to give it a completely custom look.

So I think that's a pretty good savings.
Whew….I'm tired…like…really, really tired.
So grateful to have a DIY hubby!