DVDs rock any road trip, and if you don’t have a built in DVD player I highly recommend getting a portable one.  Hours can fly by with just a few DVDs!  Be sure to keep your DVDs organized in a small CD case that holds about 8 to 10 movies in it so that they’re all easy to find and portable.

            Before I leave I usually buy activity books, travel games or, our favorite, Crayola Color Wonder coloring books.  From mazes to word searches to math puzzles and more, our kids can find something they love to do.  The Color Wonder markers are perfect for little ones since they don’t show up on anything but the Color Wonder paper.  My two year old would have had the most colorful car seat ever had it not been for those markers.  Throw all the markers and coloring book into a gallon size Ziplock bag so that they’re all together and easy to keep track of.

            Another fun way to entertain the kids is to get magnetic story books.  If you Google “magnetic books” you’ll find all kids of characters and stories.  We have even taken one of our metal cookie sheets and used if for magnets and then turned the cookie sheet over and it doubles as a lap desk for them to color a page on.  The lip on the cookie sheet keeps the markers and pencils from rolling off and the magnets stay put on the other side!

            Keeping all of these fun activities organized and easily on hand doesn’t have to be fancy or cost a bunch of money, in fact we use what I consider the greatest car organizer ever: a big bag!  Yep, that’s it.  I like to use those reusable grocery bags that you can get for under a buck or for free from the local grocery store.  We just chuck everything in the bag and as the kids need something out of it we pass it around and they dig for what they want.  When they’re done with an activity they just throw it back in.  Even my two year old can reach over and drop her coloring book in to the bag from her car seat.  A simple, cheap, easy and effective way to keep a car organized.

            The only thing better than having a big bag o’ fun on a road trip is to be beamed straight to your vacation!  Man, where’s Scotty when you need him?!

For more organizing posts like this one please check out www.organizedmom.net where I posted this and much more on organizing for your family and life, along with my two sister-in-laws who are also amazing organized Moms!

I have found with each of my babies that the best way for them to be OK with leaving Mom is having a “good bye” routine.  The whole routine takes between 5 and 20 minutes and there are many things you can do like nursing/feeding, reading a favorite book, singing a song, snuggling and rocking in a favorite chair.  Whatever you would like to do but it’s the same every time no matter who house he’s staying at.  It’s best to do it at their home so that he becomes comfortable in his new environment with you helping him.  At the end you give your baby something familiar like a pacifier, blanket or stuffed toy (something comforting), give hugs & kisses and leave.  Don’t draw out the end and do not go back for more when he starts to whimper or cry.  It really is harder on you than it is on him when you leave.    Take heart, he will be OK!  When you return make it a really big deal and shower him with tons of love so that he will feel secure that you will always return and always love him.

Consistency is key in this process!  It takes some time, even more if he’s really strong willed, but he will start to learn the cues that Mom is going to leave and it’s OK.  This technique works well with babies, toddlers and even kids who have a hard time going to pre-school.
When it comes to someone else feeding baby, try not to be in the room and try not having anything that smells like you in the room either.  A baby knows exactly what Mom smells like and why would they eat from a bottle when they can smell Mom nearby with the good stuff. 
Also three months is the age when babies start to fall into natural sleep patterns and catching the timing is very important for setting up great sleep habits.  Check out the book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Dr. Weissbluth.  It’s so great!  The more rested your baby is the more adaptable he’ll be to new situations.  If he becomes chronically tired (by a baby’s standard) the harder it will be for him to accept you leaving, someone else feeding him and falling asleep somewhere besides his crib.  It’s important for his babysitters to also know what his sleep patterns are and what to do for him to help him get the sleep he needs.  It’s all explained in the book on what to look for and how to do it. 

I hope this helps!  I know it’s very hard to leave your baby (no matter what their age) but knowing that they’re in good hands, and happy, will go a long way towards easing your aching heart and it will make the time you do have with him that much sweeter.

1)      When the kids receive money for their birthdays or holidays they save most of that money to pay for sports and lessons, instead of buying more toys.  It’s a great way for the kids to learn about saving money and spending it on something they really want to participate in.  It also saves me from having to constantly organize toys, and we wouldn’t be able to afford activities for four kids otherwise.

2)      With the toys we do have we go through them 2-3 times a year and clean out anything they have outgrown, don’t play with or is broken.  We usually donate the toys in good condition, unless I’m ambitious enough to have a yard sale and let the kids sell the toys.  I let them keep whatever money they raise, which is a good enough incentive to help them to get rid of toys that might have been on the fence about keeping.

3)      Finally, I take about one third of the toys and put them in large Rubbermaid bins and put them in the attic.  Then two or three times a year we rotate the toys.  It’s a great way to keep the amount of toys manageable and organized and the kids absolutely love it when we get the toys down out of the attic!  It’s so exciting; it’s like opening Christmas presents!  This keeps my kids entertained for hours on end, playing with all of the “new” toys.  If you can get your timing right its great to rotate the toys during the long winter months, spring break for entertainment, and back to school time for the little ones who don’t get to go yet. 

Check out more posts like this one on home organization and kids at www.organizedmom.net .  I post there every Monday so be sure to stop by.