In a couple weeks, we will be leaving for our annual 4th of July family vacation.  I have been traveling with toddlers in tow for 4 years now and consider myself a semi-pro when it comes to the daunting task of kid-friendly packing.  Here are 5 tips to keep in mind to keep your travel stress to a minimum:

The Basics

If you have ever left the house with a child before you are well aware of the basic travel necessities.  For extended travel, just picture the diaper bag on steroids. Lots of extra clothes, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, drinks and an endless assortment of dry snacks.  I am not an advocate for shoving food in a kids face when they start to get irritable but I make an exception to  that when we travel.  We are on vacation after all.  The key to remember with your basics is to have everything packed within arms reach.  You don’t want to stop the car and unpack everything your husband so diligiently shoved in the trunk to get to the drink boxes.

Bags, Bags and More Bags

I am not talking about your luggage here.  The 3 types of bags I never travel without are ziploc, mesh and grocery.  The  large ziplocs will hold all the items that would otherwise wreak havoc in your suitcase if a potential leak should occur.  The mesh is a useful place to store underwear items and bathing suits.  The grocery bag can be used for wet clothing and of course provides a home for the massive blown-out diaper that occurs as soon as the plane takes off.

Childproofing

Whether a vacation home or a hotel room, your destination is most likely not childproofed.  Bring along a baby gate, outlet covers and cabinet locks to lower your anxiety level over safety concerns.  Blue painter tape comes in handy for a variety of reasons.  It will cover outlets, secure cabinets and bind a washcloth over a sharp furniture edge without leaving any residue after removal.

Medical Supplies

Pack a medical supply box that keeps all first aid and toiletry items in one place. Be sure to have an ample supply of any prescription meds, and bring along the basics like band aids, antiseptic cream, pain reliever, and thermometer. Travel sized baby shampoo, toothbrush/toothpaste and sunscreen should be included as well.

Entertainment

The portable dvd player has saved my sanity.  It is a must-have for my kids if we are traveling more than an hour away. An iPhone works well too and is definitely less bulky. Don’t forget to bring a manageable amount of books and toys.  It may be a pain to pack but you’ll be thankful later.

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

by Alexis Novak

“All Hands on Deck”- a frazzled state when all kids are crying, you just realized you are fresh out of formula and everyone must lend a hand. This is not the time for Sports Center.

Bangs- cheaper than Botox.

Barf on your shoes- in my former life, barf on my shoes was discovered Sunday afternoon upon waking and always accompanied an excellent night-before mystery. Now it is just spit-up. Mystery solved.

Birth plan- shut up already with your soy candles and Mozart. My birth plan was called, “get the baby out alive and make sure I am okay too”.  Expectations higher than that and you might leave the hospital heartbroken.

Coffee-Maker- 1. Your sweet husband who knows you’ve been up since 5 a.m. with the teething baby. When he makes your coffee it just tastes better. 2. The only way a mom can make it to nap time. 3. The barista at the Starbucks drive-thru. 4. Your beloved Keurig.

Convonesia- when you try to have a conversation with your husband at 9 p.m. while “True Blood” is on and you are both about to pass out on the couch, you are having a convonesia. One person says something, then an immeasurable amount of time elapses, then someone says, “What were we talking about again?” and no one can remember.

Church- a place where your toddler will pull up and down your dress until all body parts have been exposed to fellow parishioners. When it is time to turn around and shake “peace be with you” you have to leave immediately so the family of six behind you will never be able to place your postpartum ass to your face.

“Cry It Out”- this happens when you are trying to take a much needed nap and your spouse has the screaming baby in the other room because he wants to help you “relax”. How long you can handle this situation and actually try to get some shut-eye is a test of your will.

Entertainment Tonight, Us Weekly, E! and Bravo- where you get all the news that your exhausted mind can handle. How many times Lindsay’s gone to rehab, is Beyonce finally pregnant?, and the Kardashian family become very important characters in your life.

“I have nothing to wear…really”- like the boy who cried wolf, you abused this excuse pre-bambinos to go shopping often but today your old career clothes, your maternity clothes, your going-out clothes and your transition clothes do not actually work anymore. Underpinnings included. You have been any number of different sizes for a few years and have no clue what you are today. This could cause a former fashionista to have an identity-crisis though it might also be an opportunity to nuke the whole closet and start over.

Family vacation- after packing for 2 days, you and your spouse will get less time together than usual since one parent will sleep with one child and one the other. Your kids, however, will have a blast. My toddler is still saying her favorite part of her summer vacation was “my baycation bed- sleeping with Mommy!” Translation- mommy didn’t sleep a wink. It is advised that you bring one bottle of wine per day to save your sanity. When home, be prepared to do laundry for a week and a half even though you were gone 2 days. Then immediately start planning your next vacation-child-free.

My Publix Bestie- another mom you randomly run into at parks, stores and free kiddie events. You know her stance on sleep training, organic baby food and spanking but you don’t know her name. You probably know her children’s names. This happened to me last week in the dairy aisle of the grocery store with the mom of 6-week-old William. I totally love that chick but I have no clue who she is.

Natural child birth- what your first pregnancy goal is for labor. When you find yourself in hour ten of labor and still only 3 centimeters your conviction changes dramatically.

New Mom Bubble- what you are living in the first months of new motherhood when you feel like everyone must be speaking to you underwater. If someone asks you a question you will surely have no idea what they are saying or why they are bothering you and it might piss you right off. I remember writing my own name instead of my daughter’s for the first six months that I checked her into the pediatrician.

Play date from hell- once a mom came to my house three hours late, let her kid almost break a drawer knob off an antique, told me my house was dirty, swept my floor, then insulted my child somewhere in there too. I wish I was making this up! I couldn’t get her out of my house fast enough. Rule of thumb- ask yourself if you would have been friends pre-motherhood. If not, no play dates.

Phantom lice- the mere mention of a friend of a friend’s kids getting lice causes you to go into a psycho cleaning frenzy and itch your scalp for days. You might even check the kids a few times even though your kids haven’t played with those kids. Ever.

SAHM verbal diarrhea- this is a grave and embarrassing affliction that can affect a stay-at-home mom or dad (also includes those who work from home) into speaking quickly and non-stop when they come across another grown-up. It is a very dangerous disorder because you don’t sense it until you have gone too far and the other person is nodding and walking slowly away from you.

Saturday afternoon nap time- the first chance you and your husband have all week to get “reacquainted”.

Shower-  1. pulling your greasy hair into a ponytail.  2. The ten minutes between one child going down for their nap and the other one waking up from theirs when you try to bathe.

Suicide Hour- coined by Andrea, this is from 5-6, 6-7 or worst-case-scenario from 5 until bedtime when low blood sugar makes way for insanity at the same time you attempt to bathe/feed/clean .

Ten-minute meals- how fast dinner needs to be every single night; even faster than Rachel Ray and that Semi-Homemade lady. I call this “assembly cooking”. Pre-cooked, pre-chopped everything just shoved together and voila! A healthy dinner of chicken-rice-something with a side salad is served.

Xanax- you had me at hello.

Originally posted August 25, 2010. It was so good I had to post it again!

Written by Alexis Novak • 1 Comment

Name: Camie Cragg-Lyman

Kids: 1 Son- Bodee Ikaika Lyman

Occupation: Advanced Fitness Trainer/Life Coach/Group Class Instructor/Mamapreneur/Fitness Column Writer

Hometown: Reno, NV

H&H Interview with Camie:

1.     What advice do you have for moms to help them stay motivating with their fitness goals?

To all the moms that are eager to make their dreams a reality I suggest to set deadlines for your goals! It is always a great idea when you know what you want to accomplish by puting a date on it, tell all your friends & family so you have a huge sense of accountability along with a serious consequence if you don’t reach that goal by the desired time. Putting actions to you goals mentally, spiritually and physically is the hardest thing to do with out some sort of structure and accountability. No matter how many lbs you are looking to lose 20,50,100 fat lbs focus on the first 5, then move to the next. It is so nice to feel success in small increments opposed to never feeling it because you gave up too soon cause the 50 lbs didn’t come off as quickly as you wanted.

A) Set a goal timeline

B) Have a source of accountability

C) Stop Talking about it & put your life into action

D) Feel Success as you will want more of it

2. What are the top 3 items in your grocery cart?

Old Fashion Quaker Oats Oatmeal, Halibut or Tuna, Avocado

3. What is your guilty pleasure when you get a break from the kids?

Weekend getaways with my husband & friends. Not that they happen too often since family & fitness has a high ranking in my life but when they do I miss him like crazy. I am very good at convincing myself that he needs everything that I see for him because we aren’t together…. I have gotten better over time as he is now 4 and his room looks like a mini Toys r Us store!  Bodee has amazing grandparents where he does many travels to Gold Beach Oregon. I don’t worry about him, I just think about me missing out on his journey, smiles, laughs, tears, etc! Although I do get a lot more done around the house and simple chores for our family!

4. What would we be surprised to find in your purse?

First aid kit & knife

5. What is your favorite reality TV show?

Hands down I am proud to be an American and watch American Idol! This past season I fell for Steven Tyle,r that I too put in a pink leather feather for the whole season in my hair. I wore it proud and took it out when Scotty won!

6. What is your go-to ‘Cheat Day’ treat?

Yogurt Beach: Oatmeal with sliced almonds

7.  What is the funniest thing your kids have said or done lately?

Bodee is and has been funny with us since he was young! He dances, he laughs really loud at his jokes, he tells us that he loves us 30 times a day, he just has so much personality. Well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree right? I think that I am pretty funny too so I told Bodee a joke while we were driving in the car and started laughing at myself as Bodee looks at me in slight disappointment and says, “I don’t get it!”

Famous lines from Bodee:

“I don’t get it”

“What you talking bout Willis?”

“I love you”

“Come on Jingo”  his nickname to anyone and everyone is Jingo which I still don’t know what that truly means!

8.  Who is your favorite celebrity mom and why?

Kelly Ripa! She is a very busy mom and has no shame at all to talk to the world about her life…a lot. Her life primarily revolves around her picture-perfect, adorable family. We know what she and hubby Mark Consuelos had for dinner; we know what happened at daughter Lola’s school; we saw pictures from their family vacation, all as if her followers are her long lost friends. I don’t get to watch her much any more but when I do she has me laughing out loud at her motherhood mishaps and connecting with her normal daily activities. She seems balanced with her family, spirituality and body! As her priorities are caring for her children/hubby and then for herself. My connection with her is strictly from her silly humor, compassion, love for fitness and being the best mom that she can be & having no shame throwing it out their so just maybe one person can connect to her and say,”Yeah, that happens to me too!” Stiff moms make me sad and this celebrity mom isn’t stiff!

9. What is your favorite quotation?

The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. – Vincent Lombardi

10. How do you instill the importance of an active lifestyle with your family?

By living it everyday and not allowing negative people or actions into our lives. It’s a quick separation if we do collide with negativity which we all do at times in our life even with ourselves. Walt and I buy, prepare and consume the healthiest foods that we know of. We truly understand that we are leading by example to our son and niece. We can’t crave the bad if we don’t live the bad! We live in a seasonal city which allows our lives to stay busy with our beach cruisers, running events, motorcycle riding, skiing, boating, etc. I go to the gym everyday because it is passion to help others as I believe that is the most important installment that I am making in my sons life. He gets to see first hand how to communicate, eat healthy, workout, set goals, ignite friendships, etc I find it very hard to deviate from an active healthy lifestyle when we are around it all the time by choice!

11. What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

I grew up on as a ranch girl before I ventured off to the city ‘normal’ life of athletics & hustle n bustle. My mom would pick me up from school with our horses as we wouldn’t go home we would ride straight up to Virginia city or some other trail ride for a thrill. My brother and I hunted for blue belly lizards, arrowheads and Horney toads and always named them Spike! I was an Elite Equestrian, Trail and Western Quarter Horse Rider. I helped with many births of horses, cows, sheep and dogs. Loved tricking the wild horses to come into our backyard and jump on them and see who could ride it bareback the longest! I am prideful of my childhood because that is where I learned my active life along with homemade meals!

12.  What is your secret to staying Hot & Healthy?

My secret to staying Hot and Healthy is consistency when it comes to these key elements.

Eating Frequently

Eating small portions

Eating Healthy

Drinking Water

Getting enough Rest

Spending time on me

Stellar workouts

I like to break my theories down in a kindergarten level… not everyone relates to SCIENCE! I want to lead by example but on the other token I want to be able to convey it to the one that really needs my help without scaring them away! Staying Hot & Healthy can and will be YOU just as long as you set yourself up for success with goals, accountability and action!

To contact Camie follow her on Facebook & Twitter or email her at Camie@camiecraggfitness.com!

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

It’s his ‘special’ weekend so he got to pick the menu. The following recipes are brought to you by Scott with a little tweaking, of course, by me. If left unchecked, he tends to go a little heavy on the carbs. You will see how the health factor of the meal degrades as we move through the menu…

Lobster Thermidor from Food Tale

We are all looking forward to the main dish. Tennison wants to hold lobster races in the kitchen before they meet their demise. We’ll see.

Red & Blue Deviled Potatoes from Kirbie’s Craving

Here is where the tweaking came in. He wanted Blue Potatoes Au Gratin by Paula Deen. I get fatter just reading Paula Deen’s recipes so I pulled a switcheroo. He loves anything deviled so I think he will be okay with the menu change.

Pop-Open Clams with Horseradish Tabasco Sauce from Food & Wine

A classic Scott selection. If the man had a purse it would contain multiple bottles of hot sauce.

Blueberry & Goat Cheese Salad from Salad Pride

I had just one more tweak – he wanted Caesar. Sorry, I can’t handle the sodium. Because of my 2 changes I gave him the go-ahead with the drink and dessert picks…

He is nothing if not consistent.

The man loves his Corona Light.

On the day meant to honor his awesomeness he is definitely allowed his favorite ice cream. But who are we kidding here? The man eats it whenever he damn well pleases. He just tries to hide it from me. Unsuccessfully.

Happy Father’s Day, honey. We love ya!

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment