Vacationing with Children

Traveling with children will be a memorable event – the question is “What kind?” Your chances of a lifetime memory you will cherish increase significantly with some advance communication and preparation.

The book, Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever, outlines a five-step process you can apply to organizing any area of your life – including traveling with children of any age. Make the children a part of the trip by letting them help you plan. Your children will enjoy the trip more if they feel they have some say about the agenda. Get books from the library, or do an Internet search, on the area you plan to visit. Give them some options of what to do and actually use some of their suggestions. Who knows? You may enjoy their suggestions more than you think.

Here is a guide to vacationing with children, using the 5 steps:

1. Design your vision.

The first step to happy memories is good communication. Start scheduling family meetings to plan – the earlier the better. At the first meeting, ask each member of the family to describe what he or she would like to have in order to have a wildly successful vacation. It’s a great idea to put some structure into this discussion. Use a flip chart and have family members take turns recording answers. Subsequent meetings can be used to work out each of the next steps.

2. Eliminate your obstacles.

Mark Twain is credited with saying “Progress starts with the truth.” Certainly that applies in this situation. For example, some teens simply do not think it’s “cool” to travel with mom and dad. If you want your teens to enjoy their travel experience, make sure you understand what they like and dislike. With young children, keep in mind “less is more.” A swim in the hotel pool may be a much better choice than another two hours at the theme park.

3. Commit your time.

There could be several issues here. If your teens are working, they may resent having to miss work – or they may be delighted. In either case, find out their preferences, and see what you can do to accommodate them without jeopardizing your own needs. One of the issues likely to come up is the daily travel schedule itself. Young children need naps, teens may want to sleep late, while parents relish the idea of “getting an early start.” Compromise is probably the best solution here.

4. Select your tools

Growing up on a farm in Nebraska, one of the things my daddy taught me was “Half of any job is having the right tool.” While you may think it’s ridiculous to think about “tools” for a vacation, it is really essential. For example, if it is impossible to reach a compromise about the music on the car CD player, headphones for individual players could be a godsend!

Tools can also include systems for the way you handle situations. One of the major keys to success in organizing any activity is focusing on individual strengths – if one child is particularly adept at photography, make them the official family photographer, while another might be a great navigator.

5. Maintain your success

At the end of each day, take a few minutes for a “Check-In” session. What was the best thing that happened that day? Why? How can we make sure we have more like it? What didn’t work? Why? How can we eliminate the situation in the future? Make sure you use this process at the end of the vacation – make some notes and put them in your GO System File for next year’s planning.

Here are some general tips you can use to ensure a great vacation:

• Choose age appropriate destinations. This doesn’t mean every trip has to involve a theme park or sports event; it simply means keep the trip’s educational value at a level they can comprehend and appreciate. If your children’s ages span a wide range, have at least one activity geared to each child. Picking a hotel with a pool can make a big difference!

• Lay the ground rules early. Before you even leave the house, make sure your children know what is and isn’t acceptable behavior on the road. As elementary as this may seem, if you don’t tell your children what you expect, how can they oblige?

• Let the children pack their own suitcases as much as possible. Make sure each child has a small carry-on bag for which they are responsible. Include things they can do on the road or in the air–a walkman and tapes, comic books, handheld video games, etc.

• Decide ahead of time about seating arrangements and make contingency plans in case requested seats are not available.

• Establish a meeting place at each stop. Nothing could be worse that having a child get lost in an unfamiliar environment. Whenever you visit a location, identify a spot where the family can meet if you happen to get separated, or carry cell phones or pagers.

• Carry current photos of your children. That way others can help you locate your lost child. If your child can tell time, make sure they take a watch!

• Pack a first aid kit. Face it. Kids will be kids. That means scraped knees, bug bites, and cuts and bruises. When traveling with children, always keep a first aid kit handy.

• Check for children travel specials. Pre-planning can save you lots of money. Many airlines, restaurants, and hotels offer discounts for children, whether it’s a “kids stay or eat free” deal or a “half-off children’s rate.” Let Internet-savvy children put their mouse to work for a happier vacation.

The most important thing to remember – flexibility. Traveling with children of any age is always a challenge. Spend more time enjoying the precious memories you will be creating and less time fretting over what could go wrong. Keep your sense of humor in full swing and happy traveling.

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Two Choices

Thanks to our friends over at Magic Radio Station 105.1 for sharing this great story. We chose to share the story rather than delete it.

At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question, “When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?” The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. “I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.”

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expected much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, “We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.”

Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on the base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At his juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for the moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach and of all teammates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, “Shay, run to first!! Run to first!!” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball…the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, “Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!”

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “Run to third! Shay, run to third.”

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, “Shay, run home! Run home!” Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

“That day” said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.”

Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Footnote: A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Share this story with someone.

More Summer Boredom Busters

Summer has begun and many parents are scrambling to find new and interesting alternatives to beat the summer blues. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Organize a family Olympics for the families in your neighborhood. Get the kids involved from the very beginning in the planning and organizing. You’ll be amazed at all their incredible ideas. For inspiration, Watch Cheaper by the Dozen 2. You can rent it from your local library or buy it online at Amazon.

• Set up a backyard obstacle course. Give the kids the lead in designing and setting it up. Visit FamilyFun.com for some great ideas.

• Organize a book group and incorporate short day trips, crafts, science experiments, and other activities to reinforce the book’s message. Use books like Great Books for Girls and Great Books for Boys to help you choose the perfect book.

• Take an hour each week to watch a part of the BBC miniseries Planet Earth. This astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you’ll ever experience from the comforts of home. Now available on DVD, you can rent it from the library, video store, or buy it online at Amazon. Bring the messages of the miniseries home by incorporating trips to the zoo or local museums, science experiments, and books.

• Take the time over the summer months to do the fun activities in Cranium’s Fun Folio. Jammed packed with over 50 activities there is plenty to keep them busy all summer long.

• Do nothing and just let the kids figure it out on their own. At first it will be hard (there will probably be a lot of crying and complaining), but after they realize you aren’t going to help them out, their imaginations will take over and they will have great fun

For more great ideas, read through our prior year’s summer boredom buster ideas or the suggestions from some of our blog visitors (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Conquering Kids’ Clutter

By: Debbie Williams

Spring is almost here, and with it comes the urge to clean, DECLUTTER, and toss out — until the next year, when we start all over again. For some reason in the springtime, I find myself drawn to minimalistic decorating. You know the style: no knick-knacks, a few things hung on the walls, throw out all the kids’ toys… Okay, that is a bit drastic. But with a preschooler’s Hot Wheels taking over my living room, I’m getting ready to regroup. Perhaps a few of these organizing tips will help you in your quest to CONQUER clutter in kids’ rooms.

PLEASE CONTAIN YOURSELF!

Blocks, doll clothes, small toy cars, tinkertoys, playdough, and all the other loose items floating around the house belong together. I strongly recommend using shelves with TUBS of different sizes as opposed to toy boxes. Toys last longer when they’re stored gently and not stacked, and the kids can find things easier. Reduces boredom and makes for fewer trips to the toy store as well.

Small plastic SHOE-SIZED boxes are perfect for Legos, Barbie clothes and accessories, and hot wheels.

Find the totes a size larger with HANDLES on the top for easy carrying to and from the playarea. Larger tubs hold blocks, play food and dishes, and other pieces that just seem to multiply in the night.

Then save the extra large tubs for big GROUPINGS of items that need to be stored together — train sets, car tracks, doll accessories, and sports gear.

OTHER STORAGE TIPS

Flat UNDER-THE-BED boxes are wonderful for out of season clothes and toys. Most closets are not large enough for toys and clothes, so why not store unused toys as you would clothing: kites, beach gear, and baseball gear is stashed during winter months; football, hockey stick, and ice skates are stored during the summer. Also Try to buy CLEAR tubs for easy viewing, or LABEL with words or pictures for younger children. If they can’t see what’s inside, chances are they won’t use the toys within the nicely organized containers. Kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think? Get creative, and let the kids help you label the boxes with photos or magazine clippings of the items. Good rainy day project, and promotes reading skills for the little ones.

WHAT’S YOUR HANGUP?

One of the key rules in organizing and decorating is to utilize VERTICAL space. Often we place furniture around the room with nothing above it, forming a nice horizontal line. There is a ton of unclaimed storage and visually appealing space right above the furniture line!

Hat racks, expandable or pegged, make wonderful HOOKS for stuffed animals, dress up clothes, hats (I just had to state the obvious here!), jackets, back packs, and book bags.

Smaller items can be hung to organize them by FUNCTION: sports gear (baseball hat, glove, cleats), or fashion (jewelry, belts, scarves, hats).

More is better? I once saw an entire wall of a kids’ room lined with pegged hat racks, creating a chair RAIL. The pegs were at eye level for the little ones, who hung stuffed animals from ribbons, hats, totes filled with blocks, and various light-weight kiddie treasures. Very creative.

ONE AT A TIME, PLEASE!

In the lower grades of elementary school, the classrooms are set up in learning CENTERS. And to contain the clutter in the classroom, Miss Crabtree has a strict rule of putting a toy AWAY before taking out another one. This may seem strict in your own home and does not work with every child. With my own son, I have the “three toy rule”: he may play with three toys, then it’s time to put them away before dragging out another one. It works well with puzzles, books, and other like items. If you start young, they may continue this “clean as you go” rule throughout life.

GIVING THEM THE TOOLS

Be sure to provide ample shelving, simple containers, and practical solutions for this rule. And make sure your storage choices are APPROPRIATE for the items being stored in them. I found when my son was an infant that board books fell right through the slatted bookcase in his room, so I found stacking bins in primary colors for the smaller books. We use the bookcase for large toys instead. Bend the rules, and create new ones.

INSIDE / OUTSIDE

How many times have you heard that back door open and close during a warm summer day? In Texas where we live, the flies come in and the air conditioned air rushes out. Not a good thing! Toys in the hands of an active child follow the same rule, and INVENTORY has to be taken at the day’s end to make sure baseball mitts are not left outside, and bubble mowers are not dripping on the carpet. Assign rules to the toys and try to stick to them: inside toys, outside toys, upstairs toys, downstair toys. Often this is a safety factor, such as all toys that can be thrown are OUTDOOR toys (balls, bats, frisbees). All paper items are INDOOR toys (books, kites).

UPSTAIRS / DOWNSTAIRS

If you have a two-story home, set a rule that upstairs toys are NOT to be dragged downstairs, they stay in the bedroom or playroom. Keep a few toys on a small shelf, in a wicker basket or toy bin downstairs in the family room. These must be cleaned up each night before bedtime. Downstairs push or riding toys must STAY downstairs and off the steps.

YOU’RE DRIVING ME UP THE WALL!

To further utilize vertical space, install SHELVES and paint them to match the wall. Hang toy hammocks for stuffed animals. Spray paint a long shower tension rod, wrap with Velcro strips, and stick up stuffed animals. And old soda crates found at flea markets can be cleaned up, painted, stacked, and will house treasures of all kinds: collections (shells, rocks, key rings, kids meal toys). Smaller versions can be purchased at craft and discount stores.

PUTTING YOUR KIDS TO WORK

Encourage your child’s CREATIVITY by enlisting their help for novel solutions for storage. Give them a budget, make a list of things to contain, and see what they come up with. Perhaps they’ll surprise you and suggest taking a box full to their favorite children’s charity, or have a garage sale to raise money for newer toys. INVOLVING your kids in the planning, prioritizing, sorting, and containing stages ensures better (not perfect) participating in the maintenance of clutter. And who knows? You may actually nurture a minimalist of your own in the process. Or a packrat with incredibly organized closets.

Debbie Williams is a professional organizer, syndicated columnist, and speaker. Debbie has over 15 years of administrative and training experience, holds a bachelors degree in education, and works as a freelance writer for various entrepreneurial and parenting publications. You may contact her at debbie {at} organizedtimes(.)com.

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Travel Printables

Keep organized on your next family vacation with these free printables. Requires Adobe Reader. You can download it for free here.

Travel Checklist
Packing Checklist – Version #1
Packing Checklist – Version #2
Car and Travel Games