Category: Tips and Tools

For many people, the biggest thing standing between them and the vacation of their dreams is money – this is especially true for families. Planning a trip for yourself and your children can be overwhelming, and it makes sense that many parents assume doing so is simply out of their budget. There is no denying that traveling can be expensive, especially if you are worrying about the cost of traveling with children. The good news, however, is that there are ways to greatly minimize the cost of travel without having to make sacrifices that will affect your trip in a negative way.

If you’re planning a trip this year, here are a few simple tips for saving money on family travel.

1. Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Plan

Thoroughly planning a trip takes time, and so does saving money. While you might feel eager and want to take a trip shortly after beginning to plan it, scheduling your trip as far in the future as possible will give you time to save up money, and time to hunt for deals on everything from flights, to experiences, to lodging. Some destinations, such as major theme parks, offer layaway payment plans, giving you time to pay for your trip in small increments over an extended period of time and lessening the financial burden of the trip. Giving yourself more time to plan than you think you will need is the key to avoiding a vacation taking a major toll on your budget.

2. Weigh the Pros and Cons of Driving vs. Flying

One of the most expensive parts of any trip, regardless of your destination, is transportation. At first glance, airfare can be expensive – but the truth is, so can fuel if you are traveling a long distance. Flying might save a bit of money in the long run, and can cut travel time in half so you can get to your destination and begin enjoying your vacation sooner – but traveling to an airport and on a plane with young children can be difficult, especially for first time flyers or young kids with a fear of flying. While money is an important factor to consider when determining how you will travel to your next vacation destination, it is also important to consider your family and what would make the most sense for you and your trip. Whether you’re traveling in your family vehicle that has been newly restored by Precision Car Restoration or taking a flight, be sure to consider how each would benefit your family and the costs associated with both.

3. Consider Lodging Options

Finding a place to stay can also be one of the most expensive aspects of traveling, especially if you are  traveling in a big group that would need to rent more than one room just to have enough space for everyone. For families or big groups, renting a condo or entire house might be a better option. This would allow for everyone in your group to stay in one place and would allow your entire party to split the total cost, making it much cheaper for each person individually.

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Working from home is one of the best things any parent can do to improve the balance between their life at home and their life at work. Working remotely gives parents the flexibility to prioritize their children and work on their own terms, generally allowing for parents who would normally spend all day away at the office to spend more time with their children. While this is a blessing for many, there’s no denying that working from home poses its own challenges, especially when young children are in the house all day and the parent who is working remotely must balance hands-on parenting with a typical workday schedule. If you are a parent trying to adjust to working from home while your children are around, here are a few simple yet effective tips for finding balance.

1. Create a Separate Workspace

While this might seem like the most obvious piece of advice, it is one of the most important. For many, the key to success when working remotely and maintaining a balance between work and personal life is designating a workspace in your home as the only area where professional work is done. Whether you have a state-of-the-art home office designed by keyinteriors.us or just allocate a separate corner of your living room to be your makeshift office while doing work from home, keeping your work physically separate from the rest of your home will help you keep your responsibilities as an employee and a parent separate.

2. Stick to a Routine

One of the best ways to simplify your daily routine and remain productive throughout the day is by creating and sticking to a daily routine for yourself and your child. Try to wake your child up around the same time each day if they don’t already, and create a routine of spending time with them getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. Try to do work for the same amount of time each morning before eating lunch with your child at the same time, then work uninterrupted while they take a nap around the same time each afternoon. Firmly sticking to a routine will help you get less overwhelmed balancing your work and home responsibilities, and will ensure that your child and your workload are both getting adequate amounts of attention.

3. Hire Help

If you have never utilized the services of a babysitter, nanny, or another at-home service provider to care for your child or various household responsibilities, now might be a good time to look into doing so. Hiring help to care for your child throughout the day can help you get work done without interruption, and can help to ensure that you don’t get burnt out from carrying too many responsibilities at once.

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For many people, it can be easy to get so caught up in the daily routine of parenthood that they fail to take the time to care for themselves. If this describes you, it’s likely that you are feeling symptoms of burnout and are in need of a break. No matter how much you love spending time with your kids, there’s no denying that you need time to yourself in order to function your best. If you feel that you don’t have the time for self care amidst all your familial responsibilities, you aren’t alone – here are 3 simple ways to take care of yourself as a busy parent.

1. Make Time For Fun

While self care for many people might mean spending time alone to catch up on rest, it can also mean spending time with friends and loved ones that you might not see otherwise. Many parents neglect their friendships or taking time to have fun with people who aren’t living in their household or associated with their children’s lives (ie fellow parents from your child’s school), so take an evening to intentionally spend time with old friends you haven’t seen in a while. This will help to switch up the monotony of your daily routine while allowing you to unwind and have some fun with loved ones.

2. Stay Active

One way to care for yourself even in the midst of a busy week is by fitting time into your schedule to move your body and stay active. If you don’t have time to hit the gym, try walking to work or doing some light exercise while your child is at dance class or soccer practice. Exercising and keeping your body moving is not only good for your physical health, but is shown to have positive effects on your mental and emotional health as well.

3. Treat Yourself

Many parents find that they spend so much money on their children and so little on themselves. If you’re usually the selfless type, splurge on a special purchase or item that you’ve been eyeing at the store for a while. Whether you treat yourself to some ink from Certified Tattoo Studios, tickets to see your favorite artist in concert, or the purse you’ve been wanting someone to gift you for the last 2 birthdays, you deserve to splurge on something that will make you happy every now and then.

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It’s the weekend, it’s summer; what better time to go to the pool than right now? You don’t have to worry about filing documents or performing surgeries like the kind done at thebunioncure.com, because you’re taking your kid to the local aquatic center where they can practice their cannon balls and see how long they can hold their breath.

The only problem is that they’re scared of the water. But not to worry, because there are a few easy tips you can try to get them more comfortable.

Begin in the Tub

There’s no better way to practice getting comfortable with water than plopping your kid in the bathtub. If they’re terrified to even do that, then you’ve got a lot of work to do, but if their concern is targeted specifically at larger bodies of water like pools or the ocean, starting with the bathtub can help a lot. This is a small and confined space where they can work on holding their breath, dipping their head underwater, and learning to grow accustomed to water in general.

Dip a Toe

You can’t expect your child to dive head first into the deep end of the pool if they aren’t a fan of water. Instead, start small by just having them sit on the edge of the pool and dipping their feet into the water. If the pool has a shallow walk-in “beach” tide, they can slowly work on going out further and further over time until, eventually, they’re just standing in water.

Bubble Blowing Time

Standing in water is great progress, but it’s only the beginning. You can’t expect to ever swim without getting your face a little wet, so begin by getting them to blow bubbles. They won’t have to stick their entire head in the water or get any up their nose, and if you mimic it with them, they might even see that it can be fun. Then, over time, they’ll get to the point where they feel comfortable submerging the rest of their head.

Start With Gear

Lots of kids need gear when they’re first learning to get comfortable with water. This might include goggles, noseplugs, earplugs, and floaties. These essentially work to fight everything that’s scary about getting in the water. No water can get in their nose, eyes, or ears, plus with floaties, they don’t even need to be able to swim. If you just want them comfortable with being in the water and having fun, this gear is fine. They shouldn’t rely on it as a crutch forever, but it’s a good starting point.

Swimming in No Time

These are all great tricks and tips to get your child more comfortable with being in the water, and while they might not be ready to take off the goggles and floaties anytime soon, they’ll be swimming like a fish in no time.

Image by Jan Haerer from Pixabay

Has work been a lot lately? Need to use that accumulated vacation time to get away for a bit? If so, why not grab the kids and head to Universal Studios! This famous theme park is one of the best in the world, with a diverse variety of rides, games, shows, and dining options available that you and your kids will all enjoy. But what sets Universal apart from other theme parks that will leave your kids ecstatic?

Innovative Attractions

Most other theme parks have an abundance of roller coasters and other standard attractions that you could find at most amusement parks, and while Universal definitely has these classic rides, the area where they shine is their 3D motion attractions. These innovative rides blend 3D and 4D technology with motion technology to transport riders to any destination imaginable. Not only is it unique and engaging, but many of these attractions have low height requirements that younger kids can likely ride as well. This ensures that they won’t be restricted to the “kiddy” rides during the entire visit.

You’ll also want to wear comfortable footwear and take breaks throughout the day, as the day will be filled with standing in line and walking from ride to ride, and unless you want to develop blisters or bunions—in which case you’ll need help from thebunioncure.com—it’s important to be prepared.

Immersive Atmosphere

Universal’s atmosphere is one of the most immersive experiences available. Not only are the rides thrilling, but the environments themselves are so engrossing that you could walk around the park for hours without even jumping on an attraction. The insane attention to detail can be found throughout the park, whether it’s on a ride, observing a passing parade, interacting with characters, visiting the countless shops and stores, dining at a restaurant, or even just waiting in line! Regardless of if your child is getting their very own wand at Olivander’s Wand Emporium or getting your picture taken with Homer Simpson himself, the magic never stops.

Unforgettable Dining

The fun doesn’t end when you get off the coaster. Universal has some of the most unforgettable food options you and your kids will ever experience. Many of their restaurants are themed after a popular property, such as The Simpsons Fast Food Blvd, where hungry patrons can smash Krusty Burgers and wash it all down with Buzz Cola or a Flaming Moe. For Harry Potter fans, The Three Broomsticks or The Leaky Caudron feels like they were pulled straight out of the movies, allowing diners to order several wizarding food options. Your kids will simply adore all of the different settings, so much so that they won’t even complain about stopping from all the rides to grab a bite!

Fun For the Whole Family

All of these exciting features are what make Universal Studios such a hot spot, not only for kids but for adults as well. Your kids will love the wind whipping their faces as they ride looping coasters and cackle when you get soaked on numerous water rides, and by the end of the trip, you’ll find yourself reinvigorated for work and excited to tackle your next family vacation.

Image by pen_ash from Pixabay