0
0

Surviving a 12-hour Road Trip with Kids

Before you read: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

We travel A LOT. With kids. 

And the majority of this travel is in the good ol’ minivan.

And because 98% of my family lives in NH, that is generally our final destination. We make this trek 3-4 times a year and it has taken us anywhere from 7 to 10 hours each way.  Because these trips have become sort of standard for us I usually leave the responsibility of packing toys/car activities/ movies to the kids and I handle packing the snacks and drinks (oh, and EVERY SINGLE OTHER THING for me and the kids). And I would say half of the trips the kids ROCK; 60% of the time they are sleeping or watching a movie quietly, and the other 40% is a mix of asking for food and throwing food trash back at me (which I can handle).   The OTHER half of the trips (road trip with kids) is usually the typical nightmare scenario: “I’m STARVING”, “he’s touching me”, “what state are we in?”, “give it BACK!”, “I’m bored”, “are we almost there?”, “AAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” (My toddler and I both contribute to that last one). It’s a crapshoot.

Now, the other 2% of my family just recently moved to a suburb outside of Atlanta. So now that’s a thing.  And yes, flying would be the easiest thing to do – even with luggage and car seats and transportation to the airport and car rentals and potential airport delay nightmares – but having to buy 5 plane tickets just isn’t cost effective right now. SO WE ARE DRIVING.  This trip may eventually become routine like the NH trips (maybe… we’ll see how this road trip with kids goes) BUT because 1) the trip is unchartered territory requiring substantially longer imprisonment 2) why not be over-prepared? and 3) I’m toggling between pretending it’s not happening and being terrified of the trip all together, I decided to create a Road Trip Kit.

Road Trip Matrix for a road trip with kids

road trip with kids
Road trip Matrix for the road trip with kids

I wracked my brain and did a bit of googling, as one does, to find some creative/ cheap/ easy car activities for “boys who like to punch each other and a toddler who likes to scream and throw stuff”.  (KIDDING, kinda).  We definitely plan on including some outside-the-car activities along the way but because traffic and routes are rarely predictable we make these stops on the fly.  For inside-the-car activities, I created a matrix (above) and made sure I had a few in each box to choose from during the trip that I can periodically distribute as needed (picture me dropping them down from the ceiling of the van with a parachute like in the Hunger Games), with the goal of having some left over for the ride back (slash the hope that they last the whole trip).

road trip with kids

Most of the things in the matrix are self explanatory, but I’ll dive into a few…

Scattergories

We play scattergories a lot during meals (both out and in), but not in the traditional sense. We start at the beginning of the alphabet and go through each letter (skipping the same letters that are left off the die in the traditional game, most of the time) and pick a category. The first person to say an acceptable answer gets the point.  Usually we just think of the category on the fly, but for the trip I created a list of categories for each letter to make it effortless. For the trip we will use the white boards (we will also use for the spelling bee) to give each of the boys a chance at earning points for each letter/category.

road trip with kids
Pre-made scattergories list by letter

“Finish the Lyric” & “No Words” music games

So we listen to soundtracks A LOT.  “Finish the Lyric” is exactly how it sounds.  The “NO Words” game was actually created by my toddler.  You know the music in the background during movies? Like the music that plays while stuff is happening or people are talking – I think it’s called background score music? Anyway, when this music comes on in the car Emily will start telling us what part of the movie it is from.  So I thought it would be fun if I made a playlist of ONLY these songs from various movies and the first person to guess the movie it’s from gets the point! Maybe bonus points if you can tell what the exact scene from the movie is? We’ll see how it goes.

road trip with kids

BINGO

I was going to create our own BINGO boards but I decided to farm this one out for time purposes (I can go pretty far down the rabbit hole when creating art and graphics, and then it’s 6 hours later, it’s dark and I don’t know where the kids are). I had these BINGO cards from Travelchannel.com printed and laminated (thanks FedEX!) so we can use dry erase markers to play. 

road trip with kids

Art Stuff

I picked up three clipboards from Staples and a $3 13 pocket file folder to hold coloring pages, mazes, connect the dots, color by numbers (all printed from various places online – my favorite two: momjunction.com and thsprucecrafts.com), stickers, pencils, and crayons (divided up into 3 bags because #sharingsucks).  

road trip with kids

What creative things do you do/bring to keep it civil in the car on car trips? Tell me in the comments!

This is me.

Like most things that push you out of your comfort zone, I found reason after reason to put off writing this.  

Every time I would get the creative spark to write – there’s laundry to fold, kids to feed, dishes to wash, TV to catch up on, a house to clean, a family to snuggle… and truthfully, these things are everything I never knew I always wanted.

But if I’m honest, I found myself continually saying “something is missing”. But as I sit here writing (actually by hand because we don’t have a laptop and THAT was one of my reasons to procrastinate), my mind comes to life and I can’t get the words out fast enough.  There is so much I want to share and do and give to anyone who will accept it and until now I’ve been ignoring that craving.

During the most recent episode of “The Stay at Home Mom: overworked and under-appreciated” is when I had my revelation. 

My husband, Scott, was saying the right things: “You are appreciated, I know it’s hard, you do a great job, the kids love you…” AND he was saying the wrong things: “I’m at work all day too and I can’t just stop even though I may want to sometimes”. And then it hit me and I said “Well, you know what…. I COULD.  I could stop doing laundry and no one would complain; they would just take stuff out of the hamper and wear it dirty.  I could stop trying to make “edible” clean meals; chicken nuggets and tots all day, everyday would be fine with them.  I could stop keeping every game and every puzzle together and organized; generally speaking no one seems to mind a mess or missing pieces. I could stop trying to keep the house clean; crumbs on the floor and junk on the counter don’t bother anyone but me.”  

And it wasn’t the actual statements that shocked me the most – because in the most logical reality, and in my heart, I know they aren’t true.

No, what stopped me in my tracks at that moment is how regularly I let my brain travel to those thoughts.  And I know this isn’t a unique narrative; most of you have probably felt this way at some point.  

So, I will tell you that while I didn’t solve the problem immediately, I recognizedthat it was a problem that I couldsolve. Ideally I needed something to be proud of in addition to, but in no way controlled by, my primary job: being a mom and a home boss (this is a thing, right?).  Essentially, something that married the two; something I could work on independently that would feed the creative edge and who knows, maybe even benefit others as well.

And Cate Before a Mirror was born.  

(Well, there were a few more steps – I’m looking at you, Maskcara – but eventually this is where I arrived.)  In this space you will find everything from mom-life hacks, to beauty and skincare products and application tips, to real talk and reflections on mental health, to DIY and design projects, to tried and true recipes and restaurants we love, and everything in between. 

So, to all of you out there – 

  • the happy stay-at-home mom who lives everyday for her kids;
  • the working mom who needs a quick dinner idea;
  • a new mom suffering with postpartum depression with no support;
  • the girl who just needs a good laugh;
  • the woman in a rut, who looks in the mirror can’t see herself anymore;
  • the newbie exploring the world of DIY;
  • the college student trying to hide her eating disorder, afraid to reach out for help;
  • the girl looking for a kindred spirit;

No matter who and where you are in life, may you find solidarity here.  Because I am all of those people, too. 

I’m not going to tell you much more about who I think I am – because you will see me as you want to see me – “in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions” but stick around, what you’ll find out is that “I’m a brain… and an athlete… and a basket case”… and a mom, and a wife, and an artist, and a creative spirit looking for a place to shine… and so much more.

(Oh and I’m also a compulsive movie quote-r… thanks, Breakfast Club!)

May you find whatever it is you are looking for here. 

Wash Your Face the “Right” Way

Before you read: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Your face is the most-seen part of your body, right? 

So when I say “wash your face”, there should be a lot more to it than just SOAP – WATER – RINSE.  Think of it as “grooming of your face” or “keeping your face healthy”.  Get ready to dive into my daily/weekly skincare routine, including all the products I use and recommend. This is what works for my face, but everyone’s skin is different – take what you want and work it into your schedule!

If you’re like me, most days involve making meals, cleaning up after said meals, hustling to and from grocery stores/practices/ gymnastics/ dance/ the gym/etc. – you know, the glorious life of a stay at home mom.  I do not put on makeup on a daily basis.  I do not shower (gasp) on a daily basis. But washing my face? I do it EVERY DANG DAY. Twice (ok so sometimes I just crash at night, but #momprobs and #lifegoals).

MORNING ROUTINE

First thing in the morning (read: after breakfasts are made, lunches are packed, kids are on the bus, and the coffee is drank), whether I take a shower or not, here is my routine:

PREP Using a micellar water (I love the Bidoerma Sensibio H20 Micellar water) and these cotton reusable facial pads, I gently swipe over my face and eyes to remove any lingering makeup.  If I’ve washed my face properly the night before, there should not be any makeup coming off, but there may be other impurities picked up from the pillowcase. Either way, this step tells my face: “it’s time to wakeup”.

CLEANSE+MASSAGE In the morning, I wash my face with a cream cleanser, specifically the Milk Cleanser from Maskcara Beauty.  It’s a lactic acid crème-based cleanser that gently removes bacteria without stripping the skin of the natural acid and lipid protective cover of the skin.

Starting with a dry face, in an upward and outward motion, being gentle around the eye area where the skin is more delicate, I massage the cleanser into my face.  Yes, MASSAGE.  That’s important.  Facial massage not only wakes my skin up and helps drain any retained fluid, it also deep-cleans areas that are prone to collecting dirt, like around the nose, chin, forehead, etc. It also works to gently exfoliate the skin.  When the cleanser starts to absorb and it is hard to massage, it is time to rinse.

RINSE To rinse, wet a clean, soft cloth and gently wipe away the cleanser in the same upward and outward motion used to massage.  The microfiber cloths from Maskcara Beauty are extremely soft and durable wash after wash, but I will use baby washcloths too if that’s all I have clean. 

TONE  Unless my skin is being hormonal (i.e., extra oily), I use a toner after I cleanse, and I always use a couple sprays on a cotton pad and swipe across my face (instead of spraying directly).  This helps to make sure the toner is evenly distributed and that I don’t use more than I need.  Once that dries, it’s time to moisturize. Maskcara Beauty’s Milk Toner works really well with the cleanser (and moisturizer) and doesn’t over-dry my skin.

MOISTURIZE This step has become super streamlined since introducing the Milk Crème moisturizer from Maskcara Beauty into my life.  I used to apply serums, under-eye creams and other moisturizers and now?  JUST ONE PRODUCT. I gently dab one pump (depending on your dryness levels you may need two) of the moisturizer under my eyes, and then massage it into the rest of my face. The milk moisturizer has done wonders for my overall complexion, skin texture and fine lines and wrinkles.  It leaves my skin radiant and healthy looking, and it is also a wonderful base for makeup application.

EVENING ROUTINE

In the evening, or before I go to bed, I like a deeper clean to remove makeup and the general grime of the day, which is why this differs from the morning routine. 

PREP This step is more important during the evening routine (whether I wore makeup or not) as my face has collected pollution and grime throughout the day.  If I wore makeup, I will start by using eye makeup remover and cotton pads to remove my eye makeup.  Then, using the same process as above, I gently swipe cotton pads with micellar water over my face and eyes, being sure to repeat as much as necessary to get mostof the dirt off (i.e., the cotton pads are mostly clean after swiping).  

CLEANSE+MASSAGE  To cleanse at night, I use Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash.  This cleanser is deep cleaning and still doesn’t over dry or strip my skin.  I dampen my face and hands with warm water, work one pump of the cleanser into a lather in my hands, and then gently massage it into my skin.  In addition to the benefits of massage I mentioned earlier, this is a great way to de-stress before bed.  

RINSE I rinse with warm water at the sink or in the shower and pat dry. 

WEEKLY

Part of keeping your face healthy is sloughing off the dulling dead skin cells.   While daily facial massage will help to exfoliate, I also use an intensive exfoliating treatment one to two times per week (so basically, I do it every time I wash my hair). I love Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate – it’s is an exfoliator that deep cleans clogged pores and leaves my skin smoother and brighter, and also has antioxidant benefits. The price tag may seem a bit steep ($85 for 2 ounces), but it lasts for a long time.  I’ve had mine for almost a year with twice-weekly use. 

ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH

More recently, I’ve added at-home dermaplaning into my routine. Sounds a lot fancier than it is: shaving the peach fuzz off of my face. For details and a how-to video go here!

wash your face

Hello world!

Cate before a mirror was born out of a need for a creative outlet, a way to reach beyond the day-to-day and do more. It is time to look in the mirror and love what I see, and time to encourage that in others. I’m not just a regular mom, I’m a — no, I am. I am just a regular mom. I’m also a wife and an artist. A beauty and fashion junkie with a love/hate relationship with shopping. An aspiring DIY project finisher. A foodie and a traveler. May you find whatever you are looking for here.