Best Road Trip Ever

Let me be the first to say that I cannot believe we conquered 8 states, 2986 miles, in 8 days.  But let me also be the first to say it was the most incredible vacation I've ever taken.

Every day of prep was worth it.

Every moment spent researching and pinning was worth it.

Every printable was worth it.

Every memory created... perfection.

We took the detour off the Columbia River Trail in Oregon to stop at the historic Oregon Waterfalls.  Can I go back now?

Ok, snapping back into reality now.  I'll give you the low-down on everything we did to stay sane.  Brace yourselves... this will be a picture heavy post and LOADED with information.  You might want to grab a cup of coffee.

~Let's start with the pre-trip prep~

First of all, activity baskets are a must.  Of course, we brought library books and movies with us, but those don't last long enough.  Every item in these baskets, except for the disposable cameras, came from the Dollar Tree.  Mom for the win!  Here is what I included:

• Disposable Camera
• Water Bottle
• Dry Erase Board and Marker
• Dry Erase Activity Pack
• Coloring Book and Crayons
• Clipboard
• Binder (contents explained below)

Colored coded for the kiddos.  Never a fight over mixed up goods.  Awesome.

Now for the binder.  This was a lifesaver.  I'm not one for wanting to put on hours upon hours of movies in the car.  So these came in handy the entire trip.  After scouring Pinterest, I've included links for some of the best printables I used.  The "grade-appropriate" worksheets for my two almost third graders came from workbooks that were sent home at the end of the school year and the ones for my almost Kindergarten came from the internet.  I'm all for keeping your brain going through the summer months.  Here's a breakdown of the binder:

• Road Trip Map
• Pouch for Pencils and Dry Erase Markers
• Games (put in sheet protectors so they could use their dry erase markers on, then re-use later... again a lifesaver)
• Vacation Journal Pages to document their favorite moments
• An empty sheet protector for them to slip brochures, tickets, etc into along the way
• Worksheet Activities divided up by day

Here are the fantastic blogs I got the printables from:

The Dating Divas - Road Trip Date

Moms Mini Van

Look at how happy my little blondie is with his board.  :)  I love that I have lots of images imprinted in my mind of looking back to happy faces.

So what's the next thing you need besides activities?  S.N.A.C.K.S.  I've got this covered.  Hubs and I went on a snack shopping spree at the Dollar Tree and Vons and I organized them in the cooler.  I made a detailed list of each snack and how much we had, slapped them in a sheet protector, and crossed the quantities out as we used them.  There was never a struggle determining what we had, how much we had left or where to find them.  Plus, the kids each had their own cupcake pans (which I of course use almost daily), and that made snack time all the more, well, easy.  Super easy separation.  Super easy clean up.

Ok, packing.  I hate packing.  I checked the weather daily to see what each day would be like in each different state.  This was by far the biggest task at hand.  However, I'm a big believer in organizing by ziplock bags, so that's exactly what I did.  I've used ziplock bags for years when we travel.  It's so easy to get the air out and get everything packed so neatly.  Plus, I got all three kids packed for 8 days in ONE suticase.  Go ahead and read that sentence again.  Including shoes.  Yup.  I labeled each bag with their names, day, city (or cities) and the weather expected.  As they would get dressed in the morning, we would put the previous day's dirty clothes in the bag, zip it up and put it back in the suitcase.  No clean clothes touched any dirty clothes ever.

~Let's get on the road~

So at 7:45am on Friday the 13th, we set out on the road.  Of course our first stop was for donuts and coffee... because you just have to.  :)  The same blog that I got the license plate game from also had great printables for a road trip countdown.  I hung them with a ribbon across the van and labeled each large city we were stopping at.  As we went along, we removed each tag and the countdown got smaller.  The kids got a real kick out of it.  They also have a game for the hubby and wife to play while driving.  I've heard that road trips can make or break it for some people.  Let me just go on the record and say, I'm more in love with my husband than the day I said "I do" after this trip.  The questions were so much fun to ask each other and (sometimes) the answers were even better.

Last but not least, my favorite part of the ride (and probably my children's), was the "good behavior" dollar bills.  I picked up some play money from the Dollar Tree (I should seriously get royalties for plugging them so much).

Each half hour, the kids could earn a dollar bill for good behavior.  When they reached four dollars, they could turn them in for a treat (Pixie Sticks, Airheads, Ring Pops, Suckers).  Believe me when I say if you forget when the half hour has passed, they certainly have not.

Here's a couple of my favorite pics to close with:

This is the Clark Fork River we paralleled the entire time through Montana on I-90.  It was so incredible. 

In two places at once!  Standing on the Idaho-Montana border. 

Driving through the clouds of the Idaho mountain roads... can we say beautiful?  And can I just point out that ummmmm, sunset at 9:10pm?  LOL

We spontaneously stayed in Eugene, OR for the night after stopping for gas.  After 10 hours on the road already, the kids were spent, we were spent, and hotwire's "book a room tonight" was fantastic.  We visited the Ducks campus and stopped by their baseball stadium for a local Minor League baseball game.  Perfection.

If you haven't been to the Avenue of the Giants in the Redwoods Forest, I HIGHLY recommend it.  It's a 32 mile detour off the 101, with various "auto stops" along the way to learn different things about the forest.  It was in one word: breathtaking.

Our last big stop was spending the afternoon in one of my favorite little towns, Solvang, CA.  I loved this place as a kid and I felt so fortunate to bring my children to it.  Here is the Mr. Crazy and I on the carriage ride through town to learn more about the history.

And of course, we bought the Olsen's famous (and deadly delicious) butter cookies.

So that's it folks.  Successful, crazy, interesting, l.o.n.g, exhausting, but super fun road trip!  Are you ready to plan one now?  I would love to hear your thoughts!  You should see the stack of laundry I need to get to so I must get back to being a domestic goddess.  Check back in a couple of days for the much requested tutorial on the transformation of my step-daughter's dresser.  I teased with pics on Facebook, but I'll put all the details here.  Have a blessed day friends!

XOXO,

I Never Want To Move Again

Oh.My.Goodness.

No matter how prepared I was.  No matter how detailed my checklist was.  No matter how much I got done in advance...

Moving sucked monkey toes.  Isn't it funny how no one decides to return phone calls or answer your pleas for help on moving day?  Not to mention, we literally had two weeks to get it all done.

But we're here and I'm extremely grateful and in love with our new place.  It's a blank, white canvas and I'm beyond ready to paint it and get out as many Pinterest ideas as I can.  With that said, here's a couple of teaser pics:

**New Deck in Backyard**

**Front Door - Living Room Area**
(Can we just say 'hello exposed wood Cape Cod feel?')

**Wall of Built Ins - Living Room Area* 

**Staircase (which I l.o.v.e.)**
(Can't wait to cover those walls in pictures!)

**Boys' Bedroom with their own Balcony** 

**Jordan's Room with more Built Ins** 

So that's about it for right now.  I'm currently obsessed with all the bright spring colors: turquoise, coral, lime green, yellows... so you can bet you'll be seeing those in my new place.  Let's just say I already have turquoise curtains up in the living room.  Ohhhh yes.

On that note, can someone please buy me a couple of these pillows?

They're only $120.00 over at RosenberryRooms.com.  Come on people, help a girl out.  ;)

So I promise, once the unpacking is complete, start checking back for updates inside AND out.  I may dive into the green thumb world after all.  

XOXO

A Turning Point in Life... Or Two or Three.

A lot of changes have been happening for our family, hence the short MIA period.  Let me just break this down for you:

So, we finally had our first broken bone in the family.  It just so happened to be my 5 year old little dare devil... go figure.  He was running upstairs to come downstairs, missed the first step and fell straight to the landing.  He had a clean break right on his growth plate at the bottom of his humorous.  All is healing well and he's adjusted just fine.  Better than I would have, but kids are so resilient.  

In January, we found out the home we currently rent was being put on the market for sale.  I had a feeling this day was coming, but definitely was not prepared for it.  I can't believe how much crap we have accumulated in 3 years here!  Talk about de-cluttering and garage sale time.  By the beginning of February, the house was listed, open houses began and walk thrus with agents were occurring on a regular basis.  I just love keeping 2,600 sqft clean at any given moment of the day for potential buyers.  However, I keep this home in my prayers daily for it to sell because our landlords have been absolute saints and we adore them.

On February 15th, we signed the papers for a long term lease on a large townhome with TONS of character.  Therefore, this blog will most likely turn into a transformation of our new place since I've been given total creative freedom by our new landlord.  Yes to paint, moldings, etc.  Hope Pinterest is ready for me to conquer a lot on my "Home" board.  Hopefully, some of you can get inspiration from my little crazy ideas.  And just wait until you see the pictures of the deck in our new backyard.  Talk about V.I.E.W. of the city... and yes, we get to stay in Chino Hills even though we looked all over the county.  Did you really think I would budge on that one?  Sorry, but you just can't beat Chino Valley school district.  It's ah-mazing.

I'm going to go missing for a couple weeks while we get this move finished.  I feel like I'm drowning in boxes and deadlines, and my OCD is on overdrive.  Here's just one example of post-its covering my kitchen that state: EMPTY; If there are contents, what they are; What date said contents should be packed.

But really, I never want to do this again until we buy property in the south once the kids are in college.  Mr. Crazy better make me a southern belle someday or else.

Til next time, Happy Moving!

XOXO

Countless Hours in the Laundry Room = Mini Makeover

Are you like me where you feel like you spend endless hours a week in the laundry room?  It seems that no matter how much laundry I do, the pile continues to grow.  When we lived in our first apartment together, I HATED doing laundry.  The complex had a common laundry area so it was always "Are you done using this machine?", "Damn I ran out of quarters.", "This person hasn't been here, I'm removing their stuff.", etc.  HATED.

So when we moved into our first home, having the "luxury" of the washer and dryer in it's own room in the house was a definite improvement.  I remember one of the first nights where we were able to put the last load into the dryer and then go to bed without worrying about our clothes getting stolen was amazing.

Being a stay at home mom now, I wonder how I ever got laundry done when I worked.  Was I on crack?  I must have been because I feel like I'm in my laundry room almost every day... well, 3 kids and 1 Mr. Crazy definitely contributes to that.  ;)

One day, as I'm loading towels, I looked around and thought, "Bleh."  There are so many cute and cheap ideas out there for making over laundry rooms.  What the heck was I waiting for???

***drum roll please***

I found these pictures at the Dollar Tree.  Yes, please.

Do you like my little lost and found signs?  We have a real problem with that Sock monster in our house, so it's a great way to keep track of missing pairs.  I'll put up a tutorial of it later this week.

Then a simple shower rod (yes, shower rod) and curtains pulled back with ribbons complete the look.

I found this sign on Pinterest and decided to recreate it using words printed on tissue paper and mod-podging it onto a canvas.  Yes, that really works!

And seriously, the "Iron... Ha Ha" part is sooooo me.  Mr. Crazy always asks if I'm in a fight with my iron.  The answer is yes.

Total Mini Makeover Cost: $6.

I know it's not much, but it makes me feel MUCH happier when I'm in that small space.

What do you think?  Hopefully, this can give you some inspiration to make over a small space of your own with minimal materials.

XOXO

Recent Adventures with Sneaky the Elf

Boy has Sneaky been fun this year!  Even though there are those moments at 11:30 at night when Mr. Crazy and I look at each other half asleep asking "did you move the elf"?  But the second the kids find him in the morning make the late night adventures worth it... especially since I'm one who doesn't just like to move our elf... I like to create a scene of what he froze doing.

So without further ado... here is a continuation of our Sneaky Elf on the Shelf pictures:

Do you have an Elf on a Shelf?  Where has yours been spotted in the mornings?  I would l.o.v.e. to hear your ideas!

XOXO

Taste the Rainbow

Since Pinterest has become the new love of my life (sorry Mr. Crazy), finding ideas (and the time to do them) has become a main objective.  Knowing that my birthday is a mere 5 days away but we celebrated last night, I knew I had to try the ever-so-tempting Skittles infused Vodka that I saw on there.  I've created my own tutorial... and let's just say, the day and a half wait for the infusion was very well worth it.

Here is what you will need:

Vodka (6 ounces per bottle) - don't skimp on this step... buy Smirnoff or better.

5 empty water bottles

2 bags of skittles

Coffee filters

5 containers (I didn't have clear jars or flasks, so plastic containers sufficed.)

Funnel (because they make everything easier)

First step is separate the Skittles by color.

Then fill each water bottle with approximately 6 ounces of Vodka.  Take a shot if you feel the need.  Stay sober.

Put each set of colors into separate bottles and shake shake shake like crazy.  The more shakin, the better.

Don't these look super pretty so far???... just wait until you taste it!

Let sit overnight so the candies can dissolve more.  And if you want, shake a bit more before going to bed.  I told you shakin is good.  ;)

The next day, you will need to filter out some white sugary foam that forms at the top of each bottle.  I simply put a coffee filter in a funnel and filtered that way.  This process takes a little while so the more funnels you have to "multi-filter", the better.

Then voila!  You have Skittles flavored Vodka!!!

I put these in our freezer to chill prior to the party.  You can mix it with Sprite, Mountain Dew, Ginger Ale.  Have it on the rocks for all I care.  Just drink responsibly... and taste the rainbow!  We sure did.

Who knew Skittles + Vodka could be so awesome?

XOXO

Today = Baking Like Crazy

With the exception of a couple hours spent at a loud pizza place for my son's soccer banquet, I have been in the kitchen since 8am baking away.  Being a recent SAHM, I'm trying to get my baking business off the ground so at home is where I can stay... for good.

I am participating in a Christmas boutique in the Los Angeles area tomorrow so I'm working on four orders of Monkey Bread, two dozen Mochaccino Cupcakes, two dozen Sugar & Spice Cupcakes and last but not least, my super yummy Hot Chocolate Cookies.  It's ok... you can drool.

So while my cupcakes are in the oven, I just wanted to quickly update how our Elf on the Shelf, Sneaky, was doing.  He sure is a mischievous little elf.  Here is what he has been up to:

It's been so much fun in the morning to watch my kids run around looking for where he is... and even better when they actually find him.  

Linking my previous post to the following party!

Sunday Showcase

Check out her page - she has soooo many great ideas!

Happy December 3rd!... and Happy More Baking to me!

XOXO