Five Favorites: Road Trip Lifesavers!

Joining the gorgeous Heather this week!

Last night, we arrived home from a week-long road trip to drop off Killian at Ave Maria University. (More on how he came to the decision to transfer in my 7 QTs on Friday.) It was an amazing trip; long, bittersweet, and filled with beautiful memories. 

But, let's back it up a bit to the word "long". 

Chicago to Ave Maria, Florida is a 21 hour drive. 

We chose to break it down into a 2-day drive each way. That makes it just bearable. Our 2 high school kids had already started back to school, so they stayed with my parents, while the 4 youngest (and Killian!) came along. Knowing that I would have those younger kids to entertain without the help of fun older siblings, I began furiously pinning road trip ideas back in April, and I found some real gems!

I would love to share my 5 favorite sanity-saving road trip ideas with you today....

1) The dollar store is your BFF. I bought small cookie sheets for each child to use as trays for snacks and activities. This idea proved even more ingenious when I found magnetic games for the 4, 7, and 11 year old. But, what about 2.5 year old Will? Read on!

2) Magna-Tiles are from Jesus. I have sung the praises of Magna-Tiles before, but I have never loved them more than I have this past week. Will can play with them for long stretches of time, and because they are magnetic, the cookie sheets were the perfect "play table" for them: no dropped pieces! They also were a nice, quiet toy to play with in boring hotel rooms.

3) Pack intelligently. We knew that the first couple of nights we would be moving from hotel to hotel to hotel. I decided that I would pack a couple of outfits for each person into a smaller suitcase, so we could leave the bigger suitcases in the car until we arrived at the hotel with the longest stay. And, always include swimsuits on top! Hotel pools were the perfect way to get kids to work off the restless energy they had built up all day in the car.

4) Take the free breakfast! No matter what, choose a hotel that serves a free breakfast! Aside from the money-saving feature (we figured we saved $42 each day), it's super nice to stumble down from your hotel room to a ready-made breakfast (some of us may have dined in our PJs...).

5) Ain't no shame in bringing a potty chair and a roll of paper towels! Will was at a crucial point -- no turning back! -- in his potty-training when we embarked on our trip and hadn't yet mastered "holding it". Having his little potty chair in the car saved us from having to stop eleventeen-hundred times that first day. And, the roll of paper towels sure came in handy as poor Will puked his way through Atlanta on our return trip! 

I learned lots of other tricks -- as well as, some ideas that did not work so well -- and I'd be happy to share those if anyone is interested! Just ask away in the combox!

More on the decision, the trip, and beautiful Ave on Friday!

5 Favorites: Hair, Face, Body, Cake, THE GREAT BLOGGER MEET-UP!

OK, I thought I nothing to share so I wasn't going to link up withHallie today, but I realized that I had a few things I needed to share with all y'all.....

1) Are you a frizzy-headed mess like me? Does your hair waver between "kinda, sorta curly" and "a lil bit straight"? On the same day? At the same time? Is your hair crunchy? YES?!? Well, meet your new BFF:

Suave's Moroccan Styling Oil was sent to me as a free sample with some shoes I bought for my sons (I have no idea what this company was thinking), along with a $1 coupon. I had nothing to lose, so I tried it. Very, very skeptically. Let me preface this by saying that the previous day, I had washed my hair and let it air-dry curly-ish. Then, I slept on it (you curlyheads will know what this does). Consequently, it was a crunchy, frizzy, sloppy mess. No, brushing doesn't make it better -- if you don't believe me, just ask CarrotTop. So, I dampened my hair, applied the oil, and dried it straight with the blow dryer. Normally, this will produce a bushy mane what needs tamin' with my trusty flat-iron. But, not this time! We're talking smooth, shiny, STRAIGHT tresses that smell sexxxy. (Those triple Xs are as close as this Catholic girl gets to porn). I earn nothing from telling you this, other than the satisfaction of knowing. WARNING: If you have thin, fine, straight hair this could be the wrong product for you, but I am not blessed that way so I can't say for certain.

2) 7-Keto DHEA. While I'm still reserving judgement on this supplement, I will say that in the 36 hours I have been taking it, my energy levels have skyrocketed. I was hoping that it would speed up my old metabolism, as some studies have suggested that it's use by elderly wheelchair-bound nursing home residents had it reducing their body fat by 6% without ever changing diet or increasing exercise. That benefit remains to be seen (I'll let you know in a week or 2), but this tired mama appreciates the bump in energy. 

3) Holla if you want a dolla! The Dollar Shave Club! Major kudos to Jessica for highlighting this one! Since marrying me, Kyle has grown accustomed to the finer things in life -- razors included. But, I spend mucho dinero on his replacement cartridges, and when the budget gets tight, he has to make-do with his old, dull cartridges. Not no more! We chose the mid-range $6/month plan which ships (for free!) him a handle and 4 very nice cartridges every month. We haven't actually gotten the first shipment yet, but already I like that I'm saving time and money on this one! Also, PLEASE watch their video; you will die of the hilarity.

4) My Great Aunt Mary's Strawberry Angel Food Cake recipe! This one is perfect for hot summer days when you want a baked, light dessert but don't want to turn on the oven. Here's whatcha do:

      -Go buy yerself one of them angel

       food cakes that your grocery store 

       bakes for you and sells it in a plastic

       bundt pan.

      -Make space in your shopping cart 

       for 1 large box of strawberry jello 

       and 1 container of frozen, sliced

       strawberries in sugar.

      -When you get home, boil 2 cups 

       of water, and while that's heating 

       up, take the cake out of the plastic

       pan and poke a bunch of holes in 

       the cake.

      -Mix gelatin into boiling water until 

       dissolved, then add in defrosted 

       strawberries.

      -You saved and washed out that 

       plastic pan, right? Good. Pour

       jello mix into pan and then gently

       sink cake back into pan. (It's OK

       if it sits higher than it did previously)

      -Place the whole shebang in the

       fridge for 4-6 hours.

      -when it's set, soak bottom of pan in 

       hot water for 30 seconds and 

       invert over a plate.

      -Slice and eat!

5) Awesome friends (Dwija, Cari,  Jessica) who inspire me to be a better mom, wife, and Catholic! The Great Midwest Catholic Women's Blogger Convention happened last week at House Unseen and I really don't have the right words to convey how much laughter and joy was (barely) contained under that roof. 

Thank you, my sweet friends for loving me despite my imperfections and encouraging me to recognize and honor the gifts God gave to me! Y'all are a very special bunch of Chiquitas Bonitas!