Why You Should Travel with Your Littles!

Traveling with your little ones can be stressful. Packing, planning, organizing... so much is involved when your kids are young. I recently read an article about traveling with your children and why you should do it as often as possible. It hit home for me because with Kenzie(my first born) I was so hesitant to take her anywhere. I avoided restaurants, grocery stores... any public place, really. I was so fearful of being that woman, panicking in the store with a screaming infant. I envied my friends that took their young children on vacation. I so badly wanted to get out and do things but let my fear get in the way. I was more worried about ruining other's experiences out with my potentially fussy child than making memories with my family. However, things changed after having baby number 2. We didn't avoid places with him, he had to tag along. I feel like he was a better baby because he was much more adjusted to life on the go.

Now I can honestly say I look forward to taking the kids places. Don't get me wrong, it still takes a lot of planning and prep time (especially making sure I remember lots of snacks!) But we are no longer missing out. The experiences they get are incredibly language enriching. Seeing new sights, experiencing new things, and learning new words. It doesn't have to be extravagant trips. Go to the zoo, the beach, local children's museum, even the grocery store. There are learning experiences all around us. These experiences help increase vocabulary as they learn new words and social skills as they meet new people and learn how we interact with new people. 

Meeting the pilots!

When you're out, talk to your kids about what you see. Ask them questions. Let them bring along a notebook and draw pictures of what they see. Later, have them retell you the events of the day and what their favorite part was. You will be amazed with how much they soaked in that day and what trivial details to us were the highlights of their day. 

Visiting the rose garden at Peninsula Park

I just got back from Portland, OR with my daughter. We went out there to see my sister's new baby, who came pretty close to giving me baby fever. Kenzie got to experience her first flight (and learn what a cockpit was!), view mountains and volcanoes from Portland's tallest building, run through a rose garden... all things she had never done before.  At school, when her teacher references to mountains, she will now have a real life event to reference to... which is not something we get living in Florida. And on top of it all, these experiences are memories she will always remember!

Chowing down on some VooDoo Doughnuts!