travel

4 Tips For When Mom Travels

travelU.S. Travel

This past weekend, I traveled to Dallas for a conference. I have been looking forward to this conference since it was announced last year! I was ready to hug old friends and make new friends.

aiplane

I wanted to be sure I made things easy on my husband. With a 13, 10, and 3 year old and one dog, I knew that his schedule would feel hectic. When I realized that we had also agreed to watch two dogs over the same weekend, I went into full planning mode, hoping to save his sanity and not come home to a complete disaster zone.

I'm sitting at the airport, waiting for my delayed flight and I'm happy to report that everyone did just fine! My husband is in a great mood, homework is done, and the extra dogs have gone home. He is at the finish line!

4 Tips For When Mom Travels

Here are our tips to what made this weekend work!

1. Start talking with the kids about the trip a few weeks before. 

This gives the kids a chance to ask questions and talk about worries with plenty of time. Nate's class at school had talked about the flight that disappeared, so he had a few questions about my plane and how safe it was.

If your kids are a little younger, you can talk through their concerns and reassure them that you are coming home.  We love the Daniel the Tiger quote, "Grownups do come back."

2. Make it easy on your husband. 

I stocked up on paper plates and paper towels, to limit the amount of dishes he needed to do. I made a few freezer meals and ran to the grocery store before I left so that he wouldn't have to worry about a trip to the store with three kids begging for Cold Stone at Fry's.

3. Leave a little surprise for the kids! 

I left notes on the dinner table at their places, for them to find that evening. I left a note on their mirror in their bathroom for them to find before bedtime. Each time, I do something a little different, so they get excited about finding their surprises.

4.  Pack together

My daughter is my packing buddy. She loves to help me remember everything. (And usually she thinks of something that I would have forgotten!)

Doing these little things make me feel so much better about heading out the door. Knowing that they are all right with me leaving makes it easier for me to relax and have fun!

What do you do to make sure your family is taken care while you are traveling?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr

Kate is a photographer, enjoys the art of handwritten correspondence and may break out into musical numbers at any time. She loves Jesus, her family and her chai tea latte. She looks for beauty everywhere. Kate blogs at Songs Kate Sang and shares photography tips at Create+Focus.  She would love for you to stop by!

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