Going back to 1776 in Colonial Williamsburg

We spent a day in the 18th century in Williamsburg, once the capital of Virginia.

If you haven't seen the commercials, Colonial Williamsburg is a refurbished town, with live actors, or interpretors, re-enacting the activities of the time. There are wheelwrights, milliners, shoe makers... even slaves and free Blacks.  Throughout the day, you encounter them in their various shops and on the streets.  According to the wheelwright, the skilled laborers actually go through an apprenticeship to learn there craft and the work they are doing is real, not just for show. For instance, he was working on two projects - carving a section of a wooden wheel, using a tool that would've been used in colonial times, that would go on a wagon used in the town, as well as making a cannon wheel for a museum in New England. Of course, I made stops in the spinning shop, where the woman was spinning wool into yarn, and bookbinder. Interesting to see that some of these crafts have not changed much in hundreds of years.

The townspeople were fascinating in that they seemed to know a lot about their particular craft (it was just as intriguing to hear them field questions, as to hear  their own presentations), had  opinions about other folks (the shoemaker clearly expressed disdain for the cobbler), and portrayed a well-rounded and informed  history of the time and their character. Many of the people talked about what was going on in other parts of Virginia or pieces of trivia about the Governor's palace. The slaves mumbled to each other that nothing was going to change as the Declaration of Independence was read out loud.  There were re-enactments of one man's decision on joining the military and a slave jumping the broom ceremony.  It all felt like you had stepped back and were eavesdropping on history. To the point that when the townspeople nervously yelled that the British soldiers were coming, my kids got up and ran with them.

You need a pass to go into the various shops, available as one day, multiday, or annual passes. We received annual passes as part of our room package at Williamsburg Woodlands. If you go, check the various room deals; this one turned out to be a little less than what I would've paid for hotel and five day passes. There's a daily schedule of events, when shops are open and special activities.  Take note of any special things you want to see, as once you start wondering around, you might forget.

A day in Colonial Williamsburg transports you back to a time when cooking was done with food grown nearby, clothes were recycled and repaired as an economic necessity not as fashion, and when towns were filled with skilled "smiths." It was also a time when women couldn't vote, nor could poor men, and slavery was still legal.  There's stepping stones going into Williamsburg that remind you of the differences. It's an educational and entertaining day, and makes you appreciate walking back into the present.

The Sweet Road Continues - More Ice Cream in New England

The family that eats ice cream together, stays together.  At least until the next scoop.  Our recent vacation road trip could've been dubbed the "Ice Cream Tour" for all that we ate.  We started in New York and moved up through the New England states.  Catch up on the New York and Boston flavors in this previous post (part 1 of the ice cream tour) and continue on to New Hampshire and Vermont here.

To remind you of the rules of our ice cream stops:

• We’re looking for fresh, home-/hand-made ice cream at independent shops, or at least ones don’t seem to be big-name chains.
• Scoops have to be less than $4, as close to or below $3, if possible.  I’ve noticed some places now charge $4, $5, even $6 a scoop!  For us, that’s $30+ for dessert.  So we did pass up shops that may have fit the independent shop rule, but were too pricey.  I’d like to not break a $20 if possible.
• Good flavors, creative mixes.  Give me a scoop of coffee or chocolate ice cream and I’m pretty happy.  But I’ll definitely try one of those with some nuts or chocolate ripple mixed in.  The kids are cookie dough, birthday cake, mint connoisseurs.
• Exceptions can be made to these rules, as needed. 

Annabelle’s - Portsmouth, NH

This was our one stop in New Hampshire as we passed through on our way from Boston to Portland, Maine.  And if you are ever just driving through, it's an easy 5-minutes or so off of I-95.  It’s located on a small alley street on the water.  The whole little area is a pleasant, walkable tour-book portside shopping area.  I got the Kahlua chocolate chip, which was really more like Kahlua & cream & chocolate chip. My son got the mint chocolate (his favorite flavor), but unlike most mint ice cream, it was not green, or even white with mint flavor, it was chocolate with mint flavor.  It was really good, like an Andes mint.  Price?  $3.65 for a single, which was actually 2 scoops; and there was a smaller, cheaper kid size.

Ben and Jerry’s, Waterbury, VT

Waterbury is up in the mountains of Vermont. A pretty, natural drive.  There was a decent sized crowd when we got there, which continued during our visit.  You have to get a ticket for the factory tour, which lasts a little less than 30 minutes. We had to wait about an hour for our time slot, but not standing in line; you get a ticket then can wander off until the assigned time.  We checked out the flavors at the Flavor Graveyard (all the flavors that have been retired), ate lunch at one of the food trucks parked on the grounds, and – what else – ate ice cream.  I got my one of my favorites, Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz, and tried a new flavors, Hazed and Confused, a hazelnut and chocolate mix.

The factory tour consists of a short film about the history of Ben & Jerry’s, which was pretty interesting, and then an explanation of the ice cream making process from a viewing room above the manufacturing floor.  Since most of the process seems to be in huge heating and cooling vats, it’s actually not a whole lot to see until the ice cream is filled into the pint containers. The day we were there, there was some malfunction with a few lids so ice cream was spilling out across the conveyor belts which amused the kids.  The other highlight of the tour is the exclusive factory-only flavor sample served at the end.  Our day was Meet Me at the ChocoBanana flavor – a banana ice cream with chocolate and nuts.  It definitely needs to go through whatever approval process to get into a store near me.

Of the 12 days we were on vacation, I think we had ice cream at least 8 or 9 of those days (all of our scoops aren’t listed since some were end-of-dinner restaurant served scoops.)  We unfortunately got rained out in Maine and never made it to Gifford’s which is supposed to be really good. But I see that their truck is rolling around our home city every now and then, so maybe we’ll get a taste eventually.  But 9 out of 12’s not bad, right?

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Taking the Sweet Road - Our Ice Cream Tour

One thing our family agrees on is that we all like ice cream. A lot.  Enough so that one of our traveling rituals is to eat ice cream almost every day of our vacation.  (We also walk a lot on vacation, so it kinda balances.  Kinda.)

But we do have some criteria, we don’t stop at just any ole ice cream spot.  A few rules.

• We’re looking for fresh, home-/hand-made ice cream at independent shops, or at least ones don’t seem to be a big-name chain.
• Scoops have to be less than $4, as close to or below $3, if possible.  I’ve noticed some places now charge $4, $5, even $6 a scoop!  For us, that’s $30+ for dessert.  So we did pass up shops that may have fit the independent shop rule, but were too pricey.  I’d like to not break a $20 if possible.
• Good flavors, creative mixes.  Give me a scoop of coffee or chocolate ice cream and I’m pretty happy.  But I’ll definitely try one of those with some nuts or chocolate ripple mixed in.  The kids are cookie dough, birthday cake, mint connoisseurs.
• Exceptions can be made to these rules, as needed. 

On our recent roadtrip, we enjoyed scoops from these ice cream shops throughout New England.  And we did make one big exception - we ended up at a slightly larger ice cream shop – the Ben and Jerry’s Factory in Vermont.

Mr. Softee Truck – Brooklyn, NY

This may not really qualify as home-made ice cream, but we don’t get one of these trucks in our neighborhood too often and how can you pass up $2 soft ice cream cones?  Ice cream for the whole gang and friends for $12? We couldn’t let this truck roll by.

Dylan’s Candy Bar, Manhattan, NY

Okay, not your teeny mom & pop shop, but not a big chain either.  Upstairs, there’s an ice cream counter and candy bar, i.e. cocktails.  The kids got ice cream which they said was delicious! while my friend and I got candy cocktails. Her’s had Strawberry Nerds in it, mine had a rock candy swizzler. In the middle of walking through the city, this is a fun stop. Albeit, an expensive one. 

Boston turned out to be a big ice cream stop. Who knew?

Churn2 ice cream truck, Harvard Farmers’ Market (on campus)

This is the scientifically made ice cream.  Liquid nitrogen is blasted into a metal mixing bowl with fresh ingredients (milk, flavor, etc.) until it’s frozen.  Each order is made fresh while you watch. The results? Very creamy and that full, round mouth feel.  The process is supposed to make this less fat than regular ice cream, too.  This does, however, break the less than $4 rule. A scoop is $6.25; we got one to share because we just had to taste it.

Lizzy's Ice Cream – Harvard; Boston, MA

We found this teeny little shop while on our way to dinner, then had to make sure we were back before it closed because it looked really good.  Good decision.  I got the Colombia Fudge Avalanche – coffee ice cream with all chocolate and walnuts – which was really good; it was creamy, tasted like coffee, and full of the add-ins.  And the price was right – about $3 for a small scoop, which was really enough post-dinner. There was also a kiddie cone and an even smaller mini-cone.

Christina'sIce Cream – Cambridge, MA

The shop smells like Indian spices, presumably from shop next door (which may be owned by the same people).  It’s a pleasant smell, just not one you’d expect at an ice cream shop.  I got the Bailey’s ice cream, which was creamy, but didn’t really taste like Bailey’s, more like coffee with a whole lot of cream in it (which, by the way, is how I drink my coffee.)  The kids got birthday cake and mint.  The scoops were about $3 for a small.

And now, I'm so full - and hungry.  Let me go grab a bowl of coffee ice cream with some almonds sprinkled in and I'll get back to the rest of the list in part two of the ice cream tour.

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Returning Back Home After Vacation

1878 miles, 12 days, 9 states, 2 countries

6 people, 6 hotel rooms

We’re finally back home.  And this is going to take a little bit of getting used to.

The coffee pot is not in the room, just steps from the bed. I actually have to go all the way downstairs for a cup of coffee to get the day started.  This is reminding me of my plan to install a coffee station in my bedroom, however.

Breakfast, although included and available at this place, is not ready when you get downstairs.  There is no buffet of croissants and pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice, a hot waffle iron, or a dude waiting to make omelets-to-order.  But maybe, I’ll get up one day before school starts and set out a big breakfast, just to throw the whole family off.

We do not have to check to be sure we didn’t pick out a sibling’s/child’s/parent’s shirt or underwear out of the suitcase before pulling them on.  To pack for our most recent roadtrip, I packed half of everybody’s clothes in one of two suitcases so that we would only have to drag one suitcase in to the hotel, instead of five.

There’s nowhere we have to be today.  There’s no sites that we must see because we’re on a 48-hour schedule. We don’t have to figure out how many hours and miles to our next state and decide whether we should eat in this city, the next, or in the car.  We packed and accumulated a lot of snacks (and wine) while out on the road.

We’ll all be eating the same thing for lunch and dinner, whatever that may be.  There’s no option for six different meals to be brought out to each person’s individual tastes.

We will not be in arm’s reach of each other 24/7.  We can go in different rooms, even outside, by ourselves if we want.  So, I might admit that I liked hanging out with my kids and hubby all day. Sure, there was some bickering, fussing, even some tears, but it was good.  Our regular schedule splits us into 6 different directions on a daily basis, so this was nice.

We can wander to the kitchen or our outside in our pajamas and no-one looks at us funny.  We’re home.

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Take the History Tour

It's what makes kids moan about and fear whenever there's a family visit to the city. Any city. Any city with a museum or historical site or old church. Eventually, the parents are going to drag them to somewhere at which they will hear or (gasp!) read something that might be educational or cultural or the least bit intellectual.  They kids know it's coming, that moment when they'll be pulled into some exhibit that one day may be vaguely familiar when a teacher mentions it in class. And as parents, we feel the need to do this, to expose them to culture and history, because, well, just because.

 

We've done a pretty good balance of the historical and potentially educational sites while on vacation. We visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and the kids didn't complain. Whether that was because they were actually interested or knew that this site was something they should not complain about, they were respectful and questioning and exploring when we went.

 

In Boston, we walked the Black History Trail, starting with the 54th Regiment Monument.  Along the route, there were homes where various Black Americans once lived and hid runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad and held abolitionist movement meetings, the first colored school and the first integrated school in the city, the African Meeting House that served as church, community center, political meeting place, and school.  We made our way to the spot that Crispus Attucks died and the Old North Church where Paul Revere instructed the men to hang the lanterns (one if by land...) 

 

"Why do we have to go? It's so hot. All these hills!" The kids whined.

"Because it's important. This was where the Revolutionary War started.  And these people worked toward ending slavery.  You'll be able to talk about it in school," I said.

"We don't even learn about all this in school, we don't talk about slavery," they reported.

"Well, then that's even more reason why we're here. Keep walking." 

 

I knew they were going to complain.  I didn't expect that they would have the same excited reaction as when we went to the aquarium, which is just as educational, in a different way. These are the experiences and knowledge, however, to which we want to expose our children. Seeing the Boston harbor will illustrate the point when they learn about the Boston Tea Party.  Understanding that "Glory" wasn't just a movie (although a great one) emphasizes that there were real, live people willing to sacrifice their lives for future generations' freedom even when they weren't even considered full citizens themselves. And now, having made it to New England on vacation, driving, perhaps it's more evident how long a journey it is from a southern (slave) state to a northern free state, and the distance people were willing to walk to escape slavery; and then there's the poster hanging in the museum, warning Bostonians about a law that would allow slave catchers to capture Blacks and take them back to the south as slaves, whether they were free or runaway slaves.  That may or may not come up in the history lessons at school, but it happened.

 

There's a lot that we want our children to know and understand about our history, culture, religion, world. As parents, that is one of our responsibilities, to teach them and expose them to as much as we can that we feel is important.  Even if they whine and complain.

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Laundry while Traveling

How do you pack for 6 people for a 2-week roadtrip? And what do you do with all that laundry?

 

I packed enough shorts/skirts for half the days we planned to be gone, because really, you can wear those a second time.  I packed a little more than half the days shirts, anticipating getting to a laundry somewhere mid-point.  And enough underclothes for the duration, just in case we didn't.

 

Check your next hotel - especially if you are in a suite style hotel. There's most likely a laundry room that you've never paid attention to, and if you had, wondered "who does their laundry at a hotel?" That would be folks like me, a long long way from home.

 

And if you're lucky, it's just down the hall from the bar. Because if you've been on a long journey with the kids, you'll need this pitstop, too. 

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Join the Zoo or Museum or Aquarium: The Benefits of Membership

We joined the Mystic Aquarium on our roadtrip stop in Mystic, Connecticut.  Not that I plan on visiting again anytime soon, I can pretty much guarantee that we won't return in the next year since we live about 6 hours away. But the Membership rate ($189) was actually a slight savings over admission for 6.  This is also the math that has lead me to join the Baltimore Aquarium and the Baltimore Science Center.  It does not really explain why I'm a member of the National Zoo, which is free to the public (although there is a parking fee, which is discounted - used to be free- for members.)

 

Membership versus admission ticket? Here's a few thing to think about when standing in the line of your favorite family attraction or even a place you may never get back to in the near future.

 

Compare the Membership rate to the total of the per person admission. Don't forget the extras your family may want to do - the IMAX movie, the 4d theatre, the dolphin show. Are they included in Membership versus an additional fee with admission?

 

Is membership less than the cost of two visits? If it's a place you'd come back to in the next year, or could, membership may be a better option, even if it's a bit more than a 1-visit cost.  I also found with a membership at the local aquarium for instance, I feel less stressed  to make sure we saw every last fish, because we could always come back.

 

What reciprocal  agreements does the facility have?  The National Zoo, for example, has agreements with other zoos and aquariums so that members can get into those places free or for a discount. So while the Zoo is free, we save money visiting other zoos.  The list of reciprical locations are usually available on a site's website or at the membership information booth.

 

What other benefits do members get that you would enjoy? Early admission, special events, magazines or newsletters, free snacks? Again, compare those that you can enjoy that day, if it's somewhere you're visiting out of town, and the long-term benefits.  

 

Do you generally support the work or mission of the facility? Aside from the financial benefit, you may just really like the purpose, the research, the services of the site. The conservation work of the zoo, the rescue work of the aquarium, the historical preservation done by the museum, etc. This non-monetary reason is just as good as any other.

 

Any places that have great membership programs? Feel free to share in the comments. 

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On the Road Again! Summer Vacation Roadtrip

Since we have thus far survived our family road trips, both domestic and international, we are setting out another one this summer. Starting at our home in Maryland, we are heading north for about a fortnight.

When I tell people these are my vacation plans, the response in return is often a quizzical, "Really?" I know - how crazy to think logging a couple hundred miles with four kids in a car is some kind of idea of fun. So, let me say - I do realize that it will not be all peaches and ice cream (though, there will be a fair share of that.) There will be some fussing, arguing, and tears, from me included, but by the end, we'll have another collection of memorie, everyone will appreciate their own bed, and, if we're lucky, the kids will have figured out the Rhode Island is not an island, Boston is a city, and Canada is a whole 'nother country.

But while I get going, here's answers to a few  of the questions I've been asked about our journey.

What do we do to stay entertained in the car for that long?
That is the pain of road trips, right? What are you going to do to keep everyone from throwing someone else out the window?  For many, electronic gadgets and in-car videos are the obvious answer. Though I don't have in-car screens, the kids do have some electronics, but I try to limit their screen time, even in the car. Then we turn to the old-fashioned favorites - singing contests, look outside & find/ Eye Spy/ scavenger hunt type games, and audiobooks.

For the scavenger hunt, give the kids a list of things to find looking out of their window. Make it as easy or hard as you like, depending on the age of the kids and how long you want this to last. Our first list included items like 2 people on a motorcycle together, a person in a costume, a church, an animal, other than a bird, and a landmark.  Buried in a video game, I bet no-one would've even noticed the dog training center and might've missed the Statue of Liberty.

We checked out a pile of audiobooks from the library. I usually let the kids pick them out themselves - it's best if they all agree, or at least 2 so there's not a carload of pouty faces. This time, I also picked a couple from the adult shelves in case there's a leg or two whe everyone is sleep but me, i.e., the driver.

Do you stop and eat?
In between destination cities, I actually try to limit the stops for meals, though I will pull over in a second for a fruit stand or ice cream shop. Meals on the road can add up (dollar-wise) and take up time. Since I don't like long drives, I don't like stopping for long meals. I try to keep the cooler packed with lunch meat, cheese sticks, fruit, boiled eggs, and juices, as well as breakfast-type foods, too - cereal, granola bars, milk boxes, for the days we're out early.
 

At our destinations, I try to pick hotels with breakfast included. It's so much easier (and less expensive) to get kids down an elevator, fed and out for the day, than getting out and then having to find breakfast.

How do you pack for all those people?

I try to minimize the number of bags we have to carry into the hotels, since the kids and I will already have our backpacks and tote bags and the cooler. This go round, I've got all of our clothes packed in two large suitcases. I split all of our clothes, putting half of everyone's clothes in each bag, that way, when I check in, I only have to bring in one suitcase and the toiletry bag.

In the toiletry bag, I have  all of our personal grooming stuff - shampoo, condition, body wash, toothpaste, etc. Although hotels do provide the basics, it's not enough for five people. Plus, with sensitive skin and hair issues, I like to have my own products for a long trip, at various hotels.

Really? This is vacation?

If we were home, we'd spend the summer laying around the house, every now and then going out to the zoo or local museum or catching a movie, sleeping in, fussing about watching too much TV and going outside more. Why not take all this excitement on the road?

Pack Up for the Weekend Roadtrip

Three day weekend, summer's on it's way, I can already taste the steamed Maryland blue crabs.  And I'll be monitoring the highway traffic cams, anticipating how long it's going to take us to get to the beach.  In the meantime, I'm packing up while the kids are in school and hubby is at work.  And if you are doing the same, here's 5 quick tips that have worked for us for the short sprint vacations.

Plan to pick the kids up from school. Whenever we've waited for them to get home on the bus, either the bus runs late (Murphy's Law) or they come home and remember something else they want to take and need a snack, etc. etc. and it's another hour before we get out the door. If you have to let them ride the bus or carpool - meet them outside, car packed and ready to go.

Get the kids to pack their own stuff. Their books, gadgets, dolls, cards, favorite goggles. Pack it in their own backpack the night before you leave and have it ready to go. Remember - don't let them back in the house after school.

Pack snacks.  If you've read this blog ever before, you may know this might as well be my mantra - always pack snacks. Keep the natives fed and happy. If it's a holiday weekend, you very well may get stuck in traffic and it will be nowhere near the exit to get some food. Be ready.

Bring entertainment for the car. Phones, DS's, or books on tape - whatever works best for your family. I think those hours in the car are perfect for family interaction - games, sing-alongs, singing contests. I have a crochet or knit project or a book for myself (when I'm not the driver.) And I always make a run to the library for audio books.  Maybe you prefer the quietness of everyone on their e-gadgets or the peace of the kids watching a movie. Anything but "stop looking at me!"

Clean up the house before you go. Including the refrigerator.  What a nice feeling to come home from a fun weekend and be able to sit down without dreading the chores that need to be done from last week.  Prepare to extend that relaxed feeling for a little while when you get home.

So the key here? Plan a little bit and be ready. And even if you're a procrastinator like me, you can still pull it together.

And one more tip for while you're gone. When you pack up to return home, put all your dirty clothes in one suitcase, all your clean and unworn clothes in another. Then when you get home, you can easily toss the dirty clothes in the washing machine. Or take it all to the laundromat, throw it in multiple machines at once and get your laundry done in much less time.

Drive safely & have fun!

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Surviving the Family Road Trip

We’ve done a number of road trips, ranging from a day’s outing to a long weekend to the multi-day on the road variety.  The longest so far has been our trip from Maryland to the Georgia coast – roughly 1700 miles in just over 2 weeks.  See – living proof that one can survive a family road trip.

Not only survived being on the road with kids, but done so in a super-size SUV that doesn't have a plasma flat screen mounted inside, to the dismay of my children and the surprise of our friends.  Yes, we travel sans video monitor and DVD movies.  I know, who knew that was even possible anymore?  If you are traveling without electronics or would at least like to unplug for part of the ride, here's a few ideas to make sure everyone makes it to the final destination all in one vehicle.

• Everyone pack their own bag of ride entertainment - books (and a nook), coloring and activity books, a pencil box full of crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue sticks, a deck of cards, Barbies, finger puppets; it always amazes me what they stuff in there.  But – also a warning – if your trip involves any type of airplane flight, Smithsonian museum visit, or any other security-checked venue – check your kids’ bags!  They are notorious for carrying contraband.

• Pack a few audio books, sing-along CDs, movie soundtracks.  We get them from our local library, picking a variety of stories – you’d be surprised how long this will hold kids’ attention on a long ride.  And its kinda nice for the driver, too, to get some “reading” done.

• Let the kids navigate.  Give them an old fashioned, paper road map that you will never be able to fold back to how it originally was.  Show the kids the route, teach them how to read the map.  This is a skill that will be lost as we sit back and let the GPS tell us where to go.  I have a road map from Cracker Barrel, with the restaurant locations conveniently marked on it, so that I can plan my drive with stops for fried fish and hash brown casserole.

• Try some of those car games you played as a kid, that pre-electronic entertainment.  Don’t remember any?

• That’s my car – the mobile version.  Each person picks a color, as you ride along, look out for that color car and keep count until you get to 15, 25, 100 – however long you want this to last.
• Eye Spy.  The adult in the car picks two things that might be found on the road, assigning a point value to each – the lower points goes to the more likely item.  Whoever finds the items, gets the points.  For example: a tow truck – 5 points, a truck carrying a house – 20 points.  When both items are found, pick two more.  A motorcycle – 5 points, a Space Shuttle – 100 points.  Again, this can go on as long as you want.  Pick a fun prize, maybe the winner gets to pick dinner or a second scoop of ice cream.

• Feed the natives before they get restless.  Pack a cooler that fits inside the car - juices, waters, bottles of iced coffee, cheese sticks, boiled eggs, fruit, cut up vegetables.  In a separate bag or box, put all your dry goods – chips, pretzels, popcorn.  Include some healthy options, no better time when kids are bored and hungry than to get them to eat a carrot stick.

And when you’ve tried all of these ideas and find that you have only made it 5 miles from your house, turn on the portable DVD.

Have a safe, fun trip!

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Travel Tips...the family version

We're home, we're in the process of unpacking, and while doing so, I jotted down a few things that I want to remind myself of before we venture out again, whether for a weekend or another road trip. Thought I'd share them, maybe someone else would find them useful or have something to add as we wind down summer vacation season.

1. Know that your traveling companions will be the same people on the road as they are at home. If they don't like to get up in the morning at home, they will not care what time people start queuing to get into the Colisseum on vacation. If they don't like eggs at home, they will not eat them in a restaurant, no matter how much you pay for them. If they argue over the window seat in your car, they will do the same on the plane, train, taxi, bus, and subway, too. You will also be the same person. If you are grouchy before coffee, make sure to pack instant coffee or that there is a coffee machine in your hotel room.

2. It’s vacation – let them eat cake, and ice cream, too. Just do it at lunch, not after a late night dinner.

3. Bring any and all medications that you may possibly need. Prescription medicines are a given. But don't forget over-the-counter medicines, too, because, just like at home, your migraine will not start while you happen to walk past a pharmacy that sells the brand of painreliever you like. And children have a habit of getting sick in the middle of the night or on the road, somewhere far, far away from the drugstore. Also pack hand wipes, hand sanitizer, bathroom wipes, band-aids, and Neosporin.

4. Pack an extra shirt for everybody in your carry-on for emergencies. Maybe not today, maybe not all the kids, but someday, someone will need a new shirt.

5. Give each kid a spending budget. They will make different ("better"?) choices when they know that huge pencil is coming out of their own money.

6. Going through the airport? Check the kids and their carry-on backpack before you get to security. Kids always have some type of contraband (scissors, a bottle of water, plastic airline wings).

7. Take a break from the "must-see" places in the tourist book to enjoy regular stuff. Stop for ice cream, run around at the playground, wander thru the bookstore (even in a different language), eat at McDonald's.

8. When it comes to dining, don’t even bother with the guidebook. Those restaurants will be too expensive and the menu to culinary to enjoy with a group who would prefer having crayons on the table.

9. Collect something during your trip. It could be something physical or an experience. My son collects keychains and came home with his backpack jingling with reminders of our trip. As a family, we search for the best ice cream – no regular, franchise ice cream either, just the home-made, fresh-made, good stuff. It could also be something healthy like running a mile in each city or every day of vacation.

10. Give each kid their own camera. If they don't already have one, either buy a low-cost digital (because it will probably get dropped, broken, or lost on the first trip out and they can work their way up to an expensive one) or a disposable one. You’ll enjoy seeing the vacation from their eyes when you get home.

11. Enjoy your time together.

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