PadawanOfHappiness

These tips are not specific to any one trip, but I have found them very helpful for family car trips.  Some of these tips I no longer use but were very helpful when the little Padawans were younger so I included them. Packing lists, they are a must, the level of detail and how cute you want to make it is up to you.  At the moment I do put down the number of shirts, shorts, underwear etc.  Each person uses it to pack their own bag, when they were younger I would review their bags before we left.  I no longer need to check it they have the system down.  You can save these so you only have to make minor edits for each vacation. One edit I made for this trip that I plan to keep is listing what goes in their duffel bag (this is what they use as their carry on, or in the car what they keep with them) and what goes in the big suitcase. Pack in clear plastic tote bins.  It is easier to see what you have as well as they are more easily stacked so you can pack a lot ...

Valentine's day is coming up on this Sunday, and neither Mr. Padawan or I really do a ton to celebrate it.  I don't find the holiday offensive but it just isn't really our thing.  One of the reasons I am not a huge fan is the cost and I am frugal in nature.  We keep things relatively low key and do not ignore the day itself. I sent Valentine's in with the little Padawans (because they had to be in early to be quarantined🤯 and well school vacation (don't get me started) is next week so no one will be in school that week.  Mr. Padawan and I will give each other cards, we will have our annual dinner of Pizza and Prosecco, a nod to our first Valentine's together when there was a big storm so we just had pizza and Champagne.  Yes we do now have Prosecco rather than Champagne as a nod to our honeymoon in Italy, don't tell the French but I think he Prosecco better. One of the things that I have been struggling with during this whole lockdown (regardless of which c...

 Yesterday on Facebook Gretchen Rubin had posted : When I feel distracted or overwhelmed, I remind myself that I can’t blame the internet. If I want a life with more time for calm and reflection, I need to create it for myself. Agree, disagree? It made me start to think about all the things that I didn't do last year and the one year we did a lot of things.  I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming year, specifically the summer when we do most of our vacation/travel.  And Gretchen's post prompted me to reflect on those two years that I mentioned and came to the decision this morning that I need to plan some family adventures. I don't want to overwhelm myself or my family but I know from previous experience that planning right now while we are in the winter doldrums is good for my mental health because it gives me something to focus on and gives me something to do do. Additionally, it is good for my family because my planning will help create these future family memor...

  2020 has pretty much sucked, but one thing I keep reminding myself is that as much as I value traditions this has proven to be a great year to evaluate them to see if they still are of value.  I am sure that there have been things that your family has done over the years and you do them because it is TRADITION but no one really likes them.  The gift 2020 has given us is the permission (which we didn't need) to stop those things that no one likes, or simply let them change a bit to keep the spirit of them but in a new way that works for us now. Last night I watched one of my all time favorite Christmas movies/shows with my family.  It was Dr Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the classic animated cartoon from 1966 and it struck me that it is a very fitting movie for 2020. The Whos in Whooville  love their decorations and toys which I think we can all relate to.  Their Christmas was not normal that year, all their stuff was taken away from them by the ...