Category — Cool Products

This kids’ luggage is Cute As A Bug!

There is even more cute luggage at PolkaDottedLuggage.com

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On road trips, or just hanging out, kids love to color!  I found a website that has some of the cutest printable materials I’ve ever seen online.  It’s called Python Printables.

Check out their Holiday printable coloring pages (This link includes a $5 coupon when you download along with their free printable pages to use with their premium products later if you want).  They have lots of different holidays and other events to keep your kids busy and creative!

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What’s the only thing worse than breaking your arm during summer vacation?

Answer: Breaking BOTH arms!  (OUCH!)

But never fear, this little cutie’s summer has been saved.  Read my article,  Cast Relief,  to see how our friend managed to find some relief for her cast torture, and save her summer vacation!

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The best souvenir we’ve ever had from any trip is a memory book filled with all the pictures from our trip.  You can make your own memory book, starring YOU!  It’s not expensive and it’s really easy.  Upload all your pics and order a hard-bound copy. then order extra copies for each of your children.

The best place I have found to do this is at Snapfish. They frequently have specials and will also do regular prints dirt cheap! We have found the quality to be excellent.

Here’s a book I made from our recent trip to Universal Studios Orlando. I got a copy for each of my children which I gave to them as a gifts at Christmas.

This is truly a souvenir that they will cherish the rest of their lives, that won’t get lost in a drawer somewhere, or tossed aside and forgotten.   As an added bonus, you get the the thrill of reliving those memories every time you look at it. Without a doubt — the best souvenir ever!

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I just returned from Spring Break, my family and I had a wonderful time;  however, the return to reality is tough.  Over the years I’ve learned how to make the dreaded first day back much easier by including this simple travel accessory:

The Travelon Stow-Away Laundry Bag

On prior vacations, after returning I would face a huge mound of laundry, which included both the clean and dirty clothes interspersed in my family’s luggage.

With the Travelon Stow-Away Laundry Bag our return laundry pile was reduced by half.  The unused clothing in the luggage is returned to the appropriate dresser while the dirty clothes are in one handy draw string bag that heads directly to the laundry room. In addition, your accommodations during your stay do not look like a cyclone passed through, with one bag as a designated spot for dirty clothes for the whole family.

Family vacations are great, now it’s time to make your transition day just as great, with less laundry,  by purchasing this simple travel accessory before you go!

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Guest post by Irv’s Luggage.  For more tips and activities for traveling with children, visit MomsMinivan.com

Recipe:

• 6 Girl Scouts
• 1 Girl Scout leader
• Field trip to the local food bank to do community service sorting canned goods
• Large helping of silliness and giggles

Final product:    Minivan with barf on the floor.

Since I first posted my story on Carsickness Blows, where I sing the praises of a wonderful product I had recently obtained, I had not yet had the opportunity to even use it.   ….Until now.    On a recent Girl Scout field trip with my minivan full of giggly girls, the laughter got a little bit out of hand until one of them finally lost it — all over the floor in the back of the van.    The mess was everywhere, but I had no fear.

In fact, I was secretly delighted.  At last I had a chance to try my yak pack, a clean up kit for car owners who travel with kids prone to erupt into bouts of carsickness.  The first thing I did was pass the darling Girl Scout a barf bag, so she could contain any further pukage until we got home (I keep plenty of these on hand in my van).  Once the girls were safely delivered, it was time for the real test.

During the cleanup, I used the little scoop to remove most of the chunks while wearing the nifty non-latex gloves (my favorite part!!).  Then I sprinkled the absorbent powder that did a fantastic job of neutralizing the odor.  When it dried, I was able to vacuum it all, and my car smelled good as new!  It even passed my daughters’ sniff test.  To be honest, my minivan never did have that “new car smell” since I bought it used, but the point is that it didn’t smell like vomit anymore.

I have enough of the absorbent materiel left over for a future cleanup should it ever be necessary. And given the fact that I will be hauling children around in my van for many years to come, I’m sure that the upchuck will abound in my days to come.

Yes, Virginia – there is a cleanup kit for carsickness.  It’s a Bio hazard yak pack.  I give it a thumbs up!

….Read more for tips on preventing carsickness

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If you are taking a road trip to Florida, then I have someguide books that you can’t leave without! These are driving guides that give you Exit by Exit information all along your route.   Both books include maps, trivia, restaurant info, local radio stations, phone numbers to campgrounds off the interstate, traffic info, sights to see,  and a lot more.

If you’re driving down the East Coast, then you’ll need Drive I-95 (Spiral-bound) by  Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner. This will take you from Boston to Miami!

But if you are coming from the Midwest or MidSouth, you’ll most likely be driving on Interstate 75, so you’ll need  Along I-75 and Along Florida’s Expressways by Dave Hunter. The first book takes you all the way from Detroit to the Florida border, and the second takes you all the rest of the way along I-75 through Florida.

These books are all Spiral-bound, so  you can flip them over and follow along easily as you drive. Each page contains 30 miles of freeway and has all the roadside information  laid out with easy to read maps. The second half of the books has the maps flipped for your reverse trip home.

I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the front inside covers where the key to the map symbols is located so you don’t miss a thing.

I had Drive I-95  with me last summer during a road trip up the East Coast, and at one point we made a decision to stop for the night sooner than we expected. It was so easy to flip to the current page, look for a campground just a few miles ahead,  call ahead to make sure they had room. We were able to pull over and take a much needed rest for the night.  I could have never found a place to stay so easily and so spontaneously without the aide of my road trip guide.

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Occasionally companies send me their products to try in hopes they’ll get a mention on my website. Here are a few that I’ve tried recently:

That Gunk on Your Car was a funny reference book that I enjoyed on a recent road trip. It’s a field guide to insects that have likely splatted against your windshield. It was a cute book for older children or adults. I especially enjoyed the color photos of the splats to help identify some of the insects. It was divided into chapters regarding each of the more common insects. It’s not something you would necessarily read straight through, but made a great reference guide.

Along with that book, I tried a product to help me remove those sticky bugs from my car windshield. It was Prestone Bug Wash windshield washer fluid. I poured it into my windshield washer reservoir and hit the road. It actually did a great job removing bugs after I slammed into them, mile after mile. It did such a good job that I had my teenager clean the front of the minivan with it when we got home.

Finally, I tried the Energizer 15 minute battery charger for AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. It really worked in only 15 minutes, although it was a little louder than I expected it to be because of the fan that runs while it is working. It’s a very small unit, but the plug adapter is as big as the unit its self. It did come with two pairs of batteries to get you started, and also a car adapter plug so you can use it on the road to keep those video game remotes charged and working. After a few uses, this unit would pay for its self, although it’s a little bit of an investment for starters. You can’t beat the 15 minutes to charge though!

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I recently tried a new product called Glam Bags. These reusable travel bags claim that they will add a little bit of glamor and style to your life while you travel. Now, I am not normally a super fashion-conscious traveler, but I have to admit that I did feel a little bit more luxurious with my precious pretties in these designer bags than I did carrying them around in those old sandwich bags.

The pretty-factor makes me want to reuse them as much as I can too. They are convenient and attractive and that little bit of flair that they add to your trip really makes them worth it! I’ll definitely be taking these along on all my trips from now on.

My cousin Kirsten is taking a road trip with her kids this weekend in Oregon and found some great new products she recommends! They are called “Flip to Win”

Here’s what she says:
We got Hangman and the Travel Bear Hunt – and both are good. Memory looks fun. There are No parts to lose except the pen on Hangman (which has a clip to store the pen when it’s not being used).

Here’s More:

• These fabulous, travel-style games bring new fun and convenience to old family favorites
• Innovative flipping pieces won’t get lost
• Includes one game board with erasable whiteboard, self-storing marker and eraser
• Great for the road and at home

Sounds great! Definitely worth checking out “Flip to Win“.

Thanks, Kirsten! Have a great trip!

~ Road Trip Mom ~
Momsminivan.com

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