REAL TALK WITH REAL MOMS ON TRAVEL

Traveling has always sounded luxurious to me. I’ve met some people who haven’t seen snow or the ocean, so I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to travel quite a bit as a child and young adult. However, traveling with kids is a whole different ball game, and I would associate the words, ‘chaos, anxiety and tiresome,” with travel when kids are involved. The anxiety that I have felt in the past when traveling with Elle has almost made me not want to travel with kids at all, but then you realize it’s worth it when your kids can’t stop talking about how cool the trip was.

We have traveled from the west coast to the east coast twice with Elle. I would say that traveling with a nine month old that wants to crawl everywhere and can’t understand that she can’t is much harder than traveling with a two year old. I wrote a couple of months ago about how I prepared for our cross country flight with Elle (click here for tips on surviving a long flight), and I am really happy to report she was amazing. Did she sleep on the flight? No, but she was very well behaved for six hours.

Traveling with her at nine months was; however, not the best. I HIGHLY recommend direct flights if you can make it. I also would consider flying before they can crawl and avoiding flying during the crawling phase. Some other things I recommend are below are:

1. Pack a carryon completely full of snacks and brand new toys from the dollar store. The novelty of new toys is your best friend when you’re stuck in a seat for hours. Though eating when bored isn’t something to do often, sometimes food can be just as entertaining as toys. Animal crackers, teddy grahams, gold fish…Yes, it’s junk food, but it works for a tough situation.
2. Download some kid apps to your ipad or iphone. We really like everything by Toca Boca. Elle never played with an iPad until she was two because I really didn’t want her to become obsessed with it. We only use it for travel or really tough situations, and so it has become a special treat and something for her to look forward to when she has to sit still for a long time.
3. Pack comfort objects that make your hotel feel like home. We packed a blanket, a stuffed animal, her sound machine and her pacifier and she slept like a champ. I was particularly nervous about sleeping in the same room with her in a hotel, but when we turned out the lights and went to sleep at the same time as her she felt very comfortable sleeping in her own full size bed.
4. Bring the carseat with you to the gate. Even if you didn’t pay for an extra seat for your infant and you plan on holding them on your lap there’s a chance that there may be an empty seat on your flight. If that’s the case then your little one can sit in his/her carseat and you can have a breather. If there isn’t an empty seat you can simply check your car seat at the gate.
5. Try to keep your schedule as much as possible. Elle has always been a really great sleeper, but just like any kid, change can disrupt her sleep routine. We just kept her on the Arizona time zone while we were in New Hampshire, so she stayed up late east coast time. It worked out because we could go out to dinner with her and didn’t have to worry about hiring a sitter or staying home.

Next week I am traveling to San Francisco with our one month old little one. This should be interesting, but I’m actually thinking this could be the easiest travel experience with kids since he just eats and poops right now. I plan on wearing him all of the time because of germs, etc. Any advice on traveling with infants is welcome!

Check out more stories and advice from 10 other moms, and don’t forget to enter our Instagram contest where you could win a $750 gift card.

Sacramento Street: http://www.sacramentostreet.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
The Effortless Chic: http://theeffortlesschic.com/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
Our Style Stories: http://ourstylestories.com/2015/10/08/real-talk-with%E2%80%A6moms-on-travel/
A Daily Something: http://www.adailysomething.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-on-travel.html
Could I Have That http://www.couldihavethat.com/2015/10/real-talk-real-moms-on-travel.html ‎
Smitten Studio Online http://sarahshermansamuel.com/real-talk-real-moms-travel/
Parker, Etc. http://www.parkeretc.com/blog/real-talk-real-moms-travel

Traveling with a Three Year Old

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We just got back from our nine day trip to Boston and New Hampshire. It was wonderful to spend some time in the city, on a lake and by the ocean. Ryan and I were pretty nervous though because the last time we traveled across the country Elle was nine months, old and it wasn't very relaxing. This time I decided to make sure to pack EVERYTHING I would need to entertain her on a 5 and half hour flight.

I am happy to report my preparation paid off and she was completely content on both flights to and from the east coast. Here's what I packed (not everything is shown in the photo):

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PACKING LIST:

- Coloring book - Washable crayons - Re-stickable sticker book - Headphones for kids - iPad loaded with all of the Toca Boca apps (They're the best) and a couple of movies - Circus animal crackers - Pretzel - Gold fish - Granola bars - M&M's (it's our potty reward too) - Dollar store prizes for being good on the plane. (Every time the captain talked on the speaker she would get a prize. This put the control in a person she couldn't see and she patiently waited for him to talk again). - Water bottle

I was a walking convenience store, but it sure worked. I put all of this stuff in my new Casey Sibley canvas travel bag. It has all of the pockets I need. Plus, I highly recommend using a bag with a cross body strap for those hands free moments.

As long as you can keep your three year old busy with games and activities you should be set for your trek across America!

Photos by Gina Meola

What's In My Bag

As you may have read in my last post, I'm traveling this week with my family. We spent this past weekend celebrating the wedding of one of my cousins, and the remainder of our vacation is going to be lakeside soaking in some sun and rest. Woohoo! With the wedding came a rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, bridesmaid duties the day of the wedding, and, of course the ceremony and reception. There even was a brunch Sunday morning, so our weekend was definitely busy. It helps to be able to pack all of your go-to makeup with you in a very chic bag like this one by XO Monica Lee. It's high quality leather with a detachable strap so you can use it as a clutch or a purse.

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I put it in my oversized tote bag for the day, and just used this clutch for the rest of the night. So, what's inside my bag that I would use for bridesmaids makeup? Here you go:

1. Benefit's boi-ing concealer. It easily blends and I have been using it for about three years. 2. Benefit's Erase Paste. It's an under eye brightener that I swear by. It always helps me look more awake than plain concealer. 3. Lorac's natural eye shadow palette. It has every color you could want for a natural glowing look. 4. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. It actually has enough pigment to be full coverage without the weight of a foundation formula. 5. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot. I have gone back and forth with eye shadow primers and I still find MAC's paint pots to be the best. 6. Bare Minerals Touch Up Veil. It's great setting powder to keep everything in place for a long day. 7. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner. I've spent money on expensive eyeliners and they aren't half as good as this one.

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All of these products I use on an everyday basis, for photo shoots and for weddings. I swear by them. Go try!

Outfit: dress from Motherhood Maternity; Clutch by XO Monica Lee. Photos by Gina Meola.

Travel Style

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Call me crazy, but I just flew across country 32 weeks pregnant and I made it safely to the east coast to celebrate my cousin's wedding and to enjoy some r & r with my family. This is our last trip as a family of three (tear).

I mentioned on Instagram last week that I've lived in maxi dresses throughout most of my second and third trimester. I can't imagine wearing anything else in this summer heat. I'm loving this white lace one I found at Target. It's lightweight and airy - perfect for the summer.

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My new favorite travel accessory is this weekender bag from ModCloth. It was my birthday gift my from  hubby, and it embodies my love for east coast preppy style completely. I love that it comes with a cross-body strap for carrying convenience.

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I'll still post some updates while I'm on vacation, so stay tuned! For now, enjoy your weekend!

Get the look: Maxi dress from Target; Weekender from ModCloth

Photos by Gina Meola.

L.A. Vacation with Airbnb

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School is out and summer vacation season is upon us. Where are you going this summer? If you live in Arizona there's a good chance that you are planning a weekend getaway to the California coast. A six hour drive from Phoenix to L.A. is easy as pie, but what happens when you get there?

In years past we have gotten an inexpensive stay at a hotel, but then we spend the rest of our trip completely relying on Yelp and Google to find the top eats and things to do. Though we have always had fun, the places that are usually recommended to us are tourist spots.

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I would consider Ryan and I foodies. He loves craft beers and I love locally roasted coffee. He loves good bourbon and I love obscure food pairings. We also enjoy modern architecture and interiors and we have never been able to afford a hotel that meets our design taste. With the help of Airbnb we have found some seriously awesome modern homes to stay for families of all sizes, and with the help of Pinterest, I've put together a one-stop-shop experience of places to eat, shop and stay with a click of a button. Check it out, click here. I've also included some of my favorite travel bags, snack recipes and travel tips.

I hope you enjoy, and definitely let me know if there are other L.A. spots I should add.

L.A. photo by Super Duper Brick, Laguna Beach, Alfred Coffee,