April 28, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

How to Prep for Family Outings So That They Are Easy to Do + Actually Fun

We are a family on a budget that loves to travel and experience life together. We absolutely love doing day trips – they’re easy to plan, budget-friendly and relatively easy to do, even for families with infants and toddlers. But outings with kids aren’t automatically fun and easy. In fact, they can be downright awful if you’re not prepared. Thankfully, with just a little prep work, you can set the stage for family outings that are both easy, and actually fun!

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How to Prep for Successful Family Outings That Are Easy and Actually Fun:

PLAN AHEAD.

We can’t plan for everything, but it helps to plan for what we can. Here are some helpful questions to ask, whether you’re planning a remote mountain hike, or a day at Disney:

Will snacks and water be readily available or will we need to bring our own?
Are we going to be outdoors or indoors or both?
Is our outing going to overlap regular nap or meal times?
What essentials will we need to bring? Diapers/Sunscreen/Medication?
Will we need cash on hand or will credit/debit cards be acceptable?
What is the weather forecast for the day?

COMMUNICATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

What is the purpose of the outing? Is it focused on one single person – like a birthday trip or reward day? Are you wanting a family day to bond and relax? Is your goal to experience a destination, or just get out of the house to burn energy? If you know what you’re hoping to get out of your family outing, you are much more likely to accomplish it!

If you’re a budgeting family like us, you’ll also probably want to set a budget for the day. Day trips can be expensive if you’re continually dropping $30 here and $20 there – it really adds up! Setting a budget for the day before you go can help determine if you’ll need to pack a lunch, and whether or not you’ll be splurging at that pricey ice cream shop.

Depending on the ages of your kids, it’s wise to communicate these expectations with them as well. For our 5&6 year olds, we discuss:

What our plans are for the day.
How we expect them to behave.
That we might not always get to do what we want to do, but we can choose to have fun anyway.
What they most want to do or accomplish on our family outing.
Our goal for this particular day trip or outing.

This is a really fantastic way to empower your kids to know what to expect, and to feel like they have a measure of control over the day. It also helps them to have realistic expectations – we really can’t do All. The. Things. on this trip, but that’s okay.

MAKE ROOM FOR DOWN TIME.

I’m likely not the only one who gets so excited about going and doing, that I end up overfilling our schedule? Case in point: Last year we took in all of IKEA and hours at the beach in one day with our (then) 4&5 year olds. We made it work, but only because they were able to nap and relax during the drive time between places, and it ended up being an overly exhausting day.

Take time to stop and smell the roses, relax at a coffee shop, or even just chill on a park bench for part of your outing. Especially if you have little ones, making room for down time is an essential way to prep for a successful family outing.

FILL THEIR TANKS.

THIS is a pro tip! Cranky, hungry and dehydrated kids are just no fun to be around, and can ruin a family outing in a nanosecond. Make sure you have healthy snacks and water on you at all times – you won’t regret it. Also, pay attention to their regular nap and meal times. At school, my kiddos eat lunch at 10:50 am. This is wayyy earlier than I ever even think about eating lunch. Forgetting about this natural difference in our meal schedules can leave me with hangry, whiny kids who are miserable and miserable to be around. To avoid this, we always carry a refillable water bottle, plus snacks in our day pack. (More on that below)

KNOW WHEN TO WRAP IT UP.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m an overachiever in the scheduling department, and many times have pushed my kids (who are awesome little troupers) far further than they can comfortably handle. There’s a sweet spot – when everyone is still having fun, and no one is overtired yet – and THIS is the time to wrap it up. Don’t wait until everyone is cranky and overstimulated. Do your best to wrap things up and head home on a high note… this will set you up for regular family outings in the future that everyone can look forward to.

TRAVEL LIGHT — Plus WHAT WE BRING IN OUR (MINIMALIST) DAY PACK:

Ever since we started on our family’s journey towards minimalism, I’ve become a huge fan of traveling light. Bringing ‘just’ the right amount of stuff and nothing more can make things way easier when you’re doing an outing with kids.

Of course, finding the balance between not packing enough, and packing too much is the tricky part. Packing too much is the worst – it’s so frustrating to be dragging around bulky strollers, backpacks, shopping bags, coolers, etc. I’ve found that unless you’re trekking into the wilderness, it’s better to err on the side of bringing less. These days, we can fit almost everything we need for a family outing in our lightweight day pack, plus a small cooler bag if we’re packing a lunch.

Our day pack (we call it our Go Bag) hangs on a hook by the door, and is always packed with the following essentials:

a mini first aid kit
anti-itch medicine for bug bites
insect repellent
a sheet of kid’s chewable benadryl tablets
lip balm
mineral sunscreen stick
ball caps
this set of towels which take up a tiny amount of space, but are super absorbent and fast drying, and can be used in a pinch as a blanket or tablecloth
a large but lightweight cotton scarf
individually wrapped wet wipes
a small bottle of hand sanitizer
a few shelf-stable snacks

When we’re headed out the door, we’ll stuff in:

lightweight sweatshirts or cardigans
swimwear & these lightweight beach towels (if needed)
a change of clothes for each kid — usually lightweight tees and either shorts or cotton leggings.
apples/oranges and other snacks if needed
juice pouches
a few refillable water bottles — we’re partial to this style.
phone, wallet, keys, etc.

I’m always amazed at how much we can fit into our day pack, and how comfortable it is to carry around. This is (more or less) what comes with us whether we’re go canoeing, headed to the beach, or trekking around Disney Springs for the afternoon. Usually my husband and I will switch off carrying the pack, but it’s light enough that the girls can carry it if they need to.

So there you have it — this is how we prep for our many family outings and day trips, plus the (current) contents of our minimalist day pack. I’m totally in love with seeing the world through my kid’s eyes, and travelling light in the process.

What are your thoughts on day trips with kids? Any tips for on how to prep for successful family outings? Please share in the comments – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

April 25, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

How to Make a Quick and Healthy Meal Plan on the Fly + Free Printable!

Meal planning is such an awesome way to save money, reduce stress, and eat healthier meals!

But what do you do when you don’t have time to meal plan? When life is crazy it’s so easy to mindlessly throw things into your cart, or rely on take out – leaving you with an empty wallet and a pantry full of foods that don’t really make a healthy meal.

What if I told you that you could make a quick and healthy meal plan on the fly?

A simple formula to make sure that you pick up the right amounts of healthy and easy to prepare foods that your family like to eat? Something so quick and easy you could throw a plan together in the grocery store parking lot… or even while you shop. We’ve had some crazy seasons lately, and through it all I came up with a system that’s allowed me to do just that.

Here’s what I do to create a healthy meal plan when I barely have time to grocery shop:

I buy meat/protein for 3-5 main meals (with leftovers).

This depends on how much we’ll be out and about in the evening. But even when we eat dinner almost every night at home, 3-5 meal sized portions of meat is usually enough. For our family of 4, I plan on using 1-2 lbs of meat for each meal depending on whether or not it will work well for leftovers. I try to have at least 3 different types of meat per week, so I often buy in bulk when it’s on sale and freeze the extras for future weeks. Pinterest is a great resource for simple, healthy recipes – I love simple meat & veggie meals like these.

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

boneless skinless chicken breasts, enough for two meals + extra to freeze as they were on sale.
16 ounces (4 servings) of frozen salmon filets
turkey kielbasa sausage (aka ring bologna)
I know I have premade taco meat and a meal’s worth of pork chops in the freezer at home.

I make sure we have sandwich and salad fixings.

We keep lunches pretty simple – salads, sandwiches or leftovers are our usual fare. Since leftovers vary, I’ve found it simplest to make sure we have a basic stock of deli meat, canned tuna, peanut butter, jelly, and our favorite salad fixings. That way we have everything on hand to pack a lunch or throw together a quick meal when we’re home.

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

peanut butter – we’re good on jelly
2 loaves whole grain bread
corn tortillas
flour tortillas
1 lb deli turkey
8 oz sliced cheese
croutons
dressing
shredded cheese

I keep our pantry stocked with these 3 sides:

It’s so easy to throw a meal together if you always have rice, pasta and potatoes on hand. These are all relatively shelf stable, so I don’t have to buy them every week. But I do try to keep all three stocked at all times. For those who don’t eat carbs, try stocking up on frozen low carb veggies like cauliflower and green beans instead.

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

1 lb pasta, I already have rice and potatoes on hand.

I choose simple, easy-to-prep breakfast options.

My husband eats the same breakfast every day, and I have a protein shake and some fruit. Our kiddos rotate between cereal with almond milk, or toast or bagels and fruit. When I’m meal planning on the fly, I make sure to pick up bananas and almond milk, plus enough breakfast basics to get us through the week.

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

2 boxes of cereal (I aim for simple versions with less sugar)
2 quarts of almond milk
coffee creamer
I buy my favorite protein powder online.

I buy less fresh produce than I think we’ll use.

I really try to avoid having to make a mid-week produce run. My kids LOVE fruit (I do too!), so I aim for at least 2 pieces/servings of fruit per person, per day. I plan for a few fresh salads either for lunch or as a side for dinner, as well 1-2 meals worth of steamable fresh veggies if they’re in season. We love veggies and dip as well, so I’ll throw in baby carrots, grape tomatoes and cucumbers (which work great in salads too). But to avoid waste, I really try to err on the side of buying less fresh produce than I think I need. I keep a few bags of frozen veggies, and cups of applesauce on hand just in case we run out of fresh produce. Most of the time though, we don’t!

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

3 lbs apples (approx 12 small apples)
3 lbs oranges (approx 7 oranges)
8-12 bananas
3 pack of romaine hearts
8 roma tomatoes
2 lbs baby carrots
onions or potatoes if we need them
green beans or broccoli for steaming (if in season, otherwise I buy frozen)
applesauce cups

**I always stock up on snacks.**

I have found that you can never go wrong with having somewhat healthy, easy to eat food on hand. Especially with kids. Sometimes I’ll be tempted to cut back on snacks, and I always regret it. When I have cheese sticks, Greek yogurt, cheese slices, deli meat, hummus, veggies and dip, wholegrain crackers, popcorn and fresh fruit on hand everyone is happier. Keeping the snack drawer full is my best secret for a healthy meal plan, especially when life is crazy.

REAL CART EXAMPLE:

1 pack cheese sticks
1 pack greek yogurt tubes
1 tub hummus
we already have the fruit & veggies above, plus popcorn and crackers at home.

Other than breakfast, I plan for 3-5 of each meal type (lunches/dinners) per week.

We eat at home a lot these days, and this still holds true. On weeks we’re on the go more, I can shop for even less. Shopping for 3-5 days (instead of 7) has really helped us to save money and avoid food waste. The groceries I get last us a full week (or more!) and if I do run out of complete ‘meals’ there’s always enough healthy snack food on hand to fill the gap.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE (USING ABOVE FOOD, AND A BASIC ARRAY OF SPICES/CONDIMENTS:

Dinners –

Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, salad.
Pan fried salmon, steamed green beans, seasoned rice.
Garlic chicken, pasta with browned butter, salad.
Tacos (using taco meat that I made in bulk and froze), corn & flour tortillas, refried beans from the pantry, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, sour cream.
Kielbasa grilled or pan fried, steamed potatoes with dried herbs, salad.

Lunches –

Leftovers.
Sandwiches – deli meat & cheese, peanut butter and jelly, tuna salad.
Salads with leftover grilled chicken or canned tuna, shredded cheese, chopped veggies, croutons, etc.

Breakfasts –

Cereal and almond milk.
Protein shake with almond milk, banana.
Toast w/ toppings.
Coffee and cream.

(We’re not big juice drinkers, and our kids get several servings of milk at school.)

How to pull it all together into a healthy meal plan for your family:

While you’re making your list, or even as you’re shopping on the fly, think through what your family likes to eat. Think of the basics you’ll need for 3-5 dinners, 3-5 lunches, a few breakfast options, and loads of healthy snacks. Lean towards simple ingredients that can be used more than one way if possible. Once you get used to doing so, you’ll start to ‘see’ your basic ingredients as meals while they are still in your cart.

Take a moment while you’re planning or shopping to think through each meal and make sure you have all the main ingredients and condiments. The pocket guide below will really help with that – it’s small enough to keep in your purse or wallet, and it’s perfect for those times when you have to grocery shop and meal plan on the fly.

Click Here to download your FREE Meal Plan on the Fly pocket guide.

So, there you have it! This is how I hit the grocery store without a plan, and come out with a week’s worth of balanced meals and snacks. It really is pretty simple! This system has helped us to eat relatively well, even on weeks when I’m almost too busy to grocery shop, let alone meal plan. I hope it’s as helpful to you as it has been for me.

Do you meal plan regularly, or wing it at the grocery store? Any secrets for planning healthy meals on the fly? Please share in the comments below!

April 17, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

Simple Ways to Heat Food Without a Microwave

Have you ever wondered how to heat food without a microwave?

I totally have! Microwaves are just so convenient. But there’s still so much controversy over whether or not they destroy nutrients. And the better quality models are pretty expensive. They also take up a good deal of my precious counter space. So last year, when our microwave bit the dust, we decided not to replace it right away.

I just really wanted to see if we could live without it.

One thing that I’ve learned from our journey towards minimalism is that there’s so much we can comfortably live without. I don’t really think that microwaves are evil, and I knew I could get one tomorrow if I really wanted to. But I wanted to see how much our lives would change without one.

The verdict? Our lives did change. But living without a microwave has actually been far easier than I imagined.

Here’s how we live – and heat food – without a microwave these days:

We boil water in a tea kettle.

Can I be honest? This was my number one reason for keeping a microwave. I loved the convenience of being able to boil water for tea in just 90 seconds. It’s embarrassing to admit, though, how often I was reheating the same cup of water because I would forget it in the microwave. When our microwave died, I was forced to use my gorgeous thrifted Le Creuset tea kettle (similar to this one). I was surprised to find out how quickly I could boil water — AND the whistle on the tea kettle actually reminded me to pour myself a cup.

We store our leftovers differently.

I’ve always been a fan of these glass storage containers, but I really fell in love with them once we ditched our microwave. Oven safe glassware is awesome for reheating food. There are some precautions to take – this conversation has some helpful insight. But I’ve had good luck with taking leftovers directly out of the fridge and reheating in a 325* oven.

We air pop popcorn.

We make several large bowls of popcorn every week with an air popper similar to this one. I skip the butter and season my popcorn with coconut oil spray and sea salt. It’s so delicious! My husband prefers butter and actually uses the butter melting cup at the top of the machine. Of course, you can make popcorn on the stove as well, but I prefer the air popped version. I also love that when we’re not using the popper we can easily tuck it away out of sight.

We use our oven range – a lot.

We definitely use our stove more than before. But it hasn’t meant that I spend all day slaving over a hot range just to heat food without a microwave. I’ve found it only takes a few minutes more to steam veggies on the stove top. And we use this pan (another thrift store find) all the time to reheat leftovers – I just spray lightly with cooking spray and use low-to-medium heat for almost everything.

We make time for coffee.

I was the mom who reheated the same cup of coffee over and over until it was almost undrinkable. And while I need less coffee overall these days, living without a microwave has forced me to make time to enjoy it hot. I love sitting on my back porch and sipping on coffee for a few minutes before I start my day. Insulated mugs are also really helpful in allowing me to savor a hot cup!

We buy less convenience foods.

It’s been an awesome benefit I really wasn’t anticipating. I feel like we’ve always eaten pretty healthfully. But we’re skipping the microwave popcorn, and the jar of cheesy nacho dip, and the pricier steam-in-the bag veggies. I’m also far more likely to prep a quick salad or veggies and dip while food is cooking on the stove.

We’re more intentional.

Learning to heat food without a microwave has forced me to be more intentional. I move meat from the freezer to the fridge to thaw the night before. I’ve had to learn to time my sides so that they’re done at the same time as the main part of the meal. I’m using my slow cooker more on busy days. I keep ingredients on hand for healthy meals that can be made quickly on the stove top. Sometimes we just eat simpler meals.

It took me awhile to learn how to heat food without a microwave, but I did it.

I won’t lie – I’ve been tempted more than once to run out and buy one. But on a day to day basis, it really hasn’t changed our lives much at all. Other than a few crunch times when I’ve needed to thaw something, or just didn’t want to cook anyway, I really haven’t noticed much of a difference.

Would YOU live without a microwave? Is there anything that has made heating food without a microwave easier for you? Please share in the comments below!

April 10, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

The Secret to Living Well in a Small House

Oh, the joys and challenges of small house living! In the past decade we’ve lived in (and ran businesses out of) two smaller homes (1100 feet or less) that had minimal built-in storage. We also spent several months living with our two small kids in a 26 foot camper. I haven’t always loved it – in fact, there have been times I hated being confined to such small spaces. But I’ve also come to a place where I truly enjoy living in our small home.

There are some distinct challenges to small house living – especially with other people. It doesn’t take much for a small space to feel cluttered and messy. Sharing space with other humans takes work and communication and patience. You really can’t just let the housework go.

But there are some amazing benefits to living in a small home too. If you’re there – struggling to enjoy the small space you’re living in, let me encourage you: You can love your small home.

The biggest secret to living well in a small home is to own less stuff.

Every time I start to feel claustrophobic in my own home, this is the issue. Now, I know we all have stuff that we need. But really, we don’t need as much as we think we do. Purging our first home before a move was what started us on our journey towards minimalism. It’s an amazing perspective switch. Travel to any third world country and you’ll realize that my “small” home is actually more than enough for almost anyone.

Minimalism – our pursuit of it at least – has been the saving grace for us in living in a small home. If you want to love your small home get rid of stuff. This book has been so very encouraging for me in this area.

As I learn more about the benefits of living with less, I’m decluttering with a new sense of purpose. When your spaces are free of clutter it’s easy to find the items you actually need and use on a daily basis. It’s easier to clean. It’s easier to tidy. It’s the one thing that will make the biggest difference for living well in a small home!

Other things that will make small house living easier:

Keep surfaces clear (and make your bed!)

This is pretty simple, but don’t discount it. Keeping surfaces clear makes a HUGE difference in the feel of a room. It also makes cleaning faster and easier. On that note,

Clean regularly.

The downside of a small house is that you use the space more regularly, so it won’t take long to get dirty. The upside, though, is that if you stay on top of the housework you’ll be able to clean the whole thing top to bottom in no time.

Create focal points.

I’ve found that a small house is the perfect canvas for a few well placed focal points. In fact, a room that is clean and free of clutter is the perfect frame for a vase of flowers or beautiful piece of art. These focal points will transform a room from small and plain to a clean and calming haven for the soul.

Plan (and budget!) to get out of the house.

No matter how clean and organized and clutter free your small house is, you still need to get out every once in awhile. For us, our smaller house has actually freed us financially to get out and do more – and we love that! Being intentional about living life outside of our four walls has helped us to enjoy small house living even more.

Do you love small house living, or is it a struggle? What have you done to embrace living in a small home? Please share in the comments below!

April 3, 2017 by Jamie Siebens

How to Easily Switch Out Kid’s Clothes In Just One Afternoon

**Yesterday we finally tackled our spring kids seasonal clothing switch.**

I’m a minimalist at heart, so sorting through piles of clothing can leave me close to tears rather quickly. This time, though, we powered through with a few new ‘rules’ to help cut the overwhelm, and got it done in just one afternoon!

Planning made all the difference for this seasonal clothing switch. I set aside a weekend afternoon when we had the time to tackle a bigger project. We made sure all the kids laundry was washed so that everything was clean for sorting, donating and storage. I made sure that everyone had eaten a healthy lunch (to minimize ‘hangry’ attitudes and blood sugar lows). My kids (6&5) were present, both to try on clothing and to help sort and organize. I enlisted the hubby to help with sorting and to keep the kids on task. And we planned a fun family reward for getting the job done quickly and efficiently.

Note: My kids, though different ages are the same size and share a communal closet, so we had to do their clothing all together. If they were in different sizes I’d likely work through one kid’s clothing at a time, just to make it easier.

Related: How To Prep for Decluttering

Choose a big work space and good lighting.

Sorting clothes takes space, so you’ll want to pick a big room to work in. We have a large dining room table and the natural light in that room is incredible, so it ended up being a great sorting station. I’ve also used our king sized bed as a place to lay out and look over clothing. Good lighting is so helpful for catching stains and wear.

Gather all the clothing together in one place.

Wash any dirty laundry first. Pull out the stored kids clothing you’ll be going through, and wash it if needed. Empty every drawer, grab every hanger in the closet, and send the kids on a scavenger hunt to find every last piece of clothing in their room. It might sound like overkill, but having all of the clothes together in one place will really help in the long run.

Minimize decision fatigue with a few simple rules.

Decision fatigue is a thing, and I honestly think it’s why I’ve always dreaded doing the kids seasonal clothing switch. This time I made a few simple ‘rules’ to help minimize the amount of decisions I and my kids had to make in the process. Here are a few of the rules that made our sorting process simpler.

Worn, faded and permanently stained clothing gets thrown away. When in doubt, toss it!
Clothing that my kids don’t like and thus never wear, goes in the donate pile immediately.
EVERY single other piece of clothing gets tried on and evaluated.

This last one was a game-changer for us. It was also slightly painful and resulted in more than a few eye rolls and dramatic sighs. Culling the worn and disliked clothing out before this step helped to keep the number of clothes to try on to a minimum, but still, it was not very fun.

It was, however, profitable. We found multiple pairs of nice jeans that were just too short, and hidden wear and holes in some of their favorite tees and leggings. There were multiple long-sleeved tees that were almost too short in the waist for my long-torsoed kiddos. All of these I would have kept if I just eyeballed them. We were able to donate clothing (getting it out of the house!) rather than store it all season only to discover that it didn’t fit next year. Totally, TOTALLY worth it!

Designate locations for toss, pack, and donate.

This doesn’t have to be fancy – we set a chair in a corner for the donate pile, trash went right in the bin, and clothing to be stored was folded nicely and stacked directly in the storage tote. Since everything was laundered before we started, packing everything up at the end was super simple. Clothes to be donated went in a clear plastic bag. The discarded clothing went immediately to the trash can outside, and the tote was tucked back in storage.

These are the totes we use for storing seasonal kids clothes. We’ve used bigger totes in the past, but these were a very welcome upgrade. At 6.5 inches tall they fit perfectly under our twin beds, and they aren’t too heavy to lift or move. I love that the clear bottom allows me to see what’s inside.

Don’t forget to take a clothing inventory!

This is the often overlooked, but most helpful part of the kids seasonal clothing switch. Just before you pack away all of next year’s kids seasonal clothing, do a quick inventory. I sort everything into categories – shirts, pants, dress clothes, etc. and make notes of what I need to fill the gaps.

I also do this with the clothes that are going back into their drawers. Between awesome hand-me-downs and thrift store finds, our clothing supply can fluctuate quite a bit. Since we had gathered every piece of clothing (even the non-seasonal stuff in their drawers) and had them try it on, we were able to clean out so many pieces that were stained/worn and too small. When I did my quick inventory at the end, though, I discovered that we had too many tops and just a handful of shorts and capris. Now that I know exactly what we have, I’ll only be shopping for what we need.

The kids seasonal clothing switch can be a daunting task, but these ideas made it so much simpler for our family. Do you have any tips/tricks for sorting through seasonal clothing? Please share!