Being prepared for these moments can help to prevent or at least delay the impending meltdown. Here are 5 sanity saving items that you may want to pack in your purse, suitcase, or diaper bag. I am skipping over all the stuff we mom's already make use of and giving you a few lesser known items.
What do you do when one of those dreaded moments arrives on a family trip? You know what moment I am talking about. The Pre melt down moment that takes many forms. The line at the theme park is moving at a snails pace, their is no sign of the waitress in the busy restaurant, or you find yourself in stand still traffic when you still have 4 hours of travel time to go. Being prepared for these moments can help to prevent or at least delay the impending meltdown. Here are 5 sanity saving items that you may want to pack in your purse, suitcase, or diaper bag. I am skipping over all the stuff we mom's already make use of and giving you a few lesser known items. Bubbles are the perfect sanity savor for toddlers to pre teens. I like to pack the tiny bottles because they are space saving and it they spill the mess is minimal. Bubbles were the number one sanity savor for all the waiting we did on our Disney World Trip. I keep some in my glove box to help ease travel delays. At first glance these may not seem like a sanity savor but when you add the right items this classroom item becomes a travel must. The first thing I love about these is that they are see through. The second is that you can use a carbriner key chain clip to secure these to your stroller or bag. The third and most important things is that these are great for keeping all ages busy. For toddlers, fill it with safe snacks, bubbles, & age appropriate toys. For your school ages kids, toss in crayons, stickers, tiny toys and notebooks. Having a few of these pre made travel bags on hand can certainly save the day. An added bonus is that reusable items can be tucked back in the zippered bag for another trip and empty bags can be used for packing souvenirs for the trip home. This is space saving play anywhere story game that simply consists of dice with images. You simply roll the dice and take turns creating a story. Great family game for all ages that will get everyone involved and help pass the time. You could also create your own DIY version of this game if you want to save a little cash. Every trip needs a notebook! My kids have come to expect this. From the tiny spiral flip top notepads to cute embellished journals you kids will love having a place to scribble, draw or play tic-tac-toe. I like to attach a tiny gel pen with a string to the spiral type note books and include a sheet of stickers. You will love the moments of quiet this simple item provides. Headphones. Ear Buds. They are a must have sanity savor. So much so that I always pack a pair for everyone on longer travels. They are perfect for those moments when you just can't listen to another round of cartoons, kids fighting or to shield the rest of the family from the whiney toddler who just wont give it up and go to sleep. Yes, headphone are for the moms, dads, sullen teens, and cartoon loving kids. Of course, they only work when attached to some sort of media/electronic device but this mom is okay with that if it helps to save the day!
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We enjoy different zoo's.We have been to so many different ones that I forget which ones we have visited or what zoo had that awesome rainforest exhibit. It is also interesting to see the different changes that zoo's have made over the years. Even if we visit a the same zoo repeatedly there is always something new to see be it animals who were sleeping or out of view at a prior visit or new exhibits or events. So, I thought I would take a few minutes to share a few highlights of our most recent trip to the Fort Worth Zoo and some tips for making the most of your Zoo visit. I believe this was our second visit to the Fort Worth Zoo and the first time we have been in over 10 years! It is a little farther from us than the Dallas Zoo but worth the drive. First off, I have to say the Fort Worth Zoo is a picturesque. Each exhibit area is nicely decorated and has a lot of attention to detail. I did not take as many photos as I would have liked, because it was hot, but I kept thinking there were so many great photo opps, just because it is a "pretty" zoo. The second thing that I have to love about this zoo is that is very well shaded. This was the only reason that we even dared to venture out in the hot, hot, July. Oh, and it was supposed to be in the low 90's instead of the 100's. This brings me to my first Zoo tip. Zoo Tip #1: Take the weather into consideration. Know the expected temperature, be prepared, and adjust your expectations. Extreme temperatures may be unpleasant for you and it will also affect the animals. Some animals will not be in exhibit in the winter and in the summer they may be lounging in the shade and out of sight. The second thing I like about this Zoo is that it seems the animals have a very pleasant environment. I love the the giraffes have plenty of foliage. I also have to point out that I still loved the up close and personal feed the giraffe exhibit at the Dallas Zoo. That said, my kids absolutely loved feeding the koi and turtles. I don't think they even noticed the giraffes in the background. The other animals that were a hit were the hippos (fully submerged in clear water), the rhino (who was rolling a huge concrete ball around), and the white tiger. Because it was hot we did miss out on seeing several animals but for the most part I was impressed with number of animals. I was not impressed with the bird feeding exhibit. The poor birds were hot and not hungry. I would recommend getting there early in the day if feeding the birds is something that is must do for your family. The bird seed sticks were only a $1, but it was a waste of $3 because the birds had already had their fill for the day. Zoo Tip #2: Plan your day in advance. This was an impromptu visit and poor planning landed us at the zoo later than we would have liked. Visit the zoo website, trip advisor, and do a little homework before you go. Know what exhibits are a must and do those first. Plan to visit the indoor attractions at the hottest (or coldest) part of the day. Be sure to stay flexible, the plan is just a plan not a hard set rule. Some of the best moments are those unplanned moments- like this snow cone moment. It was not planned but it was just what we needed to cool off and rest up.Zoo Tip #3: Plan your food! Remember that most zoo's involve a lot of walking and you will get hungry. Not to mention all of the tempting and overpriced food available at most Zoo's. Some zoo's allow you take in food and drinks. That is a great way to save time standing in line and a good chunk of money. I usually give my kids zoo money. They can spend it on souvenirs or treats. This time they opted for snow cones and candy. The Fort Worth Zoo has many vending machines, dipping dots, pretzels, and snow cone stops located along the trails as well as sit down dining options.Our trip was not well planned but we enjoyed it anyway. Somehow we missed the MOLA ( Museum of living art) exhibit and we did not get to spend as much time in the Texas Wilds as I would have liked. It was hot and even cooling off in the big leaking water tower and out door shower did not prompt my little ones to extend the stay. They do have a neat train that takes you back to the entrance of the zoo. So after you have seen all you want to see you can pay a little to take a little train ride back to the start. My two year old loved this. You wont see a ton of animals but it is still worth it to save your feet some walking. If you have rented a stroller or took your own there is plenty of room to stow the stroller on the train. The train was not working the first time we tried to ride it but we did a little more touring and when we returned to take our ride back to the entrance it was ready to go. Zoo Tip #4: Let the kids set the pace. If they come across something exciting like a bin of sand with some fossils... allow them to explore. It can be tempting to rush them when there is so much to do and see, but allowing them time to breath and play will make a more pleasant day for everyone. The Fort Worth Zoo has a lot to offer. We will be taking a return trip when the weather gets a little cooler to check out some of things we missed. I loved that the Texas wild area housed the Pizza Hut, Dickeys BBQ and an Ice Cream parlour all tucked away in building that make you feel like you have step into a little piece of the old west. Other attractions you may want to check out are the carousel, the rock climbing wall and the wild west shooting gallery. Also, note that when you are in the Captor Canyon, you will be walking UNDER birds. There will be poo on the ground and we decided to not to spend a long time lingering under the birds. Just in case. After all that poo had to come DOWN! Zoo Tip #5 Let your kids tell you about the animals. My kids are animal lovers and we watch a lot of animal documentaries I am always amazed by the amount of information they already know about the animals. If they don't know much about the animal we take time to read the details that are often located on the exhibit.Zoo Tip #6: Take time to linger and watch the animals. You never know when you might witness the event of the day. For us, it was these two goats above. The one on the left was repeatedly giving us and the other goat the evil eyes and sticking his tongue out! It was pretty funny. If we had rushed we would have missed the laugh! |
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