So, You Want to Go to Post-Pandemic Disneyland

I originally posted this on my Substack, but realized it may be better suited to my blog… now that I’m blogging again. If you’d like to subscribe to my Substack, you can do so here.

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I kind of hate traveling. I’m a creature of habit: I not only do not like change, I actively resist it. I like my planner set up, my calendar meticulous, my bed made, and the same routine every single day. Traveling disrupts all of my little creature comforts. But sometimes, I’m willing to disrupt those little things for something that is just as predictable and comfortable as my day-to-day.

That thing is Disneyland.

I do think people often wonder about those who travel exclusively to Disney properties. And I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say this: I know what to expect. When I get to Disneyland, I know exactly what is going to happen and what I’m going to do. No surprises. No confusion. I know how to get there and how to get home. It’s far away without being too far. It is comfortable and familiar. And I like that. Maybe I’m boring (spoiler alert: I am kinda boring), but that’s how I like my vacations.

Disneyland closed for a large portion of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. When it re-opened in June 2021, they had a little bit of a slow start. I had promised my son (and myself) that when the park re-opened, I would plan a trip for us—which I did for October 2021.

What I didn’t know is after that original very slow 2021 summer, Disneyland attendance exploded. But here’s the kicker: despite using a reservation system to limit guest attendance, Disneyland has chosen not to release official attendance numbers for those days. And it definitely did not seem like they were limiting park attendance in October 2021.

Update: We also ended up taking a second Disneyland trip in June 2022—yes, I was 20 weeks pregnant and took myself to Disneyland. I am who I am. It ended up being a lot more fun than the October trip, mainly because I followed my own advice in this blog post. Even my 20-week-pregnant self was able to make the most of that trip.

I have a few points I want to make about the new reality of Disneyland. I guess this might be the point to get started.

1: Realistically, there are no more slow seasons.

I went to Disneyland in October 2010 and it was a ghost town. When I went in December 2006 the week before Christmas? A ghost town. For both of those trips, we walked on to every single ride.

I have not experienced a slow season in several years—but I had chalked that up to visiting as busier times, such as June, the week of Christmas, etc.

It was in October 2021 that I realized October was no longer a slow season—it never will be again. The dates I went this trip overlapped with the same dates in 2010: mid-week, mid-month. But in 2021, the park was packed: more crowded than I had ever experienced it before in my life and that includes summer trips and trips the week of Christmas (notoriously the busiest season).

Fans have for years created crowd calendars based on previous years data (anecdotally collected), holidays, and events to create a rough calendar of what days will be so-crowded-you’ll-lose-your-mind and what days will be ghost towns. This year, there are maybe 3 “not-that-crowded” days in the entirety of October.

A huge part of why crowds are so high is potentially “revenge travel”—a phenomenon that has been popping up post-pandemic to explain why everyone is, well, traveling so much. We couldn’t do anything for 18 months and regardless of the continued risks, people are traveling. They’re going, whether anyone tries to stop them or not.

Another part of this is the Disneyland reservation system. I’m not tapped in to the current Disneyland fandom (omg) enough to fully understand all the issues with the reservation system—but it definitely is inflating crowd numbers. The system was designed in part of limit crowds, but it is hilariously seeming to do the opposite.

2: Genie+ and Lightning Lane Help, but the System Needs Some Work

The Disneyland park (and by extension, I assume, other Disney properties) are becoming increasingly reliant on their branded apps for use around the park.

Genie+ is a service that helps you arrange your day in the parks. It is fairly user friendly, but kind of confusing. The recommendations are based on wait times in particular, but they don’t always make sense; regardless of wait times, most people try to stay in one area of the park at a time, so you don’t have to walk back and forth multiple times. But Genie+ will suggests It’s a Small World, followed by Star Tours, followed by Haunted Mansion, followed by the Mad Hatter Tea Party. It doesn’t always make sense.

It also suggests places to grab food or place a mobile order, but again, it doesn’t seem to take your location in the park into account. For example, on our last day, we were in Downtown Disney and it suggested the Coke Corner on Main Street USA for us to get lunch—when we had already left the park and were surrounded by other food options.

So, Genie+ needs a little work. It’s one shining spot is really Lightning Lane, which gives you access to, basically, Fast Passes that you book on your phone. It shows you the return window and when your window is up, you just scan your phone for everyone in your party. Super, super easy.

The only downside is sometimes you don’t need Fast Passes, like first thing in the morning. The only other downside is that some rides, like Radiator Springs Racers, the new Star Wars ride, and Web Slingers cost additional fees—around $7-$15 depending. It’s not a huge fee, but it does add up depending on the size of your party. The one day we spent in California Adventure, the wait time for Radiator Springs Racers are 120 minutes at opening—so we knew we wanted to get Lightning Lanes. It’s not a ride I can ride right now, unfortunately, so we spent $30 for my husband and son to get Lightning Lanes. Is $30 equivalent to 120 minutes wait time? Is it worth it? I’m not sure. It definitely helped, but I’m not sure how often I could do that.

You can also only book Lightning Lanes once your ticket has been scanned into the park and the park itself opens—that means 8am and whenever you enter the park. That does keep people from crowding into Lightning Lanes and dominating the space before others have time to get their morning coffee.

3: Sorry, but the Newest Parts of the Park Suck

This might be controversial and I’m so sorry to the Star Wars and Marvel fans, but quite frankly, those new areas suck. They’re so bad. Star Wars Land is just a series of walls with no natural shade, no places to sit, and nothing to do. It is huge and far away from the other areas of the park, so it is quite a walk to get there (and a lot of it is uphill). One thing you’ll notice about the original areas of Disneyland is, yes, they are smaller and more crowded—but they have tons of seating, shade, hidden places to sit and relax. Star Wars Land and the Avengers Campus have none of these things. Just huge walls, no trees, nothing.

That has always been one of my big gripes when it comes to California Adventure as well: the design is very cute, but there are no shady areas in the park outside of restaurants. Many of the walkways are just bare, which means there is nowhere to sit and wait or sit and eat the item you just got from a food cart. It’s bad design, frankly, and I don’t care who hears it!

Even worse is that there is nothing to do in these 2 new lands. Star Wars Land has 2 rides and that is it—and neither ride are great, if I’m being honest. When we went on Rise of the Resistance, it was such a long wait (this was back in October, before Lightning Lanes) and then we were loaded onto basically a bus? I remember looking at Danny and saying, “This is it? We’re on a bus watching a screen?” Then it got worse. I hated every second of it.

Smuggler’s Run is better, but again, it’s just not… that good. I don’t want to sit and click a button on a ride. Neither of these rides are very kid friendly either (which is a point I’ll get to later). 2 rides in a MASSIVE addition to a park? Please.

And Avengers Campus only has one new ride—the other is the Tower of Terror in a new, Guardians of the Galaxy dress which, I’m sorry, still makes no sense. Webslingers is a very fun ride, so I’ll forgive it, but again—a huge addition to the park and there are 2 rides? That’s it? Cars Land, in comparison, has at least 3 rides. Are they 3 great rides? Not really, but at least there is more to do there.

This is going to be the most “I think this sucks and I’m sorry, but it does suck” part of this newsletter. The OG Disneyland is so meticulously designed and so many Imagineers still work so hard on these concepts—but the execution? Baby, what is happening here?

4: Disneyland is No Longer a Kid-Friendly Park.

See, I told you I was getting there.

Disneyland was started pretty much because Walt Disney wanted to create a place where families could play together. That meant rides that parents and kids could go on. You can see that so clearly in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and even in the “newer” areas like Adventureland, including New Orleans Square, and Frontierland. Not every ride is very small kid friendly, but most of them are kid-friendly to an extent. There may be height limits, but most kids surpass them by 6-8 years old—still pretty young.

And none of the rides are overly scary. Probably the scariest is Space Mountain, but even that can be overcome.

In comparison, Smuggler’s Run scared my son so bad, he refuses to even think about going on it again. Some kids might do ok with these rides, but they are aimed at lifelong fans of these huge franchises—not kids, but adults.

The rumors of newer lands in Disneyland and California Adventure are based, again, on franchises that primarily adults are into (although there are rumors of a Tangled land? Who is asking for this, I just want to talk). They aren’t designed for families and their kids—they’re designed for adults.

That’s fine. Disneyland doesn’t have to be exclusive to families with kids (and I’ll never make that argument), but can’t we have a few new rides for little kids? For kids who are afraid of the dark or don’t like super fast rollercoasters? Please? Just one or two? Update: When I originally posted this, a friend sent me a message saying that an Ewok-themed space in the Star Wars land area would be amazing and I have to agree. A nice, shady, Ewok-themed area? Call me, Disney. My fee is substantial.

You’re telling me no one could think up a single a kid-friendly Star Wars ride for the new land? Or a kid-friendly Marvel ride? No one? No one in the entirety of Disney? Hm.

It’s not the end of the world, but it does mean that Fantasyland (the most kid-friendly area of the park) becomes wall-to-wall on the busiest days. We couldn’t even go there in October or June, because it’s just insanity. If there are only a few places with rides for kids in the park, then that means they aren’t going to even bother going anywhere else.

5: Expectations Have to be Readjusted

Gone are the days of fitting in everything you enjoy about Disneyland into a 2 or even 3-day trip. Remember what I said about slow times? Yeah, the parks are so damn busy by around 11 or 12 every day that usually, we left the parks. We returned in the evening (usually after 4 or 5) to ride a few more rides. It meant we had to divide and conquer: these lands on these days and these lands on these days.

It used to be that 3 days was more than enough time in the parks to do everything you could possibly want to do. I’m just not sure that is the case anymore—and maybe that is what Disney is trying to do. Longer park stays of course mean more money—more snacks in the park, more souvenirs you have to have, more meals at Downtown Disney… the list goes on.

Despite all these things, we still had fun.

There are always going to be things that need improvement, especially about something as big as Disneyland. I still love it! I still had fun! This past trip in June was one of the best trips we had had in a while—and straight up, it’s because we gave ourselves the freedom to leave when we got overwhelmed, return later, and take lots of breaks. You just have to adjust your expectations about what Disneyland is like now—because it’s not the same as it used to be and that’s ok. Things change—it’s ok!

If there is anything you’d like me to touch on or questions you have about my visit(s), let me know.

One thing I haven’t touched on here is COVID protocols; when we went in October, masks were still required on rides and we wore masks the majority of the time in the park. This time in June, masks are no longer required and social distancing is not enforced (or even encouraged) in lines. I had forgotten to pack masks, so this made me especially nervous in lines when CMs were asking everyone to squish close together. If this is a concern to you, definitely pack some masks—I would have felt much better with them! We did not get sick on either trip, which I’m very thankful for, but we were very careful both trips. I do know a few people who have returned from Disneyland, however, and they had gotten COVID—so use that information how you will and travel accordingly (and safely, of course).

3 Tips for Thanksgiving Day Travel with Kids

Thanksgiving is a stressful time of year, as we have established. If you didn’t catch my post about self-care and self-kindness during the holiday season, go ahead and give yourself a break from manic Thanksgiving preparations to read this.

If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, things can get even more stressful. And if you’re traveling with kids? Forget it! It feels like you have 4 million things to do. Plus, you have to pack up what feels like half the house to take along. What if they get sick? (They will get sick. Or you’ll get sick. Fun!)

We’ve traveled for Thanksgiving before and for anyone planning their first Thanksgiving traveling, I wanted to share a few tips and tricks. Before that, however, here are a few others posts I have about travel prep and packing with kids:

• Make packing a little less stressful with these tips.

• Want to pack some masks for self-care? Here are my suggestions.

• Learn to maintain your skincare routine while traveling.

• All about Autumn road trips.

• My post about taking a toddler to Disneyland (and relevant for all travel experiences!).

• Have to work over Thanksgiving? Here are some tips.

Hopefully, you find a few gems among those previous blog posts. Now, let’s talk traveling this Thanksgiving!

1. Monitor the Weather Leading up to Thanksgiving.

If you’re traveling a long distance and might experience inclement weather, be prepared. Get your oil changed beforehand, check your tires, and have an emergency kit just in case. If you’re flying, keep a close eye on weather at any of your stops and your destination.

When I was young, it felt like there was always some huge storm at one major airport that made Thanksgiving travel way more difficult. Being prepared and aware beforehand is much easier these days, so stay mindful. If you’re driving, remember that if conditions look bad enough, it’s ok to postpone driving—or cancel.

2. Break Your Trip Up.

If possible, the number one piece of advice I always give to parents traveling with kids for the first time is to break the trip up! An example is that when Danny and I drive to Idaho now, we usually stop in Bend. It’s perfectly doable to drive to Idaho in one day; it’s 9 hours, give or take depending on how many stops we make. However, with a child, we’ve found that having a stop makes it a much more pleasant trip for us.

For Thanksgiving last year, we did this for the first time and it made a huge difference in how we felt when we got to Idaho! Plus, we got more time to be with family.

3. Find Ways to Make Your Trip Fun.

Here are a few things we do, besides splitting our trips into two parts, to make road tripping over the holidays fun:

• Get a DVD player (or holder for an iPad!) for your little ones. I know many aren’t fans of this, but let me tell you… that really saves us every time we go for a long drive.

• Stop along the way and do something fun. Whether you get lunch at a new, fun place, stop to take a few photos somewhere exciting, or just get out to walk around a Wal-Mart, breaking up the trip this way helps a lot. Plus, you can schedule convenient bathroom breaks this way.

• Pack a special snack. We also pack one of Forrest’s favorite treats (honestly, it’s usually the yogurt he eats every single day, but it’s still his favorite thing) to have midway through the second day. It gives him something exciting.

• Download a podcast you’ve been wanting to listen to. Danny and I always try to find a long form podcast to listen to for our drive; when we went to California in 2017, we listened to You Must Remember This about the Charles Manson murders and, honestly, it’s one of the most memorable parts of the trip for me. It helps pass the time so much faster!

Those might not be things you would do, but try to think of a few ways to pass the time and make the trip enjoyable for you and your children. Traveling over Thanksgiving can be really exciting, but daunting, especially if you’re a new parent. You’ve got a million things to think about, as well as family relationships to contend with. Find ways to treat yourself well, laugh with your family, and have fun.

Have tips for Thanksgiving travel? Send them my way!

Travel with Me: Rockaway Beach, Oregon

I’ve had an Oregon travel guide on my blog list for ages, but I haven’t gotten around to actually working on it. Then, I thought: maybe I should try to visit all these places before I write a guide for them. I mean, it’s been a while for some places. 

So I decided it would probably be easier to do short travel guides for now, then work my way up to a big one. 

Danny and I just got back from Rockaway Beach. Three years ago, when Forrest only 9 months old (was he ever that small? And yet, has it really been that long?), we visited Rockaway Beach with Danny’s family and had a blast. We did that again this year. I hope this becomes a tradition for a very, very long time because it’s really fun. 

1. Amenities

So you’ve decided to visit Rockaway Beach! Exciting! First things first, decide where you’ll want to stay. Rockaway Beach is itself a very small town (and a rather large beach); the town has less than 2,000 residents and is made up primarily of hotels, some shops, and condos. There is kind of a boardwalk, but the main street is also dominated by a set of train tracks. 

We usually stay in a rental home, either through VRBO or HomeAway, on all of our vacations; it’s generally just more affordable in the long run. This trip was no different.

There are AirBNBs, large condo complexes, and hotels in the area, all of which seem nice (or nice in a middle-of-the-road, you-won’t-spend-much-time-here kind of way). Everything is within walking distance to the beach, so you don’t have to worry about that if you’re staying in Rockaway itself. If you choose to stay in Garibaldi (the next town over towards Tillamook), you will have a longer drive, as Garibaldi itself is a small bay. There are also campsites nearby if camping is your thing, as well as lots of lodging options in Tillamook. Further down the coast, Lincoln City is only about an hour away, but has a ton of rental house options and more. If you decide to go north, Manzanita and Nehalem Bay are also great little towns with some shops and hotels. Manzanita in particular has a lot of condos as well as beach access.

I highly recommend looking at the VRBO options for Rockaway Beach though; there is nothing quite like being able to watch the sunset over the ocean or sit outside with your morning coffee listening to the sound of ocean. What an incredibly way to start the morning! This is the condo we stayed in and we loved it; the back patio area had a ton of seating, plus two sand areas that were perfect for Forrest to play in if we just wanted to relax and not worry about him running into the ocean every 5 minutes. We had our own private path down to the beach as well.

Even for a short trip, I’m a big fan of using rental homes, as you can save money on food and it’s not that much more expensive than a hotel—plus you ultimately save on food, as you can cook meals yourself.

2. The Beach

Being right on the beach has so many benefits. 

The Kite Festival

While we were there, there was a large kite festival happening most days. As well, kites are incredibly popular anyway. The Oregon Coast is notorious for being windy. Our condo happened to be in prime seating for this festival though; everyday, there were probably 10+ huge kites right beside our condo. We could sit on the back patio and watch them. Forrest was obsessed. 

This was probably one of the best parts of our trip is seeing those kites. When I say they were huge, I mean they were big; probably 20-30 feet long each and shaped like different animals. There were sharks, whales, cats, cartoon characters, sting rays… you name it! 

This kite festival happens every late July and early August, so I highly recommend visiting then. 

Even if you can’t make it for the festival, there are also always kite flyers out. Buying even a cheap kite on your way there will make it super fun, but if you can spring for a more expensive one, again, I say go for it. We got Forrest a small kite that he spent hours playing with; it was total worth the expense because he really enjoyed it. 

Other Things to Do

If you’re right on the beach, you can literally do anything: read, embroider, knit, or whatever; build sandcastles; go for long walks; search for starfish and sand dollars; and much more. You probably don’t need me to tell you those things.

We tried skimboarding and boogie boarding, both of which were fun for the younger people in our group. (I did not personally try them. Danny wiped out bad!) 

We had the most fun just relaxing, which is what we needed. I got a lot of writing done and Danny read. But if you’re more active, there are still tons of activities to try, even though the water is much colder up north. 

3. Places to visit

Tillamook Creamery

We love visiting Tillamook, but as a warning, it is crowded. No matter the day or time of year, it is almost always crowded. It’s often even more crowded when the weather isn’t good during the summer, as visitors flock there instead of the beach. The day we went was foggy, rainy, and overcast. Needless to say, it was crowded.

We still had fun though. We briefly checked out the factory tour, but the factory wasn’t actually operating that day so there wasn’t a lot to see. We perused the gift shop and then treated ourself to some food and ice cream. You can check out the entire menu here.

We ordered the Classic Mac n’ Cheese (“A creamy blend of Tillamook Medium & Sharp Cheddars. Topped with crushed buttery herb bread crumbs”) and a small salad (“Seasonal greens, tomato, red onion, mushrooms, house made croutons, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar. Tossed with our creamy Tillamook Sour Cream herb dressing”). I know that ordering a salad probably doesn’t sound very fun, but I was in a mood where I needed some vegetables—and the salad was good! We got Forrest the kids grilled cheese which was massive and came with fries, like most kids meals. He really enjoyed it. The mac n’ cheese was really delicious; very cheesy without being overly goopy. We demolished it, along with the salad; the salad was actually one of my favorite things I ate and it was just their standard house salad!

After lunch, we got ice cream to share; we got a scoop of cookies n’ cream, chocolate swirl, and butter pecan. Chocolate for Forrest, cookies n’ cream for Danny, and butter pecan for me. All three were excellent; Tillamook ice cream really is some of the best in the world.

I treated myself to a Tillamook sticker for my car, as well as a brick of smoked cheddar (my favorite cheese). Forrest picked out a hat which has nothing to do with Tillamook, but it made him happy and I am a sucker.

Rockaway Beach

Most of our days we spent in Rockaway itself. There are some fun places to visit aside from the beach.

One place were were very excited to revisit was Pronto Pup, less of a restaurant and more of a food stand. I have really nostalgic memories of this from our trip three years ago; however, I felt like it wasn’t nearly as good! Pronto Pup is essentially a corn dog restaurant and I do love a good corn dog. My memory of it is being one of the best corn dogs I ever ate, but I feel like they either changed something or my memory is totally faulty. However, Forrest really enjoyed visiting Pronto Pup (including riding the big corn dog outside) and ate his entire corn dog.

In Rockaway, there is also Flamingo Jim’s, a large gift shop that is really fun to look through. Like most small, tourist towns, almost every shop sells the same stuff (little gifts and trinkets, kites, flip flops, sweatshirts, and coffee mugs). However, as much as we try not to buy stuff like that, we did have fun looking.

There are two competing ice cream shops in Rockaway: Schwieterts (which also has a location in Manzanita) and Sea Breeze, a more kitschy gift shop that also sells salt water taffy and gifts. I personally prefer Sea Breeze; you got more ice cream for cheaper, and if you got salt water taffy, the owner tried to guess the weight before you put it on the scale. (He was almost always right!) Both sell Tillamook ice cream, however, so you can’t really go wrong!

There are a few restaurants in Rockaway Beach. We only visited one: the Beach Bite/Dos Rocas, two-restaurants-in-one. One is a more classic diner with seafood options and the other is a Mexican restaurant. The menu is double-sided, so you can order whatever. We visited with Forrest and he got a quesadilla (which I only got him to try by saying it was “like a grilled cheese”, his newest obsession). I ordered the Bite Burger and Danny got the mahi mahi fish and chips. We really enjoyed everything we got, even if it was a little expensive. In a small tourist town, most of the restaurants are going to be a little pricey, but it was nice to have a break from cooking one day of our trip!

On Monday, we visited Manzanita, a town north on the coast by about 20 minutes (but really only like 7 miles from Rockaway on the beach itself). It was nice to drive through some of the smaller towns along the coast; Danny and I both love talking about architecture and homes as we drive through towns and beach houses are so gorgeous. Manzanita is a fun little town with a main street that runs directly towards the beach.

First things first, we visited Manzanita Coffee Shop for some coffee and treats. I got a plain coffee and a maple/chocolate donut to share with Danny and Forrest. Danny’s mom bought a cinnamon roll muffin that was delicious and I will absolutely try to replicate. The coffee was really good as well.

Then, we explored all the shops. There were some really fun ones. I found a dress that was covered in a periodic table print—it was, however, $80. Again, like most tourist-y shops, the prices were a little wild. However, it was fun to look. We specifically had fun in Toylandia, a toy shop where we bought Forrest a Buzz Lightyear kite (which was cute, but not the best for actually flying a kite) and a mini kite (which actually worked quite well).

We originally planned to eat lunch at the Winery at Manzanita, but all of us were still full from our treats, so we decided to wait until later. However, their food looked very good and they sold s’mores to roast over fires on the patio.

Notes

There were a few things I wanted to do that we didn’t get around to. Unfortunately, Forrest got sick on day two or three of our trip (I noticed him slowing down and being really cranky, then he was awake all night with a fever); once he started feeling better, I got sick. We headed home a day early so I could recover before diving back into work. (Confession: instead of resting, I’m writing this post the afternoon after we got home. I’m sorry, Danny.)

We wanted to visit Astoria, which is a place I’ve heard so much about, but never really went! We also wanted to take Forrest to the aquarium and never got around to it. Lincoln City has outlet shops that I always love to visit. We just never got around to it, plus hanging out with the sound of the ocean felt much better for me and my mental health at the moment. I did find myself getting cabin fever after a few days (what can I say? I’m very easily bored!)

There’s always next time, after all!

A Busy Mom's Guide to: Road Trips (Featuring Hungryroot!*)

Danny and I love taking road trips. It used to be something we really looked forward to, especially when we were first dating and, later, first married. Once Forrest was born, we definitely scaled back on the amount we spend driving every summer--but we still love taking a few road trips every single year!

This year, we’ve already been on quite a few road trips: we’ve been to Sunriver several times and Idaho several times. Coming up this summer, we have plans for a big trip to the coast, as well as some smaller trips to Portland, the coast, and Central Oregon.

By no means am I a road trip expert--but I feel like I do know how to do a road trip with an infant, a toddler, and now a preschooler in a way that keeps me from feeling like I’m absolutely losing it! I want to share all my tips and tricks for a perfect summer trip. At the end of this blog post, I’ll also have a FREE download with packing checklists, memory sheets, and much more to make your road trip go just a little bit smoother. I also have an exclusive deal for some Hungryroot snacks!

I’m a consistent overpacker. And honestly, I will defend my overpacking: sometimes, you just need extra stuff, especially with kids. The days of Danny and I breezing into hotels or houses with a bag each, and maybe a cooler, are over. These days, it looks like: a storage bin, a bag, Forrest’s suitcase, my bag, Danny’s bag, my computer bag (gotta work!), my tripod… It’s a bit like a clown car.

I just don’t like having to spend money unnecessarily on trips, especially if we are pinching pennies already. That means, I often try to pack anything I can think we might need in an emergency. For us, that’s extra medications, plus any kids medicine we might need (such as suppositories, cough medicine, Ibuprofen, and band ads), as well as a flashlight, some extra food, and a small stash of water.

Here’s a rundown of what my packing list often looks like:

• Medications

• Medicine: kids Ibuprofen, kids suppositories, band aids, antibacterial cream, sanitizer

• Cleaning wipes*

• Emergency kit: two gallons of water, extra food, extra clothes, matches, small candle, flare

• Travel potty if your toddler is younger, recently potty trained, or just prone to accidents

That’s just a few extras I add alongside everything else we’ll need, like clothes, laundry bags, extra bags for souvenirs, our charging cables, and more. You know what you’ll need best on vacation, but it’s important to remember on road trips to prepare for what you think you’ll need. In case of an emergency, I prefer to have everything with me, including extra water and more.

A note on cleaning wipes: I know single use wipes have become increasingly unpopular--and I totally agree! However, if I’m traveling and staying at a hotel, I like to do a quick wipe on everything just for that extra level of clean. It helps me feel more at home and feel much better. I like to use the new Everspring line from Target; these wipes are compostable, cruelty-free, and ammonia free. They come in three scents: Lavender & Bergamot, Lemon & Mint, and Citrus & Basil. I like the Lemon & Mint the best. Even better, they are very affordable. You can find them on Target here.

One thing I also like to make sure I have packed? Plenty of snacks! I get bored when I’m driving, especially during long stretches where there isn’t anywhere to stop. When we go to Idaho, we cut through Bend and Burns to Caldwell. The stretch from Bend to Burns and then Burns to Ontario are absolutely grueling; each leg is only 100 ish miles each, but there is nothing between! Nowhere to stop, nowhere to go to the bathroom, nothing. So, snacks are important.

That’s one of the things I love about Hungryroot! On our most recent trip to Idaho, we took along a big box of Hungryroot snacks: the salted pili nuts, coconut cashew granola, crunchy bean toppers, superfood almond butter, and almond milk maca matcha. These were the perfect snacks to have on the road--much better than my usual Cheez-Its! Not only did we feel better about our snack choices, we avoided that nasty travel stomach that is so common from eating food on the road. Plus, all of these options gave us ways to customize hotel breakfasts: we grabbed a few extra yogurts to eat with the coconut cashew granola. Our hotel had a smoothie bar (!) and we used the almond milk maca matcha in our smoothies. Plus, the almond milk maca matcha made a great drink in the morning to get the day started throughout our trip.

If you’d like to stock up on some healthy snacks before your next road trip, I can’t recommend Hungryroot enough! And even better, you can use the code PAUSES2021 to get 40% off your first order PLUS a free gift for life!

“But Michelle,” you ask, “how am I supposed to keep a toddler entertained on a road trip?”

You know those two 100-mile stretches between Oregon and Idaho I mentioned? Those are often our hardest on the road. So here are my tips:

• Play car games. Whenever Forrest starts to get whiny or bored, I say, “I spy something… blue!” And we start a game of I Spy. Or, we’ll play Bingo. Car games seemed so lame to me when I was younger--my parents were not fans--but I totally get them now. This can fill up time and keep your little one from getting too distracted.

• Get a travel DVD player. LISTEN! I know what I say about screens and we don’t let Forrest have a tablet… but I would literally lose my mind without our travel DVD player. It is perfect for when there is no stop along the way to stretch our legs. Pop in a Daniel Tiger DVD and hit play, then Danny & I can relax. You can find these for really affordable on Amazon and in stores too.

• Look ahead and plan fun stops. One thing Danny and I do before any road trip is plan somewhere to stop for fun. Whether it’s just a cute shop we see on our route (such as the Crescent General Store after the Willamette Pass) or something bigger (like a rose garden), we try to plan a few short (like 15-20 minutes total!) stops to stretch our legs, let Forrest have a bathroom break, and break up the monotony of the drive.

For me, these things are all part of planning our trip. We aren’t just looking at hotels to stop along the way, but rather activities we can do together. This might include things like stopping at the Mount Shasta viewing area on the way to Disneyland (this feels like a lifetime ago!), going for a walk along the river in Bend on our way to Idaho, and more. If you’re staying a few nights at a hotel on your road trip, you can always look for places to go around it; you’ll have a few hours in the evening, of course, so you can always do some walking (to release pent up energy!) and find somewhere fun to eat.

One important aspect of planning your trip… is planning how you’ll pack your car. Danny and I like to pack the car in a way that makes sense to us, although we used to just throw things in and hope we all made it in one piece! Now, we arrange everything depending on what we know we’ll need throughout the trip. This means, our travel potty is in the back seat, along with some paper towels and a trash bag; our snack bag is within reach; our bag with activities for Fo is right in front of him where Danny or I can reach it. How you arrange your car is totally your preference, but this will save you so much hassle on the road! Basically: organize your car and keep it organized!

It goes without saying, but: on vacation, your child just isn’t going to sleep like they do at home. That’s an important expectation to keep if you’re staying at a hotel throughout your trip or just on a few stops on the road. They might get better as time goes on through the trip, but I think it’s so important to keep your expectations quite low when it comes to sleep when you travel!

When we travel, I make sure to bring two things to make it easier on Forrest: his sound machine and one of his blankets. Before, we would bring stuffed animals he had been sleeping with, but Forrest isn’t a lovey kid—he doesn’t have anything he feels particularly attached to. However, having a familiar blanket definitely helps with the sleeping. As well, the sound machine helps all of us sleep, drowns out noise from the rest of the hotel, and reminds him of home. He usually still wakes up at 3am on the dot in hotels, but it could totally be worse.

The sound machine we use is not currently made anymore, but this one is from the same company and looks like it has many similar features.

As I said in the planning section, doing something fun at the hotel when you arrive, even if it is perhaps a little later than usual for your family, can help little ones settle in, burn off some energy after being in the hotel all day, and sleep better. Here are a few suggestions:

• Visit the pool to splash & play around before dinner.

• Walk to dinner! This is a great way to explore the area, find somewhere interesting, and stretch your legs (as well as get some steps in if you, like me, are a slave to your Fitbit)

• Visit a local attraction for a quick visit. A good option is a rose garden or an art exhibit.

• Find a local ice cream parlor to take everyone to.

• Window shop!

Once you’ve made it through the evening, grabbed dinner (I highly recommend getting pizza delivered if you’re absolutely exhausted, which kids also love), and slept (maybe), it’s time to think about breakfast!

Like I said, Hungryroot is a great way to augment a potentially lackluster hotel breakfast—if your hotel provides one. It might not, which is totally possible! Hungryroot can help there too. A great option are the Hungryroot oatmeal cups, like the Cherry Chia Maple Oatmeal; you only need to add hot water, so if your room has a coffee maker, you can easily use that to heat water and make oatmeal for everyone.

However, if your hotel does offer breakfast, you can use plenty of Hungryroot options to make it just a little bit better: adding some granola to those little tubs of yogurt makes it much more filling and delicious. Or you can add some granola on top of a waffle or eat with milk and any fruit offered. The hotel breakfast doesn’t have to be sad, cold bagels and bad coffee. A little planning ahead can make it much more filling and healthy for everyone in your family. Don’t forget you can use my code PAUSESBROWNIES for free brownie batter (for life!)

Once you’re ready to head out, check your room for anything left behind and get on with your vacation!

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Danny & I enjoy road trips. And even though I’m on record as saying I don’t love traveling, I do love giving Forrest memories that last forever. Road trips can be incredibly intimidating, especially if you’re a new mom or you’re just an anxious person (like me). I hope these tips help you make the most of this summer. And of course, I hope you take the chance to try some delicious Hungryroot snacks & food options to make your summer even better.

As an added bonus, I have an exclusive download just for you! This include itinerary planning for your trip, hotel information sheets, journal pages for your memories, and packing checklists perfect for new moms & experienced moms alike! Click the button below to download.

I’m turning it over to you! What are your big tips for traveling with kids?

Disclaimer: Products for my recent road trip were provided to me by Hungryroot in exchange for mentioning them, as well as a small kickback whenever you use my code. Posts like these have helped me keep Writing Between Pauses going! If you’d like to learn more about my disclosure policy, click here.

Travel With Me: Sunriver, Oregon

I’ve been going to Sunriver, Oregon for a long time. I think the first time was when I was 7 or 8, or at least in that age range. Sunriver is technically a resort town, or a planned community, and my family has been renting houses there for a long time. In recent years, my family decided to purchase a home in Sunriver as an investment property, which has been great for helping us take more vacations!

(You can read my previous post about traveling to Sunriver with a toddler here.)

Sunriver is located in central Oregon, about 20-30 minutes from Bend. This means visitors have access to basically all of Bend easily—that means more restaurants and shopping, as well as attractions like the High Desert Museum and the Lava Caves. I’ve been going to Sunriver for so long that I feel like I have a very set routine—but it also means I feel like I know just about everything there is to know.

Rarely ever do I do travel posts, but it’s been something I wanted to start sharing a bit more.

We headed over to Sunriver on Friday evening. Forrest had been having a pretty rough day; he’s been having more separation anxiety from me lately (something he has literally never had before!), and got sent home from school he was so upset. We had a good talk about learning to calm himself down. It probably didn’t help that we’d had a big day Thursday and his nap and sleep schedule were totally off. However, we made it to Sunriver on time to eat dinner.

We ate the Village Bar & Grill. Like most of the restaurants in Sunriver, they have a smaller menu than most people are used to, but they have really good, if slightly expensive, food. I got the Blackened Chicken Caesar Salad, which was spicier than I expected (but still good). Forrest got typical kid food: a hot dog and fries.

After dinner, we made our way to our house. Sunriver had some permanent residents, but is mostly rental houses; my family owned a small house previously, but recently sold it to purchase a different home. It was my first time seeing it and it was as lovely as I’d been told it was!

Forrest played for a little while and then we went for a short walk on the bike path, before I put him to bed. I drank a glass of wine and relaxed with my family for a while before going to bed myself.

The next day, I went for a walk myself in the morning. The best part about Sunriver really is all the bike and walking paths. It is still pretty chilly in the mornings in Central Oregon, so I had to bundle up. However, I was excited because I was going to pick up Danny around noon.

Danny had been at a teaching conference in Eagle Crest, which is also not far from Bend. I planned to pick him up so he could join us in Sunriver.

When I got back from my walk, I helped clean up after breakfast and played with Forrest a bit. He was feeling antsy and excited, but really, really didn’t want to nap at all, despite waking up at 3am. (Yes, he woke up at 3am. Kids and vacation are often harder than I expect.) While I tried to get him to nap, the rest of my family played Yahtzee, which is a Sunriver family tradition.

Once he woke up, I got him ready for the rest of the day and we blew bubbles outside for a while. Then, when my mom got back from a walk, I borrowed her car to go get Danny. He was as excited to see the new house as I was, so we didn’t stop much on the drive back.

The afternoon was spent showing Danny the house, going on a walk, then going out to dinner for my brother’s birthday.

On Sunday, we planned to have a barbecue, so I baked my brother a birthday cake. Then, I went on another walk alone—then a walk with Forrest, because he insisted. When I got back, my mom and brother were planning to go on a walk as well, so of course Forrest wanted to go on that one as well! I think Forrest walked a total of 6 miles!

Once they got back, we headed to the Village to pick up a few things at the grocery store. Forrest had also been promised a book by my mom, so we went to Sunriver Books to pick one out. He picked an ABCs of Oregon book, which I was really proud of; he’s been very interested in letters and knowing what things say lately. We headed back to the house and started working on lunch.

We headed home not long after lunch. It’s such a short drive between Sunriver and Eugene, only about 2-3 hours (depending on traffic and the weather), it makes it easy to take small weekend trips. I’m already so excited for another trip. There are so many things I love doing in Sunriver—the bike paths along the river, as well as the horse stables, shopping at the Village, bike riding, and visiting the High Desert Museum, as well as exploring Bend—it’s hard to pack it into one trip!

Have you ever been to Sunriver? What’s your favorite thing to do?

My Tips for Packing to Travel with Kids for Spring Break

It goes without saying: almost everyone loves the idea of traveling, but the actual traveling is hardly anyone’s favorite part of it. Moving from A to B, B to C, and C to every other letter of the alphabet definitely takes more patience than anything else.

Now add to that a child, who may or may not be old enough to understand patience (or might just not feel like it at that moment), and things get really sticky. I’ve written about traveling with young toddlers before in the form of everything I learned about taking a (mostly) solo road trip and my 4 tips from when we went to Disneyland (and drove the whole way).

We were just recently looking at our photos from our trip to Disneyland. It’s funny to think that was two years ago—and Fo looks so small in all the photos! He was a younger toddler then and now he’s a kid—and things are definitely different now.

When we first had Forrest, it felt like we might never be able to travel again. Even just a trip to the mall felt like I needed to pack an entire army—and if we did travel anywhere, it felt like I had to pack up my whole house and just take it along. We ended up at our destination with bags and bags and bags of stuff for just a few days! And don’t get me started on the pain in the ass it was to take along all my pumped milk, plus my pump, plus formula, plus bottles… I still remember trying to label the tops of my expressed milk to take in the car on our first spring break road trip after having Forrest, pumping in random parking lots throughout the 9 hour drive there, and much more.

I’ve definitely been able to streamline things as Forrest has gotten older, especially when it comes to packing. I thought I’d share my tips for how I keep everything organized in the car. If you’re planning to travel (for the first time or the 100th time) with kids this Spring Break, this one is for you.

1. Invest in Boxes

The best decision I made before going to Disneyland nearly two years ago was buying 2 clear packing containers. They are about a foot deep, measuring 12 inches by 10 inches at the lid. They aren’t super big, but they aren’t teeny tiny either. I used them to pack supplies for Forrest on our trip and so they would be easy to stack and see inside of.

When I tell you I use these every single road trip now, I’m not joking! They make it so easy to keep supplies together. I tend to keep all our travel stuff in one of them; that includes things like sunblock, our emergency kit, some non-perishable emergency snacks, and things like that. I also keep the small DVD player we use in the car for Fo in that bin as well, just so I always know where it is!

2. Everyone Gets One (1) Bag

I’ve definitely made the mistake in the past of packing In a way that doesn’t make a lot of logical sense, like packing one bag for clothes and one bag for makeup. In general, I know if I need more than one suitcase, I’m probably overpacking and need to talk to myself about what I’m doing.

Overpacking is a great way to ruin your spring break (especially the traveling portion), so our rule now is: everyone gets one bag, even Forrest. He gets one bag for clothes and toys. That keeps us from overpacking and means we have room for everything else we need, or any souvenirs we might pick up on our trip.

3. Keep Snacks Contained

My husband Danny and I are very big on travel snacks. It gives us something to do as we drive (especially on a long road trip) and also makes it easy to keep Forrest occupied (“throw him another snack”). I know this isn’t the healthiest way to travel, but honestly, what’s the fun in having a super healthy Spring Break? (Ok, there might be some fun in it.)

We often have this issue of snacks getting absolutely everywhere in the car: bags of candy in the glove box, bags of chips open in the backseat, you know the drill. Suddenly, I need to vacuum my car really bad.

We designate one spot for snacks in the car (as well as where we store extra drinks and water) and really stick to it now. This keeps me from absolutely feeling like I’m losing it and also keeps the car clean. We usually choose the space behind the passenger seat, as it’s easy for Danny to get out and grab (as I usually drive).

4. Think About What You’ll Need Access To

Have a DVD player for your kiddo? Keep movies within arm’s reach of the passenger seat.

Know you want to drink lots of water? Keep water bottles handy within reach.

Pack your car so that you have access to the things you know you’ll need to grab as you drive—and don’t worry about the rest. Charging cables and extra battery packs can be kept in the glovebox or console; books can be kept in door pockets. Pack accordingly.

5. If you’re stopping midway, think of what you’ll only need for that night.

We often have a bin (throwback to item one on this list!) that is just things we need for at night. Oftentimes, we break up long drives with a stay overnight along the way—traveling with a toddler, it’s just easiest for us. We don’t want to totally unload the car, so we usually just take what we need: our bags, our snacks, and the overnight bin (as well as anything valuable, like laptops). That means leaving in the morning is way less hectic as we don’t have to repack the entire car.

6. Remember a Trash Bin

All those snacks, as well as stops along the way, wiping faces, and more… you need a trash bag. I usually grab 4-5 plastic Target bags and stow them in the car, then we use this as trash bags through the drive, throwing them away whenever we stop. It just makes it so much easier to keep the car clean if you have a specific spot to put trash.

Here's What I Learned from An Autumn Road Trip (with a Toddler)

I am not a traveller.

I know, I know. It seems like everyone these days talks non stop about traveling. Everyone wants to travel and see the world. And in some ways, I definitely want to see the world. But I don’t like traveling.

I don’t like driving for long periods of time. I don’t like airplanes. I don’t like the stressed, naked feeling of being transitional between two places (home and destination). I don’t like the anxiety it gives me. And now that I have a small human I’m responsible for, I absolutely do not like having to pack up everything I can think of for him (including but not limited to: blankets, toys, any medication he might need, extra food, juice, cups he can use, forks he can use, emergency meals, and milk). The amount he needs has consistently gone down since he was a baby (no more giant container of formula, bottles, bottle wash, sanitizer bags, Pack’n’Play, and more), but it’s still a lot.

And doing it by myself? Excuse me, no thanks.

Well, I did just that on Friday. Danny had gone over to Central Oregon (Sunriver, to be exact) for a teaching conference in Bend. My parents have a cabin in Sunriver, so we had decided it would be a family vacation. But with Forrest in school now, I didn’t want him to miss a day so we planned to go over once he got done with school.

As the days lead up to Friday, I started to seriously panic. Taking a three-hour plus road trip by myself with a toddler? Packing up the whole car on my own? I was nervous. Danny told me he would be fine if I decided not to do it, but I knew he really wanted me to. And of course, Forrest was excited at the prospect of a vacation. Nothing makes him nervous.

As I wrote on Instagram, I didn’t want my anxiety to make Forrest miss out. Yes, it would have been better for me personally to stay at home for the weekend. But Forrest would have missed out on some potential fun and that prospect made me sad.

So I did it. On Friday afternoon, I packed up the car, got Forrest a Happy Meal (no judgement), and drove 3 hours with a potty trained toddler. Here’s everything I learned.

1. It’s probably going to all be fine.

Probably. My biggest worry was that, while going over the pass, Forrest would need to use the bathroom. Since he’s relatively newly potty trained (it’s been about 3 or 4 months), when he has to go, he usually has to go immediately. This is fairly normal for preschool age kids. However, while driving across a mountain pass, the last thing I wanted to do I was pull over and break out the little potty we keep in the car. However, my anxiety was for nothing: we stopped at a rest area before the pass and he was fine all the way until we got to the cabin.

So yeah, the thing you worry about? It’s probably going to be fine. (Please remember to tell me this next time I go on a real vacation aka go flying.)

2. It’s ok to do things you normally wouldn’t (or that you would).

I had all these plans for things Fo and I would do. Museums. Outdoor parks. Everything. I wanted him to have as much fun as possible while we were on our own mini-trip, especially as Danny was still in a conference on Saturday. However, we ended up going for a nice long walk to get coffee and a treat, then went shopping and spent time relaxing in the cabin. I felt bad that we hadn’t done any of the exciting stuff I had planned, but we did have a nice lunch out together (my first time taking him to a real restaurant on my own) and he really has fun no matter what.

3. The weather won’t cooperate, but that’s fine.

Part of the reason we didn’t do all the fun stuff I had planned? It was raining! I think of Central Oregon as very cold and relatively dry. But it had been raining at home and that rain followed us on vacation. So, the museum I wanted to go to? Mostly outdoors. The walking trails? Off limits thanks to the puddles and downpour. We made it for our walk in the morning, but that was about it. We had fun jumping in puddles outside the cabin, then retreating inside to warm up and go pick up Danny from the conference. The weather wasn’t really what I had planned on, but that’s Autumn for you, really!

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This is a much more personal post than I usually post for Blogtober, but I thought I’d try something different! I had so much fun over the weekend (even when Forrest pretended to have a stomach ache to get us to leave dinner!) and I tried something outside of my routine—and it was all fine! What’s something you are challenging yourself to try this Fall?

How to Maintain Your Skincare Routine While Traveling

I know I'm not the only one who feels like traveling does an absolute number on my skin. Switching between different time zones, climates, and more can make my skin go absolutely haywire. Case in point: I spent a week in Idaho this month and even though I kept up my skincare routine, I was left with rough, bumpy, red, dehydrated skin by the end of the week. *Cut to me whining here.* 

Skin is a delicate thing. Sometimes, I wish I worried just a little bit less about my skin--but I've been chasing "perfect skin" for a long time. I know it's not going to be attainable; skin is supposed to have texture, pores, and more. But dryness? Redness? Irritated bumps? No thanks. 

Without further ado, let's talk about how to maintain your skincare routine while you're traveling--and that includes packing everything up. 

1. Narrow down what you need to bring. 

I think most people with serious skincare routines experience that our routines are changeable, depending on what's going on. A prime example, for me, is that if I'm noticing a lot of dryness, I'll use a hyaluronic acid mask or serum; if I'm breaking out, I'll stop using whatever foundation is hurting me and start using a little extra jojoba oil. It's a balance and unfortunately, on vacation, you're stuck with the bare essentials of your routine. So narrow everything down: what is the order of things you do every single night? For me, it includes: 

• Make up remover: jojoba oil 
• Face wash: The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Wash
• Toner: Mario Badescu Rose Toner
• Moisturizer: Pacifica Crystal Youth moisturizer

That's just the barebones essentials, the things I know will keep my skin as good as it can, even in dry, super hot weather. 

2. Packing it up. 

Now, how do you pack all things? Personally, I do not like traveling with my giant bottle of jojoba oil and face wash. I try to keep my packing to a minimum. So here's what I do: I put dollops of everything I need in contact cases. You heard me: those little wells are perfect for packing two or three days worth of oil, moisturizer, and face wash. I usually use one case per item. You can buy a value pack of contact cases that are color coded at Target. Then, I just pack those contact cases into a makeup bag, along with a few other essentials. They are less likely to leak and help you stay organized. 

3. Making time. 

This is the hardest bit on vacation, isn't it? Making time to actually wash your face at the end of the day instead of collapsing into bed with some room service or snacks. The way I do this is that it gives me about 10 or 15 minutes to decompress every evening of vacation. I find traveling very stressful (I'm actually not a huge fan!) and so those 15 minutes are my life blood; I need them in order to sleep well and make it through the next day. It also helps ground me and make me feel a little bit more at home. And if my skin is going haywire from the weather or a different climate, well, it makes me feel like I'm doing a little something that makes a difference. 

4. Correcting when you get home. 

Maintaining your routine while traveling can go a long way towards ensuring that your skin keeps looking great. But a lot of things are out of our control on vacation. As I mentioned, my skin got incredibly dehydrated while I was in Idaho: not dry, but I started noticing bumps and redness that is typical of when my skin is in need of some major TLC. Once I got home, I started using rosehips oil (great for when your skin needs extra moisture, as well as to reduce redness) and my hyaluronic acid mask. If your skin decides to go off the rails while you're on vacation, you can always pop into a drug store for a mask or add an extra moisturizer to your routine; and when you get home, you can take steps to baby your skin and give it that extra TLC.