Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

Travel

Maui with Kids

Listen. Traveling with kids is not easy. I’m not here to tell you it is. Or to tell you if you just do xyz it’ll be so much easier. Quite honestly, it’s a lot of work. But since we all work hard every other day of the year, why not work hard on a beach in Hawaii, amiright?

My husband was a little more hesitant than I was to take our 8 month old and 4 year old to Maui. He reasoned it was just going to be so hard, and we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves at all. I’ll get to the part that he was right about later. For now, lets just enjoy these memories, shall we?

My feelings on traveling with my kids is this: I stay home with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’m always with them. They’re always a lot of work. I love these munchkins to death, but man by the end of the day, I’m exhausted. So why not be exhausted in Hawaii? While I can enjoy a little time on a gorgeous beach? And my children can have a life experience of swimming next to sea turtles? Or pushing elevator buttons like mine still talks about. You know, it’s the little things…

First things first, you need to make sure you have all the flight essentials for kids. Check out this reel on Instagram highlighting lots of fun stuff you can grab from the Dollar Tree. We also make sure we have plenty of snacks. When you think you have enough snacks, make sure you grab even more. You’ll never have enough.

Next, before you leave for vacation, you need to prepare. Matching swimsuits are a must. Some of our favorites for the girls are Sunguard Swim – they have so many cute matching suits. And we also had to have a mama & me matching set too, this trip we got them from MooRoo Swim.

We have been staying in an Airbnb in Kihei and we love the location. There’s a beach across the street and several restaurants right next door to the complex. We love that we can just walk to everything we need. There’s a convenience store a few doors down as well that carries just about everything. The one we stay in is small, but this complex has so many available of all sizes. There’s a pool for the kids, but we’ve only been in it once during all of our trips, because: beach.

Tips for Traveling to Maui with kids:

  • Bring an umbrella stroller if you have toddlers/babies: It’s so much easier to get them around, especially because you will have lots to carry to the beach.
  • DON’T bring your car seats. We never travel with our good car seats, and instead opt for renting them from the car rental place. This year, we did bring along a foldable booster seat for Sawyer that we borrowed from a friend (to save $$$). We never travel with our own because they get so beat up in the airplane, and we don’t want ours ruined.
  • Make sure your Airbnb has beach essentials: chairs, umbrellas, coolers, beach toys. If not, grab them at Walmart when you arrive and get groceries.
  • We also brought a pool float and some small beach toys with us in our suitcase. We grabbed a bucket and some sand toys at Walmart.
  • Right next to the airport is a Walmart, Target, and a Costco. Plan accordingly upon arrival to stop there and grab all the groceries you’ll need. I planned meals ahead of time and had a list ready to go, we were in and out of Walmart in 30 minutes. Side note: plan meals ahead. Food is expensive in Hawaii and anything you can bring with you is a good idea (think pasta and dry meals).
  • Bring lots of sunscreen and hats. We also opt for long sleeved swimsuits because the chances of them getting sunburned is much less. Nothing ruins a vacation like a horrible burn on the first day.

Things to do in/near Kihei:

  • Cinnamon Roll Place: Trust me. Get in the line, and get frosting. Their lattes are good too.
  • Monkey Pod: It’s just a short drive away. The burger is amazing, but it’s the Mai Tais that they’re known for. Bonus if you’re not the sober driver that night (plan ahead mamas).
  • Beach Street: It’s a little walk up shop that has everything from coffee to shakes, shave ice to acai bowls, and even breakfast/lunch sandwiches. Everything we tried, we loved.
  • Safeway: This is going to seem a little weird, but every night we got poke from the Safeway deli in Kihei. We ate it while watching sunset on the patio, and it was heavenly.
  • Maui Fish’n Chips: They have amazing fish ‘n chips! But the poke isn’t as good as the above mentioned Safeway.
  • Prison Street Pizza: This is NOT in Kihei, it’s in Lahaina, but it is 100% worth the drive (or just schedule a little day trip and have it while you’re there). It’s great pizza, New York Style, and it rivals the pizza we’ve had in Manhattan. Something else that’s a bonus: It’s not expensive! Yay for affordable meals in Maui.

Tips for Beach Days with Babies:

  • Lots of hydration: if they’re nursing, you’re in luck. If not (as our case), extra bottles. If they are old enough, lots of water bottles too. Ours likes to suck on the bottle itself, especially if it’s cold and coming out of a cooler.
  • Depending on age, pouches with pureed fruit.
  • Watermelon, strawberries, or blueberries (mashed).
  • Bring one of these pacifiers to add ice (or fruit) to. It will keep them hydrated.
  • We brought this portable high chair with us. It’s definitely a cool thing to have, but we didn’t end up using it as much as I had hoped (to make it worth packing and bringing with).
  • Just remember they will need to sleep a lot, so either be prepared to bring them back up to your condo, or hopefully they’ll nap right on the beach!
  • Remember that they’ll eat sand. Lots of sand. Don’t stress, it’s normal and all babies do it.

Sea turtles are everywhere in Hawaii. The first time we visited I remember making a list of the top beaches I’d be most likely to see ONE, without realizing I would probably see a couple every single day. This beach across from our condo is no different. At least 3-4 sea turtles swim by every day, just floating around the swimmers. It’s so fun for the kids to experience.

We vacation to sit at the beach. We don’t spend our days running from one adventure to the next, and our kids get to just relax. That’s what vacations are for right? Remember that your kids don’t need fancy things to have good life experiences. Just being in Hawaii is an experience, and one that they’ll treasure for years to come.

If you visit Kihei in the early Spring, you’ll also get to see a LOT of whales breaching. All day long they breach off the coast, and then towards dusk they come in closer.

I know Quinn won’t remember this trip, but she’ll always have these photos of her and her family enjoying Hawaii and spending this time together. For my mama heart, there is nothing more important.

The longest trip is the one going home. But now we are patiently awaiting our next trip! And for those of you who were still waiting to find out what my husband was right about, you can breathe now. He wasn’t right about anything. 😉

Party Planning

Sip Sip Hooray – A Bridal Shower Happy Hour

I can find any excuse to have a party. Especially a themed party. It’s a Tuesday night? Taco Tuesday. It’s a Thursday lunch? Let’s have a Thirsty Thursday luncheon. I already have the themes picked out for the rest of the birthdays in our house for the year. Except mine. I guess my husband should get on that.

I may find any excuse to party, but I’ll also talk you into a good party too. Case in point: my best friend. She’s getting married in a few months, and she wasn’t going to have a bridal shower. Or a bachelorette party. (Gasp!)

Needless to say, I saved the day. I could throw her a party, as long as it wasn’t too ‘bridal shower-y,’ and not where she would have a spotlight on her at all times. She’s not really into that sort of attention. (I’m still working on her.)

All jokes aside, we threw a little Bridal Shower Happy Hour in her honor. No games, no gifts, no photos plastered all over the room. Just her favorite people put together in a room, mingling and enjoying a cocktail or two.

So if you’re looking to have a little event too, but aren’t into all the theatrics of a bridal shower, this is for you. Just some fancy desserts, some fancy cocktails, and some yummy finger food.

A few tips for planning: if you serve all finger food, you don’t need plates/napkins/silverware. Tiny desserts (like mini cupcakes and macaroons) are a better option because people can hold them easily (and also they take up more space and can be part of your decor).

Grab some Hershey Kisses from the Dollar Tree (because it’s okay to be a little cliche), some little stands for your desserts, and print signs (find the files below, we got frames at Dollar Tree). You can get the balloon garland here. I made the giant K out of poster board, and then used frayed tissue paper to cover it. We laid a white tablecloth down, and then layered it with this white sequined runner (which was only $6 when I purchased it, so if it’s pricier, find an alternative on Amazon), and this chiffon runner. I used my Cricut to cut out diamond shapes, hot glued them onto toothpicks, and stuck them in some of the desserts. We printed little tags for the straws too, which added a little bit of personalization.

If you’re in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, you’ll have to check out Heavenly Macaroons for the most delicious little treats. Then check out Sugar High Sweets if you’re in the mood for some sweet cupcakes. For both desserts, we went all white to keep the aesthetic.

Overall, she was really happy with how everything turned out. We loved celebrating her (and I’m pretty sure she enjoyed being celebrated too, even if she won’t admit it). 😉

Sip Sip Hooray file

Welcome Sign file (name/info will need to be added)

Prints for 4×6 frames

Home Decor

Beach Themed Nursery

Does it surprise anyone that we went with a beach theme for our second nursery? Now that we live by the beach, we are doing everything we can to ensure that our kids love the beach as much as we do. Subluminal messaging maybe?

All jokes aside, I fell in love with the colors and wanted to create this space with these relaxing tones. I love that it isn’t super girly, while also having little touches of femininity.

The only piece that we reused from our last nursery is the rocking chair. Since they’re a little expensive, we just got a blanket that we could drape over it to make it blend more.

The little details are what really brings everything together. We did the whole room on a budget, but I did splurge on a few things. I figured why not, this will be my last baby (and this time I mean it!). If it’s not linked below, it came from Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, or Marshalls.

Crib

Dresser

Corner Stand

Six Beach Prints (the ones I ordered aren’t available, these are similar)

Beach Baby sign

Crib Sheet

Changing Pad Cover

Koala

Overall, it’s now one of my favorite rooms in the house. When she’s sleeping well that is. No one wants to be in there while she’s screaming! Hopefully she grows up to love the beach as much as we do, since it’s her peaceful place and all.

DIY, Parenting

Scholastic Klutz Craft Kits

Thank you Scholastic Klutz for sponsoring this post.

When I was a kid, nothing was more exciting than the Scholastic catalog day at school. We’d get the flyer, bring it home, and at my house I was able to pick out any book I wanted. Needless to say, it was a real treat. It also instilled a very deep love of reading, one that I hope to pass on to my children too.

The catalog always had little craft kits in it too, and I’m so happy to know they’re still included with Scholastic. When Scholastic sent us this Klutz Ceramic Studio craft kit, I was so excited to get to work with Sawyer. It brought me right back to my own childhood.

So far Sawyer absolutely loves crafting, something that makes my mama crafting heart happy. While her dad hopes she gets into golf one day, all I ever hoped for was that she loved to craft as much as I do. We try to get creative as much as we can when it comes to art projects, but we tend to stick to the same things if I’m being honest (mom life, right?). This kit was perfect for us, because it allowed us to step out of the box and try something new (something I probably wouldn’t have tried before, to be honest I don’t even know if I’ve seen at home ceramic kits before).

Since we are all spending a lot more time at home lately, this kit was a real treat for her. She was so excited to make her own ceramic dishes, and I was happy to help! The best part is that it came with step-by-step instructions that really supported independent craft time. I was able to sit by her side and just let her work on her projects, which was perfect since I always need to keep an eye on her baby sister too!

We made a few little ceramic pieces, she picked a small dish, a small bowl, and then what ended up being a ‘plate.’ I know they’re not picture perfect, but they were perfect to her, which was the most important part. She learned hand-building techniques with clay by using the turntable and miniature bowl mold that came with it. She was able to learn about the process through each step, and she was able to express herself. After forming them, she painted each piece (she had no patience to wait for each color to dry, so it’s just a collage of colors), and then we left them to dry.

When they finished drying, we painted them with a clear glaze that was included to get an artisanal finish. Now they’re off to her grandparents homes! That’s the best part about craft projects, amiright?

Overall, the experience was perfect. We got to spend some quality time together, she got to express herself, and we got to make cute little gifts for her grandparents. I’m so excited that Scholastic has the Klutz kit options, because we will definitely be trying more of them.