Fatherhood Factor

For all the "dealings" of dads...

Family Vacation

Different Ways To Prep Your Home Before Vacation

By Leave a Comment

Being a hardworking father is, well, hard. That’s why everyone needs some time away from their work and home, regardless of their profession. A family vacation is a great way to sightsee new places or visit friends or family in other parts of the country. Time off also rejuvenates you for when you come back. Still, there are different ways to prep your home before vacation that you must do to protect your house and your sanity.

Clean

The most obvious way to prep your house before leaving for vacation is to clean it. A clean house is a nice house. Cleaning doesn’t mean a basic sweep around the house either. Thoroughly clean your home before you leave to reduce pests, grime, dirt, and dust. Take out trash and recycling, wipe the floors, sweep dust, and perform deep cleans in your rooms. The last thing you want to come home to is a house full of mold and vermin. Additionally, clear out any foods that might spoil during your trip. Eat or toss the foods that might rot.

Lock All Entryways

It’s also important that you lock all entryways into the home, especially windows and doors. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood, you never want to leave windows partially open, as it makes it easier for thieves to get inside. Not to mention, bugs can chew through screen doors and nest in your house while you’re away. Lock all doors—even those in the home leading to the garage or basement. You never know if someone could gain access to your home. Securing all possible entryways reduces their opportunity to get inside the house. It may also help to program the house’s lights on a timed schedule to make it seem like someone is still inside.

Prep Your HVAC System

Your HVAC system is an essential component of your house. There are many ways to prep your HVAC system before an extended vacation. You must consider these to save money while reducing your energy bill. Set the thermostat to a routine system to preserve energy. Additionally, install a surge protector in case of thunderstorms. You’ll spend considerably more money replacing or repairing busted electronics if you overlook these things.

Get Help With Mail and Pets

The last way to prep your home before vacation is to have a trusted individual look after your mail and pets while you’re away. Having mail and packages pile up in your mailbox or outside your door is a clear sign no one is home. Someone could use that information to steal your mail and break into the house. It helps to have a trustworthy person, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, collect your mail. You should also enlist that person’s help to feed, maintain, and care for pets if you have any. This way, you won’t need to stress about them later.

Survival Guide: Tips to Make Traveling With Kids Easier

By 2 Comments

Traveling can be hard, especially if kids are involved. Any parent knows that traveling with kids can be tricky, challenging, and fun all at the same time. As a matter of fact, the process might seem like an endless amount of things to do, all for a short time. Like in almost every aspect of life, however, with tons of preparation and patience, anyone (including you) can plan a family trip that’s trouble free. This article will focus on how you can make traveling with kids easy, exciting, and yes, even relaxing.

Family Travel Tips

Keep track of flight details: It can be stressful (and even impossible) to schedule your kids’ bedtimes during long trips. Let’s say, for example, you’re traveling across the globe, from the United States to somewhere in Asia. One way in particular to get around this, according to Meraki Lane, is to book a morning flight. That way, parents can just put their kids to bed a little earlier than usual the night before, ensuring that they’ll be well rested for the long journey ahead.

Traveling with the right type of luggage: When traveling, having a strong, durable, and reliable piece of luggage is an absolute must for kids. Children should be able to transport all their necessities in a bag that’s easy for them to carry and sized correctly for their height and age. Bright colors and patterns are not only fun for kids, but they also allow them to easily spot their belongings. The majority of bags nowadays have special features like luggage- backpack convertibility, and even ride-ability. Fortunately, there are a lot of great options for kids when it comes to luggage.

Awesome Kids’ Luggage Options for Parents:

If you’re a parent traveling by car, using a child safety seat (car seat) is the best protection you can give your child while traveling. These seats are designed to reduce the risk of neck injury in case of an accident. Every state in the United States requires that infants and small children be restrained – and with good reason. As parents, once you select a seat for your child, be sure to try it out.

Pack snacks and cool gadgets: Before leaving your home, make sure to bring ample snacks for the entire family. Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and popcorn), granola bars, applesauce squeezers, and fruit leathers are just a few snacks parents can pack for the journey. Also bring an empty bottle of water or sippy cup so that after you board the plane, you can simply just ask the flight attendant for a drink to refill the bottle or cup.

Lastly, aside from including your child’s favorite snacks, be sure to remember their favorite handheld gadgets inside your carry-ons. You might also want to throw in small earphones or headphones. It’ll be helpful if they want to enjoy movies and/or television shows during the ride.

Role play inside the airport: This is where children mimic behaviors and verbal expressions of someone or something they’re pretending to be.

I think it’s safe to say we all know how the airport security measures and lineups are taken seriously. That being said, it can be quite nerve-wracking for some kids to go through all the personnel, inspections, and long lines. As a solution, inform and educate them in advance on what’s expected of them at the airport and discuss the environment if they’re old enough to understand. You can practice by role-playing beforehand so they won’t get overwhelmed with all the procedures and pre-boarding requirements. Organize their personal belongings ahead of time and make sure they aren’t wearing any belts and don’t have other metal objects with them that might attract TSA’s attention. Whatever the case may be, try to make the entire process fun.

Consider a hotel at the airport: Most of the time, airports are viewed as a wicked place; that we must go through in order to make it to our flight on time. Staying nearby, however, at a hotel that’s just steps away from the terminal can be rewarding for families traveling with young children.

Another option for parents, especially if you’ve arranged an early morning or late night flight would be to stay at an airport hotel before you head out. For instance, if you’re flying from one major city to the next, as a traveler, know that, aside from the road congestion, there are a handful of accommodation options nearby.

5 Kid-Friendly Airports:

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
  • Boston Logan International (BOS)
  • Portland International Airport (PDX)
  • Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

With spring break and summer vacation soon approaching, the pressure might be on to plan a family vacation. In fact, if all doesn’t go according to plan, make another plan. For example, if plane tickets are too expensive, look into renting a vehicle and driving your family to your destination. The only problem, however, is that children of all ages get restless no matter what. Meaning that parents might spend more time managing their child’s emotions than enjoying the drive.

We’ve all been guilty of letting travel obstacles give us the blues, but that shouldn’t change anything. It’s best to have a few backup options in your back pocket just in case someone needs a nap, or you just aren’t in the mood to do what you planned, you can switch gears without throwing everyone’s day off.

—————

I would like to thank you for reading the article. What are some other ways parents can make traveling with children easier? Don’t hesitate to leave comments below.

How to Survive a Road Trip as a Dad

By Leave a Comment

A road trip is a fantastic way to spend time with the family. It does not matter what kind of a family situation it is (whether you are a single dad, married, something in between), there is a lot of fun to be had on a road trip, especially if you live in a part of the country where there are gorgeous sights to see.

That being said, a road trip can also be a grueling experience that will not only take its toll on your energy levels, but also on your nerves. It is not that uncommon to see dads finding a quiet corner of a gas station, cursing all the gods they can name, asking themselves why they thought a road trip would be a good idea.

The good news is that you can avoid this. You do not have to be one of those dads who start off on a road trip with a full head of jet-black hair only to return with a few white patches around the ears.

Security Equals Sanity and Vice Versa

Before anything else, you will want to know that you have started off on your road trip with a car that is running as smoothly as possible. You really cannot afford to think about whether your rear brakes will be able to take a particularly steep descent when you already have three children screaming in your ear. Of course, you would also have to be totally insane not to check on your car before heading out. This is your family we are talking about. If you have the know-how and the tools, you can do the checkup yourself, but if you really want to be 100% (and you want to), it is best to visit the local garage.

Do your Research

While heading out without any semblance of a plan could end up being the greatest adventure you and your family have ever had, it is probably best to actually plan ahead and find at least a few places that you will want to visit. Depending on how long your road trip is going to be, you can explore your options and find a few places that you know your kids will like. Think of it this way: typewriter museum – bad; the most insane theme park in the tristate area – good.

If you have kids that are close to driving age, your road trip might be a good time to introduce them to some advanced, road-trip-grade driving concepts and teach them a few lessons. If you yourself are not too good with cars and everything that has to do with them, consult a few blogs beforehand, just so you have at least some answers. For instance, if you want to learn about repairs, you can check out this blog. This is a blog where you can find out about tires and this is a blog where you can learn stuff that have to do with girls and cars, in case you have daughters.

Also, if you happen to be one of those “mostly-absent” dads, you might do your research with your wife, finding out what your children have been into these last few years. This is joke advice, of course.

Don’t be a Master Scheduler

There is nothing that can ruin a road trip as much as a dad who turns into a scheduling monster, getting up at 4 a.m. every day waking his family by playing reveille on his road trip trumpet. We have all had experiences with this kind of man – the “we have to cover 358 miles today and not a mile fewer” type of man. Children (and the wife) get tired of this very quickly and you will only make them hate you and make your road trip living hell just to get back at you.

Always keep in mind that your road trip is supposed to be a fun thing, something that your family will look back on with a huge smile on their face. If someone is taking a bit more to pack, do not get all sergeant-y. Also, do not forget to play some road trip games while driving. We are not saying you should drive with your knees or anything, but you should not be the silent chauffeur either.

Stay Zen

Above everything else, if you want to return home a sane man from a road trip, you will need to be as Zen as humanly possible. Road trips are notorious for their ability to go wrong, in more ways than you can imagine. Exits will be missed, attractions will be closed, children will get annoying, sandwiches will be described as disgusting, cars will be jumping lanes without turn signals being used, etc.

You must not lose your cool.

It can be achieved.

It may be difficult, but it can be achieved.