Five Friday Faves - 10.25

A Day In Her Life - Travel Edition

We’ve been traveling with our kids regularly since my oldest was 3mo old and took a pause in 2020. We started (air) travelling again late in 2021 and we’ve really gotten into a rhythm in the last ~3 years with two kids. I’ve shared some of my go-to travel items before, but figured this week, it would be fun to go on a bit of “A Day In Her Life - Travel Edition.

Making a Packing List

For this trip, I tried something new: I asked ChatGPT to create a packing list. I used the prompt “Hi ChatGPT, Please help me create a packing list for two kids 5yo boy adn 2yo girl for 5 nights and 6 days in St Paul, Minnesota <insert dates>. Please consider the weather forecast in providing recommendations. Thank you so much¹” It included most of the things we would have packed anyways, but was nice to have it done for me. Here’s the full list below.

Here’s a packing list for your 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl for 5 nights and 6 days in St. Paul, Minnesota, based on the forecast for the upcoming weekend. Expect a mix of sunny days, cooler temperatures, and occasional sprinkles, with daytime highs in the mid-50s to low 60s and nighttime lows around 35-40°F​

Clothing:

For Both Kids:

• 6 pairs of underwear

• 6 pairs of socks (bring some warmer ones for cooler nights)

• 6 outfits (comfortable tops, pants, leggings) – pack a mix of short and long sleeves to layer depending on the temperature

• 1-2 sweaters or sweatshirts

• 2 pairs of pajamas (consider warmer options, like fleece PJs)

• 1 waterproof jacket (rain is possible)

• 1 warm jacket or coat (for the cooler mornings and evenings)

• 1 hat and a pair of gloves (especially for chilly mornings)

• 1 pair of boots (for any wet weather, especially if you plan on exploring outdoors)

• 2 pairs of shoes (comfortable walking shoes and an extra pair in case one gets wet)

For Your 5-Year-Old:

• Light layers for warmer midday temperatures (like a hoodie or long-sleeved shirt)

• 1 extra outfit (in case of any spills or accidents)

For Your 2-Year-Old:

• 2 extra outfits (toddlers tend to need more due to spills or messes)

• 1 blanket or comfort item (if needed for naps or nighttime)

Gear and Essentials:

• Car seats

• Stroller (for the 2-year-old, especially for outings)

• Favorite toys/books for entertainment during downtime

• Snacks (travel-friendly items like crackers, fruit, and pouches)

• Water bottles

• Diapers and wipes (if still needed for the 2-year-old)

• Toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, any lotions/medications)

Other Useful Items:

• Sunblock (for sunny days)

• Umbrella (just in case of light rain)

• Small backpack for outings to carry snacks, water, and extra clothes

This should cover all the essentials, with room to adapt depending on specific plans.

Packing the Packing Cubes

You all know by now how much I love my packing cubes! Every member of the family has their own color-coded set. I pack the biggest cube for my daughter with her clothes, and a smaller one for PJs/sleep sack, socks, and undies. My son’s clothes usually fit in the second-largest cube, with a smaller one for his PJs, socks, undies. I pack the cubes right in their rooms, then stage them in my office until it’s time to load the bags. I throw pull-ups, wipes, hair ties, bows (for my daughter), and hats (for my son) into a cube. I use my own set too, but let’s be honest—mine gets packed last! I usually use the largest cube for my clothes, a smaller one for PJs, Bras, and Undies, and then sometimes another one for socks and workout clothes.

Packing the Bags

The night before, I gather everything in my office. This includes the must-bring items like the SlumberPod, Pack 'n Play sheets, our go-to medicine kit, and any trip-specific things like goggles or flippers. Most of the kids’ and my stuff fits in this Away duffle and suitcase, while my husband uses his bigger carry-on Away, and my son gets his kid-sized carry-on. I pack the duffle with all of our flexible things like clothes and jackets etc. and then the hard-sided suitcase holds all of the more rigid things - everything from shoes and the SlumberPod, to the Wyze Cameras we use for travel monitors, my travel sleep crown, and the kids' travel games we won’t use on the plane (we're currently obsessed with these mini Magna-Tiles). I always think, "We don’t have that much stuff, we could use the smaller suitcase!"—and yet, I always end up filling the big one.

Packing the Carry-Ons

The night before, I try to pack the kids' carry-ons. They get to choose their entertainment: stickers, Color Wonder markers, a toy or two, and their iPads (it’s my husband’s responsibility to fully charge and download the shows). I also let my kids pick one stuffy for the trip. Once I made the mistake of putting a stuffy in the checked bag, and my son cried for most of the flight that “Elfie was scared”. Don’t make that mistake. My carry-on is usually a Large Zipper Boat and Tote or backpack, and it holds all the essentials: laptop, Kindle, headphones, any jewelry I need, sanitizer, bandaids, a potty seat, a change of clothes (just in case), wallet, the kids' inhalers², and—most importantly—their lovies. Those do NOT get checked.

Morning-Of Packing

There are always last-minute things, so I don’t zip up the bags until the morning. Things like sound machines³, cosmetics, inhalers, and any daily medicines are packed into their respective carry-on or checked bags last. My husband and I leave a checklist on the counter to make sure we don’t forget anything.

Getting to the Airport

When traveling with kids, we prefer to drive ourselves to the airport—mostly because of the car seats. Recently, we've started asking our dog-sitter to drop us off and pick us up for an extra $100. It’s been a game-changer! They ride with us to the airport, drive our car home, and then pick us up when we fly home. It’s so much easier (and cheaper) than paying for parking and less stressful than an Uber! If you have a sitter, it’s worth asking if they’d do the same, even if they aren’t house-sitting.

Checking Bags

When we arrive at the airport, we’ve got a routine: we stack the duffle on top of the large checked bag, and my husband’s bigger carry-on Away carries the Pack 'n Play. We hang both car seats on the stroller hook, and stick the travel stroller stroller bag and my daughter’s backpack under the stroller. My son handles his own suitcase and backpack, and we each have our own backpacks. Once we check the two rollers, the duffle, and the Pack 'n Play, we’re left with only our backpacks, the stroller, car seats, and my son's carry-on. If it's the return trip, we'll check the car seats, but I like to keep them with us on the way there to ensure they’re safe and intact when we arrive to our destination.

Through Security

We’re all TSA Pre-Check and Clear, and we choose where we go based on the line. As a former weekly flyer, I don’t want to be “that family” in the line you avoid, so I make sure we’re organized and ready to go. On this trip, the TSA agent complimented us on how smooth it all went—our car seats and stroller fit through the X-Ray - and our kids were remarkably well behaved.

Airport Time/Boarding the Plane

While I love our Amex Platinum card for SkyClub access, I can't justify $50 per kid for snacks they’ll barely eat. So unless we have a long layover, we will skip it. Often we hang out at the gate, fill up water bottles, let the kids move around as much as possible, and get ready to board. My husband has status with the airline, but we usually board early with the strollers and car seats group. We bag the stroller, and I carry the stroller and my backpack, my husband has his backpack and both car seats, my son has his suitcase and backpack, and our daughter manages her own little backpack. We always book three seats on one side of the aisle and a single on the other. My husband takes the kids' side while I happily claim my aisle seat as "Passenger Princess."

OK. That was a lot. If you have any questions about traveling with kids or ANYTHING, send me a Substack message, IG DM, or the website contact form!

I’d love to hear from you in the chat about your favorite travel item! Jump over there and let us know!

Your favorite link from last week - Salutation Leggings

What’s for Dinner

Sunday - Pizza -

Monday - Caro Chambers Cheater Chicken Tinga Tostada - My son loved this, and I made little tortilla chips into tostadas for him!

Tuesday - Beef and Sweet Potato Flautas - My son raved about these!

Wednesday - Friday - Out Of Town - But I ordered an Amazon Prime Whole Foods order to our AirBnB with all of our standard groceries and it’s been the best.

More A Day In Her Life:

• ICYMI - This week’s episode with Ariel Okin is so fun! Ariel and I chat about being new kindergarten moms, the way she prioritizes friends and her husband, and how she founded her companies! This is such a fun conversation and I am so grateful to Ariel for being both a listener and a guest!

• One Year Ago - A Day in Her Life with Monica Ascioti! Monica is a brand designer and creative consultant, and I loved hearing about how she was preparing to become a mom, and how she became an entrepreneur. We talk about moving and making friends as an adult, and it was such a delightful conversation.

• I opened up the group chat for A Day In Her Life, and I would love if you would hop in there! I will share weekly prompts but would love for you to ask questions of others!

• I had a personal goal of getting 100 Podcast Reviews by the end of the year! AND I clearly should have made that goal higher because WE DID IT!!! We have 68 Apple Podcasts and 32 Spotify Reviews! THANK YOU to everyone who’s left a review! I am ordering some podcast merch and will be giving away to 5 people who’ve left narrative reviews! If we get to 125, I will double that!!! Can we do it?!

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1. IDK why it stuck with me but

Hitha Palepu

told me to treat the AI like a human because you never know when they’ll take over, so I am always extra polite to my AI.

2. Always check your inhalers before travel. We were about to leave this trip and I realized my son’s only hadone puff left (which would have been bad).

3. Yes, we travel with our usual hatch lights - for our kids, the colored stay in bed lights work for us, and it’s worth it to us to bring