Category Archives: things moms like

Well, it’s almost summer, which inevitably means it’s time for road trips.  Usually about this time, we pull together some travel tips for families with kids.  This time around, we thought we’d mix it up a little bit.  Or maybe we’re just feeling a little bit nostalgic.  But, our best tip for traveling with kids this summer is to revive some of the road trip games you remember playing as a child.  That’s right, folks! Have everyone put away the devices!  And for even more fun, have the whole family join in and create some memories of your drive alongside the ones you’ll make once you get to your destination.

Here are a few to get you started:

License Plate Game

This one is my personal favorite!  Make a list of all the states and check them off as you spot them along the road.  If you check them ALL off, you’ll know you’re on one heck of road trip!  This game is one that you can play through your whole trip, even while you’re busy playing others.  You can even add a little bit of competition to the mix.  When someone spots a new state, write their initials next to it on your paper.  The person that has the most at the end of the trip is the winner.

Eye Spy

This one is a classic and is great for the young kids, too.  One person silently chooses an object that everyone can see.  (The object can be inside or outside of the car.)  That player then uses the first letter of that object as a clue and the other players try to guess the object.  For example, “I spy with my little eye, something that begins with R” when you are thinking of the word “road”.  The person who correctly guesses the item gets to choose the next item.

Going on a Trip

This one can take some thought and is one that can keep the kids guessing for a while.  One of the adults (mom, let’s say) says “I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring macaroni.  If you would like to go, too, tell me what you’d bring?”  “Mom” has selected an item that begins with the same letter of her name, so she can go.  Any object that doesn’t begin with “M” for “Mom” doesn’t get to go.  Then the kids each take a turn guessing.  Unless they guess an object that begins with the first letter of their name, they are excluded from the imaginary trip. When the guessing comes around again to Mom, she brings another “M” object. “I’m going on a trip and I’m going to bring a movie ticket.”  The kids will be baffled as to why Mom gets to bring such silly things on the trip.  Eventually, someone (Dad, perhaps) will figure out the pattern and begin to play along.  Sam can bring his sunscreen.  Elizabeth can bring an elephant. Etc. etc.  It will take a while for everyone to figure it out, especially if the children are small or you have a lot of players, but once they do, it’s obviously a one-time-through game.  But, you can revive the game by coming up with something else unique to each individual.  For instance, maybe this time I can bring 39 pairs of socks or 39 tubes of lipstick – the unique thing here being age.  The kids might figure this one out quicker. 😉

Car Spotting

Have everyone agree on a make of car – Honda, Ford, Toyota, etc. – or more specifically a model –Chevy Malibu, Hyundai Tucson, Ford Flex – or even something along the landscape – wind turbine, oil well, hay bale (Can you tell we’re from the Midwest?  Your examples might be different.)  Once the car or other item is agreed upon, everyone keeps an eye open for it.  The first person to see each one shouts it out and earns a point.  At the end of the trip (or whenever you’ve had enough of the game) the person with the most points wins.  You can change up the items every now and then, too.

20 Questions

Goodness, this classic is timeless.  And seriously, since kids ask about a billion questions all the time, you might as well make it into a game, right?  So, have one person think of a person, place or thing, and all the other players begin to ask questions about that thing in order to make guesses as to what it is.  The questions need to be ones where a simple yes or no is sufficient.  Players can guess after each answered question.  Play continues until they have made an accurate guess.

Family Story Time

This one can be done the old-fashioned way or might be the reason to bring out a device.  Everyone loves a good story and some books are really great for the whole family – the Harry Potter books, Little House on the Prairie or Charlotte’s Web.  Choose one or two books ahead of time and either bring them along or download them on your device.  One person can read aloud to the car or you can take turns by chapter (depending on the ages of your children and the difficulty of the book).  Or, if you want to save your voice, find an audio book version and play it over the car stereo.

Just think of all the fun memories you’ll make with your children.  Twenty years from now, they won’t remember whatever game they’re playing on their phones or tablets, but they will remember the silly times they had trying to be the first to spot the next wind turbine along the Interstate!

Does it feel like this year is flying by?  For me, it does.  I can’t believe it’s already time to start thinking about Thanksgiving travel.   Traveling with children can be a challenge, but seriously people do it every year!  Thanksgiving weekend is known for being THE busiest travel weekend of the whole year.  According to AAA, 48.7 million American travelers are expected this year and you can bet that many of those travelers are children.  So, if the thought of traveling with your young family in just a few short weeks gives you the anxiety that it is giving me right now, you might want to check out the tips below before you go.  They’ll help make your trip a little less stressful.

1. Plan Ahead– Make a detailed itinerary and make sure your children understand each leg of the journey. Rehearse parts of the trip that may give your children moments of anxiety. Take your child on short, practice runs for car trips, or visit the airport ahead of time. Walk through the airport and point out things to your child and watch some planes take off and land. When travel day arrives, the travel expectations will feel more familiar and comfortable.
2. Arrive Early for Flights– Planning to arrive at the airport early will ensure that you’ll have time to make adjustments for any travel “roadblocks”. Be sure to bring enough activities to keep your children entertained for any waits or delays that may occur
3. Create Realistic Expectations– Know what your children can handle and what they will not be able to handle. You may need to add extra stops into your itinerary or perhaps travel over multiple days.
4. Charge Your Devices– Ensure that all your devices are charged and that you’ve brought extra chargers. You won’t want to be in a jam if the children have used up all the battery playing games just when you need your map app to get you to your next stop.
5. Pack Plenty of Snacks– Pack plenty of healthy, low-sugar snacks that your children are familiar with and enjoy. You never know when a flight will be delayed or if the next restaurant is not for another 100 miles down the road.  Healthy snacks will help keep kids from getting cranky due to hunger.
6. Pack Your Sense of Humor– Make the trip fun for you and your kids. Laugh with your kids and tell jokes.  Make up road trip games to play with your kids along the way.  It will make the trip more fun, enjoyable and memorable for you and them.
7. Bring or Buy Special Needs Foods– If your child has special dietary restrictions, be sure to bring things you know they can eat. Special needs foods may be harder to find if you don’t know the area as well as home.
8. Discuss the House Rules– Make sure your children know what will be expected of them at all locations – how to behave on a plane or in a hotel or even what special rules Grandma has at her house. Knowing what is expected up front will help them to follow along with your expectations.
9. Do a Safety Check– Pack a first aid kit. Make sure each child has a proper car seat.  Bring all medications your children are on.
10. Pack Insurance Cards– Just in case you need to visit a doctor while out of town, be sure to carry your insurance cards with you. It will make the process much easier and you’ll be able to save your concerns for your sick child.
11. Visit a Local Playground– Help your kids create a memory of their adventure. Visiting a playground while on the road or in Grandma’s hometown will not only give them something fun to remember during your travels, but will also give your kids a chance to burn up some of the energy they’ve accumulated while playing 50 State License Plate Bingo in the backseat.
12. Keep Your Cool!– There will always be things that happen, whether it be a speeding ticket from the highway patrol or a missed connection during a layover. Take a deep breath and go with the flow.  If you don’t stress things that happen outside of your control, you’ll better enjoy your trip and so will your kids.

Remember at the end of the road is Grandma’s special turkey and dressing or pumpkin pie that you’ve been craving for months – as well as hugs and smiles and family memories.  Happy Thanksgiving!

As both a Mom and a Daughter, I completely believe in homemade Mother’s Day gifts.  I love getting these sweet gifts from my kiddos and I totally love giving them to my mom and my mother-in-law.  Sometimes the creativity is just not flowing, though, and I look all around for new ideas.  This year the Knit-Rite/Therafirm team got some inspiration from our own products.  The best part is, we were able to use products from several of our brands to create these adorable sock bouquets.  They’re cute and easy enough for the kiddos to do, too.  Watch our demonstration video below!

List of Supplies Needed:

• Socks of multiple colors, shapes and sizes
• A pair of tights, pantyhose or a piece of fabric of similar size and length
• Rubber bands
• Safety pins
• Your favorite vase

We used some discontinued colors of our Preggers and Therafirm brands, as well as current colors of TheraSport, SmartKnitKIDS, SmartKnit and Therafirm.  Happy bouquet making!

Now that Memorial Day is squarely in our rear-view mirrors, it’s safe to say that summer is upon us.  Here in the Midwest, the hot weather is getting a little bit of a late start, but we’re assured that it’s coming (it always does here).  As things begin to heat up for all of us, we’ll be trading in our warm, snuggly socks for the wonderful feeling of bare toes, sandal feet and flip flops.

At SmartKnitKIDS, we think this is the perfect time to tidy up our sock drawers!  I like to go through all my socks and weed out the ones that have worn out, have small (or even large) holes, or the ones that I just plain don’t like.  And since I really hate to be wasteful, I now have a pile of socks ready to be recycled into other things.  Our team came up with a great list of uses for old socks, which will totally keep us busy all summer.

Here are 18 Fun and Creative Ideas for Old Socks:

1. Dust Cloths – No need to buy expensive microfiber dusting cloths when an old sock works just as well. Better yet, it’s a perfect way to get your kids to help out with the chores around the house.  Just put some socks on their hands and put them to work dusting!  The best thing is you can throw them in the wash for easy clean up.
2. Hard-to-Reach Cleaning Stick – On the dusting note, you can use a ruler or yard stick and slip a sock over one end. Secure it with a rubber band and you’re in business.  This handy tool can clean under stoves and refrigerator.  Or ceiling fans!
3. Vacuum Tool – Another great cleaning tip is to slip a sock on the end of a vacuum hose. Attach a rubber band to keep it in place.  This works great for picking up dropped items like screws, bolts or thumb tacks.
4. Garden Soap – Slide a bar of soap into the bottom of an old sock. Tie a knot to keep the soap in place.  Tie the long end to a garden faucet.  Now you have easy soap and water for washing your hands out in the garden.
5. Windshield Wiper Covers – Hopefully, the snow and ice are a long way off, but you can be ready for when Old Man Winter reappears. Keep a pair of old socks in your glove box.  Whenever you’re parked outside and the forecast calls for ice or frost, slip the socks over your windshield wipers.  It will keep the ice off the wipers and you’ll have an easier time getting your car ready to drive.
6. Packing Materials – You can use your old socks to help pack breakables for a move. They work well for drinking glasses by putting a glass inside the sock and stuffing the excess inside the glass.
7. Potpourri Bundle – Stuff potpourri inside a sock and secure with a rubber band. They can be used in your drawers to keep your clothes smelling fresh or put them inside stinky shoes when not wearing them.
8. Crafts for Kids and Adults – The possibilities are endless here. They make great sock puppets, for one.  Pinterest is chalk full of great ideas for sock crafting.
9. First Aid Pack – Slide an ice pack inside a sock. This will make using an ice pack on sore muscles or bruises more comfortable.
10. Hot Pack – Fill an old sock with dried beans or rice and tie the end. Microwave for 30 seconds and use on sore muscles for pain relief.
11. Hair Curlers – I remember doing this as a little girl! Roll your damp hair up in old socks and tie them in a knot to secure.  After your hair dries, you’ll have a head full of beautiful curls.
12. Hair Ponytail Bands – Cut across the sock to make a ring of fabric. Each sock will make several fabric hair bands.
13. Ball Storage – Use old socks to store golf or tennis balls. They can be tied to your golf or tennis bag for easy access.
14. Golf Club Covers – Slip a sock over your golf clubs to keep them protected during travel.
15. Cat Nip Toy – Fill an old sock with catnip, secure with a rubber band and let your cats go wild!
16. Dog Tug o’War Toy – Tie knots in a sock and you instantly have hours of entertainment for you dog. Just let him grab on and pull!
17. Pet Leg Warmers – Keep some socks around for next winter. Slip them on your dog’s feet for walking your dog in the snow and ice.  They also keep dogs’ and cats’ legs warm inside if your house is a little drafty.
18. Bird Feeders – Cut a sock in half so that it makes one long piece of fabric. Sew the end together in a hammock shape and fill with birdseed.  Hang it from a tree in your yard and watch the birds flock to it.

Do you have any other ideas for old socks?  We encourage you to clear out your drawers and get creative.  In the meantime, it’s the perfect time to stock up for next fall with your SmartKnitKIDS socks.  We’re running a three-day sale – 20% off all SmartKnitKIDS and BigKids socks.  Use coupon code Kickoff20.  Sale ends Friday, May 29th at 11:59 p.m. CDT.