Key to Packing for a Large Family

Traveling with a large family can be intense to say the least. Heck getting to any function as a complete family can be a major ordeal when there're more than two folks involved. But it's not like we can just hibernate at home, so it's imperative we learn to handle those tiny little details like PACKING!

I'm a huge fan of gleaning from those who've come before me and even those who 'walk beside me'. we've got to help each other out on this crazy journey of life. I can't tell y'all how many times I've told someone to PLEASE make me 'wise' on any given topic, especially in regards to large family life. Which is why today I'm going to share one of my favorite tips for packing for a large family!

I love to travel, but traveling with a bunch of kiddos in tow can kind of put a 'monkey wrench' into the 'fun' business of traveling. Let's face it children have STUFF and the more children you travel with, the more you have to bring, especially with the under three age bracket. Then the other caveat to traveling with children is WHERE TO PUT ALL THAT STUFF they have to bring when you're on the road!?!?

I don't know about y'all but there is only so much room in our 15 passenger van, and most of it is used for actual people. We do not currently have an enclosed trailer or a towing package on our big van so all we've got for stowing space is what's inside the van. That means a LOT of creativity has to happen to get all our stuff into our van! Thankfully, we've had years of practice and plenty of folks have been kind enough to share their amazing advice on how to travel with a bunch of children. 

When it comes to packing clothes and other 'soft' items like blankets, diapers, and the like, we utilize packing cubes. Y'all these are the best kept secret to packing and traveling ~ PERIOD!! I have purchased several different brands over the years to see which ones I like the best, but honestly they each serve their own purpose and I like them all!

Before I invested in packing cubes, each child would have their own duffle, backpack, or suitcase (with plenty of wasted space). But now, ALL of the children get two packing cubes of different sizes and everyone's little cubes go into the same suitcase. Wahlah now we've freed up TONS of space and everyone has their own mini suitcases. When we get to our destination, I simply pass out everyone's packing cubes to take to their own personal space ~ BONUS** mama doesn't have to deal with daily sorting clothes and personal belongings. All their stuff is already sorted!

Now I know many have told me that they do a similar system with large plastic baggies, which is awesome too. But trust me when I say the packing cubes take that system to whole new level. Why? Because the packing cubes are sturdy, they have handles, and zippers and I just find they work a thousand times better than baggies.

This is our big suitcase filled with a weeks worth of clothes for eight of our children.

The Shacke Pak is my favorite packing cube that I've tried. It holds it's shape very well, making it easy for my children to pack and carry. The only downside would be for those who are traveling by plane and may be concerned about weight. These are not the lightest packing cubes we've purchased.

My next favorite packing cube is the Pro Packing Cube for Travel. They are extremely lightweight and stuffable. They can be a little tedious to 'stuff' because the fabric is so lightweight, but I do like them and would purchase more ~ they're more of an 'adult' packing cube.

Last I purchased these Amazon Basics travel organizers. I bought these in the size you see pictured. (They sell different sizes) I needed some smaller ones for underclothes. Typically the children get a medium packing cube for their day clothes and then a small packing cube for their underclothes and nightclothes. I do like these packing cubes and I would put them in between the Shacke Pak and the Pro Packing cubes in regards to quality and durability. I have had no issues with them, they're just not my favorite.

Trust me y'all packing cubes are a life saver when it comes to streamlining the whole travel process for a large family. Actually, I love packing cubes so much that when my husband and I go on overnight trips I use them then too. And I've even started using packing cubes in my diaper bag ~ organization make me a happy gal, lol! 

While it may take a little investment up front, to me, the packing cubes have been worth every penny and then some. After all the only way to stay 'ahead of the game' with a larger than normal sized family is organization. Otherwise we're just asking for unnecessary confusion and chaos. Anything which makes my life less crazy is well worth it in my book!

With Love & Hope,

Jennifer

Family Vacay to the Smokies

Taking family vacations has been something I've really tried to make an effort to do ~ even when it ins't easy financially or logistically. We went on one vacation after we were married, before children, but after that it just didn't happen for many years. Then one day I decided we were just going to have to figure out how to vacation, on a budget, with kids, AND make it a priority. And so began our 'every-other-year' vacations. Well, one year we actually went on two vacations and that was a blast, but it is not our norm!

Typically we rotate between the beach and the mountains, 

which works for us and allows our children to experience two different styles of vacations.

 Maybe one day we'll brach out and vacation to other locations too.

This year we were supposed to go to the beach, but due to reasons beyond our control that trip was canceled and so we decided to go to the Tennessee, Smoky Mountains. When we arrived the view did not disappoint. There's something so magical about seeing the 'smoke' on the mountains. 

Our first stop, before we even went to our cabin, was to visit the giant Smoky Mountain Knife Works store. It's a gigantic multi-level store with all kinds of tactical weapons and gear, even kitchen stuff (not sure how that fits in with the store's theme, but hey it keeps us women entertained while the men folk are all about the guns, knives, and swords, lol).

Our first full day on vacation we went on a hiking trip to Metcalf Bottoms and to the Little Green Briar school. (I'll be sharing more about that hiking adventure in another post.)

After hiking we took the children to buy new cowboy boots. But, since Lydia loves her Crocs so much we went to the local outlet store and bought her a pair of 'winter' crocs. I've never seen two little kids more excited than Lydia for her new Crocs and Titus for his new cowboy boots!

The next day we went walking the shops up in Gatlinburg. 

Y'all it was bitterly cold and we were NOT appropriately dressed, ugh!! 

Total mom fail!!

All through Gatlinburg there were these amazing pumpkin people set up. I took dozens of pictures of them with the kids, lol. Thankfully my children were good sports and even looked for the pumpkin people to strike a fun pose with them just to make mama happy! 

Like I said, my little treasures really enjoyed the pumpkin people, lol!

After walking the shops in Gatlinburg, we took the children to play putt-putt. 

The last day we were there we took the children to The Island where they have lots of shops and carnival type activities, as well as live bands. It's really a fun place to explore.

We took the babies to make a 'Build-a-Bear' while at The Island. They were so cute making their bears, ugh melt this mama's heart!! Lydia absolutely loves Precious the kitty and Titus is quite attached to Billy the bear. 😍

Two of our middle kiddos decided to do the giant and very scary obstacle course. 

Yeah, I think I was more scared than they were, perks of motherhood, I guess. 🙈

Joshua and Daddy went on the giant enclosed Ferris wheel also located at The Island. 

That pretty much wraps up our family vacation to the Smokies. My husband and I did do a little Christmas shopping at the outlet shops and then we took the children to eat out a couple of times (a rare treat reserved for vacations). We also did a lot of sleeping late and relaxing in our cabin which was a nice reprieve from our normal over-filled busy days.

In an effort to be genuine and authentic I must confess our family vacation was not without it's ups and downs. Trust me we had many 'hiccups' along the way. Regardless of those unfortunate situations, it was a lovely time to get away as a family. I've come to realize large family vacations are simply an excuse for drama and par for the course. Hopefully our children will realize, one day, that it was their parents earnest desire to create treasured family memories on these crazy, chaos-filled vacations we drag them on. 😊

With Love & Hope, 

Jennifer