Looking to keep your kids happy while traveling? These seven things are musts when we’re staying at a hotel with kids. From things to clean up inevitable messes to things that will keep them occupied, this list will make sure you don’t forget the essentials.

“I’m boooooored,” she whines, while suffering through a few minutes of downtime on a vacation your wallet will be recovering from for months. Sound at all familiar? Not to be a terrible human, but I really hope so.

I’m convinced my kids would find a way to be bored at Disney World. A few minutes of rest and relaxation—which, let’s be honest, parents really need while vacationing with kids—and they seem to develop amnesia. They no longer remember all of the fun that has been packed into the day.

After a mini vacation with our girls, I’ve perfected a small list of absolutely must-have items that we couldn’t survive a hotel stay without. Sometimes we don’t need every last item, but the fact that they’re there is like a parental security blanket. I know I can pull them out if I need them and I’m a much less crazy-eyed mom because of it.

Tired of Father’s Day gift ideas that are all cuff links and grilling and alcohol? Me too, which is why I teamed up with Olivia of Atiliay (again) to come up with some super cute—super original—Father’s Day DIY gift ideas for kids to make for their dads.

I’ve been trying so hard to let go of the whole Pinterest-perfect mentality. You know what I mean, right? The idea that everything you do (or worse, everything your kids do) has to be flawless and worthy of all of the social media shares. It’s easy to get swept up in it, but I want to call bullshit. It’s way too much pressure. And for what?

When it comes to kids DIYs, they get pleasure out of the doing: getting their hands dirty and experimenting and putting their heart into something. But what fun is there in making something if mommy is hovering around trying to “fix” everything? Just take a deep breath and let them do their thing. It will mean more to everyone if you do.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to start off with an awesome base, which is what I did with each of these three ideas. Olivia was sweet enough to design a free printable for us based off of her sweet Father’s Day card.

Click here to have the files sent directly to your inbox!

I recently perfected the recipe for the best DIY body butter ever—the mother of all DIY body butters, if you will. Get your pinning finger ready, because you are definitely going to want to save this one for later!

I originally posted a recipe for a creamy, luxurious DIY body butter just in time for Mother’s Day back in 2013. It was pretty awesome, but it had one drawback: you had to refrigerate it in the warmer months to keep it from melting because it was coconut-oil based. Now, I love me some coconut oil so I was not about to eliminate it from the recipe. But I did find a way to make it hold on to its creaminess.

Today, I’m completely updating that post to give you an even better recipe that doesn’t require refrigeration and that makes the perfect budget-friendly gift for any lady in your life (yourself included) who might need a little pampering.

My daughters, who are experts in the art of papering, are obsessed with this stuff and have been slathering it all over themselves ever since I made it. Note to self: double the recipe next time and stash some where they can’t find it! 😉

Sometimes when I’m reading a book to one of my girls, a line will pop out at me that sort of blows my mind. It’s so honest and so to the point and something adults so desperately need to hear and to remember—and yet it’s tucked away quietly in the pages of a kid’s book, where no one is likely to go out in search of it.

But children’s books are often little treasure troves of truth. Everything is broken down so simply, which is something adults generally have a hard time doing. We think and rethink and then overthink some more. But sometimes—most of the time?—it’s much easier than that.

I collected five of my favorite quotes from children’s literature that can serve as reminders to grown-ups and kids alike. If you like them, you can sign up to have them sent directly to your inbox where you can print them out to hang around the house. Otherwise, pin them for later when you can use a pick me up. 

Samantha is pretty opinionated (that actually might be the understatement of the millennium). She is very specific about her likes and dislikes, which makes something like finding valentines that suit her a little tricky. She likes things that are cute, but at the same time she has no interest in giving any of the boys in her class something lovey dovey that might give them the wrong idea (because, ew).