Hey friends!! I hope you enjoyed VLOG #2!

Below are some pointers on how to offroad WELL with two toddlers!!

CAR ENTERTAINMENT: 

This is not our first rodeo when it comes to longer travel days, but it WAS our first longer car trip with both kids! Below are our family favorite car toys! When all else fails, listening to Raffi or a family favorite movie soundtrack can get you through the stir crazy moments! I also really suggest letting your kids get out and run around during gas station stops (zeke looks forward to racing us while filling up! haha) oh also did i mention snacks?? lots of snacks! 😉

• Water Wow! Water Reveal Pad : both of my kids love these!
• good ole fashion spiral blank paper and a cup of crayons!
• a gallon size ziploc of jumbo legos
• small backpack of current favorite toys to rotate and surprise them with throughout the trip
• a stack of hardback books that they are familiar with and can flip through on their own

MEAL PLANNING

okay guys I’m going to be honest I’m a 7 on the enneagram and am NOT good at thinking ahead, but my Dad was the meal planner for this trip and I’m so thankful we thought through meals before getting to the cabin! He shopped for the dry goods ahead of time, then when we got into Sedona we stopped first into the store and got everything we needed and split the groceries making this trip super affordable, and YUMMY! I would suggest if you are traveling with family split the bill, or divide up meal responsibilities so its not overwhelming! Also be sure to pack a few kid silverware, bibs, and sippy cups to make feeding the kids easy!

Our  Weekend Meal Plan:

• pancake breakfast (mix, eggs, milk, bacon, syrup, fruit)
• sandwich lunch (with apples, peanut M&Ms, can wine/beer for adults;)
• spaghetti dinner (prep morning of before hading out and simmer sauce in crock pot during the day, pasta, bag salad, bread & herb butter spread)
• break and bake cookies for dessert
• we also added in some extra fruit and some protein bars and trail mix to snack on while in the car

 

OFF ROADING TRAILS:

For you off roading junkies: get this book and you are welcome in advance 😉

 

The first day, we did the entire Schnebly Hill Road and ended it with watching Sunset from the overlook. IT WAS SO RAD!

The next day, we did two trails (Outlaw Trail, and Devil’s Bridge) and would get out and explore/hike along the way. It was BIG fun.

 

ACCOMODATION

With the ages of our kids, we decided to forgo camping and get an Air B&B cabin in Munds Park right outside of Sedona. It was perfect having a home base for the kids, and the cabin was super family friendly which the kids loved playing with toys and enjoyed the playground in the backyard! In the future we want to get a tent for our truck but honestly this time of the year it gets chilly but is also perfect for enjoying hikes and the outdoors in Arizona! You won’t regret that cabin life if you have littles!!!

 

 

There you go! The nitty gritty of our trip details- we had such an incredible trip getting away and into nature, connecting as a family, and enjoying all that Sedona has to offer! I was so surprised at how well the kids did and how much they loved “the bumpy monster truck rides”. I was sweating bullets wondering if the kids would enjoy the off roading experiences, especially since it meant they were in their carseats quite a bit- but I turned Everly’s seat forward so she could interact and they genuinely LOVED it!

We can’t wait to plan our next trip, and hope that this inspires YOUR family to take a trip of your own!

 

 

xx,