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By now you know that last month I headed off to Salt Lake City for my first ever blog conference. 
It was the first time I’d been away for more than a night since my second child had been born {and maybe only the third time ever since having kids} so I was a little nervous at how things were going to run at the house while I was gone.
Mathlete is an extremely involved parent and does a lot BUT there are things that he just isn’t use to thinking about when it comes to the kids and our house.  I wanted to make things as easy for him as possible so I did a few things as part of my travel preparations that I thought would help things run a little smoother while I was gone.  I wanted to share them with you in case you are thinking of taking trip soon but wondering how your family will function without you is giving you a little pause.

First: Make a schedule.
This may seem silly but it will be appreciated.  For each day, put who needs to be where and when along with important things to remember like “sally needs to wear red for spirit day.”

Second:  Stock-Up.

Mathlete doesn’t do much of the food or toiletry shopping so I made a trip to the store to ensure I had plenty of the kids’ favorite foods, snacks and, most importantly, paper goods!  

What a yucky day to do some shopping but I know the family will appreciate it!

I am pretty particular about my toilet paper and paper towels so I wanted to head off any emergency trips to the store by Mathlete which would result in a one-ply bargain brand purchase versus the selection of a brand I would normally by like Scott Brand. 

I made sure I picked up both toilet paper and paper towels along with the snacks I had in my cart.

Third: Consider entertainment.
When we go out to eat, I tend to the be the one who orders the kid food because Mathlete is usually getting the kids settled into their seats, entertained with whatever distraction we brought, etc.
So, I also provided a list of “what to order” at our favorite restaurants in case they wanted to go out.

When I bought my #ScottValues products, they came with a $4 Vudu coupon {redeemable here} that I included with the schedule so Mathlete would have a movie to watch while I was gone too!

Want to see more from my shopping trip or see more info on redeeming the Vudu coupon?  Visit my Google+ album for more information!

Lastly: Relax!  

I know that sounds crazy but, if you get super stressed about how your family is going to functions, so will they!  Food, toilet paper and paper towels are pretty much the main items they are going to need anyways and we already covered those 🙂

Have you traveled without the rest of the family for several days recently?  Do you have tips to share? What are you must have products to stock up on before leaving?