one of the greatest things I ever did for my naturally-anxious self was create morning and evening routines based on things that made me feel my best.

it not only ensured things that were important to me were prioritized on a daily basis, but it also was incredibly grounding to start and end my days the exact same way. (especially as a mom of two littles - a lot of my day is out of my control, so knowing that both the beginning and the end of the day are relatively predictable brings me a lot of much-needed structure and consistency in this season.)

morning and evening routines are one of my favorite ways to take care of myself.

you deserve whatever you need to take care of yourself.

it happens. i get anxious, i get overwhelmed, I may even start to feel burnt out.

when these feelings creep up, I do six things. immediately.

six things to help me reset and recharge, but also six things that help me tune in to myself to see what I need.

We have road trips on the horizon! YAY!

And let me tell you something that works really, really well for us: road trip toys.

As in, we bring a big canvas bag of toys. Toys to play with at the destination, not in the car - just to be clear. (The car ride is another topic.)

Because yes, there’s so many fun things to do on our trips. But also, I need something familiar for KK to play with while we’re getting ready in the morning, or while we’re winding down at night, or while I’m making dinner with my road trip kitchen kit.

We have some upcoming road trips, and for each one we’re bringing our kitchen kit. Have you heard about these?

It’s basically a box, bag, or tote, of whatever tools you need to cook on the road.

Brilliant!

Because I don’t want to be reliant on restaurants and fast food - I want them to be a treat, not a necessity. Because I want the option of feeding my family what I want - which may mean making pasta for the kids while Brett runs out and grabs us some fancy take-out. Because I want to be able to easily cut up some fruit or make some eggs, without worrying what our cabin or vacation rental or extended stay hotel has for tools. And because the idea of eating out three meals a day for days on end makes my stomach hurt. And the idea of taking two small children to that many restaurants makes me want to just stay home altogether.

Plus, hungry toddlers (and adults) are the worst. I want to be able to have the option of making our own stuff when we need it.

Enter My Road Trip Kitchen Kit.

do these lists help lessen the mental load of running a household and a family? yes.

but do they also help me prioritize the things in my life that are most important to me? absolutely.

i use (and love!) Google Keep for my lists, but use whatever works best for you.