How to Keep Breakfast Interesting

Photo by Celeste Lidell

Breakfast is a big deal for us. We get up early and are active from the first minute, so we need solid fuel to keep the engine running. But having the same ol' cereal for breakfast can get boring pretty quickly, not to mention unhealthy. That's why I included breakfast in our meal planning schedule, and it's a different breakfast each day of the week.

When you plan what, doesn't really matter. But to keep it simple and save time, you can stick to the same plan for each week. That way you can also alternate between high protein and high fiber breakfast meals.

Our schedule is as follows:

Monday: pancakes
Tuesday: oatmeal
Wednesday: toast & eggs
Thursday: crepes
Friday: cold cereal/muesli
Saturday: French toast
Sunday: yogurt & fruit

When you make crepes & pancakes often, it become a routine and goes much faster than the first time around. I usually put at least half whole wheat flour for each of those.  By the way, making crepes is simpler than making pancakes.

Keep your breakfasts diverse by adding small little extra's to your regular meals. Pancakes become an extra nice treat if you add a fruit, or chocolate chips. I'll have more tips on how to spice up your oatmeal in a future post!

If you're short on time and need some quick options for breakfast: check out my post on 5-minute breakfast options.

Do you eat breakfast? Or skip on it altogether? What's your favorite breakfast food?

My 5 Best Time & Money Saver Tips for Future Parents

Breastfeeding in public: always ready and always free!

Alright, so after 6 months with a baby, I feel that I've learned quite a bit about what helps to save time and worry. These are tips I either heard, or wish I had heard, before having our little girl.

1. Breastfeed!
   If you can, of course. I know a lot of women who've tried and where it didn't work out. But if you're still on the fence and there's no physical or practical impediment you can't work around, go for it! It will save you lots of time and money! And it's pretty much hassle free.
2. Diaper bag ready to go.
   It's been really handy having a diaper bag ready at all times. There's wipes, a few diapers, some burp cloths, a change of clothes and some plastic bags to take dirty clothes home. I just toss in a few of her favorite toys before we leave the house and I'm good to go. No need to worry about forgetting anything.
3. Use a baby carrier.
   It's extremely handy to have your baby with you at all times so you don't have to worry about not hearing him/her cry or whether or not they're still breathing. Baby loves it too, by the way.
4. Shop online.
   Supplies like diapers and wipes I buy online and have delivered to the door instead of going out for them. I buy disposable diapers for going out and use cloth ones at home. I use www.diapers.com.
5. Buy used gear/clothes/etc.
   So much cheaper and you're sure to get stuff that stands the test of time and the test of baby-gums! I actually asked people for used stuff as birth gifts as well and got some incredibly useful and unique items. 

I'll blog about some of these issues again, I'm sure, but for now that's what I want to leave you with. If there's anyone out there who might be interested in this advice, feel free to steer them this way.

If you have advice to offer on the subject, as I'm sure all Mom's out there do, share share share!

Getting Stuff Done With a New Baby

Using the tri-cotti carrier

Hello my old friend. After 6 months this blog is like a glimpse of what life was like pre-baby. By now we've been parents for exactly half a year (today our daughter is six months old) and nobody could have predicted how different life would be.

This blog will undoubtedly reflect our new life with lots of tips for parents with babies and young children, but those of you who don't have any offspring or who's chicks have matured into full-fledged birds won't go without either. Many of the posts will cater to both, so stick with me. Plus, in case you're ever called upon to babysit, you'll know where to look!

Clearly, finding time to do pretty much anything has become quite difficult. It only took me half a year to find a moment to write this post. But there are some tricks to finding spare time when you have a baby that I've been able to try out myself. Feel free to add your own in the comments! I can ALWAYS use an extra couple of minutes!!!

1.   Tip number one: Don't have kids! The only way not to have children take over your life is not to have any. I used to imagine long hours of writing while baby took her naps. Hahahaha! I imagine all those people who already have children must have found it hard not to laugh at my naive image.
   
2. Nap first! As a new mom I've felt pretty much tired every single day since the day baby was born. And I know I'm not the only one. Trying to get stuff done while you're tired is like drying off under a running shower: It never ends. Sleep is essential to your physical health, mental health and, not in the least, your relationships! And a rested mommy is worth ten tired ones!
   
3. Use baby's nap time. When our little girl's asleep, we try to get as much done as possible before she wakes up again. That doesn't mean we'll finish it all, but it's a start!
   
4. Carry baby around. I use a babylonia bb-sling to carry baby on my hip while I hang up laundry, chop veggies, vacuum the house. And Daddy uses it just as much! Baby is entertained and learns a great deal at the same time.
   
5. Chillax! Don't worry about the stuff that doesn't get done, it'll end up stressing you out every single moment of the day.

Life may be completely different with a new baby, but you will find a new normal. Keep in mind as well that most children do eventually grow up to become independent beings. By the time they turn 15, you'll be fighting to spend time WITH them instead of on your own.

Take Time to Set Up

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I love to do a whole range of different activities. I enjoy writing, crafts, reading, playing board games, to only name a few. Each activity comes with its own set of necessary tools, and the tip I want to give today is one that will save you time whatever it is you need to do or enjoy doing.
One of the most important things for me when it comes to a task, is getting a proper start. I don't want to start making dinner only to have to head out for onions 10 minutes later. I don't like to start ironing only to find I forgot to get water. You get the idea.

So how do we avoid this? You make sure to take the time to set up properly. It only takes a couple of minutes (provided you don't have to run out to buy onions), but saves you lots more time and will make you much happier.

When you think of the activity you want to do, try to mentally run through the different steps in your mind. With each step, try to see in your mind what you're using and get that ready. If there are a whole lot of steps, take time to write down a list of what you need now so you can always refer back to it later.

It also helps to keep your materials together. If you enjoy knitting (like I do), don't keep your yarn in one room and needles in the other. Make sure you have it packed together so you can just take out the whole package at a time. 
It can help to keep a bottle of water next to your iron board, keep your cleaning materials together, your pencils and erasers. Organization is key here. 

BUT don't make the mistake of always taking out ALL the materials that are kept in one place. You don't need a meat cleaver to slice tomatoes. You don't need a head set to write an email. 

Getting your stuff ready ahead of time especially matters in activities like cooking, baking or painting, where your hands get too dirty to start rummaging around for stuff once you've gotten yourself all messy.
Are you someone who takes time to set up everything or do you find yourself running back and forth for the first fifteen minutes?
Feel free to comment below!

Hire Someone Else - Trade Jobs

Picture by Iain Farrell

There are some tasks which are more suited to some people than to others. I actually know people who enjoy cleaning, and I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't mind ironing. But I'm sure there's plenty of things that you don't really like to do. How about hiring someone else to do them for you?

When I say 'hire' someone, I don't necessarily mean paying someone else to do your chores for you. You could also trade tasks with another member of your household or a neighbor.
Do you know that your neighbor or friend really loves gardening but hates cooking? How about trading responsibilities and asking them to help you out in return for a home-cooked meal?

If you have no one to trade with, and can afford it; consider actually paying someone to do those things for you you don't enjoy.
My mom recently hired a cleaning lady and really loves it. It has helped her free up time for things she enjoys doing. I once worked for a place that does people's laundry for them (I helped with the ironing, naturally.)I have a friend in China who pays a student to help her out with errands, and loves how much trouble it saves her.

Thinking that spending an hours wages on an hours pay is not a good use of your money only makes sense if you don't enjoy your job. If you do, wouldn't you rather trade one hour at a job you enjoy for the hour of chores that you hate?

Do you employ anyone or use a service to help you out with stuff? Do you ever regret the money you spend on it? How about chores in your house?

Worth Every Minute: Productivity

I know many of you are looking for ways to become more productive. In the past, many of the posts have been about habits to become more productive, and today I want to share somebody else's take on the issue.

The post I want to share today is one about habits that are unproductive that we could let go of. It's interesting to take a look at these common activities and review them in the light of their effectiveness.

Even though the English in this post is not perfect, it's worth reading for the excellent advice it gives. For a long list, it's also pretty concise, so don't worry about having to spend too much time.
Let me know what you think! Or if there's anything else you would add to that list.

17 Unproductive Habits to Let Go by Timo Kiander on LifeOptimizer.org.

Have a little more time and want to see what else is worth reading/watching. Have a look at the other posts in the Worth Every Minute series.

Tape Your TV-Shows

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I hate commercials! I absolutely detest them. Okay, there are some which are mildly amusing, but only for the first 10 times you see them. After that they just get annoying.
I also really don't like how they take up so much of your time. Ever tried to time how much of a show/movie's time slot is taken up by advertising? Of course, without ads there wouldn't be any television, but let others spend their time watching it and save yours!

To be honest, we don't watch ads at all anymore. We watch TV shows on the Internet, where you can watch lots of them for free on websites like Hulu. Or we rent them on DVD. I don't miss it one bit.

So what's my advice for today? Instead of watching a show the very day it's on television, tape it and watch it the day after (or whenever you feel like it). That way YOU are the one who decides when you spend your time on it, and you can fast-forward through the commercials.
It's also quite likely that you'll watch less TV if you record the shows, because you'll be thinking about what is actually worth watching instead of just popping on the couch and flipping through the channels. Watching TV used to take up quite a big part of my life, and I couldn't believe the change after getting rid of it. 

Want to read more? I wrote previously on turning your TV off and on donating your TV to charity.
Do you watch a lot of TV? Do you stay home to watch your favorite shows or prefer to tape them?

5 Tasks that Take More Time than You Think

Instant Noodles (source)

We're notoriously bad at gauging time. If you've been with this blog for a while, maybe you remember the post I wrote about Time: a User's Guide by Stefan Klein. You can read the post here if you haven't yet.

We overestimate and underestimate how long something takes all the time. When we overestimate we end up with extra free time we didn't expect, which is nice, or put something of we could've done, which is not so nice. But when we think a task is much shorter than it really is in reality, we can end up planning too much and stretching ourselves too thin.
To avoid that, have a look at these 5 common activities that may take more time than you think. Next time you do one of them, try to time or pay attention to how long you spend on them to get a more realistic idea.

1. Getting ready, whether it's in the morning, to leave work or to go out, always takes time. My hubby and I often find ourselves rushing out the door because we turned off the computer at 7:15, which is also when we have to leave. Gathering your stuff, putting on coats and shoes and checking you got the keys are all tiny time-consumers not to be forgotten!
   
2. Checking e-mails (or online networks) is an activity that can take anywhere from 3 seconds to 3 hours. It all depends on where you let the e-mails take you. If you're going to click through links and check out stuff online, you're on the dangerous path to losing track. Instead, try to focus on responding to important personal/business e-mails before diving into newsletters and notifications.
   
3. 'Preparing instant food' is a deceiving name for an activity that is usually anything but instant. It takes time to get stuff together and unwrap/put in bowl/heat up/or whatever else you have to do to prepare your meal. I've found very little difference between heating up instant stuff and making a salad in the amount of time it takes me to get the food on the table.
   
4. Shopping without a list is dangerous. Not only will you undoubtedly spend much more than you planned and buy lots of stuff you don't really need, you'll also need more time as you remember things in random order and find yourself running back to the produce section 5 times in one trip. Use a grocery list instead!
   
5. When it comes to dealing with people there are no quick fixes. Whenever you need to discuss something with another person, make sure you have set out enough time to do it. Relationships don't benefit from being rushed, so show your love and respect for those around you by not underestimating the time it takes to communicate with them.

Time is precious and knowing how much time you need to spend on anything can be the difference between feeling frustrated and rushed or feeling calm and in control. Do you find yourself often losing track of time? Or do you notice that the time you've taken out to do some thing just doesn't suffice?

The "Right Time" Will Never Come

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There is no such thing. The 'right time' does not exist. Sure, you may have had those moments where everything just clicked: the work went great, you felt like you were exactly where you were meant to be, everything just happened naturally. But I bet your own mind played into it much more than you realise.

Waiting around for the right time can be a great excuse to procrastinate when you don't feel like starting a task. The typical movie-example is of a character waiting for the right time to tell the truth, which of course always backfires because by that time, that character's already been lying for so long it doesn't really matter anymore.

The idea that a single moment is better than a whole lot of other ones, and that we should instinctively be aware of this one moment, is a useless and paralyzing notion. Waiting around is a waste of time. The only time we ever have is NOW. We don't have yesterday anymore, that time has come and gone. We don't have tomorrow, that time will be ours later (or may not be, you never know) and it can never be ours this very moment. So the only time you ever have to do anything is right now. 
That makes right now the only right time you will ever have.

Are you postponing an important task? An annoying chore? A vital decision? Don't wait around for any other time but now. Make the most of the present moment and use it to the best of your ability. 

And that's my cue to get up and get to that pile of clothes to iron that's been waiting for me to decide the time is right.

Mind-map It in 5 Minutes

As a teacher of writing, I'm often confronted with students who are full of good ideas but just can't seem to get them down on paper properly. Usually they just start writing an essay from the top, and the reader has to dive into a stream-of-consciousness-like monologue that ends somewhere totally unexpected. Since college professors and test center examinators usually don't have much time to appreciate students' writing artistically, it's my job to hand some tools to these students for writing more effectively, more goal-oriented and overall much faster.
One of the things I teach them is to start with brainstorming and writing down all their ideas as quickly as possible. The easiest way to do this? Make a mind map.

The first one to ever introduce the concept of mind maps to me was a professor at Ghent University (Professor Martin Valcke, for those who know him). He taught about the science behind instruction, the different techniques, systems, different ways of testing, and so on. 
He also taught us, and showed us, the value of mind maps. 

To make a mind map, start with the most important concept or idea which you put in the middle of your page. Then, by association, link other ideas and concepts to it, and then again do the same for those new ideas. You'll end up with a system of nodes that will show you the relationship -and degree of importance of that relationship- of each concept to the other. The picture at the bottom shows you a very elaborate example of a mind map on time management.

Mind maps are a great, quick way to get your thoughts, ideas, plans or feelings down on paper and to create room in your mind so you can start using it more creatively instead of for storing information. It's a great learning tool as well! 

I'm just getting back into studying about mind maps and how to use my brain more effectively with the help of The Mind Map Book (Amazon link) by Tony (and Barry) Buzan. It's a fascinating read!

Picture by Jean-Louis Zimmerman

5 Ways to Cut Back Facebook Time

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I've betrayed myself. Only months after I wrote this post on how and why to quit facebook, I went back. Now, since this is my blog, I have exclusive justification rights which I plan to exploit to the fullest! You may call me a hypocrite in the comments below, but up here, I'm the only one talking.

All kidding aside, I do have (good) reasons for returning to facebook. One is that I have awful friends who don't know how to keep an email conversation going beyond 3 emails. The other is that I am pretty much the same. Other reasons include all those pictures I didn't get to see of my friends and family: Kids growing up. great places to see, etc. And of course, facebook is a great (read: free) marketing tool for things like, um, this blog?

Still, my reasons for quitting in the first place haven't changed. I'm still worried about spending too much time on there instead of doing stuff that'll matter in the end, so I've thought of some ways to keep myself from spending too much time getting lost on the profiles of friends-of-friends I hardly know.

1. Unsubscribe from e-mail notifications.
   It's much easier to stay away from a website if there's nothing that's drawing you back there. One of the things that gets me on a website (facebook, couchsurfing, blogger) is when I get emails that alert me to some kind of change. I've now unsubscribed from every single notification on the website, and now only log on when I feel like it.
2. Limit the flow of information.
   There is more information floating around on facebook (or the web for that matter) than what we possibly could or would ever want to process. Use those little arrows that let you unsubscribe from the stuff you don't really care about. Lots of facebook contacts are acquaintances of mine. It's nice to know when something important happens, but I really don't need to know what each one had for breakfast.
3. Set a specific time.
   Control yourself by setting a limited time on which you will look around facebook stuff. I suggest doing this for most activities because it will make you more focused and involved with the activity at hand. A limited time means that the time you spend on your activity becomes more valuable. You can use the tool I mentioned in this post to help you.
4. Set priorities.
   If you know what you want to see, who you want to get in touch with, what you want to do; then you'll be able to focus on that one thing and do it quickly and efficiently. Don't just 'go on facebook', do something specific like 'looking at friends' holiday pictures', 'updating your status' or 'sending a birthday message'.
5. Quit the games!
   No further explanation needed, I'm sure. When I quit it was the height of Farmville. I see that has come and gone to make room for other, similar stuff.   

A great way to motivate yourself is to track how much time you spend on facebook for a week, and see which other goals you would be able to accomplish within that time (or part of that time).

Five 5-Minute Breakfast Options

French Toast by Annie Mole

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you start off with a good breakfast, it gets your metabolism going and can provide energy for the morning ahead of you, preventing you from reaching for snacks before lunchtime. We eat a big breakfast every day, with two eggs, a piece of fruit, and a slice of bread with cheese. But from time to time we like to change it up a little and eat something different.
These following breakfast menus all take about 5 minutes to prepare.

1. Scrambled eggs with toast. Beat the eggs with a bit of milk, melt some butter in the pan, and keep stirring the eggs while they cook. Finished in no time!
   
2. French toast. Again, beat an egg with some milk, dip both sides of a slice of bread in the mix, and fry the eggy bread in some butter. Tastes great with jam! French toast is a great way to re-purpose stale bread.
   
3. Smoothies. In for a light breakfast? Put some frozen berries and a banana in the blender with some yogurt. Easy and fast!
   
4. Granola and yogurt. Cereals are easy but often a high-sugar/low-nutrient option. Go for a cereal without added sugar (granola can be made with only honey). It's even better if you take out some time to make your own muesli. Make sure you mix in some nuts so you feel full longer. Eat with milk or yogurt.
   
5. Ham & Cheese sandwich. Get some cheese and ham, slice some cucumber and tomatoes to go with it. Put it all between two slices of whole-wheat bread and voila! No need for mayo, tastes great without it. 

Now there's no excuse for not preparing breakfast for your family. It only takes a couple of minutes. Try to make sure you get a bit of protein (not included in option 3) too, so you'll feel full longer. And keep in mind that if you eat vegetables and fruit now, you've already taken a first step toward those 5 servings per day!

Worth Every Minute

On Wednesday,  I traditionally share an article from another blog or website. This time, it's about decluttering, for a change. It's a post from SimpleProductivityBlog.com, a website I've posted on before (see here), and that I love catching up on from time to time.

The post explains how to declutter quickly, without having to waste too much time on it. They give you ideas on what you can clean up if you only have 5, 10 or 15 minutes to spare. All of these suggestions can come in handy, and I should probably just all do them in a series of small, quick tasks. But just in case you really only have a quarter of an hour to spare, you can just pick out one or two.

5, 10 and 15 Minute Decluttering by LJ Earnest on SimpleProductivityBlog.com

Have fun decluttering!

5 Reasons To Check the Weather Forecast

Storm over by Monday night

We've got a typhoon heading our way! By the time it reaches us, it won't be a more than a big storm, but still big enough to require some preparation (close windows, put screens up, etc). And how did I find out about it? We invited our boss out to dinner, and he said he'd have to wait and see what the typhoon did. I had to ask whether I heard him correctly. But sure thing, when I checked the weather report, it had the words 'typhoon' in bright red letters underneath.

Weather reports are one of those things we take for granted. Perhaps, we have forgotten how great they really are. 
It only takes you a couple of minutes to check a website that has the weather forecast. There's plenty of good ones available now. And what are the advantages? To name a few:

1. Save money. You don't have to buy another umbrella cause you made sure to bring your own when you saw the chance of rain. 
2. Be comfortable. You packed an extra sweater for that chilly weather on your holiday destination.
3. Plan ahead. You stocked up on groceries, so you don't have to run out in the snow.
4. Adapt. You postponed the BBQ, or got a tent, so your meat doesn't get soaked.
5. Warn others. Your neighbors, family and friends are eternally grateful to you for providing them with this excellent information! (Thanks boss!)

Are you a weather-forecast-checker or an I'll-take-it-as-it-comes kinda person? Have you ever wished you had checked the weather report, but didn't? Do you feel worse for knowing bad weather is heading your way?

I love to hear your comments (anyone still there?) and you can rate the posts below as well! Let me know which ones are your favorites.

Stop-Checking-Stats Challenge

This is for all you fellow bloggers and website owners out there. Something you have told yourself endless amounts of times, I'm sure, but something that keeps creeping up again and again. How do I know? That's pretty much how it works for me, and I'm nothing out of the ordinary.

Stats are the underestimated drug of the blogger. And yes, it's a drug. Stats are addicting, and bad for your health (mental health, mostly). They have yet to contribute to anyone's life. Okay, I'll give in a little. Stats have helped me on one account: I found out where most of my readers are based, so I can sometimes adapt my links to where most of you guys are at. But I could probably have guessed that anyways. 50% from Belgium ... where almost all my family and friends live.
So I'm going to quit. Cold Turkey. Who's with me?

I'm not a masochist, so I won't cut out ALL stat-checking forever. But I'm taking a big step: I am now allowed to check my stats once a week, on Sunday morning. 

How do you keep yourself from checking stats? If possible, block the pages you go to. If that's impossible (because even though you're a fervent blogger, you have no idea how to actually DO stuff on the internet (yes, that was a confession)), think of a punishment you can give yourself for every time you check stats when you weren't supposed to. I'm going to make myself wash dishes. Something I utterly despise. 
Alternatively, you can also reward yourself for not checking your stats all day. Like making your hubby do the dishes. Chocolate works too. DO NOT reward yourself by checking stats! 

So, are you in or out? Is this a problem for you or not at all? Am I completely neurotic for having a stat-checking issue? If so, be gentle in your comments! 

MWH Stats for all to see

Worth Every Minute

Wednesday is the time for me to share some of the great stuff out there on the web. You can find the whole series of Worth Every Minute here.

It's summer time, and for many of us (including me) that means the reading rate goes up. I have a lot of family and friends whose idea of a relaxing time is reading a book in a park somewhere. It's how my sister and I spent half our time in Beijing last week.

I love reading, and I always want to read more. That is, I want to have already read more. There are so many books I want to experience, and so little time I have to read them. Summers are great for reading, but also for drinking cocktails, playing frisbee and having BBQ's. I can increase the time spent on reading, but I'd like to do the other stuff too. Are you the same?

One of the things that can help, is trying to increase your reading speed. Don't worry, you don't have to race through your books like a maniac, but a few little tricks can set you on the way to reading faster and reading more.

You can get some great tips in the following article from Lifehack.org:

7 Speed Reading Tricks by a Former Book-Hater by Karol Krol

Have fun reading!
Let me know what books you guys are into, I'd love to exchange ideas.

I recently finished The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry and thought it was pretty great. Difficult to put down.
Also read Elizabeth Gilbert's Commited and learned a lot about marriage. Very insightful!
Both books make excellent holiday reading!

PS. Today is my hubby's 25th Birthday ... so Happy Birthday honey!

MWH Travel Tips: 10 - Your Suitcase is Your Home

Picture by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

Your backpack or suitcase, or whatever you use to carry your stuff around, is your home for the time being. It carries all your belongings, and you should treat it with the same care and respect you would treat your home. Why does it matter? It makes your travel experience much nicer!

We've all rummaged through our suitcases at one point or another, looking for something we know is there ... somewhere. And when you can't immediately find it, you get worried. "Did I leave it somewhere? Did I forget to pack it? Did it get stolen?"

Apart from feeling anxiety, doing all this searching also takes up time that could be spent better, especially on a trip!

When you're packing your bag, try to not only think of how to stuff as much as possible in as little space as possible, but also of how you stuff it. Keep clothes of a similar nature together. Find a logical and safe spot for electronics (chargers, laptop) and books. 
And when you need to repack the next time you move? Do it the same way. That way you're sure everything will fit in as well. 


Take care of the things in your bag. Just because you're traveling, you don't need to scrunch up your clothes and stuff them in a corner. You can still fold them and place them neatly in the suitcase. Even for backpacks this is possible (I do it all the time).

This makes packing and repacking your bag each time, a breeze. You develop a system that reduces the time you spend packing to a couple of minutes each time. Totally worth the lack of anxiety over forgetting stuff!

Structure is something we tend to lose along the way, but it can be just the thing you need to keep it all together when traveling. It provides safety and stability in an otherwise unpredictable and uncontrollable environment.

Do you have a system for packing? Does it last throughout the trip? Or does your suitcase look like a messy attic instead of a neat closet by the time you get home?

MWH Travel Tips: 8 - Do It While You Can

Picture by Dani Lurie

When you're traveling, there's no real knowing where you might end up or what's going to come next, so I want to advise you to use every opportunity you may get.
The most important example? Using the bathroom!

When you're traveling in developing countries, hygiene is a constant worry. Thus, finding a clean bathroom while traveling in South China, is an opportunity not to be wasted. Just go! Even if you don't feel like it.
But the same goes for other things you may find now but not later. See water for a good price? Buy an extra bottle. See some fruit? Get it now. Use a nice spot to sit down and relax, even if you're not that tired yet. You don't know when the next one will come up.

But mostly the bathroom thing!

 We are often so used to waiting until we get back to a comfortable, familiar place to do certain things, that we don't take advantage of finding such a place when traveling. "Just keep an eye out for them," is all I'm saying.

MWH Travel Tips: 4 - Wash Along the Way

Picture by Phillip Collier

This is a tip I got from my mother on our last trip together. We traveled through China as well, and hiked for part of the trip. Because we were moving around so much and had to walk carrying our bags quite often, it was key that we packed lightly.

One of the ways my mom could limit the amount of clothes she brought with her, was by showering in them.

When you take your evening (or afternoon) shower, take the clothes you're wearing, the ones that are dirty, in the shower with you. While you wash, also rub some body soap or shampoo (great for stains coming from greasy skin and sweat) into the clothes. Make sure you rinse them out with very hot water and roll them up in a towel after you finish wringing them out. 


You can leave your clothes to dry in the hotel room/tent/hostel. Wherever you are, I'm sure there's a spot available somewhere. 
Once dry, you can either wear them again, or store them away until you get home. They'll stay cleaner and you can avoid nasty smells. 

I don't suggest doing this instead of a regular washing cycle on your machine, but it's sufficient for traveling when you need to pack lightly.

As an added tip: Rubbing your knuckles together is a great way to imitate an old fashion wash board for those difficult stains!

MWH Travel Tips: 2 - Packing Checklist

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Today, my hubby, my sister and me left on our two-week trip here in China. We didn't forget anything! How? Because of a great packing checklist.

When packing my bags for a trip or traveling, I usually make a checklist. Not a very long one, just something for me to go over to make sure I have all the necessities. It does help you not to forget some things, although you may just forget putting them on the checklist, and then it doesn't really do you any good.

So while I'm making the checklist, I try to mentally go through a day on the holiday, from the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to sleep. I imagine what I'm wearing, carrying and doing at those times. It helps me keep in mind what I need at each moment, and write that on the list. 

 Another great aid is the downloaded or on-line checklist. This is a good example. You can print them off and just add what you need. 

Stuff I would have forgotten but didn't because of doing this: cutlery set (useful in China), chargers for phones/Kindle, sunscreen, summer hat, band-aids, etc. We do quite a bit of hiking when possible, so there are a few things we need on trips that we normally don't use.

What's a must-have for you on trips? Anything you forget to pack on a regular basis? Feel free to warn others in the comments!