{"id":18798,"date":"2011-12-01T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2011-12-01T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/real-life\/?p=18798"},"modified":"2011-12-01T08:00:58","modified_gmt":"2011-12-01T12:00:58","slug":"five-tips-for-successful-holiday-visits-when-yours-are-the-only-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/real-life\/five-tips-for-successful-holiday-visits-when-yours-are-the-only-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Tips for Successful Holiday Visits When Yours Are the Only Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest post from Kate who can be found blogging at\u00a0www.greenaroundtheedges.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Little People in Grown-Up Land:\u00a0Five Tips for Successful Holiday Visits When Yours Are the Only Kids<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you have kids, your brain switches forever into \u201cparent mode.\u201d\u00a0 You think nothing of talking about bodily functions at the dinner table, become completely used to navigating an ever-present obstacle course of children\u2019s toys in your living room, and begin to believe that everyone travels with a spare set of crayons in their purse.<\/p>\n

Not everyone lives this way.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

If you will be spending time this holiday season in the homes of people without children \u2013 be they friends or family \u2013 it\u2019s good to come prepared so that you, your kiddos, and your hosts all survive (and even enjoy) the visit!<\/p>\n

Strategize Before You Arrive<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re going to be staying in someone\u2019s home, don\u2019t be afraid to talk with them beforehand about how to make the trip go smoothly.\u00a0 Before arriving at my aunt\u2019s house for Thanksgiving this year with my newly-bipedal one-year-old, my aunt and I had a conversation about baby-proofing.\u00a0 We agreed that moving fragile items out of reach was a no-brainer, that outlet covers would be a quick and worthwhile safety precaution, and that baby latches on the cupboards in the kitchen were probably unnecessary.<\/p>\n

Having that conversation before we arrived meant that I didn\u2019t have to spend the weekend desperately grabbing knickknacks out of my son\u2019s hands and shooing him away from light sockets.<\/p>\n

If You Need Special Food, Bring It<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If your eight-year-old eats nothing but buttered noodles and vanilla yogurt , that\u2019s fine but you shouldn\u2019t expect your host to bend over backwards to accommodate your offspring\u2019s eating habits.<\/p>\n

Bring along a supply of favorite snacks and a few packages of Easy Mac and you\u2019ll be prepared if your host serves butternut squash soup with Brussels sprouts for dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, you\u2019ll want to talk about those in your strategy session \u2013 your hosts will feel bad if they accidently make something your family can\u2019t eat!<\/p>\n

Plan a Few Multi-Generational Activities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One good way to bridge the generational divide is to plan (and bring supplies for) an activity that appeals to any age.\u00a0 Decorating gingerbread houses is a great project that kids and grown-ups alike can embrace.\u00a0 The adults can practice constructing faux roof tiles from sliced gum drops while the younger set goes wild with the icing and the sprinkles.<\/p>\n

Allow for Grown-Up Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As insightful and witty as you find your three-year-old, it\u2019s good to keep in mind that if the rest of the holiday guests are adults, they\u2019re going to want some \u201cgrown up time.\u201d<\/p>\n

If your kids still take naps, keep that schedule in place.\u00a0 Or ask for directions to the nearest park and take your kids out for an hour to blow off some steam and let the uncles debate politics without censoring their language.<\/p>\n

Give Your Hosts Some Credit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At the end of the day, if you were invited to someone\u2019s house, it\u2019s because they want to spend time with you \u2013 and your family.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let worrying about your kids stress you out!\u00a0 \u00a0Spills can be cleaned, super glue can fix just about anything, and crayon really does wash off of walls.<\/p>\n

\n

Kate Snyder<\/strong> lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, two children, and a slightly deranged Labrador.\u00a0 She blogs at www.greenaroundtheedges.net<\/a>, pondering food, family, and hugging the occasional tree.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest post from Kate who can be found blogging at\u00a0www.greenaroundtheedges.net. Little People in Grown-Up Land:\u00a0Five Tips for Successful Holiday Visits When Yours Are the Only Kids Once you have kids, your brain switches forever into \u201cparent mode.\u201d\u00a0 You think nothing of talking about bodily functions at the dinner table, become completely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18798","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kids","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nFive Tips for Successful Holiday Visits When Yours Are the Only Kids - The Happy Housewife\u2122 :: Real Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/real-life\/five-tips-for-successful-holiday-visits-when-yours-are-the-only-kids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five Tips for Successful Holiday Visits When Yours Are the Only Kids - The Happy Housewife\u2122 :: Real Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following is a guest post from Kate who can be found blogging at\u00a0www.greenaroundtheedges.net. 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