Travelling as a family of 7 is never easy, but Brent and I agree that it is a good idea to expose the kids to travel as much as possible. There is nothing better than the ear-to-ear grins and the contagious excitement that literally flows out of them as they come spinning down the waterslides here at Wisconsin Dells Wilderness Lodge.

I chose this place for the condo-type accommodations. I firmly believe that even after 2 or 3 days of vacations, we all need some space from each other. The standard hotel-room setup just won’t work for so many reasons, the main one being food.

I love the idea of having a kitchen where I can prepare meals for the kids. Dining out as a family just is not a sustainable option for a week long vacation. Besides the obvious price impact (I can healthily feed our team on a budget of $300-$400 per week, where trying to get 21 meals in restaurants would cost at least twice that!) it is really difficult to get everyone to sit still long enough to not cause tears, yelling, broken furniture and wasted food.

I must say, this kitchen setup, while good in concept, came rather understocked. So, I decided to make myself a travelling kitchen kit, filled with my essentials.

There is nothing – and I mean *nothing* – more frustrating than trying to cut with a dull or improper knife. Our family loves when I make the chopped salsa which means that I have to cut tomatoes, peppers, avocados, garlic and onion. Try doing that with a sucky knife. I bought these two and a cutting board and my happiness level increased dramatically.

Don’t you think it’s just awesome when you the timer on your hotel oven dings and the frantic search for a proper oven mitt ensues? No, me either. Grabbed these, and saved myself the “do you think I should try to use a bath towel to get the chicken out” debate.

Let’s just say things taste much better when they have the right quantity of ingredients in them. I’m not one of those eyeball each recipe and it always just works out sort of cooks. My food tastes great because I measure out everything and get it right.

Go ahead, try to get overeasy eggs off the hotel-provided pan without a spatula. If you love cleaning egg goo out of stove elements as much as I do, you’re going to want to make sure you have a heat-resistant spatula on hand.

I’m travelling with 5 children. Do I need to explain this one any further?

Since hotels don’t always leave everything as clean as I would like it, scrubbing sponges are a must.

Everything fits nicely into my stacking “Snapware” tote. Throw it in the back of the van, and we’re in business. My idea is that I’m going to leave it packed at all times and store it with the suitcases so it is ready to go at a moments notice. (self back pat) 🙂