SPRING FAMILY MUST HAVES

Arrived, and not a moment too soon.

With the challenges of the past year or so, families are eager to get the most out of the beautiful weather, i know i am, and longer days, but first we need to tackle some to-dos.

Marisa brahney is here to help us get ourselves and family spring.

Ready.

Thanks for joining us, marisa.

Marisa brahney: thanks so much for having me, alex.

Great to be here.

Alex: awesome.

So tell me, what is your best advice for families as we usher in the spring season?

Marisa brahney: yeah, it feels like we've waited forever for this, so we've certainly earned it, and this is really the time to think ahead and make a plan so that you and your family can really make the most out of these next few months.

So it's the perfect time to plan and book that spring or summer getaway.

We know that this gives everyone something to look forward to.

You can use it as an incentive to check off that to-do list.

And did you know that studies show even planning a vacation actually leads to better health and happiness?

So that's a huge win.

Marisa brahney: now, road trips are sure to be all the rage again this year and wyndham hotels and resorts has thousands of hotels across 20 brands.

Places like days inn, super 8, la quinta, travelodge and howard johnson.

So this really gives your family a range of price-points.

They all have flexible cancellation policies, and of course there's enhanced health and safety protocols, which are so important, so that you can really book with confidence and peace of mind.

And alex, i have a little money-saving tip here.

It's actually member month.

So it's a great time to book with their award-winning loyalty program because you can actually earn a free night when you stay three nights or more, which is huge.

And you can get the details at wyndhamhotels.com.

Alex: awesome.

And now what are some ways to organize our schedules to make life a little easier, breezy, nice and fun?

Marisa brahney: yeah.

There's so many family commitments this time of year as the weather gets warmer, and in my house, i keep dry- erase boards around the house because they find they really serve as an easy visual reminder for everyone in the family to keep track of things like doctor's appointments, maybe that upcoming vacation you're planning we just talked about, spring sports and even vet appointments, because we know that pets are just as much a part of the family so we have to make sure that they're cared for too.

Marisa brahney: and pets give us so much for our overall wellbeing.

They help with everything from fighting depression to actually lowering our blood pressure.

But it's important to know some cost- effective budget- friendly options for caring for the needs of your pet across his or her life.

So carecredit is a health and pet care credit card that actually allows you to pay for out-of- pocket treatment costs with the card, which is great.

You can use the promotional financing through the card to really get that care when you need it and want it, and the card allows you to do that through the promotional financing.

So it's accepted at eight out of ten eligible vets across the country, which is great, and you can get all of the information at carecredit.com.

Alex: awesome.

I definitely need to look into that for my fur baby.

So how can we make more time for family fun?hney: yeah, i think for us, syree that happen: systems for your family to take the stress out of certain times, right?

And for us, meal planning is huge.

I meal-plan every week religiously, and my little tip is i like to assign each day of the week a theme to keep it easy and low stress.

So for example, tuesdays are always taco tuesdays in our house, but week to week, we switch up the fillings and toppings to keep it interesting.

Same with wednesdays.

We always do pasta night on wednesdays.

And now that the weather's warmer, we're grilling outside at least two nights a week because i find it's great, because the kids can play and have fun and burn off some energy before dinner while we get dinner prepped.

And sometimes they like to pitch in too.

I find mixing the salad as a job that they love.

So having a little fun while prepping dinner never hurts.

Alex: yeah.

I love that.

Awesome.

So where can people go to find more information?

Marisa brahney: you can check my website, marisabrahney.com, or give me a follow on instagram @mbrahney.

I love sharing tips like this to make family life more easy.

Alex: all right.