Gabi Gandolfini

A weekend in the life is Kidadl’s regular blog about the family lives of an amazing array of Kidadlers. Here, Gabi Gandolfini takes us through her weekend and shares her top tips for family fun.

Gabi is a Digital Content Creator and Family Blogger. Gabi is Brazilian, living in Hertfordshire and commuting into London for work.

In her account @gabigandolfini you can find travel tips and days out inspiration with her 2 kids aged 2 and 5 (and her dog Cookie Monster!). Gabi also has a second account, a blog and YouTube channel with Disneyland Paris travel tips -@gabismagicalworld and search Gabi Gandolfini on Youtube for the best Disney travel hacks for parents.

We Wake Up At...

Ha! It varies massively depending on what time Joseph goes to bed (aged 5). On Fridays and Saturdays we have a “late night”, when we watch films and eat snacks on the sofa until late.

Joseph always asks to sleep on the sofa on a Friday as a treat (not sure why he likes that, but he loves it!) and I often let him.

If he is up really late he will be up about 9am, but Nattie (aged 2)and is always up between 6-7am, no matter what time she goes to bed. And she wakes up demanding that everyone is up with her. So weekend mornings in our house consist of a LOT of coffee!

My top tips for getting out with the kids are...

My top tip for getting out with the kids is something I have always done, from day 1, for the past 5 years, and it makes things SO much easier. I have a backpack for the kid (s) which is always, no matter what,ready to go.

It has everything I could possibly need in it: change of clothes for both kids, nappy change pouch, two kids ponchos and 1 umbrella (for me),bib/spoons/tissues, two water bottles, 2 juice pouches, variety of snacks, 2 activity books and crayons, Calpol sachets, plasters, hand sanitisers, lip balm/ hand cream / tissues / emergency money / paracetamol (for me).

In terms of snacks, the quantity of it I measure in “cinema time”.

Enough snacks to see them through a cinema sitting. That should be enough to cover a variety of other situations, like a theatre trip, a longer car or train journey etc.

When we get back home, the first thing I do is “refill” the backpack - fresh water in the water bottles, replenish the snacks, top up the crayons and nappies, take out dirty pants and put in clean ones. Then DONE.

It takes less than 5 minutes to “refill” the backpack when we get home and it means that we are always ready to go and I know for sure I will never forget anything!

It always puts my mind at ease in an emergency situation(we have been there a few times) - once my kid woke up in severe pain in the middle of the night and I got everyone up and in the car to go to the hospital.I was able to simply grab the backpack without thinking twice and just leave.It meant I had emergency money for the car park, nappies, water and snacks for while we waited.

A ready-to-go backpack is a handy thing to have.

Final tip: Always leave some space in the backpack for your wallet and kids jumpers. I like to have free hands so I can keep up with the kids, so everything goes in the backpack and we are ready to go.