🚗Road Trip Essentials I Actually Use
How I packed for Yellowstone and survived (and maybe even thrived)
Last summer we took the plunge and did a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. Our kids were finally old enough to not require a pack-n-play and young enough to still (mostly) fit in a car without World War III erupting (is it too soon for that joke?). The trip was amazing, and most of that came down to organization, planning, and packing smart.
Here’s a roundup of the things that helped us stay sane, comfy, and even a little bit enchanted.
🎒 Day Packs for Every Kid
Collapsible Hiking Daypacks
Each kid got their own color. These were perfect for hiking, sleepovers, lake trips—and they fold into a pouch when not in use. We still use them all the time.
☀️ Favorite Layering Shirt
Long Sleeve UPF Fishing Shirt
Perfect for sun coverage without needing sunscreen. I lived in this shirt during the trip. It’s lightweight, comfy, and transitioned well to fall and spring.
🩹 First Aid That Travels
Welly Compact First Aid Kit
Welly’s quality is unmatched. The bandages stay on like second skin and never irritate. I added some moleskin to ours for hiking. Worth every penny.
🥪 Smart Food Prep = Sanity Saved
We brought a refrigerated cooler and stocked it with:
Cheese sticks
Meat sticks
Shelf-stable milk boxes (great for lodge coffee emergencies)
Prepackaged pancakes + granola bars
Instant oatmeal cups (with paper cups + Keurig hot water hack)
PB&Js in cooler packs
We also brought Via instant coffee to survive the early mornings of wildlife peeping.
🧺 Car Snack Command Center
Large Car Organizer
This lived on top of our big cooler. The rule: if it didn’t fit in here, it wasn’t coming. It held snacks, cups, guidebooks, binoculars, sunscreen. It folds flat for storage.
📚 Kid-Backseat Zone Manager
Backseat Organizer Bin
This sat between seats or in the back—snacks, books, hats, towels, sunscreen, and “stuff that appeared out of nowhere.” It helped keep the chaos contained.
🤢 Motion Sickness Helpers
Kids' Nausea Lozenges
Grown-Up Motion Patches
I get queasy turning around to manage the crew, so these were a must. Kept in outer organizer pockets for easy access.
🎲 No Screens, No Problem
Wikki Stix
Card Game Flip Deck
Kid Travel Journals
Wikki Stix were a hit—even with older kids. The card game is still in our car. Travel journals didn’t get much use on the trip but were high quality and we’re saving them.
🗺 Field Tools for the Grownups
Yellowstone Park Map
Yellowstone Field Guide
Scenic Drives Guide
A physical map was clutch. We marked where we saw animals. The field guide helped us understand where we were. The scenic drive guide was like having a narrator in the car.
🛏 Small Comforts That Went the Distance
Travel Pillow (4-pack)
Each kid got one. They were useful for car naps and hotel floor sleep setups. When we got home, I added zip-on cases and now they’re throw pillows.
🧴 Bonus: Kid Water Bottles + Blankets
Each kid brought their own water bottle and a small fleece blanket. It sounds basic, but these two things made a huge difference for comfort, hydration, and bedtime ease.
🛤 Final Thoughts
Planning is everything. Pre-loading systems, making snackle boxes, and dividing up space by use kept this trip functional and fun.
We saw so much. We laughed a lot. The things we brought made the ride smoother—and left space for magic to sneak in.
If you’re planning a road trip, I hope this helped. And if you’re headed to Yellowstone, grab the guidebooks. They turned a drive into a story.
Affiliate link disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting this work.
Coming soon: Waldorfish Supplies Roundup. Stay tuned.
—Amber
☀️ Summer Essentials I Actually Use
AKA: Things that keep the chaos survivable and the vibes human
Look, I love a good curated summer aesthetic as much as the next person, but most “essentials” posts either want you to spend $400 on sheer linen or pretend hydration is a personality.
This list is not that.
These are the things I actually use—in the woods, by the lake, in the car, while chasing kids or writing stories or pretending I’m going to clean a closet.
Affiliate links included. They help keep the iced coffee full and the blog running. But I’d share these either way.
🛋 The Robe That Does It All
Kimono Style Lightweight Robe
Light, pretty, and gloriously comfy. You can answer the door, hop on a FaceTime, or write a memoir in this thing. Year-round staple, but summer is when it shines.
🐝 Summer First Aid MVP
Prid Drawing Salve
Bug bites? Splinters? Angry mystery spots? This is magic in a weird tin. The packaging looks like it came from your great-grandmother’s pantry. That only adds to its power.
☀️ Sunscreen Without the Drama
Babyganics Sunscreen Stick + Kabuki Brush
Gentle, low-tox, and kid-tested for years. The brush is essential if you have sensory kids (or are one yourself). Smooths on like a breeze and prevents the dreaded lotion freak-out.
👂 Earbuds That Don’t Hurt Small Ears
JBL Wireless Earbuds
These are a miracle for those of us with tiny earholes. Great sound, no ache. I wear them nonstop and they’ve outlasted every other brand.
🩳 The Summer Pants I Live In
Flowy Wide-Leg Pants
Every print is a vibe. Every fit is forgiving. They grow and shrink with you and get compliments even when I’m wearing them to pick up a grocery order. My husband makes fun of them. That means they’re perfect.
🌟 Teen Skin Saver
Hydrocolloid Acne Patches
My kids swear by these. They do their full skin routine, then wear these overnight or to school. Keeps hands off and pimples calm. We call them "stealth healers."
🔍 Guilt-Free Extraction Tool
Looped Comedone Extractors
No picking rule in our house—but these help remove blockages gently when the pimple patch lifts. A must-have for skin-curious teens.
☀️ Ginger-Kid Survival Shirt
Long Sleeve UPF Fishing Shirt
My redhead wears this all day at the rive or by the laker. Hood up, sleeves on, sunscreen-free, and not burned. Moisture-wicking and actually wearable.
🎧 Over-Ear Noise Blockers for Rage Cleaning
JBL Over-Ear Headphones
When the earbuds aren’t enough. These block out chaos beautifully. Perfect for blasting a Spotify list while rage-cleaning a closet to hide from your children.
🧥 The Summer Sleeves That Don’t Trap You
Lightweight Summer Pullover
Perfect for chilly evenings or when you need a light arm layer in the woods. Breathable, non-binding, and weirdly stylish.
🚗 First Aid That Travels
Welly Compact First Aid Kit
This lives in my car and has saved us more times than I can count. Stylish, well-stocked, and kid-proof.
✒️ Cursive Isn’t Dead (and Still Good for Brains)
Cursive Handwriting Workbook
We’re brushing up on cursive this summer—not just for fun, but because it’s linked to brain development and fine motor growth. It’s screen-free magic with benefits.
🎬 Old School Flip Book Fun
Create-Your-Own Flip Books
We’re making motion pictures by hand over here, and it’s been surprisingly fun. Screen-free, creative, and oddly relaxing.
🧺 Turkish Towels That Changed Everything
Turkish Towel with Carry Bag
These dry fast, pack small, and are way better than bulky beach towels. Everyone in the family has one. We keep them on the boat and in the kids’ lake bags.
👗 My Summer Uniform
Button-Down Summer Dress + Comfy Bike Shorts
I own several. Pockets, flattering, comfy, and perfect with a pair of buttery bike shorts. I hang dry them to avoid the button seam pucker.
🧵 The Backup Turkish Towel
Classic Turkish Bath Towel
We use these like we’d use any towel: lake, picnic, light blanket. Minimalist perfection and quick to dry. Worth having more than one.
That’s the list!
Stay tuned for my Road Trip Essentials post—it’s weirdly specific and very worth it.
Thanks for being here. Clicking through to purchase helps support this blog and lets me keep sharing what’s useful. If you have summer must-haves, drop them in the comments—I always love to try the weird things that work.
—Amber
bike-shorted, robe-wrapped, and currently by the fan
Books That Shifted My Perspective Forever
I've always been a reader, and it seems that the right books have found me at exactly the right time. I don’t think that’s coincidence. Some books hit like a thunderclap—loud, undeniable, impossible to ignore. Others work their way in like roots, shifting things beneath the surface long before you realize they've taken hold.
Each of the following books sparked a shift in how I showed up in the world, who I became after reading them, and where my life went next. Books can do that. And to me, that’s magic.
If you’re looking for something to shake your perspective, pull you into something deeper, or simply remind you that you’re not alone, maybe one of these will be the right book at the right time for you, too.
(Affiliate links included.)
1. Unf*ck Yourself – Gary John Bishop
This one is complicated. I worked for the marketing firm that helped Gary independently publish this book—except the firm had no one who actually knew how to do that. That meant I had to learn to build that plane in the air.
And I did. I figured out every backend trick, helped get this book into thousands, then millions of hands… all while longing to publish my own words.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I could do it for Gary, but not for myself. Until this book challenged me to get out of my own way—not just in publishing, but in life.
Eventually, I put in my notice, left the firm, and stepped into a world of my own making. I never looked back.
If you need a firm but kind, no-BS wake-up call, this is the book that will shove you into action.
2. The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
This book shook everything I ever believed like a snow globe.
When the pieces fell, they never went back the same. How could they?
The Four Agreements are so simple, yet so profound, that they feel almost ancient—like truths we forgot but somehow always knew. If you let them in, they’ll change how you navigate life with an uncanny sense of honor, integrity, and clarity.
I read this book as a freshman in college for a communications class (shoutout to that professor—I owe you one). Since then, I’ve bought and gifted more than 20 copies. I wrap them up with tea and chocolate, hand them to people who need them, and say, “Pass it on when you’re done.”
If you read one book from this list, make it this one.
3. Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott
This book made me pick up a pen at a time when I felt like an imposter.
Writing always called to me, but self-doubt was louder. Who was I to write? Who would care? Anne Lamott made me believe I could do it anyway.
Bird by Bird isn’t just about writing. It’s about showing up—for the work, for yourself, for the stories inside you that need to be told. It’s messy and raw and irreverent, and it changed the way I saw creativity forever.
If you need a book that will push you past the fear and into the work, this one’s for you.
4. Good Days Start with Gratitude (Journal)
I bought this simple little gratitude journal at a time when my world felt dark and heavy. And I hated it at first.
It felt too simple, too… forceful. It asked me to choose gratitude daily—to find three things, even on the worst days, that were good. Some days, all I could write was “hot coffee” or “the fact that today is over.”
But I kept going. And somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling forced and started feeling like a lifeline.
This journal pulled me into simplicity when I needed it most. If you need a low-effort but powerful way to rewire your perspective, this little book might be exactly what you need.
5. This is Dirt – Amber Jensen
This book is mine. And it taught me more than I ever expected.
Writing This is Dirt dragged me through everything I had ever experienced. It forced me to show up fully, strip away the filter, and tell the truth.
It also taught me that authenticity feels raw, but when you’re not hiding anything, there’s nothing to fear.
I poured my heart into this book, and I hope that when you read it, you feel a little more seen, a little less alone, and a little more like yourself.
Where Do You Go from Here?
These books shaped who I am today—a person who now gets to help others shift their own lives through gratitude, self-discovery, and the magic of transformation.
If you’re on a journey of your own, here’s what I have for you:
Want more book recommendations and personal insights? Join my email list and never miss a list.
Looking for guidance in your own transformation? Check out my courses and digital offerings to help you step into the life you’re meant to live.
And if you pick up one of these books, I’d love to hear how it lands for you. Let me know which one shifts something in you. 💛
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Love Day Lore: The Year I Forgot
Love Day Lore: The Year I Forgot
Valentine’s Day—Love Day in our house—arrived in a blur of snow, sick kids, and middle school chaos. It started with a gratitude prayer to my past self (last week Amber) for making a random Costco run to grab fancy heart-shaped macarons for classroom treats (thank you, bulk shopping gods) and a brutal temperature swing that made the roads a slick disaster.
Still, I managed a morning coffee date with friends, sipping chai that was absolute perfection while the window view mimicked a snow globe. That kind of soul-filling conversation is my real love language. An oil change would’ve been the responsible choice for my long-neglected car, but let’s be honest—I chose caffeine and connection over car maintenance. Poor Walt, my mechanic, would probably repossess my car if he knew how long I’ve put it off.
By evening, I was staring down the reality of two middle schoolers preparing to attend a dance, no plan for dinner and more nasty snow. Two separate trips into town would be my evening entertainment. My husband, conveniently out of town all week, missed this particular joy, leaving me to juggle it all solo. And in the midst of all the chaos, something unprecedented happened.
I forgot the Love Bug Table.
For the first time ever.
In our family, Love Day has always meant waking up to a table full of little surprises—tiny stuffed animals, treats, something that says, ‘Hey, I love you, and I see you.’ I never missed it. Not when I went into early labor with my fourth baby. Not through excruciating endometriosis. Not through the depths of depression.
But this morning, the table was bare.
Zero treats. No plan. Nothing.
I slathered some raspberry jam on toast, plated it with a heart-shaped macaron and some cottage cheese (for protein, obviously). And let me tell you, if phoning it in had a Hall of Fame, I would be inducted immediately.
My husband assured me the kids wouldn’t notice. His voice on the phone the night before was clear and kind, “It’ll be fine, they’ll be fine.”
He was wrong.
My daughter noticed. She noticed hard. I got the silent treatment.
And here’s the thing—teachable moments are rarely fun. In the car ride to school, we talked about being human. About how we all make mistakes. About how sometimes a mistake to one person is just life happening to another.
Maybe I forgot because my husband was gone. Maybe my mental bandwidth was maxed out. Or maybe, just maybe, the Lore of Love Day is evolving. My kids are outgrowing tiny stuffed animals and plastic trinkets. They’re making healthier food choices. We shop less at big box stores. Maybe this was the year the tradition shifted without me realizing it.
I made up for it with plants and snacks after school. And honestly? It all worked out. One kid was too sick for sugar anyway, and the others decided they were better off without the junk.
Maybe we’re creating a new Love Day Lore, and we don’t even know it yet.
It’s Strange
It’s strange what happens when we lean all the way in and let go of whatever ideas we had of who we are.
It’s strange what happens when we lean all the way in and let go of whatever ideas we had of who we are. A few weeks ago I was scrolling through all the files in my documents that didn’t have names. Blank57, Blank211, Blank 92—You get the idea. The trouble with this ridiculously ADHD problem is that what was done to save time or to save an idea that was super important, now eats up minutes and hours to sort through and discover what’s a grocery list or brain dump and what is my next pulitzer prize winning piece or a wise contribution to folk looking for transformative tools. Anyhow, as I scrolled through, opening, deleting, reminiscing, I realized so many of the untitled documents were for sharing.
Document after document I found snippets of life wisdom, chapters to abandoned books, modules of abandoned courses and outlines for forest retreats. At first it made me feel sad. Like, really sad. My 41st birthday is coming up and I kind of thought I’d have this empire of contribution built by now. And before anyone gets tripped up by the word empire, just know, I’m building an Empire of Dirt, so it’s not as imposing as it sounds. So yeah, about my birthday—I decided that if I was ever going to compile, weed out and bring together all the things I have been building and creating I needed to strip away what wasn’t working and what tethered me to the life os a person who has 472 untitled documents to sort out and nothing real to show for it. Well, there are a few books and guided journals floating around, but real active, in the world contributions, there aren’t many.
I started by clearing my work surface. This may seem like a pretty basic task but if you know the paralyzing fear of starting something you might not finish, you know this was a monumental step in the direction of my likely future of Dirt Empress. I mean, it does have a ring to it, you’ve got to admit. Once the little writing desk was clear I began the next task on my invisible list. That task was jotting down every course taken, every certification and skill I currently have in my life tool box. Then, I stared at it and started circling the things that made the most difference for me and have made the biggest impact on others when I share. After about an hour, I sat in silence for breath work and meditation. The thing that kept coming to the surface of my thoughts was Gratitude. After that meditation, it all felt smooth. Like I had momentum of sorts.
I immediately began writing everything I’d ever learned about Gratitude. The lessons, the energetic power, the shifts of perspective. All of it came pouring out as if channeled from the source of consciousness. I don’t say that lightly. I wrote and designed 6 full digital download ecourses in two weeks and outlined content for 6 more. I was able to find threads of gratitude woven through so many of my pieces of writing and works of creative inspiration. I didn’t want to do it at first but after digging into that dirt a bit, I realized I hadn’t been sharing deeply the tools and transformation I had aquired becuase I was terrified of being seen as a gatekeeper. Who gatekeeps gratitude, forgiveness, connection and transformational shifts? Who? Lots of people and most of them were my teachers, mentors and coaches. Real people who had offered ways for me to create who I would be in the world, to mold my own magic and raise my energetic force in the world. I had to rewrite what I thought gatekeeping meant and how it would impact my life moving forward if I didn’t.
Each of us is here to learn, grow and share. We each get to do that however our life path moves us. With gratitude as my focus, I forged on. After another week I had rebuilt my website, collected all the info I needed to get my digital downloads in a place where they would be accessible and put all the weird dietails in place, like a business checking account, email management and even a new social media account.
The first thing I begin with when I design a course is a list of problems I’d like to solve. I don’t make these up out of thin air, I pull them from my own life experience. Then, I create one or two high value tools that I can offer as a gift. In all transparency, these are usually called lead magnets. Meaning you give me your email address and I give you a freebie. Then I can market to you when I have new products you might like. While that’s a great model, I’ve been duped by freebies before. I’d signed up, opened the ‘must have’ file and found it lacking in anything useful. I always felt tricked. So, I start my creation of the entire Course suite with the most value possible in a tiny package. Sure, its a taste, but it’s a taste that will actually make a difference. My hope is that if you only every recieve my freebies, you’ll still get new insights and tools to create lasting shifts in your life.
And here we are, at the first blog post. The behind the scenes of building the foundations of this Dirt Empire. For the first time in my creative life, I believe that what I’m doing and sharing and living align. Fully and energetically, what more could anyone want.
If you’re curious about whats new, whats coming or just how it all gets built, be sure to sign up for my email list. If you’d like a gift to go along with that exchange, head over to my Offerings page and grab yourself one of those freebies. I promise, you won’t regret it.
The dirt in me honors the dirt in you,