We love to travel! Time spent together, experiencing challenges and fun as a family, and making choices before, during, and after the adventure keep us going! Come see where we are going and where we have been!
Orlando
The kids are 5 and 9 so a trip to Orlando is not as shocking as it used to be! The sister and I met in Orlando and had a wonderful, fall time! We went to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and even made our first trip to SeaWorld. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but it was a BLAST! I've said it once and I'll say it again....October is an awesome time to visit the happiest place on Earth!
Asheville, NC
Confession: At a different time in my life, I may or may not have ridiculed others for going to the mountains in the summer. I may or may not have said something like, "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE GO TO THE MOUNTAINS IF IT IS NOT COLD??" I was so wrong!
We loaded the car and the adventure began! My husband, sister, niece, T, and myself headed to North Carolina. The car was fully loaded with enough snacks to feed an army, clothes for a month, and enough stuffed animals to fill a claw machine.
The roads were winding and the weather was rainy, and the cabin was perfect. Better than I had imagined in fact. The staff was so kind and the cabin was super clean! We love Twin Brook! We crashed the first night and woke up early the next day!
Day One~Biltmore Mansion and Asheville
Friends suggested leaving the kids in the gardens to fend for themselves while we did the tour. Ha! (It was tempting.) They did get tired toward the end of the tour, but they did great and really liked some of the rooms.
If you have never been to the Biltmore, GO! It is beautiful and full of history. Bonus: Kids are free all summer and if you book online 7 days in advance, adult tix are only $44. Woo hoo!
No caption needed. :)
The gardens were breathtaking.
We loaded our 24 cases of wine into the trunk and headed to Asheville in a true downpour. Seriously, the rain would not stop!
P and I had a chocolate sipper at French Broad while N stayed behind with the sleeping babes. It was quality sister time!We finished our Asheville toured and wrapped up the day with dinner at a delish Mexican restaurant. It was a great day!Stay tuned for more about our family vaca! Have you been to Asheville? What did we miss because of all that rain? Do tell!
Confession: At a different time in my life, I may or may not have ridiculed others for going to the mountains in the summer. I may or may not have said something like, "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE GO TO THE MOUNTAINS IF IT IS NOT COLD??" I was so wrong!
We loaded the car and the adventure began! My husband, sister, niece, T, and myself headed to North Carolina. The car was fully loaded with enough snacks to feed an army, clothes for a month, and enough stuffed animals to fill a claw machine.
The roads were winding and the weather was rainy, and the cabin was perfect. Better than I had imagined in fact. The staff was so kind and the cabin was super clean! We love Twin Brook! We crashed the first night and woke up early the next day!
Day One~Biltmore Mansion and Asheville
Friends suggested leaving the kids in the gardens to fend for themselves while we did the tour. Ha! (It was tempting.) They did get tired toward the end of the tour, but they did great and really liked some of the rooms.
If you have never been to the Biltmore, GO! It is beautiful and full of history. Bonus: Kids are free all summer and if you book online 7 days in advance, adult tix are only $44. Woo hoo!
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| No caption needed. :) |
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| The gardens were breathtaking. |
We loaded our 24 cases of wine into the trunk and headed to Asheville in a true downpour. Seriously, the rain would not stop!
P and I had a chocolate sipper at French Broad while N stayed behind with the sleeping babes. It was quality sister time!We finished our Asheville toured and wrapped up the day with dinner at a delish Mexican restaurant. It was a great day!Stay tuned for more about our family vaca! Have you been to Asheville? What did we miss because of all that rain? Do tell!
7 Tips for Cruising...with a Kid!
Here are a few tips and tidbits for cruising with a kid!
1. Tips are automatically charged to your account, around $11 each per day. Additional tips are at your discretion, and we absolutely thought our room stewards deserved a little extra....especially since we have a kid!
2. Take your own aloe gel! The one we bought from the cruise gift shop was $15. That's right-fifteen dollars! However, it was worth every penny at the time!
3. Let go of any idea of following your regular routine! We threw in the towel the first day and we are so glad we did! Vacations should be fun and responsibly carefree (does that even make sense?) Let your kids live a little!
4. Take your own drinks! Carnival allows you to bring your own Cokes, Capri Suns, juice, etc. Do it! Drinks are costly! A bottled water was $4, juice was around the same, and I'm not sure about the colas because we are not cola people. We did however pack a few waters and Capri Sun waters and I'm glad we did. They came in handy, especially at night when no one felt like making a drink run! Next time, we will bring the full amount allotted!
5. There are washers and dryers on the ship! It is like a little laundromat and for about a buck, you can wash and dry clothes. I might not have packed 1,432 extra things if I had known this. (We all know that is a lie.)
6. Be prepared for the paparazzi! Carnival has photographers everywhere! This is great on one hand because you come away with some awesome family pictures. On the other hand, the pictures are about $11 each. YIKES! My advice here is avoid the photo walls unless you are willing to buy. I mean, my kid is so cute, I just had to buy them! (and Carnival knows that mom and dad!)
Last but not least....
7. If you are thinking about going on a family cruise, do it! With kids, it will not be the most relaxing trip you ever take, but it will be fun with entertainment provided, and meals ready when you are. No planning-just fun!
If you have any questions, let me know! I'll try to answer them! :)
Little Miss Outdoors, Hello Stone Mountain!
April 2013
That's me!! Lover of the wind blowing in my hair, the bugs clinging to my clothes, and the sun beating down on my face! Ah, nature! Ha! As we know from a previous post,I.am.not.little.miss.outdoors. I am the opposite. I am Little Miss Indoors! Oooh, I like that!
I put on my big girl britches though and headed for Stone Mountain with the family. My guys loves being outside and we are always up for an adventure. SO GLAD WE WENT! I love the new and improved (hadn't been in 10 years) Stone Mountain!
A few highlights...
4D Movie~Journey to the Center of Earth! Loved it!
Checking out the ATL from atop the mountain!
Goofing off with daddy and dancing across the top!
Train ride around the mountain~so relaxing!
Wildlife Wonders showed us a chinchilla, kangaroo, alligator, and more! We even petted them! T LOVED the campground adventure...especially the zipline!
T also loved the Barn-an indoor playhouse where you climb and slide and shoot foam balls at people. AWESOME! We did not do the Geyser because we did not want to get wet, but it looked super fun! We stayed for the laser show and it was great, too! It was missing a little ATL hip hop, but that's ok!
By far, and I am very serious, the best part of Stone Mountain was the atmosphere. Every single employee we encountered was beyond friendly. They were so helpful and nice. Seriously-it was like being in Disney World!
Our family had a blast and will be going back for sure....any time except summer, I mean, we know how I feel about extreme heat!
You're not taking T, ARE YOU???
Disney, February 2011
We heard this EVERY single time we told someone we were going to Disney World. Did that stop us? No way! We had been planning the trip for years...literally. My niece A, my sisters, T, and N would head to Orlando for a few days of family fun!
Let me just say, if I could do it all again-I would! I think my sister and N would agree! A was 5 and T had just turned 2. It was awesome! T was so excited at every turn, that he was too busy to be grumpy. A was showing T the ropes and entertaining the rest of us.
The month was February and the crowds were gone. We waited in short lines...well, except for the princesses. But after watching them make such a deal over A and T, it was worth it! We hit every park over a four day period. It was actually just right.
I should mention we had a fabulous guide family with us~~The Carlsons. They know Disney World like the back of their hand. That is actually my first "Disney with a Toddler" recommendation--Go with a friend! Between the 5 adults, 2 big kids and 2 little kids, we were covered! Restroom breaks and long line breaks were totally doable!
3. Know your
potties. This is serious. Look at the maps, but be sure to make use of the facilities at the restrooms you visit. I mean, you might as well!
4. (and my favorite) Use the Disney World reservation page! This handy dandy page allowed us to make reservations days in advance (we changed our mind once or twice) AND gave us up to the hour availability so we could call and try to get into a hot spot. This allowed us to eat at Les Chefs de France in Epcot! YUM!
5. Take every picture! While the staff takes their pics, take your own pics, too. I wanted to both live the moment and remember the moment. Disney makes that possible. Pick up a photo card, but don't be shy-take your own pics, too.
Our trip was very special for so many reasons.
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