Vegas Getaway

A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided to go away for a few days. A couple years ago we spent a weekend in Vegas and visited the Titanic exhibit (awesome and still at the Luxor) and the Liberace museum (closed, which is a shame). This year, I found great fares through Spirit Airlines and an awesome deal at the Excalibur.

In about 48 hours, we:

• Ate at Lynrd Skynrd's Bar.  If you like whiskey, order the julep.  It's a glass full of Maker's Mark, with a few mint leaves.  
• Had a manicure / pedicure
• Played slots
• Ate at Hubert Keller's Fleur  (I watched him on Top Chef Masters and liked him very much!  I had the lobster macaroni & cheese.  It was good, but could have been more cheesy.)
• Visited the Mob Museum (highlight of the trip.  If you're in Vegas, visit this museum!)
• Visited the CSI Exhibit at the MGM Grand (lots of fun!)
• Gave our opinions on a potential new TV show 
• Shopped
• Laughed hilariously watching Grease on AMC
• Got my haircut at Paul Mitchell
• Ate at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar (enjoyed a Surf & Turf burger -- a burger with asparagus and lobster on a bun.  Yummy, but the lobster was a bit tough.)
• Enjoyed a water massage
• Enjoyed oxygen at an oxygen bar
• Walked a ton

The only downside to a trip to Vegas is all the cigarette smoke.  You can't visit anyplace without walking through a casino, and being saturated in smoke.

But, aside from that, it was a super-fun and relaxing couple of days.  I'm so lucky that my sister and I get along as well as we do!

Travel Tips

• Remove the filter holder (or whatever it's called) in the coffee maker in the hotel room in order to make hot water that does not taste like coffee.  Also, carry your own tea bags in case they don't provide any in the room.  I love a cup of tea, but hate the taste of coffee. 

• Sign up for all the hotel reward cards.  Even if you have no control over where you stay, and don't earn enough points for the "big" rewards (free nights), there are still nice perks.  Like free bottles of water at some locations, and free Internet access at others.  A reward card today saved me $12.95 daily Internet fees!  (I use a neat app for my iPhone called CardStar. It stores ALL my rewards cards on my phone so I don't have to carry any of them.  It's wonderful!)

• Always Always Always pack a snack (or two.  or three.  or maybe even four.) You never know when you'll be hungry and the snacks you can pick up for $1-2 at the grocery store will cost you $3-5 on the road.

I just arrived in Florida, for my 6th work trip in the last 5 weeks, and I have to say that I've become quite adept at packing and traveling.  I figured out what the minimum is that I need (iPhone, laptop, iPod, GPS, Kindle, chargers for the first 4), plus a magazine or book to read during takeoff/landing.  Throw in tea, snacks and toiletries (and clothes of course!) and I'm good to go anywhere.

If I didn't need my laptop for work trips, I wouldn't carry on anything but my purse.  Since I do, I love the rolling computer bag that Bo gave me.  It's much easier on my shoulders than carrying it!  And, in a pinch, it does just barely fit under the seats when the overhead bins are full.

Travel Dreams

If you know me at all, you know I like to travel. I think we do a fair amount of traveling as a family, but if money were no object, we would do quite a bit more! Whenever those "If you won the lottery" questions come up, travel always figures in as a way to spend my winnings -- right after paying off the mortgage.

When I read this post about tying travel to Oscar nominated movies, I thought about the places I would like to visit that were listed.  Of course, Paris, France is high on that "no-worry-about-cost" list, and we just watched the movie Inception this week. (Although, I didn't understand why they flew to Paris . . . except as a way to connect with his FIL, but why would he be teaching in Paris anyway? Ok, I get it, it was a dream . . . so back to my dream travels.)

After Paris, we'd head off to London, England and relive some of the scenes from The King's Speech.  While I have been to Paris, I've never been to London and I would like to visit someday.  Eat fish & chips and see the sights and not worry about a language barrier!  (I still remember the French laughing at my laughable attempt to speak French.)

Of course, there are still plenty of places I'd like to visit right here in the United States as well.  Since that is more in my budget, maybe a trip to Santa Fe, NM could be in the cards this year!  (After we watch True Grit, of course!)

What about you?  Where would you travel if money were no object?  What movies have prompted you to visit (or want to visit) different places?

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. *

Tell Me Thursday - Travel with kids: Tucson

This sweet picture was taken in the Space exhibit of the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ.  We headed to Tucson a couple weeks ago for a short trip away.  Bo & I originally visited this museum before Colin was born, so it's been more than 10 years.  A visit as an adult couple, and a visit with 3 kids is definitely different!

All the kids had a great time looking at all of the airplanes and helicopters. There are over 100 outside alone!  The day we went it was windy and a bit chilly, but that didn't dampen the fun or the excitement. I was happy to see that they had food available in the museum, so we were able to go straight to the museum after our drive from Mesa, look around for a bit, have some lunch and then look around some more.

 Even though Tucson is only a couple hours away, we decided to spend the night because I have wanted to visit the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum since we moved out here in 1999.  Since we were in Tucson, I didn't want any chance that we missed the museum again!  It turned out a good plan to visit the 2nd day of our trip, as the wind had died down and the sun came out.

I considered the cost of admission for one day vs. an annual membership and decided to purchase a family membership.  For only $12 more, we can visit as many times as we want before next March.  And, having a membership means that we WILL make the trip to visit throughout the year.  In fact, Nate already asked if we could go again for his birthday.

When we were walking the trails, I called it a museum and Lydia (3yo) stopped, looked at me and said "MOM! Stop calling it a museum.  It's a atonimcal* garden obviously!!" (botanical garden)  I admit I was secretly pleased that I'm raising a child who recognized a botanical garden vs. a museum.

We had an absolutely lovely day, and if we didn't need to be back in Mesa in time for music lessons we would have stayed until they closed.   Everyone enjoyed themselves and the trails and exhibits were great.  Colin took over the map and did a great job navigating us through and making sure we hit all the high spots.


And, of course, my favorite eatery of Tucson is Eegee's.  Bo always brings me back Eegee's when he travels there for business, so it was nice to grab one on our way out of town.  The flavor for February was Cherry and it was delicious! 

As far as the details of traveling with the kids, it was a dream.  I am so fortunate that all 3 of my children are excellent travelers. They kept themselves amused on the drive, adapted easily to the hotel (we chose a suite with a pull out bed), and were well-behaved while visiting the museums.  It helped that they were outdoors quite a bit and were able to run and move as needed!

Tell Me Thursday - Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

During the last 5 years, we've taken 4 trips to Southern California, and have always visited the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.  It's located in San Pedro, CA and the first time we visited it was a bit of a fluke. I was looking for things to do before boarding our cruise ship, and I found this aquarium that was free (donations are suggested, but not required.  We always donate what we can.)

It is a wonderful place that has a variety of exhibits, including a touch tank.  In the touch tank, you can touch sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and anemones.  You can also see, (but not touch!) a couple eels and some bamboo sharks.  There is a research component to this aquarium, and you are free to visit their research area which includes tanks where they breed sea animals -- including jellyfish (did you know jellyfish are plankton?) and sea horses.

They also have an area set up with microscopes and a variety of things to view.  This picture is of Nate checking out a sea urchin under the microscope.

It has been fun watching the boys grow up visiting this aquarium, and it is interesting to see the different things they are drawn to during each visit as they mature.  The area with microscopes was especially interesting to them this trip, as well as the exhibits about whales.

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.  I know you won't be disappointed.

Travel with Kids: Road Trip

We left for a road trip on Sunday.  We headed to California, where we're spending a few days at Disneyland and then our last couple days on the beach. It's a trip we've planned for almost a year, and a great one to be our last trip of 2010.

Our kids are great travelers.  Without any prompting, Lydia packed her own backpack for the trip.  She chose to bring baby dolls who are smaller, because they fit easily into the backpack.  She packed her iPod Touch and headphones, as well as her favorite blankie and a few lollipops. Exactly what I would have packed for her. (and have packed for her numerous times in the past.  It's so nice to see that she was paying attention.)

The boys did the same, bringing things that would easily fit in their backpacks and keep them entertained on the road and at the hotel. They both packed their own clothes as well, and while Bo went through them to check, very little needed to be changed or added (Nate underestimated his need for underwear . . . but otherwise they would have been fine.)

The car we took on the trip is smaller than our minivan, and we weren't sure how the kids would do sharing a single backseat.  To my delight, they did just fine sharing a small backseat for the 7+ hours we spent on the road.  They kept busy playing with their electronics for part of the trip, looking out the window for part of the trip, and we all listened to an audiobook for a few hours.  The only frustration was the delay caused by road construction -- nothing within our vehicle.

I planned in advance, knowing we would have a refrigerator at the hotel, and brought 3 bags of snacks and food as well as drinks.  The food I brought has given us the freedom of not freaking out over the cost of eating out, since we have only had to eat one meal out per day. It's not easy to eat inexpensively within Disney, but since I brought breakfast items, lunch items and snacks I've been able to keep the food costs low on this trip. Bringing food from home has also lessened any frustration from my picky eater refusing to eat restaurant fare. If necessary, he can order just a drink while we enjoy a meal, because I know there is peanut butter, crackers and apples waiting in our room for him to eat.  On the other end, eating out just once per day allows my adventurous eater the freedom to try new foods because if he doesn't like them, there's peanut butter and crackers back in the room! 

The kids have settled into the routine of staying in a hotel with no problems.  Lydia immediately came into the room and unpacked her small bag into one of the drawers. The boys knew they needed to make an ice run and scouted out the ice room as we headed to our room the first night.  Everyone jockeyed for position in one of the 5 sleeping spots, but there were no arguments or complaints -- just simple discussion about who was a bed hog and who kicked off the covers.

I started 2010 with a wish to travel more as a family, and we definitely spent a lot of time traveling this year (both as a family and Bo & I independently for work.)  I am grateful that I'm raising 3 kids who are excellent travelers, and I can't wait to see where life takes them.  In fact, I can't wait to see where 2011 may take us!

Travel with Kids: Wisconsin

At Betty Brinn, in the space shuttle area

Last weekend,  my sister, Lydia and I took a trip to Wisconsin to celebrate my and my mom's birthdays. We went last year in November, too, and were pleasantly surprised when the temperatures were at least 20 degrees warmer than last year.

Lydia still proves to be an excellent traveler, and I think it is just her personality that makes it easy.  Her iPod Touch and our iPad definitely helped pass the time, and I'm grateful for the amazing apps that people create, and how easy it is to load episodes of kid-friendly shows.  I also absolutely love that Netflix has a streaming app for the iPad, because when we had wifi, she was able to watch things straight from our queue.

The trip was short, but we were able to spend some great quality time with my parents, visit downtown Waukesha (including the gelato shop) and the Fox River, visit the Betty Brinn Children's museum (where they accused my brother of being a pedophile since he arrived before we did -- that was fun!!), saw my in-laws and even visited a dairy farm, thanks to my brother's girlfriend.

Even though she wasn't feeling great (she has a lingering cold), it didn't stop her from being gregarious, independent and a delight to everyone around her.  We packed carefully so that we didn't have to check any bags, and she was great about carrying her own backpack through the airports.  She didn't even complain at being woken at 4:30AM so we could catch our early morning flight home.

She said a lot of amusing things, but she kept asking about things in "this world" and how they were different in "our world."  Things like the leaves falling off the trees, and the dreary, gray skies.  I wasn't sure why she was thinking we lived in different worlds, until I came home and continued reading The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis to the boys.  I have been reading it as a read-a-loud for a couple weeks, and there is much talk of different worlds.  It makes perfect sense that she would see the landscape and lives of those in Wisconsin as a completely different world as the one we live in here in Arizona. 

Traveling with one child is much simpler than traveling with three.  It helps that she is an easy traveler!  (Doesn't mean I didn't miss my boys though!)

(ETA: I realize this post is a grammatical nightmare . . . but I'm exhausted (Did I mention that I came home in time to see Bo off to Minnesota for a week? And that Lydia is sick? And so is Nate? And I have work commitments like crazy to take care of?) and I wanted to get this up before too much time went past because mostly I wanted to remember about Lydia and her worlds.  So, forgive me. )

What Have We Been Doing?

It's been a busy few weeks around here.  I had the opportunity to travel to both Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Vancouver, British Columbia in the last 2 weeks to provide training, as well as teaching classes locally every day I wasn't traveling.  It was great seeing 2 cities I had never visited before, and I wish I had the chance to do some sightseeing while I was there!

Bo has been very busy around the house as well.  He was struck by a remodeling bug apparently, and has been updating our 9yo house like mad.  I mentioned our newly remodeled bedroom a while back, but since then he has also torn out the living room floor and replaced it, torn out the carpeting in the hallway and replaced it with laminate, finished the archway into our office, painted the hallway, and is in the process of remodeling the 2nd bathroom.  He has painted, replaced fixtures, and is in the process of replacing the vanity as well.  It's going to look awesome in there when he's done!  There's even talk of replacing our kitchen island.

Everyone always asks about the kids when I travel, but the kids do just fine.  We have always had a strong family bond and Bo has always been extremely involved with our kids.  While I know they miss me, they also miss Bo when he travels.  I have no worries when I travel and Bo is the primary caregiver as he is an awesome Dad.  There are no silly jokes around here about Dads who don't know how to cook, or clean, or get the kids to bed.  He does it all.  Of course, it's always easier when we're both around to handle it all, but we're both perfectly capable of picking up the slack when one is gone.

I don't have any trips on the horizon, so I know that I will be doing some of the behind the scenes things that go along with remodeling -- like cleaning out cupboards and organizing. We had our home built 9 years ago, and moved in October 2, 2001.  I'm excited about the changes we're making to update things a bit, and glad that we're able to get them done.

Wild Vegas Ride

When we were in Vegas last May, Nate and Lydia made this video.  He was a great sport, and took direction wonderfully. All he saw was the carpet and green screen.  He didn't even watch anyone else do it before he and Lydia hopped on the carpet.  (And Colin could have been part of it had he wanted, but he declined to play.)

Tell Me Thursday - Flagstaff

On Saturday morning, Bo took Nate to baseball and I took Lydia to a birthday party.  Before I left, I had been looking at cabins to rent, but they were almost 5 hours away.  While at the party, I texted Bo and asked him to look for a hotel in Flagstaff.

He did, and packed, so when Lydia & I got home, we were able to hop in the car and head to Flagstaff.  I had piles of laundry to do, and the boys had a bit of homework left, and . . . we decided to go anyway.

I'm so glad that we did!  About 1/2 way up there, the a/c in our van stopped working.  Thankfully, Flagstaff was about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix so it wasn't so bad.  We were a bit concerned about the noise, however.

We were well on our way, though, so we kept going and arrived in the early evening. We stayed in the ugliest hotel room I have ever visited!  The place was clean, so I wouldn't call it a dive.  BUT!  The walls were red.  Very, very red.  And the bedding was black.  As was the dresser and tables.  And the epoxied bathroom floor. (As an aside, why do hotels/motels use carpet?  It is always filthy!  I'd much prefer a solid floor and I think it would be easier to keep clean.  Because, yes, while the place was clean, the carpet was filthy.)  The sheets and towels were just this side of threadbare.

It was cheap, however, and we were only staying one night.  (OH, I forgot -- there were striped curtains. Tan and cream and maroon.  Which were raggedly cut off at the bottom so they didn't cover up the air conditioner.)

We went for the sights, though, and after dinner we headed out to Lowell Observatory.  The boys were able to look at the moon through some of the telescopes, and we were able to listen to part of a lecture about the galaxy. We spent a couple hours there, and enjoyed it.  During our last visit, I purchased a membership, so we visited for free.

The next morning, we tried to find a place that might be able to look at the van, but didn't have any luck.  Bo looked around in the engine and decided that it should hopefully make the trip back home. We wanted to visit the Arboretum and the Planes of Fame Museum, but decided to choose one so we would make it home before dark. We chose the Arboretum, partly because I was pretty sure either our Boyce Thompson membership or our Desert Botanical membership would get us in for free. 

I was right -- and our Desert Botanical Garden membership meant that we could wander around without paying another admission fee. We all enjoyed the Arboretum at Flagstaff.  The weather was warm (not hot, not cool) and we were able to walk around outdoors and look at the many plants. (I'd include pictures, but they're on my other computer.)  It wasn't crowded, so the kids were able to wander freely (within eyesight) and they had a blast.

We headed home, and the van made it the entire way.  Thankfully, a good friend was able to help us get it fixed, and within 2 days I had icy cold air coming from the van.

It was a great weekend, and I love that my kids are great travelers. Thanks to our various memberships, the weekend was an inexpensive trip away from home!

Travels for Work

I traveled for work last week again, and since I'm not sick with pneumonia like the last trip, it was better from the start.   I found out that TSA considers maxi dresses a potential security threat, so I was pulled aside for an inspection for the first time ever.  I'll reconsider my traveling outfit next time! 

I also few Southwest Air for the first time. I did pay the extra $20 out of my own pocket for the early boarding opportunity, which got me in the "A" boarding group both ways.  I am glad that I did, as I was able to choose my seat in an empty row and not have to worry about where to stow my carry-on. Other than the uncertainty about boarding and finding a seat, it wasn't different from any other airline I've flown in the past.

I flew into El Paso and then rented a car to drive about 3 hours to be close to the client.  When I picked up my car, they told me that El Paso was expecting hail, but I should miss it.  Instead, I crossed the border into New Mexico into a thunderstorm.  It stormed the majority of the drive, but there wasn't much traffic and it was kinda neat to watch all the lightning strikes.

If I had a little more time, I would have liked to visit a couple of the state parks that were close, but this trip didn't leave time for that. 

The training went well, and my students seemed happy to learn a new piece of software. They were a very nice group of people, and I enjoyed my 2 days with them. 

It was quiet in the hotel at night, though, since it was just me. I will admit that I enjoyed it.  I turned in early my 2nd night there since I knew I had a long day the next day, since I planned to travel home after class ended. 

My drive back to El Paso was thunderstorm-free, and I got some great shots of clouds from the car during my drive.   I missed my iPod adapter, though, because the choices in radio stations wasn't that great.

Everyone at home survived just fine. The hardest part was when I would call home and talk to Lydia, she would be chipper and happy, until she thought I was going to say good-bye.  Then she'd get a catch in her voice and say "Do NOT say BYE yet.  I'm still talking!!"  Then, I'd get a catch in my voice and continue talking to her.  Thankfully, my sister is here and able to help out in the evenings when Bo needed to run a late call.

We were running errands yesterday with my sis and we were talking about Texas.  Lydia said that my sister did NOT want to go there because my other work was there.  We figured out that she meant that we both couldn't be gone and she was afraid that if Jane went to Texas and I went back to Texas for work, Jane wouldn't be here to help care for them.

Bo spent about 15 hours on Saturday putting in a new air conditioning unit for my parents' rental property, and is back there again this morning.  He'll be home in a few though as we have plans to attend the Diamondbacks game (and Wiggles concert) this afternoon.

I'm glad to be home, but I'm also interested to see where work will take me next!

Travel with Kids: Arizona Grand Resort (The Not So Good)

Yesterday, I wrote about our weekend and mentioned the good things about our stay at the Arizona Grand Resort.  I couldn't let the weekend pass without mentioning the not-so-good parts about our weekend stay.

The water park is small, but it is also easy to get separated. Since it's a "water" park, carrying phones to stay in touch isn't possible. On Friday night, the boys went to the water slides, while Lydia and I continued around the lazy river (and I have to mention that she has asked 3 times today if we could just GO to the lazy river again, please??)  A while later, she & I got out and went over to the chairs where we left our stuff.  The boys weren't there, so we decided to go over by the water slides and watch them come down.  We went to that area, and waited a while but never saw them.

So, we headed back to our stuff and our stuff was gone.  To cut a long story short, we looked for them, I reported my bag as missing (it held my phone and my Kindle.  And all I could think about was how Bo was going to order me a new one that night because I love my Kindle!!)   I muttered under my breath that I was going to kill them when I found them.

Part of me thought Bo must have picked up the bag, but it held the room key so I was going to have to get help from the staff to get into our room. Part of me worried that one of the boys was injured and they couldn't find me but left for the hospital (yes, I do worry quite a bit.) Part of me thought the boys were still sliding, and someone stole our stuff.

When we finally spotted the boys, I was mad.  Mad because I was so worried.  It wasn't a pretty few minutes until I calmed down and realized everyone was just fine and Bo did have our bag and my precious Kindle was just fine.

So, that didn't set up the weekend very well for me.  We got over that and spent some time in the wave pool.  I'm vigilant about keeping an eye on all my children in a body of water at all times.  It is much more difficult when you're in a very large pool along with hundreds of other people.  There are lifeguards, but that doesn't mean to me that I should let down my guard.  As the waves were pushing through, I had Lydia in a tube that I was holding and Nate and Colin were each about 20 feet away from me in opposite directions.

Suddenly I look at Nate and I see him lose his footing. He goes under, comes up and yells, then goes under again.  He's about 3 feet from a lifeguard, but she never notices. I immediately walk over to him and help him gain his footing again.  He was in water he could stand in when the waves weren't flowing, and then he panicked just a bit.  Everything turned out fine, but if I hadn't been keeping an eye on him things may have been different.

On Saturday, the boys ended up separated from me on the lazy river 2 separate times.  We met up again, and they were both smart about finding a place to stay put, but it wasn't a relaxing weekend for me.  Our boys are at that age where they're not small anymore, but they're also not old enough to be completely on their own.  I think we give them a fair amount of freedom, but even though they are both good swimmers, there's an awful lot of water there and while plentiful, I don't have much faith in the lifeguards.


But, in the end, the kids all had a great time and really enjoyed the different water features.  Me? I felt much calmer floating in our own backyard pool last night where I only had to keep tabs on 3 easily seen heads.  Will we visit again?  Yes, probably, but not for a couple years!

The stress of the weekend was all my own doing, and had nothing to do with the locale, service or amenities at the Arizona Grand Resort.  The resort itself, as well as its' staff, were wonderful and I have absolutely no complaints. Bo said (and I agree) that I would have enjoyed it much more if I could have stretched out on a lounge chair, sipped drinks and read from my book -- stepping into the water from time to time to cool off.  With 3 kids, however, that just wasn't happening.  (That picture posted above? Taken in the last 30 minutes we spent there, when Lydia was dancing at my side and the boys were throwing away our lunch garbage. Definitely not the norm for my weekend.)

I realized that I like going away and spending time in nature, and/or learning new things.  That's my preferred type of getaway.  Oh, and one where it's easy to keep tabs on my children and know that they're safe!  Next time, we'll be heading back to the parks and / or historical sites.

*Disclosure: Because this seems to be necessary when writing a blog, and money has been spent -- we decided to visit on our own, and I received absolutely nothing.  All the money spent this weekend was our own that we earned doing things that are non-blog related.*

Travel with Kids: Arizona Grand Resort (The Good)

 We didn't travel far from home this weekend to visit the Arizona Grand Resort.  The resort is only about 40 minutes from our home, but it includes a water park and a chance to get away from nagging chores and long to-do lists.

We checked in Friday night and visited the water park right away.  Lydia had been talking about the lazy river (also called the crazy lake, the silly river, and the lazy lake by Lydia) so we immediately hopped in.  The lazy river is a big circle, with stops along the way, including a stop for the 3 water slides in the park. 2 of the slides are 8 stories, while one is 5 stories.  Nate, especially, had been looking forward to the water slides so all the boys hopped out near the slides.  We also visited the wave pool, which all the kids enjoyed.

Since this post is about the good parts of the weekend, we'll re-visit the waterslides & wave pool again in tomorrow's post, where I'll discuss the not-so-good parts of the weekend.

We headed back to the room for a bit, and then Colin & Bo went back to the pool area to watch Tarzan, which was shown on a big screen above the wave pool.  We enjoyed room service for a late dinner and then everyone fell into bed. (Question about room service -- anybody reading know how much of the 23% service charge the server receives?  There is a $3 delivery charge, and then a 23% service charge added to the room service bill.  I know this is standard -- but how much does the server receive vs. how much does the hotel keep?  It seems ridiculous to add another 15% tip, but I also want to make sure the server receives a tip.)

On Saturday, my sister came out to join us and we spent the majority of the day at the pool again.  There is also a splash pool that is only about 18 inches deep and has a splash pad that is perfect for small children, including Lydia. Dinner found us at Claim Jumper, and then the boys were back at the pool enjoying another movie.  Nate spent the entire movie floating in the pool.

We checked out on Sunday, but spent the majority of our day in the water park again.  The kids had an amazing time, and the variety of pools were great.

It was nice to get away again, and while we have a backyard pool, we don't have 8 foot water slides, a lazy river, or the ability to create big waves in our pool. The service was good, the food tasted good, and it was a very short drive back home.  We did pack plenty of drinks and snacks this time, which allowed us to snack in our room with ease.  We enjoyed eating poolside for lunches, and I even had a drink or 2.

Click here for the 2nd part of this post.

Travel with Kids: Camp Verde, AZ

A couple weeks ago, we finished up a busy week and headed to Camp Verde, AZ.  We have wanted to visit Out of Africa for a few years, and thought Lydia was finally old enough to enjoy it.  I wanted to get there Friday night so that we could head over early in the morning since I was expecting a hot, June day.  The drive was uneventful, and the kids were all excited to learn that the hotel had a pool.

We went to Out of Africa on Saturday and had a great time! The animals at the park are mostly (all?) rescued animals -- from the grizzly bears rescued from a house in NC to the rhinoceros rescued from being sent to a "canned hunt" camp in TX.  The day was perfect and we enjoyed getting close to the animals and watching the exciting Tiger Show where the tigers are encouraged to play and splash in a pool with some of their keepers. 

The weather was kind to us, and we enjoyed a full day at the park before heading back to the hotel. The kids again were great, and after a swim in the pool everyone was in bed and asleep before 10.  On Saturday, we enjoyed the continental breakfast (yea! for hotels that offer free breakfasts!  Although I need to remember to bring something for Colin that he will eat because he is picky.) I looked for geocaches on my iPhone geocaching app and we headed off to find one before we headed out of Camp Verde.  Bo & Colin did find it, but it was  bit of a steep hike so I stayed with the van.

Before leaving Camp Verde, we visited the Fort Verde State Park.  This park was one of the many scheduled for closure due to budget constraints, but thanks to donations and volunteers, they were able to remain open. This was my favorite part of this weekend trip.  The Fort was active in the late 1800's and contrary to what you may imagine from forts out east and the movies -- there are no tall walls.  For one thing, timber is a scarcity out here and also what military commander wants to hide behind walls?  The ranger on duty did a great job of talking about the Fort and all the different things we'd find and the history of the place.

The kids did their Junior Ranger program, which encourages them to fill out a small booklet so they learn more about the State Park. The Fort includes 3 buildings that are original -- they housed the commander's family, the officers and the surgeon.  The buildings were furnished as they would have been in the late 1800's, and the kids were very interested by the bathtubs and the chamber pots. It provided a wonderful glimpse of that time in our history, and I'm so glad the park was open for our visit!

After a couple hours there, we headed towards home.  I saw the signs for Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and we decided to stop.  Bo & I had visited many years ago (before kids) and thought they would enjoy the view.  Nate especially loves to sit and take in beautiful landscapes, and this park gave him plenty of opportunities.  We took a short (but steep) hike down to a place almost beneath a small waterfall, which was fun (even when Lydia tumbled down a few steps head-first.  She did just fine and only Mom's heart was racing)  The kids also completed their Junior Ranger badges here.

It was a busy weekend, and full of great times. I love the Junior Ranger program, as it really provides more information about the park and the kids enjoy working towards their badges.  We filled a cooler with drinks, which definitely saved us some money over the weekend as all we had to do was replace the ice.  I'm looking forward to our July trip -- which is extremely close to home but is going to be another fun weekend!

Suddenly . . .

it's almost Friday!  It's been a busy week around here, and while I had every intention of being ready to go away again this weekend, I'm scrambling tonight.  I did help the boys pack, so they are done!  I did do Lydia's laundry, so she's just a quick pack.  I still need to do laundry for me & Bo, and I confess I ran to the store and bought some undies rather than attempting laundry tonight.  It's been many years since I fell to that tactic, and it seems ridiculous considering my lovely new machines . . . but it's  8:30 and it was quicker to buy new ones rather than wash/dry what we have.

I taught Monday & Tuesday, and the rest of the week I've been in training.  It's been interesting, and the new company I'm working with is wonderful . . . but it's hard for me to be behind the desk instead of in front of it.  It's a very small training class, so it's even more difficult as I can't let my mind wander or work ahead or play catch up. 

The boys started their open gym program this week, and it's been a mixed bag.  It's tough to go into that type of setting, and we're working through hurt feelings and some overwhelming days.  It didn't help that today I got out of my training a few minutes late, and Bo was tied up with a client, and there was a terrible accident on the freeway.  The boys MUST be picked up by a certain time, and 10 minutes before that time I was stuck on the freeway 20 minutes away if there was NO traffic.  My sister was out of town, but thankfully a dear friend's sweet daughter ran over and checked them out and then waited for me to grab them.  And, then we had to backtrack to pick up Lydia from her child care.  And, I found out that some girl went out of her way to mimic Nate's stutter to the point he ended up in tears.  This, after Colin was insulted the 2 days prior and came home feeling very hurt.  On the plus side, it's a ton of physical activity and Nate is loving that.

It's been a long week for all of us.

We grabbed some fast food, did a little shopping, and the kids are all bathing now so they can collapse into their beds.  I am going to pack (we're headed to Camp Verde and Out of Africa this weekend) and then follow them to bed!  Another day of work tomorrow, then we're off!

What's up for you this weekend?

Travel with Kids: Las Vegas

April was a bust for traveling/exploring with kids, but we had a great month with visits from family.  We finally squeezed a trip in on the last weekend of May.  We headed out to Vegas to attend my cousin's wedding.

My kids are good travelers! I packed on Friday and Saturday morning found us in the car headed to Vegas.  The boys had a stomach bug the week prior, and Lydia was struck down Friday . . . but Saturday morning found her feeling better so we were on the road.  The boys' Nintendo DS's definitely help the trip go faster for them, as well the games on my iPhone for Lydia (we decided she needs an iPod Touch.  How crazy is that for a 3yo? But it would mean I could keep my phone . . . we're scouting Craigslist for an older model.)  We had a cooler full of drinks, and stopped briefly for lunch on the way.  We could have packed lunch, but Lydia getting sick made some of my plans fall away.

The Hoover Dam was crowded Saturday, so it took us 2.5 hours to cross the Dam.  That put us even further behind, but thankfully we were able to arrive at the wedding just in time for the ceremony.  It was a fun backyard wedding, with an Elvis impersonator showing up to wish the couple well.  I loved the chance to see my family -- it's been almost 20 years since I saw some of them, so of course they hadn't even met my children before!

There never seems to be enough time to hang out and visit, but we had a nice time and Lydia absolutely loved the chance to dance the night away with her Aunt Tess.

On Sunday, the boys went to the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor (I went last summer with my sister, and didn't feel the need to spend the money again.)  They all thought it was pretty amazing, although Nate isn't so keen on taking a cruise any time soon.  Then, we headed over to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  The boys thought it was great, but Lydia wasn't convinced the fish weren't going to suddenly get her.  She didn't understand the concept of glass between them and her and most of the time found her grabbing her brothers' shirts from behind so that she could pull them away from danger.  Then, the kids spent an hour or so in the pool.

We tried to hook up with family, but we always seemed to miss each other throughout the day.  We decided to buy the "eat all day" buffet option at the Luxor's buffet so we headed there for dinner.  As long as you eat 3 meals, it's not a bad deal at all.  I love buffets for the kids, since they can eat whatever strikes their fancy.  Nate even tried sushi for the first time (he didn't like it -- but he tried it!)

Around 8PM, the kids were beat so Bo stayed in the room with them while I went down and spent a few hours with my family in one of the hotel's bars.

Monday found me waking up feeling horrible, (and, no, it had nothing to do with the bar the night before, since I only drank Coca-Cola. LOL) and so the drive home was long (thankfully we had no delay at the Dam.)  Also, thankfully, we had a puke bucket in the car.  That's enough said about that!! 

I over-packed a bit, and that is something I will work on in the future. I need to streamline my cosmetics bag, since I somehow ended up bringing 2 on this trip. (and I'm not exactly Miss Make-up, so I'm not sure why) Each child has their own rolling bag, which is extremely helpful! They also each carry their own backpack.  The boys keep their games, chargers, and books in their backpacks. Lydia keeps a few toys and her favorite blanket.  I brought too many outfits for Lydia, but she's still at that age where she sometimes needs multiple outfits in a day.

I'm still on the outlook for the perfect gadget bag.  I need one that will help me keep the cords from getting tangled, that is big enough for all that we carry, but not TOO big.

We're traveling again in a couple weeks, and I have every intention of planning it a little better.  My main objective this next trip will be to have healthy, convenient foods to choose from while we're on the road.

Travel / Explore with Kids - Tucson

Keeping with our goal this year to explore more of Arizona, we spent a fun day in Tucson this past weekend.  Bo taught a class there on Friday, and we originally planned to drive down with him and make a weekend of it.  Unfortunately, between spring break and spring training, we were  unable to find a non-smoking hotel room that would fit the 5 of us.

We were going to put off a Tucson trip for a few weeks, but Bo noticed that the Air Show at the Davis-Monthan Air Force base was last weekend, We decided to drive back on Sunday to visit the show.

We saw many airplanes on the ground, and Nate loved the chance to look at the planes up close, as well as watch them fly through the sky.  Colin was a bit bored, and Lydia was tired.  She hasn't used a stroller in well over a year, but I think she would have gladly sat in one on Sunday.  (It had been a busy weekend -- planting on Friday, Boyce on Saturday, then a long visit at a friend's house in the afternoon / evening.)  For a long time I kept an umbrella stroller in the back of the van, and I think I should throw it back in the van.

I'm glad we went for Nate. He has expressed an interest in the Air Force for a few years now, and would like to attend the Air Force Academy. He was able to talk to a few pilots who went through the Academy, and they were encouraging and kind.

After a few hours on the tarmac, we headed to Eegee's.  Eegee's is a fast food place unique to Tucson where they have delicious frozen fruit drinks and subs (as well as other things -- like pizza fries, which are fries topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese)  When Bo worked for Sears, he would sometimes have calls in Tucson and usually brought back Eegee's.  The flavor of the month was lime, and it was yummy!  The rest of the family enjoyed a mix of strawberry and lemon ice.

We finished up the day by visiting the San Xavier Mission.  It was founded in the late 1600's, and has been there ever since. It's a beautiful, old church that is the oldest European structure in Arizona.  It is a fully operating parish, but is also open daily for tourists to visit.

There are a few things I should have done to make this trip better.  I should have been better prepared to throw together a cooler of drinks and food to take with us.  Instead, we purchased drink & foods along the way.  I should have had a stroller for Lydia, because even though she is almost 3 and still fiercely independent, there are days that she needs a rest.  I also should have put my shawl back in my purse so she could have had a covering when she tried to rest on my lap / the ground during the air show.

I am glad that even though our original plan was scrapped, we still made it away from home to do some exploring this weekend.  I'm not sure where we plan to go next month, but I'll let you know!

Travel with Kids - Boyce Thompson Arboretum

One of our goals in 2010 is to explore more of Arizona.  Last month was a fantastic trip to northern Arizona, but this month we stayed closer to home.

My sister and I both follow Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Facebook (even though I hadn't made time to visit since 1999!) When she sent me an invite to their World Desert Fair this weekend, I decided we'd go to meet our once/month exploration goal!  (with just a day to spare to fit it in February!)

We headed out mid-morning for the 45 minute drive.  I packed trail mix and drinks for all.  I wasn't sure how long we'd be there, but I realize now I should have packed full lunches.  We looked at the cost of admittance ($7.50 / adult and $5.00 / children) and decided an annual membership ($60 / family) would be a good investment.

I was reassured that it was a great idea to purchase a membership when Nate read a sign near the beginning of the trail that listed ways to learn more -- and encouraged touching!  Nate is my kinesthetic learner, so being given free rein to touch pleased him to no end!

Ever since the boys have been little, we've taught them "how" to touch vs. forbidding them to touch.  Of course, there are things that are off-limits to touching (art at museums, for example), but instead of admonishing them not to touch a cactus, I've shown them how to carefully touch a cactus to avoid being pricked.  I saw those lessons being applied all day as he freely touched the rocks, plants, and objects that were found.  Both boys touched things gently, carefully, and with great interest. They loved noting the ways different rocks felt, or the different thickness of leaves.

For the World Desert Fair, booths were set up around the trail where you could learn about foods from different desert regions.  That was definitely Lydia's favorite part, and I'm sure she will be sorely disappointed next time when there aren't any more food booths!  The overall favorite of hers was the waffles made with mesquite flour and the Blue Agave syrup that are native to our Sonoran Desert.  Nate tried something from every table -- and I think the olives from the Mediterranean were the biggest hit for him.  Colin was a bit more hesitant to try new things, but he thoroughly enjoyed the hot Rooibos tea from Africa.  NONE of us liked the Australian fave -- Vegemite -- but almost all of us gave it a try.

We were there much longer than I anticipated, but everyone had a wonderful time. I know we will go back soon, as the boys were disappointed we didn't make it to the hummingbird and butterfly gardens.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday, and I think we may even head there again on Friday already!

Travel with Kids: Northern Arizona Weekend

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we wanted to explore more as a family, so we planned our first weekend trip for last weekend. We didn't tell the kids about the trip, so they were pretty surprised on Friday to wake up and notice packed bags by the front door.

We headed out and encouraged the boys to guess our destination by paying attention to the clues they saw.  They guessed Flagstaff a few times, as well as the Grand Canyon -- which we were able to say "No, not today" since our destination on Friday was Williams, AZ.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel late in the day on Friday where the kids had a great time playing in the snow.  It was old snow -- so it was icy, packed, and dirty in plenty of spaces.  That didn't dampen the fun at all for any of the kids!

Bo & I stayed at this same hotel back in 2000 when it was still owned by a private family.  Xanterra Resorts purchased it a few years ago but appear to have kept it almost the same.  Our room was nice, even if the beds and pillows were hard as rocks.  We had an awful dinner at a local restaurant (Pancho McGillicuddy's . . . I do not recommend you visit!) and after more snow play we all settled in for the night.

In the morning, we packed up our van and headed over to the train depot for the 2+ hour trip into Grand Canyon Park. The train has singing cowboys and wonderful tour guides in each car to share interesting information about the area.  We went coach - which is comfortable enough but doesn't provide any snacks or drinks.   You can also upgrade to a few different levels where snacks and drinks are available -- but not all upgrades allow children.  There was plenty of snow to see, and animal tracks along the way.

We arrived at the depot at the Grand Canyon and quickly climbed the 47 steps to see the rim.  It was as impressive as I remembered!  We walked a short way to Bright Angel Lodge and enjoyed a wonderfully delicious lunch and then spent the remaining time before the return train walking along the rim and visiting the Visitor's Center.  We visited the Visitor's Center too late for the boys to earn their Junior Ranger badges, but we did take the books with us.

The return train leaves at 3:30, and while it seems a short time at the Grand Canyon (3 hours) -- it was actually a perfect amount of time with 3 kids.  They were all very good, but the icy patches and the proximity of long drops, and a 2yo with a mind of her own became stressful after a couple hours.

We arrived back in Williams after 5 and climbed into our van to head into Flagstaff (about 40 miles away.) We checked into our motel and then headed over to the Lowell Observatory.  Colin has shown an interest in space and astronomy for a few years now, so I was excited for him to have a chance to look through their big telescope.  The employees there were very excited about the observatory, and Bo & the boys were able to check out stars through 2 different telescopes (it was very cold -- and there were lines for each telescope -- so Lydia & I waited inside.)  There is a nice exhibit inside as well, and various showings of videos.

On Sunday, we visited the Museum of Northern Arizona, which has a series of great exhibits about the peoples and geography of the area. There was an exhibit of watercolors by Gunnar Widforss that were stunning!  He painted landscapes of many of the national parks and also painted our very own Superstition Mountains a few times.

We considered heading home, but I noticed that Sunset Crater was close.  This National Park is the home of the youngest volcano in Arizona (having erupted only 900 years ago.)  With the snow, it was really neat to see the lava flows.  There was a short loop to walk, and we spent a wonderful hour or so exploring.  The boys earned their Junior Ranger badges, and learned more about the area and volcanoes.

And, then we headed home -- while listening to the Packer / Cardinal playoff game during our drive.  It was a wonderful trip and I was so glad that all 3 kids were wonderful travelers.  They were eager and willing . . . and rarely complained!

I look forward to our next weekend trip, and have a few ideas of ways to make it even easier (and less expensive.)

Travel with a Toddler

Last week, my sister, daughter & I hopped a plane to visit my parents for a couple days.  My parents often head west in November, but since they weren't able to do so this year, I decided to go to them.  We flew in Sunday to celebrate my mom's birthday, then headed back to Arizona on Tuesday.

It was a very quick trip, but we all had a great time and Lydia (2 1/2) enjoyed herself completely. She was an angel on the trip, but I thought I'd share a few tips that made our trip with a toddler easier (and a couple things I should have done!)

• Pack light, but bring extra outfits.  I packed one extra outfit, which we needed before we got off the plane on Sunday (she spilled ginger ale all over herself!)  I should have packed 2 extra outfits, but thankfully we finished the trip without needing another extra outfit.
• Pack snacks.  I always always always do this . . . but I didn't this time.  I'm not sure why, but I left without my usual stash of snacks in my purse and figured I would buy the snack boxes. On our flight out, by the time the flight attendants reached row 12, they were out of food to purchase.  US Airways doesn't even give out pretzels with their drinks, but at least we did get a drink.  We were all pretty hungry by the time we reached Grandma's house, but she had plenty of food to fill us up.
• Bring an empty, re-usable water bottle.  Security doesn't allow you to bring liquids through, so I carry a re-usable bottle.  Vendors charge $2-4 for a single bottle of water, so this way I can fill up the bottle and use powdered drink packets to flavor it.  
  
• Take advantage of opportunities.  At some airports, travelers with small children are able to go through a shorter security line.  The Milwaukee airport had a children's play area, which Lydia enjoyed playing in while we waited for our flight home.  Some airlines allow you to pre-board if you have small children. Pre-boarding allows you a little more room to get settled, and there's room in the overhead bins for your carry-ons to be above your seat. 
  
• Bring an iPhone or iPod or other entertaining device. My iPhone is loaded with toddler games (99% of which were free) and my sister had an entire season of Animaniacs on her iPod. I brought a pair of headphones that fit Lydia and she spent a good portion of the trip playing games or watching videos.
• Fill a row (if possible.) The three of us filled one row, which made travel easier as Lydia sat between us and had the freedom to move a bit more than if a stranger were next to us. If you are traveling by yourself with a toddler, I suggest sitting your toddler next to a window so they can look out the window during the flight.
• Plan for frequent bathroom breaks.  Even though the bathrooms on planes are ridiculously small, walking the aisle and having a break from the seat is worth squeezing into the small room. For a recently toilet-trained toddler, it's also absolutely necessary! I think we averaged about one trip an hour during our 4 hour flight. 
• Enjoy yourself!  I realized that traveling with one child is much simpler than traveling with 2 or 3, but no matter how many children you may travel with do your best to leave stress behind and enjoy the experience. 

Lydia had a great time, but isn't ready to hop on another plane just yet.  On Wednesday, we headed to the airport to pick up family that is visiting, and she yelled "I don't want to get on an airplane!!!!" as we pulled up to the airport.  I'm sure she'll be ready the next time an opportunity comes up!