Games for Long Plane Rides

I am a big fan of the folks over at Our Muddy Boots, and loved this post with ideas for keeping kids entertained on plane trips. If you enjoy it, too, be sure to follow them on their blog and Faceboo...

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California: See San Diego on this Scenic Drive

The San Diego Scenic Drive is a 59-mile trek that takes you in and around and through San Diego. There is a great turn-by-turn plan available, and signs to keep you on track if you get turned around. We followed the instructions on a smart phone, but appreciated having the signs as reassurance if it ever got confusing! You could also print a copy so you have it in hand. It took us seven hours to make the loop, but the beauty of this route is that you are free to stop and start whenever you like!...

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Montana: Disc Golf Family Fun

Even the teenagers were talking about how much fun they had on our family outing to Makoshika State Park to play a round of disc golf. And you don’t have to be the parent of teenagers to know how impressive that is! We had planned to spend some time checking out the park, and started our visit with a stop into the gift shop and museum. On a whim, we picked up a set of Frisbees from the park gift shop. Three brightly-colored discs in hand, we picked up a map (score card on the back) and pencil...

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Nevada: A Buffet of Learning in Vegas

When you are three, everything is an opportunity for learning. Even a buffet! Here are some ideas for engaging your preschooler in learning by playing…with their food. Colors Challenge your child – how many different colors can you find to put on your plate? This is a great way to encourage kids to eat a variety of items from a variety of food groups. Bria found purple beets, green grapes, brown roast beef, and a white egg. We took our time browsing, talking about all the different hues we could...

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Nevada: Las Vegas Monorail

On the day we decided to explore the strip, we thought we’d try out the Vegas Monorail. The map showed it going from one end of the strip to the other, so we thought it would be a great way to explore and get around. From the beginning we found that the conditions were not quite ideal for us. Staying at Circus Circus as we were, it was a fair distance to a station (You see that block on the map...

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Nevada: Visiting Hoover Dam (and dispelling the myth that all dams are made by beavers)

During one day of our accidental vacation in Las Vegas, the three of us made a trek to visit the massive feat of human engineering that is Hoover Dam. The 726 foot dam forms a towering border between Nevada and Arizona. Shaped like a huge curved axe head, the dam is 45 feet wide at the top and 660 feet (that’s two football fields!) thick at the bottom. Justin and I had both been to the dam before, but that was prior to 2010, when the new O’Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge opened, which allows...

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California: Orange County Great Park on a Monday afternoon

Just off Interstate 5 in Irvine, there is a beautiful, vast metropolitan park called Orange County Great Park. If you have been there before for an event, we think it is time you rediscovered this peaceful gem in the hustle and bustle of the OC. Preferably when there’s not a thing on the park’s calendar. We visited on Monday afternoon, and it would have been the ideal location to shoot a zombie...

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Chasing Lions – Following Our Passions

Our three-year-old has recently become absolutely obsessed (as only a three-year-old can) with the movie Lion King, and as a result, with lions. “Mom, did you know lions can jump really high?” “Dad, do you know what lions eat?” And so on, and so on. You get the idea. There is nothing better than the joy we see on her face when she sees something she loves. So we take her to see the lions....

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California: Getting around the San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is big. I mean, really big. Check out this map to see just how big. But have no fear! There are lots of transportation options available through the 99 acre park. The zoo is shaped like a bowl, which means there are many hills to climb. Take advantage of the guided tour to see more of the park at once, and the express bus and skyfari to take some of the load off. Guided Bus Tour The guided tour buses are double-decker, open-air buses that allow you to see 70 percent of the...

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California: Baby Beach in Dana Point

We had seen it several times as we visited the harbor for various events – Baby Beach. It is a beautiful spot at Dana Point Harbor with calm water for little ones to play in. Sometimes the waves of the ocean beaches is just too much for our three-year-old, so this harbor beach is just the trick. Since it is such a great place for kids, you’ll find that most of the crowd is families, which is nice. The little ones are sure to find other children their age, and they won’t be bothering any serious...

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California: Busking on Hollywood Boulevard

One of Bria’s favorite things is buskers. It doesn’t matter if they are singing, dancing, or pretty much anything else, she is enamored. In this video, she is cutting a rug with a group of young men dancing on the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard. ...

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California: Disney Soda Fountain in Hollywood

When “I’m hungry” took over while we were cruising around Hollywood, we popped into Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio in the El Capitan Theater for a treat. And wow, what a treat it was! This old-fashioned ice cream parlor experience is open daily on Hollywood Boulevard, and features lots of yummy goodies for every member of the family. In addition to the soda fountain and the theater, there...

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Utah: Hiking with Daddy in Zion National Park

The above is a short video of Bria hiking with Daddy in Zion National Park. Hiking doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking – when you are accompanied by preschoolers, you can just park at the trail head, grab a bottle of water, and head a few hundred yards down the trail to explore your surroundings! On this particular hike, they found all kinds of neat things. With the bingo game from the Junior Ranger booklet in hand (she called it her “map”) they set off to explore. Along the way they found...

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California: 16 Things To Do at Orange County Great Park

There is always something to do at Orange County Great Park, even when a big event isn’t happening. Need some ideas? (Many of these will work at any other park as well – get creative! Have some fun!) Hide and seek or tag – this may come as a shock, but you don’t actually need THINGS to have fun. Think back to your childhood, really stretch, and come up with your favorite games on the playground....

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Can you vacation with kids?

This Huffington Post writer says when you have little ones in tow, it’s a “trip,” not a “vacation.” With Little Kids You Take Trips Not Vacations “A vacation is for sipping drinks at 10 a.m. and taking those obnoxious pictures of the lower half of your legs while looking out onto palm trees. A vacation is for getting massages and eating nachos and overusing phrases like “beer-thirty.” A vacation is for pools and sun and servants, lots and lots of servants. Trips are just like that, except...

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California: Dolphins at San Clemente North Beach

Dolphin sighting! How exciting is it to be hanging out on the beach and spot dolphins playing in the surf? It took a bit to get her to see them (maybe we had some binoculars to our beach bag in the future), but once she did, she was delighted to spend time watching them frolic and play from North Beac...

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California: San Clemente Concerts on the Beach

We hit the beach tonight for the last of the 2013 Concerts on the Beach in San Clemente. It was a great time, with reggae music by World Anthem, and a yummy dinner for just $8 from The Fisherman's Restaurant. The band was really fun - Bria loved dancing in the sand! What a beautiful way to enjoy a sunset in our new hometow...

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California: Packing for a trip to Sea World with small children

Knowing what to bring on an outing is never an easy feat! Here are some packing tips for Sea World with littles: Plenty of spare clothes - there are opportunities to get wet and messy everywhere you turn, and that's half the fun! Towel - in case of an animal splash or if your children want to check out the splash pads in Sesame Street Bay of Play. Stroller - or rent one near the gate. Prices are reasonable and several options are available for singles and doubles. Sun screen/hat Sweatshirt/jacket Water...

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California: Sea World San Diego All Day Dining Deal

Sea World San Diego offers a plan called the "All-Day Dining Deal." Basically it works like it sounds - you pay one price, receive a wrist band, and can eat in the park all day. We were headed to Sea World this weekend, and I am a researcher (in case you hadn't caught on to that yet), so I did some poking around first. Was the all-day dining deal worth it? I read a few message boards with...

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California: Sunday at Sea World

It's Sea World day, and Bria couldn't be more excited!!! (OK, OK, I think Mom and Dad are pretty excited, too.) She earned the trip with her star chart, and has spent the entire week telling us about the things she'll be showing us. After her July 28 trip she is an expert, you know. The park was open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today (check out their website ahead of time for hours), so we decided we would...

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California: Hollywood Boulevard

It was Ella's last days in California, and she was wanting to see Hollywood, so we made a little jaunt over to Hollywood Boulevard to check everything out. Filthy and crowded, sure. But filled with fun things to see? Totally. ...

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California: Dana Point Farmers Market

Admittedly, we have lived in North Dakota for a long, long time, and this may not be as exciting to other coasters, but we had an amazing visit to the Dana Point Farmers Market today. This is a great place for kids, because you can set them out to choose something to purchase, and you know it will be healthy and local. We found everything from eggs, chicken, and fish to fruits and vegetables...

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California: Dana Point Harbor

We made a brief stop at Dana Point Harbor today to check out The Spirit of Dana Point is a 108-foot replica of a privateer from the 1770s, like those used during the American Revolution. This ship (which Bria calls the pirate ship) has 5,000 feet of sail! The girls had a great time checking it ou...

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Bahamas: Jokers Wild Comedy Club

The adults had a sneak away for a parents-only evening at the cozy little comedy club located between Beach and Coral towers inside the Atlantis resort, Jokers Wild Comedy Club. We had a great time! It was nice to enjoy some grown-up time in the middle of such a heavily family-oriented trip. The evening was an intimate one — it was small to start with, and then was at least 3/4 empty — but fun....

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Bahamas: The Caves at Cable Beach

The Caves at Nassau are located west of Cable Beach. Not a lot to see here, mostly just a quick stop to snap a photo or two. Got five minutes? Come check out this little spot along the side of the road.Although not historically proven, local lore says the Lucayan Indians were the original inhabitants of the islands and resided in these caves, carved by the ocean many years ago. In more recent...

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Bahamas: Atlantis Marina and Bimini Road

We had heard that Johnny Rockets was THE place to go with kids, but when we wandered to the end of the boardwalk and found it was a burger place, we decided to go back to Bimini Road, a bright and airy spot with local fare. It was dusk, and there were buskers playing drums and singing on several spots along the marina boardwalk. Bria stopped to dance with some of them, and had a fabulous time...

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Bahamas: Tips for Atlantis with Kids

Here is the latest in our continuing series on visiting the Bahamas! Enjoy these travel tips for hitting the island with your children. Taxi and Shuttle Drivers We found that getting a taxi was cheaper than a shuttle to Atlantis. You may want to check into this for yourself, it will depend on where you are staying and how many are in your party. Either way, use that driver as a resource!...

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