Summer Plans

This summer we are planning a big trip. It will involve several states and camping. At this point we are not sure what we will be camping in. Our current trailer is a 1993 or 1994 (can't remember it is so old) Coachman Catalina. It has done us well but it needs some work. The running lights on one complete side is not working so we can't tow it in the dark, which poses logistical problems. It also needs a new A/C unit as ours is on the fritz. The wallpaper is falling down in places and our kids are growing out of their bunkbeds. One child still sleeps on the couch. It has no slides and we all can't sit at the table at the same time.

We were so close to purchasing a new 40ft. fifth wheel and had the financing all lined up and a deposit on it and a signed contract when the scandalous RV dealership sold it out from under us. We are assuming they got a higher price for it and therefore a better deal for them. We were so sad but in our family, where this sort of bad luck follows us, we roll with the punches and obviously there is something better out there for us. Okay, I am still mad about it and so very disappointed, but I can't do anything about it so I move on.

Anyway, back to the trip. We are still planning it even though we don't know what we will be going in. This year we are planning for 5 weeks. We will first go to Delaware and visit the Dupont Botanical Gardens. We want to see the pretty flowers and the fairy garden they have there. Then we want to go to Philadelphia and see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, The Franklin Institute, The National Constitution Center, Betsy Ross House, and maybe get in the Philadelphia Zoo. I am thinking that will take three days. We also want to try to get in Valley Forge.

Then we want to travel through Amish Country, tour about there a bit. Then move on to Gettysburg and then Harpers Ferry. This will be a possible quick one day trip for each. Then we have to be home for The Pickle to go to Boy Scout Camp. After his week at camp we will pick him back up and then go to Tennessee and into Nashville. We want to see the Grand Ole Opry Building, the Worlds Fair park, and perhaps pick up a show or two. Then move on to Memphis and eat some BBQ (Memphis style) and see Graceland and spend a day on the Mississippi River. Then we have to be in western South Carolina for a family reunion.

So this is the plan and as with the Sears Family, plans can change quickly and without warning. LOL

Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum

Two Fridays ago we went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. It was phenomenal. Seriously, even for girls it was wonderful. This place is huge. It is an enormous hangar with three levels of airplanes both on the ground and suspended in the air. It has several sections, military, helicopters, commercial planes, early planes, and it has the space section.

First, this museum is located near the Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. It is an extension of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Admission is free but parking is $15. For a family of five $3 a person is a really good deal.

We loved this museum. When I planned our trip I figured that we would spend about 2 1/2 hours there and it would be sufficient for our family, both boys and girls to have their fill of planes. It was not near enough time.

When we arrived we admired the sculpture out front. We liked the swirl of the metal, but these fun orbs caught our eye and the kids had to see how comfortable they were.

Once we arrived inside we immediately found a bathroom and went to the only restaurant in the museum (McDonalds) for lunch. One rule in our family is that everyone needs a full belly before starting to tour a museum. It just makes for happy kids and that makes happy mommies and daddies. So we ate.

Then we began our tour. We started at the front desk where we were given activity sheets for the kids (no patches at the end but it kept them on task).

We began on the second floor. We found this fun fighter jet painted in a shark motif.

Ladybug didn't think it was that heavy! (wink wink)

We saw the Lockheed Blackbird! Oh my goodness this is a big plane. This is looking at it from the second level.

It is really an impressive plane. We then went over to see the Enola Gay. This is a B29 Superfortress. It is THE plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I was amazed at how I felt around this plane. It holds a lot of history in its wings. I needed some time with this plane but the kids moved us along. Some planes with such significance just seem to need some reverence, you know? This one does. It is a big, heavy plane and it looks almost like it was a miracle it just got off the ground much less fly some really important bombing missions like it did. I could imagine the conversations between the pilots, the silence the plane probably had when it dropped the bomb, the nervousness of the gunners, and the complete concentration of the bombardier sitting up in the nose of the plane.

We continued around and began to examine the markings on planes, identifying the American and the German planes, military vs. commercial. We even found a bored docent who welcomed the challenge to take our picture.

We saw an Air France Concord. This is a big plane too.

We then spent some more time with the Blackbird.

Is it okay for a girl to call this plane "sexy"? It truly is sleek and aerodynamic. It is HUGE. It is skinny.

But the next stop was exciting. The space shuttle Enterprise. This is the shuttle that they did the test flights in gliding back to earth in. It is actually smaller than I thought.

It is big but I, for some reason, thought it would be bigger. I really enjoyed walking around it though and seeing the huge rockets in the back.

They had exhibits from all the space programs from Mercury on up. They even had Alan Sheppard's module that he circled the earth in.

Overall, our impression of this museum was first rate. We really enjoyed all the planes. We didn't get to any helicopters or did we get to the third floor catwalk to see the other planes suspended up there. We HAD to leave as we had dinner plans we had to get to, and we promised that we would return. It is worth going back.

The "Disney" Backpack

Each year we feel we need to carry things with us, just in case, for us and the kids. So each year we used a backpack to help keep our things together. We also had a fanny pack that Dad carried his wallet and camera, etc in. I fill my pockets, my tag on my pin lanyard, and any other place to keep stuff. But the backpack is the quintessential item for us. We have used the LLBean deluxe backpack for the first couple years but this year Dad said we needed a new one. The backpack does get a bit heavy from time to time.

The first two years we also rented a stroller each day so the stroller helped us lug items around. It was wonderful but the last two years the kids have been able to walk more and we haven't needed the stroller.

This year Dad looked like this:

this:

and this:

The front pocket held a few band-aids, hand sanitizer, a map or two, and other little items like extra pin backs. The big pockets held our jackets, and on this day, our rain ponchos and jackets, a sweater or sweatshirt, sometimes a pair of pants. Throughout the day we take off jackets and put them in the back pack or put jackets back on later in the day. This new backpack was great because it also had the outside straps. The straps could be cinched up to make the pack skinnier when we all had our jackets on or expanded to accommodate the extra stuff in there. The straps were also great for hanging our cups and on the day it rained we hung a wet towel on the strap to dry out.

This was a great pack! I have to tell you though that before we left for Disney Dad asked me what I though about getting a new pack and I told him that I didn't think it was necessary. He went ahead and bought it anyway and I am glad he did. It was a much better pack than the other 'book bag' types we had used in the past. The weight distribution was so much better an on the front there was an extra strap to hold the shoulder straps together which really helped distribute the weight and give it support as you were wearing it.

Disney 2010 Part 5

Towel Animals!

Our housekeeper at Port Orleans-Riverside was awesome this year. She made us something to look forward to each evening when we came back to the room. Here are a few things we found as we returned after a long day in the parks.

We were excited to find this duck toothbrush holder one evening.

These pretty towels were waiting for us.

Then apparently the stuffed animals were missing us one day and were waiting for us in the window when we returned one evening.

But the last day we were here the stuffed animals got a bit naughty while we were gone and had their own fun.

The kids loved these little surprises each evening.

Disney 2010 Part 4

Top 10 things I love about Disney World.

10. The meal plan. Our first trip to Disney World I knew there was one thing I did NOT want to do and that was walk by a snack stand and have to tell the kids they can't have a Mickey Ice Cream because it is too expensive and if you are hungry we brought our own snacks of cheese and crackers. That just didn't sound fun to me and Disney World is supposed to be fun. So when we discovered the meal plan we thought this was perfect for us. This way if the kids wanted a Mickey Ice Cream then they could have a Mickey Ice Cream, period, smile on our faces, eat away kids! which brings me to ......

9. Mickey Ice Creams. It is a staple in our Disney diet. We eat one practically every day. I love that they are good quality ice cream, creamy and rich, with good quality chocolate, thick and yummy. I love that they don't melt terribly fast and that if you break the chocolate off you don't necessarily lose the whole thing on the ground. I also love that if one of your kids does drop it or it completely falls of the stick and into the mulch (yeah, we know from experience), the cast member selling it will just give you another one. This makes mom smile.

8. The weather in Florida. While we have had both warm and downright cold days in Disney World for the most part the weather doesn't really seem to be an issue. We dress for the day and it isn't a focus. Even that really rainy day we had this year didn't really seem to be a big bother for us. I love that.

7. Park-like atmosphere. I love that Walt wanted the whole park to be more than an amusement park. His vision included grassy areas, planned beautiful gardens, and trees. I love that you can walk around the parks and around the resorts and feel that you are in a luxorious park, or even a fancy plantation home or in the gardens of a true castle. I love that the themes are carried out in all the small nooks and crannies. Some of the prettiest garden areas in the parks are close to the bathrooms. We have spend a many day in the parks just walking around and enjoying the sights other than the actual rides. I love that too.

6. Themes of the resorts and parks. It's all in the details. Every part of Disney is truly "Disney". You feel like you are walking on an old time boardwalk back in times' past at the Boardwalk Hotel. You feel like you are truly in a New Orleans Station at the Port Orleans - Riverside Hotel. When you are in Italy in Epcot, you truly feel like you are there. And that goes on in every aspect. Walking down Main Street is like going back in time.

5. (Sticking with #6 and #7 ) So much to do other than ride rides. Each year we try to spend some time experiencing other parts of the resorts. We have gone swimming in the heated pools. We have explored other hotels. We have spent time at Downtown Disney. We enjoy spending some time doing something else other than going into the parks and riding rides. Even in the parks we have enjoyed exploring the other opportunities. We have walked through the rose garden in Epcot. We have explored the animal habitat areas in Animal Kingdom and spent a great deal of time one year identifying the different birds in their aviary. We have enjoyed the animal petting area, watching the various shows, and sometimes just sitting on a bench people watching. Even the shopping is fun.

4. The Restaurants. Oh my, the restaurants in Disney are great. We love that because of the meal plan we have the opportunity to eat in really nice restaurants that if we were paying out of pocket, we might not have been able to eat there. We like both the buffets and the sit down service restaurants. Epcot has great garden salads at the counter meals and we love to eat at Pizza Planet in Hollywood Studios. The kids have eaten dinner in some very fancy restaurants and they are able to practice their manners. The food is delicious also. Each sit down dinner takes us usually 2 hours from beginning to end to eat. It is an experience in itself and we love that too.

3. Cast members. The cast members are all wonderful. (except one who made my daughter cry) We love talking to them, asking them questions (they are so knowledgeable). And they are so helpful. They are everywhere and when I 'grow up' I wouldn't mind being a cast member too. Even those who are the trash picker uppers are the best. Everyone is so friendly too. We get the best tips and information from them. I see so many visitors in Disney who ignore the cast members and don't give them another glance and I feel so sorry for them because they are missing out on so much information. Our first year, because we talked to the cast members, we were given the opportunity to see Cinderella privately and were given all the time we wanted with her. We had our photos taken and probably spent a good 30 minutes with her. It was wonderful. We also were given front row tickets to see The Lion King Show in Animal Kingdom and Dad was asked to be a part of the show. It was so cool. Because we talked to cast members we were also told the best times to see things, the best places to go, and some fun things to do. We learned about Kim Possible Missions, the roller coaster simulator and the make your own video game. Very cool stuff. AND cast members go hand in hand with ......

2. Pin Trading. We LOVE pin trading. You get pins from the Disney stores or Kiosks and then you can trade pins to get other pins that you want from cast members or other people. Most other people (visitors) don't want to trade but the cast members are required to trade any pin that you want. You have to trade one pin for one pin and it has to be a Disney official pin. We got into pin trading our second year. We found that it could be a very expensive activity and the next year we purchased pins in bulk to trade. Again this year we purchase a lot of 100 pins to share amongst us all to trade. Even then we felt like we didn't have enough to trade. It is pretty addicting. It also has been wonderful for our youngest because she has to talk to the cast members if she wants to trade.

1. Parades and Street Shows. I love that every time you turn around it seems that there is a parade or a street show going on. You can stop and watch if you like or you can continue on. We tend to stop and watch and we are never disappointed. We love that.

Disney 2010 Part 3

Now it is time to stop and smell the roses. Literally!

Day 5 was spent at Epcot. As we were leaving our hotel the doorman asked us where we were going today and we told him Epcot. He then proceeded to tell us his favorite things to do at Epcot. I am so so so glad we stayed and listened to him. The weather was a bit chilly today but we were going with a few goals. One, we wanted to do the Kim Possible Missions. They are so fun and cool. As my middle daughter said, "where can you go in Germany and see a girl running out of a window beating the bad guy with a broom??" When you go to Epcot you have to know that you are looking for the Kim Possible missions because otherwise you will miss it. We signed up and had a bit of time before our mission started. On the way to the bathroom we found these guys:



And we found Pocahontas.

And we found Duffy!



That was goal number 2. Find and buy Duffy the bear. Ladybug wanted him from the start and we made her wait a few days before buying him because we wanted to make sure that he was what she REALLY wanted and not what she wanted at that time. She REALLY wanted him and so she got him today (and her picture with him too as a bonus)

Goal #3 was to go through the back entrance (or exit) of Epcot and take a boat to check out the Boardwalk Hotel/Resort. It is beautiful.





We saw their big gingerbread display and really enjoyed the other Christmas decorations there too. They even have a miniature carousel that spins and plays music. Very neat.

We returned to Epcot and it was pretty crowded that day so we didn't really ride any rides, well maybe one, Test Track. But we enjoyed the scenery, the decorations, and oh, we also rode the Donald Duck ride in Mexico. That is a MUST for our family. It was nice to not have to rush from place to place or worry if we were going to stand in any line for a long time. This comes from being here for the past 4 years. We have pretty much done everything so we can now "stop and smell the roses". Which we did in the rose garden that is never ever crowded at Epcot.

We still had some time before dinner so we went over to the Inoventions buildings and checked out two great exhibits that the doorman suggested. They were both interactive and the kids loved it. The first one they were able to record themselves doing certain things like a jump, a victory cheer, running in place, and ducking (I think), then they were able to play a video game with their own self as the little man in the game. It was neat, and they could email the game home so they could play there too. Pretty cool. The next was the "make your own roller coaster and then ride it" simulation. Literally, that is what it was. The kids made their own roller coaster and then got into a simulator attached to an arm and they could ride their own game. I did not do that but they said it was really cool! Thanks, Mr. Doorman for some great suggestions!

Okay, now it is time for dinner and we have to rush a bit to cross the entire park to get there (boy my feet hurt on these trips). It was in Italy at the restaurant there and it was sooooo good. The kids loved it and the setting was perfect. It was our favorite dinner of the trip.

Here are the kids in front of the fountain in Italy.



When we finished dinner we mosied on back out to the busses, enjoying the fireworks on the way and of course, pin trading with everyone we saw.

Day 6: Magic Kingdom

Now that it is the week before Christmas the crowds are here. We are so glad that we come for a few days prior to the big crowds so we can get in what rides we want without waiting 110 minutes to ride a ride.

Today we decided we wanted to ride a few rides again and made it our mission to get them in. We ate our favorite breakfast here on Main Street and while we were eating Dad went and got us Fast Passes to Big Thunder Mountain, our favorite roller coaster (besides Goofys Barnstormer, and Expedition Everest, and the Dino Roller Coaster in Dinoland (AK) and .... ha ha). We rode the train and got off at Toontown and walked the back way to Tomorrowland. Along the way we stopped (taking our time and enjoying not standing in line anywhere) and examined the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees and a bunch that had fallen to the ground. We talked about how it grew and that it had no roots and didn't need too much water either.





We rode on the People Mover in Tomorrowland and then watched the Carousel of Progress. I love that show. We had our picture taken with Buzz Lightyear but the cameraman made our copy blurry. Then we ate dinner out with our cousins.

Oh, and this morning we bought these cups with hot chocolate in them for $5 each (we thought a good deal) and the cast member at the food court in the hotel told the kids they could use them to fill up for free on drinks too! They thought that was awesome!



Yes, our cousins (two families and Dad's aunt and uncle) were also down here at the same exact time we were. They had other things on their schedules so we couldn't meet up in the parks like we had thought we might be able to do but it was so much fun having dinner with them at a really yummy pizza place just outside Disney property (shh, don't tell Mickey we didn't eat with him that night). When we got back we still had Fast Passes for Space Mountain and Ladybug didn't want to go so I stayed at the hotel with her while the Pickle and Bean went back to MK for some late night riding. They had a blast and rode many rides without waiting in any lines. They didn't get home until almost 2 am!

Disney 2010 Part 2

We love Disney World. We love that when you step onto Disney property it is like you are transported (or at least we feel that way) to another alternate world. Not back in time but just in a world where there are not worries, no concerns, no problems. The biggest struggle you have is which fast pass to get first, or if you are going to fit on the bus with all the other 85,000 people who want to go where you are going. If that is the only worry, then you MUST be in Disney World.

Day three found us in The Animal Kingdom. This was the first year back to this park in three years. We went here our first year when the kids were little. Then we consentrated on the Safari ride, Pocahontas, and The Lion King show. We didn't even make it in to Asia or into the Tree of Life. This year we focused on Asia (Expedition Everest), the animal petting area, and then eating at Tusker House.



We saw the Tree of Life movie (It's hard to be a bug) but before we walked in we had to try on our bug eyes.



We also went to the petting zoo and were able to pet and walk around with the animals. Look what we found here:



Our Bean really enjoyed the petting area. She needed to be quiet with the animals. We have been running around so much that she just needed some time and she was in her element here. After that we ate dinner at the Tusker House. It was good. Again a buffet, but we don't mind eating to our hearts content.

When we left the park was closed and this is our favorite time because we can walk quietly without the crowds. We don't feel rushed and we can enjoy the scenery. As we left we decided to head over to Downtown Disney. We shopped and stopped to take pictures with our favorite characters.



And this Woody made out of Legos!!



Day three came to a close very late with three very very tired children.

Day four was spent at Hollywood Studios. We arrived and rode the required Toy Story 3 and did the Backstage Lot Tour. There was hardly anyone there in the park because when we woke up that morning it was pouring down rain. It was raining pretty hard. We donned our parkas and headed out anyway. We were so glad that we did because the parks are so enjoyable when there aren't so many crowds. By the time we arrived though the clouds had disappeared, well the rain had at least stopped and we were able to enjoy the park without getting too wet.

During the Backstage Tour we spotted the barn from Hannah Montana, the movie. Needless to say our Ladybug was quite excited and we took pictures in front of it.



Oh yes, Pickle decided it wasn't cool to pose in front of the barn. (shh, but secretly he liked it too)

Then we mosied on over to the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster and rode that ride. By the time we finished up there, got the required Mickey Ice Cream and and watched the street shows it was time for the Osborne Lights. We walked through the lights and watched them dance and dance. We sang along with the Christmas songs, searched for hidden Mickeys everywhere and traded pins with any cast member we saw. (oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that we had lunch at Pizza Planet and shopped too)

Look who we found too!



Next was dinner and fortunately for us it was right around the corner from the lights. We ate at the Sci-Fi Drive In Restaurant. Now this place is so much fun if you are into theme dining (which we are). You walk into the restaurant and you can't see any part of the restaurant at all. You only see the back of what looks like a big billboard. Then they take you into the restaurant area which looks JUST LIKE a drive in theater. They show old 1950's movie shorts and clips and commercials. The best part is that you sit in cars!! Yup, lookie here:



Crazy!! I know!!

The food was good and the service was by waiters who are on roller skates. So much fun!!

After dinner the Bean asked to return to the Osborne lights one more time so we did and she enjoyed watching them dance. Now the park was pretty much closed at this time so we pretty much had the park to ourselves again (BONUS!!) So we are walking up and down the street under the lights singing away, dancing away and pin trading with the cast members. We were talking with one cast member and the kids were trading with another when out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the Bean has two cast members dancing with her. She had such a great time!!! So we all danced and danced and then decided to start to head on back home. What a great way to end day 4.

Disney 2010 Part 1

This was our fourth year going to Disney World just before Christmas. We chose to go at Christmas time with the kids because of a couple reasons. One, we love Christmas and Disney World is completely decorated for Christmas. Two, the weather seems to be a bit cooler at this time of year, but it can be hit or miss. Some years we have had great weather (not too hot, not too cold), and other years it has been chilly or some days downright cold. Three, Dad slows down his business at this time and it is a perfect time for a vacation after working so hard through the summer and fall seasons. Four, for the first part of our vacation there are hardly any crowds which is so super nice. Okay, on to the trip.

This year we opted at the last minute to upgrade our stay to a hotel on site. We had originally planned to pull our trailer and stay in the campground. We got a better deal by staying in a hotel so we stayed at the Port Orleans-Riverside Hotel. We stayed there last year too.

The first day we arrived, checked into our hotel and then headed over to Epcot for some fun and dinner. This year we weren't as worried about making sure we rode all the rides and it was nice to just relax and enjoy some of the less popular parts of the parks. We will get to that later.

So here we are at Epcot.



We don't look too happy at this point but we will cheer up later.



We rode a couple rides and then headed over for dinner. We ate at the Beirgarten Restaurant in Germany. The food was great. It was a buffet and had a polka band for entertainment and a Christmas story for the kids. Everyone had fun. At this restaurant you sit at long tables and we were seated with another family from Michigan who was down for a work/vacation time. They had three cute little kids and we enjoyed talking with them.

See we are having fun now.



The kids wanted to get on with the pin trading so as we left we stopped and watched some of the fireworks and traded with cast members along our way home. Once back to the hotel we began our commensorate checking of the pin board in the Trading Post and then the requisite Mickey Ice Cream before heading back to our hotel room.

The second day found us at the Magic Kingdom.

I love this sign as you enter the park.



We enjoyed riding all the rides we couldn't wait to ride (Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder Mountain, and Goofy's Barnstormer) That evening we had dinner at the Plaza Restaurant and honestly we wouldn't go back to this one again. It is a 'typical' sandwich and ice cream shop and not worth wasting your table meal on it. Now if we were paying out of pocket we would definitely choose this place.

Here we are waiting and waiting for our table. The kids were tired and hungry at this point. But look how cool the fireworks are behind us. (We got the tip from a cast member who told us to snap a shot just at this time for a cool picture)



We stayed at Disney for 7 nights so there are lots more to come. Have you been to Disney yet? What is your favorite park?

Helen, Georgia

My husband called me the other day and asked me to look up www.helenga.org. So I did and I found a wonderful little town built with the "old Bavarian style" buildings. RIGHT HERE IN THE USA!!! It is about an hour from Atlanta from what I can see on Google Maps. It is also set in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains. It looks fabulous.

They have little local stores full of arts and crafts stuffs. They have carriage rides and other winter festivities. They decorate for Halloween and Christmas. What fun!

There are a bunch of museums and The Cabbage Patch Babyland General Hospital, birthing center for the Cabbage Patch Kids. I still have mine!!

It would be a lot of fun to go there. This year their big festivities are this weekend, but they are still decorated and have other events through the season.

Getting that itch again!

We are all getting that itch. It has been only three weeks and this third weekend that we are on I can feel that the kids are ready to GO somewhere, anywhere and frankly, I am too.

I sit with a heap of laundry surrounding me, a family room that is in crisis right now and all I want to do is pack up and go. Two weekends ago we brought back our camper from our seasonal campsite about an hour and a half away. It sat in our driveway for a week and we moved it to the backyard. We unpacked all the food and perishables and parked it for the winter. The camper is sad, I can tell. I am too.

I don't know why traveling is so in my blood. I remember when I was little we were always going places, camping for a weekend, traveling for the day. Perhaps that is where I get it from. When we first moved to Virginia from Maryland, my dad announced that we need to get to know our new state. For the first two years we traveled all over the place, exploring, discovering what it was to be in Virginia. It was a good thing we did that because my first year here we had a big project to complete about Virginia. We had to make a book and divide it by the regions of Virginia and then explain the different regions, the land, the industry, cities, etc. Most people took brochures and cut them up and used them as their photos of the regions. NOT ME! I had real pictures, real stuff. Why? Because my dad took us there, showed us around, and we took pictures. So for the coastal region you have me at the beach. For the piedmont region you have me with the Richmond skyline, me in Fredericksburg at the battlefields. For the mountain region you have a photo of me in the mountains, me apple picking, me with the fall leaves, me me me me me. I got an A+ on that project but the teacher didn't like me any better and I was lucky to have moved on to the fifth grade and not have to do fourth grade over again. (But that is another story).

So back to the point here. We are itching to go somewhere but we are pretty much stuck here for the time being. The holidays are fast approaching, there are decorations to hang, more laundry than you can imagine, and a family room that needs some semblance and order.

My question today is: How fast can you pack the family and be off on an adventure? Let's say, for a weekend? A week?

My answer: we can pack for a weekend without having to take linens (like if we are going to a hotel or our camper in the summer) in an hour. That does not include shopping for food. But it does include packing food and drinks.

To pack for a week: 2 hours tops. And that is everyone in the car and ready to pull out of the driveway. We have gotten really good at packing. Every person knows what they need to pack. They know how to pack their own entertainment for the car ride. I pack all the toiletries, food, drinks, and linens. We have this all down to a science.

Traveling with kids

In the recent few days I have been thinking a lot about our travels this year and in years past. I was asked the other day in an email if we travel every weekend. Well, no not every weekend but many and most weekends we are going somewhere or doing something.

So this got me thinking about how we travel with kids. As I said before we have been traveling for years with our kids and I think that since they know no different they have learned to cope with long hours in the car. They are easy to travel with for the most part. My kids are currently 11, 10 and 8. They get along with each other well. But that doesn't always mean that they get along well in a car for hours on end. I help the process of traveling out a bit too. Here are some of my tricks to help kids cope with long hours cooped up in a car.

1. Packing:

Clothing goes in one bag or a suitcase but the kids have small backpacks that they can stuff with other items to help them stay busy and entertained in the car. These smaller backpacks now are packed by them alone, and as toddlers and younger kids I packed their backpacks for them.

When they were little like 4-7 years old I packed a favorite stuffed animal, a new pack of crayons, a new coloring book or activity book (love these and get them from the dollar stores), a hand held battery operated game, a couple reading books and sometimes other small toys they could play with in the car.

Now as they are older they usually pack their MP3 players, Nintendo DS games, a coloring book or two, reading books, pencils and crayons, a stuffed animal and other little toys or entertaining stuff. One rule I have is that it all has to fit in that bag and the bag must close. We only have so much room, you know.

2. DVD player:

Oh my heavens! I was in paradise when we finally got a DVD player that was attached to the ceiling of our suburban. We had it installed last year before our big trip to Florida. This was wonderful because we opted to get the headphones for the kids as well. Now we can drive for HOURS in silence as they watch a movie. As toddlers we had a portable DVD player and before that a larger VHS player. This has been a godsend to our traveling. When we didn't have those we had those VideoNow hand held devices and as little kids they loved watching Dora the Explorer and Clifford the Big Red Dog episodes on it. They eventually broke and we upgraded.

If you are going to travel far this is a must have in a car.

3. Stop Often:

My kids need to get out and run every couple hours. They still do. And personally I need it too. When we are on long trips we like to stop every couple hours and have a bathroom break and perhaps get a snack or a drink. I will talk about food later. We try to find a place where there is a bit of space or a fast food restaurant where the kids can play in their playground area for a few minutes before getting back in the car. Now this will add time to your trip but the end result of having happy kids in a car will more than make up for this inconvenience.

Oh, also it is our rule in our family that everyone MUST TRY to go to the bathroom when we are stopped. There is no "I don't have to go" and then 30 minutes down the road they are complaining that they have to go "right now and can't wait".

4. Food and Drink:

One way to keep kids happy on the road is by making sure they have full bellies. We always always pack a bag of snacks for the road. We often will pack a cooler of drinks too. Even if we are driving an hour out of town a bag of snacks and a drink is a necessity. I pack several options, salty, sweet, healthy, junky. This way you hit all the possibilities. Oh, and pack more than you think you will need. It is amazing how much kids will eat!

5. Bag of tricks:

Yes you heard that right. I always pack a "bag of tricks" that I sneak in the car. I am not talking magic tricks I am talking stuff that the kids have either never seen before or haven't seen in a while. For shorter trips I usually try to save my stuff for the ride home. It can be the worst part of the trip and the kids can be very cranky on the ride home. This breaks up the monotony of the car ride and gives them something new to do or play with that they haven't done already this trip. For long trips like our trips to Florida I like to try to wait as long as possible in the ride there before I pull out anything new for them. Last year on our drive to Florida (a 14 hour drive each way) I didn't have to pull anything out of my "bag of tricks" until the ride back home. The kids were so excited to get there that they were great the whole ride down so I saved my stuff until our drive back. Sometimes I don't even need to pull anything out and I will then just save my stuff until the next trip. This is great too because then they don't know to expect new stuff because it doesn't happen on every trip.

What's in my "bag of tricks" you ask? Well for my kids a brand new coloring book or activity book for each of them is in there along with two or three packs of brand new crayons. I pack, for longer trips, a new DVD or two. We usually purchase them as we will want to own them but you can rent movies also. I love the new RedBox movie rental kiosks and love that you can rent a movie one place and return it somewhere else. We have rented a movie here before we leave and return it at our destination, then rent again for the ride home. At a buck a day, this is a deal for us. My kids love to write and draw so I often will pick up those little notebooks you can get at craft stores or in dollar stores for a $1. I also will put in a book that we haven't read as a family yet. When I pull this book out I will read it out loud from the front seat (not driving of course) while the kids listen. I show them the pictures as we get to them. I will save the longer books for this and it is great with toddlers if they enjoy listening to you read. We can read for a couple hours this way.

I don't spend a lot of money on my bag of tricks and often will include small toys that they have ignored for a while too. Now, I don't pull everything out at once. I save stuff and pull out one thing at a time. I let them play with that for a while and when they start to get bored again, pull out something else.

6. Pillows and blankets:

This is a must. My husband likes to keep the car cool even in the winter so a blanket will save a lot of fuss about who is too cold. They each have a blanket the size of a sofa throw in the car and so do I. Each child also has a pillow in the car that is accessible to them. If they want to take a nap, then they have everything they need. Often the will lean their head against the pillow to watch the movies too.

7. Traveling clothes:

Many years ago my grandparents traveled a lot. They are now deceased. When they traveled they had their "traveling suits" on. These consisted of a pair of pants that were comfortable, a shirt, and a matching blazer or jacket. A suit of clothing. But these suits were not like a suit you would wear to the office they were decent enough to go into a restaurant and have a meal and nice enough for you to not be embarrassed when others saw you. But comfortable enough for you to sit for long periods of time and not feel like your pants are cutting you in half. This was a different generation then but their idea is still the same.

For us the rule is that the clothes have to be comfortable but appropriate enough to be in public in. For our family that means that we do NOT travel in lounge wear, pajamas unless our next stop is a hotel or a place where we will be going straight to bed. Otherwise we wear clothing that is comfortable, sweat pants, or shorts, long pants that are not tight or binding. We wear layers on top. We start with a shirt and then add a sweatshirt or sweater. If we are traveling in the winter then we will bring our winter coats but not wear them in the car.

While traveling if we plan to be late getting in we will put the kids in pajamas around their bedtime and let them fall asleep in the car and carry them into the hotel or our destination for bed that night. But they do not start out in the car that afternoon in their pajamas. If you have really small children then pajamas may be more appropriate for traveling. But for us we wear our clothes.

8. Know your kids/Allow extra time:

When planning a long trip in the car, the best rule of thumb is to know your kids. You know their tolerance level and you know their escalation signs. You know how long your kids can tolerate being in their seats. Knowing these key things will help to diffuse any problems in the car. Don't wait until it is too late. When you begin to see signs of travel fatigue that is the time to change the situation. Don't wait until it is too late. Sometimes simply saying "We are going to start to look for an exit to eat dinner. Who can spot a sign for McDonalds on it?" That will give you a few more minutes of calm. Or pull out something new, start DVD, or begin to read to them. The idea is to change the situation. Sometimes at this point I will pull out the food bag and begin to hand out snacks even if they didn't ask for one.

Allow extra time for stops. We average with our family of 5 30 minutes for a bathroom and drive thru break. If we stop to eat in a restaurant we can add an additional hour to our travel time if not a bit longer. We have tried to shorten this time and the kids get too stressed out. So we know we can't rush this. We love Google Maps and GPS. Google maps is great because you can change your course of the trip with a click. It gives the travel time also. As an example, it takes 11 hours almost to the minute to get from our house to Disney World. But for us we know it takes us 14 hours. Our trip down is broken into two days. We start in the afternoon and drive as long as we can into the night. We stop twice, once for dinner and once for a bathroom and clothing change break. We switch the kids into their pajamas around their bedtime. We find a hotel (not always the best idea with traveling with kids to just leave it up to chance) and we carry them into the room in their pajamas and tuck them straight into bed. The next morning we pack up and continue on our way. We will stop two more times on the way. Once for a midmorning bathroom break and once for lunch. No matter how fast we try to go it still takes us 14 hours. On the way home, we travel in one very full day if we can. We stop for a mid-morning break, lunch where we get out and eat, a mid afternoon break and then dinner where we sit down and get served. Then usually we are pretty close to being home, well, within a few hours. In short, plan for breaks and lots of them.

Traveling with kids can be fun if you are prepared. I have heard horror stories of families on the road, kids fighting in the back seat or kids screaming and crying the whole way there. That is not a fun way to travel. It is better to be even extra prepared with your bag of tricks than to be caught short and short tempered.

Long Weekend in the Outer Banks, NC

We love being at the beach in the fall. This year with the school calendar the way it was and the fact that Election Day was just two days past Halloween we headed down for a long four day weekend. Boy did we have a good time. We really relaxed.

One thing that we were originally concerned with was Halloween and Trick or Treating. Our kids are still of the age where they enjoy trick or treating and we didn't want them to miss out on that fun. But since we would be at the beach in the off season and we weren't sure how many neighbors would be trick or treating also, nor did we know about other neighborhoods where we could go, we opted for Trunk or Treating.

I searched the internet and found that a local church down there would be offering trunk or treating, a carnival like atmosphere with games, activities, and bouncy things as well as free hot dogs and popcorn. So it sounded like a plan. On Halloween we hopped in the car in early afternoon and headed down the road a few miles to the church to check things out. We wanted to have enough time to come up with a plan B if we needed it. We drove by and they were setting up the bouncy things and they had a large area roped off for the event. So things were looking good. That evening after carving our own pumpkins:

We headed down to Trunk or Treat. We expected some people but were totally taken back by the number of people there.

We had to park down the street and walk a little bit back to the church. It was great though and well worth it. The cars were so well decorated and the people were so nice as we went through. The kids enjoyed the evening so well they asked if we could come back next year. Now that is a good sign!

They said the kids belonged at this car:

A pirate truck:

and a robot:

Very fun.

The next day we headed out on the beach for some honest to goodness salt air. It was chilly but we had a great family time.

Collecting seashells:

And trying desperately to fly a kite:

Sea oats:

I love this guy!

And walking with my girls!

We were reluctant to come back home on Tuesday but the adult in us made us come home. We could live there forever if we could......ahhhhh to dream.....