Children's Museum Houston - The Amazing Tot*Spot Exhibit

There really is something for kids of all ages at Children’s Museum Houston, including a space just for children’s ages 0-35 months, called Tot*Spot. I have visited the Children’s Museum many times before, but had no idea there was a space upstairs for the younger guests. I had the opportunity to check it out for the first time recently, and I was blow away at how amazing and how thoughtfully crafted this space is, not just for the babies, but also for the parents. They have so many things that give us as parents peace of mind, while we take our little ones out, like a nursing space, a spot for dirty toys that are regularly cleaned, and shoe covers.

My son is 9 months at the time I am writing this and he is at the age where he wants to look, touch, and taste everything. This exhibit allowed for him to discover so many things through sensory exploration. All of the activities are designed to help our tots develop key executive functions that our essential to their development.

It is refreshing to have a space like this for parents of young kids. It can be isolating when they are so small and the activity options are limited at their age. Having the ability to get out the house, go to a safe space that is not only fun, but developmentally friendly for my tot, all while allowing me the ability to connect with other parents who have kids of the same age, is a true DELIGHT!

Tot*Spot exhibit features so many cool activities like a scarf blower, the family theater, which was Colin’s favorite part, a fish tank, a slide adventure area, and so much more. They even have an outdoor space called Tot*Spot Balcony that is filled with adventure and imaginative play. They have cars, playscapes, tot size seating area, and a playhouse.

You and your tot(s) can experience Tot*Spot on Tuesday - Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm and this exhibit is included with general admission. Some other activities offered in the space are special programs each month that you can find more information about here. In addition to this, on the first Friday of every month, they have Mommy Mingle Fridays. This is another great opportunity for our tots to explore through social communication and for us Mommies to have some fun as well.

This space really is a treat, and I wish I had known about this place sooner. If you have a child under the age of 35 months, this really is a great space for them to develop meaningful experiences that fosters their brain development through the power of active play! I cannot wait to go back with Colin! And as always, thanks for stopping by my blog!

Have you ever been to Children’s Museum of Houston? If so, have you checked out the Tot*Spot?

Airbnb Bucket List (Mostly) Texas Edition

First let me apologize for not blogging in a while. If you are still here, thanks! It’s been hard to keep up and honestly, we have not done a ton of traveling nor home projects. My life has been pretty basic. I have been watching The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals on Netflix, and that is somewhat the inspiration for this post. Since I do not have a Netflix budget (would be a dream), I am going to just settle for sharing links of some unique properties that I have saved on my Airbnb wishlist. To keep it from getting too long, going to narrow it down to 10 in Texas (with a couple bonus) that I hope to get a chance to visit.

Even more so now, with the pandemic, Airbnb style travel seems to be the way to go. You can find a place that offers a whole experience and you can limit (or not) your time with other humans as much as you would like. There are many other sites to book these type of stays on as well, but for now focusing on Airbnb. So let’s get to the list. CLICK THE PIC TO GO DIRECTLY TO AIRBNB FOR MORE PICS & INFO.

Naturalist Boudoir

Photo from Airbnb.com

This property features a swinging bed, seclusion, outdoor hot tub, beautiful natural wood aesthetics, and a chance to connect with nature, yourself, or whoever you visit with.

Dallas Treehouse

Photo from Airbnb

My mom and one of her close friends actually got the chance to stay here. They used it as a time to disconnect and just spend some time with God (and each other). Her pictures were amazing and honestly these pics do not seem to do the place justice. This one is at the top of my list. I absolutely love being nestled among trees.

Yurt In The Trees

Photo from Airbnb

As if the fact that is a Yurt isn’t cool enough, it also has treehouse vibes. This looks like an amazing way to glamp in style! Per the host, in a yurt, you can hear all of nature, the breeze in the trees and the birds singing in the morning. You can venture down the canyon and there is a spring fed creek, nature areas to explore, fire ring, and porch swings.

Hill Country Glass House

Photo from Airbnb

You can roll the bed outside and enjoy a rest under the stars! This is like sleeping outside but even better because it’s not outside. Clearly I am not a camper lol. But the design touches, the hill country views, the vibe, just screams romantic getaway. I would even go here for a momcation by myself. I’d prob be a tad scared but I can handle it.

Zebra-inspired Cabin, inside Animal Sanctuary

Photo from Airbnb

There’s something so cool to me about waking up to zebras, giraffes, and some cows! It makes me feel like I am transported to another country. There are 2 cabins on property and they are both beautifully decorated! Not to mention this is only 15 minutes from the Waco Silos. One concern about this one based on reviews, is that you have to book the animal encounter for an additional fee. It sounds like its worth the experience though, so just plan ahead accordingly. There is another cool one on my list that connects you to animals that is worth checking out too, The Sweet Serengeti Cabin. Compare to see which one works best with your budget!

Lake Waco Marina Houseboat

Photo from Airbnb

If you saw this episode of Fixer Upper, then you know it’s AMAZING inside. If you missed, tap the picture above. I have always wanted to stay on a Houseboat, and this looks like the perfect one to get the experience. It’s also surprisingly spacious, it has 5 beds. Like the one above, you can head over to enjoy the activities in the Waco and surrounding area if it gets a little too quiet for you.

Dome on Guadelupe River

Photo from Airbnb

Something about Domes fascinate me, just feels magical. I know there are those dining domes that you can eat in, welp, here is one you can sleep in! The bathroom accommodations are a bit less than ideal as you have to go to the main house, but at least they are not outside, right? It seems very spacious and can accommodate a small family. It’s cutely decorated too, located within the faerie forest.

Castle

Photo from Airbnb

Who doesn’t want to stay in a castle? It’s got Europe vibes right in the hill country! I have passed it before and it’s by a beautiful vineyard/winery and it’s not too far from some great hill country hiking spots. This is the priciest one on the list at $1950 per night, but it sleeps 12. If you divide that steep rate up, its around $160 pp per night, so not bad. This would be the coolest spot to gather for a bachelorette trip or a girls trip or a big family getaway (of course pending the house rules).

Sycamore Treehouse at Honey Tree Farm

Photo from Airbnb

I absolutely love the bright and airy-ness of this place!! Plus it is in the heart of the wine country of the hill country TX, need I say more? This one books up a lot but if you can snag one, based on the reviews it seems totally worth the stay. There is more than one of these treehouses on the farm, so if this one is not available, search honey tree farm for the other(s). The views sound like they are pretty incredible!

Off-grid Adobe Dome near Big Bend

Photo from Airbnb

Transporting you to the wild, wild west (of Texas) where there are actual mountains. Yes, there are mountains in Texas. I am shocked at how nice and cozy these look inside. Like most of the ones I have here, this is a great property to give you a chance to disconnect from life and enjoy some nature. As described, it is close to the incredible Big Bend National Park. Since there is no air conditioning, fall or spring would be the best time to visit here! Also shockingly there is WiFi available. This is a great place to take in the mountain view’s.

I have over 40 on my list of super cool airbnb places in Texas on my wishlist. It was SO hard to trim it down, but here is a great start! Have you stayed in any of these? Or any of them on your list too? If you do visit or have, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

Taking it a little further, just sharing 2 more that are on my list.

This one is famous, and the bamboo makes me feel like I am connected with my absolute favorite animal in all the world, the panda.

Atlanta Alpaca Treehouse in the Bamboo Forest

Photo from Airbnb

Just look at the pictures, need I say more? My sister is moving to Atlanta, so hoping I can sneak away here for a couple nights when we come visit. Oh and there are alpacas on property!!

The Sassafras

Photo from Airbnb

This gives me hobbit vibes (BTW, there is a real hobbit looking place in Washington state). The owner of this property really did an amazing job designing this and making this a really unique place. I love that it has the beautiful pond views, the large rocks, and the mountain view’s in the distance. Definitely my kind of place to disconnect and explore nature.

This is not sponsored by Airbnb. Just me over dreaming and hoping to give my reader friends some inspiration. As always thank you SO much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed these!!! XoXo Gossip Girl..jk.

Our Margaritaville Lake Conroe Experience

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend a weekend at the all new (opened June 2020) Margaritaville Lake Conroe resort. The moment I stepped foot on the property, I instantly felt a feeling of ease and excitement. It feels like you just got transported into the Caribbean, yet not quite as it’s located just north of Houston. I live in a burb of Houston, Sugar Land, which is only about an hour and half from the resort. This will be my new go-to staycation spot. If you are not from the area, it is definitely worth the visit. Stay tuned, for 30% off your next visit.

When you walk in, you are immediately greeted by a warm welcome with a huge smile on the face of several staff members. The lobby has this giant flip flop that is decorated based on the season/holiday, which is super fun! For our visit, it was during the Christmas season and they know how to do it right!

Planning trips can be a challenge as you work through all the logistics. That is one thing I love about a resort like Margaritaville as they have everything on-site, which takes away the harder parts of the trip planning. You can park your car and leave it there for the duration of your stay as you enjoy a wealth of activities right on-site.

Since COVID-19 is around and may be for a while, I did want to mention that they have a whole page dedicated to the pre-cautions & measures they are taking to protect their guests. All the employees wore masks, which put us at ease and the extra cleaning measures are important. There was hand sanitizer available throughout the property. Just a heads up though, some of the guests chose not to wear their mask in public areas, but I think this is something that we all see often. It is hard to enforce it, but just a reminder to everyone to please do your part in staying safe, wear a mask.

Where to Stay

They have several suite options. Within the main tower, you can get a lake view suite, a king balcony suite or a double balcony suite. If you really want to elevate the experience, there is a presidential suite & 2 executive suites. They also have handicap accessible room options. If you want something a little more private, and since it is a pandemic, a little more pandemic (and wild toddler) friendly, I recommend the lake cottages. We stayed in these and they are all right on the lake as their name implies with a front porch & chairs where you can take in the views. Our lake cottage included a king size bed downstairs, living area, kitchenette, first floor bathroom, with a loft that had 2 double beds. The loft has a low ceiling, so be cautious, we all bumped our heads on the ceilings a few times haha (no heads were harmed during the duration of the stay hehe). The beds were all extremely comfortable, I loved the pillows, and the rooms were nicely decorated. There are no tubs in the room but there is a big spacious shower. What I love most about them is that the floor on the main level were not carpet, which to me means it is easier to clean between guests. My toddler loves to lay, roll, eat off (yuck), and do several things on the floor so this gave me peace of mind. The cottages were within steps of the resorts amenities so no need to hop in the car. One tip, if you are a mom traveling with younger kids, especially if they are sensitive to noises, the cottages closer to the resort (ex 01, 02, 03, etc.) will pick up the noise from the Landshark Restaurant. So my advice is to bring a noise machine or request one of the cabins on the far end (so 26-32 for example).

The Fun Stuff

There are so many fun activities on the resort property. Here is a list to name a few:

• Waterpark (3 acres to be exact) - Includes a swim up bar and lazy river. 1 of the pools are heated.

• Boat & Watercraft rentals (If you have your own boat, there are over 80 boat slips including a couple in front of each lake cottage)

• Sports courts for tennis, pickleball, & basketball

• Miniature golf course

• 18 hole golf course, driving range

• Arcade

• Fitness center & Spa (More on the spa later)

• 5 dining spots

• Events - During the holidays we enjoyed Breakfast with Santa plus the Holiday both parade. Both of which are annual events. They have a New Years Eve event coming up, that you can check out here. These are open to the public, but my recc is to definitely stay for a night or 2. There will be live music and delicious food.

Grub Time

There are 6 food places on property, 5 are open to the public with the exception of the pool bar. If you really want to check it out, then I recommend booking or getting a day pass. We experienced 3 of the restaurants - Joe Merchant, Landshark Grill, and License to Chill. Joe Merchant is more casual dining option, and prob the best for kids. You can get brewed Starbucks coffee, and more small meals (pizza, breakfast sandwich, bagels, etc). Landshark Grill boasts beautiful views of the lake, and is also kid friendly, especially if you opt for patio dining. Everyone enjoyed their meal there, but our favorite meal was at License to Chill. This one is more upscale dining. We enjoyed a hand-crafted cocktail, margaritas to be exact, and some really well prepared steaks. They were so juicy and tender. The kids ate at Joe Merchants (pizza) beforehand as they are extremely picky.

Relaxation at St. Somewhere Spa

I am giving the spa it’s on section, because it deserves it. I have been to some of the greatest spas in Houston and this one, was next level! The experience was impressive and the extensive menu is something worth mentioning. I decided to try something out of my norm (I usually opt for a facial or a massage), so I went with a body treatment. This was essentially a facial for the body but also included some massaging. I did not want it to end! Jennifer did an amazing job and I got a really nice mini nap in. My skin felt so soft and moisturized, plus smelt amazing! My husband had the CBD healing massage and when he was done, it put him in a state of relaxation that he needed more than ever. It was so nice to just have an 1-1.5 away from the busy reality of life, especially life this year. It is open to the public, and it is worth the trip. You have access to the steam room, jacuzzi, medication garden, and lounge area for before or after treatment. You can also keep your mask on throughout the experience should you choose and all staff wear their masks. IF YOU GO, PLEASE DO THIS and thank me later haha.

Overall, the experience was extremely positive. I really needed this at the time we went. It has been a challenging year for all of us, and I definitely recommend a change in scenery. It does the soul good! As promised, they were kind enough to give me a discount code that is good through April 2021 to my friends and blog guests. Here is the discounted link! Happy booking!!

As always, thank you for reading and if you go for a visit, please let me know. XoXo

Road-Trip to Arkansas

Like probably most of you, 2020 has pretty much bulldozed over most of my plans! We started out so hopeful for the best year yet, but there have been so many moments challenging moments and things that have occurred this year. Let’s pray that things turn around or at least that 2021 will be a much better year. Some of our plans consisted of big trips, like Europe (I have never been to Europe) and India, plus several smaller trips. I suffer severely from wanderlust and at this point, I will take going anywhere but here. Fortunately I was able to convince my husband to do a road-trip. Let me tell you, we were both extremely concerned. Mostly because our 5 and 2 year old, and even more mostly, cause the 2 year old. He is very active and hardly likes the car. He loves to go, but it’s got to be quick and easy. We had plans to do Utah, but due to New Mexico requiring a 14 day travel quarantine from our hot spot state, it was going to be tough to make it work. So Arkansas was thrown on the table and it turns out to not be that far from Texas. The furthest city on the agenda, Eureka Springs, was only 10 hours (okay not only, but compared to 19 hours for Arches National Park, it works).

The parts of Arkansas we visited were more rural. Did you know over half the state of Arkansas is untouched? The roads are narrow and windy, with lots of hills. As someone who comes from the flat part of Texas, they made me nervous. It was a bit of culture shock to me because you could go miles and miles without seeing a gas station, a food place, nor person. It also lacked the diversity that I am used to being in Houston. We saw so many confederate flags. As a black family, this made us extremely uncomfortable. We were wise about the places we stopped, and I will admit, we were nervous about stopping. I was warned about Harrison, AK, so we kept on driving through just to be safe. We got some looks, but for the most part the people we did interact with were nice, or at least not mean.

Anyway, I will stop rambling. Here is how we mapped it out -

1. Houston to Dallas (approx 4 hours) - Stayed overnight in Dallas

2. Dallas to Hot Springs, AK (approx 4.5 hours) - No overnight in Hot Springs

3. Hot Springs, AK to Hotel - Club Wyndham Resort in Fairfield Bay (approx 2.15 mins)

Here was our itinerary -

1. Day 1 - After Work Drive to Dallas

   • Teddy Bear Park - Lakeside Park (Due to COVID, the bears are covered off)

2. Day 2 - Woke up in Dallas.

   • Visited Sea Life Aquarium

   • Headed onto Hot Springs, AK. Toured the springs & walked historic district.

   • Headed onto hotel. (Note: We tried to avoid traveling at night but it gets dark a little earlier than we expected there. There are some serious hills in AK and the roads are just those 2 laners each lane going the opposite way)

3. Day 3

   • Rock & Java Cafe - I only added this here because it is SO good. The coffee and the food were wonderful and the customer service was great!

   • Natural Bridge of Arkansas

   • Buffalo National River

   • Indian Rock Cave

4. Day 4 - My fave day, we chased waterfalls!

   • Visit Blanchard Springs area - hike to blanchard spring waterfall

   • Mirror Falls Lake (within Blanchard Springs)

   • Falling Water Falls

5. Day 5 - Eureka Springs

   • Thorn Crown Chapel

   • Briefly walked the main street in historic downtown Eureka Springs

   • Christ of the Ozarks

   • Blue Heritage Spring

6. Day 6 - We started our trek home. We were really happy to head back.

   • TR Pugh Memorial Park - Little Rock, AK

   • Mid-American Science Museum - Hot Springs, AK

   • Drove to Tyler, TX (Hot Springs, AK to Flint was approx 4 hours)

   • Arrived at Holiday Inns Resort in Flint (near Tyler)

7. Day 7

   • Went to beach at our resort

   • Drove back to Houston, which took just under 4 hours

Now for the pics!!!

Hot Springs, AR

Hot Springs was my favorite town that we visited. I wish we had more time than the few hours we spent there. We mostly stayed on the main street in the historic downtown area. You can check out the cool shops, visit the national park HQ (was closed due to pandemic but they had a table outside), view the bath houses, and the national park with the hot springs is right there. We visited 1, but did not drink any of the water. They say it’s safe, but I was not interested in chancing it. The water was hot, hence the name, which was so cool. I wish I could have got it.

Natural Bridge of Arkansas

The drive to the bridge was intense (at least it was for this Texan, who is used to flat roads haha). It is curvy and the hills were very steep (shift to low gear steep). There is a small fee when visiting here. The hike to the actual bridge is short, about a .25 mile. As you are walking to the bridge, there is a small museum that you can check out. This is not a stroller friendly trail. If you have a carrier, that may be best for the smaller kids. Blake, 2 years old, was able to hike this one. Once you past the bridge, on the way to see the bridge from the top view, there are stairs. I found this place to be very magical. The trees leading there were perfection!

Buffalo National River

This was a pretty area. I think if we had planned to get in the water, we could have enjoyed it more. We walked into it not quite knowing what to expect. You can drive your car very close along the banks of the river and set up shop. We just walked around, dipped our toes in the water, and of course took lots of pics. There is no entry fee for this.

Indian Rock Cave

This was free and impressive! There are 2 or 3 more of these Indian rock houses within the state. This one in Fairfield is located within the resort property where we stayed and on a golf course. It is a short hike, with stairs involved from the start of the trail to the rock house. It is huge, and you can even see petroglyphs. The hike to it is fairly long, and there are multiple ways you can hike past it back to the parking lot. It is a lovely hike. Everything was closed at the time we hiked, so no restrooms open nor could we tour the small museum shop. This was a great evening stop!

Blanchard Springs

This area was too pretty to capture on photos, these pics don’t do it justice. There is a cavern in this area but we opted out of doing that. The trail to the waterfall is stroller/wheel chair friendly (if you get close to the waterfall, you will not be able to bring a stroller). This was my favorite area and Mirror Lake is right next to this waterfall.

Mirror Lake

Just breathtaking!!! The lake was created in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can view it from top and the bottom. We did see people jumping off along the side into the water. We attempted to walk around the stones in the water, however, the rocks were super slippery. Ethan fell. So if you go in, bring some water shoes or just prepare to bust your bum. There were some water snakes spotted in the corner as well, but most of the people in there seemed unbothered. If you prefer to stay dry, there are a few easy trails you can walk along to take in its beauty. I did want to note that we also saw some poison ivy on several of the trails we did. I could not find too much information about the old ruined building in my pictures. If you have any to share, please drop below in the comments. Otherwise it made for a wonderful photo backdrop.

Falling Water Falls

This was another amazing water fall. It was about an hour from the two in the Blanchard Springs Area. We were not prepared as we did not bring any swim wear. You can pull over on the side of the road and park. There is no official entry point. When you get out of the car, you will be at the top of the falls, and there are several shallow areas to swim or wade in the water in. There is no real trail down but there are several ways to get down. It is pretty steep, but my oldest and husband did it. We saw several people jump off the water fall…I wish I was that brave and confident in my swimming abilities. The water was cool and refreshing.

Thorn Crown Chapel

This is another free thing to add to your list! It was exquisitely designed. There is not much to do here besides take pics, make a donation, and sit in the church and bask in it’s beauty. And pray! Blake kept screaming so we could not spend much time inside.

Historic Downtown of Eureka Springs

Historic Downtown Eureka was popping. A little too much for my taste as this visit was in the midst of a pandemic so we did not spend much time here. There are several shops and eateries. Throughout the historic area you will find several of the springs. Many of them are famous for their healing properties. There was a magnetic spring that supposedly magnetizes any metal object that you drop in. I could not find anything past my earring or wedding ring and was not going to take that chance dipping it in. Within this area is the Passion area. My husband remembered that he had went there when he was in high school on a church trip. We said the production was amazing. There is also a Holy Land area. We would have explored it more had we not been dealing with COVID.

Blue Heritage Spring

I wish we could have spent more time here. It ended up raining, so we had to cut it short. It was a really magical storybook-esque area. There is a fee for this area that I felt was a bit steep.

TR Pugh Memorial Park

My mom was adamant about going here and by am I glad she was. It was yet another beautiful spot in Arkansas. This one is located in North Little Rock. This mill was in the opening scene of Gone With the Wind and one of the last remaining structures. There is no cost to visit and I loved the area it was located in. A great spot for a cup of coffee or to take pics!

Mid-American Science Museum

This stop was for my oldest, Ethan. He LOVES dinosaurs and it was a really cool museum. The building itself was spectacular. We mostly went for the dino trek which is out back. There are hills and lots of beautiful trees along the trail. We loved seeing the lifesize dinosaurs and overall the museum was just really fun and cool. It is very interactive so the kiddos enjoyed it.

Our Lodging - Fairfield Bay, AR & Flint, TX

Club Wyndham Resort Fairfield Bay

2 Bedroom, 2 Bath condo

Holiday Inn Resort, Flint, TX

2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom Condo

So many amenities at this resort!

Notice the dirty carpet at this one.

Holiday Inn Resort, Flint

We packed in a lot in the 7 days. The kids were real troopers. The one place we wanted to go to but could not manage to swing is Whitaker Point. If we ever go back, I will explore more near Fayetteville area. I am hoping we can do Arches National Park in Utah, I have an epic adventure planned for that too.

If you made it this far in the blog, thank you! It is so much work putting together these posts, so I appreciate you taking the time to review.

We used Expedia to book both of our lodging and got super great rates.

Thank you for reading, XoXo. What area looked the coolest? Drop a comment below.

10 Last Minute Spring Break Ideas (Texas Edition)

As an adult, spring break just is not the same. We get a sample of the anticipation through the eyes of our school-aged kids, but work doesn’t stop nor do they. I always find it helpful to keep them busy and get out the house whenever possible! I have compiled a list of things to do if you are in Texas or close enough to travel here. If you could careless about spring break, still take a look at these cool places for a future trip. Some of these ideas are ones I have blogged about, so will re-link the posts so you can get full details.

1. Visit a Medieval style castle in Bellville

This guy, Sir Newman, built a castle to retire in by his bare hands, and decided to open the doors of his super cool home! You have to make a reservation, so call ahead now if you think it is something you’re interested in. On the way to the castle, you will stop at the bakery to get a wrist band. We totally missed this step, so definitely do not make the same mistake we made. You have to arrive by a specific time, and the owner will make his entrance. I will spare you the details, because I think us going in with no expectations is what made it all the more fun. This is a great day date or family date. Before you leave, what’s included with your admission, is a TON of items from the bakery and sandwiches. Yummy!!!!

2. Stay in a Tipi along the Guadalupe River

This is glamping at it’s finest! These are not directly on the river but they are close by. The boys, my husband, and even me really enjoyed staying in these! This would be even more fun with a group of people staying in the tipi village. Check out my blog post here for more details.

3. Checkout Krause Springs!

This place is like straight out of a storybook and it is in Austin. This swimming hole is family owned and operated. There are a few waterfalls, hiking trails, massive gorgeous trees, a butterfly garden, and a swimming pool plus the main feature, the natural swimming hole. There is a shallow area that is perfect for the littles. Checkout my blog post here for more details!

4. Get Tropical at Son’s Island

Son’s Island is close to San Antonio, about 25 minutes, and 2-2.5 hours from houston. They closed it, and then re-opened it, so yay! It is an actual little island, surrounded by pretty blue/green water. The island has several cabanas that you can rent by the day, each include water access point, a grill, power, a fan, and a hammock. They are on sale for spring break, so we took advantage and are going! Checkout more details here.

5. Visit Shangri-La Botanical Garden

This was one of the most beautiful botanical gardens and nature center I have ever seen! And I have been to several. It is about 2 hours from houston and very close to the Texas/Louisiana border. You can spend the day getting lost in this garden. There is even a cafe where you can grab a bite to eat. The swamps are massive and contain all kinds of creatures, the kiddos love it.

6. Hike to see real Dinosaur Tracks & Visit Dino World

Glen Rose is about an 1-1.5 hour from Fort Worth. It is an area where dinosaurs once roamed and they left behind the tracks to prove it! There are 2 sets that are somewhat accessible within Dinosaur Valley State Park. We only saw one as you need water boots/shoes to get to the other tracks (I think there are 3 total). The park ranger gives you fairly clear guidance to get to them. A few minutes from the park is Dinosaur World. It was super cool! They have life size robotic dinosaur nestled among the trees and facts about each of them. We all loved it. More details from our experience here.

7. Go see the 77 ft waterfall at Turner Falls

This picture of Turner Falls does not do this place justice! The water is a perfect emerald green color. When the weather permits, the pool below the waterfall is packed! You can stay within the area via a cabin. There are several shallow parts that makes for fun for even the youngest swimmers. There are hiking trails, including one that takes you above the waterfall. There are also several caves. More details here. It is about 1.5 hours north of Dallas.

8. See real life mammoth bones!

Turns out there are several different types of mammoths! There were several uncovered in waco, and they are still there for you to view, real bones! Seriously was so cool to be so close to history. The only way to visit is via tour, but they make it fun and interactive.

9. Disc-surf on sand dunes

The photo above is actually from White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, but Texas has a mini, more brown sand version called Monahans Sandhills State Park. This is one of the further places on the list, but sand dunes are worth it! It is truly a sight to see, plus sliding down on the discs are exhilarating! While you are out that way, check out Big Bend or Palo Duro Canyon (both far from each other though).

10. Visit a Tulip Farm or get lost in the bluebonnets

Texas Tulips has 2 farms, one outside San Antonio, and another outside of Dallas. The SA one will be up through March and Dallas, hopefully, through December. The kids can run around a little, they enjoy pulling up the flowers, but the best thing is the photos, at least for mom. Bluebonnets pop up around spring as well, and are gorgeous! Enjoy a picnic and the view. This is free fun! Just beware of snakes.

In addition to this list, you can never go wrong with parks, museums, the zoo, and indoor playgrounds. If you happen to be in Houston, during spring break, the Houston Lifestyle Show and Rodeo is a must do!!! There is also a Hill Country Elephant Preserve near Fredericksburg that looks incredible! It is pricey, but you really get to interact with them. It is on my list to visit.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. XoXo

Tips for Traveling With a Baby Who Only Wants His Bed

Traveling with the oldest was a breeze. We never sleep trained him and he was fine sleeping anywhere as long as he had a warm body next to him. He slept best next to us, but when it was time for us to give him the boot, it was and honestly still is rough. Fast forward to Blake, my youngest, and he never had a chance to sleep with us. It was so hard to get Ethan out of the room/bed that we did not want to take that chance with Blake. He did sleep right next to my husband in a bassinet (actually a rock n play which are now banned, so sad) for about 6 months. It took Ethan 3 years to sleep through the night, and so by the time Blake came, we were exhausted, so we were not going to play with that. We tried a gentle sleep method, at my request, then a little tougher one that I did not have the heart to endure, thankfully my hubby did. It honestly only took 2 nights and he was sleeping like a champ (prior to this training, he was waking up every 30 mins, NO LIE). Anyway, this could really be a whole new post. We keep a really rigid sleep routine, that has worked wonders. He sleeps usually from 730 to 630 (give or take 30 mins) and after the last step in the night routine, we lay him in his bed and there are no tears.

The boy loves his bed! So much so that he only wants to sleep in his bed. Not with us, not in the hotel bed, not in most portable cribs, nowhere but there. While I appreciate this, it also makes us tired parents when we do take trips. Plus baby is tired, which means he isn’t happy, which means mama isn’t happy, which means nobody is happy (ha). I will say though that with each trip, things have gotten better. Here are my tips if you just so happen to be in the same boat:

1. Try to keep the same nightly routine that you do at home as you do when you are in the hotel.

   This one is hard, especially when the bedtime is early, the hotel may not have a bath tub, you can’t bring the crib with you, etc etc. We bring the same books from home, we bring the same sleep sack, give him a shower bath with the same soap, followed by the same lotion, say the same prayer, and so on.

2. Bring a sound machine.

   If you do not use one, I recommend purchasing/bringing a portable one or you can download the sound sleeper app (for non-iphone). It divides the sounds by age group - sounds best for newborn, toddler, infant, and even adult. We use it at home, but it helps when/if you’re confined in a hotel room because it helps to drown out the noise (like his older brother who has little to no volume control).

3. Find a portable crib that the baby is more comfortable in. You can even test it out before the trip.

   We tried the play-yard, we tried the crib provided by the hotel, and none were successful. My sister let me borrow this amazing crib (linked here), that really made the difference! Some nights we do have to rock him - the rooms that have those office chairs that rock and turn really become useful. Side note: I really wish you could request a rocking chair like you can a roll-a-way bed or crib, it would make sense, especially in those suite style and/or extended stay hotels.

4. If your child sleeps in a different room, at home, try to put baby out of sight in hotel room. Most babies have FOMO bad.

   I am not sure if it is just all the babies I have been around, or not, but it seems they want to be in the action and fear they will miss something. When you are all stuck in a small space, it can get hard for baby to calm down. If we are not in a suite, we try to find the darkest corner where we can turn the lights down. This coupled with the sound machine, help.

5. Just be patient. The more trips baby takes and the older baby gets, it will get easier.

   Being patient with baby, and just giving it time, make all the difference. You know the saying “practice makes perfect”, I think this could be said for traveling too. The more baby travels, the more you travel, the easier it becomes. Just hang in there. Everything is a phase, that will one day only be a memory.

I say all this to say that I would not let this stop you from taking the trip you want to take. We have had some really rough nights, but the excitement and adrenaline from being in a new place really helps PLUS caffeine is never hard to find.

Have you experienced this with any of your kids?

Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

To Cruise or Not to Cruise…with small kids?

Singing I love it when we’re cruising together! Okay, JK, that statement is not accurate, not even kinda. We wanted a logistically easy trip that would not involve trying to keep a baby quiet on the plane or trying to keep a baby quiet in the car/bus. The perfect solution, (besides staying home), we thought would be a cruise. When I tell you we were so wrong, I mean it! We call this particular cruise experience, a work trip, cause that is exactly what we did. There are several variables that could have made this trip better, but it seriously was a series of unfortunate events. I feel like cruising is even less user friendly than driving honestly. But the more you do it, I’m sure the better it is. The whole process from checking in, to dining, to disembarking was just so not clearly conveyed (in my opinion). I cannot imagine doing it without a cruise planner (we used Sheree with cruise planners, she is amazing and came highly recommended from our cruise extraordinaire friends). This was my husband and I’s second cruise but first time with the kids.

So you may be wondering, why was it so bad? I think I will discuss that vs giving a how-to/tips (as I am not an expert and barely understood how we did anything).

For starters, 1 year olds like to roam and be free. They touch and put everything in their mouth. That is not an option on a cruise ship. My son tried to roam, and every-time he was approached by a crew ship member or an elderly looking puzzled as to where his parents were, plus nothing is child proof. My son ended up getting sick from trying to sample various parts of the ship. Sick baby makes for sleepless nights, and being all in the same room with a sick baby, means team no sleep for everyone.

The dining experience would have been my favorite part if we did not have to worry about wrangling in our 5 year old and 1 year old, emphasis on the 1 year old. We did not get the WiFi + surfing package (which cost a lung), which is usually our iPad (Baby Einstein) is our lifesaver during dinner when we are out, so we had to rely on non-tech options (did not work). How in the world did our parents and their parents do it? Or parents who don’t allow tech do it? My youngest is very vocal, very active, and hasn’t shown any interest in a single toy-to-date, so I think this is one of those variables that if were different, it could possibly make the experience more manageable. There is a nursery, but with him being sick, he had to be cleared prior to being able to use it. It’s safe to say that we’re at that point where we don’t eat out much, at least not by our choice…for now.

The excursions were my favorite part. I am very active and when we travel, we maximize our time. The time spent confined on a boat with 2 littles, almost felt like we were just wasting time and trying to keep them alive and entertained with very minimal resources. For the first stop, we really wanted a beach. We waited until too late to book excursions so we ended up having to work through the cruise line. The only option, was beach stay with open bar. The issue is that we had to pay $60 for our 5 year old, plus our fees ($70). We bit the bullet because we thought it would be a good opportunity for the boys to just be free and enjoy the sand and water (which was brown, only along the stretch of our beach area). The food was very basic options (minus the fancy fried fish pictured below) and cost $20 per meal. It was totally not $20 per meal quality. To make matters worse, we got rained on and only got to enjoy less than 2 hours of the beach. The guides told us that it hardly ever rains! It was just our luck that it did. I do think that Costa Maya is a potentially a great stop! The check in area is full of shops and dining, pool, live music, and dolphins that you can swim with ($$). If you want to save money, you could honestly just stay there, but there is no actual beach access, only the view of the ocean that is separated by large rocks.

The Tulum excursion was a better experience! The only drawback was the fast Windjet Ferry that transfers you from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. My whole family got sick. I was fortunately okay, but it seriously rocks hard. So if you have any sensitivity to motion, plan accordingly. Despite this, my husband and I both agree that this was a great choice. The ruins itself were incredible and educational. If you have a small kid, definitely bring something to push them in. There is tons of walking and they do have ramps to use instead of the stairs. People kept coming up to us asking if we rented our wagon. I think our collapsible wagon is the best thing we have purchased all year. It not only serves as a mode of transportation for the boys, but it is also a bench for us and a place for them to nap. It has a canopy so it protects them from the hot sun. Even in November, the weather was very warm in Mexico. They had rain come through there as well and despite using bug spray, I got bit at least 50 times.

The full day at sea back to Galveston (our port) was the LONGEST day ever. The weather was cool the entire time on the boat and it was very windy. They had to close the top deck. We did not want to spend any time in the pools due to the weather. That is one of the biggest amenities and source of entertainment on the ship, so it left us with limited options. We had to choose between napkin folding, trivia, or other activities like an art auction. None of which would make a baby or small kid happy. Just to add to our boredom, the Norovirus was going around, and I am pretty sure I caught it cause I spent a good part of the day/night on the toilet for days (TMI, sorry). It was brutal. Thankfully I was really prepared and brought an entire pharmacy which helped me keep things in some.

OMG the toilet and sinks, I don’t know how I forgot those two issues. The toilet smelled like old pee or like my son had missed the toilet (boy moms know this smell). No matter how much our stateroom attendant came in to clean it, it still carried this smell. The sink does not drain the water instantly, so it builds up in the bowl. This makes for a very difficult experience to wash toddler cups. Blake loves these munchkin straw cups that are so very hard to clean. It was just such a rough combo. At some point Blake puked all over Paul and our booth at dining, and I think this may have been related to either some sour milk that we missed on the cup. It was rough! Our stateroom attendant and all the staff were amazing though!

This post has been pretty negative, and I apologize for that, but I just want to outline clearly why we struggled with the trip. I think what we learned most was if we do this again, to bring more family/friends. We felt very much alone and it was hard to let lose and enjoy ourselves as we were constantly on guard and trying to entertain our kids with limited tools. Perhaps waiting until the kids are older, is a better solution as well. Ethan did go to the kids club (potty trained and up) for a few hours over the course of the cruise, which he enjoyed. Had we not waited to purchase excursions so last minute, we could have not only saved money, but also had more options. Being disconnected from the outside was bittersweet. We really got to spend quality time together and I could tell my kids really appreciated that (well for sure my oldest did). On the other hand, we felt very removed, it was too many days to be unplugged. The last day we bit the bullet and got internet for day and this was same day we put Blake in the nursery so we could enjoy a peaceful meal (love you Blake). Last mistake or lesson learned is that we booked a smaller boat (5 day cruise) so that naturally means less amenities. We really wanted to do a short duration to test it out. My husband is for sure sick at sea, but we were unsure about the kids. I bet a bigger boat would have all the fancy stuff that ours did not. Another option would be trying out a Disney cruise, but everything Disney is just so expensive. We do plan to go on one for my sister’s birthday in a couple years, so will have to mentally prepare myself.

We have no regrets, we needed to experience it at least once. For now we will stick to traveling by air or land. What is your experience with cruising? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I do realize that I may have a very unpopular opinion this, but nonetheless, it’s how we feel from the experience.

As always, thanks for reading, XOXO.

There’s a formal night with professional photographers. Here’s our pic from it!

My First Trip to China and South Korea - Part 1

Let me preface this post by saying I am by no means a China/South Korea travel expert. This blog post is really just a visual one to show you all the beautiful places we went to see! I do have a few tips to share though. I started writing this as one post and realized this will be superlong.

1. Unless your kiddo has an adventurous food appetite or loves seafood, it will be very difficult to travel with kids to China. Korea is a little more manageable.

2. Everywhere takes forever to get to. It may be close in kilometers or miles but there are SO many people there.

3. If you are black or brown in China, be prepared for people to ask for pictures. I have heard the same for people with light hair and/or light eyes. I did not get stopped, but only once in South Korea.

4. Hire a driver or do a tour. Do not attempt China alone. They do not make it tourist friendly. My friend warned me and when I went, I totally understood what she meant. I would recommend the same for South Korea, but it is slightly easier.

5. For China - Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. if you go to some of their flea markets, be prepared to get your negotiation on. My luggage broke and I got a new one from $50 USD to $20.

6. Take lots of money. You can some good stuff for low in China. Also have a luggage with space. I did not check a bag, so I was limited on space. In South Korea, everyone swears by the black snail cream.

7. If you do not have global entry, consider using mobile passport. It’s free and saved a ton of time!

8. Keep your belongings safe (moreso applies to China). I think this goes for any major city, but just wanted to remind you that it applies for here too.

9. For South Korea, using a card is totally fine. For China, cash is almost a must. I personally feel that getting cash out while you are in the states and using one of their machines to exchange is easier. My friend got cash from the ATM, but had a few issues.

10. To round it out for a solid 10, if you are in Seoul/Shanghai, see all the places I am listing in part 1 and part 2 of these blogs.

11. JK, one more, social media is blocked in China if you are on any of their WiFi networks. Super sucks! There is a way around it, but it’s totally over my head.

Seoul, South Korea

It reminded me of an ultra modern NYC, very clean, and the people were very kind.

Tombs in South Korea

The tombs we visited were beautiful, who knew visiting tombs could be so interesting. The tombs we toured date back to 1600s (give or take 100 years). The trees were super cool on the grounds! Following the tombs we had korean BBQ. You do not dine with shoes on at the place we visited. So comfy.

Jogysea Temple

An ancient temple that is surrounded by all the modern buildings of North Korea. There’s so many beautiful colors!

Bukchon Hanock Village

A 600 year old traditional style Korean village located at the top of the hill. There are several shops, food, and art galleries. Please note that most of the shops are closed on Monday. It is located at the top of a hill. I enjoyed the walk over and saw lots of cute little parts of the city and really nice skyscrapers. You can rent hanboks (traditional Korean costume) and wear them around the village. People actually live in this village, so there are people who ensure the tourists are quiet plus lots of signage asking people to be quiet.

Seoul City Hall

It was located across from the hotel. Very cool vertical garden, actually the world’s largest!

Gyeonbokgung Palace

We arrived in perfect timing to see the changing of the guards ceremony. Such a neat experience! Having tea in the palace is an absolute must experience. It is gorgeous!!! It was the only palace that was not closed on Monday, but I think it is a main one. If I ever go back, I’d love to do a palace tour.

Dine of the Floating Island

This was totally neat. We dined at an Italian restaurant that had a million courses (I think like 9). Very delicious and had a Korean spin on Italian food, I had a really tasty filet among many other food items. One thing I noticed is that all the meals in Korea came with a ton of courses. It was raining, so we could not go out on the floating tables, but still got beautiful vies of the area and the restaurant area itself was on a make-shift island.

N Seoul Tower

My favorite part! You take a cable car to the top of the tower and you can look down at all of Seoul. There are padlocks of love along the fences, benches, trees, everywhere! Loved ones seal a lock symbolizing the endless love for those who hang them. This place you can spend hours at. On the ride up, you can stop at Hello Kitty Museum/Store and grab a fancy flavored popcorn and drink. There is a place to eat and/or snack at the top. The views are majestic!

The flight over to China was Asiana Airlines! They serve real dinnerware guys, no plastic, and the food was very tasty!

Shanghai

Best skyline I have ever seen!

Tibetan Dining Experience

Forgot to get a pre-food pic, so you get a half eaten lol

This was my first time having the food, and it was extremely tasty! The restaurant was packed and it was located near the Bund. I tried lots of tasty flavored veggies and meats.

The Bund from the Classic Side

The buildings on this side of the Bund definitely have European flare. We hung-out at a rooftop spot and got great views of the city overlooking the Han River. Craziest part is that at 11 PM, the lights on the building shut off.

I will take a pause here and share more pictures in Part 2 of this post. It will feature more of the ancient gardens! Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading!!!

Our Colorado Experience

I feel like these last few months have been really hard to find time to blog. Between dealing with my injured right hand/wrist and work keeping me extremely swamped, it’s been hard to find the time. My oldest also started kindergarten and every night he has a book to read AND homework. I do not understand why a kindergartener needs SO much work. It’s hard enough that they have to spend 6+ hours away, I can barely handle doing work for 8 hours and I am getting paid to be there. Anyway, rant over, time to get into the trip.

You know a trip is good when you look at pictures and you instantly wish you were there. As usual we packed as much fun as we could into the this trip. I actually had more planned, but again, traveling with kids often requires adjustments. Sometimes they just need time to be a kid and run around in the hotel room or wherever it may be. I asked my husband what his favorite trip we took this year was, and this just so happened to be it.

We flew into Denver, as I found $49 each way tickets on southwest. From Houston, they seem to run this deal quite often, so if you are in Houston, shop the low fare calendar. Once we landed, we headed down south to Colorado Springs as it was closest spot to most of the activities we did. It is a beautiful town that’s nestled amongst the mountains, actually it is a city, with a full downtown and everything. I was did not expect that.

First Stop, Dinosaur Center Resource Center…we drove straight from the airport to there.

This was obviously for the kiddos, well my oldest Ethan. He is dinosaur obsessed, but once again I am surprised how much we all enjoyed it. Learning about dinosaurs is just so fascinating. There were quite a few dino remains found in Colorado we learned. You can view dinosaur bones, similar to a museum, but there are tons of interactive activities for the kids (or adults) to do, story-time, a movie, and a cool gift shop. If you are hungry, head across the street, there is a really good beer and pizza spot.

Garden of the Gods

It is FREE and breathtaking!!!!!! The Red Rock Formations will leave you speechless. They are seriously incredible!!! You can drive around and there are several places to hike. The actual “money shot” location is just a pull off on the side of the road. We almost missed it. Take a picture quick, because several people are wanting to get the money shot. We did the first/ main trail. It is all paved, so stroller friendly, which is great. There is even a little sandbox for the kiddos to play in. I saw a little girl climbing one of the large rock formations, which was pretty incredible and brave. The trading post in the park is supposed to be very cool, but it closed early, so we sadly missed out. The visitor center has a great coffee and eating spot. You can enjoy a beautiful view from there, learn some history, and discover what lives in the garden of the gods. This is a must see!

Historic Downtown Manitou Springs

One of the cutest towns I have ever seen! There is a spring that runs through the historic downtown, lots of shopping, and eateries, and the most random thing, an arcade area with all of these riding toys that I have not seen since I was a kid. Needless to say, this was a hit with Ethan. We spent a few hours here, mostly just riding the arcade ride-on toys, and I shopped around while Paul and the boys played at the park. There is a fountain with spring water that is believed to have healing properties. The native americans would even use the water as a “prescription” for illnesses. I definitely dipped my hand it in, but looking back, I think I should’ve drank it ha.

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

One word to describe these cliff dwellings: INCREDIBLE! They were originally located in southwest part of Colorado, thought to be 1200 B.C. to 1300 A.D. years old. They were relocated for preservation in the early 1900s. You can go inside them and some spots require you to hunch over, but most parts are spacious for you to walk comfortably inside. The surprising thing is that they are super cool inside, despite it being hot outside. I assume that is what makes the stones so special. Next to this is a museum that tells all the history. It is a little pricey, but I think it is worth it.

Rainbow Falls

Can you guess how it got the name? Yep, cause the graphiti. My camera does not capture the intensity, so that just means you have to visit it yourself. We got in the spring and it was cold!!! I get why Colorado springs and Manitou springs end in springs, there are several springs :). The walk to the waterfall is paved and short (less than half a mile). There is a small entrance fee (I think around $5 for all of us total).

Royal Gorge Bridge

We loved this place. We were debating between this and the Sand Dunes and I am really happy we picked this place. It is more kid friendly than the dunes and closer to Colorado Springs, only an hour vs 2.5 hours. My youngest is not a big fan of the car-seat. There is SO much to do at the Royal Gorge, it’s definitely more than a bridge. Kids under 6 are free, so the boys were free. The adult cost was $25 per person, which is a bit hefty, but again, there is a lot to do and included in the rate. There are several eating spots (1 larger one, and few smaller ones), the famous bridge, aerial gondolas, a zip line that goes across the gorge, tommy knocker’s kid playland, plaza theater, and a sky coaster. This place is stroller friendly. You can even bring the stroller on the gondola.

Estes Park & Rocky Mountain National Park

We had our last night booked in Colorado Springs, but I really wanted to go to Estes Park. My husband told me that I would love it there. We ended up reserving a room in Denver instead, as we had to pass through it to get to Estes Park, and we were flying out of Denver anyway. We thought it would be easier on the kids. By this point in the trip, both kids were over the driving. My hubby was right, I absolutely loved Estes Park. We spent most of our time in the downtown area. You can park at the visitor center for free and walk from there. There are tons of clothing shops, dining options, gift shops, playgrounds, a sensory garden, and dessert shops. After we spent a few hours there, we headed back to our car, and drove a few miles to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is massive. I wanted to go to the Big Lake, but it was going to take 2 hours to navigate around to it from the entrance we entered through. The boys were not going to be able to handle that, so we drove to Bear Lake. I expected the park to be more developed like Zion or the grand canyon, but it is not. Also there is absolutely no cell phone reception there. It is a gorgeous piece of land though, and we got to see some animals, which was cool. Ethan got to do the Jr. Park Ranger program once we got to Bear Lake by completing an activity as we strolled around the lake/trail area. It was very special.

Denver

We finished up in Denver. We needed something low key with minimal driving. We started the day playing basketball at the hotel, then we went to this cool place called SeaQuest Littleton. It is an interactive zoo/aquarium, where you can touch all the creatures there. My oldest loved animals, so this one was for him. We got to touch a shark, so strange! I wish we had one of these in Houston. I found this place on Groupon, when traveling, do not forget to search there for deals and ideas for activities. After that, we stopped at the Red Rocks Ampitheater (my pick). It’s breathtaking and I would love to catch a show there one day! That’s definitely on my list. Did you know they do yoga classes there too? Those stairs though were for the birds, couple that with the altitude and I felt so out of shape. From there, we headed to downtown Denver to eat and shop around a little. It’s a cute downtown. The parking is expensive, but I guess most downtowns are. My kiddos loved the pianos.

The trip was exhausting, but well worth it. We all had a good time, and I think we will carry with us the good times and the memorable moments. Traveling with kids is hard and they have they’re own plans in mind. Sometimes, most of the times, they do not jive with ours. We had to be flexible, and keep them in mind, but we made it work and made the most with what we could. We will be back to Colorado as there are always flight deals there and there is still so much to see. It truly is a beautiful state.

What’s your favorite place or top spot you want to visit in Colorado?

As always, thanks for reading XOXO.

Our Trip to Mars...J/K Southern Utah & Nevada

The southwest landscape (of the USA) feels like you are out of this world, especially Nevada! It’s so amazing what lava, water, wind, and God did to create such a magnificent area of land. It really does feel /look like what I imagine another part of the universe to look like!

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

There is so much to see in this world, but honestly, right here in the USA, there really is such a diverse amount of beauty to take in and appreciate. Traveling within the US is like a relationship, it’s close enough for you to nurture it, develop it, and spend quality time with it!

Utah is one of the most beautiful states. I used to frequently visit Salt Lake and the surrounding areas for work. There are so many national parks, so it’s a state that we definitely plan to re-visit. We decided on Zion and Bryce Canyon for this trip. I’ve heard so many cool things about both, but the one I was most excited about was Bryce. The one that I ended up falling in love with after it was all said and done, was Zion National Park. It is INCREDIBLE! I think it is now at the top of my list of national parks. Las Vegas is closer to distance to the parks than Salt Lake and we got a really good flight deal (under $100 each way from Houston Hobby on Southwest). We went in June, which was not as bad as I expected, temperature-wise.

We decided to stay in Cedar City, Utah for the time that we were visiting the parks and then we wrapped it up for the final night in Vegas. Cedar City is a cute town, beautiful mountain views, the most AMAZING Peruvian restaurant, but it was a good drive to both parks. I think if we could do it again, we would stay close to one park, then commute, preferably Zion National Park. In terms of miles, Cedar City is close, but in terms of the actual drive time (I guess due to the mountains), it is a couple hours to both.

Zion National Park is a place where you can spend days, easily, even without having the ability to do all the trails. There is something for everyone, including wheelchair/stroller friendly trails - Riverside Walk and Lower Pool of Emerald Pools. My favorite of the 2 is Riverside Walk. You look up and there’s the most gorgeous rocks I’ve ever seen, plus lush greenery all around, and then crystal clear baby blue water. It is an easy walk with a paved trail. You can continue past this one and do the Narrows, but you will need water boots, and it is probably better suited for adults/older kids. I am coming back for it!!! To back track a bit, as you approach the park, there is a whole zion national park village full of shops, dining, trading posts, and hotels/lodging. We dined at an excellent pizza/thai place. Such a strange combo. You can park and catch a shuttle to each trail in the park, it is very well structured, and an easy to navigate park system. The boys just loved the freedom of being able to run around. We even saw a few animals. The only bummer part, is that there is terrible cell phone reception. We even tried the hotel, but even there the WiFI was spotty. I am including several pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Riverwalk Trail

Zion Lodge

Lower Emerald Pools Trail

On the drive to Bryce Canyon, there is a scenic highway that includes the Red Canyon. It was such a pleasant surprise. There are plenty of areas for you to pull over and take pictures of the canyon (or climb or just stare at it). As you approach Bryce, there is a small village and shopping/eateries. The weather was cooler as the elevation is much higher in Zion. Once again, you park at the visitor center, and you can shuttle into wherever you want. We stayed around the rim. We did try to go down, but it was a bit too uncomfortable for me. Ethan was getting too close to the edge for comfort, and the lose gravel had me concerned. There are no rails, even on the trail that is marked as easy. Thinking back, I do regret not just biting the bullet and doing it. The boys were a bit tired that day, so I did not want to push it anyway. They wanted to run around more, and at Bryce, it is a bit difficult to do that in the areas we were. We did dine within the park at one of the lodging areas, another pizza spot. Now the big question, is Bryce more awe-inspiring than the grand canyon? Honestly, it’s hard for me to compare as they are different. The grand canyon is huge and I think that is what makes it so breathtaking, and Bryce is not as large, but it is stunning in it’s own way. I am curious to know if you have been to both and what your opinion is? The drive from Bryce to Cedar City had the most beautiful views I have ever seen. The mountains really do make the best backdrops.

Red Canyon

In Nevada, we visited Valley of the Fire State Park and ended in Vegas. I HIGHLY recommend Valley of the Fire. It was extremely hot, so definitely no time in the summer. Most of the trails, including the Wave, were not recommended for hiking due to the heat. There is a nice path to drive and stop and see each area of the park, which will lead to the trails. We spent most of our time at the visitor center. There is a cute museum, as well as snacks for purchase. We dined and walked around the park area behind it. As we drove through the park, it seriously does look like what I imagine Mars to be like. It is filled with bright red rock, and just has terrain that is hard to describe.

Las Vegas strip with kids was a first and last for me. My husband had never been so I wanted him to get a chance to see it. We planned to just do the mall, but I ended up wanting to show him more. Our first mistake, was thinking it didn’t rain in the dessert. We got soaked. Next mistake, is not bringing a double stroller. Honestly, that mistake carried on throughout the whole trip, especially since there were stroller friendly trails in Zion. After we walked the mall, dined, and got ice cream, we walked so far down, that we -could not even fathom walking back to our hotel (which was off-strip by a block). Thankfully, Vegas has a monorail. The kids were free, so we just purchased our ticket (I think 2.50 each) and it saved our feet! I have never taken advantage of this, but will definitely use it next time. Our hotel was cool as it had a trundle bed under the sofa, which Ethan loved. We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites Convention Center, great place!

All in all, it was a great trip! Utah is stunning, we passed through a corner of Arizona on the drive to/from Vegas, and it was gorgeous! My eyes were happy, the boys were happy, we all had a great job! It definitely turned out to be a family friendly affair.

As always, thanks for reading, XOXO!

Featured Post: Family Trip to The Holy Land

Israel—a land of mystery, holy essence, political intrigue, conflicting cultures and mass chaos, amongst absolute serenity.  It is a land of contrasts, and a land of one-ness.  With everything.  Being in Jerusalem changes you, and everything feels profound—and it is—no matter what your religious spectrum of beliefs happens to be.  You can just feel the profundity and magic in the air.

Logistically, getting there is hard.  Staying there is expensive.  It is old, it is the Middle East, and no one cares about your Marriotts or your In and Out Burger addiction, despite it being painted as “just like Europe “ (which it isn’t).  We flew through Frankfurt, and in FRA Tel Aviv has its own permanent gate with extra security, so getting in and out is hard.  Once you’re in, you’re in.  As tourists you can move in and between Palestine and Israel, but your about next Jordan, Syria, Golan Heights, Lebanon—everywhere you turn there’s a (hostile) border and you have probably just done twenty crossings you didn’t even realize, forbidden to local citizens.

Cave near Lebanese Border

 Israelis are from everywhere—all you need is one Jewish grandparent to qualify for citizenship.  But no matter where they are from, they are ardently—Israeli. Proud of their holy land, and proud of the amazing technological hub their country has become over a mere seven decades of existence.

 Everyone knows that the country is holy.  Most may not know that if it is full of the most amazing food and hummus and falafel you will ever find. Another thing that most don’t realize is that the wine is spectacular, and there is also a huge host of “foreign influences” from the many Former Soviet Jewish folk (about a third the population—Russian is a national language) and from even corners of the world like Ethiopia—leading to amazing Ethiopian, Georgian, Armenian foods as well.  And the physical beauty of the country is also amazing.  Nature like one has never seen nature before, in a tiny, hotly contested, strip of land about the size of New Jersey.

We traveled with my four year old son, and it is extremely family friendly.  People not only tolerate children, they love children, and they are welcome everywhere.  Considering the short distances, tours take a very long time, but again lots of crossings to avoid border crossings and security issues that add on to the time. This is maybe and ironically the safest place on earth, with weapons and military pervasive and strict control over everything.

 We stayed in Jerusalem the entire week, and did four major tour excursions:  The Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, and Haifa and the North, so we got to see a little bit of everything.  Floating in the Dead Sea was a little scary, waving hi to Jordan, trying not to fall, with a scared toddler floating on the water, but it was also amazing.  Dining on St Peter’s fish in the Sea of Galilee and drinking the local amazing wines, while getting baptized in the River Jordan—just a typical Tuesday.  Seeing where Jesus was born—the site being split between the original Orthodox church and a much later Catholic church—right in the middle of Palestine—and seeing the amazing Roman Ruins, vast history, and amazing cliffs up at the Lebanese border. This is a thriving country proud to show off its beauty to anyone who will open their minds to it.  We used Guy Tours, which was perhaps overly organized, but organized there is good and what you need, especially to be safe with a child in tow.

I will stop here because I could go on for hours and hours, but suffice it to say: venturing into Israel will forever change you, and the holy land will always awe you.

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 The above is written and experienced by my friend, Jenee A. She is an avid traveler, professionally and for leisure.

Thanks for reading. XOXO

A Tropical Paradise in the Middle of Texas - Son's Island

Yep Blake is grabbing Ethan’s face (lol)

We took our sons to Son’s Island ( I had to do it). From social media ads (proof they work), I discovered Son’s Island. We had such a great time that I wanted to share our experience. This trip was unique for us as we had friends come along with us. It was perfect as our kids are very close in age. I think this place is perfect to get a group of friends/families together to go hang out for the day or two. Heck you can even camp in air conditioned tents overnight! I am down to try almost anything, but I think doing that with 2 little kids is not on my list. Maybe if it was just adults or older kids.

We drove from Houston, which took us 2 hrs 15 mins. It is very close to San Antonio, which is where we decided to stay the night. It is also close to New Braunfels, which is a really cute town with lots to do. I am not going to lie, when we drove up to the place, we were not sure if we were in the right place as it seems you are driving through a neighborhood. If you skip the paid lot and follow the signs around, you will see a Son’s Island sign and gate. Before you enter, an attendant will approach you to sign a waiver. Despite filling out an electronic waiver, we had to fill out one there at check-in. After this part is done, you are instructed to enter. I don’t know why, but I was surprised to learn that Son’s Island is an island. You have to drive over a bridge, one car a time, to get on the island. You are allowed parking for 2 cars per cabana (otherwise there is paid parking for $20 for the extra vehicles).

After all that, the fun begins!!!! Oh wait, restrooms, they have air-conditioned portable restrooms. They are not as bad a porter potties but definitely not a dream restroom to use. That is minor details though, it gets the job done. We rented a cabana that was near the water but not directly on it. We still had a private dock with water access that included a lawn chair. The cabana has several outlets (YAY), a fan (YAY), a bar table with bar stools, a hammock, a BBQ pit, and ample seating. It’s a really nice and comfortable setup. We decided to not grill, but we did bring lots of snacks and drinks. Papa Johns delivers, so we decided to go that route! Kids love pizza. There’s no food for sale (minus some snacks). I think it would be super cool if they had food trucks come. Besides the cabanas, there are non-motorized water activities - paddleboards, lilypads, kayaks - for a fee. The life jackets are FREE (Yay). Apart from this, other activities I saw were sand volleyball court, frog slide, over-sized games (like connect 4, bean bag toss, etc.), a small ampitheater (where they do live music), and I am sure there is more. We stayed pretty close to our cabana, occasionally venturing to the frog slide.

Enough about the logistics, what I wanted to share is what we loved most. Being outside, being in the water…and not just any water, clear pretty water, being with family, and being with friends is what made the day so special. They created a very beautiful space for you to enjoy a day away from it all. I seriously felt like I was transported to a carribean jungle and was relaxing on a river there. It’s a scenic space, with great ammenities. We rented a lilypad, which was perfect! It was so large that both of our families could fit on it (think it was $45 and we got it for a good amount of time). We jammed good music, made/bought refreshing drinks (bring an ice chest), watched the kids play together, played in the beautiful water, and just enjoyed a relaxing day in the middle of Texas. There is no glass allowed so keep that in mind (no dogs allowed either). We did bring wine, but did not have a bottle opener.

To sum it up, my recommendation of things to bring (apart from the obvious like food):

1. water shoes - The bottom of the lake is rocky, like most of Texas rivers and lakes

2. mosquito repellent (we lit a citronella candle)

3. sunblock

4. ice chest with ice

5. cash (or card, they do take cards)

6. hand sanitizer

7. plastic-ware

8. paper towels

9. wine opener or a twist top bottle (if you choose to have wine of course - prob best to keep the bottle in the car if glass and transfer to a container)

10. phone chargers

11. speakers

My RECOMMENDATION: Try to rent a cabana on the canal side. The water is really pretty, it is more calm waters as there are no speedboats or jetskis flying by, and it’s close to the froggie slide ( and closer to restrooms).

Their website offers a wealth of information! I just wanted to share from my mommy perspective! If you live in Texas, it is worth the drive! If not, add this to a must see list, and enjoy other things the area has to offer. This is a great summer getaway, even a fall getaway, since it stays hot in this part of Texas until like Feb :).

We finished up our trip by spending the next day at SeaWorld, which was only about 45 minutes away.

Thank you for always reading! XOXO

Comment, like, share, please.

My Top Bucket List Destinations - What's Yours?

I am a dreamer, my dreams are big, they are overwhelming. Often times, I let fear hold me back. BUT other times I act on them, the safe tangible ones mostly (haha). In 2009, I literally lived through the worst year of my life. I not only lost my dad and my memom, but I lost a handful of other people. They say death comes in 3’s but that year, death came in 9. I learned a lot from the pain. I am not saying I completely understand it, and at times I hardly can accept it, BUT it taught me how fragile life can be. I want the time left on Earth to be impactful, to be meaningful, for God to use me, and to live life to the fullest while I am here. God’s creation, his art, is the best art and I want to see it all. Once you get the taste of travel, you begin to crave more of it. There’s something so exhilarating and magical about seeing new places. I have a HUGE bucket-list, about the “whole world” places long, but to spare you, I am going to list the top 5(ish) places on my bucket list. Maybe you guys can hold me accountable. Or maybe you have been there!

Bora Bora

This has been a dream spot since I first laid eyes on it (via picture)….over-the-water bungalow..yes, please. It looks breathtaking! I always imagined my honeymoon here, but when I got married, the way our bank account was set up, it just was not a realistic option. We ended up in Bavaro, DR, still magical. I will get to Bora Bora, maybe for our 10 year anniversary, which is a little over 3 years away, OMG!

Antarctica (Peninsula)

Cause why not?!??! To me, it’s completely fascinating. It’s like a mystery! No one knows exactly what’s under the ice, what kind of life is there, how it lives, etc etc. Of course as technology advances and the continent is further explored, more is being revealed. The Peninsula is of interest because in the summer, it gets fairly warm. In some parts it gets up to 60 degrees F, can you believe it? I could go from Argentina (it’s on my list) and cruise down to the peninsula.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

It is visually stunning. It has the perfect mix of nature - you’ve got towering mountainous rocks, foresty vegetation, crystal clear water….just amazing! It truly is a natural wonder. Honestly, there is quite a few places in Vietnam that I would want to see, thankfully it’s not that big, so maybe I can do it all. Ho Minh City would be next spot on the list.

Chengdu, China

If you know me, you know I am panda obsessed. I want to visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research center. They have programs where you can be a panda keeper for a certain amount of time. It would be a dream come true. Rural China is gorgeous, so from there I would explore more. Have you seen Disney’s Born China? It is a good glimpse of the beauty.

Bagan Myanmar

I would love to take a hot air balloon over the Bagan Temples. It’s known to be one of the most exquisite archaeologist sites in Asia. Learn more here.

Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

Honestly, there are so many places in Africa that I want to see. It’s extremely hard to narrow it down. I think it is the most naturally beautiful of the continents. I love trees, so this place makes it on the list. These Baobab trees are unique. There used to be a rich forest of these in Madagascar, but now they have narrowed down to dozens. Another place with super cool trees is Hawaii, they have trees with rainbow trunks (Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree). I just want to hug them all or plant them in my yard!

Please google all of these places if you have not heard of them to see more. I had to pick free non-copyright pictures as I have never been there.

SO….what’s on your list? Have you been blessed enough to visit any of these places?

As always, thanks for reading!!!

XOXO

Tips to Find The Best Flight Deals

I just wanted to share a few tips on how to find the best deals on flights for your next trip. It would be great to have an airline connection, that’s the best way, but we do not. We make the most of it though by taking advantage of following:

• Search the airline low fare calendars

  It’s best to plan travel without having an EXACT date in mind. If you can narrow it down to a month, head over to the airlines, search their low fare calendars and choose dates based on the lowest fares.

• Purchase/Book your trip on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday

  From what I have read, booking on a Tuesday at midnight is the lowest, but honestly not even sure the timezone. Usually airlines release their discounts on Monday and by Tuesday, the deals are low and airlines are competing for lower rates. It seems booking 21 days ahead or 3 months ahead seem to give the best deals!

• Plan to depart or arrive on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. or Saturday

  Flying out or in on one of the dates above, is a great way to find good deals. I know people are probably side eyeing my Saturday, but I have found some of the best deals on Saturday.

• Sign up for a reward program and let the points stack

  The miles add up, save them, and use them! If you sign up for a credit card, that is an even quicker way to stack up on points. Through the credit card programs, they give you additional ways to earn flights even faster.

• Use a flight deal scanner app/website

  Apps that scan airlines, looking for best deals and flight glitches are really worth taking advantage of. The few apps/sites that I frequent are: Skyscanner, Hopper, Google, Secret Flying, and Hitlist. I am sure there a great deal more, so feel free to share them (drop a comment below). If you are local to Houston, like me, checkout EscapeHouston.com.

• Travel to destinations during the off season

  This one is pretty self explanatory, but booking flights and even hotels to destinations when it is not a popular time to venture there, you can often find really good deals.

• Fly hub to hub

  A hub city is where an airline’s operations and facilities are located. Nonstop flights tend to be cheaper and airlines frequently fly from hub to hub throughout the day. I have found that these tickets are lowest. For instance, flying from here to phoenix on Southwest, both of which are hubs, I find the lowest rates, often times under $100 each way.

• Flights during the school semesters are lower

  Airlines crank up the flight fares during summer, spring break (esp to spring break destinations), and holidays. It is really unfair because flying with kids is expensive within itself, but hey, its a business and sadly that’s just how it goes.

• Take advantage of airline specials

  Southwest does a big one twice a year (give or take a sale). I have seen united and american do them around holidays like fathers day. I feel Southwest has the BEST sales with seriously low fares, and United has great last minute flight deals. I recommend signing up for email notifications through your preferred airline(s) so you can be the first to know of these deals.

I hope I did not overload you with these tips, but they really do help! If you know any other tips, please share them!!!

Thanks for reading, xoxo

Texas Parks: Stroller or Carrier?

We love the outdoors, and contrary to what many may think, Texas has some really nice parks and recreational areas. As a frequent visitor of these parks, I noticed that there is little to no information about whether you should bring a stroller or carrier for the little ones. I think carrier is always the safest choice, but it can be uncomfortable and hot, especially in the Texas heat.

I have compiled a list of parks in Texas, along with my recommendation of stroller or carrier. I hope this helps as much as it would’ve helped me prior to going. My learn is your gain! This will be a running list and I will keep making updates as they come.

Lost Maples State Park: Definitely a carrier (Not stroller accessible)

Garner State Park: Carrier (with exception of the Old Entrance Road Trail it’s paved)

Photo Taken from Garner State Park Site

Colorado Bend State Park: Carrier

Hamilton Pool Preserve: Carrier

There is a hike down of several steps to the natural pool

Enchanted Rock: Carrier

Photo Taken From Enchanted Rock State Site

McKinney Falls State Park: Both, Stroller for Onion Creek Hike and Bike Trail

Photo Taken by McKinney Fall State Park site

Big Bend National Park: Carrier

I have not had the pleasure of going here yet, but hoping to rent a RV and go in the fall. There are 2 trails noted as wheelchair accessible - Panther Path and Window View Trail - so I bet a stroller could be used.

Photo Taken by National Park

Palo Duro Canyon: Both, Carrier for all trails EXCEPT Pioneer Nature Trail

Did you know that these are the second largest canyons in the U.S.? Yes, in Texas. No I have not been here, but I felt this one was worth mentioning as well.

Photo Taken from State Park site

Brazos Bend State Park: Both, Stroller for Creekfield Lake Nature Trail, Carrier for all others

Mammoth National Monument - Stroller

Krause Springs: Due to stairs, a carrier, but you could carry a small stroller down the steps.

Guadelupe Mountains National Park: Both, Stroller for Manzanita and Piney Trail

Photo Taken by National Park site.

Monahans Sandhills State Park: Carrier

Never been but looks super cool!

Taken from the state site

Shangri La Botanical Garden: Stroller

There are several other parks and recs, I will work on continuing to update this list. If it is stroller friendly, it is also wheelchair accessible. I hope this list helps!!!

Since we are on the topic of carriers, wanted to share one that I like, HERE.

Thanks for reading! XOXO

The Breathtaking Turner Falls & More

With summer just around the corner (or if you are down south, like me, it feels like it’s here already), Turner Falls (a 77 foot waterfall) is the perfect family getaway. When I travel for work, I always try to find nearby places to explore. I used to have to travel to OKC for work and I stumbled upon this place in my search. It is about 1.5-2 hours south of OKC and about 1.5 hours north of DFW. I had no idea that there were rolling hills (or mountains) in Oklahoma, and nestled amongst the Arbuckle Mountains is the super beautiful Turner Falls area.

We stayed in Ardmore, OK, as there were other places we wanted to venture to, but the way our boys cut up this trip, we did not get to do nearly as much as we wanted to. Despite this we did have a good time. We drove there from Houston, and conveniently the half way point was Waco, so we visited the Silos Magnolia Market and found a really neat Mammoth National Monument in the area. Waco is a really cute town, especially the area around the downtown- Silos area/Austin District, there are lots of cute little dining and shopping areas. There is also a Fixer Upper tour (self-guided), that I would have loved to do, but the boys were not interested in the slightest bit. The Magnolia has a lawn with activities & bean bags, there are several food trucks, a garden, shopping, bakery, so much. The best part is that it is designed to perfection, such a visually pleasing place. If you only buy one thing, I recommend it be a cupcake from the bakery, AMAZING!!!!

The Mammoth National Monument is given by tour only. All of the bones are real (with the exception of 2). There are no wholly mammoths, only Colombian mammoths. There are about 24 of them that were found and their cause of death is unknown. It is believed that humans were involved. This is a stroller friendly tour, and they even offer golf carts for those who have physical limitations. I personally found this place fascinating and my 4 year old loved it. Blake got a good nap for this tour.

We headed up to Oklahoma, which was about 3 hour trip. We stopped in Fort Worth at an outlet mall to stretch our feet and grab food. I love Fort Worth BTW, it’s so pretty.

As you enter the area, there is a blue swimming hole on the right hand side. When I went previously, in the summer (work trip), it was super packed. There is an entrance fee , that you can find here. The boys were free, whoop! Sadly during this trip, a cold front blew in, so we were unable to get in the water (the main swimming hole at the base of the fall was closed), but we were still able to hike around and hang out on the grounds of the area. This place is a one stop shop. You can stay on the grounds, they have cabins, RV, camping, a trading post, and a few areas to dine. There are several hiking trails and caves that can be visited as well. I personally, am just so drawn to the beautiful crystal clear water, that that’s where I wanted to be. We spent most of the day here, despite being able to get in the water. Ethan likes to look at the fish and try to catch (and release) them. The entire area is stroller friendly, but if you want to climb up behind the waterfall, you definitely will need a carrier (if traveling with baby), and I think even hiking sticks. My husband climbed up and wanted to explore the cave above the fall, but it was very narrow and was somewhat crowded.

This is the Blue Swimming Hole

Hard to see but this is the trail leading to the cave to the top right of the fall

View from the Top

If you do go in the summer, I recommend getting there early as the place does have a maximum capacity. You can also buy your tickets online in advanced. Bring your own floats as they do not have these available. Just before you enter the path to the waterfall, there are 2 things I wanted to mention.

1. The castle - it was made of native stones by a Dr. Collins that served as his summer home and the Bar C Ranch HQ (whatever that is ha).

2. There is a food stand. They sell hot dogs, nachos, chili pie, sandwiches, funnel cakes (was not impressed with it), drinks, etc. It is CASH only, so be prepared.

These pictures do not even do this place justice! It is definitely a place to visit. With it being so close to OKC, you could take on some of the things to offer there or even piggyback it with a trip to DFW area.

On the way back from Turner Falls to our hotel, we stumbled across a town called Paul’s Valley. Since my husbands name is Paul, he said let’s stop and get a picture. This town was super colorful and cute. I literally felt like we stepped back in time, they had a Radio Shack guys, but also this cool Toy and Action Figure Museum. There were diners, art galleries, and a cute boutique. The Toy and Action Figure Museum was pretty nostalgic for me. There were so many figures, like Ralph, that I have not seen since I was a kid. There is a dress up area and of course lots a gift shop. I think what I love the most were all the blooming trees. This was about 30-40 minutes from Turner Falls, and I definitely think it is worth a stop.

Plan your trip and let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear if you have been or do go!

Summer day (from my first trip there)

As always, thanks for reading XOXO.

Glamping: Our Tipi Stay

I love to try new things and have never “glamped” before. For those who are not familiar with this term, it is glamorous camping. The accommodations may or may not be up to the level of a nice hotel, but certainly better than a tent (and probably better than a motel). I found these Tipis on Groupon, and thought it would be a good adventure for us. Thankfully my easy going hubby is always down. The tipi researvation is located in Canyon Lake which is just outside of New Braunfels (which is somewhere between Austin and San Antonio, TX). These tipis were located by the Guadalupe River amongst the rolling hills of the hill country. This is a perfect summer getaway!

Here is a list of what’s included inside the tipi:

• Air conditioned tipi with running water and a kitchenette

• Toaster Oven, no microwave

• Mini refrigerator

• TV with cable

• Ample outlets

• No bugs!

• Private fire pit in front (you can purchase wood in the office)

• Private bbq pit

The path down to the Guadalupe River

Here is a list of what is included on the reservation:

• Private restroom that is located off-site - This was the only drawback for me as I go frequently at night. I was too scared to go and had to come up with a solution in room (don’t ask ha), but if you are in the same boat and are too scared to leave the tipi at night, plan accordingly. You could also request a tipi closer to the bathroom facility.

• Gameroom with ample seating outside on deck. The gameroom includes family board games, jenga, a microwave, and large TV

• Access to the river (not a large shore area, most of this area that the reservation is located by is privately own) with upper deck

• Tube rentals

Next time we go, we will do more shopping prior for things to grill, and water shoes for the river. The closest store was the Family Dollar, it was a life saver, but did not have the best options. We made it work.

Some nearby activities we checked out were:

Comal Park in Canyon Lake - There’s a rocky beach area, picnic tables, playground, and access to the lake (roped in). I researched and this one seemed to be the best part of the lake to swim in. You also get views of the dam.

WildLife Ranch located on the edge of San Antonio - This was about 30 minutes away from the tipi reservation. Ethan and I had been before but he was really little, and we went more for me the first time. This time was for him and it was his absolute favorite part. There are 2 sides: safari side and the cavern side. Both are incredible. For the safari trek, you get a bag of food, and you have the option to ride in your own vehicle or take the safari vehicle (for $10 more per person). We chose to stay in our car with the windows down. There are over 500 animals. Beware of the Emus, they attacked the bag of food in my car lol. I am officially terrified of them. The property is breathtaking! There is a cafe on property, along with a petting zoo portion. My favorite were the baby goats!

Wildflour Bakery and Grill is located within minutes of the tipis and it was adorable and extremely delicious. I had my first honey and lavender latte there, which was unique. We love brunch and this place was the quintessential brunch spot. Oh and the customer service gets an A+.

The Gruene in New Braunfels is picture perfect! My camera cannot even capture a portion of the beauty. There are mom and pop style shops, a dance hall, restaurants, and a wine bar. It is about 20 minutes from the tipis. We ate at GristMill on the river. The food was delicious and the architecture and scenery were very eye catching. There is also a nearby amphitheater music venue called Whitehouse Amphitheater.

On the way down to the Tipis, we stopped in Austin to see our cousin cross the finish line for the MS150. This is a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis that entails a bike ride from Houston to Austin. My cousin is in her 60s and did this ride, this was so inspiring for us! Paul hopes to join her next year!

While we waited for her to arrive, we went to my favorite view spot in Austin, The Oasis. The food is decent, but the view is priceless. It overlooks Lake Travis and it makes me feel like I am in Europe…but the food is more Tex-Mex.

That pretty much sums up the trip. It was a great time and hope it inspires you to take your family!!! The tipis are great for family, great for friends, great for girls night, great for couples! Have you glamped or camped before?

P.S. Check out Kammy Kids Boutique, that’s where we got this adorable romper.

Thanks for reading. XOXO

Baby in the City

New York City is one of my favorite cities, there is absolutely no place like it! If you are wondering if it is a good place to visit with kids or better without, the answer is BOTH. Its a great place to go with friends, significant others, and even your kiddos.

Since we flew on Southwest, we had to fly into LGA. Upon landing, we decided UBER would be the best route. The cool thing about UBER in NYC is that you can get the option with a carseat. These are not infant carseats, they are convertible car seats for kids ages 12 months and up with a weight minimum of 22 lbs. There is a $10 surcharge, but for us, it beat having to carry around a huge carseat that we would not use for any of the trip. If you do have to bring your carseat, check out the carseat bag we use, it’s our favorite.

We stayed in the financial district. There was no reason for this decision, other than the fact that we found the best deal on our hotel. The hotels can be SUPER pricey in NYC, but we got ours for a really good price. How you may be wondering? I took advantage of the Marriott low fare match program. I booked the hotel through Marriott website and I actually found a lower fare! Marriott is kind enough to honor that lower rate + give 25% off. The only drawback to staying in the financial district is that most of the food places close early and were not open on the weekend. The best part, besides the price, was that there was a ZARA and a Gap right below our hotel. I packed clothes, but totally found better at these stores…you know how that goes lol.

I forgot to mention that it was CHRISTMAS TIME. If you’ve never been during Christmas, and LOVE Christmas like I do, you HAVE TO GO EXPERIENCE CHRISTMAS IN NYC. There is Christmas decorations EVERYWHERE. The weather was kind enough to even offer us a cute snow (definition of cute snow- a sprinkle of snow flurries that fall delicately to the ground and stay). It rarely snows in Houston, so that was perfect for us!

Here are a few kid/tot friendly activities NYC style that we did and recommend:

1. Stroll through the AMAZING Central Park (FREE.99!)

2. Central Park zoo ($19.95 per adult, kids under 2 free) - If you purchase tickets online, there’s a 10% off code.

3. There are so many museum options, here is a list of them all and prices vary. If you are museum lover, consider a NYC Museum pass.

4. Boat tour around the statue of liberty. We found tickets for free using the GoldStar APP.

5. Broadway show, like Lion King (probably better for the older kiddos)

6. If traveling during the holidays - Mariah Carey Christmas Concert at Beacon Theater!!!!!!! Ethan loved it, I love it, we all loved it!!!

7. If traveling during the holidays - Macy’s to see the windows and meet Santa (I am pretty sure i enjoyed this more than he did). Warning: the line to see Santa is long. They have lots to look at but our tot struggled in the line.

   *We got to see some friends who moved there and they have twins boys around the same age as Ethan, so that was a BONUS.

8. Time Square - all the lights and screens had him mesmerized (FREE)

9. Rockefeller Plaza ( to see the tree, eat, and ice skate)

10. Toy stores! His favorite was the Lego Store right next to Rockefeller Plaza.

    If you have a friend that lives in the city, I bet they can recommend even better options!

We traveled mostly by foot (stroller) and by subway. I recommend bringing an umbrella stroller. During peak subway times, it is difficult to navigate with a larger stroller. Or of course, you can wear your child. By that time, Ethan was too heavy for us to carry, especially with all of the walking and standing we didi. Check out an umbrella stroller similar to what we use, here, it’s the newer version. Ethan LOVED the subway and we got to see some unique entertainment.

This strangers head is ruining the shot, but she would not leave. haha

New York gave us a good balance of stuff we enjoyed that allowed us to bring our little guy along. My mom did tag along this trip, so Paul and I were able to get a date night in (the trip was around our anniversary). We went to a tasty cuban restaurant that had live music and we got to see our first show on Broadway - Phantom of the Oprah. It was so good!!!

I cannot wait to go back!!! Thank you for reading.

XOXO

Mom on Mission: Africa Edition

If you have never gone on a mission trip, I highly recommend you try it, at least once. I have a heart for mission. I had the wonderful opportunity to go on my first mission trip to a country in Africa, Botswana. It is right above South Africa. At the time I went, I was not yet a mom, but the passion and desire to be on mission still remains the same. In this season of my life, my mission is here at home, but I have found a few local opportunities to serve.

This trip to Africa occurred in 2008, so I am not able to recall all the details of the logistics, but I wanted to share how the experience made an impact in my life and changed my perspective. In my small Bible study group, we completed a wonderful study book called What Makes you Happy. The part that hit home for me the most of this series, is that one of the 6 parts of what makes me/us happy is…being selfless (giving ourselves away through caring for others, teaching others, protecting others). Have you ever helped someone and felt bad after it? I think for everyone, the answer is no. Sure you may feel sad about the circumstances, depending on what it is, but you generally feel a sense of purpose and reward. Another thing he, the speaker/author Andy Stanley, referenced was the Dead Sea. It is a unique body of water as it is being poured into, but unlike other bodies of water, there is no place for the water to pour out, so it sits there. The even crazier thing is that it is drying up, like up to 1 meter per year. Now there are several scientific reasons as to why this may be the case, but it is a good analogy for people who do not pour out to others, you feel empty and purposeless. We cannot fulfill our own happiness, no thing can fulfill our happiness, we are designed to be in community.

Just before the trip, I remember feeling tired of my reality. I just had so many surface level relationships and I was working two jobs and in school plus other activities. I just felt like everything I had, it did not seem to be enough. Like I had needs that were not being fulfilled. Ok fast forward to the trip…. I went with a small group of young adults through a local church, (you know that small church called Lakewood? Ok yes, not so small, but it was their first young adults trip of this type). Getting there was a nightmare. We ended up having to land elsewhere and be diverted to Dubai for the night, when were originally planning to stay in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was unfortunate we did not get that experience, but that just comes with the territory of traveling. Sometimes things go as planned, sometimes it does not. The main activities for the trip was to really just be the hands and feet of Jesus - identify needs and fill them and share the love of Christ. Little did I know that this trip would change my life! First of all, culturally it was a new experience, somewhat of a shock even. The country itself is not very populated, 80% of it is covered by the Kalahari desert. We stayed in Maun. There is a huge HIV/AIDS population in this country and there is a huge need for medication. I think it gave me an appreciation for the things I have here. Like the ease of taking a shower (vs a sponge bath in a bucket) and going to the restroom in a real toilet (vs digging up a hole in the ground).

During the trip, we connected with a family, who’s roof of their home, the hut, burned down. Most of the people live in mud huts with thatch roofs. We were tasked to re-build the roof and repair the damages. I worked with the thatch, which was so cool to learn. In addition, we walked around the village and helped with whatever we could. Let me tell you what was shocking, the kids, little ones, like 4 years old, walked around by themselves. There is no safety risk. There is just freedom. I can barely let my son out in the front yard without having to stand over him. To make this easier to read, I am going to try to bullet point my emotions. I am not the best with words, but here is my attempt.

• A piece of my heart remains there and I think it forever will. I am so eager to go back and serve. The value here in america seems to be placed on acquiring wealth and status, only to find that it is not enough, you will want more. And you will still feel empty. There, despite not having a lot, they really had everything. The value is placed on relationship. There is a strong sense of community. They loved hard, they welcomed hard, they served hard, they cared hard, they were there for each other above all else, it was refreshing. It was honestly just what I needed at a time when I just felt there was no hope for humanity.

• They are free! They were not confined to all the written and unwritten rules that we have here. I think this also relates to the strong sense of community they have in each other. Some kids ran around with clothes, some didn’t. Everyone looked out for each other and their kids. They had freedom to express themselves, freedom to worship God without regard to what the other person may be thinking. Again, another refreshing observation.

• The wildlife is scary!!! OK this is not heartfelt, but this is a warning! They had these flat spiders everywhere (harmless but scary looking). They have huge snakes, bugs I never heard of, and the animals are, well I am sure you have heard or read about it or maybe even experienced it. This required me to be more brave than I could ever imagine. I remember one night, I was sitting outside and bat flew right over my head. While at the moment, my reaction was not that of a brave woman, I survived and am here to tell you this tale. That counts for something right? I know the wildlife alone is enough to deter some people from wanting to visit. Try not to let it.

• I felt at home. The hugs, the love, the singing, the dancing, it just made my heart smile. I want more of that in my life. I want to go back. I want to bring my family with me. I fell in love with everyone I met. There is a little girl there that I wanted to take back with me so bad. Her name was Tebogo. Both of her parents were sick with AIDs and were not being properly treated. She was the cutest, sweetest little girl and I instantly connected with her. There is not a week that goes by that I have not thought of her, that is how big of an imprint she made on my life. I hope to one day see her again.

There are two cool things we got to do, that I highly recommend:

1. Visit the Okavango Delta. The lesson I learned from this is that when flying on a 9 seater plane, do not sit at the back. I spent most of this flight sick and even after it took me a long time to recover. The Okavanga Delta is really unique as it a vast ecosystem that is untouched by man and is home to some of the world’s most endangered species.

2. A safari! We stayed overnight in a tent with the wild. I definitely had to take nyquil to help me sleep. I was terrified. Seriously I do not think there are any words for this experience. I would do it again, but probably not stay overnight haha. The guys who did the tour did not even have weapons. The only thing I did not get to see on it that I (kind of) was hoping to see were lions. It was their mating season.

One thing I was just reminded of while writing this is how proud of me my dad was. He passed away less than a year after I took this trip. He not only helped me unload my bags but he parked and walked me as far in as they would allow. Hard not to tear up as I reflect on this memory. I hope I am still making him proud today as he looks down from heaven.

All these years later, I still feel the impact of that trip on my life. My encouragement for you reading is that I know life gets busy, but try to remember to make time for others. It not only will benefit someone else, but you yourself will feel even better! I will say this again, we are designed for relationship. What are some things that hold you back from helping others? Have you gone on a mission trip or do you serve locally? I would love to hear your experience.

As always, thanks for reading.

XOXO

Favorite Baby/Tot Travel Accessories

I have said it before and I will say it again, traveling with small kids can be TOUGH. It is important to try to make traveling with baby and/or toddler as easy as possible! The pack will never be light, but make sure you pack with purpose. I am sharing my favorite travel accessories for traveling with baby or toddler.

Bjorn travel crib - This has been a game changer. We first were using a playard and Blake hated it. He is extremely picky about where he sleeps. He was up all night off and on and it made us very tired parents on the trip. My big sister was kind enough let me borrow her travel crib to see if it made a difference and it totally has!!! He slept almost the entire night like he does at home. It comes in a bag that is ready to travel, and includes a mattress and sheet. Totally top of my list because getting sleep is super important!

Portable potty - When your kiddos are learning to potty, they can sometimes be picky where they potty. For the longest, Ethan would only pee on a small (Ethan size) potty. I used to carry the seat, but he was not comfortable on the big pot. My big sister, again, shared these portable potties and they are amazing as you can use them at home, on the road, and on the go.

Portable jumper & playard - The jumper is amazing for you to keep your little entertained, whether in the hotel room or on out on the beach. It even has a sun shade. The playard has saved our lives at Ethan’s soccer games and we cannot wait to take it on our first trip. Both of these come in bags and are quick set up and take down.

Stroller bag - The bag people at the airport, do not care about your stuff. There is just too much of them and they have to move to quickly to show each item tender care, so I don’t blame them. I found this bag to be extremely handy, not only to protect the car seat, but also it is great to transport your car seat as it has wheels and a pull on it. This is probably not right, but we even sneak extra items that cannot fit into our bags into this carseat bag.

Ergo 360 baby carrier - We use this for almost everything. Babies like to be close and sometimes it is just easier to wear baby vs strolling baby around, especially in instances where there are large crowds. I specifically like this one because it is slightly more ergonomically friendly than other carries, and you can wear baby in multiple ways. It also lasts for a long time, up to 45 lbs. We have the one linked. It is similar to the one photographed below.

Lightweight stroller - In some instances, we do like to use the stroller. Plus it is nice to access the storage at the bottom. I specifically noted lightweight as these tend to be easier to open, close, and store. We have a Maclaren Triumph, which is basically a fancy umbrella stroller, and a Harmony Urban Deluxe. I am not sure they still sell those anymore, but its been with us on some good trips. It is something between a standard stroller and an umbrella stroller.

Backpack diaper bag - These are easier on the back and for on the go! Plus they tend to be more gender neutral, so my husband does not mind carrying it. I linked one similar to the one we use.

Medela quick clean steam sanitizing bags - I use these for not only pump parts, but also bottles, pacifiers, and baby toys. The steps are easy to follow and allow you to sanitize your baby stuff in just 3 minutes. Most hotel rooms come with a microwave so this is perfect for on the go.

Munchkin Arm & hammer pack wipes - When you do not have water, and you need to clean something small, these are perfect. I use these for pacifiers, toys, and any other small items. It is very safe way to clean and sanitize baby/toddler items with no harsh chemicals.

Medela pump cleaning wipes - I use these for larger items and when I do not have access to sink. I use them for breast pump parts, restaurant high chairs, changing tables, toys, bottles, and so much more. They are unscented, alcohol free, and bleach free. Winning!

I’d love to hear what some of your favorite travel accessories are for your littles!

Thanks for reading.

XOXO