Things to Do - Jump on the Bed

Oh, the magic of a hotel room . . .

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!! No more vacation posts for awhile, back to "real life." See you on Monday!!
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“She waited for the train to pass. Then she said, “I sometimes think that people’s hearts are like deep wells. Nobody knows what’s at the bottom. All you can do is imagine by what comes floating to the surface every once in a while.” —Haruki Murakami (I really like this quote and the man who said it).

WEEKEND LINKS:

*33 ways to stay creative. I need to print this and hang it somewhere.

*This is really funny and true. Why does paper beat rock? I've always wondered myself.

*LOVE this!!!!!!

*KidFriendly DC has the scoop on discount family movies in DC-area theatres and outside. Click here.

*These photos are beautiful!! As is this photo.

*A rug made out of balloons for $2000, it's amazing what people make and what people buy.

*Thank you Max Wagner, for reminding me to always carry a camera and always think out of the box. The cliff diving images are lovely!

*This cardboard sculpture is beyond inspiring, it's amazing what people can create out of things I usually throw away (or recycle).



This might be my favorite picture ever of my three kids, it really captures it all.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Charleston, SC - Part II - Sullivan's Island Beach. The Third (and Final) Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

We spent the last day of our vacation at Sullivan's Island Beach. We originally planned on only staying for a few hours, but once we arrived the girls made friends with some local kids and it felt so nice to lie around and do nothing for awhile. Plus the beach itself was beautiful, with small sand dunes that the kids used to play hide and seek. T refused to go near the ocean, but he collected several sticks and played with the sand. So we spent the whole day there. Despite numerous sunscreen applications, poor little P became the victim of her first real sunburn (unfortunately she has inherited my pale skin).

After we arrived back at the hotel, we met a women who babysits for the hotel by the elevators. Turns out she wasn't booked for the night. So Dan and I had a wonderful date walking around Charleston's gorgeous waterfront park.

The next day we packed our bags and drove the LONG 9 hours back to Arlington (we broke up the drive by stopping in Richmond, VA at my in-laws house for dinner, which was lovely). We arrived home around midnight, full of that weird combo of relaxation and exhaustion that a vacation with children always brings. The next morning Dan went to "office" and I tried to do laundry while the kids complained that they're "bored already." How many days left of summer?

RANDOM LINKS:

*What a gorgeous toddler toy (I sort of want to play with it myself). And for older kids these look awesome.

*Back to the future - definitely check these out, they're pretty cool.

*This print is just beautiful.

*Vogue magazine 1965-1975 - I can't stop looking at these layouts. I can't stop. Wow, Cher really was gorgeous.

*I LOVE this picture.

*Planking?? This actually sounds kind of fun.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Charleston, SC - Part I - Fort Sumter. The Third (and Final) Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

About a year ago, one of my best friends, Laurie, moved to Charleston, SC with her husband. So for the last stop on our roadtrip, we decided to spend a few days with them. (Laurie also has a blog, full of her adventures and thoughts, click here to check it out and see her post about our trip).

For our first full day in Charleston we adventured to Fort Sumter (where the Civil War began). In many ways this was the perfect outing, my husband loves military history and, since the fort is on an island, we had to take a boat to get there, making it a wonderful adventure for the kids as well. Once we arrived at the island, we didn't spend much time learning about the fort's history, instead we caught up with "Auntie" Laurie while checking out the views and running on the lawns, what a fun way to spend a morning.



The boat to the island has two levels - the top is open air and offers wonderful sea breezes and views. Unfortunately, it fills up fast. So we ended up in the air-conditioned bottom level, which had old chairs and random paintings (it reminded me of a church basement). But still, the views were quite pretty.



After the boat ride, we walked by a farmers' market in the square next to our hotel. Which had a bouncy slide. This made for some crazy happy kids. Crazy happy. Regarding our hotel, we stayed at the Embassy Suites Charleston, which is located in the original citadel building. The glass elevators mesmerized the kids (yes, we did have a few elevator races, but only when nobody else was around). My husband and I really liked the nightly manager's receptions (free wine!!) and made-to-order hot breakfast, which we ate in a beautiful courtyard full of lilacs. The pool was also a plus. But by far the best thing about the hotel was its wonderful service. We were 150+ miles towards home when we realized that T's favorite blankies (yes, BOTH of them) were still in the hotel room. Luckily the hotel found and overnighted them immediately (we received the blankies within 12 hours of arriving home). So yay! for the Embassy Suites (a Charleston historic hotel).

Places to Go (Vacation) - Savannah, GA, Part III - Oatland Island Wildlife Center. The Second Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

On our last day in Savannah, we braved the 90+ degree heat and spent the morning at Oatland Island Wildlife Center. I must say, this place was pretty awesome. A trail meanders through the property, which includes a boardwalk through wetlands, interspersed along the trail are various animal habitats. We saw alligators, deer, wolves, a fox, a (sleeping) cougar, a crane, bison, and various birds. So beautiful. The kids loved running on the shaded paths and trying to find lizards. Dan and I loved the beautiful scenery, especially the spanish moss everywhere. The entire loop is quite long (I think the visitors' center guide told us it was about 1.5 miles), but luckily the shade (and water bottles) kept us going. Plus, we all were pretty excited about the lack of crowds. The kids fell asleep as soon as we we got back on the road, which made the 2.5 hour drive perfect for us adults. NEXT (and final) STOP, CHARLESTON, SC!!



HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!! TODAY IS T'S 2 YEAR BIRTHDAY, which just seems crazy, but in a good way. They really do grow up so fast.

WEEKEND LINKS:

*My post on making sunprints is in a contest, please click here to vote for me!!!

*Gorgeous.

*Truths for mature humans. Funny.

*Lovely paintings.

*Is it a magazine or a collection of wall prints? I love this idea, I want a copy.

*I guess we need to learn to embrace the heat.

*If you live in the DC area and aren't busy busy this Sunday, a flash mob is scheduled at 1:30 in Old Town Alexandria, Waterfront and Marina near Torpedo Factory (in front of the eating hall)

More Info:
This is for Melanie Wiggins and Molly Norrbom's senior project at H-B Woodlawn! We are having a flash mob (surprise choreographed dance party) on the Waterfront and would love for you to join us! The song is "Bang on the Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren (to practice - link to the video here and use the first minute). The video explains the dance steps and timing.

Invite everyone you know and everyone you don't know, too - friends, neighbors, family, etc. Come a little bit early so you can casually wander around and blend in with the crowd.

At 1:30 the music will start playing and Melanie will begin dancing awkwardly by herself. Then a few others (you know who you are) will join in. When the singer says "everybody" and starts singing, everyone else should jump in! When the song ends (after about a minute) we will nonchalantly blend back in with the crowd.


So I didn't intend to dress T and Dan like twins, but I'm so glad that it worked out that way. Yay fate!!

Places to Go (Vacation) - Savannah, GA, Part II - Ellis Square Spraypark & The Waterfront. The Second Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

The girls and I spent the afternoon at the splashpark/water feature in Ellis Square while T napped (we stayed in a suite at the Inn on Ellis Square, which was incredibly low priced for a great location, I highly suggest it). The girls "splashed" over an hour, plus the water feature was quite lovely - the synched fountains made it look like the water was dancing.

By early evening, F had her PJs on and was ready for bed, but Dan and I REALLY wanted to walk on the waterfront so we dragged (yes, dragged) F out of bed and watched the big boats for awhile (seriously, so so big) as the late evening sun surrounded everything in a golden glow.



RANDOM LINKS:

*The Fresh Air Fund is looking for volunteers this summer. Sounds like a great charity, click here for the info.

*I know we just returned from vacation, but I really want to go here and here. Maybe one day.

*Lots of strawberry recipes. Lots. Click here (we made the strawberry shortcake popsicles using fresh-picked strawberries from a friend, wow they were yummy). In case the first list wasn't enough, there are hundreds more here.

*Funny (actually I'm not sure funny is the right word, but I can't think of a better one. suggestions?).

*I love this photo. And this series of photos. And this photographer.

*Maybe getting old isn't so bad after all, this lady looks like she's having the time of her life, of course I'd be happy too if I had her house.

*Asparagus/lemon/goat cheese pasta = yummy.

*Beautiful, inspiring photos and words.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Savannah, GA, Part I - Squares & Parks. The Second Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

We spent our first morning in Savannah, GA strolling from square to square. In Disneyworld Dan and I realized that our kids can walk long distances, so we decided to take advantage of our newfound knowledge.

Savannah has several squares and each one is within viewing distance of the next one, all of which are full of statutes of important people and spanish moss hanging from the trees. After the organized-chaos of Disney, it felt great to just relax. The kids seemed to feel the same way, as summarized by F "wow, I love it here, even if the parks [squares] don't have playgrounds." At each square, F made me read to her all the info on the statues, then she's ask "So is he dead mom?" And I'd have to tell her, yes, all these people died a long time ago. To which she always responded "that's so sad."

Eventually we made it to the world-famous Forsyth Park and its beautiful fountain. The park has two playgrounds and the kids spent HOURS running around and making new friends. Which, for us, came as a much needed reminder that, as fun as Disney is, kids can have just as much fun with a slide, some swings, and a little shade. A schoolgroup showed up and I watched a (12 year old?) backflip midair off the swing. I've heard such a thing is possible, but I've never actually witnessed it. It felt like a circus show, I actually clapped. The boy looked at me like "what's wrong with this lady?"


A stranger gave both the girls those beautiful flowers. I think I was supposed to pay him or offer him money or something, but I was too busy chasing after T.


The famous Forsyth fountain is pictured above. I don't have many great pictures as once we told the girls a playground was on site, we couldn't really stop for long.

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE!! More on Savannah tomorrow . . .

Places to Go (Vacation) - Disneyworld, Part IV - Epcot. The First Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

For our final morning at Disneyworld, we went to Epcot. I'm not a huge Epcot fan, as I don't really see how it all comes together, unlike the cohesiveness of Disney's other parks Epcot just seems sort of random and kitsch-less (and I like kitsch). Plus everything seems to be sponsored by a major corporation so I don't trust it's supposed-educational bent. On the upside, Epcot was BY FAR the least-crowded of all the parks, lines averaged about 10 minutes or less (HALLELUJAH!!). We went on the Land ride twice, which as a story made no sense to me (somehow we move from a rainforest to a desert to a vague description of farms to a greenhouse??) but at least it's pretty. Once you reach the greenhouse section of "the Land" you see all these super-cool farming methods Disney is adopting. Such as connecting a garden to harvested fish so that the fish waste fertilizes the garden. And growing vegetable "trees" (red peppers and tomatos) to increase harvest size.



After the Land we headed for the Seas, which was sort of BLAH (plus I'm not a huge fan of dark, cave-like environments). Then the Imagination Ride with Figment (very BLAH) and over to Mexico for some completely pointless yet-beautiful ride (sort of like Small World meets Donald Duck meets Mayan temples) which was wonderfully air-conditioned.

Hot, tired, and ready to return to normal life, we climbed into the mini-van and started the 5.5 hour drive to the second stop on our roadtrip of the South - SAVANNAH, GA!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! MORE ON SAVANNAH NEXT WEEK . . .


T's favorite part of Epcot was finding leaves on the sidewalk. Seriously, the leaves enthralled him.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Disneyworld, Part III - The Animal Kingdom. The First Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

(Cutest giraffe ever.)

On our third day at Disneyworld, we took the bus to Disney's newest park, the Animal Kingdom. Boarding the bus I had vague hopes that since the Magic Kingdom was SO CROWDED maybe Animal Kingdom would be emptyish. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Luckily, I had poured over maps the night before and created a plan. So upon arrival, we hightailed it to Africa in order to get Fastpass tickets for Kilimanjaro Safaris. Then, while waiting for our Fastpass time to arrive, we strolled through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Animal Kindgom is basically a big, luxurious zoo with some rides (many of which are for older kids). If this seems a little lame to you, remember that what Disney does it usually does pretty well, hence welcome to the most fabulous, incredible zoo on the planet. Everything is just beautiful. And the little "towns" make you feel as if you're really somewhere else (minus all the American tourists). It's quite a site to behold. But if you ask me the true highlight of Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safari, even my mom kept saying "how did they do that?" Unlike most Disney rides, the safari is lengthy (approximately 15 minutes) and there are animals EVERYWHERE. The ride is so well-done that it's easy to forget that it isn't "real." All in all, it's probably the best attraction in Disney world.

After Africa, we mosied on over to see the animals of Asia on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Unfortunately, we never made it to Dinoland as we were pretty hot and sweaty and tired. But of course we couldn't leave without adopting two new stuffed animal pets - so Baby Simba and Baby Molly welcome to the family.




The tree lady was fascinating. She really did blend in at first, until we saw her face we couldn't tell what was going on. T loved the bird map, I'm not sure about the birds, but he definitely loved the map.


Parker kept hugging the bug. Like a long last friend, though I'm not sure she's ever seen A Bug's Life (Two-Disc Collector's Edition).

Places to Go (Vacation) - Disneyworld, Part II - Disneyworld's Wilderness Lodge. The First Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

(Dan managed to put down the blackberry for most of our trip. Unfortunately, T picked it up.)

For our Disney trip we stayed in a one-bedroom villa at Wildnerness Lodge (my mom stayed in the lodge). On the downside, the villas are pricey (hence why we only stayed three nights). They also book up pretty fast. On the upside, having your own kitchen at Disneyworld is pretty awesome, especially when you bring a carload of food. Dan made wonderful homemade dinners every night (have I ever mentioned how wonderful my husband is?) and we brought lunch and snacks with us to the parks (though most days it was too hot to eat much). We stayed on the first floor and outside our room we had a small patio and a grassed "backyard" where the kids ran and ran. The room was quite large and had a separate shower and jaccuzi tub. A small pool and hot tub were within a two minute walk from our room (as was a great health club, which I never used). Lizards resided on the backfence along with lots of birds. It really did feel sort of wildernessy, Disney's so good at doing what it does.

From the Lodge, Disney runs buses to all the themeparks. For the Magic Kingdom you also have the option of taking a ferry boat, which is how we traveled most of the time. A nice relaxing trip on the water, before the magic began.



By the way, I'm skipping my usual Things to Read post because of all the Disneyworld posts. But, in case you're wondering, we purchased The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2011 (Unofficial Guides) and it really came in handy. With young kids you don't usually have a chance to see everything so it is good to have a plan and know exactly what you want to see (as well as what your children won't want to see). The book really helped us strategize (what a sad word to use for a vacation) thus assuring that we caught several (though not all) of Disneyworld's toddler-friendly highlights.

Places to Go (Vacation) - Disneyworld, Part I - The Magic Kingdom. The First Stop on Our Roadtrip of the South.

We arrive. After checking into our hotel (The Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, more on this tomorrow) and finding Grandma we caught the ferry for our first day of Magic Kindgom bliss. Well, maybe not. First of all, it was HOT, over 95 degrees hot. Second of all, it was crowded. As in, "wow, it's amazing this many people can fit in a small(ish) space" crowded. Both these factors were incredible disappointments to me as we visited in May so as to avoid people and heat. So it goes.

We walked down Main Street and immediately encountered a small parade (one of three parades the park holds throughout the day) with singing, dancing and Minnie. I'd like to say the kids were amazed but truthfully they were just overwhelmed (weren't we all?). I planned on taking about a million pictures but between the crowds, the heat, and carrying the toddler the camera stayed in the bag most of the time. Our first stop was Adventureland and the magic carpet rides of Aladin. After 45 minutes in line, we were flying. F and P broke out of their stunned coma and immediately proclaimed "we love it here!" T rubbed his eyes (there's no napping in Disney!). Off we ventured to Pirates on the Caribbean and the Country Bear Jamboree before F proclaimed "I'm ready for the hotel now." On the way back to the ferry we ran into another parade, one in which Cinderella smiled at P and Belle waved to F. Talk about magic.

The next three days went by in sort of a haze. We spent most of our time at the Magic Kingdom where we quickly learned that the best time to visit was after 7:00 pm (short lines and no heat). So we watched fireworks two nights in a row, while the kids powered through with 11:00 bedtimes and naps during the day. In retrospect, I'm glad we started out in Frontierland because once the kids visited Fantasyland, they never wanted to leave. P FELL IN LOVE with Small World, and after three trips the song may never leave my head. F conquered Thunder Mountain, thus proclaiming herself a "really big girl". And T just kept saying "more rides, more rides" over and over as he rubbed his eyes with exhaustion and fell in and out of sleep while resting on my shoulder. Dan and I both loved the brand-newish Buzz Lightyear ride, where you can point a lazer gun at targets and win points all while spinning around in your little ride-car. My mom helped out a lot, making shadow puppets with the girls and playing eye-spy during 45 minute lines (by the way, Peter Pan, you are so NOT worth the wait). After three days I finally developed a Fastpass strategy and everything seemed to sail along smoothly (well, except that the kids all HATED Haunted Mansion, which is my favorite ride). Best of all, F and P had no interest in princess dresses or the Bibbidi Boddibi Boutique, I guess they really are growing up.

All in all we had a truly lovely time. Though no Space Mountain. Hence why we NEED a second trip.


P - "I'm so glad that the Haunted Mansion is fake, but I wish Small World was real." As the Small World boat moved at a snail's pace, I couldn't help but think that the ride's overly made up dolls probably inspired the Bibbidi Boddibi Boutique.


Nighttime in the Magic Kingdome = perfect time for T's first carousel ride (he loved it).


"Mom, what are they doing? Are they selling those women? What's a wench? Aren't pirates really mean? Why are we visiting them? That dog is so cute! Can I have a dog? WHY NOT?" - Got to love the questions that result when Disney decides not to be politically correct.

Things to Make - Taro Gomi's Play All Day

I was nervous that the kids would become bored on the car train (as well as in the hotel rooms throughout our trip) so I purchased Taro Gomi's Play All Day: More Than 100 Punch-Out Pieces!. Luckily, the kids self-entertained better than I expected (you never know), but still when fuss occurred I'm glad we had this wonderful activity set. The book contains over a hundred punch out pieces, allowing you to make: finger puppets (don't forget to bring tape), tons of little boxes (which also work well as blocks for toddlers), connecting monkeys, a whole town, and lots of other stuff. The paper toys are incredibly easy to put together and great for lots of ages. A toy box in a book for under $15, how cool is that?

Places to Go (Vacation) - The Car Train to Disneyworld

Once we decided to take the family to Disneyworld (I love how I say "once we decided" as if I wasn't a huge Disney dork who had been planning this since F left the womb) the next question was "how to get there?" With airplanes you have to deal with baggage and baggage fees and fussy kids. The car ride takes 15 hours. So when our neighbors told us about Amtrack's car train to Florida, we were pretty psyched. The train leaves the station at 4:00 pm from Lorton, VA and arrives around 9:00 am in Sanford, FL (about 30 minutes from Disneyworld). Accomodations run the gammet from coach seats to a family bedroom (click here to see the options). We booked the family bedroom (it sleeps two adults and two kids) which was surpisingly roomy for train travel (though, obviously not "huge"). There were two small tables to color on and two large windows to check out the scenery. Most importantly, T was CONTAINED in a destruction-proof space, so I could relax for awhile.

The ticket price includes - a wine/hor d'oeuvres happy hour, dinner, and a continental breakfast. A family-friendly movie viewing takes place in the lounge car after dinner (our movie was about the Everest expedition, which wasn't exactly "fun" for preschoolers). The dinner was not four star but they served it on real plates and the meal came with free wine, thus giving us the feeling of a nice night out.

All in all, I loved the train. I read my book and stared out the window for hours. Unfortunately, T had a cold and was up most of the night (yes, while we were all stuck in the same bedroom) so I saw A LOT of the lounge car (which really isn't very fun at 2 am). Further, once we let the beds down the space did start to feel a little claustophic (which really wouldn't have been an issue if we were sleeping). Oh well, no travel is perfect.

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE!! More on Disneyworld tomorrow . . .