10 Must Have Items for a Beach Vacation
The beach is my happy place. If I could, I would live in a beach house. I have rented beach houses in the past, and my family had to pul me from the front deck when it was time to leave.Last summer, my extended family rented a beach house in TopSail, North Carolina. There were…
Why You Should Take Kids to Fancy Restaurants
Readers often ask me what we do for dining when we travel and if we ever bring our children to “fancy” restaurants. When I reply “Sure, all the time”, my response is usually met with surprise and the follow up question, “why?” My answer involves a whole list of reasons why we do explore upscale…
Year in Review: Highlights of 2018
2018 was an exciting, adventure filled year for my family. We started a bit early by purchasing a new 2018 Chevy Equinox, and to date-exactly 54 weeks later- we have over 26,000 miles on the odometer. We’ve been as far west as Texas, as far south as Florida, and as far north as Maine. We’re…
Staying Healthy and Happy While Traveling with Kids
We just returned from a major road trip, a trip I’ve been planning for the past twelve months. Some of my friends give me a (loving) hard time about planning every minute, right down to when I’ll do laundry and when I’ll “relax.” It’s true that I like to be prepared- to “expect the unexpected”- and that’s…
Packing a Suitcase
You’ll hear me say it often on this site: Be prepared. I truly believe you can never be too prepared, or plan too much. And while it’s been a personal resolution (since, about, oh… 2002) to try and be spontaneous, I have a lot of evidence to support planning ahead of a trip.I’ve written about…
How to Pack the Car
The days of spontaneously hopping in a car and hitting the road ended when our daughter was born. After that point, even a simple trip to the grocery store required careful planning and a car full of “just in case” items. Nowadays, we can pare down some of the items necessary (yay, no more lugging…