The tidal marshes and the palm trees.  The possibilities of alligators lurking in murky waters.  The beach.  The Spanish moss.  The old homes riddled with history.  We love it all.

The only thing we don’t love about it is that it’s a twelve hour drive and we can only manage a week a year right now.  Our next trip is, realistically, more than a year away.  In a way, that’s heartbreaking.  We love it that much.

We stay in beach houses with floors that seem permanently sandy.  We smell like suncreen.  There is sand in all the beds.  We drink our weight in sweet tea and we are restored.  We relax.  We walk in warm tidal pools and warm shallow ocean waters.  We feel like we could walk in them forever.

We watch flocks of pelicans soar over the ocean.  We find giant sea shells that are still occupied.  We marvel over complex and beatuiful jelly fish that wash up on the shore.  We sit on the porch at night and listen to peepers.  We breathe in the magnolia trees.  We bury our toes in the sand.  We collect tiny pebble sized sea shells and call them treasures.

It is our place of somedays.

Where’s your place?

Last weekend, Big Daddy, the girls and me went for a weekend trip to Washington DC.  We had a great time.  DC is SUCH a great city.  It’s so family friendly and very economical as nearly everything there is FREE.

Big Daddy booked our hotel through our favorite discount travel site and he booked a lovely, posh hotel in Crystal City, Virgina for $60 a night.

I want to start off by saying the hotel was really lovely.  It was very appealing, aesthetically.  The room was lovely and the beds were divine.  It had loads of lovely amenities, including a half a dozen restaurants and an outdoor pool with a lifeguard.

On Thursday night we stayed at a inexpensive chain motel elsewhere in Virginia due to an communication faux pas between Big Daddy and me.  Just to give you a point of reference, the lower cost room was nice and clean, but the beds were HARD.

H-A-R-D

We thought we were getting a GREAT deal with our $60 price tag for the 4.5 and the room rate was, indeed, fantastic (the rack rate inside the room was posted at $640 a NIGHT) but we didn’t get a better deal than we did at our 2.5 star hotel elsewhere in Virgina and here’s why.  Budget conscious travelers take note because I’m about to impart some important info.

Post hotels, while lovely and truly fun to stay out are rife with hidden costs and LESS free amenities than more family friendly, less fancy hotels.

1) 2 star motel featured an in room microwave and refridgerator AND the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon on the t.v.  Fancy schmancy hotel featured a safe and ALL news/sports channels.

We were only staying two nights, so the lack of a fridge/microwave/ kid friendly t.v. channels wasn’t an issue, but since the hoity toity hotel was geared towards business people, the rooms weren’t automatically equipped to be family friendly.

If you really need a fridge/microwave/family friendly t.v. channels, you’ll probably pay a surcharge for the first two amenities (plus PPV charges to get family friendly t.v. shows/movies).

And free wi-fi?  Nada.  Unless you had t-mobile and a t-mobile account.  Cheapie hotel?  You guessed it.  Free.  We had our iPhones, so the lack of free internet wasn’t an issue, but still, if you needed it, you were going to pay for it or not have it.

2) No such thing as a free lunch breakfast

We’ve spent a lot of time staying in Holiday Inn Expresses and their ilk and our 2 star motel was of a similar ilk.  These places tend to offer some sort of free continental breakfast, which is a real money saver for a family of five.  Most places offer a selection of cold cereals and pastries/bread items and some protein (yogurt, eggs, breakfast meats,e tc).  Of course, they varry, but they’re free.

Hoity Toity Hotel offered NO complimentary food.  They offered room service, where you could buy a pot of coffee and an omelet for $26.

Complimentary breakfasts aren’t a deal breaker for us, but if you’re counting on the convenience of a free morning meal, you probably WON’T find it the 4.5 star establishment.

Again, there are five of us, so buying breakfast usually costs anywhere from $20 for fast food to nearly $40 at a nicer sit down breakfast place (like the ADORABLE Metro 29 diner we breakfasted at on Saturday morning).

3) Parking is at a premium in Washington DC and the surrounding suburbs.  Big Daddy and I visited prior to 9/11 and the parking situation is totally different now.

And hotels are no exceptions.  Needless to say, cheapie hotel had ample FREE parking and less expensive hotels would offer lower rates or would comp your parking if you stayed at their hotel and parked in their garage.  Posh hotel had one option: valet parking at $25 a day PLUS a tip for the valet when he returned your car (not mandated, but of course you tip on car return).  That meant we payed an extra $56 to park for our two nights in DC.

So, while our hotel cost only $60 a night, we ended up paying $120/night to stay there figuring in the extra costs of parking and breakfast.

The point?

Well, of course hoity toity hotel was still a great deal.  It had a good location and it was very VERY nice, but next time, I might opt to stay at the the three star where they offer more free and family friendly amenities and if you’re planning a get away this summer, it might be something you’d want to consider too.

We’ve had the best luck hosting Hotwire.com to book our hotel rooms.  We’ve truly gotten some great deals including the Hoity Toity hotel mentioned above (Hyatt Regency in Crystal City).  I’m not compensated for any of this, we’ve just had great luck with Hotwire and like to share a good deal. :)

Last week, we did the circle tour. If you’re not from the Midwest, or maybe even Michigan you might not know what that is. The circle tour is the trip around lake Michigan. We start in Chicago, travel up the Michigan coast, cross “the bridge”, traverse the UP, move into Wisconsin and back home to Chicagoland. It’s a long trip. About 19 hours when it’s all said and done (more in traffic and was there EVER traffic).

Let me start off by saying that if you live in the Midwest, Michigan is a fantastic vacation destination. I could go on for weeks about places to go and things to do in Michigan and that’s just on its west coast. Our first destination was a small town about an hour southeast of Traverse City, but you can skip that, though you can Kayak on a lovely little lake were you so inclined, but my first focus is on Traverse City itself. Can I talk about how beautiful it is? And how it’s parent AND kid friendly? Best of both vacation worlds. Here’s why:

1) Tons upon tons of kid friendly activities for varying prices.

• Great Lakes Children’s Museum ($6/person with under 2 free)
• Traverse City Beach Bums Baseball team (ticket prices are $8 and $10 with an “event” happening nearly every night including fireworks
• The Children’s Garden@the TC public library (free)
• Ride the miniature steam train ($3 for adults, $2 for kids two to twelve, free for under 2)
• Cherry Bowl Drive-In

2) There’s that little winery thing for the grown-ups.  It’s not kid unfriendly, either, and tastings are either free or super cheap.  Most of the tasting rooms have lovely outside areas that you or your partner could entertain the kids in.  My favorite winery always has families wandering up and down the rows of grapes.  Just make sure you have transportation in place.  No good getting tanked and driving with kids in the car.

3. Adorable downtown section with fun little shops.  Admittedly, you can find tourist trapesque places where you can get a sweatshirt, but Traverse City is a neat little enclave and the downtown area is full of little botique shops.  My favorite is American Spoon. I always leave with a jar of their awesome mango habenero salsa and we love to eat at North Peak Brewing Company, but that’s just one option.  You can spend as much or as little as you like (there’s a subway on the main drag) and have the experience of your choice.  Additionally, if you go in August, Traverse City hosts a film festival that has a huge turn out.

My point?  It’s not really BFE.

And the beaches?  Oh the beaches.  Michigan has fantastic beaches. Midwestern folks, you do NOT need to drive to the shore in the summer to have a good beach experience with your kids.  Michigan boasts so many, they’re lovely, the water is blue (so so SO blue) and you’ll shave 10 hours off of your drive time.  My favorite beach in TC is at the end of the Old Mission pennisula.  It’s not the prettiest beach in regards to clear sand, but it has the lighthouse…and a lovely state park (with not too icky outhouses).  We love to stop along the way and pick up food from the farm stands along the path; usually some fresh fruit and a loaf of fresh baked bread.

We just got back from our spring vacation with the girls. It was a long ride in the car, logging about two thousand round trip miles to travel form the cold Midwest to the sunny beach. This trip was actually made more difficult by some poor weather conditions and hellish traffic in Atlanta, outside of Charlotte and outside of Indianapolis. Except for a little bit of melting down on Littlebit’s on our first leg home (which was soothed by a stop for a late dinner, running around a rest area and some favorite lullabies when we got back into the car) our road trip was, from the standpoint of the kid’s behavior, a success.

We do a lot of car traveling and with the rising cost of airfare, air travel for a family of soon to be five really isn’t in our budget. Well, it could be in our budget, but it would severely limit our vacation options, Since I feel travel with kids is something that we’re successful at, I’d like to share a few tips we’ve found to make car trips easier.

1) Be willing to stop.

I know this seems like a no brainer and I know that most travelers are desperate to get to their desperation, but road trips work easier for everyone, including little ones, if Mom and Dad are willing to take the time to stop. We normally stop every two hours for 15 to 20 minutes, giving everyone time to go to the bathroom AND stretch their legs. For active little ones, like Littlebit, these fifteen minute breaks that we’re willing to take makes a big difference on outlook. Some states have fantastic rest areas with open spaces (bring along a ball or a Frisbee) and some even have playgrounds. Not only do these trips stretch the legs, but they can help tire out restless little ones into a nap.

Additionally, we’re willing to stop for a longer, sit down meal about half way through our trip. Obviously these stops add time to your trip, but an hour and a half extra time on the road for peace is worth it. And, if you’re traveling to a warm climate from a cold one, the trips to the rest stops are usually your first hint of better weather and everyone seems to relish them

If we intend to travel long distances we break the trip up into two, one day legs and try to arrive at a time that allows time for play after the travel. This year, we stopped in Nashville. We let the girls play at the beautiful Centennial park and walked around downtown at dinner time. A little bit of beforehand research can help you pick a destination that will suit your family.

2) Bring your snacks.

I normally pack a reusable grocery bag with juice boxes, pretzels, crackers, cookies, string cheese, apples and nuts. I try to include the protein as they can help stretch a hungry traveler a little longer and the apples, nuts and string cheese give good balance to normally less than healthy road food. I find the one bag of food feeds us for a two day leg and I replenish the bag before we head home. The Princess likes helping select the snacks and we all like having something there to stretch us through from breakfast to a later lunch. It’s also helpful if you have kiddos that melt down when their blood sugar gets low.

3) Use technology to arm yourself.

I’ve totally been one of those parents turning up her nose at DVD systems in cars, but on long trips, they really can be useful. Yes, I know I went on road trips without DVD players. I was one of the unlucky ones who got car sick and couldn’t read. Sure, we played some games (mostly, a wholly unwholesome game of mocking fellow drivers), but if you’re asking your kids to withstand long days in the car, why not make things a little bit pleasant. On-board DVD systems are nice and much preferable, IMO, to portable car devices (they operate better, for one. Our Chrysler Pacifica also featured wireless headphones and a six disc DVD changer. We loaded the changer with car trip only discs and they stayed safe, always in the car and in good shape). But, if you don’t like the idea of shelling out for an on-board system or even a portable system, consider an IPod. Yes I know, they can be pricey, but they’re multi-functional (mine not only provides entertainment to the kids, but stores our music AND serves as a photo backup device as well). For about $2/each you can download episodes of popular children’s shows and Itunes is always running $10 movies deals as well featuring at least a movie or two your kids will like. Rentals run a little cheaper, but you can only watch them for a limited amount of time on your Ipod. Video podcasts are great to download too. They’re free and feature some of your children’s favorites like excerpts from Drake and Josh and ICarly, musical excerpts from Dora the Explorer and some full episode shows like Super Why and Lazy Town. Littlebit also adores They Might Be Giants free kid offerings as well. I like owning the electronic copy only. It makes for less junk around the house and you’re guaranteed that little fingers won’t ruin your DVDs.

4) Old Favorites.

Never underestimate the usefulness of a bag of toys and books. Older kids can choose with guidance (The Princess constantly makes poor entertainment choices and ends up bored). Word Searches and coloring books are other good choices and we’ve had good luck with magna doodles and aqua doodles. Color Wonder Crayola products are good if you’re worried about kids being loose with a pack of crayons in your back seat. Spending a few dollars on new backseat distractions will usually be worth the cash. The trip, Littlebit enjoyed a small toy set that featured a doll on a metal tin that came with clothes on a magnetized sheet. She dressed and undressed the dolls for hours and they’re easier stored for next time. In fact, I typically leave a bag of toys and books in the car for Littlebit. We have the space, it saves packing time and sometimes you need a bag of toys.

Benefits of a Waterpark Hotel

• Lower rate than a Waterpark Resort
• Smaller footprint allowing anxious parents to give older kids more freedom
• Smaller facilities mean less distance when shlepping your kids from the room to the park
• Less expensive than Waterpark Resorts

Drawbacks of Waterpark Hotels

• Smaller facilities means less to do.  Little kids might not mind.  The limited options are okay, but bigger kids could get bored quicker
• Possibility of no lifeguards/pool supervision.  This varies.  We’ve been to one Waterpark Hotel where they did have supervising lifeguards and one where there were none.
• Typical hotel fare.  This means limited in house options if you don’t want to leave the hotel.  In the two  Waterpark Hotels we’ve visited we had bar food type options (mostly fried appetizers) and a vending machine.  This created a slight issue for us on a Sunday night when, after playing in the Waterpark until into the evening we had to leave to try and find dinner.  In the midst of an ice storm.  When two out of three places were already closed for the evening

Benefits of a Waterpark Resort

• Huge water park areas with tons of things to do.  The Waterpark  Resort we visited in Illinois, featured three large water slides, a large lazy river, a wave pool, a large playscape for bigger kids and a small pool area with slides for little ones.  It was easy to spend HOURS in the water park
• In Waterpark drinking and dining options.  The smaller Waterpark Hotels we visited didn’t have in park dining/drink options and the small one we visited this past weekend forbade them.  But, I have to tell you, it’s nice sitting in an beach chair along side the wave pool in pleasant 82 degree weather drinking a pina colada.  It kind of felt like a vacation.  In the middle of Illinois
• Waterpark Resorts are themed.  Maybe over the top, but  themes are fun
• Lots more in-resort options.  Dining options, shopping options, snack options
• Well trained lifeguards and park supervision

Drawbacks of Waterpark Resorts

• They’re huge!  That could mean long walks from the lobby to your room and from your room to the Waterpark and from your room to, well, anything.  This isn’t too major unless you’re toting small kids and a lot of gear.  The Waterpark scape is also huge, meaning you may be concerned about letting your older child have more independence.
• They’re expensive.  And I don’t just mean the cost difference per night. Even bottled water costs more out of the vending machine
• On school holidays or weekends they can be crowded akin to a theme park.

In the end, Big Daddy and I have decided for our family, it’s worth a longer drive and a little more money to stay at a Waterpark Resort.  Have you stayed at either? What have your experiences been like?  What would you recommend?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The monuments and landmarks at night are must sees, so after dinner and a nap at the hotel there are still things to see and do AND the parking situation is a lot better.

Waterfall at FDR Memorial

The architecture is amazing.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Beautiful.

Jefferson Memorial

And so photogenic (we were so lucky to get an over cast day).

While parking isn’t always easy, you can park in lots and walk into the Mall and to the memorials.  You can even discover something beautiful and thought provoking along the way.

George Mason

And there are so many reminders of the things that make this country so very amazing.  Our collective history and the tenants our country was founded on.

Jefferson Memorial

And reminders  about the people we’re supposed to be.

We’re already thinking of when our next trip will be.

I admit I was thinking “what was I thinking!!??!” when we pulled up to the campsite.  Well, honestly, I started thinking that when I was packing, but it really hit me when we pulled into the camp ground and tent came out.  I felt full on senile.

Full on, folks.  I was sitting in my fold up campy chair, nursing the baby who wasn’t even six weeks old and wondering if I was on ludes when I’d agreed to do this.

But, if you can handle camping (and I can) camping with little kids isn’t hard.  It’s actually kind of fun. Littlebit was in her element.  She’s so busy and active that camping and being out doors and walking and swimming and hiking and climbing suits her.  Bed times WERE difficult, but bedtime is always difficult for Littlebit (which I will have to post about some day), but otherwise, things were fun.

First, you have to pack well. I started making lists weeks in advance to ensure that it was a good, comprehensive list.  Compounding our personal camping situation is that we were going some place with few shopping options (so few that when we ran out of diapers for Littlebit on Thursday night we had to buy Luv’s in a size too small and hoped for the best until we were able to drive 20ish miles the next day to the nearest largeish town to buy diapers that fit her. I won’t get into the cursing that ensued when Littlebit managed to squeeze out two drops of pee and the too small diaper leaked).  Do a little research before you go so you know what you must go in with.  And bring more diapers than you think you need.

Kids like to cook over an open fire, so keep food simple.  We made bratwurst and corn one night and hobo pies the next night. Breakfast was simple fare; eggs and hash one day and breakfast sandwiches (made with eggs and bacon) the next.  Lunches were fruit and leftovers.  We used paper plates to minimize the washing and I brought in our cast iron dutch oven and skillet which can be easily cleaned by boiling water in them (in fact, that’s how they SHOULD be cleaned)  Again, we shopped before we went into the campground because I had visited the area and knew of the limited resources.

We also bought as little as we could that would need to be

We used a tripod to cook over the fire and frankly I can’t recommend it enough.  The only thing I can say is to be sure you have long arms.  If you have short arms (and therefore a short body) it might not be too successful.  THe best thing about our tripod is that it came apart and folded flat into a box.  Space was at a premium.

But how did we camp with the infant and two year old?  Step one was ensuring that our processes were streamlined as not to make it more work. I outlined that above.  Step two, packing the right things.  That meant an air mattress for the big kids, sleeping bags and what it takes to put Littlebit to bed (aka the laptop so she could watch a “show” to help transition her into sleep).

The biggest problem we had is that it was cold.   REALLY cold.  For August it was practically sub-zero (really, around 45 over night) and we were COLD.  Well, okay, *I* was cold and I worried like crazy about the other kids being cold.  One lesson I learned is that I will bring along lightweight, but warm fleece blankets to provide an extra warm layer on cold nights.  Also, our baby sleeping situation wasn’t great.  I was afraid to have her sleep with us on the air mattress in the sleeping bag, but just as afraid of leaving her to be cold in her moses basket.  Big Daddy and I tried sleeping with moses basket between us at our heads, but that didn’t work room wise in a double sleeping bag (not a queen. A double).  I then tried putting the basket at our feet (well, my feet) which worked room wise but left me worried about how warm she’d be without our body heat.  Usually, around midnight, I’d be tucking Baby Bee onto my chest and laying super still until Littlebit got cold and joined us. I’d then pass Baby Bee off to Big Daddy who’d take over baby on the chest sleeping duties and snuggle Littlebit.

Long story short, next time we’ll pack the porta-crib and the electric blanket like we did when we camped with Littlebit last year.  I had no concerns about Littlebit being cold over night.  We put her on top of the electric blanket.  Since Baby Bee sleeps on her back, I’m not worried about smothering but to be extra safe, we can tuck the electric blanket under the prota-crib mattress to ensure she says snug as a bug (or a baby bee) in a rug.

Which means, camping with electric service is a must.

But what about the Princess?  Frankly, camping with a nine year old should be easy.  They should have fun. Having a few episodes of “Sonny with a Chance” on iTunes (no Internet service, just locally cached) or something similar gives them a little bit of rest/down time activity, but the Princess loved the freedom she had.    There was just that one night when she ended up in bed with us too.  (Sleeping quintuple in a double bed….someone should write a song).