4th of July Weekend Recap

Wow! What an exciting and fun filled weekend it was for us! We had a little Army family reunion in St. Louis. Our family of eight formed while we were back at Fort Stewart. Now one couple is in Maryland, one half of a couple is at Fort Bragg, and the other half of the couple and our clan of four at Fort Leonard Wood. We've been able to meet up several times since we've all PCS's and it's been wonderful. This weekend was no different.

On Thursday we all met in St. Louis. We first met at the mall to get some lunch, and Hubs and I each needed to buy a pair of nice shoes since we never repurchased them after they were stolen. From there, we checked into our hotel, which was a dump. I was super disappointed that we were at a Sheraton, yet the furniture was worn down and torn, and the carpet was all stained. The staff wasn't exactly friendly either. The upside of the hotel was it's location. The Gateway Arch was just about a mile away, which made it walkable distance. Good thing too, parking would have been a disaster down there!

Thursday evening we headed down to the Arch to catch the fireworks and concert. Trace Adkins was performing! Even though we couldn't see him from where we were sitting, we could still hear him. There were vendors all over and amazingly, the beer line was the shortest. Yay! Shortly after the concert ended, the fireworks began. It was such an amazing expereince to be able to watch them from under the Arch!

On Friday we switched to a different and much nicer hotel and then hit up Six Flags. Over the weekend, active duty military was free, their dependents were like half price, and if you bought your ticket online it was something like $36. The water park  was our first stop. After and hour and a half wait in line, we switched over to the regular amusement park. It was a little difficult since we had two little ones with us, but we still had a great time. We spent some time in the kiddie area where both V and Adri got to go one rides, and then the big people got on a few coasters. Six Flags had fireworks all weekend so we caught them again on the 5th.

Saturday was our beer day! We started at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. While waiting for our tour to begin, we got a free beer in the lobby. We did a short tour where we were able to take photos with the Clydesdales. After the tour, they give you two free beers of your choice. They had a pretty good selection too! I was finally able to try a Straw-ber-rita and it was pretty good! I'll probably be buying them in the near future! From the tour we headed to Grant's Farm, another Anheuser-Busch property. It was like a small zoo with a petting farm.  Once we made our way through the farm, there were two more free beers waiting for us. At the end of the day, we were exhausted!

For dinner on Saturday night, we went to Kobe, a hibachi restaurant. It's been a while since I've been to a hibachi place, but it was just as good as I remember. Our chef put on an awesome show. V was a bit freaked out with the fire a couple times, but she ended up liking it. The food was fantastic, although I wasn't a huge fan of the fried rice. I was too stuffed by the end to eat it, so that doesn't really matter. After dinner, we sat in the hotel courtyard and caught up some more.

Sunday was our low-key day since everyone was getting ready to head back home. The morning was spent at the pool and the afternoon consisted of lounging around upstairs. We had a late lunch/early dinner followed by a chat with our brand new financial adviser. It's pretty convenient when one of your best friends is a financial adviser. I know we'll clash occasionally with money decisions, but it's comforting to know that he actually has our best interests in mind.

So that's it!! After a great weekend, we made the two hour drive home and arrived right around bedtime last night. I've got some unpacking to get done today, which means that meal planning and grocery shopping will have to wait until tomorrow. No biggie though. I'm pretty sure we have some sort of leftovers or something in the fridge that I can make up into dinner. You can still join the link up below.

It's going to take me the rest of this week to catch up with my favorite blogs and get some more posts up.

OH! And a GIGANTIC thank you to all of those that supported me in the Top 25 Military Moms competition. I finished in 14th place!!






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Five Tips to a Fun Filled Family Vacation - Guest Post

We're hitting the road tomorrow for an Army family vacation. We'll be getting together with our gang from Fort Stewart. I'm so unbelievably excited for us all to be reunited. It's been some time since everyone has seen the girls. With taking the girls along also come a unique set of challenges. I'm not going to lie, traveling with kids isn't always pleasant.

Kendra is a travel advocate, TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, proud wife and mama of 3. You can find her on Twitter at: @KendraThornton. She's a long time travel expert who has been traveling the world since she was three. Because of this, I'd like to share with you a couple of her favorite travel tips and tricks. Enjoy!

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It’s July and summer is in full swing! With school out and the kids at home, mom and dad are likely ready to get out of town for a great trip – but where to start? A seamless family vacation that is relaxing and fun for all is possible! Research and planning beforehand coupled with a flexible attitude while away can make it reality for your family. Follow the tips below for a few simple tricks for your next family adventure!

TIP ONE
Before you book your hotel, look into family friendly accommodations. Some indoor water parks and ski resorts have hotels attached, which can offer a great combination of fun and relaxation without having to leave the premises. Other resorts have kids clubs that allow the kids to enjoy supervised play while Mom and Dad enjoy some free time. Decide what type of vacation you are looking for and look for places that fit all of your family's desires. My family chose a family friendly resort on our trip to Hawaii. With the help of sites like Gogobot, I was able to heed the advice of other parents to find the best Honolulu hotel for our family of five. In the "off season" many of these locations offer inexpensive get away packages! Do some research before you book and you will be well on your way to a memorable trip.

Photo Credit: marcovdz via Compfight cc

TIP TWO
Make sure you arrange for travel to your hotel once the airplane arrives at its destination. Your hotel may provide a free shuttle bus that can take your family to your destination and is often a cleaner and more spacious alternative to a cab or public transit. If your hotel does not offer this service, make advanced arrangements to rent a car or a cab service. To secure a reliable company, ask your hotel concierge who they would recommend.

TIP THREE
Stick to a fluid routine. Fluid is the key word. If naptime is usually five hours after your little one wakes up, plan for downtime around then. If you’re changing time zones, try to be proactive about the change. A week or two before you leave, adjust your child’s sleep schedule. 15 minutes here and there can really make a difference once you’ve arrived at your destination. Plan a general order of events but make sure you’re flexible too. A well-rested child will make for a much smoother vacation.

TIP FOUR
Make sure to fully prep your electronic devices for your trip. For tablets and iPads, download a bunch of fun new games for the kids to play. These can be educational or just for fun and are often free. Bring headphones as not to disturb other passengers or riders. You can also download fun audiobooks for the kids or the whole family to listen to. This is a great alternative for little ones prone to motion sickness. Finally, make sure to fully charge all of your devices the night before you leave. Make sure to bring the chargers along for the ride along with some spare batteries.

TIP FIVE
Although it is not typically economic to purchase items at your destination that you already have at home, certain items may be worth the space you’ll save. Diapers take up a lot of room and can be ordered online and shipped to your destination free of charge. This is a great option particularly when flying as many airlines now charge you to check luggage. Traveling to the shore for a two-week beach vacation? Don’t worry about paying marked up fees at the local grocery store, Diapers.com can ship your favorite brand for next day delivery.

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Tips For First Time Cruiser

It's no secret that the Hubster and I are pretty obsessed with cruising. We've agreed that cruising is just about the only way we'll vacation. Even with the Triumph mess that happened two months before our Carnival cruise, we still had no worries that our cruise would suck. I wouldn't have minded a few extra days at sea either way. If you've never taken a cruise, you have to try it.

This weekend, one of my good friends is taking the same cruise that we took in April. She asked me to send her all of the details and tips after our vacation. Since this will be her first cruise and I wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be disappointed, I paid extra attention to all of the little bits of useful info that might come in handy on a first cruise.

1. Bring your own wine or champagne. Some cruise lines, such as Carnival, allow each adult over 21 to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne on board in their carry-on luggage. I'm a fan of $5 supermarket wine, which happens to cost somewhere around $32 on the ship. You can save yourself a few bucks by bringing your own. On Carnival, they charge an uncorking fee in the dining room. The best way to avoid that charge is to call room service for a corkscrew and glasses. You can also bring your own 12-pack of bottled water or soda in your carry-on for free.
2. Do your research on your excursion options. Typically excursions purchased on the ship cost a little extra. If you know what you'd like to do in each port, you can usually Google tour companies that offer that type of excursion and book directly through them. You can also check out sites such as TripAdvisor for excursion ideas as well as reviews. There are plenty of ports that you can catch a taxi to the beach for cheap and avoid having to pay insane prices to then have to fight for chairs.
3. Choose your room wisely. Through experience with rooms in several different locations, we've realized that the higher you are, the more movement you feel. So, if you suffer from motion sickness, I'd suggest staying lower in the ship. I've been told that the mid-ship locations feel less movement as well. Hubs and I are also huge fans of interior cabins. Not only are they cheaper, but we also feel more relaxed in them. The interior cabins are just about pitch-black when the lights are out, so there is no sense of urgency to get moving when the sun starts to come up.
4. Use your TV. I was super surprised on our last cruise that none of our tablemates at dinner knew that you could do so many things from the TV in your cabin. For one, the excursions that we did book though Carnival, were booked through the TV. The onscreen menu provided details about the excursions and after a click of a button, our tickets were delivered under our door. We were able to check how much was spent on our ship account, to avoid going way over budget. The nightly dinner menu was also available. There are channels that show the ship position and ship cameras as well.
   
5. Room service is 24/7 and free. It's late at night, you were too drunk to make it to dinner, and now all that's available is pizza and ice cream. I don't know about you, but that isn't my idea of dinner. At least not on a cruise. Room service has a pretty good selection available at any hour. I also love to use room service as an alarm clock. On the mornings that we have early excursions, I request breakfast at the time that I want to wake up. The knock on the door alerts me that it's time to get up, and I get to enjoy breakfast right away while I'm getting ready.
6. Read the onboard newspaper. Carnival has what's call The Fun Times. It shows up on your bed every night, and has details about everything happening on the ship the next day. There is even a section that tears off for you to carry around with you with the times of everything happening on board such as games, parties, comedy and dance shows, as well as what time certain shops or restaurants are open. I was shocked to hear that some of our tablemates would just wander the ship aimlessly hoping to find an activity to do.
7. Don't try to do everything. Whoever thinks that cruises are for old people and that there is nothing to do, is seriously mistaken.The entertainment staff tries to keep everyone on board occupied, especially on days where you're at sea. There are so many activities jam packed into the schedule that you simply can't do them all. We made this mistake on our first cruise.Since then, we've learned that if there is something that we'd really like to attend, we'll go. If there comes a time were we've relaxed enough, and there is something that might interest us on the agenda, we'll check it out.
8. Want something? Just ask. You'd be surprised at how accommodating the ship crew is. Really, one of their main goals is to ensure that you have a great vacation. One time at dinner I asked our waiter, "Can I -" and before I even finished my sentence he said yes. So if at dinner you want two or three appetizers, go for it! Want three lobster tails on formal night? They're yours. 
9. Bring the right clothes. Depending on your cruise, there may be a formal night or two. Make sure you pack the appropriate clothes so that you arent turned away from the dining room. If getting all fancy isn't your thing, the buffet usually has most of the same items available. There are gyms on board, so if you plan on visiting them or doing an excursion such as zip lining or hiking, don't forget to pack your sneakers.
10. DON'T GET LEFT BEHIND. Be sure to keep your phone/watch/whatever on the ship's time. All of the times given on the ship are according to ship time. If they tell you the ship is leaving at 5:00pm, it's 5:00pm ships time, not the time at the port. Ship time is generally the local time at your port of embarkation.

This list is already longer than I was anticipating and there are still a few more things that I'd like to add, but I think that's a pretty good start. If you're planning on taking a cruise I'd definitely recommend checking out Cruise Critic for more information and tips. I'd also be happy to answer any questions.

Here We Go!

Hubs and I are on an upper deck, slowly sailing away from Miami with the breeze blowing over us. I'm so excited for our vacation to finally start, but I miss my babies already!

I hope to be able to find some free wifi at our ports. If you aren't already, follow me on Instagram from some awesome pics of the Western Caribbean.

Ready to Cruise!

It's go time! Hubs and I are set for our cruise tomorrow! I'm so excited! This vacation is very much needed. We still haven't had a moment away from the kids since he got home from deployment.

I went to Zales today to have my ring repaired. One of the diamonds fell out when I had it cleaned yesterday, and I didn't notice until we were miles away. The lady said it'd be ready Monday. I'm glad that I'll be able to have it fixed and back before we move.

Hubs also insisted that I get myself a new pair of earrings. It's been a while since I've worn them, since I always lose them. My new ones are gorgeous though! I hope I don't lose these, but they're white sapphire, so it wouldn't be as tragic as if they were actually diamonds.

I also went to Victoria's Secret to pick up a new bathing suit and a bunch of new undies. I can't wait to wear my new bathing suit! The bottom is similar to the one in the picture, but with less coverage, and ruffles.

I also went this afternoon to get my nails done with my sister. I haven't had my nails done since my wedding, and they look fabulous!! I really need to maintain them better in the future. Just something as simple as having earrings in and my nails done makes me feel like a totally new person!

It's Good to Be Back

Traveling with kids is no joke; it's stressful and exhausting. I now know that I won't attempt to take a vacation with the kids for a couple of years, because it won't be a vacation at all. Even with all of my preparation, it felt like things still didn't go how I had planned. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't horrible, and it definitely could have been much worse, but it just wasn't a vacation.

Overall, we had a good time in New York. When we arrived Friday morning, we drove around a bit and headed over to New Jersey to visit the areas where Hubs had lived and grown up. Friday evening was the wedding rehearsal which followed a good amount of drinking at the hotel bar. The wedding on Saturday was spectacular. Good food and a great atmosphere. Sunday morning we headed to New York City for a bunch of touristy things. And Monday we flew back home.

On Friday and Saturday night we stayed at The Thayer Hotel at West Point and Sunday night at the Element in Times Square. The Element was fantastic!! The Thayer Hotel, not so much. Hubs and I, along with the other friends in our group were extremely disappointed by the quality of Thayer, considering the price. But that's  whole other post!

While in the city we visited the 9/11 Museum and the memorial itself. If it hadn't been so cold, I would have liked to stick around and explore some more, but with the wind and everything, it was too much for the babies. Oh, and of course my camera refused to work while we were at the memorial, so I only have cell phone pics. Although, I was able to do a panoramic photo of one of the fountains.

We road the subway, which along with most of the rest of the city, wasn't very stroller friendly, had great Chinese food, and visited the Empire State Building after dark. We used this cool app called Uber to get ourselves around with SUVs that work pretty much like taxis, but more sophisticated. You use the app to hail your private vehicle and pay afterwards. There is also an option to rate your driver. It's a really cool app, but really only available in major cities.

Empire State Building & our anniversary

Although I hate Georgia summers, I'd take them over New York winters any day. I'd love to visit New York again when it's warmer and probably without kids. I really can't complain though. It was a good trip. Considering we were in the city less than 24 hours, I'd say we were able to do a lot.

What are your must do's for New York City?

Traveling With Toddlers: Roadtrip

Tomorrow is going to be quite the day for my girls and I. We'll be on the road for a total of about 10 hours. Usually I have some one drive with me when we drive long distances, so it'll be the first time that it's just the three of us. Normally I count on my co-pilot to pick up dropped sippy cups and switch the DVDs in the player, but this time all of that falls on me. I'm excited and nervous to make the trip alone.

In the morning we'll be waking up a little earlier than usual to head to Parris Island for my brother-in-law's graduation (BTW, I'm so proud of him! He's the honor grad from his Company). It's about an hour and 15 minutes north of us so it shouldn't be too bad. After the graduation we'll be driving back down south, picking up the dog and then continuing the seven and a half hours south to Miami.

I've made lists galore to make sure that I don't forget anything, but chances are that I will. Thankfully I'll be stopping by the house before I get on the road for the long haul in case I do forget something. Snacks and lunch for the girls will be portioned in to baggies so that handing it back is simple. I haven't decided how I'm going to work the formula situation for Baby A, so we'll see about that. I have Capri Suns in the freezer to act as ice packs and keep other items cold. The one good thing about not having someone in the passengers seat, is that I'll have everything readily accessible.

I'm considering taking my Cricut and sewing machine down to Miami also, just in case I get bored during the day. Whether or not I take them though depends on how much space I have.

Although a little reluctant, I'm excited to try and do this with the girls. I hope I don't lose my mind. If I learn anything, I'll be sure to share!