Travel Blog

Around the USA in a Recycled Stroller

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When I heard that our sponsor Safety 1st was coming out with the first (and only!) recycled stroller made in the USA with American and imported parts, I had to be a part of their campaign to get the word out. This thing is made up of potato bags, diaper tabs and recycled car seats. Safety 1st works out of their Zero Waste manufacturing facility in Columbus to recycle 20,000 car seats a year, saving 130,000 lbs of plastic from the landfill! As US-based family travelers, we love to give back to our country and protect this great earth any way we can. But would this “green” stroller prove to be road-worthy? Come along with us and see!

Finding Confidence in the Light

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There are a great many opportunities throughout life for a person to learn valuable lessons in which to build their character. Adversity and circumstance shed light on the truth of who we are. The worst mistake someone could make is to not gain any knowledge or advancement from the trials in our lives. It is how we grow. It is how we go from darkness to light.

7 Reasons Kanab is great for Adventurous Families

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Every parent strives to give something to their child that will improve their life. Every parent also strives for simplicity. We always run the chance, throughout everything we do, that it may somehow explode into a swirling vortex of hectic chaos. There’s one thing I know about chaos: it’s…uh, chaotic. So where does that leave us as far as unique and fun experiences for our children?

Restaurant Celebrations with a Totally Picky, Super-Active Family

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We’ve talked about a few different kids party ideas, and received an email or two from readers wanting to know how we plan parties when so much of our time is spent traveling. Our festivities are quick and nimble. We try our best to grab a few decorations and on-the-go activities even if we’re headed to a hotel. That being said, there are times when we have something to celebrate and ZERO time beyond a quick sit-down meal. Oh yes, people, restaurant celebrations are a serious party tactic around here!

8 Great Wolf Lodge Tips for Big Families

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Great Wolf Lodge invited us for a visit a couple weeks ago, but Nate got called into work at the last minute. I was momentarily panicked about being alone at this epic indoor waterpark with four little kids, but I realized that the situation was more or less the same as usual. Once you find yourself outnumbered as a parent in a big family, it’s chaotic fun no matter what the specific balance is! I rolled with it, and soon realized that Great Wolf Lodge had a TON of cool things specifically catering to big families like our own.

Our Absurdly Easy Hack to Bring Vegetables Camping

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Man, that’s a click-baity title if I’ve ever read one! I hope you’re not all expecting some epic Ziplock bag solution to help bring vegetables camping, or carrots sprayed with vinegar to make them last. I’ve tried all that stuff. It didn’t work. Nope, our “hacks” nowadays tend to be more of the grab-and-go sort. Nate and I have four kids so when we say we have a simple solution, you’re always going to find straightforward, honest, REAL answers even if it’s something like “go to Target and buy this thing.” Ka-bam. Problem solved. It’s not always creative, it’s not Pinterest-y, but it’ll get the job done as fast as possible and it’ll usually save you money.

Adventure Ford truck under stary sky

Vacation Planning: You’re doing it WRONG

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Visit California recently reached out to me for my experience and expertise to help spread the word about National Plan for Vacation Day. They wanted my take and advice on helping people better use their unused vacation days. I love traveling with my kids – especially in southern California – and proposed a plan that they loved and agreed to sponsor for our blog. So this is my take on how to use those stowed away vacation days to improve your standard of living!

Cheap camping tips

10 Must-Know Secrets for Cheap Camping

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Camping is a great way to have fun with family and friends, but it can be very costly if you jump into it without planning ahead. Today, we’re sharing how you can enjoy the camping experience without a second mortgage for gear.

Vacation with friends

8 Tips to help Prep for a Vacation with Friends

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I feel like vacationing together is the Amazing Race of friendship tests. It COULD go well. You might double your fun-having capabilities and emerge champion in epic memory-making! On the other hand, it might implode into a bicker-fest. Your besties might decide to claim the master bedroom for the duration of the vacation rental, leave their hot curling iron on the bathroom floor and scream about you owing them $1.63 for your family’s excessive ketchup use on barbecue night.

Aulani tips

11 Aulani Tips for an Incredible Hawaiian Vacation

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The boys have had a Hawaiian calendar up in their room for the last year, a gift from a friend of mine who lives in the islands. Several times over the last few months, Sidekick has pointed to one of the streaming waterfalls or sandy beaches in the photos and asked if we can visit. “One day,” I promised, “I’ll take you to Aulani and you can see ALL the special things about where I grew up.”

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