10+ tips for road trips with young kids

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10 tips for road trips with young kids
In the past 8 years, my children have visited 6 different countries, 3 continents, and countless towns and cities in the United States and abroad. We’ve traveled by train, plane, boat, and car, and at this point our kids can pretty objectively be referred to as seasoned travelers. Recently, we’ve been doing a lot of road tripping, and while it’s nice to not have to plan for airlines, train stations, and long waits before departures, trips in the car with young kids have their own set of challenges. Over the years I’ve learned that these challenges can be minimized by how I pack, prepare, and execute a road trip with baby, and we’ve gotten our system down to a science thanks to Huggies at Costco.

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Marriott Hotels partners with TED to inspire new perspectives

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about curiosity. With an into-anything-and-everything toddler, an active little boy, and an 8 year old who thinks she has the whole world figured out, I unfortunately spend a huge amount of my time discouraging their natural curiosity. Log Cabin Resort sightseeingBut, even while having serious discussions with them about why moving a 10+ lb. dollhouse up bunkbed ladders with jump ropes by yourself is a bad idea, suggesting that they not dig up my garden just to see what’s below, or even by answering their 300th question of the hour, I do love that they are so busy being curious about everything, and I hope that never changes. First microscopeIt’s this curiosity that will keep them wanting to “science” the things that they find in our backyard and beyond. It’s this curiosity that will keep them seeking answers to the questions that seem unanswerable and always asking “what if…?” It’s this curiosity that will encourage them to read so they can learn about worlds that are near, far, and make believe. And, it’s this curiosity that will fuel their love of travel and challenge them to visit as much of the world as they possibly can.

Since travel and curiosity go together hand-in-hand, it only makes sense that Marriott Hotels is exploring the theme of curiosity in their recent partnership with TED, the non-profit devoted to ideas worth spreading. If you love listening to and watching TED Talks as much as I do, you’re probably as excited as I am. This relationship will be a whole new way to experience TED – with creatively curated TED Talks, blogs, and original quotes available to hotel guests worldwide. WP_20160907_18_31_01_Pro

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Where we were: Disney World for #DisneySMMC

Sponsored post Disney Noise GirlsThis last week was pure magic. We just got home from 9 days in heaven and now I'm enjoying all of our amazing memories we made during our week at Walt Disney World. It had been over 16 years since hubby and I visited Disney World, and to say we were overdue is definitely an understatement.

This is us in Disney World back in 1999 with my two sisters {I'm second from the left, hubby is on right}. We were BABIES! Disney World 1999

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Travel: 12 reasons to visit Leavenworth, WA in winter {+ 3 things to know before you go}

Willkommen in Leavenworth, WALeavenworth family pictureIt’s been a pretty hectic holiday season already and I’ve been working a ton recently while running from event to event. So, when we found out hubby had a few extra days off work, I wanted to make the most of them. We needed to get out of town and get somewhere where we could just relax and have some good family time before all the festivities next week, and I knew just where to go.

Located just a few hours outside of Seattle at the base of the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, very near the geographical center of Washington State, is the cutest little town called Leavenworth, WA. It’s been one of my favorite spots in Washington since I was a girl, and I love that it’s basically unchanged in the past three decades.

A little history: In 1962, Project LIFE {Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone} Committee was formed to transform the city into a mock Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. From the architecture to the specialty shops and retail, it truly feels like you are strolling through a quaint German town instead of a tiny town nestled in the mountains in Washington State.

Here are just some of the reasons why you should check out Leavenworth in the winter:

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Never miss a moment with the Lumix G7 lightweight and compact DSLM camera

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Panasonic. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.” Lumix sunsetAs someone who has a camera with me at all times, the struggle is always between whether I want quality pictures or I want lightweight options, because up until now there was no real compromise in my eyes. That means I typically end up going the DSLR route because I need to have good pictures for blog posts and for capturing all those important milestones with the kids, but I hate that I end up carting around bags of gear as well as all the stuff we need on our adventures.

In my never-ending search for a lighter weight camera, I earmarked the Panasonic Lumix G7 because it has interchangeable lenses as well as being mirrorless {which is quite possibly my favorite advance in cameras in the recent years}. The fact that it has a touch-enabled screen so it is really user-friendly was the tipping point. But it wasn’t until I tried it that I truly fell in love.

The Lumix totally blew me away in the DSLM (M= Mirrorless) category and it has proven to be the perfect compromise of losing the bulk and weight of traditional DSLRs without sacrificing image quality. In fact, it has so many features that I adore that it’s now my most-used camera. This is because it can do basically everything I need but can fit easily in my purse or diaper bag for days out so I can capture gems like this one I snapped last night while berry picking. Lumix kisses

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Summer vacation shopping tips {BlogHer shopping at Northgate Mall}

It is summer vacation time, and everyone knows what that means: shopping. Whether you are ditching the rain and heading somewhere tropical or you are beating the heat and heading for cooler weather, chances are you need some new clothing and gear for whatever climate you’re headed to.

I like to view this as an invitation to splurge a little bit on myself to make vacation packing easier. Since I love vacation shopping more than any other kind of mall trip, I tend to plan one a few weeks before any big trips to refresh my wardrobe before fully deciding on what I will be packing. So, amed with a complimentary gift card, my daughter and I headed to Northgate Mall in Seattle to prepare for my upcoming Chicago trip for BlogHer.


Girl time at Northgate Mall
Packing for BlogHer is a bit different than any other vacation for me, because I need to be professional and put together in addition to staying cool and comfortable, so it’s not like I can pack a few shirts, a pair of jeans and some shorts and skirts and call it good. I need fancy dresses for at night, put-together outfits for day, and coordinating pieces that can do double-duty so I don’t end up with three suitcases.

Naturally, I was really excited to get my shopping started at Northgate Mall, but before I started shopping, I did a little pre-vacation prep. Having become a pro at shopping for trips in the past, this time I knew exactly what I was doing and I followed these guidelines:


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VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Tablet prevents “Summer Brain Drain”


Summer Brain Drain
Do you remember as a kid you would go back to school each fall feeling like you were in shape from staying active all summer only to find your legs and abs burning after one gym class because you were now using muscles you had neglected during the past few month?  Well, that is exactly what happens to your brain, too, and in a phenomenon commonly referred to as Summer Brain Drain. 

What is Summer Brain Drain, you ask?  According to research from the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, students typically lose one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer break because they are not regularly exercising their brains. 

So, how do you combat Summer Brain Drain?  You find fun ways to infuse learning into everyday activities to keep kids’ brains sharp even during the three long months of no formal schooling. 

But, how can you do that when most of the summer is spent on the go and you don’t want to spend your days cooped up inside reading or in front of screens?  You get a portable learning device that can grow with your child, offers age-appropriate content in a broad library of subjects and that keeps them learning no matter where they are.

Something like the awesome InnoTab 2S, the latest learning app tablet from V-Tech that is perfect for on the go as well as at home.  We got to review the VTech InnoTab 2S for the past few weeks and we absolutely love how much fun it is for various ages and how it keeps the kids begging to keep learning. 


Innotab 2S

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Travel must-have: The Scrubba Wash Bag

As people who travel a lot, we have learned that it pays to pack light.  No one ever brags about how much luggage they had to haul around on vacation, but ending up with no clothes to wear halfway through vacation is no one’s dream, either.  At this point, we’ve gotten our packing down to … Read more

Fresh Produce Clothing for All Seasons {Review}

As someone that travels frequently, I’m always searching for tips while packing to maximize each piece of clothing I bring.  A long time ago someone very wise give me the tip to stick to a specific color scheme so everything can mix and match once you get there.  Unfortunately for me, my travel pieces are … Read more

A Gym in a Suitcase: The Amazing Journey Gym

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide – Day 5 With freezing temperatures on the horizon it’s always temping to wrap up in a sweater and forget your active summer routine.  This is especially true as the holidays approach and all the baked goods are there for the taking, but this is actually one of the best times … Read more