Playing with cars while traveling isn't the easiest thing to do so I have found a few car travel tutorials to fix your car play travel problems!
theme weeks, travel It's no secret that we are Disney fans around here. Disneyland and hopefully Disney World soon is definitely on the top of our favorite travel destinations. Something about the magic of being there just sticks with us. One of the things my boys have always loved to play is Disneyland. They pretend that they are there in different ways. They've done Pirates of the Carribean in the pool, Astro blasters around the house etc.
activities, animals, travel I love finding new travel ideas because not only are they good for full on road trips but great for everyday travel or long waits as well!
There is so much you can do with your own felt board - make up stories, add on to each other's scenes, even make your own Angry Birds! from Ian and Wendy
A fun idea for a road trip - a Vacation Trip Tracker from Once a Month Mom
This Yarnd and Sandpaper tray from I Can Teach My Child is a great idea!
I used to keep a stack of different sticker scenes on hand when the boys were younger. They loved doing these! from Etsy
activities, travel We had SO much fun on our Scottsdale, AZ staycation a few weeks ago that we wanted to share a bit more. You can read an overview of our staycation here.
We stayed at the Hyatt Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch. In my experience my boys have fun at hotels no matter what. It's somewhere that isn't their house, everything is new and exciting, and there is usually a pool. I figured they'd love it but I didn't realize how much!
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travel 
If you follow us on Instagram you know that my 10 year old and I went out for a date to the Arizona Science Center last weekend. We got to check out Da Vinci - The Genius. A bit about the exhibit:
Da Vinci - The Genius is the most comprehensive exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci to tour the world and brings to life the full range of his genius as an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer, architect, sculptor and philosopher. Da Vinci - The Genius blends science, engineering, art and culture in an exploration of ten themed areas, including the world exclusive Secrets of Mona Lisa - a ground breaking analysis of Leonardo's most famous painting. This amazing exhibition provides a fascinating insight into not only the mind of a genius; but also into the fundamental scientific and artistic principles that he discovered. Da Vinci - The Genius is an inspiration for the whole family.
We checked out his codices (little notebooks) first and were so interested in how he wrote (like a mirror as he was left handed) and how amazing his mind truly was. It also made me a little bit more lenient to all the notebooks lying around my house ;)
The exhibit has several areas with models of his inventions. What we thought was so cool was how some of his inventions were so far ahead of his time, there wasn't a way to construct some of them yet.
Of course he loved the "ok to touch" signs. It is amazing how many different tools there were.
Da Vinci wasn't allowed a formal education, instead he learned through the power of observation and experience.
It was cool to see how they went about finding out what The Mona Lisa's original colors were and I got to share with him about when I saw The Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Hopefully some day I can take him!
If you're in Phoenix Da Vinci - The Genius is an awesome exhibition that you'll want to check out! It's here until June 9, 2013.
Da Vinci - The Genius was created by Grande Exhibitions, with the assistance of the Anthropos Foundation, Italy, and Pascal Cotte, France. It is sponsored locally by JP Morgan Chase, The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com and located in the Sybil B. Harrington Galleries.
We couldn't be at the AZ Science Center and not check out all the other fun spaces!
We had a great time and museums are one of the BEST ways to learn without it feeling like "work". One of our favorite ways to spend time together too!
Disclosure: I was given passes to the AZ Science Center but all experiences, opinions, and photos are my own!
Shhh I went to Disneyland without kids! Ok it's not a secret I DID bring them back souvenirs after all ;) In January I attended the Craft and Hobby Association trade show and there was no way I was going to stare at The Happiest Place on Earth and NOT go in. I got together with some blogger friends and headed over just as it was starting to get dark (a little time is better than no time at all right?!). I hit up a few rides while waiting (The Little Mermaid usually has no wait in California Adventure) and when everyone arrived we headed straight to Carsland since some of them had never been! (Read about our first time there HERE)
(My gluten free dinner - spicy and good! (You can read about eating gluten free at Carsland here)
Junkyard Jamboree is SUCH a cute ride
Thanks to a Disney Photo Pass Photographer, we got one with the whole group! L-R Katie from Sweet Rose Studio; Bev from Flamingo Toes; Viv from The V Spot; Angie from The Country Chic Cottage; Me; Sara from Mom Endeavors. Bottom — Carolina from Always Expect Moore
After checking out Carsland we had to visit Soarin Over California - one of my favorites since I first went on it on my honeymoon! I called Parker before going on the ride to find out if there were any hidden Mickeys on the ride and sure enough he told me there was one on the golf ball that flies right at you. I made sure to pay attention and sure enough Sara and I saw it. I called him to let him know and could hear the smile on his face!
We couldn't be so close and NOT go to Disneyland so we headed that way.
We went straight to Tomorrowland and hopped on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters where I got my best score yet putting me into L5 Aw yeah!
My goal for the end of my trip was to find the boys the perfect souvenirs (besides some photo and video I took for them). After much searching and shopping here's what I found.
Two books for Disney's biggest fan, a pin collectors lanyards and a couple pins (the California Adventure one is from our honeymoon before it actually opened to the public!) and the new Disney dollars! I picked up the Disney dollars at guest services and they had just gotten the new ones in. The boys found one I had from 1991 so I thought it might be fun to start collecting them. They were a hit!
Obviously souvenirs will be different for each child but it was important for me to find them something that made them feel like I really thought about them while I was there.
Right now the parks are debuting Limited Time Magic which goes on all year, with weekly announcements made on www.disneyparksblog.com and www.limitedtimemagic.com. My boys are checking out all the announcements as they are made! If you are there on a limited time schedule be sure to check out what they are doing to see if you can squeeze it in!
So would you ever go to Disneyland without your kids?!
Disclosure: I was given a pass into Disneyland/California Adventure but was not required to write - all photos, opinions, and gushing are my own.
travel I love getting travel tips because not only are they good for long travel but they are good for shorter car rides, waiting rooms, post office etc.
Love this DIY travel pack from How Does She - I can think of all sorts of things to put in those little bags! Crayons, LEGO, Playmobil, small puzzle, tangrams, post its & a pen, paper clips (these are fun to string together), tape - all little things you might not think about but that could provide lots of imaginative fun!
This DIY road trip pillow is such a cute idea - from amazing mae
Here are some toddler busy bag ideas - you could attach all of these together with a binder ring for easy access! from The Princess and the Tot
I love marshmallow building and think it's so cute they put it all together for easy travel. If your kiddo wouldn't eat all the marshmallows first this is a fun idea from Polkadot Prints
Housing a Forest made a really cute travel timeline for their road trip
Next week I'll share our adventure at the Hyatt in Scottsdale - just wanted to break it up a bit this week with some inspiration for you!
DIY, activities, crafts, toddler, travel How do you write a post about the best weekend we've had in a while?! We love exploring and traveling and have been trying to consciously make a point to explore and discover what's in our own backyard. A vacation doesn't have to take you to another state! We visited Scottsdale, AZ and had the most amazing time!
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