Moment of the Week - Beach Vacation 2013

We've been on a glorious vacation. Lots of work to do now that we're back, but this week was full of moments. Have some!

 The girls each got a huge bed this time. Instead of having to share one!

 Cuddles while eating.

 The penthouse view.

 Little divers.

 Frisbee is serious business.

 Chilling by the pool.

 Out for pizza!

 Sunbathing.

 In front of our condo.

 We were on the top right corner.

 Family selfie!

 Another day, another dinner.

And then ice cream!

THE END.







 

Guest Post - Family Vacations

Today I've a guest post on family vacations, most of the destinations being quite local, in fact.


Top Family Holiday Ideas

It is time for your annual family holiday, and you are stuck for ideas about where to go. Before you start considering where to go, think about what your budget is and how much can you afford to spend on the holiday? And take into consideration spending money, travel insurance, any fuel costs or parking fees to get to and from the airport, the accommodation and anything else that will cost you any money.

Here is a family holiday to suit every budget:

Disney World and Disney Land:

Is the ultimate fantasy for children, every kids wants to go to Disney world or land, see all the characters and ride on the rollercoasters and fairground rides that they have available.

This is an excellent choice as a family holiday as there is something for all the family to do,
everyday. If you have children you will know how easy it is for them to get bored, even on a luxurious holiday they can get bored with playing in the swimming pool or making sand castles on the beach, Disney land or Disney world offers so much variety and how so much going on that your children will never be bored.

Both Disney world and Disney land offer accommodation for the family to stay in, and with this include tickets for the family to go on all the rides. In the accommodation itself there is a variety of entertainment and games for children and, of course, swimming pools and play areas that the children can use. Not to mention, there are bars and areas for adults to wind down and relax, taking some time away from the children.

When you are considering Disney land or Disney world, think about the fact that it is most likely going to cost you more to holiday there, meals and drinks will most likely cost a little more, furthermore there are a lot of souvenirs, toys and games available for purchase, all of which your child wants but all of which are more expensive than buying something similar elsewhere. Be ready to have to spend a lot of money to spend time in Disney land and World.

Beach holidays:

Beach holidays are perfect for children, you will be amazed at how much time they can spend in the swimming pool or in the sea, or on the beach building sand castles, playing beach games and burying the new friends that they have made. You can book a beach holiday just about anywhere, so you don’t have to go far if your budget doesn’t allow it, furthermore, most beach holidays offer an all-inclusive service. This means that you don’t have to worry as much about spending money, even if you don’t have a lot and it runs out after a few days, you know you will have all of your food and drinks covered in your all-inclusive package, and you can still enjoy the rest of your holiday.

These types of beach holidays usually offer children’s clubs and have fun and games throughout the day to keep children entertained, a few of them even offer a childminding service, meaning you can take an hour or two away from your child if you wish.

Haven or Butlins holidays:

Stay within the UK and drive to whichever butlins or haven holiday resort you like the look of most. These kinds of resorts always have a children’s club and usually have something going on all day, every day to keep the children entertained. They will have shops and restaurants on site that aren’t too pricey, and you have the option to cook for yourself as you’ll be in either a caravan or a chalet.

Camping holidays:

The cheapest and most adventurous of holidays for families are camping holidays. With no restrictions or limitations as to where you can go, camping is holidaying with freedom.

Read more ideas of memorable vacation with your family by just visiting http://www.vacation-rentals.com/vacation-rentals/florida.html








 

Guest Post - Traveling with Children

Today, I have a guest post from Danielle Birch. She gives some much appreciated pointers on traveling with children!

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Now summer is upon us, many of us are taking our annual family vacations. From visiting relatives, to spending a week by the beach, getting away is often the highlight of the year for many of us. But if we have young children it can often be very stressful – stressful enough to make people think twice about taking their children away. But taking a holiday is really important for your well-being, as well as your children’s, as it gives you a chance to take a break from the normality of everyday life and enjoy new experiences.  But if the thought of enduring a long flight or car journey with your kids fills you with dread, there are some ways to make the whole experience a lot easier to deal with.

The way you deal with any problems or issues will really affect how your children behave. If you become very stressed and irritated because you’re stuck in traffic, or the flight’s delayed, your children will pick up on the tension and become aggravated themselves. So if you try to stay positive and calm throughout, it will help your children to stay relaxed too. If you’re catching a flight and it’s your child’s first time in an airport, they might find it quite intimidating. Tell them about the exciting adventure they’re about to embark on, and how the airport is the start of the adventure. It goes without saying that you should dress them in comfortable clothing, but you could make it even more exciting by getting them a new outfit and use a t-shirt printing company to mark the date of your holiday! This will really help create a sense of occasion for them, and if you have more than one child you could dress them in the same bright colors so it makes it easier for you to keep an eye on them.

When you’re going away a lot of time is spent waiting around. Whether you’re waiting for your flight or waiting for your car journey to be over, your children will need something to keep them occupied. However, it’s not practical to bring their toy box with them so you need to be selective. Paper and pens are always a good choice, as they’re really versatile. It’s best to avoid taking anything that involves lots of little pieces, as they will be more likely to get lost. Take an old favorite toy and you could perhaps get them a small token for when they are getting really agitated after traveling for hours. The surprise and novelty of the new toy should help keep them occupied for a little longer. A couple of their favorite books will also help you get them to sleep, and will obviously come in handy throughout the holiday. Sticking to their routine as much as possible will help them adjust, it’s not always feasible but it will help give them some stability in the journey.

How children cope when traveling will change from family to family. But ultimately you will reach your destination so if things don’t go according to plan, at least you know it will be worth it in the end!

 

Happy Independence Day!

We always have great Independence Days over here. It's just about our best family holiday. I'm not sure if that's because the girls don't have high expectations because we don't talk about it before the event, or if we've just been lucky, but we're always blessed on this day with good luck and good behavior.

In fact, even before the girls were born we had great July 4ths. The first one together, we'd just met and that day decided to be serious. The next, I had moved across country and my husband came to visit me for the first time. It's the only time I've ever cried with joy, I had missed him so much. The third, he proposed to me. The fourth, we went to my mom's. By the fifth, we'd moved to Florida, and took in a local show. The sixth, we took a vacation up to Connecticut, and this year we went to St. Augustine.

Right before we left.

 It seemed this trip might be doomed. We got a late start, then when we got there, my husband discovered he'd forgotten his bag at home. His bag with the bandages for Dulce's knee (she got some scrapes yesterday), his change of clothes, and beach hat, to name just a few items.

But, we got a great parking spot as there was a farmers market just closing up. We parked right in front of the beach. Then I went off in search of bandages, and sunscreen (for my husband).

I came back with a beach chair, beach umbrella and hat for him. The bandages weren't great, but they worked in a pinch. After that it was ocean time.

My three little fish.

Getting tired.

After that, we encountered no traffic going into town. We stopped at the girls' favorite carousel.

We left the car at the playground and walked to dinner and the show. It was the better alternative to driving anywhere at that time. At dinner, they sat us outside and let the girls feed the fish. We got more compliments than I've ever received on how well-behaved and adorable they were. They were so amazing all day, seriously.

Then, of course, the fireworks show, which we got to just in time. No sooner had be picked a spot and sat down than the fireworks started.

At one point, they were so happy and overwhelmed that they fell to their backs and kicked their legs in the air laughing.

Another wonderful Independence Day. I hope yours went as well as mine did!