Vacation Vacation Vacation

We have been gone off and on for the entire month of July.  It has been fun, but oh-so-busy!
I have finally figured out why the whole "Michigan Up North" thing is a thing.  To be honest, I didn't get it when I went to Lake Michigan.  It was cold.  There were a ton of rocks.  I had just moved from Virginia Beach/Norfolk, so "the beach" there was much better.

But a week later, we met up with Paul's brother and went to Houghton Lake in the middle of Michigan at a cabin.  It was gorgeous.  The water was lovely, and we slept in a room on the second with a deck overlooking the lake.  (We left the sliding door open all night and fell asleep to the sound of waves!)  And no sharks to watch out for.   We didn't have time for a bonfire, but I could envision it.  The evening was cool and relaxing, and the sunset was gorgeous.

A week later, we headed up to Mackinac Island.  Again, it was so nice to be near the water, and though I am usually not into history, I loved learning about the past having to do with this place.  I started reading a Teen Fiction book set in the area and back around the war of 1812, and I couldn't put it down.  (There are three books in the series and #2 is set in London!)

Now we are home.  And I cancelled all events.  No camps, no playdates, nothing scheduled.  

The kids and I really needed it, and we are enjoying our last bit of freedom before the school year starts.  Today we went on a long walk, going where the wind took us.  (That turned out to be a convenience store for treats, and then on to their school to check out the new playground equipment, stopping by a neighbors on the way home.)  We collected acorns for a project and picked up sticks along the way, like an old school summer.  By evening here in Mid-Michigan, the winds have turned cool, and we can feel fall right around the corner.  I even had to pull out my very cozy, pink fuzzy bathrobe, which I thought I wouldn't need for at least another month.  Enjoy the end of summer, folks.

Williamsburg Mini Trip

Williamsburg, VA in only about 40 miles away from our house.  I, however, have never been, and needed a little getaway with the kids to just relax and get away from the routine of life.

We packed a few changes of clothes, filled a big rubbermaid container with games, legos, characters for Soleil, cards, and art supplies.  I also packed a bag with snacks and drinks, and sought out a deal on priceline.  My kids LOVE hotels, and it really didn't matter where we stayed, but we ended up lucking out big time...

We booked the Historic Powhatan Resort for about $80 total per night.  We headed northward, and since it was raining hard, and it was Friday, it took us about an hour and half to get through the tunnel to Williamsburg.  The kids were amazing, and didn't care... they had a huge snack bag, and I gave in, and threw in a movie in the car's DVD player.

We finally arrived to the hotel and pulled in to this beautiful resort.  The units are like little town houses, 4 in a row.  We had an upper level, which consisted of a living room, bedroom with king size bed and bathroom, an additional bathroom and a small, well thought out kitchen.  It also had another set of stairs within the unit (steep, but carpeted) that led up to another small room that had 2 twin beds in it!!  We were just expecting a standard hotel room, and got so much more!

And then we drove around the resort.  There was an indoor pool, with 2 hot tubs, recreation room with scheduled activities, a nice restaurant, tennis courts (you could check out equipment on site), good playground, and mini golf!! We hit the jackpot.

I didn't turn on the computer all weekend.  We played games, the kids played nicely, we had no other responsibilities and it was DELIGHTFUL.  Phase 10 is a great game, and Soleil will play forever with little characters.

 We did go into Colonial Williamsburg, which to be honest, is not interesting to little kids.  They did love the gardens behind the historical buildings, and we played there in the beautiful VA sun.  We tried "Queen's Cake" from the bakeshop--it was horrible.  We joked and said that it must have been baked in the 1700s.

Project 24: Moving Kits

We are moving to Norfolk, VA for a year.  We sold the house on the day the moving truck arrived!  I will miss our yellow house with the great covered entrance...  We spent a lot of time out there, and I hope the next family loves it as much as we did. 

Wayyyy before the moving truck arrived, I somehow had a moment to throw together these little kits for Soleil (age 3.)  Inside are little activities that are simple and easy for her to do on her own while we are in the hotel or even in a restaurant. 

Here is what is inside:

1.  Stickers and Circle Cardstock

2.  Little cardboard squares (cut from a diaper box) and artist crayons and sharpener

3.  Matching game made from foam shapes

4.  Pony Beads and Pipe Cleaners

5.  Blank Card, Glue Stick, Scraps of paper, more stickers. (not pictured)

 For the trip, and for the multiple days in hotels, I also put together these boxes.  The Snapware ones are particularly genius.  I put activities for me, and the little kits for Soleil in the bottom, Toys and Bedtime books for Soleil in the top, and Tate had his own box with whatever he chose to put in it.  We can bring the boxes in easily, and the kids know right where to go when it is time to play.  They both also have one small canvas bag that they filled before we left, with whatever they wanted.  (Those are easy to get into while they are in the car.)

My section contains a variety of felt, needles, small scissors, embroidery thread, small ruler, as well some magazines, a small sketch book, and pens.  (I think the pens have been lifted by my children, but they were in there when we started this trip!)

Five Family Trip- Wisconsin Dells

Last year, Paul planned a trip to the Wisconsin Dells with 4 childhood friends and their families.  He based the trip off of the movie Grownups, and we had such a good time, we did it again this year.

It was surprisingly easy, and since we stayed a giant house it gave every one their own space, while being able to come together for meals, and games, and general merriment.

A few tips:

Plan ahead.  We didn't do this as well this year, but have times and places lined up.  You can sometimes get a discount and otherwise, you spend a bunch of time trying to figure it all out during the vacation.

Each family was responsible for one meal and the clean up.  This makes it so that everyone gets a break, and when it is your time to cook, it is really fun! (I had a hard time staying out of the kitchen, though.)   Oh, and use a crock pot if you can.

Bring board games, art materials, bubbles, outdoor toys and put them in a community bin for kids to use as they please.  (I always think no one will want to play with all the stuff I haul, but in the end, the kids loved it!)  This game was a hit.

Have one evening for parents only game time.  (This was the best part of the trip!)  Paul made a 3 part game this year, with "How well do you know your spouse" questions, Girls vs Boys questions, and then the tie breaker of the Flour Game, which we totally did incorrectly.