Archive | December, 2009
Posted in Sharing on December 31, 2009
Happy New Year, everyone! I can’t believe that it is already 2010. So much has happened in the last decade to me and my family. In honor of this new year, (and since this is my very own blog where I can write about what I want 
!)I decided to take a trip down travel memory lane. Travel is such an integral part of our family. Even if we are not traveling, we love to explore our own city. Here are some of our favorite adventures from the past year!
We rang in the year, 2009, in Europe where we spent three weeks exploring Germany, Austria and cold weather…colder than we have ever felt before. Ever. It. was. freezing!
We headed to the Happiest Place on Earth and spent a fun filled day at Disneyworld Magic Kingdom.
We revisited our favorite southern city, New Orleans and explored the Insectarium for the first time.
We spent some time visiting friends and family in Jacksonville, FL…
And Panama City, Florida…
We did some family camping…
and even more nature walks…
We spent some of the summer helping my sister and her family move to Virginia. In between the tears and sadness of leaving her behind, we had many great adventures as a family. We saw the Virginia Aquarium, the ships in the Navy Yard, explored the Mayfield Dairy, and traveled over 1000 miles and through nine states.
We only live a few minutes from the beautiful Gulf Coast but work and life sometimes gets in the way of the beach trips. That being said, we made a resolution to spend more time at the beach during 2009. We spent many days at the beach…
And many nights…
We saw the leaves change in Washington DC and spent time with my dad and stepmom when they flew in from Europe…
We also learned the value and rejuvenating effects of solo trips as well. Daddy J went hiking on the Appalachian Trail several times…
and got a Guy’s Trip to Brazil…yes, you read that correctly…Brazil…
and I headed to Washington DC for a solo trip…
and to Destin for a girl’s weekend…there are no pictures of that trip!
We decided that we wanted to share our explorations of the Pensacola area as well and started Pensacola with Kids, a website about exploring Pensacola with your family. We have had a great time getting out there and exploring areas of our gorgeous city that we hadn’t had a chance to explore yet. We have met some great new friends and seen fabulous things!
So as we say goodbye to 2009…
we bring wonderful memories with us into 2010. We are also bringing our travel journal! We have been using this downtime in the month of December to plan some travel for 2010! In January, we are heading back to the Happiest Place on Earth for a short weekend. In February, I am going to spend two weeks exploring Suffolk, Virginia and the surrounding areas. We have a road trip up the East Coast and are still exploring options for that trip. Hopefully we will make it to NYC and I would love to stop in the Outer Banks! We are also hoping to head to Italy and Germany to visit family in the summertime and in October, my husband and I are going to take our first serious vacation without the kids. We are going to Hawaii to celebrate our ten year anniversary!
We can’t wait to read all about your travel adventures and I look forward to the continuing interaction with all of you…maybe I will even be able to meet some of you this year!
Be sure to stop by Debbie’s at DeliciousBaby to check out all the Photo Friday participants!
This time last year, we were spending the holidays in Germany. These pretzels were our favorite Christmas market indulgence as we wandered through Germany and Austria. Well, that and the waffles and the marzipan, and the chocolate and the Viennese cakes and the…ok. The pretzels were not our only indulgence, but they certainly are one of the main things my son remembers. Just the other day I gave him a handful of pretzels and he asked me if I remember that “gigantor” pretzel that we had with Oma and Opa in Germany!
Stop by Wanderlust and Lipstick to see other Wanderfood Wednesday posts. If you aren’t hungry now, you will be after reading about all the lovely meals!
This is the closest that we will get to snow this year.
Last year we were sledding down mountains of real snow in Germany. It snowed on Christmas morning, the kids went sledding every day and my husband was able to ski as often as he wished. This year, we are staying in sunny Florida where yesterday it was 78 degrees and I turned on the air conditioner. Seriously…the air conditioner. Today it did drop down to the 50′s so the air went off but we have no hope of seeing snow this year although I do have to admit we had little snowflakes fall a few years ago…they just didn’t hit the ground!
Last weekend we headed to Foley, Alabama to check out Fish River Tree Christmas Farm and see snow at the annual Let it Snow event. Yes…in the deep south we got to see snow. It was man-made snow…more like ice chunks, but it was great big fun for the kids! There was a children’s village, food, and performers. The kids thought it was fantastic and we enjoyed seeing them play in the snow. This is what snow in the south looks like!
Stop by DeliciousBaby to see the photos that other travelers are sharing!
I have a fake tree. It is a beautiful tree, but it is most definitely fake. Oh, that fake tree didn’t enter this house without a fight. Unfortunately, my husband and the fake tree won but I went down kicking and screaming! We bought the tree the day after Christmas and my husband couldn’t have been happier taking the tree out of the box this year. We didn’t fight over whether the tree was straight in the stand or not, we didn’t dump water all over our hardwood floors as we tried to feed it, and there were no pine needles to sweep or sap to clean. On the one hand, the tree was much easier this year. The jury is still out as to whether or not I am happy about the fake tree. However, my consolation prize was a family field trip to Fish River Tree Farm in Summerdale, Alabama (just a few miles from the Foley Outlets!).
Fish River Trees is a beautiful tree farm where you can cut your own Christmas tree, purchase a tree already cut or purchase a tree grown in a container. This farm is way bigger than I expected and is a great place for a holiday family outing. There is a small train ride that takes you around the property while you enjoy your complimentary candy cane.
After the train ride, pick up a hot chocolate and wander over to see Santa and two of his reindeer!
The kids loved running around and exploring the different trees.
My son thought it was fascinating that there were such teeny tiny trees right next to huge trees.
If you are cutting your own tree, they have made the process very easy. All the trees are already tagged with prices, you cut your tree, carry it to the cleaning and netting area, and then get the tree home to decorate!
The train conductor told us that the tall tree in the picture below is 19 years old!
I am hoping that next year, my husband will cave and allow me to buy a container tree to plant in our front yard!
Posted in Sharing on December 3, 2009
A few weeks ago, I wrote about souvenirs and mentioned my Christmas ornament collection. Well, this week we were able to get the tree up and fully decorate it.
One of my favorite things to look for while traveling is the perfect Christmas ornament. I try to find ornaments that remind us of our travels in a certain place as a family. I have a special place in the closet where I collect all of my new ornaments throughout the year, we gather them up when we add them to the ornament collection. Sometimes I wish my house was big enough to put up two separate trees–one for special family ornaments and one for our travel ornaments! In the past, we have been buying one family ornament, but from now on I would like to start purchasing an ornament for each of my children as well so that when they eventually leave the house they can take them with them. Here are some of our family favorites:
This is the very first ornament my husband and I picked out together. We got this little guy on our honeymoon to New Orleans in 2000. Ever year since, this ornament has a place of honor on our tree. It is the last ornament that we hang up and it is the last ornament that we take down!
Bought at a Christmas Market in Salzburg, Austria:
We bought this ornament at the Yellowstone grocery by Old Faithful (right before I shattered an entire bottle of wine all over the place because I thought that my husband had grabbed the bag from me…oops!).
Bought at our visit to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN:
Bought in Amsterdam:
Bought in my hometown, Pensacola-home of the Blues:
Bought in Yosemite:
I love how this guy is climbing up the helicoptor. Bought in Frankfurt Germany:
Bought at Hershey’s Chocolate World:
I bet you can’t figure out where this ornament came from…heeheehee…just kidding!
Bought in Jackson Hole (after my daughter pitched a fit in the middle of the park near the elk horn entrance!):
Bought in San Francisco of course!
Bought in Washington DC:
Bought in London:
Kindly stop by Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby to see what other travelers are taking pictures of this week!
I love Trekaroo! This is one of my favorite websites and I stop by several times a week. Trekaroo is a great way to find family friendly activities, hotels, and restaurants in a city before you visit. You can also learn more about your own town! Got something to say about a family friendly experience? Stop by Trekaroo and open up a free account. You can start writing reviews about your favorite (or not so favorite) places right away. KidsMobile is another great part of Trekaroo. Every couple of weeks, bloggers all over the United States create lists that pertain to the stop that week. Well, this week we are on the KidsMobile and it is stopping in Washington DC…one of my all-time favorite places to visit in the United States! Check out all the great links below!
Trekaroo’s growing community of families from all across the country have pitched in with their votes for the most kid-friendly stops in Washington D.C. Here’s the line up for 2009!
Best Kid-friendly Hotels in Washington, D.C. – voted by parents
Best Activities for Kids in Washington, D.C. – voted by parents
Some of DC’s top blogging moms and dads have jumped on board the KidsMobile, playing the role of local tour guide. They are taking us into their fold by sharing with us their inside scoop about what’s fun for kids in their hometown.
Jennifer, a mom who loves the outdoors shares a fabulous list of The Best Kid-friendly Hiking Trails in DC. Jennifer’s passion as an environmental educator led her to start Hiking Along – a super cool educational program where she leads groups of children, preschool to high school, on hikes and allows them to participate in hands-on science activities to learn about their natural surroundings. She also keeps a blog about hiking with kids.
Dave, better known as SuburbanDaddy, knows that cold weather is just around the corner and any parent of a young child will be eager for his list of The Best Indoor Places for Toddlers Around Washington DC. He is the creator of Kidburst, an activities guide written by local parents about the Washington DC area with in-depth coverage of kids activities from summer camps to sporting facilities and classes.
Jennifers, tell us about 8 Things (Under $5) to Do in Washington DC with Toddlers. She is an adventurous mom of a 2 and 4 year old who has not allowed having kids to slow her down. Although she’s based in Florida, Washington DC is one of her favorite vacation spots. She writes in depth about their family’s exciting adventures on Two Kids and A Map
Sujatha is mom to a 9 year old (boy) and 3 year old (girl) and brings us Fun Washington, D.C. Activities that get Kids Fired Up. This list has some great ideas of places beyond the usual tour of Capitol Hill that will really get kids to perk up. She writes candidly and casually about their travels as a family and about her adventures in parenting on her blog: Blogpourri
Amy is a mom who sees everything as a teaching moment and traveling is no exception. As a local DC mom, she’s got some her favorite Day Trips with Kids From Washington DC. As a literacy consultant and former high school teacher her blog – teachmama – is full of wonderful ideas about how to weave education into holiday traditions, travel, games and more.
Jill, brings us her list of Must See Attractions in DC with Preteens and Teens. She is the mom behind her prolific blog Musings From Me that covers a wide range of topics including parenting, travel and reviews of cool products. Jill has been on the go all her life, living in England, Italy, and America but currently calls Maryland home.
Ms Twixt, brings us a list of What to do with Tweens in Washington D.C. As a mom to 3 tweens girls and a toddler boy, she is an expert on everything Tween. Her Blog Twixt and Between provides helpful insights on topics that are current for tween girls and their parents. She even has a store in Georgetown Park with adorable age-appropriate clothing, shoes, gifts and accessories for Tween Girls.
Other Resources for Washington DC:
Next stop, Sunny San Diego, CA
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.
For today’s Travel Blogger Tuesday, I am going to talk about a heck of a lot of travel bloggers! Passports with Purpose is an amazing fundraising effort manned by four ambitious women: Beth Whitman, Pam Mandel, Debbie Dubrow, and Michelle Duffy. This year, funds raised through Passports with Purpose will be given to the American Assistance for Cambodia to help build a school in rural Cambodia!
If you have been a faithful reader of Two Kids and a Map from the beginning, you might remember how I participated in Passports with Purpose to help raise money for Heifer International. Well, it is that time of year again. Unfortunately, things have been crazy around here and I can barely keep up with my blog posts. I didn’t procure a prize in time, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t help out this year!
I certainly can make lots of noise on both of my blogs, as well as donate my ten dollar shares in hopes of winning one of the amazing prizes up for grabs! And you can do the same!
If you have a blog or participate in the many forms of social media, please consider sharing this worthy cause. Write a blog post, put the badge on your homepage, tweet about it or share on Facebook! Then stop by the Donate page and take a look at all the great prizes. There are some prizes here that you won’t want to miss! Each drawing entry is ten dollars and the profits go directly to American Assistance for Cambodia to help build a school.
Right now, Passports with Purpose is already halfway to its goal of 13,000 dollars!
So which prize will you choose to try and win with your 10 dollar donations? Here are a few prizes that caught my eye!
Boy, do I wish that I lived in Puget Sound! I consider myself an amateur family photographer and can only hope to take pictures as beautiful and brilliant as Peter Carey. This would be the first prize I would try to win…a family photo shoot with Peter Carey!
Escape from New York is giving away a 100 dollar gift card to B&H photo. I could pick up that piece of camera equipment that I have been eyeing!
Lorraine is giving away 100 dollars worth of My Busy Kit products. I can’t say enough about these amazing products. They are perfect for the family on the go!
Pam is giving away three nights at an Aqua Boutique Hotel in Waikiki…hello Hawaii…need I say more?!?!
There are so many more awesome prizes up for grabs-Flip Minos, Shutterfly gift cards, more hotel stays, a Kelty Backpack…even a ukulele! Be sure to stop by the Donate page, donate your ten dollars (or more!) and cross your fingers in hopes that you are the prize winner! And if you aren’t a prize winner? You have still donated to an amazing cause…what a fabulous way to celebrate the holiday season!
