Two Kids and a Map » Sharing

Tips to Survive Sleeping in a Standard Hotel Room with a Family of Four

Jen — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:20:03 +0000

For the most part, we consider hotel rooms to be a place to sleep after a long day of exploring but we have stayed at some amazing properties that were destinations in themselves. If it makes sense, we will invest in a suite or a vacation rental that includes a kitchen. When we went to Disney World for a week with five other family members, it made sense to invest in a suite with a kitchen. We cooked meals, prepared lunches to bring in to the theme parks and enjoyed the extra space. We also saved money because we were able to rent one property rather than three to suit the needs of the three families.

Sometimes, I just can’t justify the cost of anything more than a standard hotel room. This summer we are planning a trip traversing the state of Florida. At one point during the trip, we will be stopping for the night after driving about 9 hours. We will probably arrive late and it is just a stopping point before we continue on. I found a brand new, 2-3 star hotel off of the Interstate for $60. We will arrive late, get a good night’s sleep and the next morning we will eat a continental breakfast and then continue on the road. This is an example of when we would save the money and stay in an inexpensive room.

I am defining a standard hotel room as a room with two beds and a bathroom. There will probably be television and internet access but there are likely no additional amenities in the room. No kitchen. No room with a door to close when it is time for the kids to go to sleep and the adults aren’t ready.

We are a family of four, which right away makes it easy to choose a standard hotel room when we are traveling but I have a boy and a girl. I know that sometime in the next few years they will not want to share a room with each other (or their parents) and we will be ready to upgrade but until then, this is how we survive a stay in a standard hotel room.

We throw the bedtime schedule out the window. I should probably preface this with the fact that we aren’t really a scheduled family. We didn’t institute a consistent schedule until our kids entered school and were forced in to a schedule. Once summertime hits, the schedule disappears. It is what works for our family. When we travel, we don’t worry about a strict bedtime. If the kids are still awake at 9pm, I don’t panic. I know that after a long day of adventures, they will fall asleep quickly the next night.

Invest in a book light. My husband and I can read in bed at night while the kids are trying to fall asleep. We use book lights so that we can read without really disturbing the kids.

Watch television at a low volume. Depending on what we can find on the television, we will turn it on at a low volume and bore the kids to sleep. It is amazing how quickly my kids fall asleep while watching the late night news or a sports game.

Book a room with a sleeper sofa or book a roll-away bed. Hotels like Comfort Inn usually offer an room option with a sleeper sofa. It typically only costs a few dollars more than a standard room. The sofa comes with all the bedding you need and is a perfect way to separate my children so they aren’t fighting, crossing the line, or doing any of the numerous things they do to annoy each other. Another option is to book a roll-away bed but be sure to book it ahead of time.

Divide and Conquer. I will lay down with my daughter and my husband will lay down with my son until they fall asleep. Then we move them to the sleeper sofa or bed that they will sleep in.

Book a room with a balcony. We have spent many an evening chatting on the balcony while our kids fall asleep in the hotel room.

How do you make your stay in a standard hotel room more comfortable?

Happy Mother’s Day

Jen — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:25:53 +0000

Traveling moms are not always traveling. Although it is mostly by choice, my family doesn’t have the luxury of taking a round-the-world trip where we travel nonstop without knowing when our trip is going to end. We take little weekend jaunts a few hours away when we aren’t on the soccer field or at the dance studio. When the kids have a school break, we take a couple of 1-2 week long trips a year. When we aren’t traveling, we do a lot of exploring in our own little city because this is important, too. These are some of my favorite moments like this one, at a local hockey game.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.

Stop by Mother of All Trips to see a great traveling mom picture as well as links to other people participating in her (Traveling) Mother’s Day link up! While you are there, be sure to read the traveling with babies and toddlers tips that have gone up all week long.

Books I’ve Read – April

Jen — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:53:52 +0000

In January, I started sharing books I’ve read for two reasons. First, I would like a place to keep a list of all the books I have read and just haven’t found a good place for it yet. Second, I love hearing what other people are reading and I like to add to my list of books to read.

When you finish reading the list, leave me a comment with your favorite reads this month and get additional book recs from my January, February and March lists.

I got a lot of reading done this month but much of it was in the form of orientation, handbooks and such because I am preparing to go back to school when the summer session begins next week. I know that during the next few months my reading time will be limited as I figure out how much time this whole returning to school thing is going to take up!

Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles – This is the second book in a trilogy about a Realtor who lives in Deadwood. It is just as amusing as the first book, was a fun beach type read and was free to download at the time!

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare – Book two of the Infernal Devices series did not disappoint. This series is full of magic, vampires, warlocks, good versus evil, and London landmarks. It is a great series to give to the Harry Potter and Twilight fan in your life.

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson – I picked this book to read and review for Family Friday on A Traveler’s Library. What happens when all of the guests leave Disney World and the gates close? This book helps the reader to imagine what might happen to the Disney characters after the parks close. The main characters are 13 years old but I think a 4th or 5th grader could appreciate this book. I wouldn’t give it to someone who scares easily because they might not want to go back to Disney for a long time. There are some creepy parts in the book (like when the It’s a Small World dolls come alive and one bites the leg of one of the main characters…eek!).

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield – This is a steampunk novel that takes place at the beginning of World War I. As is typical with steampunk, it is full of science fiction, bizarre speculation and what-ifs even though it takes place at the beginning of WWI. I loved Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series and devoured all four books in less than a week. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book. When I finished, I couldn’t bring myself to read the second book in the series but I do have a book from another one of his series on my list to read next.

What is on your reading list right now?

7 Things to Buy BEFORE You Get to Disney World

Jen — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:46:13 +0000

Disney World can be an expensive vacation. Because we live in Florida, we are lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the Florida resident discounts offered throughout the year. We are also able to make the trip in a long weekend without having to take 7-10 vacation days to make our trip worth the money spent. Before you make the trip to Disney World, buy these few things to save some money. Sure, Disney World has stores everywhere and you can certainly purchase them there, but you will be glad that you saved money on these items by purchasing them before your trip.

Ponchos – Go to your local dollar store and purchase a stack full of ponchos. They are packaged perfectly for travel and cost one dollar. You will be glad you have them because it always rains at Disney World.

Souvenirs – You may be wondering why you would buy your souvenirs before your trip! Head to any store that carries Disney items and pick up a few ahead of time. You will find many of the same items at the theme parks and at a much higher price. The Orlando Targets and Walmarts also have large displays of Disney merchandise. We go shopping ahead of time and surprise the kids with little souvenirs throughout the trip. If they find something in the parks that they just absolutely have to have, we discuss it then. My kids know that this is the case and the begging every time we come out of a ride and get dropped into a gift shop does not bring out the “I want this now’s,” thankfully.

Sunscreen - I forgot my sunscreen and bought a bottle of spray sunscreen for $12.99 at the hotel. Enough said.

Batteries - If your camera takes batteries, be sure to pack extra. They will cost you more just as the sunscreen does.

Spray Bottles or Fans – These are sold all over the theme parks. You can find them sitting in ice filled coolers. Florida is hot. And humid. Buy your kids a spray bottle or fan for just a few bucks before you go.

Snacks and Drinks – This is one of our biggest money savers when we head to Disney World. You can bring in a soft-sided cooler full of drinks, snacks and even lunch. Purchase them ahead of timeand bring them to the park. Freeze water bottles and use them as ice packs. When the bottles defrost, drink them.

What do you bring with you on your Disney World trip?

How to Create a First Aid Kit for Your Car

Jen — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:00:13 +0000

A first aid kit is important to have with you especially if you have children. Boo boos, scrapes, and falls are bound to happen. We are gearing up for some summer road trips and I realized that our first aid kit (I mean the first aid kit that I stole from my mother’s car last year when we were on a big family road trip!) was in very sad shape. The last few times we needed a band-aid, there were none to be found.

If you don’t want to make your own first aid kit, you can purchase one from a store like Target or Walmart. Small ones cost about $10 and large ones will run you about $20. The only problem I have with the pre-made kits is that they don’t really come with enough of the supplies I need. There are only a few band-aids and there are extra things that we end up never using. By creating your own kit, you can put in the supplies that you know you and your family typically use.

For about $25-30, I created a tailor-made first aid kit for our car and had enough supplies to restock the first aid kit that I keep in my purse or carry-on bag when we are out and about.

Supplies for my kit:

Antibiotic cream like Neosporin to clean up scrapes and minor wounds
10 yards of Waterproof Tape to hold the gauze in place if a band-aid won’t cut it
Ace bandage because my family (well, except for my husband) is prone to twisted ankles
Cleaning Spray like Bactine to clean up scrapes
Caladryl Lotion for my daughter because she is constantly covered in bug bites
Antibacterial Sanitizer Gel
Alcohol Swabs
Small Band-aids
Band-aids for knees or elbows
Gauze pads
Bug Spray

I thought about adding suntan lotion to the box, but we normally carry that with us. We often forget the bug spray and don’t remember until my daughter is scratching her already formed bug bites. You might want to add a pain reliever to the box but I normally have that with me when we travel so I decided that it wasn’t necessary to put in the kit. I stored the gauze bandages, Band-aids, and alcohol pads in a plastic bag so that the boxes weren’t taking up unnecessary space.

Put all your supplies into a small container that will fit under your seat or in the back of the car. I used a Ziploc container.

Once the first aid kit for my car was finished, I grabbed a plastic bag and stored the extra guaze bandages, Band-aids, and alcohol pads. To this, I added a few pain reliever pills and threw it in my purse.

Now when we are out and about and we have scrape or bug bite attack, I am prepared. What do you put in your first aid kit?

What to Expect When Taking Disney World’s Magical Express

Jen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:45:48 +0000

If you are arriving in Orlando by plane for a big Disney World vacation or Disney cruise and are not renting a car, you will likely find yourself on the Magical Express. Because we live only seven hours away, it is much cheaper for my family of four to drive to Orlando for vacation so we have our car during the trip.

When I went on the Disney Fantasy Media Preview Cruise, I was going by myself. My family was staying at home because this was working retreat. This meant that flying was actually a less expensive option than driving once I factored in gas, parking fees, and drive time. I left out of Panama City Beach and took an hour long nonstop flight to Orlando.

Once you have decided to forgo the rental car, you have probably realized that the Magical Express is the best option financially, but what can you expect?

When I arrived in Orlando, I followed the directions to Disney’s Magical Express but somehow took a wrong turn. I flew on Southwest and our gate was about as far away from the Magical Express counter as you could get. After figuring out which direction I was supposed to go and following the directions in my Disney booklet, I made it to the Magical Express depot located in a lower level of the airport.

Disney World has ride lines and food lines organized well and the Magical Express is no exception. Once I arrived at the right spot, a cast member showed me which line to wait in to get checked in to catch the next bus headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the property in which I was staying for one night. I only had a short wait because there was a Magical Express getting ready to leave.

The ride to the hotel was a bumpy one and I will admit that, for awhile there, I was thinking that this was the Not-So-Magical-Express. When I took the Magical Express to the cruise port , I discovered that part of my problem was that I was seated too far back.

What to Know Before You Go:

Disney’s Magical Express is free for guests staying in one of the qualifying Disney properties.

Wait times will vary. There are two separate lines that you have to stand in and then you may sit on the bus before it fills. Be prepared to wait and remember that this is a free option; be thankful when you don’t have to wait.

If you or a member of your family is prone to motion sickness, be sure to sit near the front of the bus and be prepared with a bag. It may be a bumpy ride.

If you do not put the luggage tags given to you on your bags before your flight, you will need to pick up your bags before heading to the Magical Express. If you do have your luggage with you, you might want to have a few dollars in cash to tip the driver who unloads your luggage.

If you do choose to use the luggage tags, it could be a couple of hours before your bags arrive. Have your swimsuit in your carry-on bag so that you can hit the pool when you arrive. Have a plan in place before you board the plane so that you have what you need if your luggage takes a few hours to arrive at your hotel.

The ride is not a short one. It took us 45 minutes from pulling out of the airport parking lot to arriving at my destination. My hotel was the last one on the drop-off list for this particular shuttle. Each Magical Express makes about four stops, give or take one.

Have you taken the Magical Express? What was your experience?

More hints and tips that I learned on my cruise on the Disney Fantasy:

Justifying the Cost of a Disney Cruise

Staterooms Available on the Disney Fantasy

Seven Mistakes Made by a First Time Disney Cruiser

Thank you to Disney and Traveling Mom for providing my cruise accommodations. I paid for travel there and back as well as other expenses. As always, opinions are mine and mine alone.

Never Leave Home Without…A Soap Box Full of Crayons

Jen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:29:00 +0000

There are a handful of things that I always have in my magic travel bag of tricks. These are things that we never leave home without and if we do happen to forget the item it is usually a sad moment when we realize that it is missing. Every once in awhile I am going to share with you some of the things that we never leave without.

A travel soap box full of crayons!

I can’t claim this brilliant idea. We almost always travel with crayons. Both of my children fancy themselves artists and always draw pictures in their travel journals. We usually keep our crayons in a Ziploc bag or in a pencil box. Awhile back, I won a travel kit that came with crayons in the soap box. We have since replaced the crayons and the box but I think it is the best way to travel with crayons.

Living in hot, humid Florida, I am no stranger to finding a stray restaurant crayon melted to the floorboard or my leather seat. I love keeping the crayons in the soap box because it is compact, holds a twelve pack of crayons, and the crayons always have a home of their own, which prevents the seat from being attacked by a melted crayon. Now that my kids are older, we travel with colored pencils but the soap box of crayons seems to find its way in the travel bag more often than not.

What is one item that you never leave home without?

I am linking up to two of my favorite family travel blogs today, Walkingon Travels and Suitcases and Sippycups, for their Travel Tips Tuesday. I have a feeling that if we all lived in the same town, we would be fast friends!

GIVEAWAY – Maha Strap by Patagonia

Jen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:29:11 +0000

Remember that great pair of shoes that I reviewed a few weeks ago?

This one?

I am working with Planetshoes.com to give away a pair this week! The winner will get to choose the color (black or espresso). I really liked the pair of shoes because they were compact and fit in my suitcase. They look nice enough to be worn with a casual dress but also work well if you are sitting around a campfire. The sole of the shoe is very supportive. See my full review.

How to Enter

We will be giving away one pair of Patagonia Maha Straps to ONE (1) winner. If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment in this post before 9:59pm CST on Saturday, April 14, 2012, telling us which Patagonia shoes you like. Stop by Planet Shoes to see the different shoes available. Don’t worry about being creative in your comment because the winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Please make sure that you fill out the required fields by putting your first name in the name field and your email address in the email address field. I do not share email addresses and you will not receive emails from Two Kids and a Map unless you win.

Winners

We will choose ONE winner randomly and announce the results here on Two Kids and a Map sometime after 9:59 CST Saturday, April 14. Thank you so much to Planet Shoes for their giveaway!

Rules

One comment per person per giveaway post. Duplicate comments and anonymous comments will be discarded. Please make sure that the email address in your comment form is valid so that we can contact you (email addresses are never made public). Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that Two Kids and a Map reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize. Relatives of Two Kids and a Map are not eligible to win.

Because this is a family site and we get a lot of spam comments, all comments on this site are moderated. If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry!

Never Leave Home Without…a Deck of UNO Cards

Jen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:45:20 +0000

A deck of UNO Cards!

UNO cards are easy to throw into my purse or carry-on bag because they are compact and are in their own little cardboard case. Once the cardboard case deteriorates, the cards can be stored in a small Ziploc bag.

The rules are easy to remember but you also make up your own. My daughter was able to pick up the game last year when she was only four and it is something that Big S and Little S can play together but it is also good for us to play together as a family.

It is quiet, it requires no other pieces and there is no need for a table if there is a place to sit on the ground. We have played UNO in the car, on the plane, in the hotel, and, during desperate times, it can easily be played in an attraction line.

What is one item that you never leave home without?

HTC Rhyme vs. my DSLR

Jen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:37:39 +0000

The HTC Rhyme is a compact cell phone that has a fantastic camera on it. This camera is so great that if the company let me keep the phone, I would halt my search for the perfect point and shoot camera. A search which, by the way, has been perplexing me for months. While exploring the Disney Fantasy, I got to review this camera…I mean cell phone.

The camera has a number of settings that help you take beautiful pictures while on vacation or just out and about in your own town. You can adjust the ISO, white balance, resolution, and more. You can auto upload your pictures to Facebook or Flickr. There are scenes that you can choose from like portrait and landscape. There is an action burst setting that takes five pictures, one right after the other to help you capture those perfect sports pictures. There is an option for close-up and low light. There seems to be an option for just about everything. My favorite setting to try was the panoramic.

You can also choose from several effects that will change the look of your picture such as distortion, grayscale, sepia and more.

The pictures looked pretty great in the phone and it was nice to have a small camera to use when I didn’t want to carry around my DSLR but I wanted to see how the two stacked up against each other.

To do that, I took a number of pictures with both the HTC Rhyme and my DSLR (with a 28-80mm lens) while standing in the same spot. These are all straight out of the camera or phone with the automatic function. There was no post-processing (besides adjusting the image size). Can you tell which picture was taken with the cell phone and which was taken with the camera.

Taken with the HTC Rhyme

Taken with my camera

Taken with the HTC Rhyme

Taken with my camera

Taken with the HTC Rhyme

Taken with my camera

Taken with the HTC Rhyme

Taken with my camera

I should probably disclose that I am already an Android fan and for the past two years my phone has been a Droid. As for the phone features, I didn’t make any phone calls with it but I did set up the WiFi while on the ship. I was able to pull up a search page, check email and send out a tweet on it.

It sounds great doesn’t? The BIG downside?

The phone does not have a slide out keypad, which is something I depend on greatly.

It does however take a pretty decent self-portrait…or at least one that I like enough to share on my site. Don’t I look all relaxed from my working vacation?!

Stop by Delicious Baby to see other Photo Friday submissions! I am also participating in Friday Daydreaming over at R We There Yet.

*This post is sponsored by HTC. Thank you to HTC and TravelingMom.com for giving me the HTC Rhyme to try. I will be returning the phone to the company next week. Thank you to Disney and Traveling Mom for providing my cruise accommodations. I paid for travel there and back as well as other expenses. As always, opinions are mine and mine alone.