tips for packing light – even with kids

Melissa 1 Comment

Traveling is awesome – and by ‘traveling’ I mean ‘being somewhere new,’ not ‘going somewhere new.’ Dragging three kids through a crowded airport with backpacks, suitcases, blankeys, American Girl dolls, laptop bags… we need a pack mule and a sherpa. Over the years, I have learned tricks to pack light and thin out what we travel with – even with three kids and a serious shoe obsession!

That’s why I’m loving the Thin to Win Challenge Sargento has going on right now. Sargento is helping us “thin out our lives” whether it’s meals, closets, packing or bad habits and giving away prizes in the process. And they’ve asked me to share the challenge for today!

Sargento’s challenge of the day is…

“Traveling ‘light’ helps ease the stress of busy airports and makes it much easier to get from place to place! Share a tip of how you pack efficiently.”

My top tips for traveling light (even with kids):

  • When we travel as a family, I pack one carry on suitcase with one change of clothes, pajamas, toothbrush and (if we’re going somewhere warm) a bathing suit for each family member. That way, when we can play right away without worrying about luggage arriving or missing. It totally takes the stress of checking luggage off my shoulders!
  • Pack an extra zippered bag to bring back all of the things you pick up on your trip! I always throw one in my luggage – I can use it as a beach bag or diaper bag on the trip, then I have something I can put all the extra stuff we got that won’t fit in our suitcases!
  • We have a huge suitcase where we pack all of our kids clothes – one big suitcase is so much easier to manage than three small suitcases.
  • I love shoes. I jsut went to Flordia for less than 2 days and bought 4 pairs. Not even joking. Always wear your biggest pair of shoes – while its comfy to wear your flip flops in through the airport, they take up no room in your luggage. Wear your chunky wedges or running shoes instead.We have our kids wear their sneakers as well – especially since kids can keep their shoes on in the security line now!
  • Streamline. Bring one complete set of gold and one set of silver accessories. Wrap them in a jewelry holder to protect them during travel.
  • Mix and match. How many pairs of jeans do you need? Wear them more than once. Stick to neutral colors that you can layer together into different outfits and pack small accessories like a scarf to liven up your clothes without adding bulk. Take a black maxi dress – it can be everything from a casual coverup when paired with flip flops or dressed up for a night on the town with a statement necklace and heels.

Now it’s your turn to participate in Sargento’s Thin to Win Challenge!

Visit their Facebook page, upload your tips, and be entered to win a fantastic prize! This specific challenge ends June 4, so don’t delay!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post to let you know about the Thin to Win Challenge. As always, all opinions are my own.

 

fashion friday: summer essentials

Melissa 6 Comments

Every wardrobe needs the summer basics – these are investment pieces, people, that you will wear for years to come!

1. Striped shirt or sweater : For classic, go with navy and white. Or to update it, try brights!

jcrew, $45

2. White shorts and pants: Goes with everything, totally elegant.

jcrew, $145

3. Polka Dot Swimsuit : Whether a teeny bikini or a retro inspired suit, you can’t go wrong here. Polka dots add a fun, playful edge to summer!

old navy, $25



4. Tunic Coverup : Bring a bit of glamor to the poolside!

athleta, $74

5. Maxidress : the new classic!

piperlime, $54

What would you add?



swim with the dolphins at dolphin cove

Melissa

One of the highlights of our trip to Beaches Negril had to be our visit to Dolphin Cove! As soon as we found out we were going, we decided to spring for the dolphin experience! Ellie is totally obsessed with dolphins and we knew it would be the highlight of the trip for her!

Dolphin Cove is the #1 attraction in Jamaica – for good reason. This award winning resort is located in Lucea, Hanover, about 30 minutes from our resort in Negril. This 20 acre property is the largest natural dolphin lagoon in the world. Visitors have the opportunity to interact with dolphins in their natural sea environment. We arrived and were immediately welcomed by a friendly staff. We found out we had to split up into two groups: three of us were going to do the Dolphin Touch and two were doing Dolphin Encounter.

Dolphin Touch is perfect for all ages. Colin is just 4 and he was very comfortable in the water. You stand on a platform in waist deep water (waist deep on an adult – Colin needed to be held, as the water was up to hos neck) and touch, interact and get kissed by a dolphin. The trainers share the entire time about dolphins, answer questions and share how they train and care for the dolphins in Dolphin Cove. Grace was in heaven – she was so so excited! Colin was happy to touch the dolphins, but got nervous about actually getting kissed. That’s why he looks a little grumpy here:

The Dolphin Encounter is what my husband and Ellie did – it was pretty amazing and definitely worth the extra cost, in my opinion. They swam with dolphins, got kissed, danced with the dolphin, rode for a bit on a dolphin and generally had an amazing time!  I would recommend this for older kids (Ellie is 9), and kids need to be able to swim. You are in quite deep water with a huge dolphin, so younger children might be too intimidated to get your money’s worth. But for Ellie, it was worth every cent. This picture is worth a thousand words to me!!


A few notes:

  • Make reservations beforehand – this attraction fills up fast.
  • The cost does not include transportation to the resort. From our resort, it was $20/person.
  • Do not wear jewelry – it can scratch the dolphins.
  • Bring sunscreen, but apply either much before you arrive or after your swim, as sunscreen can irritate the dolphin’s eyes.
  • Cameras of any kind are not allowed in the dolphin area. Digital pictures and video of your experience is available for purchase.
  • Bring towels!

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the latest additions to the park.

what i wore

Melissa 4 Comments

Well, this is what I wore over the last two weeks, sort of. Several days were travel days (comfy mumfy clothes) and some days we were camping (just yucky) and a few days in Jamaica we were just wearing bathing suits all day (heaven).

I love this maxi skirt – I got it at Kohl’s and every time I wear it I get so many compliments! Its soft and comfy and flowy… I love wearing it!

This dress is from JCPenney – I love it! I wore this out to dinner on vacation.

And this is one of my favorite coverups – I picked it up two years ago at Target and it matches my new blue bathing suit perfectly!!

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back to the grind….

Melissa 1 Comment

I’m sitting in front of the computer for the first time in forever. Sleeping in my own bed, showering in my own shower, doing my own dishes and cleaning the house…

Oh, wait. That part isn’t fun.

Today I’m working my way through about 20 loads of laundry, filling up our fridge, cleaning the sty that is our house right now.Does anyone know how a house gets dirty when there is no one here? I just don’t get it.

And trying to get everything done with my cats on top of me. They seem convinced that I will be leaving again, so they are determined to be touching me every second they can. Have you ever tried to work at the computer with a cat in your lap? Or cleaned the bathroom with a cat trying to climb up your leg? Its super fun.

Anyway – I have so much to share with you all. Its been an incredible two weeks and I’m dying to tell you all about it! Give me a day to get organized and we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming 😉

 

 

 

life is sweet

Melissa

I’m back!

After we arrived home at 3am on Wednesday morning, I headed back out to Orlando on Thursday am for the SheCon Expo.

BOY do I have some travel adventures for you. Including a broken down train, running through multiple airports and other nonsense. Now I’m headed out camping with the family for a few days with no cell phone, no internet. Just what the doctor ordered! Time for my favorite people…

disney’s art of animation resort

Melissa

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the newest value hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The first phase of the hotel opens May 31, 2012.

This Disney Resort hotel invites you to become a part of your favorite animated films. At Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Guests are immersed in the artistry and enchantment of Walt Disney and Disney•Pixar classics through imaginative design and themed rooms, including:

  • Finding Nemo Family Suites—Opening May 31, 2012—Book Now!
  • Cars Family Suites—Opening June 18, 2012—Book Now!
  • The Lion King Family Suites—Opening August 10, 2012—Book Now!
  • The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms—Opening September 15, 2012—Book Now!

I didn’t stay here – I just got to poke around and see what the hotel had to offer – but I was won over by the family suites – FINALLY rooms that accommodate more than 4 people! Each family suite features:

  • 2 separate full bathrooms
  • A master bedroom
  • 3 separate sleeping areas within the living space, which includes a generously sized dining or work table that easily transforms into a comfortable bed.


This hotel is amazing. We just saw the Nemo section, but I got to peek over at the Cars section, which looks like the next best thing to staying in Radiator Springs itself. And we love us some Cars in our house!

So while we’ll be staying in the Cars section, the Nemo section was totally amazing. Coolest. Pool. EVER! Even the playground was incredible:

This place is incredible! Animation Hall is so cool – (you saw the lobby above) and has a food court, arcade for the kids and walk through it for the Finding Nemo courtyard.  (There are 4 playful courtyards—one for each film— and three pools with a Finding Nemo, Cars and Little Mermaid themes.)

Be sure to check it out for your next visit to Walt Disney World Resort!

can you say ‘dream come true’?

Melissa 1 Comment

Check out what we did yesterday…

It was so, so, SO COOL! I have video and so many more pictures to share when we get home, but I just HAD to share this with you now!!!!

 

disclosure: we paid to experience dolphin cove, but we were given a discounted media rate. coolness factor not exaggerated at all.

hello from jamaica!

Melissa 3 Comments

We made it to Beaches Negril yesterday – it was a long journey, but totally worth it. Colin and I arrived in the afternoon and immediately changes and hit the beach. He could not get over how warm the water was – of course, he’s used to swimming at the Jersey Shore! This is slightly more exotic ;-)

Last night, the girls arrived with my husband around 4:30, and we headed right over to carnival! The parade was fabulous – Colin was most excited to see Big Bird and Super Grover, but the girls loved the costumes and dancing. (How can you not dance along? Its infectious!) My bird-lover, Ellie, had to get her picture with the guy in this amazing costume!

 

and to a beach party… We all ate outside on the beautiful beach at sunset. The food was fantastic – I had some type of grilled fish that was amazing and I want to eat it again, so I need to try and find out what it was! Relaxing on the beach with my toes in the sand with my husband while sipping a glass of wine while our kids frolicked in the waves – does life get much better than that?

And one of the highlights — my kids got to live one of their dreams…. drinking out of a coconut! They all said it didn’t taste anything like they thought it would.

disclosure: we are visiting beaches negril on a press trip, meaning some of our expenses have been covered so that we might experience beaches and share with our readers.