Travel – Page 2

Beach Bag Essentials for the Over-Prepared Mom

August 3, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyPureRelief #CollectiveBias

Hampton is starting a Mother’s Morning Out program in 3 weeks, so we are about to be thrown into all of the back-to-school hoopla for the first time. We are excited and I am feeling all of the emotions. But, first, we are going on one last summer vacation to the beach with some good friends of ours! We are beyond excited. Sophie has only been to the beach a couple of times for little day trips at my grandmother’s house, so I am excited to let her explore a little bit more. I think this is the first time we are going on an actual beach trip as a family of four, so we are thrilled to make new memories. One thing I have already been planning and packing is our beach bag. With two little ones, you can never be too prepared. I like to have all my bases covered when it comes to our beach bag essentials and be ready for every possible scenario – sunburn, sickness, irritated eyes, etc.

Beach Trip in Destin

April 25, 2016

As I mentioned in Friday’s post, it had been a while since Ryan and I went on a vacation – alone – in over 3 years. Yikes! Heading to Destin was the best semi-spontaneous decision we have ever made and it was exactly what the doctor ordered for both of us. Sometimes, getting away from your every day life is exactly what you need to recharge, and that is exactly what we did. We relaxed and ate…a lot.

How to Prepare for a Road Trip with Babies

February 1, 2016

We love to travel as a family, but I’d be lying if I told you there wasn’t a little part of me that worries every time we get in the car to drive for an extended period of time. If you’re a mom, you probably have at least one horror story of something crazy happening on a vacation. We have had several crazy things happen to us over the last few years, but the good far outweighs the bad. Taking our babies on a road trip is something I will always look forward to because we always make many memories.

When Life Hands You Lemons…Drive to Birmingham

January 12, 2016

I have to say, if you would have told me 4 months ago that my life would look the way it does right now, I may not have believed you. If I told you everything that has happened over the last 3 months, you wouldn’t believe me. In fact, everyone who has asked me what’s going on, all I can say to them is… “maybe one day I’ll write a novel…”

Anyways… Our living situation (at my parent’s house) is not a secret to any of you. As nice as it has been to save a ton of money these last 6 weeks, we are more than ready to be in a home of our own again. So, when life hands you lemons…drive to Birmingham!

coat c/o She In // pants // top (similar) // scarf (on sale!)

Birmingham Alabama: 4th Anniversary Road Trip

October 15, 2015

Last week, I mentioned that I needed a break in a bad way! I definitely got a little bit of a break on Saturday when we took a little road trip to Birmingham, Alabama to celebrate our 4th Anniversary and start on a little Christmas shopping. Ryan and I love to travel and we had planned on a much bigger trip this year, but as always when you have two babies life tends to get in the way. So, we decided to take a little day trip to Birmingham and hit a couple of our favorite spots!

When we first arrived, we were already running a little behind because traffic was awful. I’m still not entirely sure what was going on because we never passed a wreck or anything, but traffic was backed up for many miles on I-65. Once we finally made it, we decided to skip New York Pizza (the best pizza I’ve ever had) and go straight to The Summit to start shopping! I bought Ryan an Apple Watch for his birthday/anniversary gift and so we started at Apple and ended at Lilly Pulitzer!

After we shopped and walked around for a bit, we ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory! I had not been there in years and so we decided to enjoy a little comfort food. It was a tough decision as there are so many places to eat in Birmingham.

Ryan actually lived in Birmingham for a while while we were dating. He loved living there and we have definitely tossed around the idea of moving there once our house sells, but the way our minds change, there is no telling where we will end up. It’s so nice and beautiful. There are gorgeous hills and beautiful trees. My hometown is totally flat, so it is a nice change of scenery even driving north one hour. We enjoyed some quality time and conversation without the kiddos present and screaming in the background. They were missed, but it is always nice to have a little break.

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Crazy Things That Happen When You Travel

September 11, 2015

This post is sponsored by Gazelle but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Traveling is something that Ryan and I are very passionate about. We met in Gatlinburg, Tennessee while traveling, we traveled a lot throughout our dating years, we started off our marriage by traveling to London and Paris and just last month we went to the Bahamas. Since having children, we haven’t been able to travel as often (for fun, anyways). We are currently planning a big trip to Europe for next summer and are growing more and more excited. We were laughing the other night about how every time we travel, something crazy happens. It never fails, we can’t ever just have a normal trip. To name a few:

My son brakes his leg – He broke his ankle a few days before we left for our cruise. Talk about bad timing.

We lose a phone – this has happened a couple of times. Luckily, we ended up finding it both times, but if we had not, thank goodness for Gazelle!

We drive off with the iPad on the hood of our car…and then run over it. – Yes, this happened. Even worse? A few other cars ran over it as well. Bye bye iPad. Very painful memory.

Ryan loses his tube pass in London – luckily this happened our last full day there, so we just opted to buy tickets every time we rode the tube (subway) for the rest of the stay. It was an expensive mistake.

I don’t know that we will ever pay full price for our iPhones or iPads again. Buying used through websites like Gazelle are so ideal! They are extremely affordable and you are always getting great quality with Apple.

With kids heading back to school and the holidays fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about an affordable phone for them that won’t make you absolutely sick if something happens to it. Gazelle offers great cell phone options for kids and even has them filed under age appropriateness. If you sign up for their emails, you can stay in the know on all of the latest offers, tips and promotions! If you are ready to buy, you can get $10 off your first purchase!

Has anything crazy ever happened to you on your vacation? Have you ever broken or lost a phone?

How to Make the Most of Your Cruise

August 21, 2015

I hope you have all enjoyed my week of cruisin’ to the Bahamas with the recap of our trip, cruise fashion advice and Ultimate Packing List. It’s time to set sail to this series, so jump on deck and read my advice on how to make the most of your cruise and have a great experience.

1. Pack Light – otherwise, getting on and off the ship will not be too easy. Also you don’t want to be tripping over your luggage in those tiny rooms.

2. Be Organized – know where your important documents are and have them handy for getting off and on the ship.

3. Book an Excursion – my favorite memory from our cruise was swimming with the dolphins. It was an amazing experience and I wish I could do it again and again. On a previous cruise, I snorkeled and it was also an incredible experience. You don’t want to miss out on these fun memories that could be once in a lifetime experiences.

4. Go to the Shows – Even my 21 month old son loved the shows! The early shows were family friendly and were very enjoyable.

5.Go to the Early Dinner and Show If Traveling with Kids – for obvious reasons. By dinner time, Hamp was worn out from hanging out at the pool or beach all day. He still did great and made it through the shows as well, but I don’t know that he could’ve made it through the later dinner and show and I didn’t care to find out.

6. Make Sure You Make Time for Nap Time – trust me on this. You will want you child to take a good nap every day. Otherwise, you may have a screaming toddler on your hands.

7. Take Lots of Pictures – Pictures are so important to remember things by. My son will probably not remember this cruise, but we will have photos to share and lots of stories to tell him. I even took my Instax Mini so that I could take photos for my family and give them to them right then and there. Everyone really enjoyed that.

Do you have any tips you would add? What is your favorite memory from your cruise?

The Ultimate Guide to Packing for a Caribbean Cruise

August 20, 2015

My family and I went on a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Ship. After taking my family (including my toddler), I wanted to share what you should and should not include on your packing list.

First off – the bags. It is always a good idea to pack as light as possible. Cruises can be tricky because you need so many clothing items on a large spectrum. Fancy dresses and heels as well as flip flops and swimsuits. There is no right or wrong way to pack, but I will share my advice on how to pack efficiently for your cruise with young children.

Bags: Bring one suitcase for clothes, shoes and hygiene essentials. Bring one bag that can be used as your beach bag/diaper bag that you can take onto the beach with you and around the ship. Bring your purse. I recommend a small crossbody purse to keep your passports I.D.s, etc in.

Documents:
Passports
Birth Certificates for the kids
Photo I.D.

Clothes:
Swimsuits
Swimsuit cover-up
Casual Shorts and Tanks/Shirts
Dresses (for dinner)

Shoes:
Flip Flops
Dressy Sandals or Heels for dinner
Tennis Shoes for working out

Hygeine:
Shampoo, Conditioner and Soap (our ship only offered complimentary bar soap s don’t forget your shampoo)
Razor
Lotion
Sunscreen
Make-up
Medicines (for everything, especially if traveling with kids)
Hair Straightener or Hair gel/mousse/product

Helpful Hint: Pack hygiene items in a hang up bag so you can hang it up in your bathroom. It will save a ton of space.

Accessories:
Camera
Chargers
Hat
Sunglasses
Book
Batteries
Hair Bands

For the Kids:
Sound Machine
Favorite Stuffed Animal/Blanket
Pack n Play (some ships have cots that they offer, but I felt better taking my own bed for my son)
Snacks
Zip Lock Bags (to pack snacks in for the beach and put wet things in)
Sippy Cups or Bottles
A Couple of Toys (to play with while in the room)
Wipes/Diapers

Things I Wish I Had Taken:
A Small Float (for beach days) They have floats you can rent but they were pricey. My dad rented one for $18. No thanks.
Inflatable Tub for Hamp (ships don’t have tubs)
Waterproof Camera
Bug Spray (for some weird reason, we all got mosquito bites on the ship)
Surge Protector (there were not many outlets in the rooms)

Things I Should Have Left At Home:
Hair Dryer (They had them in the rooms)
Towels (They have them in the rooms and at the pool and beach for you)

Have you been on a cruise? What are some other things you would take with you? Do you have any tips of hacks to share?

Cruise Fashion: What To Wear On A Cruise

August 19, 2015

Resort Maxi: Pink Stitch via Shopbop // Sandals: Gianni Bini (old)

It’s no secret my entire family went on a cruise last week. All 33 of us (minus my brother and his wife who stayed home to have my niece). The weekend before we left, I battled in my head over what to wear on the cruise. You go from one extreme to the next between laying by the pool in your swim suit to formal dinners in fancy dresses. You feel like you have to bring your entire closet. That is just simply not the case.

I obviously grabbed a couple of swim suits and cute cover ups, shorts and tank tops and then it came down to what to wear to dinner.

I decided dresses were obviously the way to go. They are comfortable and super easy. I took one pair of nude wedge sandals that went with all 4 of my dresses. For the casual nights, I wore what I would call sun dresses or cocktail dresses. They were dresses I would wear to church.

On Formal night, I went with a super comfortable and flowy maxi dress. It is actually called the “Resort Maxi!” Perfect for this vacation. It was great because it also hid my growing food belly. All. That. Food. It’s what I like to call a win-win. 😉

Check back tomorrow for my Cruise Packing Checklist!

Have you been on a cruise? What did you wear to formal night?

Cruisin’ the Bahamas

August 18, 2015

Last week, my family took a week long vacation to Florida and then on a cruise to the Bahamas! The Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship did not disappoint. We had so much fun! I was so worried about Hampton’s cast getting wet or worse – sand in it. Luckily, my husband is a Jedi Google Master and found an amazing cast cover at a surgical supply store in Jacksonville! Hampton was able to swim, and take baths. He was so happy and it made the trip really enjoyable!

Our ship had a splash pad for the kiddos and kid-friendly pools. The babies had so much fun and the adults had a blast. The shows at night were very entertaining and the early shows were very kid-friendly.

Our cruise ship made two stops – The Bahamas and Coco Cay Island which is a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. Ryan and I went on this cruise back in 2012 for our 1 year anniversary and the island was just as I remembered it. It is so relaxing and peaceful. My sister and I booked an excursion to swim with Dolphins off Balmoral Island located just off of the main island of the Bahamas. Swimming with dolphins has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I have always loved them and while I have seen and pet them many times, I had never actually swam with them. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

I was very nervous to take our toddler on the cruise with us, especially after he broke his ankle, but if I could, I’d do it a million times over. Hampton did great and even cried when we had to leave the “ba-boat.” My grandparents are talking about taking the entire family on another cruise or vacation again next summer and I will be thrilled to include SR on that vacation. I missed her so much while we were gone, but she stayed at my grandmother’s house in Florida and it worked out perfectly because she had 5 people swooning over her and spoiling her rotten for only 4 days. It was hard being away from her, but it was also really nice to spend one on one time with my boy.

Have you ever been on a cruise? Did you travel anywhere this summer?