With all of the COVID travel restrictions this past year we haven't been taking the same type of adventures as we have in the past. That's not all bad though because we're finding some hidden treasures in our backyard! We've taken a few short adventures within the state of Florida and I am so excited to tell you all about the Plantation on Crystal River. Disclosure: We were compensated for our stay in exchange for this review. All opinions are honest and my own. Crystal River, Florida is part of the Nature Coast and only about an hour drive north of Tampa Bay. While it would make a great day trip, we decided to spend the weekend! We've visited several times in the past to Homassasa Springs, Weeki Wachee, and even to Crystal River this past summer. There are several area attractions to see and do in the area if you like to be outdoors enjoying nature. This summer when we stayed I let my brother handle the reservations and he found a charming rental house in the area. This ... [ Read More ]
Joys of Non-Rev Travel
When traveling as a non-rev airline employee (non-rev means we fly free...on standby) there are ups and downs....usually with a lot of uncertainty and stress. Thankfully we've been doing this for over 20 years and we've learned to "roll with it" when it comes to our travel days. A typical travel day may look a lot like this.... Constantly checking the flight standby lists the day before and day of and placing bets of which flight looks the best. There are never any guarantees that we’ll get a seat. This makes it interesting to make travel plans and you must always have a backup plan. Rain and ground holds can throw off your whole schedule! Instead of ending up in Buffalo last night, we sat on the tarmac in Tampa for 45 minutes and slept in Detroit...for a whole 5 hours...before starting all over again. Can I just say that Sheraton’s beds were so dreamy!! Larger flights are usually less complicated then smaller regional flights. This mornings adventure ... [ Read More ]
Stonyfield Bloggers on the Farm
If you follow me on social media, you may have seen some of my recent pictures from the Stonyfield Farm Tour (#StonyfieldFarmTour) in Vermont last week. The Stonyfield company selected 13 of their blog ambassadors to tour 3 farms in Vermont. This is the second year that they held their Farm Tour and I'm so thankful that they invited me (and paid my expenses....in case you were wondering), this is a trip that I won't soon forget. The Stonyfield blog ambassadors are made up of the Yo-Getters and the Clean Plate Club. Most of the bloggers have never met and live across the US. We all blog about different topics; some of us are lifestyle bloggers, some are food bloggers, some are eco-friendly bloggers, and I'm sure there are a few more niches that we belong to. We all share one thing, we love Stonyfield and their mission to bring healthy and organic food into our homes. This year's Farm Tour bloggers..... Welcome to the 2016 Stonyfield Blogger Farm Tour Team! Follow our ... [ Read More ]
92 Reasons to Smile
I'm still grinning from this weekend! A few months ago my mom asked if the kids and I wanted to join her for a trip to Ohio to see my Grandma. As most parents do, I replied with a simple "I'll think about it." It's so hard to plan more than a few weeks in advance with my husband's schedule. If he ever gets a weekend at home we like to spend it together as a family. Fast forward to Friday morning, I knew he was gone for the weekend and we didn't have ANY plans for the kids. No birthday parties, no golf matches, no Girl Scout events, nothing! I asked the kids on the way to school if they wanted to make a trip to Ohio to see their Great Grandma and they were both beyond excited!! It's been about 4 years since we've visited her and well overdue considering she's 92. I made some calls and arranged for a dog sitter, set up a rental car and booked our flights. Since we are an airline family we fly standby and the flights are the "easy" part - as long as seats are available (which isn't ... [ Read More ]
10 Sites to See on Oahu, Hawaii
My husband and I just celebrated our 15 year anniversary with a week away (without kids) on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. We stayed on Waikiki Beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and got to see a lot of the island. If you're planning on visiting Oahu, you'll want to make sure you don't miss these sites. Waikiki Beach is the most populated part of the island and where most tourists stay. The beaches are packed with sunbathers and swimmers from sun up to sun down. Friday nights the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on a firework display to welcome visitors to the island. Unless you really like the touristy beaches, don't plan on spending all of your time in Waikiki. We spent a few hours on the beach in the mornings before we drove around town. There's a great little yellow shrimp truck that parks at the tip of Waikiki Beach by the public beach that has amazing garlic shrimp and fries. There are some great restaurants in the area, we used Yelp for dining recommendations and found some ... [ Read More ]
Breakfast Granola Cookies & Stonyfield Yogurt
Less than one week until Christmas and I'm finally starting to get in the holiday spirit. There's something about being in the kitchen that brings it out in me. I'm able to recharge and relax offline and use my creative energy in other ways. The kids are out of school for 2 weeks and a little time in the kitchen with mom will entertain them for a few minutes at least...and keep them offline as well. Today we decided to make some breakfast cookies for the coming week. This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt & Nature's Path Organics. I absolutely love oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies, so I decided to see how I could tweak some of my favorite recipes into something a little more healthy for breakfast. Breakfast + cookies = easy mom trick to get your kids to eat something good! The ingredients are pretty simple; 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola, 1 egg, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup of peanut butter. I almost always have ... [ Read More ]
Take a Staycation in Downtown Tampa
If you live in the Tampa Bay area, have you ever truly explored the downtown area? We live in Palm Harbor and only come downtown for sporting events and shows. When Embassy Suites Downtown Tampa invited us to spend a few nights with them I was really excited to check out parts of town that we usually just drive past on the way to an event. It was really nice not having to worry about transportation and travel expenses to go on vacastaycation. We spent 3 days and 2 nights downtown and we could have easily spent an entire week to see everything. The Embassy Suites is located adjacent to Amalie Arena and the Tampa Convention Center, overlooking the Bay. It would be a great place to stay the night if you didn't want to drive home after a concert or hockey game. On our first night we were lucky enough to be downtown during the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals and walked across the street to the Bolts watch party inside Amalie Arena. We would never have driven 45 minutes to ... [ Read More ]
Sea World’s Christmas Celebration 2015
This past weekend we were invited to Sea World's Christmas Celebration to get a glimpse behind the scenes and to learn more about the special Christmas performances going on around the park. Unlike some of the other area theme parks, Sea World includes their Christmas performances with your regular park admission. Plus, kids get in FREE through the end of December with a paying adult. Sea World will always hold a special place in my heart and the Christmas spirit just enhances that love of the park and the work they do to help preserve our natural world. I found myself a little teary eyed during some of the performances. Even if you only go for a few hours, here is my list of 5 things you don't want to miss at Sea World in December. 1. Polar Express - Sea World has once again transformed the polar exhibit into a train ride on the Polar Express that takes you to the North Pole to meet Santa Clause. The experience is based off the popular Christmas movie, the Polar Express. ... [ Read More ]
Fun Things To Do at TradeWinds Island Resort With Kids
If you're looking for a fun place to take your kids for a fun filled day (or week) on the beach, consider visiting St. Pete Beach and the TradeWinds Island Resort. The weather is still warm in Florida this Fall and the water is still warm enough to swim. My daughter and I were invited to spend a day at TradeWinds earlier this summer and I'm ready to go back! I hold a special place in my heart for St. Pete Beach. When I was growing up, my Grandmother lived one block from TradeWinds and I spent a lot of time as a child playing in the Gulf of Mexico. I remember vividly walking down to the beach with our arms full of sand toys. I remember vividly how she used to sit on the beach for hours reading her books. I remember vividly walking down the street to Larry's Ice Cream. I used to love picking out a new souvenir at the little shop in front of her complex. I still get a little teary eyed when I drive past the complex where she used to live (she died when I was in high ... [ Read More ]
Come Trekaroo with Me!
Trekaroo? Superoo? What does that even mean? Trekaroo is a family travel tips and review website that my friend Marissa introduced me too about a year ago. The site offers user submitted reviews of hotels and attractions in different cities around the US. Anyone can join and it's totally free! A Superoo is a parent who joins the Trekaroo team to provide travel advice and help share the love of Trekaroo. Moms and Dads around the US who like to travel (alone or with their kids) are invited to access new hotels, attractions and special events so they can share these places with you. Guess who is on the Superoo team for 2014-2015?? Me and about 100+ other moms and dads around the US. I am so excited to join the team and start sharing some of our adventures with you. If you've follow me for a while you know that we love to travel. Just this year we've been on a cruise to Cozumel and Grand Caymen. Last week we were in Palm Beach and next week the hubs and I are sneaking ... [ Read More ]