Would you believe me if I told you that I went to the beach in Nebraska? Or would you assume I was off my rocker and couldn’t find this beautiful state on a map?  Truth is, we did find a beach in Nebraska. A beautiful beach… with no sharks, no jellyfish, no red flag waves…. but plenty of sand, water, and fun to be had.   The dam at Lake Mac is one of the largest of its type in the world. Which is fitting for Nebraska’s biggest lake! Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area is actually a lake and not at all the ocean. But for this family, we felt like we had hit the jackpot. It is loc ..read more

No one wants to get to the airport and find out you have a flight delay. When you are Flying with Kids, it can be even more stressful. One of my biggest tips I have given friends that have flown with or without children, you should fly early in the day for your best chance at avoiding delays. An early flight isn’t always an option, and sometimes they do get delayed.  7 Tips for Surviving A Flight Delay With Kids Remain calm. As parents our kids look to us on how to feel about a situation. They have a natural tendency to mirror our behaviors. The same goes for the other passengers around ..read more

Originally posted in 2016, but updated April 2024.      There are so many airports with play areas. Please check your airport’s website to see if there is one available to you. If you are traveling and know of an airport not on my list I would love to update it and include it on this post.     If you are delayed while flying with your kids keeping them entertained is important for you and everyone around you. Some airports make this easy with children’s play areas. I have compiled a list of play areas inside major US airports. I would love to keep this list ..read more

Everything you need to know when booking with VRBO ((Post originally posted September 14, 2017, but has been edited heavily and given a new publish date.)) I have booked 6 stays with VRBO so far and they have all been different. All of my stays have been amazing, but they have certainly been different. Check out this amazing VRBO!  Payment The method of payment will vary. We have seen it all from paying through the property management company app, sending a personal check to the owner, (I only trusted this one because they had amazing reviews and a long history.) paying everything thr ..read more

I feel like it is a huge win when our American History lessons hit on a place that our family has explored. It is always great fun to read about the impact of that place/time in history and then flip through our own family photos of the location.  We have recently learned about Lewis and Clark and their explorations. When the book began discussing the trip and they were in Montana we got out our photos of Pompey’s Pillar.  We were able to visit the great state of Montana back in 2019 and this is one of the spots that still sticks out so strongly in our minds.  Clark’s engravin ..read more

Until just recently Arkansas was not a state I had explored much. I flew into Fayetteville when I was a flight attendant, but I never got to know anything about the state except that it is the birthplace of Walmart. Inside the office, telling the history of Devil’s Den State Park We were driving through Arkansas last summer on our long trek out west. I made some reservations at this state park. It isn’t right on the main road, but looked like it might be an okay spot to stay the night. Luckily, we got there early enough in the day we could immediately explore one of their many trails. We LO ..read more

Located just south of Tupelo just off a county road, you will find the Tombigbee State Park. Built in 1934 by the CCC, it is different from the sites you will see at both Cheaha State Park and even nearby Tishomingo State Park. It lacks the very distinct stone buildings you find in so many CCC parks. This has me wondering if they didn’t have the same resources in this area or if those buildings are no longer there. We didn’t get to see the entire state park, so there may be some deeper in the park. Map of Tombigbee State Park We were stopping here because it was a great halfway point on a r ..read more

Cloudland Canyon State Park has it all! Do you want beautiful mountain views? Do you want to see magnificent trees? How about explore a cave? Canyons? Picturesque hiking trails? Cute yurts? Waterfalls? At more than 3,500 acres of land, it is easy to see how they have so much to see. Cloudland Canyon State Park is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain (go ahead and GPS it and get on your way..) Cloudland Canyon State Park’s address is: 122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road Rising Fawn, GA 30738 We picked this park because they have backcountry camping and hiking areas. Perfect for our acti ..read more

Before becoming a mom I loved my career as a flight attendant, and my husband was finally reaping the benefits of all of his time in flight school and was an airline pilot. So where would a former flight attendant and a current Boeing pilot take their kids when passing through Kansas City? …. of course, we would end up at the TWA Museum. TWA Museum Kansas City, MO We were able to find the museum and pull into their parking lot with our travel trailer in tow. It wasn’t even our first time driving up to an airport pulling our home on wheels, and I am sure it won’t be the last. We were passing ..read more

We are backpackers. We love being able to pack everything in and live for a few days in the woods and survive on what we bring in our bag and our laughter. We have been backpacking for a few years, and it felt like the only natural progression as much as we loved going on day hikes and tent camping. We felt experienced and prepared for anything, but it was still terrifying for our son to get a snakebite while we were backpacking. One of our favorite campsites is Cheaha State Park, Alabama.   Trail signs from the Albert Pike Recreation area My husband and I aren’t new to natur ..read more