Glorious Banff

It has been coming on slowly for awhile now. The boys at 7 and almost 6 increasingly like and are capable of doing things that Jonathan and I like to do. For example, only in the past week the boys started bicycling without training wheels opening up new possibilities for longer bike rides and trail riding.

And this is also true for long hikes. In Banff we got to put this into practice.

Banff is not too far from California. The flight to Calgary is only two hours, and the drive to Banff is only 90 minutes. We left on a 2 pm flight, and were in Banff in time for dinner ... pretty cool. What's more when we were thinking of summer Holidays, only two locations met our airfare price point - Calgary and Beliz. Everything else was terribly expensive.

Banff had been on our list for awhile, and after making the trip I don't know what kept us away. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have been to in the world. The vast snow capped Canadian Rockies and amazingly pristine park with blue skies (we were blessed with great weather) are spectacular.

On our first morning there, after a pancake breakfast at Melissa's Missteak Restaurant, we headed to Lake Louise for a hike. We hiked from Lake Louise to Lake Agnes and the Lake Agnes Tea House. Now this is a 4.5 mile loop (half up a mountain). Even a year ago, we wouldn't have considered this hike with the boys. But now well hydrated and well fed we ventured up the mountain.

At the Lake Agnes Tea House we ate sandwiches, the boys drank hot chocolate and we had tea. It was amazing. By the way I recommend hot tea after a long climb ... so very civilized.

We only had one snag. We chose to go down a different way, and ended up climbing down a very steep incline lined with loose shale. I've always been pretty good at navigating inclines, so I ended up catching Xander and Caleb, and even helping some fellow hikers get through it.

The boys did great. Although they didn't want to go hiking the following day (so we called the next day's hikes "nature walks" and they didn't complain at all). Afterward we rode the Banff Gondola. It was expensive, but worth it.

The boys loved the ride up (and ride down). We walked the boardwalk to the weather station and back. We even got to see some mountain goats. On the ride down we saw some Elk in the woods too.

That night we ate at Coyotes Southwestern Grill in Banff ... another kid friendly restaurant that reaffirmed Banff as a family spot.

The next morning we ate at Melissa's again (the breakfast was that good), and traveled Icefields Parkway. Since we were heading to Calgary that afternoon for the Stampede, we could only make it as far as Peyto Lake before turning back, and now Jasper is on our list of things to do.

Even though we were only taking nature walks that day, we managed to hike about 3 miles ... near Peyto Lake and Crawfoot Glacier. On day two the boys were leading the hikes with enthusiasm.

We had an exceptional time in Banff and then it was off to Calgary.  But the Canadian Rockies are now on our short list of places in which we plan to return.

Ode to WestJet

There are moments in my life that I would like to take back. To relive with full hindsight. Just moments ... moments when I make stupid little decisions or don't pay attention to details... happen to turn down the wrong street, or forget something really important. The fourth of July we had one such moment.

Before I travel anywhere I always have a reoccurring nightmare. I dream that my airplane is leaving in an hour, and I'm still in my pajamas, and I haven't packed yet. Shear panic. In this nightmare, everything goes in super slow motion, except time.

Our trip to Calgary went down like a real life nightmare. It was the vacation that almost wasn't, due to one stupid error.

Jonathan and I recently renewed our passports. As part of the renewal we got the fancy new passport cards which can be used when traveling in Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and the like. How convenient? We failed to read the fine print ... by land or sea -- not air!

When traveling by air into Canada you need a good old fashioned passport... ugh! And when did we figure this out? At the check in counter two hours before our flight. In fact I flashed back to a moment earlier that day when I looked at Jonathan and my passports sitting on the desk, and thought... maybe, just maybe I should pack these.

But no such luck. The accommodating WestJet staff took pity on us and extended the check in cutoff time by fifteen minutes, from 1 pm to 1:15 pm. ... if Jonathan could make it back  from San Jose with the passports by 1:15 pm (our flight was at 2 pm), they would get us and our bags on the flight.

That was a big if.  Now to put it into context, even on a Holiday, it usually takes 45 to 50 minutes to get to San Jose. Realistically we were looking at Jonathan arriving back at the airport at 1:30 pm. To complicate matters, our house keys were with the valet in long term parking. Jonathan not only had to get our passports in no time flat, but he also had to figure out how to break into our house.

To add more drama to an already tense situation, WestJet has only has one flight a day to Calgary, our vacation was very short, and one day lost would have put a damper on the entire Holiday. 

Jonathan sprinted for a cab.

I sat with the boys within eye and earshot of the WestJet counter.  I would get periodic updates from Jonathan, and relay it to the West Jet staff, while the minutes counted down on the clock.

First off, the cabby pulled off a miracle, traveling at 80 miles an hour the whole way. And Jonathan figured out how to get in the house, without breaking a window -- and the house was far more secure because of it.

At the 1:15 pm deadline Jonathan alerted me that he was pulling into the airport, and just needed to pay the cabby. I told the WestJet staff, who started checking in the boys (we had their passports), and our luggage so the porter could run it to the airplane. 

Once we were checked in, the attendant escorted us through security at a run, and ensured that we made it safely on the airplane.

We just got back from an amazing four day trip to Calgary and Banff --thanks to the amazing efforts of of a cabby, and the understanding staff at WestJet. In contrast to some of our recent bad, family-unfriendly air travel experiences, this level of customer service was truly exceptional. It was our first time on WestJet, and definitely not our last.

Fun at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens with the Boys

Seems like an oxymoron, fun at a botanical gardens with boys. But the Mendocino Botanical Gardens with our boys was fun. Oh yes there is a plethora of flora and fauna (just deer), lovely landscaping and educational labeling, a large collection of rhododendron ... but my two tykes who had been cooped up for two days were also able to simply run wild for a few hours, which is exactly what they needed.

The Mendocino Botanical Gardens was recommended by my husband's co-worker who had grown up in the area. So as we made our way through the fussy gift shop (far too many glass shelves filled with glass knick knacks for any comfort considering my clumsy six year old) and forked over $38 for our family of four we almost said... ah we'll pass.

But a recommendation is a recommendation. And the sun was finally out and the boys need a good dose of mother nature. The Mendocino Botanical Gardens were a pleasant surprise.

You enter into the formal garden and exit through a gate on a coastal trail. The trail takes you to the Parrish Farm. David Parrish worked with Santa Rosa's own Luther Burbank before he moved his ten kids to Fort Bragg to raise potatoes and peas on the coast.  Now, if you didn't grow up in Sonoma County you are probably only mildly familiar with Luther Burbank. He was a botanist, horticulturalist and pioneer in agricultural science. His home in Santa Rosa was a staple on the field trip circuit and as I remember, he invented hundreds of varieties of daisies, as well as apples and potatoes.

The farm is very sweet, and definitely fun for the kids. Following a Big Blue Meanie sign the Gardens have created an adventure trail near the farm for kids that includes forts, giant eggs and other hands-on surprises. This was the boys favorite part. A good part of my childhood was spent playing in the woods behind our house with my neighborhood friends. And I do wish my boys had more opportunities to build forts and experience the woods the way I did as a kid. The adventure trail harkened back to a time when kids had easier access to nature, and although they couldn't build a fort, they could play in one, and they loved it.

It is funny, but when our boys are cooped up for any time they get a little silly and crazy. It makes for challenging travel in restaurants, lobbies, hotel rooms and stores -- anywhere you need a semblance of decorum. The Mendocino Botanical Gardens offered a needed outlet where the boys could just play.  It will stay on our shortlist of things to do in Mendocino with the boys.

The Spirited Traveler at Age 5

Last year I wrote about the challenges and strategies for traveling with my spirited little boy Caleb. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka describes a spirited child as "a normal child who is more. They are more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, energetic." My little Caleb continues to be all these things... and more!

The biggest challenge with traveling with him -- gosh even mornings, bedtime, or weekends when we don't travel at all -- is the transitions. When we travel he is on pins and needles leading up to the transition, takes awhile to settle into the transition ... lather, rinse, repeat.  One of the outcomes of major transitions, like travel, is the inevitable meltdown.

I love traveling with my boys, but airports tend to be the focal point for a transition-induced meltdown. Especially at the end of the trip when Caleb is disappointed and sad that the trip is over, and anxious about going home. As we embarked on our Florida trip I flashed back to last year's end of the trip airport meltdown.  "Meltdown at Gate C3" was a full kicking, screaming, yelling and crying meltdown in the middle of the gate check area as we waited to board the flight.  It was a major scene with people standing around and pointing at us, and saying "I hope that child isn't on our flight." It was over a bag of chips, and much, much more. All of his emotions coalesced in a major meltdown.  

So it was on this the one year anniversary of "Meltdown at Gate C3" I felt some trepidation about the Florida trip. But I'm happy to report it was without incident. We have finally outgrown the meltdown. Yes we did have some minor temper tantrums,  whining, angry outbursts and even a few tears -- but no meltdowns.

I'd like to say it was because of some great parenting trick. We did implement certain strategies to address the meltdowns - before (reading the signs that one was coming, and avoiding situations where Caleb was overly tired, stimulated or hungry), during (giving him a little space, comforting him and letting him win a little bit on something small), and after (discussing with Caleb how he could more appropriately communicate his feelings). But I really think that Caleb at age five finally outgrew the meltdown.

Vacation by Yelp

In 2001 we spent two weeks in Germany, Switzerland and mostly Italy. Most of the trip was planned and booked with recommendations from Rick Steves. Jonathan loves Rick Steves. Every quaint hotel we visited, and tiny little restaurant we frequented was packed with Americans in their 50s flipping through their worn copies of Europe Through the Back Door. We had better luck six years later in Austria, which is less of an American tourist destination than Italy.

We needed a better strategy, and one that works well for everywhere we plan to go. But touristing is hard. How do you get the local recommendations, and avoid the tourist traps without a great guide book?  If you use a web search engine you get lists of activities that are overwhelming, and many times just advertisements.

So today, at least for trips in the US, you can use Yelp, at least we do. Type in "kid activities" in any location and you get a recommendations of things to do. You can check the ratings, read the reviews and bypass the paid for lists. But make sure that you read several of the reviews ... For example, one place that we are planning on visiting has only 3.5 stars. But the worst review says "if you are over 13 stay away, this place is not for you!" As the parent of a 5 and 6 year old I read this as "if you have a 5 and 6 year old go, your kids will have a blast!" Which is in line with what other reviewers said.

A boat tour was listed under "kid activities" which got sucked into the Yelp search engine because one patron complained about kids being on the tour. And how kids shouldn't be allowed on until they are old enough to behave. Since it was a snorkeling and scuba tour -- it probably doesn't meet our requirements for safe fun with our little boys anyway.

We've used Yelp to find our favorite restaurants in Sacramento, and a decent cup of coffee in Michigan after our red-eye.  You can use Yelp for international destinations, but the information is much more spotty, and if you don't speak the local language, you will need to use a translation engine.

I'm relying heavily on Yelp for our upcoming South Florida trip. This time we want to go the Everglades, as well as the Florida Keys. I found the air boat tour and nature show which will give the boys plenty of opportunities to see alligators and mangroves, as well as our activities in the Keys (dolphins and bottomless boats). I also found the restaurants we will be taking the boys to (typing kid-friendly restaurant did the trick).

Will Yelp replace the tourist guide book? Probably not, we love the preset itineraries in Lonely Planet books when traveling in Russia, Asia, Australia or South America, and Rick Steve's wonderful recommendations in Europe ... however, at least for our US trips, we are relying less and less on guide books, and more on Yelp.

13 Hours in Disneyland - in 3D

Last Thursday night Jonathan noticed a text from our next door neighbor. He had obtained free passes to Disneyland, did we want to go? We had to use them that weekend!

Strangely enough, it was the one weekend where we had no plans. No Cub Scouts. No ice skating. No soccer. No baseball. And Xander had just been recognized as a Super Citizen for the first 100 days of school (kind of an uber award for the best of the monthly Super Citizens). So, why not go to Disneyland?

Jonathan and I looked up hotels, found a great deal for $90 a night in Orange, Calif., and we were packed and ready to drive-down Friday night.

Our last visit to Disneyland was just October 2010, and our last visit to Disney World was February 2011. Could so much change? Yes. Visiting Disneyland with a five and six year old is a much different experience than with a four and five year old. The most noticeable change is that both boys are now 46 inches or taller. This means that they can go on Indiana Jones. And their threshold for amusement park fun is also much higher. 13 hours versus 7 hours! We could go on more rides and we could spend a longer time at the park without any painful meltdowns.

We also were able to stay after dark and watch the water show at California Adventure and the fireworks at Disneyland.  

The added bonus were that these tickets allowed us to do a "park-hopper." Meaning at the end of the day when Disneyland was too much, we could transition over to California Adventure across the square. California Adventure was slightly more low key (it could be because much of the park is under construction), and the food lines are shorter, and the food is better.

The other difference, which I didn't quite notice the last time was the presence of 3D glasses. In all, four attractions handed out the quirky fashion statements - Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Toy Story Mania and Muppet*Vision in 3D.

We also were delighted to learn that our six year old, Xander, loves roller coasters. Big monstrous, scary roller coasters. He went on California Screaming after dinner, and it was the highlight of his day. Next time we'll try Space Mountain. By the way he was surprised that he didn't fall out when the ride went upside down.

Caleb doesn't love roller coasters. He tried Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones and neither were his favorite. His favorite was Pirates of the Caribbean. We'll see what he is up for on our next visit. Probably not in 2012, but maybe in 2013. I wonder how the experience will be different with a six and seven year old.

Exploring an Icebreaker with the kids

One of our best days of many during our Michigan trip was when we visited a retired icebreaker. An icebreaker is a large Coast Guard ship, known as the "Queen of the Great Lakes" that breaks ice on frozen waterways during the winter months to ensure that other ships can get through.

An icebreaker is truly an awe inspiring ship. The Ice Breaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum gives everyone an opportunity to climb through the maze of rooms and explore the decommissioned ship -- view the Captains quarters, visit the engine room (looks like a set of train engines) and sit down in the mess hall.

 The boys enjoyed it, especially my 10 year old nephew.

The experience is not cheap (although significantly less expensive than the $50 to $100 a family that some aquarium's charge). This is another one of those great activities that are free for children five and under, at $6 not too bad for the six and over crowd, and $11 for adults. Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be near Cheboygan, Mich.

Roadtrip Up the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Kids

In one day we drove 300 miles. The equivalent of San Francisco to Los Angeles. And on that adventure we fed goats, took a picture with a baby black bear and climbed up and down 200 steps. It was awesome!

Last year when we visited my Aunt and Uncle we ventured across the Mackinac Bridge, and up the Upper Peninsula, what locals call the UP. We road a train, and saw a lighthouse. This time around we were far more ambitious, and the boys had a blast.

We started our day at the Garlyn Zoo. A small, fairly basic zoo that features three different opportunities to feed wildlife. Although only the goats were interested in being fed. Unlike modern petting zoos, you cannot actually pet the animals, they are safely contained behind fences (probably to protect the animals more than the little hands of little kids). The others shied away from the kibble. It was a very simple zoo, you could cover the terrain in less than an hour -- but the boys had fun.

Afterward we headed to Oswald's Bear Ranch where you can have your picture taken with a baby black bear. Now, I was a little wary of the whole taking small kids and getting up close and personal with wildlife. But it was well managed, and overall a pretty cool experience. We also got to see the bear exhibits which were well maintained.

We then headed to Tahquamenon Falls, where we got to hike and climb 200 steps to see the Falls from every angle. The hiking trail is mostly paved, but the view is lovely, and it was great to get out and walk around for a little while.

You would think that this was too much in one day, but the boys, including my 10 year old nephew, all enjoyed the adventure.

Afterward we headed to Wilcox Fish House Restaurant for whitefish. An wonderful day in the UP.

Happy Campers

On our first camping trip as a young couple, Jonathan and I spent a week with over planners.  Well intentioned, the other couple planned every meal, every activity and every second of our trip. It drove us nuts. It could be as a direct reaction to that, or our general laid back nature, but when it came to packing for camping trips we tend to take a "wing-it" approach, especially in the food department.

At times this has gotten us into trouble, where we drive around super hungry and cranky  -- at other times it gave us an opportunity to visit local towns and buy our ingredients fresh. Either way, once you camp with kids a "wing-it" nature needs to be curtailed. When little kids are hungry they need to eat.

Our previous camping trips, were short and near civilization. One night in the tent, and twenty minutes from the nearest pizza parlor.  With our Lassen trip we were looking at two nights camping, and we had to plan for every meal.

I'm thrilled to report that our planning worked without being overly annoying or inflexible. We had the right amount of everything. The first thing we did right was to pack plenty of snacks that could add up to a meal. By this I mean carrot sticks, peanut butter crackers, granola bars, pistachios, snack cheese, sandwich fixings, etc.

We also planned all seven meals, including two dinners, two breakfasts and three lunches. Our dinners were easy-to-grill items like hotdogs. Our breakfasts were basic things like cereal, bacon and coffee for the grown-ups and cocoa for the kids. (I think next time we'll figure out how to do pancakes one morning).

I also remembered a dish bin, dish towel and dish soap (the illusive dish soap I almost always forget) for easy clean-up.

Still one of our best decisions was staying at a KOA, with clean and working showers, conveniently located water for the campsite, as well as trash cans.  All of this added up to a wonderful trip.

The boys had a blast camping... we all can't wait to go again. Maybe next time for a week. Our camping check list is located here.

The Extra Mile to Burney Falls Near Lassen National Volcanic Park

To think if not for the snow in Lassen, which closed many of the trails, we would have missed Burney Falls. That would have been a bummer.

Burney Falls was incredible. A Hawaiian style waterfalls that dumps 100 million gallons of water a day - it is not California's highest or largest water falls, but it is spectacular.

After spending the morning at Lassen National Volcanic Park we drove the 45 minutes to Burney Falls. We ate our lunch in the picnic area, and then took the boys on the the mile or so hike around the falls. The trails lead to the base of the falls, with awesome views.

The map described the trail as moderate, but it isn't. Even a novice hiker can make the trek no problem. Our boys didn't even complain about the distance before we reached the end. The positive attributes of the hike were extensive. From great lookouts to volcanic bolders, it was very cool.

Any trip to Lassen would be incomplete without a trip to Burney Falls.

Lassen Camping Trip: Volcanoes, Warm Weather and Snow Play

On June 28 it rained in California. This was a big deal! On record it had never rained in California on that day. And it rained all day. Rain in California means snow in the mountains.

Our trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park was complicated and complimented by the June 28 snow. In Lassen they were contending with 30 foot snow drifts, which meant that much of the main road through the park was closed, and many of the hiking trails. The ranger told us the reason was the warm weather, it was in the 70s, contributed to avalanches at higher elevations. It was recommended that we walk a mile or so in on the neatly paved, but closed roads.  Considering our boys patience for longer hikes at this age, it wasn't a big problem. So although they didn't want cars on the roads, the closed road became our hiking trail.

We stayed at the KOA in Shingletown 30 minutes from the North entrance to Lassen.  The North side had far less snow, so more was open. On our first day we explored this area of the park, and on our way home we visited the South area of the park. This required maneuvering through country roads and small towns to drive around the circumference of the park -- it took us about 90 minutes.

Lassen is an exceptionally beautiful park. The volcano blew in both 1914 and 1915, and today there is still bubbling, acidic water underneath the dry cracked ground in the sulfur works. In the area you also can see volcanic rocks that traveled as far as 30 miles from Lassen. The road let us get close to much of the what the park has to offer, but it will be worth it to visit in September when snow is not a problem.

Not So Whale of a Tale - Monterey Bay

Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip... it started a couple Fridays ago in Monterey aboard a tiny ship.

As part of our kindergarten spring break trip to Monterey we decided to take a whale watching trip. We didn't expect to see whales, we are between seasons, and it was the last day of the Winter season discount ... before the ticket price goes up for the Spring/Summer rush. It wasn't completely hopeless, there was a small chance that we would see some Orcas or Humpbacks. We did see a lot sea life, but no whales.

Before embarking on our adventure at bay, everyone in the family took dramamine  ... I remember the whale watching trip when I was 15 when I literally turned green on the ship. And it took all my will power not to feed the fish my breakfast. This wasn't going to happen this time, and for good measure we gave the kids the miracle sea sickness drug as well. Nobody got sick! Yeah! And we got a bonus nap during the boring part of the trip where the captain and boat naturalist looked around desperately for whales.

As I said we did sea lots of sea life, and this made the trip worthwhile. We saw sea otters, sea lions, an enthusiastic pack of dolphins and tons of birds. Everyone had a wonderful three hour trip. And the surprise bonus is that our whale watching company, Monterey Bay Whale Watch Center, gives you a rain check for another day if you don't see whales. So, we'll be back sometime this summer when hundreds of whales are expected.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Revisited

This was our third trip to Monterey Bay Aquarium with the boys. The last visit was about a year ago. What a huge difference a year of growing up has made. The boys had a blast! At four and half and nearly six the draw of the aquarium was the fish, and not the play area.

In previous visits I timed a visit upstairs, knowing that they would be sucked into the play area and toddler zone. Now they are too tall for the toddler zone, and the slide or the tunnel in the play area doesn't seem as exciting. Don't get me wrong, we did stop there, but they played for minutes, instead of hours.

Meanwhile Caleb's new discovery was the control room. We must have watched the video loop at least three times.

The other big surprise was that the boys could now tour the aquarium together. In the past, my youngest would linger at every exhibit, while my oldest would rush through more interested in pushing every button made available to little hands.  This time there was genuine interest in everything. They asked questions, they grabbed my arm and pulled me toward something that they saw that was really exciting. They were giddy with joy.

If you've never been to the aquarium, it is immense, beautiful and worth a visit. It centers around the Ocean Edge Wing 1/3rd of a million gallon tank with a giant kelp forest and the 1.3 million gallon tank in the Outer Bay Wing where you can view sharks ... this most impressed Caleb who is quite the Shark fan. It also has beautiful exhibits of sea anemones, and jelly fish. Quite popular the sea otter exhibit is fun to watch.

My favorite are the hands on exhibits. You can touch a sting ray, or play in the tide pools.

We live 90 minutes from the aquarium, and for a long time have been meaning to buy a family membership. If you plan to go only twice a year, the membership is a great deal. The boys had so much fun, we finally got the family membership and we'll be going back again soon.

Marvelous Magic Kingdom - Disney World

Visiting Magic Kingdom at Disney World invokes many comparisons to Disneyland, if you were lucky enough to visit them both. But at Disney World, Magic Kingdom gives you more elbow room, and the lines are shorter -- possibly because Disney World has several other parks to compete for a families attention...

After our earlier Disneyland experience we showed up to Magic Kingdom with a game plan. We knew which rides we were going on, and a general sense of when. If there were fastpasses available Jonathan went ahead of us, and picked them up. You could only be in possession of one fastpass for a specific time period. So if you had a fastpass that is good for a ride at 1 pm, and you wanted to get a second fastpass for another ride, you needed to pick it up at 1 pm (not before). We layered our fastpass rides with rides where we knew there would be a short wait, like the Haunted Mansion, or Pirates of the Caribbean.

We started our day before the park opened up with breakfast on site at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh. It was a splurge, a breakfast buffet ($30 for adults, $15 for kids), but it gave us plenty of photo opportunities with the characters. The breakfast was really good, and the chocolate Mickey Mouse waffles were wonderful.

Jonathan secured the first fastpasses of the day to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride where you got to bounce around with Tigger. Disney World offered a special second fastpass to Mickey's PhilharMagic (which was a lot of fun) show ... ending with Donald Duck crashing through the projector in the back of the theater.

Then we proceeded to the Haunted Mansion while Jonathan got fastpasses for the next ride. During the day we road on the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Prince Charming Regal Carousel, and attended the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor (Xander's joke was picked and included in one of the monster's acts) and watched the Dream-Along with Mickey show in front of Cinderella's castle.

The boys favorite though was Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, where you got to shoot at Emperor Zorg. By the way it is not a spinning ride.

We ended the day at the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade on Main Street. Overall it was a lot of fun. We left at around 4 pm, just before the boys hit the wall, and they slept happily in the car on the ride back to Fort Lauderdale.

Epic Epcot Disney World

I'm not sure how old I was when I decided I wanted to visit what we used to call Epcot Center at Disney World, which is now just Epcot. I think it was when we lived in upstate New York and I think I was in third grade.

When we arrived at out hotel on the Disney World resort we had plenty of options. Our visit was only two days, so we needed to narrow our visit to two parks. We knew that we wanted to take the boys to Magic Kingdom on the second day, but which park should we pick for the first day.

We definitely considered Animal Kingdom. But we ruled it out because it was already past 1 pm, and we wanted something a little more low key since we had spent the morning driving in from Fort Lauderdale. We weren't sure what to expect with Epcot, but since we were staying a short ferry-ride away it quickly became the natural choice.

So it turns out Epcot definitely has more of an adult feel, but it is still a theme park. There were no lines on that Monday afternoon. We found some of the attractions a little preachy, still some of the highlights of the trip were at Epcot.

Highlights included

• Ellen's Energy Adventure - where you went into a movie theater and "inside Ellen Degeneris's brain." The theater seats become a ride, and take you past life size dinosaurs. Pretty amazing.
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends - similar to the Disneyland Magic Kingdom ride except you aren't locked into a submarine (strangely enough that part was pretty scary for my four-year old). The highlight is that when you exit there is a hands-on exhibit and the boys can play inside one of the Nemo sharks. 
• The Illuminations show (at 9 pm) - which included fireworks, a waterworks and light show. On par with the waterworks and light shows in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

We thought the Land was a bit boring for the boys (that is the ride where you get to see the experimental farming at Epcot) and Spaceship Earth was a bit preachy (for little kids the Lion King theme was poorly done, and older kids would find its Mary Sunshine view of recycling overly optimistic).  Also, at Epcot Character Spot we were able to get all of the obligatory pictures with the Disney characters ... and again we didn't encounter any long lines.
If you visit you should make dinner reservations. We couldn't get reservations, so we queued at Via Napoli in the Italian Pavillion. It only took us 30 minutes to get in, the service was great and boys liked the pizza and pasta.

Epcot perfectly fit our mood on our first day at Disney World. Everyone had a great time and we ended the day relaxed and ready for the Magic Kingdom.

Battle of the Disney Parks - Disneyland vs. Disney World

It wasn't our intention when we visited Disneyland in September to also visit Disney World within a six month window, but that is exactly what we did. Strategically placed Florida grandparents, a Western zip code and boys just ready to experience the parks brought about this feast of amusement park riches. So now we can comfortably answer the question - which is better Disneyland or Disney World?

Disneyland was opened in 1955 and Disney World opened in 1971 - and 16 years was what Disney needed to get it right.  Disneyland is smaller, wait times are longer, food is more expensive and I can't imagine spending more than one to two days there. Most travelers stays at a hotel across the street, or commute in and park in the giant mega lot. While Disney World is bigger, you have more room to move around, there are more parks and a ton to see and do onsite. In fact with the many onsite housing options including camping, cabins, discount hotels and luxury resorts, combined with transportation to easily get you to the parks without driving -- you could easily spend your whole vacation at the park. It also has more evening activities geared toward adults, but not adult-only.

After visiting both, we can safely say that the hands down winner is .... Disney World! Although we have a ton of caveats to contest with which include location, time, money and desired experience.

• Location - Growing up in California, Disneyland was my park, although I only visited twice when I was 16 years old. Growing up in Maryland, Disney World was my husband's park, although he only visited once when he was six years old ... And thus like generations of children you go to the park that is closest to you.  From California, Orlando is incredibly hard to get to - there are very few direct flights, the airfare is expensive and a couple of airlines would like to do inconvenient things like route you through Chicago.  Coming from a mid-size city on the East Coast, the same could be said for Anaheim -- there may be more flights but it is still a four to five hour flight.
• Time - Disneyland is significantly smaller than Disney World on the scale of acres versus miles. You can comfortably experience Disneyland in one to two days.  If you are a West Coaster strapped for time it has it advantages. Although I know people who recommend taking a week -- that seems crazy to me. On the other hand, I could spend a week at Disney World. Really, between Epcot Center, the Magic Kingdom, the other parks and the neighboring Universal with its Harry Potter rides (my boys are too short for that experience right now) there is plenty to see and do without going into sugar overload. 
• Money - Disney tickets for both parks are expensive, hotels aren't that much better, although, as I mentioned, Disney World has more hotel options onsite, from camping to luxury resorts. Food is also less expensive in Disney World and their are many more choices-- but it can still be pricey.  For a family on a budget, Disney World has plenty of packages that include meal discounts, hotel discounts and multi-park discounts. The longer you stay the cheaper your trip will be day-by-day. Still any Disney vacation is not for the frugal traveler.
• Experience - Are you looking at an all inclusive destination vacation or are you looking to explore a nearby city? Disney World is like Las Vegas. It is a world unto itself and it offers an all inclusive experience, you can spend a week and never leave the Disney properties. And, honestly, families en masse would not be traveling to Orlando if Disney World wasn't there. While Disneyland is set near Los Angeles, which on its own has lots to see and do ... So depending on your desired outcome, one of the parks will meet your needs.

In the apples to apples department, I should give props to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, with its Nightmare Before Christmas theme in the Fall and Winter, we liked it slightly better than Disney World's Haunted Mansion ... And you can walk through the castle at Magic Kingdom Disneyland which I liked better than Disney World where you are stopped at the steps (by the way Jonathan liked the Disney World castle better even though you were stopped at the steps). Also Disney World's ToonTown will be closed for the next two years for renovations and upgrades. Jonathan thought the shows were better at Disney World, but we agreed the parade was better at Disneyland.

My next two blogs will talk about our Disney World experience.

Should We Travel with a Sick Kid?

Pneumonia. That was the diagnosis for my youngest Caleb on Wednesday night at pediatric urgent care. He'd been spiking a fever all day, and we finally brought him in when Childrens Advil was only making dents. He also had a hacking cough and his breathing was belabored. He was treated at the clinic with a nebulizer (twice -- to get his oxygen level to within normal range), had a chest x-ray and was tested for the flu (which came back negative).

Not really my first consideration, but we are scheduled to fly to Florida on the red-eye today (Friday).  So, I asked our pediatrician. Should we travel with a sick kid? The answer was pretty simple ... twenty-four hours fever free is generally the guideline, and it is up to us. Parents have traveled with a sick child before ...

Since 3 pm yesterday his temperature has stayed below 100 degrees, so I'm hopeful. He will have his third dose of antibiotics this evening, he is using his inhaler every four hours (his cough is non-existent on the medication and his breathing is normal) and we will monitor his temperature ... but barring an episode like Tuesday ... we may just get on the plane. It is tough call though.

Update: It is less than five hours until our flight, and Caleb hasn't had a fever today, and hasn't been taking any Childrens Advil. He is back to normal! So we are ready to go!

Pack Attack

Presidents Day week is ski week at San Jose Unified and what is becoming our annual tradition is visiting the Florida grandparents.

In booking our plane travel we continued our love/hate relationship with red-eyes. In many ways the long red-eye is perfect with small children, but the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is a short red-eye. Which means we leave at 10:30 pm (well after bedtime) and arrive at 6:30 am EST. If we can pull off the hat trick, and get the boys to go to sleep upon arrival it would be less of a nightmare ... but this is my pessimistic prediction:

• Board the plane at 10:30 pm. The boys finally settle down and sleep at 11:30 pm.
• Arrive at 3:30 am PST and escort our tired and cranky boys through the airport
• Get to grandparents condo around 4:30 am PST - boys are bright-eyed and bushy tailed and want to play and hang out with their grandparents.
• One of the boys enters full melt down around 5 pm EST 
• The boys will be sound asleep by 6 pm EST. 

It should be a day of discomfort. But on the bright-side, the next day they will be ready for any adventure.

Last year we had cooler weather in Florida, this year temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s low 80s. Since we work full time, and the weather here next week will be rainy and cool, I'm able to pack for the trip this weekend -- which is great. I've already completed packing the boys bag, and set aside their travel outfits. I'm trying to keep it to only one checked bag (to avoid the bag tax).

Now I have to hunt for sunscreen, sunglasses and goggles and other summer sundries that have been scattered to the four corners of the house, as well as pick some small toys I know the boys will love to play with in Florida.

The boys had tons of fun on the trip last year, and they are both excited about traveling. Xander who is now swimming and loves water can't wait to enjoy the beach and pool. Caleb my fair skinned little boy is looking forward to playing in the sand (and being out of the sun). We may even surprise them with a trip Disney World. Hopefully I can finish my pack attack today.

Parenting the Spirited Traveler

A while ago I had a conversation with one of my friends. She was impressed with all of the travel that we do with our boys, but indicated that they were several years away from family travel because her kids weren't "mature enough."

Jonathan and I have used this phrase often when figuring out where and at what point we would like to take our boys to a particular place. It would be a nightmare to take the boys on a trip where we eat in restaurants every night when they weren't "restaurant-ready", or on trip with lots of hiking when they are still at the "carry me" age.  And from the toddler years onward we've tried to make choices that are age appropriate. Our choices are getting broader as the boys both enter the school age years.

One of our biggest challenges is that our four year old Caleb is, to put it in nice terms, a spirited child.  Mary Sheedy Kurcinka describes a spirited child as "a normal child who is more. They are more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent, energetic." My little Caleb is all these things... and more!

When traveling with Caleb we have to consider that he doesn't like to transition. On a daily basis, he doesn't like waking up in the morning, going to bed at night, or settling down for nap time at school. When he is doing something he is interested in, he just doesn't want to stop ...  

Apply this to travel, and it can be quite difficult. He could take hours to walk through a exhibit that my oldest rushes through in five minutes. If you rush him he'll throw a fit. This is a problem if you have a jam packed itinerary -- which I would never recommend if you have a spirited child like Caleb. 

So, here is how we handle our spirited little boy: 

1. We take the advice from the experts and create a hub -- a location that we return to every night. Sometimes if we are staying in multiple locations, we do this by co-sleeping with the kids. This reinforces safety and home, even in an unfamiliar place.
2. We keep the itinerary simple, and prepare to split up. At Legoland, Caleb loved Miniland (the area where full cities were replicated). He could and did spend hours there. One adult took Xander to all the places he wanted to see, and the other adult enjoyed the details (smelled the Lego roses) in Miniland.
3. We always communicate the plan well in advance, and just don't leave a location suddenly. I've written about story of tomorrow. We also give five minute warnings ... counting down until it is time to leave.
4. We incorporate the boys into the planning process. We give him options and let him have a vote on what we do.
5. We avoid the overly tired. Caleb is more on edge when he is tired. Travel should be about relaxation and exploration ... so we need to make sure that he is getting enough sleep, and if he is tired that is not the day to go to a crowded place... maybe it is a better day for a hike, a trip to the park or a picnic on the beach. 
6. Schedule in nature and unstructured time. This is the time that Caleb can let his hair down and be a boy, without an adult telling him that he is too loud, or there is no running allowed, or any other rules that come into place based on a travel situation.
7. We are flexible and are willing to follow through with a punishment (which could mean leaving a location early). 
8. We set Caleb up for success. We look at things like restaurants, the same way we view skills like swimming. You don't throw your child into the deep end and see if they can swim. We practice our restaurant etiquette on a daily basis, and use restaurants as a reward. Both the boys now love going to restaurants. 
9. We pack things to do during travel time. Like on airplanes, buses, trains and car trips. 
10. And, if all else fails, we prepare for full meltdown. Caleb can we quite dramatic when things aren't going his way.  Sometimes it can escalate into a temper tantrum, and we manage it the way we manage normal temper tantrums with a change of venue, by staying calm, not doling out punishments during the temper tantrum, giving him an opportunity to save face ... and once he calms down we make a new plan.

Traveling with Caleb can be a joy. He often reminds us why we love to travel. He jumps in with both feet, and helps us slow down and take in all that a location has to offer.

Planes and Rockets at Udvar-Hazy

We've tried to get the boys interested in airplanes and rockets, but their obsession has been trains... until our visit to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.

The location is a modern open and airy hanger, with plenty of running room for the most active youngster. The highlight of the immense collection is definitely the space shuttle Enterprise. It is huge, a giant mega airplane that dwarfs even the Concord (which is also part of the exhibits). 

The rest of the collection which includes rockets, satellites, airplanes and their parts is also pretty awesome.  The boys enjoyed the entire trip and never got bored or disinterested ... even with smaller exhibits like the R2D2 mailbox (at least for my 4-year old Star Wars obsessed son).

Not to be missed we took the boys to the observation deck. The boys liked the watching the airplanes land in Dulles ... but this gets old pretty quickly and getting back down is quite an ordeal. You wait in line for the elevator which takes you to another floor, and then you wait in line for the elevator to get back to the main part of the museum. Now that we've done the observation deck once, on subsequent visits will skip this part.

Since this is part of the Smithsonian, entrance is free, however parking was $15. Compare the cost of this outing to the cost of most aquariums for a family of four -- $50 -- and Udvar-Hazy is quite the deal for a fun filled afternoon.