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Travel With Kids: Austin

March 12, 2011 By 27 Comments

Austin is a tree-lined city, alive and bustling with young people (I read somewhere that the average age is 34).

Zilker Park is probably the most “famous” park in Austin…and for good reason. It’s HUGE and features great playscapes, a miniature train, a sculpture garden, and running paths.

colorful zilker park Travel With Kids: Austin green trees zilker park Travel With Kids: Austin running zilker park Travel With Kids: Austin seal zilker park Travel With Kids: Austin tickets to zilker zephyr Travel With Kids: Austin zilker zephyr Travel With Kids: Austin

We also spent an afternoon at City Park, adjacent to Lake Travis. We walked along the path, touched the shimmering water, and went sliding down tall slides. You’ll notice our 4-year-old’s wounds. She fell off the top of a picnic table and face-planted the cement at our campground one afternoon. (Scared me to death).

lake travis Travel With Kids: Austin happy girls lake travis Travel With Kids: Austin tree city park Travel With Kids: Austin walking toward playscape austin Travel With Kids: Austin tree with sunbeam city park austin Travel With Kids: Austin

As soon as I heard that Whole Foods Market was based in Austin, TX, I e-mailed and asked for a tour of the gigantic flagship store (That’s what you would do too, right? Tim thought it was a little weird that we were touring a grocery store). Parking was a bit of a nightmare, but it really was a site to behold. Incredible selection…delectable eye candy for foodies…plus, free fruit for kids at the entrance (every grocery story ought to do something similar).

fruit for kids at grocery stores Travel With Kids: Austin carrots whole foods market Travel With Kids: Austin plums whole foods market Travel With Kids: Austin spices whole foods market Travel With Kids: Austin

Central Market, a grocer chain that is local to Texas, has a similar feel to Whole Foods. Beautiful displays…delicious food…a giant playscape. Don’t you think all grocery stores should have a restaurant and playground on-site?

central market austin Travel With Kids: Austin playscape central market austin Travel With Kids: Austin

I also had tea at The Steeping Room with a classmate from high school (over ten years ago). The spiced apricot scone I had there was the best I’ve ever tasted.

the steeping room austin Travel With Kids: Austin

Have you ever been to Austin? What did you like/dislike about it?

Also – do you ever shop at Whole Foods? Why or why not?

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How We Travel :: MOO cards

March 11, 2011 By 40 Comments

give every day mini cards How We Travel :: MOO cardsOver a month ago, we waved good-bye to our family, our friends, and our home…heading out into unchartered territory. We sold almost everything we owned, packed the rest into a 5th wheel, and are now traveling the country to give to others.

It’s been scary, exhausting, wonderful, terrifying…good. At this very minute, I’m sitting at a small table inside our RV in Mobile, Alabama. Tim is out exploring the area with the girls, undoubtedly looking for alligators.

When we meet people on the road, we often hand out these little cards by MOO. They’re an online printing company and the quality of their cards is bar-none. The paper is ultra-glossy and smooth to the touch…and the printing is exceptional. The best part is that they’re miniature, which makes them stand out from the crowd (and also – they’re less formal that way).

moo logo How We Travel :: MOO cardsWIN IT! One winner will receive 100 MiniCards and 20 Postcards by MOO! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* MOO sent me samples for review purposes and is also providing codes for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #4 Joy. Congratulations!

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How We Travel :: Lightscoop

March 9, 2011 By 57 Comments

me and my nikon d90 How We Travel :: LightscoopHi, I’m Stephanie and I have a Nikon D90. I love it and am hoping to someday be able to purchase a few respectable lenses for it. For now, I just have a prime 35mm lens.

I also have a really cool new piece of gear called Lightscoop. Essentially, it’s a reflector piece that bounces light off the ceiling to help mitigate the harshness of the flash in low-light environments (evening or indoors – or both).

My photography “style” is very casual. I like candid outdoor shots that tell stories, preferably with lots of colors and light. I almost never use the flash…especially on people because it tends to be unflattering.

Now that I have the Lightscoop, I actually enjoy taking pictures at night because they turn out beautifully. They have an antique glow about them, soft and hushed.

Examples?

Exhibit A – Road Trip Snacks (LEFT: without Lightscoop; right with Lightscoop).

road trip snacks without lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop road trip snacks with lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop

Exhibit B – Tim’s Beer (LEFT: without lightscoop; RIGHT: with lightscoop)

tims beer without lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop tims beer with lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop

Exhibit C: Our 4-year-old (LEFT: without lightscoop; RIGHT: with lightscoop)

4 year old without lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop 4 year old with lightscoop How We Travel :: Lightscoop

Pretty cool, right? Best of all, Lightscoop is only $29.95. It’s an affordable way to “say goodbye to ugly flash photos” once and for all.

Here’s how to find Lightscoop on Facebook and Twitter.

What kind of camera do you have? Have you ever tried mango licorice? (It’s good!)

standard lightscoop How We Travel :: LightscoopWIN IT! One winner will receive a Lightscoop ($29.95)! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* Lightscoop sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 product for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #53 Noreen. Congratulations!

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How We Travel :: Sunshine Kids Monterey Black Leather Booster

March 8, 2011 By 174 Comments

in her booster seat How We Travel :: Sunshine Kids Monterey Black Leather BoosterWe try not to drive more than four hours on any given day. Believe me, that’s PLENTY of travel time when you have two small children in the car.

When we arrive at a destination, we like to stay put for 1 and 2 weeks. Of course, there are overnights here and there…but the longer stays are much easier for all of us.

So far, we manage the long hours on the road with snacks, coloring books, alphabet hunts, letter bingo, audio books, and looking out the window.

We don’t have a portable DVD player so that option isn’t available to us (which I’m both sad and glad about).

The girls have done wonderfully – much better than I would have ever dreamed. They rarely complain and are generally just awesome about the entire adventure. Yesterday, our 4-year-old prayed before lunch and said, “Thank you that we get to be on this trip to help people.”

monterey black leather booster How We Travel :: Sunshine Kids Monterey Black Leather BoosterShortly before we embarked, we moved our 4-year-old out of her convertible seat into the Monterey Black Leather Booster ($299.99) by Sunshine Kids. She had been talking about it for quite some time – and she was so excited when it arrived! She had good reason for her excitement too! The high-back booster is pure luxury. It’s super comfortable, has two cup holders, and is a piece of cake to clean. It is designed for preschoolers, 30-120 pounds…and also converts to a backless booster.

One thing I particularly like about Sunshine Kids is that many of their car seats are narrower than the norm, which makes them a good choice for small cars. You can even fit 3 car seats across the backseat of some cars.

P.S. Please do check out Sunshine Kids on Twitter and Sunshine Kids on Facebook. That’s where you’ll find updates about new products, contests, and more.

What snacks do you eat when you travel? What games do you play?

WIN IT! One winner will receive a Sunshine Kids Monterey Black Leather Booster ($299.99)! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* Sunshine Kids sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 seat for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #21 Michelle. Congratulations!

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How We Keep House :: Honeywell EnergySmart Heater

March 7, 2011 By 151 Comments

Many people have asked us how we are managing to spend a year on-the-road, traveling the USA to help people.

The long answer is a combination of sacrifice (we sold EVERYTHING, remember?), preparation, and grace. The short answer is: we live very frugally.

our rig How We Keep House :: Honeywell EnergySmart Heater

Tim is planning to write a breakdown of the financial side of our expedition over at GiveEveryDay.com soon. For now, I’ll just say that we are really only spending money on the bare necessities: fuel, groceries, cell phones, insurance, and our health care co-op.

We rarely eat out. We wear hand-me-downs. We don’t own a TV. Right now, we’re staying at a free camping site at a county park in Tomball, TX (which is surprisingly wonderful, by the way).

honeywell energy smart heater How We Keep House :: Honeywell EnergySmart HeaterWe also use electric heaters to help offset the cost of propane. Honeywell sent us their new EnergySmart Cool Touch Heater ($49.99) back in January and it’s been a great addition to our RV. It’s small, portable, and super simple to use. We especially love that it’s cool to the touch so curious little fingers can’t be burned. According to the Honeywell website, “EnergySmart™ Technology regulates power consumption to help save up to 35% on energy bills vs. conventional heaters.”

How do you live frugally? Share your top tips.

WIN IT! One winner will receive a Honeywell EnergySmart Heater ($49.99)! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* Honeywell sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 product for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #51 Annette D. Congratulations!

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How We Keep House: Magic Bumpers

March 7, 2011 By 55 Comments

posing in zutano How We Keep House: Magic BumpersWhen we first bought our 5th wheel, our 4-year-old ran right to the master bedroom and declared, “I’m going to sleep right here with my little sis!“

Tim & I had a good laugh about it.

Guess where they’re sleeping now? Mmm-hmm. The master bedroom. But…it was our choosing.

Here’s the reality of RV living. Quarters are tight. We wanted to be able to put our little ones to sleep and then stay up to talk, eat a snack, clean house, watch movies, work on our laptops, and do…ahem…other things.

Thus, we tuck our girls in bed back in the master each night, close two separate doors, and we have the rest of the place to ourselves. Genius.

Because the bed is so high in the back, we use magic bumpers to ensure that our tiniest one doesn’t take a tumble in the middle of the night. Magic Bumpers are firm foam wedges designed to go under the bedding (mattress pad, fitted sheet) as a safer and easier alternative to traditional children’s bed guards. You can see pictures on the Magic Bumpers facebook page. The bumpers are a no-brainer to set up and they’re super economical.

magic bumpers How We Keep House: Magic BumpersWhat are the sleeping arrangements like in your house?

WIN IT! One winner will receive a 4-pack of Magic Bumpers ($28.99)! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* Magic Bumpers sent me a sample for review purposes and is also providing 1 product for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #36 Nini Lettner. Congratulations!

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How We Keep House :: PUR water pitcher

March 7, 2011 By 84 Comments

pur water pitcher How We Keep House :: PUR water pitcherWater is my favorite drink. I choose it over other drinks about 95% of the time.

The other 5% of the time I choose fresh-squeezed juice or a half-glass of wine. Occasionally, I enjoy a root beer.

I almost never drink coffee, tea, soda, artificial juices, beer, or cocoa. I might be persuaded, but…the main reason I don’t is because I just really like water (Also – it’s free!).

Prior to RV living, we had a filter and ice dispenser built into our fridge. Now we don’t have either so we rely on our PUR water pitcher ($14.99-$19.99). It’s super easy to use. We just fill it up, wait a minute for it to filter, and it’s ready to pour.

As far as ice goes, we just don’t use it anymore. I thought I’d miss it, but – oddly – I don’t. Mostly, I think about how grateful I am that we have access to clean water because much of the world doesn’t.

What is your favorite drink? How do you filter your water?

pur logo How We Keep House :: PUR water pitcherWIN IT! One winner will receive a PUR water pitcher or faucet mount {winner’s choice}! To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Tuesday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m. All generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified. Winner must provide a US mailing address.

* PUR sent me samples for review purposes and is also providing 1 product for the giveaway.

*UPDATE* The winner is #32 jes [a mountain bride]. Congratulations!

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