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A Little London Love

July 30, 2012 By 3 Comments

These 2012 London Olympics are making me all nostalgic.

I’ve been to London three times and I’m having such fun teaching the boys all about that amazing city!

My first trip was after my senior year of high school. The second was during my freshman year of college. And the last was with The Hubby as chaperones in 2004. All three trips were music trips! {Stay involved in music, kids! You will go places!}

Here are a few of my favorite pics from that 2004 trip…

Our hotel was just a block off Piccadilly Circus – busy place!

My oh my, do we look young or what?!

A car had just driven into this gate at Buckingham Palace – I’ve always wondered who it was…

“Westminster Abbey! Hands down, best Abbey I’ve ever seen.” {name that show!}

London Eye and the Clock Tower. Did you know that is NOT Big Ben? The bell INSIDE the Clock Tower is Big Ben! You’re welcome for that bit of knowledge!

Love the Underground :)

The Tower of London is so cool.

So stinking cool.

And the boys’ new favorite place, Tower Bridge, which they loudly exclaim the name of every time it pops up on the television screen!

It’s so fun to have been to a place where they are now holding the Olympics! We’re enjoying every minute of watching these 2012 games! How about you?

Have you ever been to London? Or another Olympic site?

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Filed Under: olympics, travel

Friday Fun: Travel Game for the Boys

July 8, 2011 By 2 Comments

We took a little day trip the other day. As usual, the boys grabbed a couple of toys to take with them. On this particular day, the toys of choice were Hot Wheels.

As we were driving the boys made up a little game and I thought it was perfect to pass on to you!

We’ll call it: “I Spy – Hot Wheels Edition!” and it is VERY simple.

Each boy had one Hot Wheels car {you could give them two for a little variety} and as we drove they searched for vehicles just like the one they were holding!

Big J had a concrete mixer and Little J had a white van. Throughout the drive I would hear: “Gotcha!” every time one of them spotted a vehicle like the one they were holding.

They lost interest every once in a while and played with the cars instead, but sure enough, a few minutes later I would hear “Gotcha!” again!

Another variation for this game for longer trips could involve a bag of Hot Wheels held by mom or dad. Each child starts with one vehicle and when they find the matching one on the road, they switch out for a new one!

Older kids could keep score to make it more interesting, but my 5yo and 3yo could have cared less about the score and that was fine with me!

Nothing fancy, but the boys were totally entertained and we didn’t have to buy any  new toys or games to make it happen! And they’ve played this game on every trip we’ve made since that day, switching out vehicles for planes, motorcycles, diggers and so on! The fun never ends!

What free travel games does your family like to play?

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Filed Under: boys, friday fun, kiddos, travel

What I Wore Wednesday: Arizona!

July 6, 2011 By 8 Comments

pleated poppySome people thought we were crazy to take a vacation to Arizona in July, but we LOVE the dry heat so it was just perfect! And for the record, on Thursday, it felt hotter in Nebraska than it did in Arizona!

We had a fab time and I’ll be sharing more next week about WHY we do a getaway, just the two of us, every year!

So here is what I wore while on vacay as I link up with the lovely Lindsey today…

Magenta tank: GAP Outlet; black skirt: Banana Republic {$1 at Goodwill!}

Gold gladiator sandals: 50 cents at a garage sale a few years back! I love how they sparkle!

Tennis time! New pink workout top from Target!

Yellow tank dress: Target; bronze flip flops: Old Navy; sea blue earrings: Kohl’s

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AND while we were there, I went shopping at H&M for the very first time! I love it! I’ll share the dresses I bought on a WIWW post soon!

I adore wearing dresses on vacation – what is your favorite vacation wear?

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Filed Under: travel, vacation, what i wore

Head for the Hills: Monumental Sights!

June 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

It’s hard to choose the best thing we did on our family trip to the Black Hills, but we did save the BIGGEST for last!

The hubby and I just happened to be at the same music camp in the Black Hills about 14 years ago. The concerts for the camp were at that amphitheatre pictured above at the base of Mount Rushmore and that was the last time both of us were there!

The lovely folks at Mount Rushmore have made some really nice updates to the area surrounding and leading up to the famous faces since we last visited, including the Avenue of Flags…

We were able to find the Nebraska flag and on the post below each flag, they also have more info about the state…

A fun way to learn about the United States with the kids!

There are many different ways to view the faces. You can bring your binoculars…

Or take one of the trails or stairs to view it all a little closer up…

We chose not to do the extra walking with the little guys this time, but it is a wonderful way to explore the area and take in the beautiful scenery surrounding the mountain as well!

And of course, the whole park is a GREAT place to take pictures!

 

I honestly thought the boys might not really “get it” or enjoy it, but we had talked about it enough ahead of time that they were very excited. Plus, there are giant heads on the side of mountain – who wouldn’t think that was awesome?!

The National Park Service’s Mount Rushmore site has a page just for kids and one for teachers as well! I learned a lot exploring these pages, including WHY these particular four presidents were chosen for the mountain…

 

George Washington represents the BIRTH of our country.

Thomas Jefferson represents the EXPANSION of our country.

Abraham Lincoln represents the PRESERVATION of our country.

Theodore Roosevelt represents the DEVELOPMENT of our country.

Isn’t that cool? Such a great way to explain it to the kids!

The title of this post is “Monumental Sights” because there is another monument in the Black Hills you must see. The problem is we COULDN’T see it because of the fog so I have no pictures of my own {just this one from the South Dakota Tourism site}!

Crazy Horse is an incredible work in progress {model pictured in front, actual sculpture in the distance} that will dwarf each head on Mount Rushmore in size…

Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski in 1939 urging him to visit the Black Hills and carve a mountain sculpture honoring American Indians.

Fifty-five years after Ziolkowski began carving Crazy Horse Memorial, his family continues the dream and work progresses on the world’s largest mountain sculpture. When finished, Crazy Horse will stand 641 feet long and 563 feet high. {South Dakota Tourism website}

This is an important place to visit to round out your trip to the Black Hills in terms of history and culture. It is also a great testament to hard work and perseverance – an excellent example to use with your children!

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So, that wraps up our posts on our family trip to the Black Hills! So glad you joined us on the journey! And if you have any questions about planning your own vacation to the Hills, please leave a comment or email erin {at} homewiththeboys {dot} net and I will do my best to get answers for you!

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Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

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Filed Under: Black Hills, South Dakota, travel

Head for the Hills: Custer State Park

June 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There is no better way to learn about nature and history than up close and personal.

We got just the kind of education while in the Black Hills, especially at…

Custer State Park is the second largest state park in the United States, with over 70,000 acres of natural beauty. The beauty is all around you from the moment you start your drive…

Driving through gorgeous, winding roads – the kind that require you to drive 10 mph or less – is part of the experience of Custer State Park.

Needles Highway is a 14 mile scenic drive in the middle of the park, but don’t consider it as a way to quickly get where you need to be next! That 14-mile drive will take you at least 45 minutes and you will love every minute of it, including passing by gorgeous needle-like rock formations and Sylvan Lake and passing THROUGH tunnels, many of which are only wide enough for one car at a time!

Another must-drive in Custer State Park is the Wildlife Loop. The park holds over 1,000 free-roaming buffalo as well as mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and burros! Since the animals are free to roam, you never know what you’ll see on any given day but it is worth a shot!

We had the privilege of searching for animals in another way…

Custer State Park Resort offers some fun adventure options in the park, including their Off-Road Buffalo Safari Jeep Tours! Does that sound like a perfect boy activity or what?!

Well, we didn’t pick the best weather day to head out in an open-air jeep, but our guide Kasey made the best of it for us.

Friends, it was 45 degrees, windy, rainy and foggy. At the end of May. Yuck.

But we learned a lot from our guide that we wouldn’t have by just driving the loop ourselves. Yes, we would have been warm, but we had blankets and hoods in the jeep!

{That’s my dad. He let me wear his stocking hat. I love him.}

The boys were so comfy they even fell asleep.

Don’t worry, they woke up when we found these…

And this…

Do you know what that is?

I wouldn’t have known without Kasey! Buffalo can’t roll over because of the way their back is shaped, but they like to “wallow” like many other animals. So this is the imprint left when a buffalo is done cooling him or herself off!

We also learned a lot about the history of the park and the people who lived here before it came a park, including Native Americans and homesteaders.

And then there was the off-roading. We were traveling on roads no other vehicles are allowed to go on which totally spells adventure. On a side note, I’m pretty sure many of the roads we traveled on that afternoon were probably washed out by that evening. We hit some pretty big “puddles!”

Unfortunately, we didn’t come upon any of the larger herds of buffalo during our drive like we hoped, but on our way back to the office, we did come upon these guys…

{Buffalo, if you couldn’t tell through the fog and rain.}

They must have had the same thoughts as me about the weather.

With free-roaming wildlife, it is always a gamble what you will see, but that is part of the adventure! We were so glad to have Kasey as our guide – such a great attitude and very knowledgable!

As we left our safari ride to head back to my friend’s wedding, which was also in Custer State Park at beautiful Sylvan Lake, we finally got our close encounter…

Mr. Buffalo, right next to the road, with us all warm and snuggly in our van. Oh well – that was a fun find!

The safari jeep tour is on the expensive side, but if your children are really interested in wildlife, nature and/or history and love adventure, I think it is worth the investment once in your lives!

Just double check the weather before you make your reservation! :)

*****

Come back tomorrow for part 5 in the Head for the Hills series: Monumental Sights!

*****

Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

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Filed Under: Black Hills, South Dakota, travel

Head for the Hills: Hill City!

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A small town with a LOT to do – that’s what you get when you visit Hill City in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota!

Our main reason for visiting Hill City was this…

The 1880 Train is one of the main draws to Hill City. We had reservations for the 1:15 round trip ride to Keystone and back. We checked in to get our tickets at noon and then hurried to get some lunch before the line for the train formed.

Thankfully, Hill City has the perfect place to eat right across the street…

Elm Street Pizza is a family-friendly pizza joint that is ready to serve hungry families and tourists quickly!

They sell whole pizzas AND pizza by-the-slice, and we didn’t have to wait long to get our order. It’s not a very big restaurant, but there were several other families eating at the same time and we all had a place to sit! The staff was very friendly as well – we highly recommend you eat at Elm Street Pizza while in Hill City!

Then it was back to the train and we had a couple of boys who were just a little excited about it…

What does the 1880 Train promise for passengers?

See the Black Hills of South Dakota by rail! Experience a historic, breathtakingly scenic, relaxing vintage steam train ride your family will never forget.

Enjoy a two hour and fifteen minute round trip through the scenic Black Hills. Hear the bellow of the engine and the whine of the whistle as it winds its way through the hills between Hill City and Keystone… and back again. {1880 Train website}

It was most certainly all of these things and more…

Great family memories were made on that train ride! History, scenery, relaxation and even concessions {you saw Little J enjoying his popcorn up above!} – the 1880 Train was the whole package for us!

The only downside to our train ride was it arrived back in Hill City later than scheduled and we ended up missing our gold mine tour. But as we were driving through town, another little gem caught our boys’ attention and it involved a lot of these…

The Museum at Black Hills Institue isn’t big on space but it is BIG on fossils, most of which were discovered in South Dakota! Did you know fossils from 14 different Tyrannosaurus Rex have been discovered in South Dakota? One of the highlights of the museum is STAN, the largest and most complete (65% real bone) T. rex available to science.

It was a small room, but there was lots to keep the kiddos interested and entertained! The staff was very helpful and shared lots of stories about the fossils and their discoveries!

The museum obviously isn’t for everyone, but for boys who love dinosaurs, this was a great end to our day in Hill City!

You may hear more about Lead, Deadwood, Keystone and Rapid City, but Hill City has much to offer for family fun!

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Come back tomorrow for part 4 in the Head for the Hills series: Custer State Park!

*****

Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

 

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Filed Under: Black Hills, South Dakota, travel

Head for the Hills: Just for the Kids {Top Ten Tuesday}

June 7, 2011 By 3 Comments

Top Ten {Tuesday} The Black Hills of South Dakota offer an array of activities for people of every age, but since we were taking the two little guys along, that was obviously our focus!

Because of those short little legs – and even shorter attention spans – we did not explore any caves or do much hiking while we there, but I know that is something we would love to do as they get older.

Today’s post is about the fabulous things to do with the younger ones – I even made it into a little top ten list for you!

Time constraints and weather {yes, it snowed while we were there!} didn’t allow us to make it to all of these locations, but several I have been to in the past and the others came highly recommended by other good friends who have made the trip with kiddos!

Here is our…

Top Ten Things to Do with Young Children in the Black Hills

1. 1880 Train {Hill City} – Probably the highlight of the trip for the boys because, hello, it was a train ride! {more tomorrow}

2. Storybook Island {Rapid City} – This FREE family fun park in Rapid City is a living fairy tale land! Storybook Island is a wonderful place to let the kids play and run off that energy from being stuck in a car so long! Oh, and did I mention it’s free? Just wanted to make sure.

3. Reptile Gardens {Rapid City} – We were so bummed to not make it here because I KNOW the boys would have been in love with the place! I remember well visiting Reptile Gardens as a child and it has only gotten better since then. The wild animal park hosts 225 species and subspecies of reptiles! Can you say boy heaven?!

4. Bear Country USA {Rapid City} – If mammals are more your thing, then a drive through Bear Country USA needs to be on your schedule. This park has over 20 species of animals, including buffalo, bighorn sheep, reindeer, timber wolf and mountain lions. It is also the only place in the Black Hills that you will find bears – found that tidbit out on our 1880 Train ride!

5. Evan’s Plunge {Hot Springs} – Had it not been so far from our cabin near Lead, the hubby would have INSISTED we drive down to this indoor waterpark in Hot Springs. Evan’s Plunge boasts the world’s largest natural warm water indoor swimming pool – a lovely 87 degrees! – but is equally popular for the waterslides and kiddie pools. Evan’s Plunge has been around for over 100 years! That is some serious staying power!

6. Custer State Park – read all about our adventures in Custer State Park on Thursday! Here is a little hint…

7. Dinosaur Park {Rapid City} – Concrete dinosaurs built in 1936 – need I say more? Dinosaur Park in Rapid City is actually listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, but your kiddos won’t care about that – they’ll just love climbing the stairs and exploring these giant statues. Doesn’t cost any money, won’t take up too much time – perfect stop to please the little ones!

8. Old MacDonald’s Farm {9 miles south of Rapid City} – What kid doesn’t love a petting zoo?! You can bottle feed baby animals, watch pig races, feed goats and sheep, and ride ponies! This family-friendly attraction even allows you to bring in your own picnic lunches, which is great for your travel budget!

9. Big Thunder Gold Mine {Keystone} – This was on our schedule, until a few other stops ran late and we couldn’t make it in time for the last tour of the day. So goes the family vacation… Anyways, visiting a gold mine was a memorable experience in the Black Hills when I was a child. The hands-on opportunities they provide for kiddos – panning for gold, wearing hard hats, exploring an actual former working gold mine from the late 1800s – are unique experiences you can’t find many other places!

10. Mount Rushmore {near Keystone} – This is THE most recognizable site in the Black Hills. I’ll share more on Friday, but PLEASE make sure to add this to your itinerary!

And one extra tip for the sake of the kids – well, everyone really…

Stay near the attractions you are planning to see! We stayed at the most gorgeous cabin near Lead, but it was a LONG drive on winding roads to the Hill City, Keystone and Custer areas. The Black Hills area may not look very big on the map, but proximity will help your whole family on your trip! Stay in Rapid City a few nights and cover everything there, then find somewhere to stay in Hill City or Keystone and see the sights there!

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Come back tomorrow for part 3 in the Head for the Hills series: Hill City!

*****

Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

 

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Filed Under: Black Hills, kiddos, South Dakota, travel

Head for the Hills: Getting There and Back

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota is not just about what you do when you get there. It’s also about some fun stops as you drive there and back!

After getting to South Dakota, we hopped on I-90 to head west to the Hills, and that is where the fun begins!

First of all, we stopped at a rest stop near Salem, which was actually one of South Dakota’s 13 information centers. We just needed to take a bathroom break, but we walked out with maps and guides and lots of stickers for the boys. I highly recommend stopping at one, especially if it is your first time in South Dakota or if it has been awhile!

Just a few hours west of Sioux Falls, we came up over a hill to find this…

The Missouri River intersects I-90 at Chamberlain and this was always a favorite pit stop for our family vacations way back when.

The old A&W I loved is gone now, but just across the river, you can stop to stretch and eat at Al’s Oasis. I was told to try the pie…

I split this heavenly piece of pecan pie with my mom. I must agree – if you don’t get anything else at Al’s, at least please get the pie!

Heading further west, the plains will suddenly become more rolling, and then you will happen on the Badlands. Unfortunately because of weather and time constraints, we couldn’t make the extra drive around the Badlands Loop, but if you’ve never seen the Badlands up close, you MUST do this! What exactly ARE the Badlands?

The Lakota gave this land its name, “mako sica,” meaning “land bad.” Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. {www.blackhillsbadlands.com}

Rugged, gorgeous, awe-inspiring – all perfect words to describe the area! The hubby said they look like rainbow sherbet rocks. Well put, sir.

And right at the edge of these Badlands, you’ll sneak up on the little town of Wall.

Well, you may see a few signs for it first – maybe just a few of the countless signs for Wall Drug that are posted EVERYWHERE on I-90, as well as in over 100 countries around the world!

Wall Drug…it’s hard to explain all that it is…but I’ll try…

It’s a rest stop and a gift shop and an art gallery and a restaurant and an entertainment center. A place to eat and play and rest and drink free ice water. There is LITERALLY something for everyone at Wall Drug, and if you don’t stop there on your way to or from the Black Hills, you are missing out.

I had the great pleasure of meeting the current owner of Wall Drug. His grandparents bought the only drugstore in Wall back in 1931. The first few years did not go well with it being the Depression era and all.

Then they started offering free ice water.

And business BOOMED. Now, MILLIONS of people a year stop at Wall Drug to stretch their legs and explore the place…

Giant animals, cowboy stuff, dinosaurs that actually roar – we were in boy heaven.

And then there are the donuts.

Just like I said with Al’s pie, THESE you MUST eat. Fresh donuts…mmm…

As you can tell, the donuts were greatly enjoyed by all.

I could go on and on about Wall Drug, but you really just have to go there to experience it.

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Those were our fun stops along the way to and from the Black Hills, but there are many other great places to check out.

Here are just a few along I-90:

*LOTS to do in Sioux Falls – I’ll be sharing more later this year, but check out the Falls for sure!

*The Corn Palace {Mitchell}

*South Dakota`s Original 1880 Town {Murdo}

*Pioneer Auto Show and Prairie Town {Murdo}

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Come back tomorrow for part 2 in the Head for the Hills series: Just for the Kids!

*****

Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

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Filed Under: Black Hills, family, South Dakota, travel

New Series: Head for the Hills!

June 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

When my friend Laura sent her save-the-date for her wedding, I was THRILLED to see it would be taking place in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have been waiting for an opportunity to take the boys on their first trip there and this was it!

It had been 11+ years since either the hubby or I had been to the Hills, but we have very fond memories of family vacations and camps in the area. I started planning things we would love to see and, in the process, an awesome opportunity to work with the South Dakota Department of Tourism came our way!

So this week, all week, I’ll be sharing about our vacation and all that the gorgeous Black Hills of South Dakota have to offer!

 

Here is what you have to look forward to…

Monday: Getting There and Back – stops to make along the way!

Tuesday: Just For the Kids – top ten things to do with little ones!

Wednesday: Hill City – so much fun in this small town!

Thursday: Custer State Park – nature and animal lovers, stay tuned!

Friday: Monumental Sights – the monuments that make the Hills famous!

We hope you’ll enjoy hearing about our trip and then plan your own!

See you back here tomorrow!

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Disclaimer: Head for the Hills is a sponsored series with the South Dakota Department of Tourism. We were compensated for portions of our trip, but all opinions in this series are 100% our own!

You can connect with the friendly and helpful people at the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Twitter and Facebook! Tell them Home with the Boys sent you!

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Filed Under: Black Hills, family, kiddos, South Dakota, travel