The Summer Staycation Guide

Being military, we have lived in resort towns and we have lived in places that summer is the off season. So, I feel like we have run the gamant on staycations. Depending on where you live, the staycation season may be summer or winter, but regardless there is most definitely a season that is around where resorts and hotels offer discounts. 

We now reside in southern Arizona, which means our summers are HOT. Like so hot that we are breaking records over here, 119 anyone? Most vacationers would rather be by a body of water when it is that hot, and water we do not have. We are also known for our hiking and unless you love hiking in the middle of the night, when the temps cool down, chances are you won't visit in the summer. So, resorts and hotels deeply discount their prices, in hopes that locals take advantage of the cheaper prices and summer packages. We are HUGE fans of staycations, so I thought I would share with you some of our my tips and tricks to finding the best deals.

1. Military Rates - If you are military, chances are that there are some great prices out there for you. Make sure to call the hotels and ask for the government rate, or for military discounts. Maybe it's a free round of golf or maybe it is a deep discount on a room. Desert Diamond, is a local casino that offers military members (and veterans) 2 free nights at their hotel, each month! It is always worth a call. 

2. Stay mid week - Yes, this is hard for the working folk. When we stay mid-week sometimes Ryan takes off work and sometimes he just joins us after work for the fun. Regardless, it is always a good time and the rates and availability will no doubt be lower. 

3. Search AirBNB - Houses that use this service are usually giving away their places during the off season. They want to make some money and not let the rental sit empty. We love taking advantage of the Phoenix, AZ rentals this time of year, and have found some amazing rates. 

4. Order In - A lot of resorts have food available, but usually not a very good price. Order take out from a local restaurant or order pizza delivery. This will save some money. Also, bring as much food as you can. We usually bring snacks and lunch stuff to help with the cost of the staycation. Some resorts will offer packages where kids eat free and this can also be a huge money saver, so make sure you shop around.

5. Be Flexible - Ever thought about a family staycation at a casino? We didn't either, until we moved to the mecca of casinos. We totally take advantage of the casinos discounted hotel rates and usually we don't even step foot in the casino. The hotels are typically attached to conference centers, so they are usually family friendly with great amenities. And have I mentioned how cheap drinks are at casinos? Try it out, you may be surprised. 

If you are close to Arizona, here are some of our favorite places to staycation in both Phoenix and Tucson! 

Tucson 

Casino Del Sol

Tubac Golf Resort and Spa - Great golf specials!

JW Marriot Tucson Starr Pass 

Hilton El Conquistador 

Phoenix

Wigwam Arizona - great pool and amenities

Talking Stick Resort 

JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa - kids eat free all summer long!

Sqauw Peak Resort 

Happy vacationing, 

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why I make my son pick up his toys

I get it. You're tired and you are in no mood to sing, "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.." why not just clean up later after your little goes to bed? 

This is what my son's playroom looks like after a long day of choo choo building and cookie making in his play kitchen. It is a wreck and there are toys everywhere!

Toys that we worked hard to get for him, or toys that our good family friends gifted him for Easter last year. Toys that his Nonnie and Grandma brought all the way from Ohio to watch him open. They are his possessions. Yes, they are plastic, but they are his. 

Remember, when you were searching for that perfect house. All you kept saying was "open floor concept, please!" Then you had kids and you realized, open floor concept means their toys will be all over that wonderful open floor. Ya, all of sudden you wish you had doors and ways to lock the the mess in. The play room is the first thing people see when they come over and quite frankly by the time I sit down at the end of the day, I don't want to see it. 

I also need some cleanliness to survive. And let's be honest, anything that makes me sane is good for everybody, especially the person who spends 24-7 with me! When I am in cleaning mode and deep cleaning the kitchen, he asks for his cleaner bottle and gets busy cleaning his tractor. Or when I whip out the sweeper, he gets his play Dyson and gets to work. He is learning so much, even the smallest things can teach him lessons. 

I feel that raising kids that know the importance of taking care of their stuff is vital in making sure they are respectful and appreciate everything they own. So, take the few minutes, listen to the whining and make it fun by singing Barney on repeat. Your future adult child will thank you for it one day.

Happy cleaning, 

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LPN is 3!

Our sweet boy turns 3 today! Where do I even begin? Baby Luke (his favorite nickname among family and friends) is no longer a baby. I swear there are days when he comes bounding down the stairs and I think he is off to High School. 

Birth Day 1/10/2013

 He loves basketball, hockey and football. 

He love backhoes, tractors and fire trucks.

His favorite book is "Daniel Tiger - Christmas". 

His favorite show is hands down Daniel Tiger. 

He didn't really start watching TV until 3 months ago, and we can thank the YouTube channel, Blippi, for that. 

He sleeps with no less than 10 stuffed animals, Ty (or Thomas) the teddy bear is his favorite. He is a wonderful sleeper, who can get quite cranky if he does not get his 15 hours of sleep a day. 

He basically potty trained himself a few weeks ago, with a little persuasion from his Daddy and his Nonnie. 

He was never a big snuggler until the last deployment, when he became the best snuggler! His favorite saying is, "Holy Moly," thanks to his Aunt RaRa. 

He can be shy, bashful and a bit slow to be the class clown but once he opens up he loves to make people laugh. 

My heart melts every time he says, "Thank you Mommy," and the best compliment you can give me is that he is a polite little boy.  

On any given day he asks WHYYYY  at least 45 times, sometimes he gets an answer sometimes he doesn't!

He loves to help Mommy clean and his face lights up when Daddy gets home from work.

He is an avid traveler, over 25 flights and counting!

His favorite food is Broccoli (no seriously, I just asked him). I would say he also really loves chicken nuggets, but the kid knows what he wants. 

1st Birthday! - Color theme 

2nd Birthday - Sports Theme 

Luke was the perfect addition to our family, and we are so very thankful that God decided to bring him to us. His love and passion for life make every day an adventure, and I can't imagine having any other job than being his mommy. I never saw myself as a SAHM, but now I am so very thankful that we made that decision. Going down to one income was a huge decision for us, and one that we did not take lightly, we knew we would have to make sacrifices. Of course we have our not so great days and yes, there are certain things about the professional life that I miss, but ultimately this was the best decision for our family. Life is good, God is good and we are making sure to cherish every day. 

Every other year we celebrate Christmas with my family at our house, and this year was a year that we stayed in AZ. Back in 2013, I threw Luke's 1st birthday in December while everyone was at the house, so I thought it would be fun to throw a small 3rd birthday party for Luke this year.  His birthday theme was a no brainer, the kid is obsessed with all things construction, so we went with it.

My birthday is right around Halloween, so when I was growing up my mom always made a theme cake for me. Whether she would do a ghost cake or a graveyard cake, it was always so special to me. So, this year I tackled a construction cake. I must say it was very tasty and the look on Luke's face was SO worth it. 

 It was so much fun to see him play with his friends and with his cousins. Such a special treat for him. He was slightly confused why we celebrated his birthday for 2 weeks, but hey you're only a kid once!

We have always visited The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on Luke's actual birthday. This year we continued the tradition and even captured a similar moment. 

Happy birthday, Luke! 

May you always look at the world through a smile. We love you!!!

the perfect gift

Let's talk about gifting! Remember waking up Christmas morning and having no idea how hard your parents worked to put together those presents under the tree? Long gone are the days of leaving out the cookies Christmas night and going to bed! It seems like forever ago, but there was a time where you would march into your elementary school with $5 and buy all of your presents in the Lil Shoppers store. I'm talking about the stores that the PTO set up to help all the little kids buy their parents knick knacks and decorate ornaments that they made. Does anyone else remember those? I loved those days, and I know for a fact that my parents still have a little trinkets from those days. They were such tiny gifts, but we picked them out, wrapped them and made them the best gifts ever!

I am still a lover of homemade gifts. Especially ones that my 2 year old makes! His attention span is somewhat limited, but he does love arts and crafts for about five minutes. We totally capitalize on that and have him make as much as he can throughout the month, to send to our family. This year I got a few wooden pieces from Michaels and let Luke (and Ryan) use their imagination to decorate them. I love how they turned out, and wish we could be there to see them opened! 

Supplies:

Small bird house

Kid's washable paint

Clear sealant to use after the paint dries

I also love the idea of putting my son's face on everything. So, family expect to open a lot of coffee mugs with Luke on them.  My MIL never waits to open her presents, so I am sure she is happily sipping from her Luke face coffee cup!  Calendars are usually on my mom's Christmas list, since it is an easy chance to get lots of pictures up on the wall, and completely useful. We opted to use Shutterfly this year, because they have some insane sales throughout the month, and it is super easy to ship to other addresses.


shutterfly.com

Yes, I am secretly hoping for that new GPS watch to be under the tree, but I would also love a coffee cup or a homemade gift from someone I love. 

What are your favorite gifts to give and receive during the holidays? 

Happy gifting, 

road trip shenanigans

When you live far from family you only have one option if you want to see them, travel! We have family within driving distance, but the majority of our family is across the country. My dog, Monty, has been on a plane more than the average American.  Needless to say our family are proud supporters of Southwest Airlines! 

While I much prefer a quick flight, sometimes the ease of driving is attractive. Luke and I recently took a road trip, and being the mega planner I am, I put together a bin of activities to keep him busy. With the end of summer quickly approaching, I thought it would be the perfect post for some last minute summer travels. In the past, I have (or whoever I am traveling with) has had the luxury of sitting in the backseat with him to entertain. For obvious reasons, this was not going to be an option. 

I thought this bin would be perfect for him to stash his goodies in throughout the trip. He loved having it next to him and digging around for treasures. 

Luke loves coloring!! So, I always have a few new coloring books as well as some recycled ones. These crayons are from the movie, "Cars" , and were $1 at the dollar store! Even though he has never seen the movie, he loves the themed crayons! 

Anything to keep their little minds moving is perfect. I made this green bag, using hot glue, felt and a magnetic stick on. Super easy! Inside I placed miniature LEGOS that kept him busy for hours! I received this free pencil case from a family briefing for Ryan's work and believe it or not, Luke loves just zipping it back and forth. 

  

These are genius and keep him busy for a long time! He hasn't quite gotten the grasp of looping them, but it is so cute to see him concentrating on getting the strong through the hole. It also helps that they have airplanes, cars and boats on the boards. 

This was a splurge for me, most of the other toys I discovered at the dollar store or the dollar bin at Target. I got it from Costco, he loves his Etch-A-Sketch, so I thought he would love this airplane themed one. I would absolutely say it was his favorite thing to find and play with. 

The day before a road trip, we will usually go on a library outing. I let Luke pick out some books to take and I pick out some audio books to listen to. Obviously, by Luke's choices, you can see he is very into trucks right now! The audio books work great for me, but they also help to put Luke to sleep throughout the trip, it is a win win! 

Of course we have to have some jams to listen to. I am not a fan of kids music, which may be why Luke knows most of T.Swift's album, but this CD was gifted to me by my dear friend, Kim. We have always loved it and he has enjoyed the songs since he was a tiny babe. I highly endorse this CD! 

I hope that you find some of this helpful! So many parents stress out about taking their kids on road trips or airplanes, but kids love adventure! All it takes is a little bit of planning and thinking ahead, and you will have be off making some great memories!!

Even the best laid plans sometimes end up in a funny story. Here is what Luke ended up using some of the paint markers for.....

Have you tried anything that you MUST share? I would love new ideas to add to my bin! 

Look for a food road trip post in the future! 

Happy traveling,

Meredith