Family Trip

We took a 2 week family road trip to Colorado. It was a blast!

I've got to brag on the kids they are some great travelers. We escaped the hot Texas weather for a few weeks and enjoyed nice Colorado weather.

I plan to do a detailed post on traveling with kids and great Colorado spots.
Definitely a family friendly vacation.

Fun and Frugal Trip

Warning photo overload!!!

We had a wonderful family vacation to Galveston. It's about 5 hours from where we live.

The first day we headed to Moody Gardens. The kids loved it! My friend Carrie mailed us a discount coupon. Thanks Carrie! We stayed at a brand new Holiday Inn Express. LOVED IT!! Take a look at the room. We had our own balcony overlooking the ocean. Honestly this hotel room ranked up with some 5 star hotel's we've stayed at.

You can still see damage from the hurricane. This is the Flagship hotel. I grew up staying at this hotel each year.

We enjoyed walking on the beach. You can see how they've built up the beach with sand. They have trucks out each night. We were thrilled to see they rebuilt Murdoch's.

Kate with her name in the sand. Can you believe my big girl turned 13 this weekend?

Every trip to Galveston must include dinner at Gaido's Seafood.

The family!

We headed to The Houston Space Center. I found a coupon online for 50% off admission.

My favorite part was visiting the Buoyancy Lab where the astronauts train in the water to mimic space.

A bonus for the kids was seeing the Star Wars characters. This was a special for spring break. Did I say it was crowded? It was very crowded.

We had a fabulous time together. Another trip is a must. Something wonderful about the warm ocean air. While we were out of town it snowed at home. Whew, glad we missed the last snow storm. I'm a sunshine and ocean girl!

Spring Break on a Budget

I've been dreaming of a nice beach with and ocean....

I recall our family vacation in 2007 to St. Thomas. What an incredible trip. Little Madeline was only 2 months old. Yes, we were crazy to take a newborn overseas.

When I think beach I think of this picture of Will and Kate on the beach.
We are heading for a little spring break weekend trip soon. We asked the kids where they would like to go of course we hear, Disney World or St Thomas. Um... not quite that big of a trip.



We have to stay in the big state of Texas. First choice was Sea World until the tragedy yesterday. I desperately would like to see some ocean. Although it's not the crystal clear waters but it's a beach and it will do.



We are heading to Galveston. I've done my research and surprisingly found some great hotel rates. We are also visiting NASA in Clearlake. When I think of Houston I think the movie lines "Houston we have a problem". This attraction is one of the kids favorite spots.



While searching I discovered extra online discounts for Moody Gardens and The Johnson Space Center.



Hotel tip, we like to stay at Holiday Inn Express or Comfort Suites. These two chains have free hot breakfast in the morning and most of them are brand new. Having a breakfast in the morning saves at least $25 a day for our family of 5.

I've got some Houston readers do you have any money saving tips?

Tuesdays Tip.. nothing is free

Tip for today... when in Europe bring change. Why, because if you need to use the bathroom you need to deposit some change.

This is a photo from the McDonald's in Salzburg, Austria. Notice the camera up high for those sneaky people.

However, you do get in free if you are child size and can fit through the mini Ronald.
Since you just viewed this blog..... that will be 2 Euro's Please. One more thing, if you are paying in US dollars I will charge you 10% conversion rate. Oh and 20% VAT tax since you spent under $75 dollars. 1 more Euro if you need to use the restroom and make sure you tip the potty girl.

Thanks come back real soon!

That sum's up trying to be frugal during our trip!

I'm Back....Vegas Vacation!!

Vegas Baby! I have to start my review with my favorite photo. Me and Josh at dinner. I just love this photo! We stayed at the Bellagio, in my opinion the nicest hotel on the strip. It even smells good in the casino, that says a lot out there.

We had a fab time with our friends Michael and Regina from Colorado! As you can see from the table shot, we had some great drinks.

Yes, I tried my luck but as I suspected no go... I am not lucky when it comes to gambling. I sure gave it a good try.

We had a wonderful 4 days of relaxing and sightseeing. My favorite part is looking at the hotels. Wow, there are some great one's. My 2nd favorite was the Paris resort across the street.

Now are you ready for some Vegas tips???

1. Nothing in Vegas says frugal. It says "Give me more money". Be prepared.
2. Bring some breakfast bars so you can skip the $20 breakfast buffet.
3. Know what you can afford to gamble and stop when you get there.
4. DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILDREN! It is not family friendly. We were shocked at the billboards and little cards.
5. Bring some comfortable shoes or at least break them in before you go. Lot's of walking!
6. Research the hotels online, you get what you pay for. I recommend the Bellagio, Venetian or Paris Hotel's.
   
   We had a wonderful time! My favorite memory is walking around and holding my husband's hand. I suggest a vacation anywhere without the kids. Thank you Josh for an amazing trip! I love you!!!