Our Weekend Away as a Party of Five

I'd like to give a shout out to all the Moms who came before me that have taken road trips with their families. I now understand that it is no small feat to travel with multiple small children.

Y'all are the real MVPs.

We were only gone for about three days and I think that was a great amount of time to be away for our first trip as a family of five. My husband participated in a fitness competition right outside of Dallas. The town only had four hotels. We decided to stay at the hotel adjacent to the convention center where the show was taking place. I figured that would make walking back and forth to the event easy for me and the kids.

This was my first time stay at a Hampton Inn and Suites. I didn't know what to expect. The free daily breakfast (which wasn't great - thank goodness there was a Waffle House and IHOP close) and proximity to the convention center is what made us choose them for our trip. I was very surprised to see that the rooms were nice. I think my favorite part about the room was that it came with a nice size fridge and microwave. That was a must for me. I needed to store milk and snacks.

I packed a cooler for the kids with everything I could think of. Going to the store for everything little want or need wasn't something I was interested in doing. I will never go on a road trip without a cooler. Ever.

The only thing that I would change about our room is that I wish my husband had reserved an actual suite. I'm not sure how that break down in communication happened but we'll have to get it right next time. 

Some of the things I learned about traveling with three small kids is that when the trip is not necessarily about them you must bring stuff to keep them entertained. They did great (surprisingly) but I certainly was not prepared for all the down time we had. The hotel didn't have Nick Jr. or Disney Jr. so letting them get their fill of TV wasn't an option. 

We did bring our mobile TV box but the internet at the hotel was extremely slow. In retrospect none of this was an issue until it was time for bed. Next time I'll make sure to bring more books, activities, and movies that have already been downloaded to a device. 

The show itself was very interesting. I learned so much about how your body responds to food. To hear people talk about their meal plans and workouts was actually pretty fascinating. I definitely have more respect for the sport and the women that compete in it. They are on some super strict meal plans. I like eating everything the world has to offer so this sport would never be for me. I'll continue to support my husband from the sidelines.

So - if you plan to take your kids along for a ride that's not about them here are my tips for you...

Pack a cooler with everyone's favorite drinks (I also put fruit in our cooler!)

Bring a tote bag filled with everyone's favorite snacks

Call ahead to see what the movie watching, tv channel situation will be

Bring activities for downtime (books, crayons, play-doh - something)

Look up parks and playgrounds in the area (this was a lifesaver)

Schedule your drive time around nap time if possible (another lifesaver)

Plan for the pool (this helped but was difficult to do when I was solo with the kids)

We'll be on the move again when it's time for us to move. This trip was a nice eye opener to what our upcoming trip will be like. Hopefully I'll be more prepared for that one. What are your tips for traveling with kids?

Vegas Recap: Flirty 30 Day Three

Our last day in Vegas was bittersweet. We both agreed that we could have gone home that morning and been happy. Since we weren't leaving until the following morning we decided to venture up the strip to check out some of the sights. 

I kept the look for the last day very natural and relaxed. Here I am dancing on one of those moving floors. We realized that Bellagio had one that puts you right on the strip. Very convenient.

I can't get over how amazing this hair color is. Gorg! If I do say so myself...

We ended up spending a lot of time in the MGM. I actually flipped a dollar into $20 in there. I was excited, LOL! I really liked the MGM. The vibe there was so young and fun. We have LOTS of photos from this trip. I feel like a photo dump would be slightly offensive and too much to bare. I think I'll occasionally slip some of my favorites into some upcoming Thought Bubbles posts.

Sunday morning when we woke up the view was so peaceful and serene. The sky was so many different colors. It was beautiful. Our shuttle picked us up (a little tardy) and we were on our way to the airport. In true Vegas fashion one of the other passengers had to throw up so the shuttle driver obliged him at a red light and opened the door. It was gross.

My husband was like, "Don't touch anything. He's either drunk or contagious." 

My view from the plane on our way home. Gotta love Southwest….

And my last footage round up from our trip…

I hope you enjoyed my Vegas trip as much as I did. I have a lot of fun and exciting things coming up on the blog in the month of March. Thanks for reading!

Vegas Recap: Flirty 30 Day Two

Day Two got off to a great start. I had read lots of reviews about Hash House a Go Go and I really wanted to eat breakfast there. We got dressed and headed over to the Quad to get in line for a table. 

This was my look for the day. I am in absolute love with my sweater coat. It was perfect for the chilly temps. My scarf is a gift from my Mom. I've had it for years and I thought it was a nice touch to the coat. What do you think?

On the way to breakfast (It was like a five minute walk) we passed by a star that said "Diva". My husband spotted it first and pointed it out to me. Was he trying to tell me something about myself? LOL! I had to take a pic next to it!

During our wait for a table we chatted it up a bit and hung out. There were tons of people waiting. The restaurant was cranking people in and out though. I don't remember our wait being extremely long, maybe thirty minutes or so. When you don't have kids with you a wait doesn't seem that bad. 

At breakfast I ordered the The Tractor Driver combo. I am a sucker for pancakes and potatoes. This was so amazingly delicious. Do you see how big that pancake is? I couldn't eat the whole thing but I wanted to. I enjoyed a mimosa with my breakfast. Our server was great. He let us know that it would be a longer than usual wait for food because everything is cooked from scratch to order. Yum!

At the table next to us there was a girl celebrating her 21st birthday. I told her it was my birthday too. She must've told the waiter because before he gave us our check he bought this out to the table. Nothing like an ice-cream sundae to start your morning on your birthday...

After walking around the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace and doing a little shopping (mainly at the Nike store. Jeanette Jenkins has me obsessed with Nike gear. I blame her for my recent addiction) it was time to head back to the room to get ready for dinner.

We (I) took a little bit longer than expected getting dressed. I can't believe it but I didn't get one pic of my entire birthday dinner look. I did manage to get a quick pic of my handsome hubby though...

Here I am from the torso up at dinner...

I wore a skirt and crop top sequin number with some strappy shoes. It was cute. The food was even better than what I had on though. I got the lamb. He got a porterhouse steak. Our sides were brussel sprouts and truffled mash potatoes (i would smack somebody's mama right now for some of those). This is the best dinner we've had in a long time.

We had an amazing view of the Bellagio fountains at dinner. You'll see a bit of that in the video below. Before leaving our server gifted me with a birthday dessert...

After dinner I changed into something more comfortable for gambling, dancing and drinks. My husband took the pic below and he cropped it to oblivion before sending it to me. Sorry about that...

More random footage from day two in Vegas is below. I am living this trip all over again in these posts.

Vegas Recap: Flirty 30 Day One

We arrived at the Bellagio after taking a shuttle from the airport. The shuttle was $13 roundtrip per person. Not too bad. The driver was friendly and we didn't have to make many stops. It was actually nice getting to see some of the other properties before being dropped off. 

Once we were at our hotel someone took our luggage and invited us inside. It was beautiful. Just like in the movies and online. 

I thought this silver horse was gorgeous. It's the year of the horse and that seemed to be the theme in just about every property we visited. No one did it like the Bellagio though. Stunning. 

Here is a pic of the famous ceiling. It was even more captivating in person...

And a view of the front desk...

Overall I think the Bellagio made a good first impression. After we got into our room we went down to Café Bellagio to have lunch. It was good. The service was nice. I ordered the Greek Salad with shrimp and was a little disappointed. I think there were maybe three shrimp in my salad. I was not wowed by my lunch at all and left wanting something else to eat. Y'all know I'm a salad girl. While I left no longer feeling hungry I certainly wasn't happy about my meal. Luckily, all of my meals after that made up for it.

Here is a little vlog I did while there. It's random clips from our first day. Enjoy...

I'm not a fashion blogger but I did my best to document all of my outfits. I tried to remember to get pics of them all. Here is what I wore for travel. I was suppose to change my clothes once we got there but I never did. I ended up really liking this laid back look...

My cute little blue dress for dinner that night…

And a close up of our food at dinner. We ate at Noodle in the Bellagio. It was banging. It's a tiny little restaurant so we had to wait some time for a table. It was worth it though. I got the Pho. I can't remember what my husband got but it was good. We shared a chicken dish that was amazing. Great customer service. 

I hope you're enjoying my recap so far! Stay tuned for Day Two...

Vegas Recap: Tips for First Timers

All this week I'll be sharing videos and pics from my trip to Vegas. I hope you all enjoy it!

Today's video is about tips for women visiting Vegas for the first time.

30th Birthday Countdown: Vegas Hit List

Well. Here we are. It's my Flirty 30. Finally!! My actual birthday isn't until Friday but I will be beginning my celebration tomorrow. I am beyond excited!

We have never been to Las Vegas before and I am looking forward to the trip. I've been trying to research things to do and places to see. I've been on Trip Advisor reading forums and learning some interesting tidbits. Like apparently there's a twenty dollar tip trick you can do at the front desk of most hotels to get an upgrade…

We won't be trying that. I signed up to receive emails from the hotel we're staying at months ago. I booked our room after receiving a promo code for twenty percent off the room and a $100 food credit. I'm all about a food credit. Or any credit or discount for that matter.

Our day starts very early tomorrow morning. I thought it would be fun to make a "Hit List" of all the things I'd like to do while there. This isn't a schedule or strict checklist. More like a "this would be nice/cool to see/do" kind of list.

Dance until my feet hurt…

Dine at a celebrity chef's restaurant…

Eat at a Vegas Buffet...

Play the Slots...

See a show...

In & Out Burger...

Eat some really good Sushi...

Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate...

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Spot a Celebrity...

Conservatory & Fountains at the Bellagio...

30 Things: My 5 Passions...

In an attempt to really think about my passions I am going to exclude my husband and children from this list. Of course I am passionate about them but I don't feel the need to keep repeating that over and over. So after some thought, my five passions are...

1. Cooking - I love trying new recipes and cuisines at home. 

2. Writing - This blog and everything that has come from it has been so fulfilling.

3. Music - I love all kinds of music. I don't play any instruments but I could listen to music all day.

4. Fitness - As I've said before I am not a super healthy eater or gym rat but I do love to be in shape. 

5. Travel -Since we're constantly moving it's been tough to travel but I am looking forward to seeing more of the world. It's always nice to get a taste of different cultures and I can't wait to expose my children to that.