Planning a vacation with 21 people – and with kids ages 8 months to 17 years – can be quite tricky. How do you find something that everyone can enjoy? We gave it a try this summer when we traveled to Tennessee with our parents, siblings and families. Our parents rented a cabin in Sevierville... Continue Reading →
Estes Park = excellent local eateries
Estes Park has always been, for me, a cute, touristy town that served as the gateway to one of my favorite places on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park. While I'm sure there are some really great shops, (especially walking along Fall River including Outdoor World where we've purchased awesome Kavu wallets and bags and a... Continue Reading →
Local Gem: Wonderscope
We recently kicked off the summer by heading to Wonderscope. It's a cute little children's museum located in Shawnee, KS. Let me just start by being real frank ... I generally despise any type of museum. Especially children's museums. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, or it could be the fact that I... Continue Reading →
Road tripping with the kids and bathrooms: O-M-GROSS!!!
A blog post about public bathrooms? Yes. Why? Because the worst part of road tripping is having to use public bathrooms. O-M-GROSS!!! And if you find one that exceeds your expectations, you write about it! If you’ve driven along I-80, you probably have noticed the “Mom Approved Restrooms” billboards for Sapp Bros. I tend to... Continue Reading →
Sticky kisses, muddy messes and broken dishes: advice from a middle-aged mom
My husband and I have been teaching a kids class at our church for several months now. The kids range in age from six to eight (it's like Sunday School called Primary and you can learn more about it here if you'd like). As parents who have almost reached the middle stages of parenting (is there... Continue Reading →
‘I read. I travel. I become.’
Road Trip Tweet from 2012: We’re listening to “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” while driving in preparation for visiting the Holocaust Museum later this week. I think back to that tweet often when planning road trips. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was a highlight of our trip to Washington, DC, that summer.... Continue Reading →
Road tripping with the kids: my favorite FREE road trip apps
Are you planning your summer road trip(s) yet? I can’t wait to hit the road this summer with my family. And when we do, I will be relying heavily on several road trip and travel apps. I have compiled a list of my favorite FREE ones to help with your planning and traveling. We are... Continue Reading →
Local Gem: Longboards wraps & bowls
The Real Frank Sisters and families met up recently for a much-needed outing. We chose to go bowling, something both the little ones and bigger ones can enjoy together, and then dinner. I wanted to find a good, local place to eat. So after a little online searching (I don't make it to Kansas City... Continue Reading →
I’m not giving up, but …
I'm not giving up. I'm not a quitter. It's not really in my nature. But for the first 20 years of this chronic illness, I spent a good portion of my time trying to find ways to be healed. Or spending time being depressed because I wasn't. I don't think I'd ever really thought about... Continue Reading →
Making ‘family time’ a priority
Do you have regrets? I always wanted to be the person who said no to that question. No regrets. But do I? Probably. I wish I would’ve done this. Or I probably shouldn’t have done that. I’m not sure I really even like that question, though, or the idea of it. Life is a journey,... Continue Reading →