“Why would you want to take your baby to Walt Disney World? She won’t remember it.”

But does that make the trip any less magical? No. It doesn’t.

I’ve met many parents who think they should wait until their kids are older to make a trip to Walt Disney World. But I’m here to tell you, the magic is very much real even when they’re babies.

You might be trying to figure out the best age to visit Walt Disney World but the truth is, it can be any age. There are plenty of reasons you should go for that trip with your baby, including the fact that they’re free until they’re 3-years-old.

We’ve taken our kiddos to see Mickey several times, and last month we brought Lee Lee, our 7-month-old, to Walt Disney World for inaugural visit as a part of Disney Creator Days!

10 tips for bringing your baby to Walt Disney World

Bringing a baby to Walt Disney World can be fairly easy if you know what to look for and how to prepare. Here are 10 tips for having a magical Disney vacation with your infant, without all the stress.

1. Hit up the Baby Care Centers

Forget diapers? No sweat. You can get everything you need in the Baby Care Centers located in each park. There are high chairs for feeding, and microwaves for warming. It’s a comfy quiet place to sit and nurse your baby, give a diaper change, or just chill out for a minute. There are even TVs you can relax and enjoy until you’re ready to hit the parks again.

2. Enjoy some low-key nursing attractions

If the Baby Care Center is on the other side of the park and you’re cool with feeding on the go, there are so many slow and dark attractions that double as great nursing spots. I love the Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth at Epcot, Finding Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to name a few.

3. Discover your baby’s favorite ride

Worried your baby is to young to join in on the fun? Think again. Most rides are for all heights and ages. My some of my favorites are Dumbo, Toy Story Mania, Peter Pan’s Flight, and the Kilimanjaro Safari. My daughter seemed to love Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel the most.

There are so many to choose from that it would be easier to list the rides your baby can’t ride. There are only a handful.

4. Use Rider Switch

For those aforementioned rides that do have a height restriction, use Disney’s Rider Switch pass so you can take turns riding without the baby, and skip the line the second time around.

5. Go watch a Disney Junior Show

If your baby is teetering on the toddler age and a fan of Disney Junior, you’ll definitely want to check out the Disney Junior live show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. All of their favorite characters hit the stage for a fun, musical and interactive performance.

6. Bring a cooler for snacks

Outside food is allowed inside Disney Parks so you can stash away some of your little one’s favorite snacks. Bring along a cooler to keep things cold. But don’t sweat it if you forget something. Remember the Baby Care Centers, or even the quick serve restaurants. My daughter enjoyed chowing down on all of the Iconic Disney foods but there’s also fresh fruit and other healthy options available.

7. Rent a stroller

Whether your baby isn’t walking yet, or has been walking for five years, a stroller is a pretty good idea. But instead of lugging your own all the way from home, you can rent one from the Walt Disney World approved stroller companies. Our favorite has been Orlando Stroller Rental through the years. They bring your stroller to your resort hotel and leave it with bell service for you, then pick it up on the day you leave.

This was the first time my big kids didn’t have their own double stroller to share and they definitely got tired. I actually wore my baby in the carrier for most of this trip but the stroller still came in handy to hold some of our other things, or give our big kids a place to sit now and then.

There’s a lot of stroller parking around Disney Parks where you can place your stroller while you visit the attractions in different areas.

8. Take Some Time Outs

If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort  Hotel then hopping on a bus and heading back for a quick nap is a piece of cake. You can break up your day this way doing mornings at the park, take a break after lunch then heading back around dinner time for the nighttime shows. I personally like to stick it out and look for places within the parks to take a break.

My favorite place right now is the Walt Disney Railroad Main Street Train Station. Because of construction on the TRON ride, the train isn’t running, but the station is still open for people to visit, and you can even sit on the train or ask the conductor if you can ring the bell. When it’s running I like to sit and ride the train around the park a few times as a break but chilling out in the station for a short break is also very nice.

9. Request a complimentary travel crib

Don’t worry about lugging your pack n’ play along for the trip. Ask your Walt Disney World Resort for a complimentary travel crib or pack n’ play during your stay. They have a limited amount on hand. We opted for the pack n’ play since our baby was sitting up. It worked perfect for her to sleep in after a long day of fun. She slept all night!

10. Use those FastPasses wisely!

This is probably a given but I thought I’d throw in a little extra something with this tip. Plan your FastPasses in advance and take note of which rides have the longest wait times. For example, Peter Pan’s flight usually has a much longer wait than It’s a Small World or The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Book your FastPass+ for those rides with the longer waits and choose stand-by for the others. Dumbo may have a longer wait but your little ones can play in a playground while you wait so you may opt to save a FastPass+ for another ride and wait that one out. And don’t forget, many character experiences have FastPass+ options as well! Bring those autograph books for a great first souvenir.

Your baby may not remember their first trip to Walt Disney World, but you will. And coming from someone who’s gone with a baby, a two year old and up to an almost 9-year-old, I can say the joy in my baby girl’s face was just as special.

Winter is not my jam. In fact, it’s probably my least favorite season. If it weren’t for the holidays, I’d want to be a bear and hibernate until it passed.

My husband and I lived in Utah for the first part of our marriage and I absolutely hated the snow. I couldn’t wait to leave Utah, and move someplace without the cold, fluffy stuff. It would make it easier to drive, easier to get ready for the day, and less work shoveling. We decided Austin, Texas, looked nice, and we’ve rarely seen snow since. Nine years and two kids later, we still don’t miss the snow, but we do remember how fun and magical it was when we were kids. Last winter, we planned a trip to Utah to visit family for Thanksgiving and hopefully let our kids see their first snow. We arrived at the Salt Lake City airport, rented a car from Alamo Rent A Car, and make our way to Grandma’s house.

There wasn’t any snow on the ground when we got there, but before we left the kids not only got to witness their first snow, but they got to play in it. They happily shoveled it, made snow angels and even went tubing down a big snow hill.

If you’re like me and are not a big fan of winter, let me tell you, planning some fun in the snow does help. Head over to the Alamo Scenic Route and check out my new blog post on the perfect family winter travel bucket list!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Shell, for which I was compensated. All opinions are my own.

My husband and I are like ying and yang. And I don’t just mean the black/white thing. I mean we are so different in many ways. One of the biggest differences is the fact that I love seeking new adventures and traveling and he’s 100% fine staying put.

We have had our moments of compromise though. Before kids we went on a Bahamian cruise and had the time of our lives. I’m trying to talk him into another one just the two of us but so far no luck.

Every year we visit Utah and we go back and forth about flying versus driving there. Thankfully, so far, every time I’ve won that debate. But I still have dreams to whisk the family away to family, or take a trip to visit relatives in Dubai, my husband thinks I’m certifiably nuts.

“Why don’t we drive to the beach?” He’ll say.

But I’m trying to settle down a little bit. Our family has been working on our summer bucket list and this summer we’ve decided we’re going to do more exploring close to home. We do live in the largest state in the continental US after all. There is a lot we haven’t seen. We’ve done Disney vacations (and don’t get me wrong, we’re not done). But I want to make more meaningful memories as a family that don’t break the bank.

Here are some ways I’m planning to save money while having fun this summer:

Researching discount/free days

There are so many fun places to go in our town and in other cities nearby. I plan to do some research for coupons and deal days to see what activities we can do for less and save some cash. My husband often has weekdays off because of his shift work, so we’ll try to take advantage of those off-day prices.

Pack snacks

We are usually pretty good about this but when we’re not, man it adds up fast. For shorter trips I’ll make sure to pack a few snacks to keep the kids from getting too hangry and save from having to stock up at every other convenient store.

Driving!

My husband will be happy, my son who all of a sudden has terrible earaches on planes will be happy, and our wallets will be happy. While I do have a couple of work trips planned this summer, our personal trips will be fueled by well… car fuel.

Fuel Rewards savings

I’m teaming up with Shell and the *Fuel Rewards® program through the end of the year. I just signed up for a Fuel Rewards® card and got “Instant Gold Status” which basically means I can save at least $.05/gallon at the pump (up to 20 gallons / visit) and earn points other places when I used the card. It’s not a credit card and doesn’t cost anything to sign up.

Packing well

Know how many times we’ve gone on trips and forgotten things like beach toys, or sunglasses, pieces of bathing suits and more. Then we have to find a gift shop and pay the premiums for those items. I’m going to make a packing list this time and hopefully avoid that trouble.

Hopefully if we do all these things we’ll be able to pack in one or two more trips than we normally do. Of course we’ll be blogging (and probably vlogging) along the way. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m teaming up with Shell and the Fuel Rewards® program through the end of the year. As a part of this partnership we’ll be documenting our road travels. But first we’ve gotta nail down exactly where to go and what to do. So far a few on my list are: South Padre Island, Camping (maybe… unless it’s too hot), New Orleans, Dallas, Houston or San Antonio.

Do you have any suggestions? What are your summer plans?

*Restrictions apply. To qualify for the Gold/Silver Status offers, you must be a Fuel Rewards^® member and swipe your Fuel Rewards^® card or enter your Alt ID when you fuel at a participating Shell station. With Gold Status, you will receive 5¢/gal in Fuel Rewards^® savings on every fill-up. The 5¢/gal reward for Gold Status will be combined with other rewards in your Fuel Rewards^® account. If you are an existing Fuel Rewards^® member, you will receive Gold Status from 6/5/2017 through 12/31/17, the “Existing Member Introductory Period”. If you are a new Fuel Rewards^® member, you will receive Gold Status for the initial month you join through the last day of the month, 6 full calendar months later, the “New Member Introductory Period”. The last 3 months of the Existing Member Introductory Period or the New Member Introductory Period (collectively the “Introductory Period”) is the “Qualification Period”. You will retain your Gold Status during the Qualification Period, but you must make 6 qualifying fuel purchases to qualify for Gold Status for the next 3 months, the “Benefit Period”. During the Benefit Period, you must continue to make 6 qualifying fuel purchases to maintain your Gold Status for the next 3-month Benefit Period. A qualifying fuel purchase is any fuel purchase at a participating Shell station in which you swipe your Fuel Rewards^® card or enter your Alt ID and fill up with at least 5-gallons of any grade of fuel. For example, if you are a new Fuel Rewards^® member and register on 6/15/2017, you will receive Gold Status through the New Member Introductory Period (i.e., 12/31/2017). You will need to fill up with at least 5 gallons of fuel at least 6 times during the Qualification Period (i.e., 10/1/2017 and 12/31/2017) to maintain Gold Status during the Benefit Period (i.e., from 1/1/2018 to 3/31/2018). Thereafter, if you continue to fill up with at least 5 gallons of fuel at least 6 times during the successive 3 consecutive month Benefit Periods, you will retain your Gold Status. If you do not maintain your Gold Status, you will receive Silver Status. With Silver Status, you will receive 3¢/gal in Fuel Rewards^® savings. The 3¢/gal reward for Silver Status will be combined with other rewards in your Fuel Rewards^® account. Redeem Fuel Rewards^® savings with your Fuel Rewards^® card or Alt ID at participating Shell stations. Fuel Rewards^® savings are limited to 20 gallons of fuel per purchase, per vehicle, or fraud limits placed by Shell and/or limits placed on your financial card by your financial institution, each of which may be lower. Fuel Rewards^® savings must be redeemed in a single transaction. Once you begin to dispense fuel using your Fuel Rewards^® savings, you must dispense to the 20-gallon limit or you forfeit any remaining discounted gallons of fuel. For example, if you only pump fifteen (15) gallons of fuel, you would abandon the remaining five (5) gallons of discounted fuel. If you have a rewards balance greater than the current per-gallon price of fuel, the price will roll down to the maximum capability of the fuel equipment, and your remaining rewards will be saved for a future fuel purchase. Dispenser may require a price of up to 10.9¢/gal. It may not be possible to combine multiple discounts and/or rewards in a single transaction. For purchases of $75 or more, please go inside to pay. Unbranded diesel and alternative fuels may not be eligible. The Fuel Rewards^® program is owned and operated by Excentus Corporation. Offer may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Not valid where prohibited by law. Please see fuelrewards.com for complete Fuel Rewards^® program details and Terms and Conditions. Other restrictions may apply. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To learn more, visit fuelrewards.com/gold or call (888) 603-0473.

I’ve had several people ask me which I like more: a Disney Cruise Vacation or a Walt Disney World Vacation. I’ve already broken down my family’s favorites and why. We adore both. Your first thought about a cruise may be that there isn’t as much to do. But trust me, it’s not like you’re just sitting on a boat all day with nothing to do but lay out and eat. There’s actually a lot going on and so many things to do on a Disney Cruise.

We’ve been lucky enough to do two Disney Cruises. A little over a year ago we did a 7-night cruise on the Disney Wonder from Galveston to save on airfare. Then this month, as a part of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration we went on a 3-night cruise from Port Canaveral on the now reimagined Disney Wonder. I wish I could say we did everything but I’d probably need a few more under my belt before I can say that.

First off, in order to make the most out of your Disney Cruise you’ll want to download the Disney Cruise Line app. Even without wi-fi the app alerts you to events happening during the day, character meet and greet times, and more. You can also use it to check out your room service menu (did I mention FREE room service?) and mark your favorites and “to-do” items. You’ll also get a Personal Navigator delivered to your room daily with an easy-to-read chart showing what’s going on each day and when.

While I know there is more, like Star Wars Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea on certain sailings–this is a list of our favorites and some things I can’t wait to try… Here are 100 things to do on a Disney Cruise. Check back in a bit for a printable checklist to see how many you can complete in one cruise!

1. Attend the Oceaneer Club and Lab open house
2. Sail away deck party
3. Eat soft serve ice cream
4. Enter your kid in a baby race (Diaper Dash)
5. All you can eat soft pretzels
6. Test your knowledge at Disney Tune Trivia

7. Belt some tunes at Disney Karaoke
8. Soak in the hot tub
9. Enjoy all you can eat at a lunch buffet
10. Play at the arcade
11. Watch a Disney movie at the theater
12. Watch a Broadway-Caliber live show in the evening before or after dinner
13. Watch a comedy show

14. Splash down a waterslide
15. Play the Magic Quest scavenger hunt game
16. Watch a magic show
17. Grab a burger (or chicken fingers) and fries by the pool
18. Play Disney Trivia
19. Catch a movie still in theaters
20. See what’s on TV in your room – Disney classics play around the clock

21. Party at the Pirate Night deck party
22. Visit the adult-only pool
23. Sit back and enjoy the dinner-time entertainment
24. Run (or walk) in a 5K (on Castaway Cay)
25. Get a facial at the spa
26. Hit the gym
27. Enjoy a fireworks show

28. Meet your favorite Disney princess
29. Check out a Disney vacation club preview
30. Get character autographs
31. Play Family Feud
32. Dance at a poolside jam
33. Enjoy a dessert buffet
34. Take a walking ship guided tour

35. Discover your towel animal of the day
36. Enjoy a live band
37. Test your Disney knowledge and play Mickey Mania
38. Get your groove on at a Club D dance party
39. Try your luck at BINGO
40. Meet Captain Mickey
41. Listen to a live piano serenade

42.Dine at a Character breakfast or see Mickey at Animator’s Palate
43. Kids can enjoy super sloppy science
44. Take a late-night stroll around an empty deck
45. Play shuffleboard
46. Order a late-night room service treat
47. Play basketball
48. Get a massage

49. Take a picture with Minnie Mouse
50. Kids play capture the flag
51. Ask your waiter if the know any magic tricks
52. Pin trade with cast members
53. Pizza Pizza Pizza
54. Watch a game in the sports bar

55. Participate in a Disney Fish gift exchange
56. Boogie down at a character dance party in the atrium
57. Play mini golf
58. Run/walk around the track on the deck
59. Ride up and down the elevator
60. Check out the art gallery
61. Family pool and movie-watching
62. Order room service for breakfast

63. Order 2 desserts
64. Eat lamb/steak/lobster and other fine delicacies
65. Enjoy a variety show
66. Take your kids in for fun kids club activities
67. Go clubbing while the kids play
68. Play Match Your Mate
69. Try a snorkeling excursion

70. Talk to your room host or wait staff about where they’re from
71. Shop for souvenirs
72. Try a yoga or fitness class
73. Get a fruity drink
74. Attend a mixology seminar (21+)
75. Bring your toddler to the splash pad
76. Attend a craft session

77. Watch the sunrise/sunset from the top deck (or from your verandah).
78. Check out the VIBE lounge for teens
79. Tour the EDGE club for 11-14 year olds at their open house
80. Play in a Pictionary Challenge
81. Play Pixar Trivia
82. Have your photos taken by a professional photographer
83. Basketball free throw tournament

84. Do a photoshoot
85. Play “So You Think You Know Your Family”
86. Watch (or play in) a ping pong tournament
87. Take a stab at some ice carving
88. Anyone Can Cook (attending a cooking seminar)
89. Learn new skills in an animation class
90. Attend an ice cream social

91.Watch your prince or princess get a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
92. Stay out late while your kids are at the kids club
93. Play Sports Trivia
94. Play Movie Challenge Poolside
95. Watch another amazing live-show
96. Make a sand castle and explore Castaway Cay (select itineraries)
97. Play Family Fusion

98. Buy your favorite photo you had taken during the cruise
99. Fly through the AquaDuck water slide (on the Disney Dream and Fantasy)
100. Book another Disney Cruise while onboard (and save!)

Have you been on a Disney Cruise? What were some of your favorite things to do on a Disney Cruise?

I’ve always wanted to be a reporter and I’ve always loved the Disney Parks. Combine the two and some awesome kind of dream job would be to be a Disney Parks reporter. Like if Walt Disney World® Resort had a news team, I’d be the lead reporter giving the scoop on all of the fun rides and restaurants to hit up with your family when visiting the parks.

Well a couple of months ago that dream was basically realized when Disney flew my family and me to Orlando and gave us a free Walt Disney World® Resort vacation to capture our Disney do-list in a four-part series for Essence.com showcasing some of the Disney Parks magic we know and love.

Now for you, my blog readers, I can give you some of the behind-the-scenes scoop. For one, my husband who you know is as camera shy as they get, – was a big trooper. Lil’ J has had a camera in her face since birth so she was a gem, and little man was something else. I mean we were at Walt Disney World® Resort, he was ready to play, and the crew just had to capture his joy.

We stayed at the beautiful Disney’s Art of Animation Resort which is easily our favorite right now purely for the Cars cast. Every evening when we came back to the hotel we had to make a trip around Radiator Springs to say hi to all of his friends.

In the end we knocked out all of our favorites:

Meeting Tiana
Turtle Talk with Crush
Chatting with Elsa and Anna
Dumbo the Flying Elephant® Attraction
Toy Story Mania® Attraction
… Actually this list can get pretty long fast. You can watch our videos to see what we enjoyed.

And I’ll narrow down a few of our favorite NEW things we experienced:

1. Met Moana – She’s currently at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®.
2. The new Frozen Ever After ride – One of my new favorite rides for sure. We all loved it. The atmosphere was beautiful and we were singing the whole way through. There were some backwards riding and a little drop, and the kids both had a blast.
3. We hitched a ride on some Main Street, U.S.A.® transportation and my kids sent a trail of bubbles all the way down. Their huge smiles were contagious.
4. Met Gaston outside of his tavern– He is HILARIOUS! He asked my husband if he wanted to feel his biceps too and my husband politely declined.

5. Show Mickey Mouse a cool toy– My kids lost their minds when we saw Mickey and Minnie in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. But the cutest part was when my son ran for his Mack truck (from the Cars movie) he had with us the entire trip and ran back to show it to Mickey. I almost cried. He still talks about that today and can’t wait to go see him again.

We’ve taken four trips to Walt Disney World® Resort (plus two to Disneyland ® Resort and two Disney Cruise Line vacation) in two years and we STILL haven’t seen it all.

With each trip the magic never fades. Walt Disney World® Resort has endless magic.

Enter to win

Essence Communications Inc. is sponsoring The Endless Magic Sweepstakes so you and your family can experience it as well! Visit www.Essence.com/EndlessMagic to enter for a chance to win a 4-night/5-day Walt Disney World® Resort vacation for four.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Purchasing does not improve your chances of winning. The Endless Magic Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., age 21 or older. Void outside the U.S., in Puerto Rico, and wherever prohibited by law. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:01 AM ET on 01/13/17 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 03/30/17. Click here for Sweeps Facts and Official Rules. Sponsor: Essence Communications, Inc., 225 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281.

Eight monuments, four Smithsonian Museums, one Capitol tour and countless subway stops in two and a half days.

I don’t even know where to begin when describing this trip to Washington D.C. with my daughter. It started out as a plan to go and see a BYU football game. Then we changed our minds and decided not to go to a game but to wait until after the new African American history museum grand opening and to just make a mother/daughter trip out of it. I’d never been. She’d never been. We were going on an adventure together.

A huge perk of homeschooling is being able to take off in the middle of the school year and head for a vacation anywhere with fewer crowds all while making lessons out of it.

I spent the weeks before loosely planning what we’d try to see and do and walked away plotting our next trip.

If you’ve never been, you really must put D.C. on your list of places to go.

Before going on and on about how much I loved it I should disclose that we strictly enjoyed the National Mall this time around. Though we toyed with venturing out to a few other places, there was so much to see and do and since we only had a couple of days we tried to make the most out of this historical area for our first trip.

The week before our vacation I checked out some books about Washington, D.C. to read together and I bought a couple more. I think I’ll write up a separate post just outlining a Washington D.C. unit study for homeschool or people wanting to make a lesson out of it with young kids to let you know how I worked that out.

We stayed with our generous and wonderful friends who live in Fairfax, VA. So we were just a subway ride away from the National Mall. That was an adventure in and of itself and got me excited to go back with my train-loving son.

We got off at the Smithsonian stop and popped up around the corner from the Washington Monument. There was nothing like seeing my 6-year-old daughter jump up and down and screaming the icon by name.

We kicked things off with an ice cream bar from a stand right there, then walked over to the breathtaking 555 ft tall monument.

She wanted to touch it herself. We couldn’t go inside (closed for repairs) but she was happy to feel the outside and she took a little video on her camera.

I should mention I used one camera and one lens for this entire trip. My Canon EOS 80D for photos and video (though I mostly focused on photos for this trip). And I rented a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM wide angle lens that was perfect for all of the huge monuments and buildings. On a crop sensor camera this lens works wonders outdoors, and even indoors since you can stop the shutter speed down lower than usual without worrying about much blur.

From the Washington Monument we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, which was one of the two I was most looking forward to seeing. It wasn’t a quick walk with a 6-year-old who was already getting tired from a long day, but she was a trooper, and talking about the huge statue we’d seen in books that we were about to see kept her motivated to keep going.

On the way we saw the beautiful World War II Memorial and walked along the reflecting pool. Once we reached the stairs Lil’ J said she was going to walk on the steps Martin Luther King Jr. walked on. We didn’t notice it as we walked in but on the way out we saw exactly where he stood and gave his I Have a Dream Speech.

Inside the Lincoln Memorial we traded photos with someone next to us to get a picture together in front of Abraham Lincoln’s statue.

To the left is the Gettysburg Address in the largest font I’ve ever seen. The whole scene was truly breathtaking.

Next we saw the Vietnam Memorial and I had one of the most difficult discussions to date (until two days later at the African American history museum) about war. We talked to a Vietnam Veteran who volunteered there and told us more about the memorial and I helped Lil’ J read some of the names.

We walked over to the Korean War Memorial next which was just across the way. She was really intrigued by this memorial and took some photos of her own.

Lastly for this first afternoon we visited the Jefferson Memorial. It was really funny because other tourists were so enthusiastic about her. They were cheering for her as I took her photos and then asked to take pictures of their own with her. It was oddly amusing.

I wasn’t prepared for all of the questions Lil’ J would have about each monument. I found myself Googling information about the presidents and dates to refresh my memory. History wasn’t even close to being my favorite subject and I don’t remember much. In many ways I feel like I was learning for the first time right along with her.

We went home with our friends after this and she spent the rest of the evening playing with their kids. The next day our plan was to visit the last few memorials we missed then go to some Smithsonian Museums and take a Capitol tour. We didn’t get to visit the White House which was disappointing but I’m armed with tips to get in next time.

I’m just going to photo dump on the rest of this post and save more details about the education side of it for an upcoming more homeschooling-focused entry but I have to leave you with one important takeaway from this experience.

Washington D.C. is definitely a trip to put on the bucket list for any American. There’s so much history, entertainment and a real serene beauty surrounding many of the monuments. The best part of it all though? Coming home and hearing my daughter share her experience with her family and friends.

At a birthday party last weekend she asked to show some pictures of our trip to her friends, and I overheard her telling them about the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. She pointed out the monuments on a motorcycle video game at an arcade with her daddy, and notices things that remind her of the sights we saw and memories we made.

Most of all, I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to enjoy this experience with my daughter. We came, we saw, we captured, we conquered. We celebrated a milestone and made memories we’ll cherish forever.

For more photography tips from yours truly, check out my new photography course: Child’s Play: Simple Tips for Photographing Children.

From birthdays to family vacations, to holidays and more, I’m teaming up with Canon every month to share how we capture our special milestones. I’ll also dish out tips to help you better capture your special moments with your family. Shout out to my favorite camera brand for sponsoring this series.

Spending quality time as a family is something I treasure, and so important to my happiness. Actually I can see how it affects my whole family’s mood when we’re giving each other our focused love and attention.

My babies are only going to be little for so long and I am obsessed with absorbing this stage. While cuddling them I’m taking more time to soak it in and be grateful. While playing, even if it’s doing something I don’t particularly like, I’m enjoying their joyful smiles. It’s also why I’m so immersed in photographing as much as I can. I love that we can flip through our family photo albums together and remember all of the fun we’ve had. I believe cherishing those moments and instilling the importance of family is invaluable.

So here’s a glimpse at some of what’s going in the photo book from our South Padre Vacation:

I feel like I did a pretty good job this vacation of balancing the moments I wanted to pull my camera out and capture what was going on, and the times when I’d just enjoy my company. This pretty much involved me snapping some shots when we first got somewhere, or started an activity, then putting it away for a little bit and playing with my husband and kids. I was so proud of myself for passing my camera over to my husband and making sure I got in some of the shots too.

Obviously at the beach I wanted to be extra careful not to get my camera wet or get sand on it. The sand part wasn’t incredibly easy to do but I found if I kept my hands clean I could keep my camera clean. Then I only set it down when it was safely tucked away in my camera bag and underneath a blanket.

I used my EOS 80D for most of my photos on this trip. It is lighter than my EOS 5D Mark II and convenient because I was able to easily switch between taking photographs and capturing video.

For me it’s so important I do something with my photos once I’m back home. I try to print some out to hang or make a photo books when I have a lot of photos. I like to keep my photo books out and within reach because my kids love flipping through them all the time.

Same goes for my videos. I try to turn them into something we can enjoy versus just clips of video one after another to scroll through and press play on. Here’s what I made from this trip:

1. Get a variety of shots: Some may include people, some may just be the location, and don’t forget those tiny details, like the shells my kids collected on the beach.

2. Candids are great: It can be tempting to plop your family in front of a landmark, snap a photo and call it a day, but vacations are a great time to get candid photos and capture the emotion and fun around a trip. Look at taking photos of the action as well as reactions to things going on.

3. Get in the shot: I almost forgot this this trip. It wasn’t until I was looking at some of the photos I took of my husband with the kids that I realized I hadn’t been in any yet. I passed my camera off to him (after switching the camera to AV mode so he couldn’t mess it up) and played in the sand with my kids while he did the best he could (and it wasn’t bad!)

4. Switch to video now and then: I don’t need to keep rolling on every moment of the trip, but press record for 5-10 seconds every now and then and string the pieces together later to really capture the emotion from the moment.

5. Use a zoom lens: I love my primes, don’t get me wrong, but on vacations when you’re walking around and in a variety of situations, zoom lenses are so handy. I mostly used my Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens to take in more of the background, but I also loved my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens when I wanted to get closer.

For more of my vacation photography tips check out my article or my photography course on the Canon Digital Learning Center.

From birthdays to family vacations, to holidays and more, I’m teaming up with Canon every month to share how we capture our special milestones. I’ll also dish out tips to help you better capture your special moments with your family. Shout out to my favorite camera brand for sponsoring this series.

We’ve gone on a lot of Disney vacations over the last year and a half. While that never gets old (to me) I’ve really started looking forward to other places we could visit. This especially now that we have a more flexible homeschool schedule.

With my husband’s schedule and shift work it’s possible to get away two nights during his three days off a week. But we don’t take advantage of that very much. Hopefully this is the start of a new series of adventures.

Soon we’ll be heading to DC, and just before school started we took a road trip down to the coast for a South Padre family vacation.

My husband and I have lived in Texas for eight years now, but we had yet to visit the coast. I’d asked friends over the years which beaches they liked. I’d heard Port Aransas, Mustang Island, and a couple others but most people told me South Padre Island was their favorite. It was also one of the furthest away from us.

About a six hour drive with breaks, I worried someone might not survive the trip down there. Three and a half hours to Dallas was the furthest we had driven with them before so we didn’t know how they’d handle almost double that distance.

It’s absolutely beautiful driving onto the island and if I wasn’t half asleep (I can not stay awake on car trips for the life of me) I would have tried to take a picture of the long bridge from the Texas coast out to this little island.

During Spring Break I imagine this place is packed and crazy, but it felt nearly deserted and the beach was beautiful.

So if you’re thinking of heading out there with your family at some point, don’t think you can’t have fun in what’s commonly known as a party town.

On our way down we drove through Harlingen, TX and stopped at a Mexican bakery called Laura’s Bakery that sold this delicious sweet bread called mollettes. They only take cash but everything is very inexpensive. We actually went to an ATM only to find that we had enough change for what we wanted.

After that last pit stop we went straight to our hotel at Holiday Inn Express South Padre. We partnered with Intercontinental Hotel Group and booked the room using IHG Rewards points they hooked us up with which are as good as cash.

I feel like I’m terrible at using rewards like frequent flier miles because I rarely get to take advantage of them before they expire. Other programs like pizza or take-out rewards (ok, or most anything involving food) I rock at and often get free meals.

IHG Rewards work similar where you earn points every time you stay at one of their participating hotels. That’s not just Holiday Inn Express but any hotel that’s a part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group.

My kids, especially my daughter are really fascinated with hotels. The continental breakfast, big fluffy beds, the elevators… It’s all just too much to handle.

Their reaction when we walked into the room would make you think we walked right into Magic Kingdom (I have video proof coming soon). They busted open the refrigerator, checked out the bathroom, extra sink, and the view outside the window.

Naturally jumping on the bed was next.

After we settled in for a bit, we changed and headed out to the beach. The people who got us all checked in were so kind to point us in the direction which was really just a quick walk outside the side door.

We spent the rest of the afternoon out there. I didn’t realize how long some sand and waves could entertain my kids and shoot… Myself.

It was so relaxing laying there and listening to the water, and just watching my kids have fun. I feel like I can get down with the beach vacations. Big T was more scared of the waves (I think he’s seen The Good Dinosaur one too many times) but Lil’ J, my water baby, was in heaven.

We asked the woman who checked us in at the hotel for food recommendations and she gave us a long list of places to eat, including some family friendly places.

Since we had a long drive in and were pooped from the long day we ordered takeout from Gabriella’s, a yummy Italian restaurant.

My kids had never slept in the same bed before and I worried my son might fall out (not enough to actually share a bed with him myself) so I lined the floor next to him with some of those comfortable pillows just in case.

He didn’t fall out. Thankfully.

The next day we woke up shortly before breakfast ended. The kids got their fill from muffins and juice and my husband and I enjoyed omelettes, bacon, biscuits and gravy.

We decided to explore the island in the morning then head to the beach for the rest of the day. We drove around and stopped by an interesting looking store called Jaws… Easily noticeable from the street because of the giant shark head entrance. There was a lot of overpriced stuff in there but also some weird dead baby sharks in a jar. I took a snapchat photo but my phone didn’t save it… Probably a good thing cause it was really weird.

We considered going to a popular water park called Schlitterbahn, but decided against it since the weather was iffy and our kids aren’t into water thrills.

Instead we visited an amazing place called Turtle Inc. It was right across the street from our hotel. It’s a rescue, rehabilitation and release facility for sea turtles.

Of course your kids can’t touch the animals, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating. You’re up close and personal with half a dozen of these beautiful creatures. We walked around and read about each one, why they were there and if they’d be able to go back into the ocean.

Merry Christmas was the most friendly. She swam right up to us and seemed to be waving hello.

Lil’ J loved Maddie, who they actually lifted up and out of her tank to take back to the ocean while we were there.

This place is free to visit but asks that you leave a donation to help keep the organization going and we had no problem chipping in.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach again. We had our own little stretch of sand and attempted to build sand castles together. Lil’ J brought her mermaid tail and we FINALLY did part 2 of her Ariel photoshoot that we started back in December. I’ll post those in another week or so!

We really enjoyed the warmth and sand and waves. Although my son was more nervous about the water, he sat on my lap and let the water run over us together. It was amazingly soothing.

When the sun started to set we took the short walk back to the hotel and washed off before going out to BurgerFi for dinner.

I hadn’t eaten beef since March since watching Cowspiracy. I gave in and bought a burger here and holy cow it was delicious. The kids enjoyed their grilled cheese and fries… The fries were wonderful.

We headed back to the hotel and watched a little bit of the Olympics before getting rest before our long drive home the next day.

During our journey back my husband said he’d love to go back there again.–An exciting statement since he’s not much of a traveler.

There are a couple of things I wish we had done that we didn’t on this trip.

Visit Port Isabel Lighthouse: I was barely conscious when we drove in and totally missed it. On the way back we were just starting our long drive and didn’t want to stop. Had I read the historical significance about it I definitely would have made a point to stop and get a photo.

Eat at Pirates Landing: We saw it on the “kid friendly” list that Holiday Inn Express handed us but we thought it was far away seeing as it wasn’t on the island. Turns out it was just directly off the bridge off the island and not far at all.

When we go back again we’ll definitely be doing these things again:

1. Visit the beach: Duh! But maybe we’ll branch out and visit some of the other sides of the island. A reader told me the North Shore has some amazing shells.

2. Staying at Holiday Inn Express: The room was so spacious, the beds were comfortable, the staff was friendly, the pillows rocked, and I love that we had a microwave and fridge for leftovers. It worked out great since we were so close to the beach and we had some snacks to enjoy and reheat when we came back to our room.

3. Visiting Turtle Inc.: Of all the places we saw, this place was the most crowded but I could see why with the educational aspect and beauty in the turtles you could watch, and it being such a great stop for families. We didn’t go watch the release of Maddie but I think that’s something we’d try to do next time.

I took so many photos and cute videos that I’m working on editing and I’ll share those in another post hopefully in a few days. I’m so glad we got away for this quick trip and explored more of this fun state we live in. I hope this is just the beginning of our journey exploring it together.

What family travel adventures have you enjoyed lately?

If you’re planning a last minute trip before Labor Day make sure you sign up for IHG Rewards. It’s free and you’ll get 65,000 bonus points plus a free night to share at one of their beautiful hotels (for reference, we used about 50,000 points for our stay). Aren’t going anywhere soon? Spread the love and share the points with a loved one with IHG’s Share Forever program.

I love making memories with my family and exploring more of this beautiful world we live in, which is why I partnered with Intercontinental Hotel Group on this post. All opinions are my own.