Day 1: We started at the White House first thing in the morning…

Then we headed over to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History:

This is a hit for the adorables – dinosaurs, animals, rocks, Oh MY!

Afterwards we took a tour of the Mall.  Youngest adorable was so excited ALL DAY to say hello President Lincoln (he and Abe have a close Wii relationship)…

…but he zonked out right as we were walking up.  Sorry kid.

Day 2: the Smithsonian Museum of American History – my personal favorite

Filled with pop culture, our presidents (“a glorious burden”), our nation at war, etc, etc, etc.  This museum alone could take days.

I usually limit the gift shop purchases to books, but my younger adorable had me at hello with this Civil War hat.

Luckily, he wore it the rest of the trip.  You can see the Running Man there with perhaps his favorite thing in the whole world: a map.  Oldest adorable with his gift shop winnings: a President Sticker book.

Day 3: we handed the trip-planning over to the 4 and 6-year-olds in our group.

Choice #1 the Udvar-Hazy Center (which is reserved for the really big planes and space shuttles the Smithsonian can’t fit into the Air and Space Museum on the mall.  A MUST-SEE if you have boys and visit the area.(!)

Choice #2: Gettysburg battlefields and museum, located 80 miles to the north (we know this because Running Man biked this with disabled veterans 2 years ago), and kinda on our way home.

Choice #3: the Balitmore Aquarium, also kinda on the way home and outstanding as aquariums go.

They chose #3, which shocked and stunned us – did you hear the description of the Udvar-Hazy??

Everyone else in the world had also decided on the Aquarium, so it was a very busy place!

Anyhoo…

If you have older adorables, don’t miss this Spy Museum, we’re saving it until ours are a wee bit older, but I *can’t wait*!

And Mount Vernon in Alexandria, VA in warmer weather is just incredible.  Love downtown Alexandria’s great shops and restaurants too.  You can actually stay in Alexandria and utilize public transportation into D.C., which will save tons of money.  Several years ago we stayed at a Best Western that was perfectly fine (free breakfast too), but the reason I remember it was the huge *free* snack room where we loaded up for our day.  It was Heidi Heaven!

Westin Hotel Deal

The Running Man found a very reasonable rate for the Westin, downtown D.C., but I needed to call to secure it.  Whilst I’m chatting up the lady, she mentions this special “Year of Your Birth” discount code.  We paid $179 the first night (which is much more than we usually do), but the 2nd and 3rd nights were $71, since The Running Man was born in 1971.  So our total averaged out to $104 per night, downtown Washington D.C.  Except for that lousy $40/day to park our car, I thought this was pretty reasonable.  It’s a national deal, so check it out if you are planning any upcoming trips!

What are your favorites in D.C.?  Have you taken your adorables there?

I don’t know about you, but when the winter days get long, I start dreaming about our summer plans. So come, dream with me a minute…

…sunny beaches, mountain retreats, national parks, big cities…oh, the new adventures that await!

One thing I LOVE to do in January is to request *FREE* travel guides from places I want to visit!

First, I always request the state travel guide from my home state. (Because honestly, that is where we ‘travel’ the most!) Sometimes I also request the travel guides from the states that surround my home state. Last year I requested them for Arizona and Colorado, since I knew we’d be traveling there in the summer.  Travel Guides are FREE and offer beautiful pictures and all the highlights you need for visiting that state.  Sometimes they even include discount coupons.

If you do a simple Google search for “<insert STATE NAME> Tourism”, a link should pop up for the official free tour book provided by the state government tourism department. Many also have a digital copy available, but if you look, there is usually a link to request a paper. Just fill in the form on their website and within a couple of weeks, you should receive your guide in the mail! Note: Many major cities and tourism areas also have travel guides that they will send you for free also!

Of course this day and age you can always google and find lots on your computer, but there is still something fun about having a travel guide/brochure in your hand, sitting fireside, flipping through the pages with your spouse and/or kiddos and dreaming of places you might want to go one day.

So which travel guide are you going to request first?

Whew!  We had one glorious day and I had to tell you all about it!

We started in Naples and drove north out to Captiva Island.

We started with lunch at the Bubble Room on Captiva:

This place was a hoot – great food, throwback decor, and my eldest chose the Red Velvet cake for dessert, which was absolutely heavenly.

Then we set off in search of manatees.  We were told the water temp was just a mite too cold for them, so they’d moved inland.

But…

Younger adorable found a red hat at the marina store that he insisted he must have.  It hasn’t left his head in the days since.

Little adorable also found a new friend.  He carried him around until his older brother wanted a turn.  I declined my turn, thank you very much.

Then we headed to Fort Meyers Beach for a sunset Dolphin Cruise.

And we found some!

And some more.  Love these creatures.

It was just gorgeous to be out on the water on such a beautiful evening.

And today, we head back to the cold of Connecticut.

Team Farmer is vacationing in Florida this week until the middle of next.  Aahhhh, it’s been as relaxing as running between beach and pool and back to the beach and off to restaurants can be.

But the best part is all the family we have congregated here: the 4 Team Farmers, The Running Man’s mom and brother, my mom and her husband, my sister and her husband and their 2 adorables AND her husband’s parents.  That’s 14 people – we should win a prize from the Florida Department of Tourism or something.  Maybe more importantly – some help finding a dinner place (and time!) that suits everyone.  It’s a troop movement, friends.

But the very best part is the time spent with the cousins: swimming, digging and playing.

What are your holiday plans?

And we’ll be back to normal soon!  Enjoy your New Years!!

Some friends invited us up to their home for the weekend.  I always warn people when they issue their invitations to Team Farmer… we come! So we traveled to a little island in Camden harbor, and this was our view upon arriving…

Just a little gorgeousness…

But before we even ventured inside, the littlest adorables snuggled up on the driveway for some last-minute technology.  Kinda wish this was a book, but love them splayed out on the driveway like it’s the comfiest spot they’ve ever encountered.

But eventually we did venture in…

Then down to the garden to collect some fresh Maine bounty.

It’s true if you’ve been told, homegrown everything really is better.  These cucumbers are just perfectly sweet and crunchy.

So we hiked,

threw rocks into the ocean,

took a boat ride for ice cream (which ended up being closed),

and “caught” lobster at the end of the dock for dinner that night.

They were extremely sweet and succulent and delicious.

What an end to the summer…

Now to school!

#50 Christy!

Congrats!

We left Michigan last Saturday for Connecticut, and decided to route through Canada instead of the I-80 that we know by heart.

It was a great excuse to visit the Niagara on the Lake, which has been named the “most beautiful small city in Canada.”

I whole-heartedly agree.

Mostly for the gardens alone!

I completely disappointed the Running Man when I failed to produce the name of this flower.  A little help please???

Pretty-please?

Here’s another look.  They were drop-dead stunning!  Those leaves.

And the gorgeous displays were everywhere.

We made an obligatory stop in several ice cream stores before settling on this one.

At $5 a pop (hello strong Canadian dollar!), they wouldn’t even share.

Not for anything.

Then we took our ice cream to the water.  Running Man totally laughed at me for dressing the boys in USA shirts.

In Canada.

Yep, missed that one.

Hello USA!  Right across the Niagara River, this US fort protects our Northern shore.

Then we drove a half hour south, crossed the bridge to the US side and got out to see the falls.  I highly recommend the Canadian side for the best viewing, but we were anxious to cross the bridge.

But you can get really close (as in Heidi had nightmares the whole night after about little adorables going over, close)

That’s close.  I have a thing about adorables and cliffs.  I think I need to wait a while for the Grand Canyon…

Then we drove 6 more hours the following day and found this to welcome us home:

Isn’t the sweetest thing??  My friend Wendy and her boys came over and decorated.

The adorables were sooo excited to be home, they went inside and got out every single toy they own.  I walked around and looked at our home like it was the first time.

It was GOOD to be home after 8 weeks away.

Now: friends!!!

I’ve packed up all of our clothes and put them into the attic, tried to coordinate all the toys through the house so all the pieces can be found (and therefore played with), found the Running Man a studio sublet so he can continue to work in Manhattan and also booked him 5 flights so he can join us every weekend.

So I’ve been a wee bit busy these last few weeks.

We passed off our home this past Sunday and we’ve been traveling through friends homes all this week, except for 1 night we spent in New York City.

We took the train in (daddy had already commuted hours before).  Matching shirts are my own version of “We go together and Mommy can find us easily”.

Arrival into Grand Central.  And we were already tired.

We met Daddy for a quick lunch and then headed out to find the best cupcake in New York City.

But by then younger adorable was already gone to this world.

He barely fits into this stroller, but I was most grateful to have it.

Then we headed into gorgeous Central Park…

So when I miss the closing time at the Central Park Zoo, the playground will have to suffice…

(super glad for the matching shirts here – doesn’t look like it here, but it was crazy busy).

Then we headed to FAO Schwarz and they thought this was the coolest…

Until they spotted this…

Kid heaven.  Luckily we escaped without a single purchase.

Then we met Daddy for dinner and a hansom carriage ride around Central Park.

And if I wasn’t grateful for the stroller before, we certainly all were now.  That’s about 85 pounds there and it managed just fine.  (Disclaimer: the manufacturers probably wouldn’t recommend this).

Day 2:

The adorables have a good fight while I stand in line for tickets to this:

Ahh beauty!  I was humming every patriotic song I could think of on the boat over.

One funny face -

and one quasi-nice.

Michigan, here we come!

***ANNOUNCEMENT: Get ready for a Jam-packed schedule of Giveaways for the WHOLE month of July.  We know you’re crazy busy, but check in often as we have really great giveaways all month long.  And since there are 5 Fridays – that means 5 Home Tours, so don’t miss it!!

Today’s giveaway is both awesome and kind of sneaky at the same time.

Meet the Instant Tent from Coleman:

Doesn’t this look great??!?  Obviously awesome.

Okay, here’s the sneaky part: you surprise the daddio in your life with this and you’ll be a hero.  Then you pack up some snacks and send him out with your adorables to test it out, and you, my friend, have just created a night all to yourself.

Control of the remote.

All the girly chick flicks you can watch.

Perhaps a bath.  Bubbles.

A book and a bath.

This 4 person tent measures 8 feet by 7 feet with a 59″ center height.  You’ll be protected from the weather by Coleman’s Exclusive WeatherTec™ System, which guarantees to keep you dry.

So here’s how you set up the Instant Tent:

Unfold the tent and  spread it out…

Here’s the brilliance: the poles are pre-attached to the tent…

Extend the poles, and click and lock them into place. Easy-breezy.

And voila!  You’re done.

The whole process should take about a minute or less.

And you can win one…

Giveaway

You can win a Coleman 4-person Instant Tent just by leaving a comment by Tuesday, June 21st and I’ll choose the winners using Random.org on Wednesday, the 22nd.

Here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries to get counted!):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!
2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is.  We’d love to have them join us!
3. Tweet about this Father’s Day Week of Giveaways (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Rockin’ #Giveaways for Father’s Day at The Good Stuff Guide @GoodStuffGuide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
4. Share the news of this giveaway on your Facebook status (Just cut and paste): It’s a whole week of Giveaways for Father’s Day @The Good Stuff Guide http://su.pr/2TJPO2
5. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news. (I LIKE you too!)

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 6 entries friends!  Please leave them as separate entries.)

Good luck!

If you are in need of a great source for family travel ideas, look no further! Amazing Places to Take Your Kids is a comprehensive guide to “hundreds of north American adventures.” The Table of Contents is conveniently divided into regions of the United States, Canada and Mexico. is a comprehensive guide to “hundreds of north American adventures.”  The Table of Contents is conveniently divided into regions of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

I like the vivid photography and detailed information that helps you, and older kids if you’ve let them in on the decision making process, pick the adventures that are just right for your family.  This is a great starting point to help you identify and narrow your family’s interests.

Even if you prefer vacations that are off the beaten path, this is a nice collection of points of interest across North America.

Look for Amazing Places to Take Your Kids at your local library or find it on Amazon!

My twin boys had their first airplane ride when they were just 14 weeks old.  They have averaged a plane trip every few months ever since and they’re 4 now.  We like to travel and we love to fly!  We’ve all heard the advice to give your children something to suck or chew on at take-off and landing but there’s much more to a successful flight with kids than that!  If you’re flying with young children this summer, here are some tips that have served me well on many flights:

• Escort Pass- Ask your airline about getting an Escort Pass at the ticket counter so that an adult without a ticket can accompany you through security and wait with you until you board and/or meet you right at the gate at your destination airport.  This was a huge help when my boys were very little. 
• Wipes- Whether or not your kids are still in diapers, bring wipes!  You’ll need them for hands, seats, trays, messes you discover, messes you create, mystery stickiness …
• Snacks- Forget the crackers and chocolate.  I like to minimize our mess and I tend to only offer on a plane what I think will be more mild if it happens to come back up.  Pretzels are better than crackers, raisins, Fig Newtons, mixed cereal and sandwiches are all good.  If your children are old enough, suckers are great for a treat.  They are light on the stomach, take a long time to consume and make everybody happy.
• Entertainment- I like to visit the dollar section at Target before a trip and build a cheap grab bag of distracters and entertainment.  Pens and paper or magna-doodle type drawing boards go a long way- you can practice shapes, letters, colors, draw a racetrack to drive matchbox cars around, endless possibilities!   Of course a dvd player, if it suits your family, can be priceless!
• Car seats- The safest way for your child to fly is in a car seat.  Some airlines will let you bring your car seat to the gate and use it in an empty seat (without buying a ticket for the child) if your flight is not full.   (If it turns out to be full you can check the seat right there at the gate.)  If your flight will be a long one or you’re sure your child will be sleepy en route, paying for them to have their own seat where they can strap in and feel just like they do in your car can be well worth it.
• Flexibility- Plan to bend the rules a little.  You might allow a coveted blanket or stuffed friend normally reserved for bed time to be held close on the plane (they might get sleepy anyway and that’s not something you want to check and risk spending a night without!).  You might disregard set times for meals, snacks and treats and go for what the moment calls for (this is especially hard to do with babies when you have a great schedule going, but it’s usually necessary).  This leniency makes travel more comfortable and fun for kids.  It also teaches them by example how to be flexible and adapt, two skills that will serve them well all their lives.

My boys in the cockpit before one of our flights last year.  We love Southwest Airlines!