Three Great Vacation Places We Have Less Heard Of

Lord Howe Island, Australia

If you enjoy starfish, come to Lord Howe Island. Don't miss those starfish in the tide pools near the lagoon. You'll also enjoy hand-fed fishes at the lovely and secluded Neds Beach. Wherever you go, you're not going to get lost as there's just one main street and only 18 small-scale hotels such as the 19-room bungalow-style Leanda Lei Apartments. Perfect for honeymooners and busy people who needs the ambiance of white sand, cool blue sky and serene ocean green to relax.  http://www.lordhoweisland.info/

Keahiakawelo, Lanai, Hawaii

Hawaii! Perhaps you really have heard a place like it. You will be amazed with how the wind actually rolls the rocks around, or something like that. Being in Hawaii is already great, but a day or two at Keahiakawelo will certainly decamp to the beach. It's interesting to visit with Kepa Maly. The executive director of the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center says "He makes the trip worth it." We better believe him, he knows all the stories.

This photo (left) is the lunar landscape of Keahiakawelo, Lanai, where thousands of years of wind erosion have created spires and towers. Keahiakawelo is also known the Garden of gods.
http://www.hawaiibeautiful.com/lanai/keahiakawelo-the-garden-of-the-gods-lanai-hawaii.html
Doe Bay, Washington

The small inlet on the Pacific Ocean is home to an unassuming resort of the same name. Doe Bay isn't a design spot. You're not going there to get pampered. There's nothing pretentious about it-and that's exactly what makes it great. Doe Bay's reception building looks like an old general store-albeit one festooned with colorful flags-and beyond that there's a small clutch of yurts, campsites, and old-fashioned cabins sprinkled through the woods and along the shore.

Simply an old-fashioned bay in an old-fashioned county that's more than a million times worth a try. http://www.doebay.com/

Summer Tips - Are Young Kids Fit for Summer Camps?

Summer camps can be like heaven to kids when the correct match is made. But when a poor match between prospective camper and camp is made, it can be a long summer for everyone involved, and kids are bored with it.

Some parents may be unaware of it but sometimes they select a bad camp match for their son or daughter. For example choosing an overnight camp for a child that is too young or too immature to handle separation from parent. Although in fairness, a child could enjoy swimming, crafts or tennis which can increase the enjoyment level and reduce the annoyance quotient for the duration of the child's stay.

Kids like to feel like they belong and kids are notorious for having little patience for things that are unpleasant.
When kids go to camp where they don't know anyone, even one day can seem like an eternity. And if you have ever had that experience of spending 8 hours (or 24) totally alone you certainly don't want to put yourself in position to have to endure that kind of thing again.

Knowing some of the reasons why kids might hate summer camp in advance can help parents to respond to their children's protests with sensitivity and understanding. If they don't enjoy the camp, why not spend time together the whole summer?

How to Break Boredom in Children - During Summer Break

Sometimes the most important advice a mom can get is help weeding through the endless choices kids have when choosing activities. 

• Include Book Activities. Kids always enjoy activities, so why not also encourage them to read a book about the activity? If you're going to a baseball game, suggest your child read a book about a favorite player beforehand. In the car or over a hot dog, you'll have lots of time to talk about the book and the game. Might as well visit the library.

• Lead by example. Read the newspaper at breakfast, pick up a magazine at the doctor's office, and stuff a paperback in your beach bag. If kids see the adults around them reading often, they will understand that literature can be a fun and important part of their summer days.

• Talking a Lot. Talking with your kids about what you have read also lets them know that reading is an important part of your life. Tell them why you liked a book, what you learned from it, or how it helped you—soon they might start doing the same.

• Relax the rules for summer. Summer is a time when children can play what, when, and how they please. Instead, make sure they pick up books for fun and help find ways for them to choose to read on their own. You may even want to make bedtime a little bit later if you find that your child can't put down a book.

• Use books to break the boredom.
  Without the regular school regimen, adults and kids need more activities to fill the hours. Books that teach kids how to make or do something are a great way to get kids reading and keep them occupied. Don't forget to take your kids' favorite reading series along on long road trips.

• Read aloud with kids.Take your children to see a local storyteller or be one yourself. The summer months leave extra time for enthusiastic read-alouds with children, no matter what their age. Don't forget to improvise different voices or wear a silly hat to make the story that much more interesting!

How to Roast Marshmallows

One of the things kids enjoy during summer is food - particularly sweets. If you are a mother, you definitely know this, because there probably is no child in this world who doesn't like the taste of sweet food. My kids enjoy marshmallows and one of the most exciting things they do almost every week, is to put their marshmallows on the grill. If you haven't been into this, here's how:

 1. Obtain a clean, long-handled stick or barbecue fork suitable for spearing marshmallows.

 2. Push one or two marshmallows onto the end of the stick or barbecue fork so the entire marshmallow is secured.

3. Hold the marshmallow over the fire or coals, positioning it so the marshmallow is suspended 1 to 3 inches above the heat source.

4. Rotate your utensil when the underside is a warm brown color, so the uncooked side hovers above the fire.

5. Continue to rotate the marshmallow until all sides are golden brown.

6. Remove the marshmallow from the fire, keeping in mind that metal utensils can get pretty hot on the end nearest the fire - handle with care.

7. When it has cooled, side the golden brown goo gently off the utensil.

8. Eat.

Traveling to Wisconsin This Summer

Boats and Trains claims nothing beats a boat float on a summer day. My whole family is going for a place to boat this summer - we're going to Vilas County. The kids are so excited!

Vilas County is home to a towering 1,300 lakes. Lakes operation from minuscule fish ponds to giant, multi-lake chains. We're actually excited to kayak and my husband says he's going to fill a day with ski boats... whew! Perhaps me and the kids will enjoy a cruise along the tree-lined shores, rustic cottages and typical resorts while he's on his ski. 

I wish we'll have afternoons sitting on the sand, that would be so relaxing. If you're planning for a summer getaway, Vilas County outing may be as still as you would like. Oh by the way, they have a golf course, live food restaurants with also live entertainment.

Wish you all a wonderful summer!

How Is Your Family Spending Together?

What sort of activities do you and your family find yourselves doing lately? Are you planning crafts projects together? Movie nights in? Camping in the backyard? Or video game time?

With the economic downturn, many families have been forced to spend more time at home doing things together. For families that all grown up, they don't get to spend time together out side of church, like watching movies, going to the park and other things they used to do when the kids are still small and playful.

I joined for one reason only to have it be a great opportunity to spend time with my growing children...we make popcorn, we cook together, we garden and do things together. When they grow up and have lives on their own, it would be nice to talk to know that the time is well spent. Just being there.

Times in the garden

Cooking Together

Families today are becoming more cautious of their spending, so they share some of the ways to spend time with the whole family without spending too much yet with all the fun. Sometimes we just don't realize that it’s still the simplest activities that children remember and enjoy the most.

Convenience Foods Ideal for Travel

Traveling light is a necessity if you want convenience and fun. Though it depends on the nature of your trip and your personal interest, I still believe in convenient traveling.

When I travel I always go with a bag of food even on airplanes as I want to eat healthy and not have to eat what is on offer.  On road trips, it is a healthy eating consideration picking on easy to eat foods. I always make sure I do have some fresh foods that are on the low perishable end.

Apples & oranges, celery sticks, carrot sticks and sugar snap peas (the ones you eat in the shell). I may even have a salad already prepared in containers for each person with the salad dressing on the bottom, not mixed in and take some plastic forks.

Take a look at some of the convenience foods that you'll likely to buy when traveling to certain destinations:

German Convenience Foods

Asian Convenience Foods

South American Convenience Foods

American Convenience Foods

 

I would make my own trail mix with dried fruit and roasted nuts and seeds.  I put carob chips instead of chocolate chips. There are a few quick ideas, I will return with a few more ideas later after I know how long your trip is.  I am sure someone else will have some good ideas.