Stuff Parents Need

My family of 4 is getting all geared up for a a 14 day stint in Hawaii (specifically, the island of O’ahu), in just a few weeks. While Hawaii has been at the top of my travel bucket list for quite some time, now, we committed to making this trip without having any sort of advanced plan or budget. This is a dangerous way to go about your vacation planning, but it’s also a way to save HUGE amounts of money on one of the biggest expenses: airfare. Our trip is happening because we scored cheap airfare to Hawaii.

So here’s what happened: my husband signed up to be a member of Scott’s Cheap Flights, which is a company that will send you deals on travel opportunities (mostly international, but some domestic, as well) via email. You can set up the parameters you like (such as desired departure and arrival locations) and then just wait and watch for the deals. The more flexible you are about where you go and where you leave from, the more deals you can see (we probably see 5 or 6 different destinations each day, and each destination usually has several potential points of departure for low prices). I also like that the site will compare the price with the typical price for that flight, and give you an educated guess about how long they think a fare of that sort will last (because sometimes it’s so low that it will likely last less than an hour, and sometimes it will probably last several days). Membership for the year is $39, which is quite reasonable for a service that will help you save hundreds of dollars, even if you only book one flight per year.

So Tim signed up in the fall and had been watching for deals to very cool sounding destinations. Two days after Christmas, a mega deal came up for travel to Hawaii from the east coast, including Atlanta, which is our nearest international airport. Tickets are typically around $900 each from Atlanta and had just dropped down to $374, for a savings of $526/ticket ($2,104 for 4). The commentary from Scott’s was that this was a very rare deal that would most likely not be seen again for a really long time, so if Hawaii was where you wanted to go most, better pull the trigger now.

And that’s exactly what we did. We decided that we really wanted to go, that this price would allow us to actually go, and that we could finagle a way to be on the island for 14 days so we could REALLY enjoy it. We decided that we’d work out all the logistical details (like how we’d pay for lodging, food, a rental car and activities) later. And folks, that really is a risky move to make (I’ll do a separate post about how expensive Hawaii is, as it turns out, and steps we are taking to minimize our financial pain). But there was simply no time to plan out a vacation and then buy tickets at this price point, so we took a leap of faith. We also knew that we had additional funds available to work with on the ground, and that’s important to know. If the airfare completely eats up the money you have available for travel, you may need to save up some more funds before you spontaneously book a trip, because it doesn’t matter if the plane tickets are a great deal if you can’t afford to eat or sleep once you arrive. Just something to keep in mind!

This strategy didn’t make use of credit card points or frequent flyer miles, which is a common method people like to use for keeping flight expenses low. Since we both don’t travel very often for work, we simply don’t build up enough miles to be helpful in any given year, and I find that my credit card reward points can be a little spotty. They are more ideal for using when we have a set destination at a set time that we want/need to go to, vs. when we are just trying to find the very best deal to get 4 people somewhere fun.

So this is how we booked cheap airfare to Hawaii. We let someone else do the searching for us each day, and we watched for the price drop to occur. It happened a bit sooner than we were expecting, but it did happen, and we jumped on it!

Stay tuned for a breakdown of our proposed itinerary, including all the amazing touristy things we WON’T be doing. 🙂

Thanks to Kennedy Space Center for providing complimentary tickets. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Friends, if you have ever entertained the idea of paying The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Titusville, Florida a visit, I want to make it my special mission right now to convince you that you simply must make it happen. And if the thought has never even crossed your mind, then I want to cause it to go on your travel bucket list, and to get a pretty high ranking, at that.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex BLEW MY MIND and y’all, I didn’t even see it coming. I was excited to go. I had heard that it was really well designed so that visitors of all ages could get something out of it (an initial worry I had was that it would be too “boring” for kids…I could not have been more wrong about that!). And I think space is kind of neat, so I was up for it and thought it was worth the hour long drive from Orlando to check out.

But I didn’t realize just how big of an impact it would have on my kids, and even on me as a parent and a homeschool teacher. I can’t wait to show you some of the amazing things we learned during our visit!

I will echo sentiments you will read on other KSC review posts, which is that you need to give this an entire day. You will be SO sad if you only budget half a day. We were there at opening (they play “The Star Spangled Banner” which is a really moving way to get things started), and we closed them out that evening. We didn’t even come close to seeing it all and we were there on a low crowd day.

The very first thing we did was book it over to the Atlantis to watch a film that really helps you better understand what a mammoth undertaking it was to try to develop a reusable space shuttle, and that showcased failure after failure, year after year. It took 12 years and a countless number of problems and obstacles that had to be faced and overcome by hundreds of brilliant minds working together. It would have been so much easier to have given up, and this was where the message became so very powerful for the kids: these individuals, working together on a seemingly impossible goal, showed up day after day and put the hard work in, refusing to give up in the face of failures and mistakes. And then you get to the see the finished product right before your eyes. My husband, mother-in-law, and I all cried at the sight of Atlantis, and my children were just so giddy to see the fruits of all that labor!

This area also showcases the Hubble telescope and gives you more information on just how critical all of these missions to space have been in providing us with our current way of life that depends on satellite communications so heavily. We didn’t look at everything in this area first because we wanted to catch the first shuttle of the day over to the Apollo and Saturn V Center. It’s easy to come back to, and we didn’t mind doing exactly that!

The bus tour does take about 45 minutes, and kids are provided with a nice coloring book and crayons for the journey, which I thought was a nice (and smart!) touch. Do make sure to use the restroom before you head out because there are no pit stops. This part of our visit was the highlight for my husband. I took the shot seen above because I knew he was having a real moment getting to see the launch areas, and the outside of the building where all the rocket construction actually happens. He really was like a kid at Christmas (also note the photo below, of him on Christmas morning, getting a gift from the Kennedy Space Center gift shop! Same level of happiness!).

Once you are off the shuttle you get to check out the Saturn V and it is so huge, that you really just have to see it to believe it!

This is where we had a delicious lunch and got to see so many more amazing things. It’s also where a retired NASA engineer was hanging out so he could answer questions. Everyone in my family took advantage of this opportunity to learn more about what it’s like to be part of NASA and a team that achieves the impossible. I really loved that Mr. Whitson was available and gave of his time this way. Getting to talk to him made it all that much more real for my kids!

We also watched a great presentation on the moon landing while in this section of the visitor’s center. Don’t miss it, because it was so well done!

Really, I have to give a huge hat tip to all the curators of this facility who tell the story of space exploration in such a compelling way, exhibit after exhibit. After a day at KSC, I understood just how incredibly awesome it is that we put human beings on the moon, in a way that has never clicked with me before. It’s a REALLY BIG DEAL, y’all. And now I’m so pumped up about the work ahead to get to Mars, whereas before I just thought it was “neat.” No, friends. It’s not neat. It’s SOOOOOO AWESOME!!!! And I feel so much more interested in keeping up with the cool things SpaceX is doing, and teaching my kids more about the history of space exploration, as well as the needs up ahead and how they can be part of it, if they develop a passion for it.

We also planned our visit for a day when a female astronaut would be present so that our girls could meet her and maybe even get to ask her a question. Astronaut Anna Fisher gave an incredible talk and though she only had time for one question, we were all SO EXCITED when she picked a little girl, my little girl, to get to ask it (she asked about whether or not she felt scared to go into space and Anna talked about all the preparation she did to get to go, and how that helped her feel more prepared and less scared).

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex is a very exciting place for children as well as adults, and it really leaves an impact that can last for a lifetime. We have gone back to the astronauts and the engineers and the incredible amount of perseverance they all have had to have in order to get into space, and as we face hard problems and challenges in our studies, we remember that we don’t need to fear failure, because that’s still a result that we can work with as we learn and grow. Our main job is to show up and be willing to put in the hard work, just like they did. It has made a big difference in the amount of resilience I can see in my kids and in how I tackle the challenges I face as a parent and a homeschool teacher.

I cannot wait to go back to this place again, perhaps in a few years’ time, to revisit these incredible exhibits and to hear the stories of triumph. If there is any way for you to get to this part of the country for a visit, make it happen. It was simply incredible!

Thanks to LEGOLAND Florida for providing complimentary park tickets. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We recently visited LEGOLAND Florida for the first time, and since we were attempting to have some official homeschool days while we were on our vacation, I planned for our day at LEGOLAND to count. So how, exactly, does one count a day filled with fun rides as an educational experience? Well, at LEGOLAND, it’s actually quite easy! Here are my top tips for filling your day with learning opportunities at LEGOLAND Florida.

1. The Imagination Zone

My very top recommendation for families who want their LEGOLAND experience to be educational is to head straight to Imagination Zone (here’s a link to the park map so you can see where it is in the park). In this area you can head to a help desk where you can get signed up for a LEGO Mindstorm experience. This was one of our favorite things that we did all day! During our hour long experience, our girls were taught how to build and program prototypes for Mars rovers. The instructor was completely in character as a nerdy and exciting space engineer and he quickly got all the kids to take their missions very seriously. He counseled them throughout the process and also helped them feel confident in their own abilities to work through challenges. I thought this experience was top notch and I would strongly suggest that you not miss it. My understanding is that you do need to head over to this area early in the day to get signed up for an available spot, as sessions happen throughout the day and slots do fill up quickly on higher crowd days. I believe the minimum recommended age for this experience is 6.

2. Communication Skills Through Trading Minifigs

Every single employee at the park has a minifig attached to his or her name tag, and that minifig is available to trade for one you have. All you have to do is ask! I would encourage you to bring around 10 minifigs at a minimum (I ordered some through eBay!), and to give your kids plenty of practice throughout the day approaching someone, making eye contact, and initiating a conversation. Being able to speak to someone is a critical life skill, and one that so many kids (and let’s be honest, young adults) seem to struggle with since we do so much of our communicating via the internet and text messages. But trading minifigs requires some old fashioned one-on-one talking, and it’s a great confidence builder for kids. My girls were initially quite nervous about having to do this, but the desire to trade minifigs outweighed the fear, and by the end of the day, they were quite comfortable approaching someone! Pro tip: we found that LEGOLAND employees at cash registers inside shops often had larger assortments of minifigs that they could trade!

3. Marvel at the Master Builders

LEGOLAND Florida has the most incredible sculptures that master builders have created, and they are pretty much everywhere you look throughout the park. Give your kids time and space to sit back and admire these works of art that came together, brick by brick. Then talk with them about the power of combining creative ideas with construction know how, and how much hard work and dedication went into each and every piece. Perhaps one of the best places to talk about the power of hard work and determination is by walking through LEGO Miniland, which showcases several different cityscapes, not to mention insanely awesome replicas of many different Star Wars locations and scenes. Take your kids to this area and really let it sink in for them that ultimately, they are only limited by their imaginations and by how hard they are willing to work for their dreams!

4. Driving School

If your kids are 9 and younger, I would also really recommend the driving schools available (the junior school is for ages 3-5, I believe, and the other driving school is for ages 6 and up). Both of my girls really enjoyed getting to experience the independence of fully driving a car themselves (no tracks!) and my older child seemed to enjoy the challenge of needing to obey traffic rules, too. What a great learning experience!

5. Go on a Monday During the School Year

My final tip has to do with WHEN you should go to LEGOLAND, because the crowd size is definitely going to affect just how many things you can do. We went to LEGOLAND Florida on the Monday after Thanksgiving and while I know this is going to sound like hyperbole, it honestly was the most amazing theme park day I have ever had in my entire life. The reason (other than the fact that LEGOLAND is super fun, obviously) is that the crowd size was SUPER low. We were told that their estimated crowd for the day was 1,500. I don’t know if they hit that or not, but I can’t imagine that it was more. We never (no, not even once!) waited in line to ride anything!!! It honestly was like getting to live out the fantasy of having a theme park entirely to yourself, only there were enough other people around so that it didn’t feel downright spooky. I asked an employee if this was a bizarre fluke that just happens right after a big holiday, and that employee told me that pretty much any Monday that schools are in session is a pretty good day to come to LEGOLAND. So definitely go on a Monday during the school year if at all possible, because it is going to allow you so much more time to hit all the “pure fun” rides and experiences, and also leave you plenty of time for learning (and time for building in the Imagination Zone!). We made some really great memories at LEGOLAND Florida and we hope to travel back there sometime in 2018 to do more playing and more building with the folks there! It was a homeschool day for the books!