As the sun slowly rises high, it's glint shines over the high rise jungle of Panama City. The capital of Panama, it plays an exclusive role in bridging North and South America. Yet surprisingly it goes one step further and seeks to collate the east and west. For those who have no knowledge of Panama, you might mistakenly see it as just another metropolis. Indeed it does have such qualities as an … [Read more...]
An Afternoon at the Minnesota Ice Castle in Stillwater
The Minnesota Ice Castle is back in Stillwater, Minnesota! It's been open for a little over a week and they are loving this cold weather! We decided to spend a little time at the Castle this past weekend and wanted to share. Here are a few tips and tricks to help make your visit more enjoyable! First, dress for the cold. Remember, the Minnesota Ice Castle is right off the St. Croix River, it … [Read more...]
Minnesota to Kentucky in One Day
Can it be done? Can one person drive straight through from Minnesota to Bowling Green, Kentucky in one day? It's nearly a 12-hour drive without any hiccups. That's a long drive. But I did it! That's exactly what I did when I took Peyton to Bowling Green, Kentucky over MEA break. We drove the whole way in one day. There were several stops along the way but we managed to do it in about 14 … [Read more...]
My Gnome on the Roam
In today's crazy fast pace world, families are constantly on the go. I know Peyton and I are always running somewhere. During the week we leave the house by 8 am and do not return until 6 pm. Then I rush to get dinner on the table, make sure Peyton reads every night, attempt to do a little laundry and cleaning around the house and try to fit in a little work before bed. During all that time I'm … [Read more...]
An Afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium
Peyton and I spend a fair amount of time in Illinois each year. Between going to visit family and taking in attractions we are down there almost every other month. This month we checked out the Shedd Aquarium while we were down there. Can you believe, I've gone to Illinois hundreds of times and I have never once in my life been to the Shedd Aquarium? But we did it this last time we were down … [Read more...]
A Night at Medieval Times
I am always looking for new and unique experiences to take Peyton to. And when I saw Medieval Times, I knew I wanted to take her! How cool would it be to sit in a castle, watch knights jousting and have dinner? It sounded so cool. The only problem is, there is no castle in Minnesota. But there's one in Schaumberg, Illinois! So when I was planning our next weekend adventure in Chicago I made sure … [Read more...]
Explore the Lincoln Park Zoo
Another place I had never been on all my travel to Illinois was the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a free zoo so I'm not sure why we've never visited but I decided we were going to check it out this time. Spending the day at the zoo is one of Peyton's and my favorite things to do. We could just sit and watch the animals all day long. Peyton was pretty excited when I told her we were going to visit the … [Read more...]
Spoiling the Polar Bears at Como Zoo
The Como Zoo was the first zoo that I ever visited. Growing up in the Twin Cities it was the place to go. I've been on numerous school field trips to the Como Zoo and taken Peyton several times as well. But today, we were going to do something we had never done before. We were going to be making enrichment (treats) for the polar bears! Not all enrichment are food based. Enrichment can be a toy … [Read more...]
Discover THAT Cooking School
Peyton and I love to watch cooking shows and competitions, so when we found out we were spending an evening at THAT Cooking School we were pretty excited. I have grown up in the Twin Cities all my life and I have never been to THAT Cooking School. To be honest, I didn't even know about it until I got my itinerary for the weekend. But once I read about it I knew it was a place I wanted to … [Read more...]
On the Road with Extended Stay America
This post is sponsored by Coupons.com. All opinions are 100% my own. This past fall we did a lot of traveling. Remember when we headed to South Dakota for the week? Or down to Chicago for the weekend? Or Florida for nearly two weeks? One of my biggest expenses on every one of those trips was food. Yes, food was a big part of our budget for every trip. One way to save some money on the meal budget … [Read more...]
