10 Games Kids Can Play On A Road Trip

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With the Summer season upon us, and the start of traditional traveling months to begin, I thought I would bring you some hope. After all, road trips are fun. Well, they can be. As soon as "Are we there yet?" and "Can we stop? I have to go to the bathroom." is asked for the one millionth time, you're F I N I S H E D. I've learned over the years the best way to cure the whiney children is to play a game, or three.

Good news! I have TEN great games your kids can play while you're cruisin' down the highway.

1. Telephone - You remember this one! It doesn't matter what generation you were born in, you played Telephone at one point in your life. Your child whispers a story or a sequence of words to someone else in the car. The person he whispered it to then whispers the same story, as close to what he heard as possible. Then, on to the next person. By the time the story gets to the last person it's rarely the original thought and it brings laughter.

2. Twenty Questions - One person secretly thinks of either an object, place or animal. The other people in the car take turns asking yes-or-no questions, like "Is it red?" or "Have we ever been there before?" After the players have asked twenty questions, each player gets a chance to guess at what it could be.

3. The Alphabet Game - One person chooses the righthand side of the road, and someone else choose the lefthand side. The players take turns finding letters in the alphabet, either on street signs or license plates. The idea is to point out all the letters of the alphabet in order, from A to Z. The first person to Z wins.

4. The Theme Song Game - One person hums the tune to a favorite TV show, and everyone tries to name the show as fast as possible. The first person to guess correctly hums the next song.
Mom and Dad, you could play this game with songs from years past. What about the first song you ever danced to? Or, "your song" from when you were dating? This game could be fun for ALL!

5. Restaurant Race - Each player chooses a restaurant, such as Burger King, McDonalds, Panera Bread, etc. Players earn points by spotting their restaurant off the road, on a billboard, on exit markers, on Food/Fuel signs, or by hearing it mentioned on the radio. Impose a time limit -- say, 20 minutes -- and then add up the points.

6. Memory Test - The first person says "A is for ___" filling in the blank with any word beginning with the letter A, such as "apple." The second person comes up with a word for the letter B, such as "baseball," but must also repeat the A word: "A is for apple, B is for baseball." Continue through the alphabet, each person taking several turns and reciting more and more letters and words. By the time you reach the letter Z, that player will recite the entire alphabet and its corresponding words. However, if you're playing with younger kids you may want to choose an earlier letter than Z to be the final one.

7. "I'm Going on a Picnic" Game - Super similar to the Memory Test, but you say, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm going to bring apples." The next person would say something like, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm going to bring apples and bananas." Next person would say, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm going to bring apples, bananas, and cupcakes." You get the idea. You'd go back and forth until you are bringing something to the picnic from every letter of the alphabet.

8. Secret Place Race - You'll need an old school map for this one. But, that could be lots of fun. (You can often find a map at rest stops or visitor stations.) One person looks at a road map and finds a small town, river, or trail. That person tells everyone in the car the place he has chosen. A second player has 60 seconds to look at the map and try to find the secret place.

9. The Animal Game - One person names an animal, then each person in order has to name another animal (no repeating!) that starts with the last letter of the previous animal named. There are no winners or losers in this game. With older children, try the game with TV shows, or geographical categories, such as cities or countries.

10. The State License Plate Game - This game we play on every road trip! Until recently, I thought I made this game up. :) At the start of your journey, grab a pencil and a piece of paper. As you're traveling down the road, pay close attention the license plates of passers by. Every plate has a different state. Write down each one, until you've found all 50 states. Can you find them all? There's a wonderful game board made by Melissa & Doug for this game. (Find it by clicking HERE) Apparently I wasn't as creative in making this game up as I thought.

Here are a few more games that I found for you on Amazon.
50 Road Trip Games
Travel Scavenger Hunt for Kids
Spot It! On The Road
Mad Libs on the Road
Backseat Bingo Playing Cards

Now, as you prepare for your next road trip, you don't have to dread the hours of "Are we there yet?"

What are your favorite games to play, when you travel? Tell me in the comments!

Safe travels!

A Day Away: In Kissimmee, FL {#GoodbyeCrowds}

My family and I were provided complimentary accommodations and attraction tickets for the #GoodbyeCrowds event. All opinions are my own.

A couple of weeks ago my family and I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with some pretty amazing friends. Marisa and Carter, along with their families and {our now GREAT friends} Nori and Rochelle, our Experience Kissimmee hosts, met us in Kissimmee, FL for a weekend of NON-STOP fun!!

First stop: I-Drive 360. Sealife Aquarium, The Orlando Eye, and Madame Tusseauds Wax Museum are all fun attractions at I-Drive 360. That trifecta made for an amazing day!!

{This is Chely, the Green Sea Turtle at Sealife Aquarium in Orlando.}

As the kids journey through Sealife Aquarium, they collect stamps in their free Passports. They learn so much as they walk through the aquarium to see more than 5,000 creatures, see pregnant seahorses {did you know the male seahorses are the ones who carry babies?}, a cool, color changing jelly fish exhibit, a 360 degree Ocean Tunnel, and SO much more. There's even a hands-on Rockpool experience at the end! Have you ever touched a sea urchin? You can at Sealife Aquarium!

{the kids all earned their medals. Yay!}

Our next stop was to the TOP of world...or, at least 400 feet above Central Florida. The Orlando Eye has been a pretty hot topic in the news since it's first go-round in May 2015. In about 30 minutes we went to the top and back down, in our private pod, seeing distant sights like, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, the Orlando Skyline and much more. In your pod you have a digital guide to direct you in all you see.

{I might have had a couple of scaredy cats with me that day. Haha!}

 

{How many blogger kids can you fit in one picture? Can you believe this is only two families?? And, Mabry isn't even in the shot.}

While having already done Sealife Aquarium and The Orlando Eye, one might think the day is over. Nope, not yet! We still hadn't seen Taylor Swift, Vin Diesel, and Walt Disney at Madame Tusseauds. My kids thought it was SO COOL seeing Neil Armstrong and Abraham Lincoln in wax-form, as if they were truly right in front of them. It was a history lesson and a fun activity, all in one! Not to mention rubbing elbows with The Beatles, Will Smith and Brad and Angelina.

{Jett jumped in the ring with Muhammed Ali for a minute.}

{Marisa and I pose with an American Icon, Walt Disney.}

Our day at I-Drive 360 was perfect. With countless shops and restaurants that we didn't even get to go to, I can totally see my family going back to experience these attractions again AND have lunch and do some shopping.

Want to WIN a trip from Experience Kissimmee of your own?
Visit goodbyecrowds.com to choose from a Thrill Trip or a Chill Trip for Two. You can also text either ChillsFL or ThrillsFL to 313131 to enter. Limit one entry per person, per day.

As a first responders wife, I feel the need to also let you know of the SPECIAL OFFER that I-Drive 360 has going on for the month of September. Police, Fire, and EMS Personnel can take 50% off of single or combo attraction tickets. That's an AMAZING DEAL!

*****

Other adventures from our weekend include Dinner at Medieval Times, a day of waterslide fun at Seaworld's Aquatica, Wild Florida, Gatorland, Crayola Experience, and lodging at Regal Oaks Resort. Be on the lookout for more posts from these great locations! You can search the hashtags #GoodbyeCrowds and #MyKissimmee, if you want to get see posts from our whole group. 

A Newbie Guide to Cruising Carnival Cruise Lines: the Food

I have an entire series of posts planned for our recent Carnival Fascination Cruise trip, but first FOOD. It just seems like the very best place to start. I mean, you want to know how well you'll be nourished while on board your vessel. After all, if not properly nourished, you may not have the energy to partake in all of those fun shore excursions and beach time. I digress.

The food on board any Carnival Cruise Line ship is sure to be FANTASTIC! However, I can only speak for the Fascination. My husband and I recently took our two oldest boys right out of JaxPort, the local Carnival Cruise Line port here in Jacksonville, FL. For years, we've seen the ship in port, as we cross over the Dames Point Bridge, and said, "Hey, look! The cruise ship is in town." Yet, we've never boarded the vessel and set sail ourselves.

To say we were well-fed while aboard the ship is an understatement. We ate like kings and queens for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit. Chili cheese fries, cheeseburgers, and more fresh fruit. Steak, lobster, and shrimp cocktail. These are only a few of the foods we enjoyed while sailing with Carnival. Allow me to show you a few of our favorites, in pictures.

{breakfast looked like this just about every morning. yum.}

{the shrimp cocktail appetizer was so delicious.}

{the Caprese Salad was amazing! I could've eaten this morning, noon, and night.}

{Penne Mariscos. sauteed shrimp, calamari, and scallops on top of italian pasta, tossed with a tomato cream sauce. yum.}

{on Elegant Night we feasted on steak, lobster and shrimp. don't be afraid to ask for seconds.}

{i highly recommend getting this cake for dessert each night. you can get a different dessert, in addition to this. but, trust me, you'll be missing this Molten Chocolate Cake when you are back at home.}

{endless froyo and soft serve. need i say more?}

"DIDJA" Menu

Let me tell you about a special menu that is featured on the dinner menu each night. It's called the "didja" menu, as in "did you ever." Each night there's a different food item that you may not have ever tried, or ever thought of trying. I urge you to try it. We did, and each night we either enjoyed it or were glad we could at least say we've tried it. Again, in pictures, here were our "didja" menu options.

{we enjoyed these Alligator Bites. they were more like hushpuppies with bits of alligator in them.}

{this was the Escargot. my boys and I each tried it, and we all agree...it doesn't have much of a flavor and it has the texture of a mushroom.}

{the sushi was delicious. i would definitely get it again!}

We ALL enjoyed every morsel of food while on the Carnival Fascination. My son Jonah's favorite part about the food? The endless FroYo. Yep, that's right, you can get frozen yogurt or soft serve ice cream, in a variety of flavors, 24 hours a day! Jonah would eat his meal {breakfast, lunch, or dinner} and then head straight to the froyo machine. If he was on his way to the Kid's Club, he would first stop for froyo. You rarely saw him without a cone in his hand. 

Shhh...I enjoyed the chili cheese fries a LOT. I might have gone and gotten them two or three times in the 3 days they were offered. Calories don't count on vacation. True story. 

My husband and I equally LOVED steak and lobster night. We asked for seconds on lobster, devoured our steaks and enjoyed a quiet meal, just the two of us. {We ditched the kids on Elegant Night. LOL Don't worry, they had pizza.}

A Few Helpful Tips from a Newbie Cruiser:

1. When packing for your cruise, pack at least one elegant {or Sunday's Best} outfit.
2. Check your Sign and Sail card for your dining time and location.
3. On Embarkation day, check-in early and have lunch on the ship. The buffet will be open on Lido Deck.
4. If you have special dietary restrictions, be sure to tell your waiter or maitre d'. They're there to help, and will do so with a smile. 
5. Don't feel like dining in the dining room tonight? Feel like staying in your stateroom for the evening? Order room service. There's a menu in your room and you can order from it 24 hours a day.
6. Each adult, aged 21 or older, may bring one 750 ml bottle of wine on board in their carry-on luggage. {up to two bottles per room, a $15 corking fee will apply to bottles with corks}
7. Each person may bring up to 12 unopened cans/cartons of soda, water or juice in their carry-on luggage. {as of July 9, 2015, NO bottles of soda or water will be allowed to be brought on board. See Carnival's Liquor and Beverage Policy for all of the rules and restrictions.}
8. Water, lemonade, and tea are available, at no additional cost, while on board. If you're a soda drinker, I recommend pre-purchasing Bottomless Bubbles. For a nominal fee, you can have unlimited soda and juice for the duration of your cruise. Bottomless Bubbles can be purchased at the Lobby, Casino, or Pool Bars. 
9. To piggy back on Bottomless Bubbles, Carnival Cruise Lines also offers a plan for those who enjoy a cocktail or two. Cheers!, a prepaid bar package, allows you to order drinks and not get billed. Whether you're lounging by the pool or enjoying a show in one of the many theaters, you can do so with a cocktail in hand. {Some exclusion apply. Must be purchased for the full length of cruise.}
10. The frozen yogurt and soft serve station, as well as the pizza bar, are open 24 hours a day!
11. Check your cruise ship for special dining locations. For example, some of Carnival's ships have Guy's Burger Joint. {Yeah, that Guy, Guy Fieri from Food Network.}
12. Try new things! While on vacation is the PERFECT time to try something that you've never tasted before.

Have you been a Carnival cruise? All this talk about food has my mouth watering. What dining/food tips would you add? 

Disclaimer: My family and I received a Carnival Cruise on the Fascination in exchange for social media sharing and articles on jonahbonah.com. No script was given, all opinions are my own. All photos used in this article are property of jonahbonah.com. 

Mickey's Fun Wheel and More {in Disneyland}

I've been home from Disney Social Media Moms for four days. There were so many amazing speakers and so much great information...I'm still processing it all. I hope to be writing a bunch of my thoughts in the coming days. Stick with me.

In the meantime, I've been looking through my photos and finding ones that jump out to me. My favorites. I have a few to share with you today. Having never been to Disneyland, I took pictures of the Mickey Fun Wheel, of course! And Sleeping Beauty Castle.











Day and night, Disneyland is beautiful.





Have you ever been to Disneyland? In all of my years, I've only ever been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Heading to the opposite coast was such a treat! Tell me, what's your favorite part of Disneyland.

Day One: Walt Disney World {the Magic Kingdom}

We haven't been to Disney as a family in years. YEARS. Even when we went last week it wasn't as an entire family, but I'll take it, it was more than half of us. Hubs, the three youngest of five and myself all went. The two oldest boys are "too cool" for Disney, so they say. I say, "one can NEVER be too old for Disney!" Soon enough they'll realize they missed out on the awesomeness that is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and The Tower of Terror!

When I purchased my ticket to Type-A Parent Boot Camp in Walt Disney World a few months ago Hubs suggested that we extend our stay a day on each end to take the kids to the parks. When he makes a suggestion I've learned to jump on the opportunity at that very moment or lose it all together. So we planned. Three days in three different parks with three kids in tow. And it was MAGICAL!

The other day I told you about McKinley's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience. She still talks about becoming a princess for a day. {Truth be told, she's a princess every day!}

After we finished with the BBB, we headed to the Magic Kingdom for some family fun!


{I love the entrance to The Magic Kingdom. It's been the same for as long as I can remember.}


{After going back through pictures on my phone I found this of my princess in front of the castle. I was afraid I didn't have one of her alone.}




{McKinley and I tried on Minnie Mouse Ears in a gift shop. This was actually at Downtown Disney before BBB...but, it was on day one of our trip.}


{We stayed in the All-Stars Movie Resort in the Toy Story section. We had to go through "Andy's Room" to get to our hotel room. Jett may have been a little excited to see all of his favorite toys JUMBO SIZED!}


{RC was even at our resort. I tell you what, Disney holds nothing back when creating these amazing resorts!}

We stayed at the Magic Kingdom until nearly midnight. Saw the fireworks show twice. Rode every ride we wanted to ride, thanks to the new FastPass+ system Disney has just launched {more on that soon}. Saw a few characters from afar. It was a great first day to our mini family vacay!

Stay tuned for Day Two: Walt Disney World {Hollywood Studios}.

Becoming a Princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

For months, all McKinley has talked about is going to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Walt Disney World. Seriously. Ask her where she wanted to go and she'd proudly tell you that her daddy was going to take her to the "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo", as she calls it.

What's the big deal? Your daughter is treated as royalty from the moment she checks in. She's given a Royal Invitation and a Royal Pager {like the pager you get at a restaurant while you wait to be seated} while she awaits her turn to be called. Once called, her Fairy Godmother takes her to her dressing room where her ball gown and wand await her.



From there the royal treatment continues. Your princess will get her nails painted and her make-up applied.



McKinley was really starting to feel like a princess at this point. Her Fairy Godmother and the other Royal subjects all oohing and ahhing over her.

The PhotoPass Photographers walked around the boutique and would stop by and tell silly jokes to make the girls giggle.

Now, it's time for her up-do, complete with a sparkly tiara and enough Pixie Dust atop her noggin to choke old Codfish himself.






It's time for Princess McKinley to see herself for the first time since sitting down to the Royal Salon Chair.



She loves it! Just look at that smile!!!




Since we weren't able to get our Royal Reservation at Cinderella Castle itself, we went to Downtown Disney's location. Same great experience, just not in the Magic Kingdom. From there we hopped on a Disney Transportation bus and headed to Main Street, USA to finish the evening riding rides and meeting characters and watching fireworks!




Of course, we stopped in front of Cinderella Castle to have a family picture taken. I just wish I had thought to have McKinley's picture taken by herself in front of the castle. Oh well. Next time.



Want a few tips on a couple of things I learned from start to finish when treating your daughter to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique?

• Make your reservation EARLY! You can call 180 days in advance to book. And, if you know your travel dates, you should book that early. Especially if you want the Cinderella Castle location!
• If you want to save yourself $100+, bring a princess dress that is new to your daughter. She'll never know you didn't buy it at the Boutique.
• Make sure your princess is well rested and fed. Princess McKinley quickly turned into Princess Pouty Pants after her transformation. After a quick bite to eat she was twirling all over the park! Tired and hungry preschoolers aren't any more happy dressed as a princess while among a million people than any other day. Trust me.
• Be prepared to get lots of attention! Both Cast Members and Characters will bow to her Highness and speak to her as if she is the real princess she's dressed up as. {McKinley dressed as Rapunzel. As we entered the Magic Kingdom the Cast Member at the gate asked her where her frying pan was. He said that she told him that she NEVER left her tower without it. So fun!}

Have you taken your daughter to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique? I'd love to see your pictures and hear of your experience! Tell me about it and/or leave your link in the comments.

10 Essentials to Pack for Disney

If you know me in real life then you know I'm not the most prepared person for any situation. I've been known to be "that mom" with a baby with a full diaper and not a diaper bag in sight. Or, 25 minutes into my 30 minute drive to the beach I realize I forgot the sunscreen at home. It's just who I am, guys. I forget stuff...not my little people, though, so there's that. :o)

When preparing to pack for the Type-A Parent Boot Camp being held in Walt Disney World last week I actually made a list. And as I remembered things to add to it I stopped what I was doing and added them. I was NOT going to be unprepared for this conference or spending days with my family in the theme parks. I wanted a smooth trip for all of us!

Once I started to pack my new American Tourister suitcases, I marked things off of the list. People do this everyday...why is it so hard for me? Marking things off of the list helps when I get distracted, as I so easily do {SQUIRREL!}, and I can look back later and know what's already in the suitcase. It's the little things.

So, what essentials did I want to know for certain were in my bags? Aside from the normal clothing and undies and such? I'm gonna give you 10 Essentials to Pack for Disney. These are truly essential items that you would want to have somewhere on your person if you head out to any theme park. Here we go.

1. Sunscreen - seems like a pretty obvious item to have in your bag. Well, I've forgotten it a million times and we've paid out the wah-zoo at whatever place we were at to make sure we weren't fried at the end of the day. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 70 is our favorite for the adults and big kids. It goes on smooth and isn't greasy or oily. For the baby we bought the Neutrogena Baby Lotion SPF 45+. Again, goes on smooth and not greasy or oily. That's my BIGGEST pet-peeve about sunscreen...the greasy feeling after applying. Not at all the case with Neutrogena!
2. Rain Ponchos - I have NO idea what the weather is like in Disneyland, CA, but I can attest to the fact that if you come to Walt Disney World, FL you're going to see a rain shower or two. They're usually over in just a few minutes, but they're there. And without a rain poncho it might ruin your day. Or at least your next couple of hours. Before you leave for your vacay, run into the nearest dollar store and pick up a few. You'll be glad you did!
3. Snacks - Trust me on this one. You are going to want to have something in your bag or backpack to snack on while in the theme parks. Sure, you can buy snacks there. Treat yourself to a Mickey ice cream or an Olaf Caramel Apple! But, when you're standing in line and hunger strikes you'll be glad you have a little something tucked away. These KIND bars are the best. Few calories, high protein, dairy free...I could go on. Try them. You'll like them!
4. Baby Food - I mean, if YOU have a snack, be sure you packed them for the baby, too. Have you seen the new {well, new to me since Mabry is my first baby in five years.} squeeze pouches of baby food. GENIUS! They're {mostly} mess-free and baby loves them! Mabry's favorite right now is made by Plum in the Banana and Pumpkin flavor. 
5. iPhone Charger - You laugh. I see you. I kid you not, I maybe pulled my DSLR from it's bag twice while in Disney this last week. I pulled my phone out for just about every photo op. Of course, I should've taken my own advice here because my phone was completely dead each night that we left the parks. Had I had my charger in my bag I could've found an outlet and recharged for a few minutes here and there. Better yet, if I had a Mophie Juice Pack Plus I wouldn't have even had to worry about my battery life. Now I know.
6. Extra Memory Cards  - If you're going to be using your "big girl" camera more often than your iPhone then you'll not want to get the MEMORY CARD FULL message. Not gonna lie, it's happened to me more than once! Pack extra memory cards.
7. Extra Clothes for the Kids - Before last week I probably wouldn't have done this one. Even though I've been a mom for more than 12 years, I always forget the extra clothes. Always. Boy, am I glad that I had them this time. Don't ask me how, but Jett sat in poo somewhere between the hotel to Animal Kingdom. And it wasn't his own. I was so thankful to have an extra shirt for him!!! Aside from the poo incident though, you'll want extra clothes for drippy ice cream covered tees, a potty accident {of your own child's poo} or coming off of Kali River Rapids drenched!
8. Reusable Zipper Bags - Those extra clothes you're bringing? Put them in a reusable zipper bag to stay dry until you need them. Remember the rain showers I talked about? Well, if you forget the rain ponchos and you and your bag gets wet you'll still have a set of dry clothes if you follow this advice. Pop an empty bag or two in your bag/backpack for just in case reasons. You never know. {I discovered these 2.5 Gallon Hefty bags before our last trip. They were the perfect size! Big enough to fit a few sets of kids clothes!
9. Activity Books and Crayons - Do you love the parades at Disney? I do. I love to find my spot on the curb at least 30 minutes early and people watch. Er, I mean, wait for the parade to begin. My kids liking this?? Not so much. Activity books and crayons keep them busy so I can people watch wait.
10. Refillable Water Bottle - The very last thing you want to do while at a theme park is become dehydrated. Drink lots of water to prevent this. Duh, right?!? Take a refillable water bottle and just refill at any water fountain you run into. {Disney Tip: Did you know you can ask any Quick Service food location for a cup of ice water and they'll give it to you for free? Yep. You can.}

So, there's my list of 10 Essentials to Pack for Disney. What'd I forget? Anything? What would you add? Tell me in the comments.

Disclosure: The links within this post are affiliate links. That means if you click through and purchase one or more of these products I will get a small commission. :o)