Are you in need of a vacation somewhere beautiful? We are partnering with Hidden Mountain Resort, the Titanic Museum of Pigeon Forge, and Dollywood to give one lucky reader a luxury getaway to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This family vacation giveaway is valued at over $790 with no strings attached and it is free and easy to enter. We just visited the beautiful Smoky Mountains and they are the perfect retreat and family vacation destination. Read on for more details and enter to win today.
Month: July 2014
Family Travel: Visiting Dollywood in Tennessee with Kids
As a fan of theme parks, roller coasters, and Dolly Parton, loving Dollywood comes naturally for me. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take my family to the park on our recent trip to the Smoky Mountains. I received free tickets to the park to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own. I love Dollywood because it is family friendly, family focused, and has a little something for everyone. Read on to find out how our trip went with two toddlers and how to enter to win a trip to Dollywood for your family.
Family Travel: Our Smoky Mountain Family Vacation at Hidden Mountain Resort
Our family loves to spend the summer traveling, and this year we were blessed to spend a few days of our family vacation in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee at Hidden Mountain Resort. The family owned resort features luxury cabin rentals and villas, as well as a motor coach resort. Located in Sevierville, Tennessee, Hidden Mountain is close to all of the action in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, but feels tucked away and secluded. We stayed at Hidden Mountain at no cost in exchange for this review, but all opinions are strictly my own. Read on to find out why we love cabin rentals for frugal family vacations, what we thought about Hidden Mountain Resort, and how you can win a trip of your own to the Smoky Mountains.
Bring the Beach Home ~ 20 Beach Inspired Craft & Decorating Ideas #BareFeetontheBeach
If you’ve been following along with our #BareFeetontheBeach series, you know by now that I’m a serious beach bum. As a result I love beach themed decor and craft ideas. Today I’m sharing some of my own as well as some fabulous and inspiring ideas from other bloggers. Check them out and get ready to DIY your own beachy goodness.
Family Travel: Our Best Beach Tips + 15 Great Resources for Family Beach Vacation Planning #BareFeetontheBeach
Welcome to #BareFeetontheBeach week here at Bare Feet on the Dashboard. Our family has traveled to the Florida panhandle for a family beach vacation almost every year since I was a toddler. After more than three decades of beaching it, we have it down to a science. Today I’m sharing our best beach tips for your family beach vacation. A family beach vacation can be pure magic if you take the time to plan ahead and be prepared. Read on to find out how we do it and get ready for a great beach trip.
A Fresh Seafood Meal Plan for Your Family Beach Vacation #BareFeetontheBeach
After 30+ years of beach trips, our family knows what we love and we stick to it. We try maybe one new recipe each trip, but we love to make our favorites year after year. I’ve put together our traditional beach meal plan for you to use to gather ideas for your own family beach vacation. One of the best ways to save money while traveling is to cook rather than dine out. This meal plan will help you save money without missing out on the fresh seafood flavors that make beach trips so amazing. Be sure to pin this post so you can find it later for your family beach vacation.
20 of the Best Beach Activities for Kids and Families #BareFeetontheBeach
Welcome to the #BareFeetontheBeach series here on Bare Feet on the Dashboard. We’ve been taking family beach vacations for over 30 years (since I was a toddler) and are now taking the third generation on beach trips. I’ve compiled a list of 20 of the best beach activities for kids and families for your vacation or staycation this year (some are perfect to do at home). Read more below and don’t forget to pin this post to find it later.
Our Family Movie Night Tips with Kellogg’s Cereal Snacks #goodnightsnack #cbias
This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
We had our first ever family movie night with both kids this past weekend, and it was so much fun. As I’ve mentioned before, Disney Planes is the Bear’s current favorite movie. Jed and I had both seen it in bits and pieces, but never sat down to watch the entire thing with him. We prepped the world’s easiest movie snacks that were a huge hit with the whole family, and sat down to enjoy the movie together. Read on to find our tips for a successful family movie night with preschoolers as well as learn how to save big money on the new Disney movie Planes: Fire and Rescue.
Make Summer Sun Safety a Breeze with SwimZip UV Swimwear for Kids and Adults #BareFeetontheBeach
Welcome to the #BareFeetontheBeach blog series! Today is the first in a series of beach themed posts I’ll be sharing while we make our way across the country toward our own beach vacation. Follow along on Instagram as I share our road trip adventures. We love to play outside all year round, but after a scare with precancerous moles a few years ago I’ve become more proactive about sun safety. My darling daughter has the fairest skin around, so I know I’ll have to be extra vigilent with her all summer and especially on our beach trip. When I saw the zipper swimwear created by SwimZip on Shark Tank, I knew the company had a genius idea. How many of you have ever wrestled a kid in to or out of a wet swim suit or rash guard? *Raises hand* It is ridiculously frustrating, as is lathering every inch of your wee ones with sunscreen only to have it come off as soon as they get wet. I reached out to Betsy (the head mompreneur) to review SwimZip UV Swimwear, and I’ll share our full review below.
Easy Firework Finger Painting for Toddlers and Preschool Kids
Finger painting with toddlers and little kids may sound like a total disaster waiting to happen, but I promise it can be fun and painless. All you need is construction paper and washable paint. For this project, I offered the kids a red, white, and blue palette and asked them to create fireworks. Pearl girl obviously had no idea what I was talking about, but Bear knows what they are and went for it immediately. You can read more about stress free finger painting with toddlers here, and read on to learn how we made this project flow with minimal chaos and only a minor mess. 🙂
This was the Pearl Girl’s first foray in to finger painting, and she did well for about 10 minutes. I feel pretty great about that for a 14 month old. She really liked the feel of the paint on her fingers and patting it down on the paper. I set out four color options on a disposible paper plate. Only put out as much paint as you think they’ll need for one painting at a time. I gave each child a piece of paper and had Bear show PG how to do it. I guided her first few strokes and then she got the hang of it quickly. The Bear will paint happily for about 20 minutes now at age 3.
Let go of any image of Pinterest perfection and let your kids have a blast being creative. We’ve been reading a book about Franklin the Turtle being an artist, so the Bear believes he is one. I think every kid does until someone tells them different. Artistic expression is important for development and doesn’t have to be difficult for parents and caregivers to execute.
Clean up is so easy during the summer. I turn on the hose and let the kids splash the paint away, then turn the hose on our mini picnic table to wash it down. Leave the paintings out to dry and head in for a snack. You can find one of the ways we preserve kid art at no cost here. Happy Independence Day America!