Jared and Justin are Ready for the Game!

I took a summer sabbatical from writing.  Not a great idea for a travel blogger .  Still, I’m back with plenty of adventures to share.  One of the highlights of our summer was a trip to the Padres game for the Fourth of July.  We purchased a cheap package on Groupon, that included great seats, a hot dog lunch, and Padres hats.  I definitely recommend signing for Groupon and keeping up with the deals.  They can really save you money on a family adventure.  In previous years we have spent Independence Day at minor league games.  This is another affordable way to share baseball with the family.

I was worried that my wiggly  five and six year old wouldn’t make it through the game, but they did great.  Before the game we went exploring and came upon a great display about the construction of Petco Park and some of the Padres greatest players.  Jared and Destiny were particularly impressed with Tony Gwinn’s golden glove.

Tonny Gwynn's Golden Glove

We returned to our seats just in time to witness the pre-game festivities.  My oldest Justin had just returned from a trip to Washington D.C. and was excited to see the Revolutionary War cast of characters come alive on the ball field.

Revolutionary War Salute

The entire family enjoyed the first few innings then the little guys and I headed to the ballpark playground to get some energy out.   I was able to follow the game on the nearby Jumbotron.

 

Petco Playground

 We scooted back into our seats in the 8th inning and were able to celebrate together as the Padres won over the Colorado Rockies.  The Smith Family went wild along with the rest of the crowd.  Here’s a picture of our happy tired crew.

 I was appalled to read yesterday, that High School English Classes are no longer assigning fiction in most of their curriculum.  In order to combat this ignorant and shortsighted trend I plan to start including where possible great books that reflect the theme of my posts.  Here are some baseball suggestions:

Jim and Me by Dan Gutman.  All of Dan Gutman’s  baseball adventures are amazing and teach kids about US history and Baseball greats.  This particular book is about a Native American Ball Playing Legend Jim Thorpe.

 What I Learned from Jackie Robinson by Carl Erskine .  I must confess I plan to bribe my 11 year-old to read this book.  Written by one of Robinson’s team mates it provides an inspirational and compelling look at the life of one of Baseball’s greatest and bravest athletes. 

Go Padres!!! I can hardly wait to go back.

Happy Trails,

Bridget

Jared graduated today from Kruger House Parent Participation  Preschool in Carlsbad, California.  I hope my readers who are the parents of toddlers and preschoolers will keep in mind that the right preschool will be a great source of  family adventures.  I am simply in awe of how much my little guy has matured over the past three years.  Thanks to his wonderful teachers, he is well on the road to kindergarten.  He is also kind, friendly, poised, artistic, and highly curious about the world.  He is the source of all sorts of brilliant random facts about everything from pirates to polar bears. 

Jared  has benefited from the experiential learning opportunities he enjoyed at Kruger House.  A parent participation preschool with plenty of support can lead to some spectacular field trips.  Over the past three years, we have gone horse back riding, seen where the firemen eat and sleep at the fire station, fed the seals at Sea World, and petted exotic animals at the Wild Animal Park.  One of Jared’s most memorable field trips was a trip to the dentist’s office.  He  is still giving me mini lectures on oral hygiene. 

This Photo Friday I want to give you a tiny peek into our preschool adventures. 

Jared's First Day of Preschool

Field Trip to Bates Nut Farm

A Vintage Letter from Santa on Library Fieldtrip

Cowpoke Jared

Thank you so much to Ms. Ellen, Ms. Katherine, Ms. Laurie, and Ms. Brenda at Kruger House.  You have given our family so many wonderful memories of preschool adventures!

Jared Says Goodbye to Kruger House Preschool, June 2010

Today I am both sad and excited that I am now the mom of three school age kids.  The stroller has been given away.  We are ready to embrace some big kid adventures!

 Happy Trails,

Bridget

P.S. Family Adventure Guidebooks participates in Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday Blog Roundup.

A few months ago I discovered a great family travel website, Trekaroo.  Users can post profiles, review travel destinations, and pose  questions about traveling with kids forum.  There are also great articles by family travel bloggers like me .  With the Trekaroo Kids Mobile, moms all over the US are highlighting some of their favorite family travel destinations.  I am honored to join many of my blogging friends at the San Diego Stop of this fun travel tour.

Trekaroo families  have been voting for their favorite kid-friendly activities and hotels in and around San Diego.  We’ve tallied their votes for 2009 and here’s the line up!

Top Activities for Kids in San Diego, CA – voted by parents

Top Kid-friendly Hotels in San Diego, CA – voted by parents

Living in San Diego leaves local families little excuse to stay home.  These moms bring you their personal recommendations of the best places to take kids in their hometown.  Want the local scoop?  Here it is!

Bridget Smith, the author of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook not only shared with us her Top Tips for a Legoland Adventure with Toddler and Preschoolers, but now gives us some great ideas about Fun Things to  Do After Visiting Legoland, California. Bridget spent countless hours in Legoland one year and made more than full use of their family’s season pass to bring us the blow-by-blow of making the most of your visit to Legoland.  Follow their family’s other adventures on her blog:  Family Adventure Guidebooks

The Q Family  isn’t local but lives to travel.  If you have 5 days to spend in San Diego, here’s their list of the Must See Attractions with Kids in San Diego. This is a family who’s constantly on the go!  The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog chronicles their adventures with wonderful photos, fun stories and helpful tips.

Balboa Park is a wonderful urban park that families love.  But when hunger strikes, Carolina has a list of Kid-friendly Dining in Balboa Park.  She is the mom behind the blog Kids Go West.  As a public school teacher, mom and freelance travel writer, she shares her insider tips on all the totally awesome places to go with kids in her home state of California. Bookmark her blog if you’re heading to California.

Rockinmama loves to mix fun and learning.  She recommends these 5 Fun and Educational Kid Activities in San Diego.  On her blog Rockin Mama, she writes with great humor about pregnancy.  She also write prolifically about parent-friendly products.  If you’re looking for the inside scoop on new products for parents out there, this rockin mama’s got it.

Amie O’Shaughnessy of Ciao Bambino brings us San Diego: Favorite Family Hotels . Ciao Bambino is a one of Trekaroo’s favorite partners because we share a common passion – inspiring families to travel.  Ciao Bambino provides tips and advice around all things related to traveling with kids and is a guide to the best kid-friendly hotels.

Sarah Wyles runs Toddler’s Travels – a local baby equipment rental company for visiting families.  Naturally, she’s a guru on Fun Activities for Toddlers in San Diego.  Instead of lugging all those bulky items on the plane, rent it when you arrive from Toddler’s Travels.

Colleen of TravelMamas has the scoop on the 5 Best Family-friendly Restaurants in San Diego County.  Her blog, Travelmamas, gives tell-it-like-it-is tips about traveling with kids.  Relying on her own family’s experience as well as the advice from other traveling parents and experts, she gives loads of practical advice on traveling well with kids.

La Jolla is one of the most beautiful suburbs of San Diego and La Jolla Mom shares with us her list of Things to Do in La Jolla With Kids. Her blog La Jolla Mom has become a meeting place of sorts for local moms looking to connect.  Her Family Fun section is full of popular and off the beaten path places to go with kids.  Hop on over and see why La Jolla is a town you must stop at when visiting San Diego.

Other Resources for San Diego, CA

• All 104 Activities for kids in the San Diego County
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around San Diego County

Which Hotels came up at the top?

Top Activities for Kids in San Diego, CA – voted by parents

Next stop, Denver, CO (that’s right, the launch of Colorado is coming soon)

The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while

1) expressing their unique point of view

2) getting a web of link exchanges.

Join us for one of our next stopovers.

Happy Trails,

Bridget

You’ve been good this year, right?  A great mom, a cheerful polite traveler, a hard working soul…since you lurk on my blog, I am sure that you are all of the above.  While Santa is busy making toys for all the good little boys and girls, perhaps it’s time to take a chance on a holiday suprise for yourself.  Dreaming of a getaway to Costa Rica or a night at the Four Seasons in Seattle with your hubby…a ten dollar donation might make that dream come true.

The school is on its way to being built, but the Passports With Purpose crew is still dreaming of a kitchen garden, cook, and gardener to give the kids at our new school some healthy lunches.  Malnutrition is a serious problem throughout Cambodia and our school can make a difference.

Here are some kid friendly prizes that have great odds as of today:

• The Legoland Prize Pack including 4 park hopper tickets and two nights at the Sheraton Carlsbad. Family Adventure Guidebooks contributed this prize after the deadline, so with a ten dollar donation you have pretty good odds for winning this fabulous prize.  Don’t worry.  There are lots of fun things to do here in Carlsbad on that second day.  I’d be happy to fill you in.
• $150 gift certificate to Restaurants.com.  Food is a major expense for any vacation.  Just think about how many days you could spluge on dessert with these great gift certificates.
• $100 My Busy Kit Certificate  I am a big fan of these fun kits that keep kids busy while traveling.  Lorraine at Keeps Me Smiling comes up with some great travel toys.  Get some as gifts or give them to your friends.
• $100 Gift Certificate to Tots on the Go- This would make that cool new umbrella stroller you dream of taking on your next vacation alot more affordable.
• $75 Southwest gift card.  With three kids, air travel is very expensive.  Southwest fares are so low, this gift card would make a big difference.

See more prizes with great odds here.

Happy Trails,

Bridget