car trip Archives - Dad of Divas

Packing for a Road Trip

July 6, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

The chances are that you are planning on going on a road trip or you are about to embark on one and have thus stumbled on this article. Packing for a road trip isn’t something that should give you a headache, although when you don’t know where to start, it very well can.

Here are a few tips for what you should always bring with you the next time you are planning a weekend getaway with your friends and family members. The better prepared you are, the more at ease you will be when the time finally comes to depart for your trip. Continue reading for more information.

The music playlist

A good road trip simply isn’t complete without the perfect music playlist. You and your road trip companions should compile a playlist beforehand that you can then play during this road trip.

Getting the right snacks

Snacks are always a necessity, especially when you know that you will be driving for a more extended period of time. The question is, what type of snacks should you bring?

Food is fuel for your body, and you need it to maintain your energy. It’s always in your best interest to bring with you healthy and nutritional snacks. One such example is Bob’s Red Mill nutrition bars, and there are countless different flavors that you can choose from, depending on you and your family’s preference.

Ensure that you have your essentials in the trunk

Depending on how long you are going and where you plan on driving to in the first place, you should always ensure that all of your trip essentials are placed in the trunk of your car. This is something that you should have also packed well in advance, as well.

Pillows and blankets

Sleep is always critical for any road trip, and there may be moments where the passengers will want to fall asleep for a few hours. This is exactly why you should have some pillows and blankets that you can keep in the back of the car until you need them.

You might even decide to pull over somewhere so that everyone in the car can take a nap, including the driver, in which case the pillows will become even handier!

First aid kit

You never know what could happen and where, and that is why a first aid kit is always essential to bring along to any trip, regardless of the duration or how you are getting there.

Water bottle

Staying hydrated is just as important as having food and other snacks for the trip. Everyone should have a portable water bottle that they have invested in and that they can bring with them on this trip. This will not only come in useful for the road trip but for day-to-day life as well.

Follow these tips, and you will feel more prepared than ever before for your upcoming road trip. Plus, you will now know exactly what to do for your next trip with friends or family members as well!

@GreatWolfLodge Will Provide Lasting Memories for the Whole Family!

April 30, 2012 by dadofdivas 26 Comments

Have you ever looked for an amazingly fun getaway for your family that gives you the best of all worlds. This past weekend my family and I had the opportunity to travel to Traverse City to go to Great Wolf Lodge. We had never been there before, but we had heard of many people that had gone and they had a great time. For us, it took us a little over three hours to get there, but the three hours were definitely worth it. When we got there, of course, the kids wanted to hit the waterpark. While the waterpark is a large part of the resort, I came to find that there was much more to the resort than just water and slides.

Before I get into the rest of the resort, I have to talk about the waterpark itself. The waterpark was huge and had a little bit of everything, from pool, three waterslides, whirlpools and huge waterpark tree park. One of the best things about the waterpark was the fact that they kept it at a constant 84 degrees inside the waterpark and the water is also quite comfortable as well (unlike many waterparks that I have been to in the past). For my eldest daughter, she mentioned that her favorite parts of the waterpark were the waterslides as well as the huge can of water that dumped on bystanders every 5 minutes or so (and did it ever drench you). The three waterslides were quite different, and I have to say that my favorite was the yellow on that allowed up to three people go down and provided a bit faster ride and you even got to go in the dark. My youngest daughter loved the two waterslides that came off of the tree fort and for only being four, she showed some great bravery going on that over and over again!

On day two of our stay at the resort I spoke to the manager and he let me know about a program that they had called the paw pass. This great addition to your stay opens up the rest of the resort to you and your family. It provides you with the opportunity to try out a interactive scavenger hunt called MagiQuest as well as get a cool tattoo, a stuffed friend, a snack in the waterpark, tokens for the Arcade and a memorable take home gift from the Cub Club.

MagiQuest was something that looked awesome and in starting the quest itself, my eldest daughter worked to become a Master Magi. This took a few hours and quite a bit of walking between floors, but she was able to achieve this rank and then battle both a Dragon and Goblin King.

There was quite a bit more that she could have done if we had more time, but alas, we were not able to complete everything. The game though is fun because you get a magic wand and go around collecting special runes that you need to defeat your enemies, as well as gold to support your quests. The game makes you think deeply about riddles, and remember where things are along the way. The game was a ton of fun and the resort had some hidden fun things around the resort as well which worked with the wand that made it even more worthwhile.

The tattoo that I mentioned is not your run of the mill tattoo but a multicolored, sparkling tattoo that was amazing! They had so many tattoos to choose from and my youngest chose one of the characters from the resort and as you can see it is quite intricate.

The resort itself had a great gift shop, and inside this gift shop you can find some amazing items to help you remember your trip. One of the things that my youngest was able to do thanks to the Paw Pass was build a stuffed friend that she will have forever. If you have ever been to Build-A-Bear workshop this is a similar idea and they have outfits that you can purchase as well.

The Cub Club is a fun location that allows kids to be able to be creative or just chill out playing some games, watching a movie, or making a fun take-home item (for a small fee). They had a ton of things that you could make and take home that allowed kids to show their creative juices and my eldest made a knap sack and my youngest made a monkey pillow (as she loves monkeys).

The arcade was a blast and you can find games that range everywhere from one to four tokens (each token is worth .25/token). Our girls each had 10 tokens so they did not last too long, but that did not stop them from having a blast in the arcade itself!

Finally was the snack that they had in the waterpark. The snack, called Potato Stix, really was a potato on a stick. What was amazing about this was that they literally take a full potato slice it up in a machine with a spiral cut, fry it and place seasoning on it (based on your own taste) and it comes out looking like potato chips on a stick. The snack itself is not completely crunchy like a potato chip, but it was still a lot of tasty fun.

These are only a few things that we tried and enjoyed. There was also a ton of daily activities such as an animatronic show as well as story time every night which was fun and the kids got to meet some of the resort characters after the story. They had an on-site restaurant which the kids liked as well.

All-in-all this was a great trip which will provide long-lasting memories. I think we are hooked and I believe that you will be too! I highly encourage you to consider taking your own family to a Great Wolf Lodge near you!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Bear has an adventure!

March 10, 2010 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

More check-ins at Wyndham Chicago

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Branson, A Town With Just About Everything for Anyone

January 16, 2010 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have never visited Branson, but in talking to some relatives that recently went, it sounds like quite the place. As some of my readers know, I love music. I sing in our church choir, but have also sang Barbershop music in the past as well as other types of music. Why am I talking about music? Well, Branson is full of musical talent.

There are also a ton of festivals that surround the city as well which draw a ton of people annually to visit. Some of the festivals that surround the city include:

–National Kid’s Fest
-Parrot Head Party
-Father’s Day Salute
-Forsyth Fun Day
-HHRitage Nationals Chevy HHR show
-Annual Downtown Clown Around
-Colgate Country Showdown
-Rods & Relics Rod Run

I particularly loved the idea of the Kid’s Fest, especially having kids that fall into an age that would just love all of the things that the largest kids festival can provide!

I was simply amazed at the myriad of activities that surround Branson. I mentioned the music and festivals, but in researching this even more I came to find activities for almost anyone in your family. From the tourist to the naturalist. From the music lover to the theatre lover. There truly is something for everyone.

There are also a ton of places to stay while you are in Branson. I looked at a few sites that looked quite nice and inviting and the amenities were just what a family of four would call for, these included:

Both sites have great packages as well as pools (which our kids love), as well as other nice amenities like infant cribs and dining is shared between the locations and offers both family and fine dining options in their two restaurants.

I particularly liked the romance package as J-Mom and I do not typically get away for time alone. Needless to say though, if we were to go to Branson, at least at this point in our lives, the divas would also accompany, so the Romance Package will have to wait.

Overall, I was impressed with the city and all that it provides its’ tourists. I hope to someday visit and see more of what it has to offer!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Maniverse – Don’t take your car – Take a boat!

June 28, 2008 by dadofdivas 4 Comments

If you are either from Michigan or Wisconsin, you may or may not know that there are other ways across/around the Lake that do not necessitate driving through Chicago (dreadful highway experience if you haven’t experienced it). I am specifically speaking about the Lake Express High Speed Car Ferry that goes between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan and the SS Badger which goes from Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Ludington, Michigan. I had never ridden either of these till recently when I had the opportunity to ride both in a short period of time.

Both of these car ferry’s are great but very different…let me explain.

The Lake Express is a hydrofoil and takes half the time it takes on the SS badger, making the crossing of Lake Michigan in only 2.5 hours. This boat is a sleek and offers both regular and upgraded cabins. People can bring on their personal vehicles for an additional charge. During the ferry crossing a first run movie is shown but you have to pay an additional cost for this. In the past I had heard that if the water was choppy people ended up feeling very sick to their stomachs, but during our crossing, it was quite calm. The seating areas were comfortable and offered both tables and individual seats. The crew was friendly and willing to talk with passengers.

The SS Badger on the other hand is a huge boat which has been making crossing for quite some years. In the past the Badger also carried trains and other large vehicles upon it. On the crossing that I was on, there was a semi as well as a U-Haul with car attached. The SS Badger was definitely more family oriented with kids play area, arcade, movie lounge (first run movie), and game night (BINGO and TRIVIA –I even won one!). The SS Badger also tends to be a bit cheaper than the Lake Express. The drawback – it takes 4.5 hours to make the crossing as the boat tends to go at about 16 miles an hour or so. The SS Badger, or Badger as it is better known is steeped in history and even has a movie to talk about its history. The crew is friendly and willing to help in any way that they can. There were many areas to sit whether you wanted to brave the chilly lake air or if you chose instead to sit inside, seating was available on multiple decks and offered individual seating or tables depending on where you wished to sit.

Overall the trips were uneventful and pleasant. I had the opportunity to meet some interesting people with interesting backgrounds. Though both modes of transportation did cost more than simply driving the entire distance, I did enjoy the trip and the break from the hustle and bustle of driving through Chicago. I would recommend either if you had the financial resources to support the trip. I encourage you all to check out these for a alternative mode of transportation, especially if you are traveling between Michigan and Wisconsin or vice-versa.

That’s all from the Maniverse this week!

Kids say the Darndest things

May 29, 2008 by dadofdivas 4 Comments

As we were on our trip back from Grand Rapids to home (which took a lot longer then usual with a 3.5 month old) we were driving through Gary, Indiana/ Now for any of you that have ever driven through or around Gary, you know the smell that accompanies this city which is due to the large part to the steel mills all around the city. For those of you who have never had the luxury to experience this, it is a VERY poignant sulfur smell.

Anyway, we were driving though Gary and Diva-J says to J-Mom…

Diva-J – “What’s that smell?

Diva-J – “It smells bad”

Diva-J – “Is it Daddy?”

J-Mom – “No, it’s not Daddy… it’s from those factories over there”

Needless to say I was at first shocked as I don’t think of myself as someone who smells but maybe my daughter does…but then at the same time, I was also about to roll on the floor laughing at her question/statement. J-Mom did a good job at keeping her composure as well as she also was about to crack up as well.

I guess this just goes to show you the funny things that kids have to say and the candor at which they say them!

What kinds of things have your kids said to make you take pause or simply bite your tongue?