5 Summer Getaways Every Kid Should Experience

My daughter at Orange Beach, right after sunset

When I was a little girl, my family would go on vacation once or twice a  year - sometimes to the beach, sometimes to the mountains.  Money was always tight but my parents found ways to save - instead of flying, we either rented a car or drove our own. It took longer of course but I am so glad that we did it that way because half the fun was the ride! The memories from those trips are ones that I will treasure for a lifetime.  I think that every child deserves to have summers packed full of fun and excitement, with a dash of relaxation. Here are a few of the getaways that I think every kid should get to experience:
1. Beaches - The Gulf Coast is my favorite of course! I have visited other beaches but the Alabama Gulf Coast beaches will always have a special place in my heart. This is a vacation spot that we hit nearly every year. When we weren't making sandcastles on the beach or playing in the hotel pool, we were eating seafood or trying to find the perfect seashell. The gorgeous white sand beaches and emerald waters are like no other.  The sunsets are indescribable. Besides making sandcastles, finding seashells, swimming and shopping, there is so much more to do in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Family friendly and and historical sites like Fort Morgan are fun and educational. For nature lovers there's kayaking with the dolphins and biking the trails in the State Park.
2. The Mountains - we always went to Smoky Mountains in Georgia or to the mountains in North Carolina. The mountains are a great destination any time of year. I have never met a mountain range that I didn't love. Whether with family or by myself, I feel relaxed and in tune with nature when I'm in the outdoors and that amazing mountain air does wonders for your soul. I think that camping out and hiking are two activities that every single child needs to experience with their family. 
3. Washington D.C. - Talk about a destination that is full of excitement and activities! There are so many great museums, parks and historical monuments to visit so kids will never be bored in our nation's capital. 
4. DisneyWorld- While I have never been there, I think that every child should get to go to DisneyWorld. Hopefully I'll be making a trip to the Magical Kingdom with my family in the near future!
5. R.V. Road Trip Across the U.S. -This is another activity that I have yet to complete but I hope that we will get to do this one year. I think that a cross country trip in an RV would be incredible. I've been on RV trips with friends and it was so much fun. On a road trip across the country, you'd get to visit so many off beat places. Plus you would get to spend a lot of time with your family and it would be a little bit chaotic at times but worth every single crazy second.
No matter where you decide to go, remember to relax and have a good time. I know that sometimes vacations can be stressful and many of us feel like taking a vacation from the vacation. Instead of stressing out, just try to go with the flow. Focus on spending quality time with your family and save the worries for another day!Whether you need a car when you get to your destination or you will be driving to your vacation spot this year, Alamo Rent A Car can help: "Founded in 1974, Alamo Rent A Car is a value-oriented, internationally recognized brand serving the rental needs of airport leisure travelers. Alamo offers low rental rates and a hassle-free customer experience at the most popular travel destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. In addition, Alamo customers in the U.S. are able to conveniently choose their own vehicles, based upon their advance reservation and requested car class, and then simply drive away from the airport."
The Alamo membership club, Alamo Insiders, offers its members numerous perks including exclusive, member-only deals, quick and simple reservations, and frequent traveler miles with each rental. 

 I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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Be Kind to Animals & Support Those Who Work to Prevent Animal Cruelty

My Granny with her animals in the early 1950s

Last month was ASCPA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Since this is a cause that I feel so strongly about, I want to remind everyone that we should teach our children and encourage other adults to treat all living animals with kindness. To help your children learn more about protecting our furry friends, visit http://www.aspca.org/aspcakids/ I also wanted to share with you a story about animal rescue that I treasure so much:I come from a long line of animal lovers. My grandmother-"granny"-would not and could not pass up an opportunity to help ANY animal in need. She even rescued a baby duck! Strangely enough, the duckling was in an urban area -nowhere near water or anything else for that matter besides apartments, houses and cars! While taking a walk, my granny heard a commotion and saw some dogs near an abandoned storage building. She walked closer and saw that the dogs were trying to get to something. She then discovered a precious, lone baby duck that was about to be attacked. She rescued him and took care of Oscar for the next several years but when my grandfather was hospitalized for several weeks, she had to find a loving home for him - it broke her heart. 

A REALLY old picture of my brother with Oscar

Living in a very populated urban area, there were always stray dogs or cats and granny couldn't resist taking in the animals. She kept them in her house and took care of them as though they were one of her grandchildren. She always nursed the animals back to health then she'd try to find them a good home. If she couldn't find a home for them, she would keep them herself. She would always say "This is the last one! Ya'll better not bring ANY more animals in this house. I am not taking in another one!" Then next week, she'd have a new litter of kittens in her bedroom and a skinny, really old doggy she was nursing back to health in the living room. She was on a very low, fixed income but if one of the animals needed attention, she did not hesistate taking it to the vet. I remember at one point, her vet bill was outrageous but thankfully the veterinarian put her on a payment plan. My granny passed away in August 2007. My little girl and I had been staying with her that week and granny had just taken in a kitten that one of the neighbors rescued. I remember the kitty was full of energy and we laughed all week while watching her jumping and climbing all over the place. My daughter was young but she says that she can remember sitting in granny's lap while granny held a string, making the kitty jump at it while my daughter howled with laughter. The day before she passed away, my granny sent me to the store with the last $20 bill she had so that I could buy the kitten some toys, litter and a litter box and kitten food. She was the most loving woman I know and I am so thankful to have had such a positive influence in my life. She instilled in me the importance of really taking care of animals like you would take care of a family member. The animals were her family members. My granny followed the vet's advice on what to feed her animals and she didn't give them table scraps.  I had to tell this one story that illustrates just how much my granny loved her animals: Granny and I were at my aunt's house and she and her doggy were about to go home. We were hungry but she realized that there was very little to eat at home. I was a teenager and had no money so I couldn't help. When we got to her house, she had a couple of beautiful pork tenderloin chops, a couple potatoes, few slices of bread and a little bit of cheese. Now my granny was an amazing cook. She turned the potatoes, bread and cheese into a great meal for the two of us. BUT for her dog, she cooked the chops- she cooked them just like she would have if she was fixing them for herself. They looked and smelled so good! I can still almost smell them. I was amazed at that one act. I have told that story so many times - I don't know if people actually get it though. This was a woman who rarely bought fine cuts of meat - they were a luxury. She'd been saving this meat for a great meal but when it came down to deciding whether to let her dog eat cheese or meat, she gave him the meat and it wasn't even a decision for her. She didn't have to think about it. She was hungry and she could smell and probably almost taste that delicious pork loin chop but she let it cool, cut it into bite size amounts and fed it to her dog. I will never forget that as long as I live. 

I teach my daughter to treat animals the way she would want someone to treat her. She loves animals of all kinds and she is eager to help any animal in any way. Right now we are helping our local Humane Society with donations and my daughter is saving her allowance to go along with whatever we donate. They are desperately in need of help because of a recent rash of tornadoes and thunderstorms that devastated our county and other counties nearby. We are taking a truckload of supplies next week and I hope that we can keep on helping. The picture at the top of this post is of a puppy that we rescued. Some people who lived near us abandoned their dog while she was pregnant.  My father brought her home and we took care of her and when she gave birth, we took care of her puppies. Unfortunately, we could not keep all them because both there were so many. We have very little space and both of my parents are disabled -my father has dementia and taking care of him is a chore in itself but we were able to keep one puppy - the one in the picture at the top of this post- and my daughter named her Lexie.

Please remember the importance of showing kindness to animals and in working to end animal cruelty. One such organization is Anniewear. They provide high quality clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers but more importantly, Anniewear donates sales to animal rescue programs across the country. They also are offering you a discount: get 15% off your purchase when you use code BLOG2011. You can find my review for Anniewear here.
One more important thing to remember: please report animal neglect to your local humane society. Every little bit we do can help save animals makes a difference!
Disclosure: This compensated post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.

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FREE Funnix Children's Reading Program Available During January (reg. $249)

During the month of January, you can download the entire two-year Funnix Children's Reading Program for free. I am DEFINITELY taking advantage of this offer!! This program retails for $249. Here's more info from the site:

During the month of January, the Funnix Reading Program will be FREE--no strings, no hidden costs. The Funnix sequence teaches 2 years worth of reading skills and is regularly priced at $249.

The program is designed by the world's most successful creator of instructional materials, Siegfried (Zig) Engelmann, a maverick professor of Education who has authored many books, including Give Your Child a Superior Mind, and highly successful reading programs like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Engelmann says of Funnix,"Teaching the lessons requires a lot less effort, and the lessons are more entertaining. Also, the program consists of 220 daily lessons, so it takes kids farther than most beginning-reading programs-- from being non readers to reading on the third-grade level."

The free version of Funnix is electronic. You download the entire package of 220 lessons and other material onto your computer, and you have everything you need to teach the program. The steps of what you do and how you do it are spelled out in Teacher’s Guide, which you review before presenting the program. Workbook and textbook activities accompany the lessons. You print these.

When you teach Funnix, you and you child sit next to each other and watch the computer screen. A narrator presents a series fast-paced exercises in each 30-minute lesson. The narrator asks questions, and your child responds--out loud. Your job is to reinforce correct responses and correct any mistakes by following simple rules for "navigating" through the material.

In schools, the program works the same way, except that there's usually a small group of children being taught, and the person who leads the group is a teacher or an aide.

The program has been very successful with a large range of children from ages 4 through 7 who enter the program knowing nothing about reading, including children who have been written off by schools.

What is Zig Engelmann's reason for providing this amazing give-away? He indicated, "We've been trying for years to do things that make schools successful, particularly with young kids and lower performers. We figured that we're in a position to offer schools and parents a stimulus package that could be worth a lot for every kid who otherwise would not be accelerated or who would be a reading failure. Why not make the electronic package available to anybody who needs it? It doesn't cost us much to do it, and it could help in a small way to counteract the effects of bankrupt schools and dismal times."

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