road trip

1 Comment Posted on May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 car reviews, movie reviews, parenting, Uncategorized

Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine- Family Friendly Review

My family has just returned from a 4 day mini-vacation to Pensacola, while we reviewed and tested out the new 2015 Toyota Sienna; which happened to be equipped with an awesome DVD player.

We packed several DVDs for our trip, but there was one that received much more airplay, at the request of my 4 and a half year-old son… Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine (on DVD and digital on May 5, 2015 for $14.98 SR).

Something my wife noticed about this DVD that made it so attractive to our son is that he got to decide which Elmo musical he wanted to watch. There are 7 choices:

“Guacamole the Musical”
“Mountain Climber the Musical”
“Repair Monster the Musical”
“Bird the Musical”
“Cowboy the Musical”
“Detective the Musical”

While “Play All” would run them all together as one solid movie, my son appreciated the free will of deciding which episode he wanted to see, when he wanted to see it.

The concept reminds me of the way the 1980s Mega Man video games were designed; you got to choose which levels to play in the order you wanted; in other words, it’s not chronological but it is all connected.

My son’s favorite was apparently “Bird the Plane,” where Elmo flies Ms. Penguin to her wedding. He also kept asking for “Repair Monster the Musical” as well; where Elmo gets to use tools to help fix things for people.

I can confirm that Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine is very good for road trips. Ours was 7 hours one way; so all together, with all the places we visited once we got there; we were easily in the car for close to 20 hours!

As expected, the DVD implicates learning into the music, fun, and silliness. I imagine our trip would have been a lot loss serene if we wouldn’t have had the 2015 Toyota Sienna with a DVD player, along with a copy of Sesame Street: Elmo The Musical Vol. 2 Learn and Imagine.

Infographic below courtesy of Brittany Dietz/Cheapflights:

4 Comments Posted on April 30, 2015 Uncategorized

Dear Jack: 2015 Toyota Sienna Walk-Around/Silly String Fight

4 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

This afternoon when I got home, you and your neighbor friend Aiden were having a silly string fight! It obviously was a lot of fun for you guys.

But mainly, this week has been all about preparing for our upcoming road trip to Pensacola, Florida.

You have been explaining to Mommy and me that we may be able to dig up some dinosaur bones and treasure chests when we get to the beach. (See Mommy’s drawing below.)

Let’s just say that a recent trip of mine to the Dollar Tree will help make that preconceived idea of yours come true…

Also, Toyota sent us a 2015 Sienna for the trip, to review as a family. I think this is the same exact one I got to drive back in October when Toyota sent me to Pompano Beach for their “Family Reunion” when I made an instructional video on how to use the Driver Easy Speak function.

In the little bit of time I’ve driven it so far this week, here’s my initial assessment of it:

It feels like I’m driving a luxurious stretch SUV. It’s so spacious inside. The 2 passenger seats in the 2^nd row are captain’s chairs that recline just like a normal recliner does.

Not to mention, this Toyota Sienna has a dual screen DVD/Blu-ray player in front of those “recliners.” Sounds like a limo to me!

So here’s to our biggest family road trip to date; other than when you were just a baby. But as an actual boy, we’ve never driven more than 5 hours one way with you.

This trip will be closer to 7 hours. However, I think the vehicle we will be travelling in will definitely make our trip that much more fun!

You are so excited about this van- almost as excited as you are about our treasure hunt…

We will be doing a “Plant-Based Restaurant Tour” of Pensacola, as well as driving out to Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, where you hope to see a real dolphin and buy a stuffed one as a souvenir.

My camera is ready for all the upcoming action…

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on April 16, 2015 parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Cupcakes/Music Lessons/Upcoming Pensacola Road Trip

4 years, 4 months.

Your teacher Ms. Aimee lets your class do something special every time you guys earn enough marbles to fill up the jar, on account of good behavior.

A few weeks ago, it was a pajama party. This past week, though, you all had a cupcake party. I was surprised to see the pictures… you actually made your own cupcakes, thanks to Ms. Aimee’s handy dandy cupcake maker.

I didn’t even though that existed… we might have to get one for our house. Here’s your teacher’s note:

“Hi Nick!

Today was our cupcake party!

Jack had a blast mixing all the ingredients together to make our cupcakes.

The best part was frosting and decorating them!”

Jack had a blast today with our guest, Mr. Adam, from Firey Music!

He showed us how to play the; guitar, banjo, and mandolin! Jack got to try each instrument.

Mr. Adam also gave each student an instrument all of their own (the greatest sight you’ve seen, 14 children’s eyes lighting up, finding out they get their OWN instrument!)

Jack has also fallen in love with our magnet tiles! He is the master of building rockets!”

Aimee Cornelius

Lead Rockstar Preschool Teacher (self-titled)

Rainbow Child Care Center

Spring Hill, Tennessee

www.rainbowchildccc.com

Coming up, we have a fun road trip/mini-vacation planning for Pensacola, Florida. We will be reviewing a 2015 Toyota Sienna, which will only add to the excitement!

On our itinerary is a fun trip to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, as you are currently obsessed with sea animals since watching and reviewing Dolphin Tale 2 a few months ago. You have already decided your souvenir for our trip will be a dolphin stuffed animal.

And it should go without saying, I will officially be reviewing the city of Pensacola from a “vegan friendly” perspective; as I’ve already done with our trips to Atlanta, Asheville, and Lake Tahoe.

I’m excited to see you play in the ocean. I have a feeling you will be looking for baby crabs there on the beach.

Pensacola is apparently only about 6 and a half hours from our new house, which is a bit closer to the ocean than our home in Nashville was.

This may turn out to be a new regular vacation spot for us, like Asheville has become.

All fun ahead, it sounds like!

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on October 15, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: There’s Nothin’ Like Riding Through A Tunnel In The Car

3 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Looking back, one of my favorite parts about family road trips, as a kid, was getting to ride through a tunnel in the car.

When on a family road trip, you just never know when one might pop up.

Of course, driving through one was always a little bit scary. There was that idea in my subconscious that we would never come out the other end; that we would not indeed “see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

As I got older, I was happy when my own dad would beep the horn so that it eerily echoed. Likewise, other drivers would do the same; creating this underground, non-aggressive, horn-honking orchestra conducted by random strangers.

I would also try to hold my breath for the entire duration of being in the tunnel; which was always a gamble, not knowing how long the tunnel would be.

You’re not there yet.

This past weekend on our fall road trip from Nashville to Asheville, as we reviewed the 4G capabilities of the 2015 Buick LaCrosse, we encountered one of those glorious tunnels somewhere between the North Carolina state line coming from Nashville headed towards Asheville.

Mommy cheered as the tunnel sort of appeared out of nowhere. Then I did my best to add to the theatrics of it, by pretending to be the voice of a monster, like I did with the “Apple Monster.”

However, you weren’t that impressed. Not to mention, you weren’t even the least bit afraid of the tunnel.

Actually, I think Mommy and I were more excited about driving through the tunnel than you were.

Just to be sure, Mommy and I demonstrated the same excitement as we headed back home, going through it a 2^nd time.

Oh well, we’ll keep trying to impress you with our theatrics.

Love,

Daddy

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1 Comment Posted on October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, reviews, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Book Review: The Truth About Nature, By Stacy Tornio And Ken Keffer

I’ve had a few people curiously ask me why it seems I never seem to review products that I don’t like; from cars, to food, to toys, to books.

Here’s why: I don’t feel it’s worth my time and effort to type up 500 words on a product I don’t believe in.

That’s why I do my research on a product before I review it, to make sure it meets my strict qualifications and standards before I invest in it.

With that being said, I believe in this book: The Truth About Nature: A Familiy’s Guide to 144 Common Myths about the Great Outdoors, written by Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer; illustrations by Rachel Riordan.

My nearly 4 year-old son believes in this book too, but for different reasons.

Jack likes the book because he makes a fun game out of “finding the animals” in the 212 pages, most of which contain at least one illustration of the animal that page features.

“Daddy, I found the blue jay!” he proclaims from the back seat on the way home from school, with our copy of The Truth About Nature in hand.

What I personally like about the book is that in a few years, once Jack is able to start comprehending words other than his name when he reads them, he will learn some really cool facts about animals that most people don’t know.

Here’s an excerpt:

Myth 106: Animals sleep with their eyes closed. Sleep varies a great deal from one animal to the next. Some sleep standing up. Some sleep during the day. Some even sleep with their eyes open… Dolphins are the most fascinating sleepers. They actually sleep with one eye open and continue to swim while they’re sleeping!

Like my son, I also appreciate the book’s illustrations. I want to classify the style as “Portland, Oregon postcard from 1983.” The drawings are classic, nostalgic, and enchanted.

The retail price is $18.95. Again, this is a beefy book, with 212 pages.

Our family has discovered it makes a great “road trip” book with all our reviews of cars that we do. This book is entertaining in an interesting way, not simply just in a trivial way.

The authors, Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer, have already proven they know what they’re doing when it comes to writing books. Their previous book, The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things To Do In Nature Before You Grow Up, was a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.

Also, FYI, in case you’re interested in the authors coming to your child’s school, they are currently having a contest for that:

So there you go: I officially endorse The Truth About Nature. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken the time and effort to be telling you about it today.

You can learn more about the book here on their website. Thanks for reading my blog today!

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