We checked the Texas State Capitol website and slid in just in time for the last guided tour of the day. (Free tours are hosted daily.)

My kids are 6, 8 and 10, and I wasn’t sure if they would love it or be bored.  They all really enjoyed our walking tour of Boston last summer, so I was hoping for the best.

My oldest, who is a boy LOVED it. But he is also in the midst of a unit on Texas history at school. We had been on a hunt to find a statue of Stephen F. Austin, so he was especially delighted to find that.

My middle guy liked it and even asked a few questions. My daughter, our youngest, was a trooper and smiled a lot, but that could have been because she got to sit on her dad’s shoulders here and there.

We all liked looking up into the rotunda:

And then, once we were up higher, we liked looking back down and checking out the art on floor where we had been standing. It featured seals of the six flags that have flown over Texas. (You did know that Texas was once its own country, right?)

We also go to see were bills are debated and laws are made:

When I was younger, I loved visiting the Capitol Building and it was exciting for me to see my kids drinking it all in, as well.

Have you visited your state Capitol as a family? What did your kids think of it?

I can camp in a tent and I don’t abhor camping in a tent but, I’ll admit it, I do not love it, either.

Earlier this month my boys’ Cub Scout pack was invited to take part in a Mom & Me camp out.

Yep, just the moms and the boys. In tents. In the somewhat wilderness.

And as much as I griped about it to my husband (poor guy), I went with a smile anyway… and actually even ended up having a great time with my guys.

We pitched our tent, I turned off my phone, and we pretended to rough it for just one evening, one night and the better part of the next day. We had a great time talking, playing, hiking, playing games and building breadboxes which will probably be used to house trophies and ribbons in their bedrooms instead of bread in the kitchen.

The best part was the time together,  undistracted. And that really was priceless.

Do you camp with your family? Would you be up for a Mom & Me camp out? (Or would you grumble like I did… and then treasure the time?)

Wanna go see something fun and different with the kids and get a little relaxing in? Want to enjoy all your favorite foods—just the way you like them, or maybe try something a little more exotic?

Sure, I love boarding a plane and taking off for some place completely new.  But I also enjoy skipping the jet lag or travel exhaustion and instead uncovering true gems much closer to home.

This Spring Break, consider taking the opportunity to do and see all the things you’ve intended to do but haven’t… stay at home and be a tourist in your own town!

Think about it… you probably like where you live, but seldom get to really take it all in because you’re too busy getting the things done that “have” to get done. With a little planning, you can still feel like you are on vacation without even having to pack a suitcase and spend money on a hotel.

How can it be done? I’ll tell you:

Determine your budget.

Just like any other trip, first think about how much you want to spend. Figure it out and plan around it.

Book your trip on your calendar.

Determine at what time and day vacation will begin and end and then treat those times and dates as if they were flight reservations. This will help you get in the right frame of mind for getting things prepared and then getting back to ‘real’ life. Don’t plan non-vacation things during those dates. This is not the time for home repair or other appointments. If you would like to allow for those types of things while taking a break from work or school, plan a day less for your “vacation” and schedule those things before or after the “trip.”

Research local attractions and build a vacation schedule.

You must have a few ideas of places you’d like to check out. Treat this trip like any other and put some time into researching the really fun and interesting things to do, narrow down your choices and plot them on your schedule. Call ahead and ask some of the venues for restaurant suggestions- You might even hear a few new ones you haven’t tried.

Consider at-home activities.

What at-home activities do you wish you had time for but never feel like you do? Pull out the dominoes, board games and DVDs you might have been waiting for the perfect time to watch. Borrow games, books and movies from neighbors and friends. Think about those really messy recipes and science experiments you never do with your kids… is this the time? Put these things on your vacation schedule. Want a little relaxing time alone? Now’s the time to figure out how you can make it happen. And if you want to use a sitter, call and schedule now.

Think about food.

Plan your meals in a way that you can do as much cooking in advance as possible so that when you are on vacation, you just have to do final preparations on your meals. If you plan it all out, shop and prepare in advance, you can make it feel like you are on vacation. When you do your pre-vacation shopping, be sure to buy everything you need. DO NOT plan for trips during vacation to pick up one or two things…. Then you risk your week feeling like any other week.

Think about food some more.

Are there restaurants in town you want to try but always forget about? Now is the time to check them out. Or follow the advice you asked for back in the Research Local Attractions section. The trick to making this special, is to treat it like a trip out of town: Start making your list early and explore a new spot or two. Plan your budget to accommodate one special night out… whether special means upscale and fancy or a spot with a great sandpit for the kids to build sandcastles is up to you.

Make a vacation pact with your family.

What will the ground rules be in terms of doing ‘regular’ stuff while on vacation? Like I said, you want to feel like you are on vacation, not stuck at home. You might consider a no-phone, no-email or no-internet strategy… or maybe just a limited –use policy. Would you use those things if in a hotel or on a campsite? If you answer the phone, you could get caught up in things you wouldn’t be in if you were away. And vow to yourself not to use this time to re-organize any part of the house. This is vacation. You must close your eyes to the to-dos around the house and just enjoy.

Prepare for the vacation.

You don’t have to pack your bags, but prepare yourself. Do any laundry, shopping, bill-paying, errand-running and other things you might do if leaving town for a few days. You want the vacation time to be just that: a vacation. If you have clutter that will call your name, make a plan to get it cleaned up by vacation or find a way to hide it from yourself. Cover it. Box it up. Do whatever it takes. But plan ahead so you don’t get sucked in to doing jobs instead of enjoying your time with family.
Mark the start of vacation with something out of the ordinary and enjoy the treasures around you… your family, your home and your area’s gems. Start with a special vacation meal to celebrate and take pictures to commemorate your fun.

I hope this got you thinking.

By planning ahead, every day can feel like vacation… and all for a fraction of the price. Bon Non Voyage!

Want to know a secret about the best place to go to teach your kids to ski? And the best time to go?

Three families invited us to join them on a ski trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico over Super Bowl weekend and, to tell you the truth, I could not think of any way the trip could have been any better.

The slopes were not crowded at all, the routes were well-marked and the instructors I met were top-rate. And, in terms of skiing, the prices were fantastic.

My kids kept telling me this was the best vacation EVER! (And my kids have been to some pretty spectacular places!!)

Seriously, y’all, if you are looking to take your family skiing, consider this for next year… and maybe I’ll see you there!

Can I just say that the Corning Museum of Glass rocks? Because it does. Really.

My kids loved making glass, watching others form glass into art and they even enjoyed walking through galleries of glass art, inspecting nearly every single piece. Really.

And they liked the hands-on learning stuff, too.

(I’ll admit standing on the section of the second floor that was glass and looking down kind of freaked me out, even though my brain knew it had to be safe. I might have to cross the Grand Canyon Skywalk off my travel to-do list. Gulp.  Other than that tiny heebie-jeebie part, I loved every bit of the museum. It was awesome.

 Here’s how our visit went:

The night before we visited, I signed us up and bought tickets for some hands-on glassmaking. I was able to find spots for all of us to make glass, and we were thrilled with what we made, but I really should have planned ahead to reserve some of the seasonal projects.

My ten year-old and I registered to make glass pendants. My husband, 5 year-old and 8 year-old signed up for glass fusing.

Since our class times were different, my husband and I divided the kids and explored, with our oldest and me heading straight to our class.

We were greeted by our instructor and given aprons, goggles and arm covers to wear for protection. We looked at other pendants, selected our designs and colors and then learned a bit about the flame and technique as our guide made an example for us and explained each step.

Then it was our turn to burn. Or create. Whatever.

My son got right to work, rolling the glass to keep it from falling and adding the decoration from other glass rods. I have to say I was impressed at how he kept cool, trying something he had never done (or seen) before and also working in front of the flame!

Next it was my turn and, after watching him, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I expected to be. Plus, our guide was great at explaining things and helping every step of the way.

After that, we checked out some of the art in that building and then walked back over to the main part of the museum and watched the end of a glass-making demonstration with the rest of our family before exploring the rest of the museum on our own.

For the demonstration, there was plenty of room for kids to get right up close, and there was also a video screen for those farther away from the action.

My son spent about 45 minutes exploring the hands-on exhibits, but well over an hour looking at all the glass from different centuries and different parts of the world.

I didn’t expect him to be so intrigued at all the pieces, but he definitely was. He kept pointing out intricate details and referring to world events in the art that he had read about. (Not to self: All those Magic Treehouse books and 39 Clues books do teach something other than ‘just’ a love of learning!)

He was tickled by this chess set of Roman Catholic and Jewish characters.

We also enjoyed the glass market with a new appreciation after our class and after viewing the exhibits. As any boy would, he especially liked watching George Rhoads’ “Marble Machine.” Marbles roll along tracks to play the xylophone, ring other bells and do all sorts of crazy things:

We met back up with my husband and our other two children, took a few family photos in front of the giant Christmas tree of glass balls and decided to have lunch at the museum as well. The cafe served soups, sandwiches, pizza, pasta and other option and offered reduced-price kid-sized portions. The prices were definitely reasonable.

Bottom line:

I would definitely go back to the Corning Museum of Glass if I was back in the area with my kids. We spent several hours there and the kids were occupied and happy the entire time (as were the adults!). We loved making the glass and looking at the glass… and I know we’ll cherish our own art for years to come. If you are planning a trip to the Finger Lakes with kids, this is a definite must-do.

The Corning Museum of Glass

One Museum Way

Corning, NY

800.732.6845

Admission and fees:

The museum was kind enough to give us complimentary admission passes for our visit (kids and teens are free, adult passes range in price from $6 for locals with ID to $12.75- $15). The glass-making classes require a separate a fee, which we paid ourselves. (Classes range from $10 to $40 depending on the project.)

Wondering about wineries in the Finger Lakes? Click over to VineSleuth Uncorked for a few Finger Lakes winery reviews from my last trip.