Roadtrip to Hershey, PA

a As mentioned in my other blog, we went on a road trip to Hershey, PA  and spent a couple of days there.  We got charged  over a hundred bucks when we cancelled our reservation for our Virginia Beach and  Busch Garden  trips.  It was bummer but unexpected things happen.  The kennel  that supposed to take care of our dogs  got an emergency so they had to close the business for the time being which affected us also.  We did not find a place to take care of our dogs  that time but  luckily, we have found  a place  at a later date and was able to  do a road trip.  

 Anyway, here are some of the photos taken during our road trip.  We  took a quick photo before we left,  Even though I always take pictures  every time we go on the same road, I can't help but click  the camera as hubby drives to keep myself entertained.

 I dunno what's in the tunnel that always captivate me.  To me tunnel represents excitement, I know that's weird but that's always how I feel when  we go through tunnels.

 U would love to go on a Pittsburgh River Cruise via the Gateway Clipper Fleet.  It would be nice to see the  Pittsburgh  are on a total different route, the river.

 Road trips are fun especially when you have well-travelled kids.  Our kids  share the same passion as we do with traveling so we don't really have any problem with them when we are on the road.  The great thing about it educating the kids of what you see on the road.  Like this pile of sand, they usually ask what this is for and we  explain to them about it.

 You know that you are in Pittsburgh when you see one bridge after another.

 I told you, there's something about tunnels .. hahaha!

See, there's always  light at the end of the tunnel which is a great thing.

 I love good signs like this church.  I mean, let's face it, road trips  involves risks so it is always  a good feeling when you feel protected on the road.

 Aside from tunnels, silos on the farm  is also an interest of mine when it comes to photography subject.

Sometimes people would look at us weirdly when we take a picture during rest stops but hey, who cares, lol.  We're making memories here so what they  think doesn't bother us.  Well, it does bother my husband from time to time but he goes along with us.  I am sure, the kids will appreciate all these when they  are older and have their own families.  They will have something to look back to.

Making Memories: Money Saving Strategies for Your Next Family Vacation

Taking the family away on a vacation is one of the best ways to create some wonderful family memories to look back on in years to come.

The problem for many of us is trying to get the cash together to go on vacation in the first place, which is why you might need to adopt some money saving strategies.

Making use of useful money-saving resources such as Goibibo coupons and others is always going to help you get the most for your cash, so here are some ideas to help you achieve that vacation goal and make some more memories.

Savings goal

Putting aside money for a vacation fund is not always easy with so many other things to pay for when you are raising a family and running a home, but by adopting several initiatives at the same time, you can soon start to accumulate more cash than you thought possible.

Set up a vacation fund that is separate from your normal savings and checking account, so you protect what you manage to save from any temptation to use the money for another purpose.

Saving a small amount towards a target date is always going to be easier on your finances than trying to raise a lump sum in one go, when the time comes to book your vacation. Cutting out one meal out or having one less trip to the cinema and putting the money you would have spent in the savings pot instead, will soon make a difference and consider having a yard sale to raise some extra cash.

Find those perks

When it comes to the vacation itself, try to find hotels which are offering extra perks and freebies, which will help your money to go further.

Free Wi-Fi and free car parking might not sound like they add up to much but some resorts make a steep charge for extras like this so if you can get them included in the deal, it will be extra money available to enjoy your vacation with.

Always make use of coupons and discount codes for attractions that you are planning to visit while you are on vacation. Family tickets and kids-go-free offers can make a big difference to your costs and if you manage to bag a bargain on ticket prices before you go, it will help you vacation fund stretch even further.

Free attractions

Not every family attraction charges for entry and museums are a great example of this.   Depending on where you are headed for your vacation, check out the museums and other local attractions or events that you could go to without having to pay an entrance fee. Kids often end up having a better time than they anticipated at a museum and a few free days mixed in with the theme park visits and other paid attractions, will help your family fund to last for the whole of the vacation.

It is never too early to start saving for your next family adventure and if you are savvy with your saving and booking strategies, you could create some wonderful family memories for less than you thought.

Suzanne McKee is an experienced travel consultant. He insights are often well received when she posts online and has written for a variety of different travel-related websites.

Indian Echo Caverns - Part1

Even though we cancelled our  Virginia beach and Busch Garden  vacation, we managed to  squeeze some time to  bring the kids somewhere so they could enjoy their summer break.  We went on a road trip and visited Hershey Park for a couple of days.  We also managed to  visit one of the  caverns in the nearby town called Indian Echo Caverns.  The Cavern is located in Middletown Road, Hummeltown , PA.

 I am glad that we saw one of the  leaflet in the hotel we were staying at.  Visiting the Indian Echo Cavern was a nice  surprise for our trip since we did not plan on it.  They are open daily including Sundays.

 Pennsylvania is such a luscious  state.  There's farm everywhree even on busy cities, it's beautiful to  drive around.

 The travel from our hotel to the cavern took ten minutes, it was only 4.5 miles from the place stayed at which was a bonus.

My daughter  did not anticipate the cold temperature inside the cave so my son was very kind to lend her his  sweater.

 My kids love  seeing the goat although they were not fond of their smell lol.

  It's nice that they have a little  play area and farm animal area  because it gives kids something to do while waiting for the tour.  

 While kids are playing, adults can shop at their  souvenir area/gift shop.

There were so many  educational tours  when we went there .

Aside from the  playground and picnic areas, you can also do other things like panning for gemstones.  We just busied ourselves taking pics.  What is there to tell if there's no photo to back it up right?  Lol.  I will  continue to post the rest  when I find time so tune in.  There are so many interesting formations of stalactite and stalagmite inside the cavern that I want you to see.  

Peaceful Farm Living: A Day of Experience for Our Family

When we visited Wellsburg, West Virginia in June, for my husband's Veteran interview, we happened to met a Filipina.  We asked her where the museum was since we got a little lost and we were looking for it on foot.  We exchanged  contacts and we added each other on facebook.  Few weeks after iur meeting, she asked me if we would like to buy fresh eggs from the farm.  I immediately said yes because we love  fresh eggs from the farm.  I told her that we can pick it up so she gave us her address.

She live a little ways   in the sticks and as our luck has it with direction, it was hard for us to find it.  Besides, our GPS took us to the wqrong house!  We called her and she  gave us direction to find her  in-laws who live   on the road before her house.  We passed through that (again) and then we turned around.  It was a hard drive because it was raining so hard.

We finally found her in-laws house and her Mo=m-in-law tried to explain to us how to get there but her Dad-in-law was very nice to  led us to the actual house.  I am so glad that he did because I don't think we could have found it ourselves lol.

They live in a farm in Cross Creek and it was beautiful out there!  It's the kind of living I am dreaming to have.  I love  a house with  a big land so I can plant all the veggies that I love to eat.  I also would like to raise farm anuimals, just like when I was growing up.

She gave us a tour in their farm.  They have chicken coopsm  bee yard or apiary, and quail farm house.  They have  some  hens and two roosters.  She said that they used to just let the chicken loose  but the  fox are eating them so they  now   keep them safe in the coop.  She told us that they used to have quail but they let them go in the wild. The apiary is a new thing for me, I have never seen a bee yard in person before.  Growing ip. we would find beehives from trees and my father would get them.

The last thing that we went to is where their cows and hunting dogs were.

They have plenty of cows and they are all feed  with corn that they also grow from their farm.

The kids got the chance to feed the cows.  This is the  second time they experience this as we were invited last year to a friend's farm as well.

My son saw this ornery cow and said  "Whoa he is trying to ride  on the other one" , my husband murmured "He is trying to make beef", lol.

We picked the wrong day to go there as it was a wet and rainy day.  Nevertheless, we had fun!  Eden  took us to this  beautiful lake with so many  blooming  lilies.  These water lilies reminds me of Korea.  Eden mentioned that they are planning to remove them but I said "I would keep it" if I were them.  I mean, it adds beauty to their farm.  Not many farm has it.  

This is the tractor we all rode in to get to the cow farm and see  the other side of the farm.

This is the machine where they  process the corn that they feed to their cow.

We only paid for the eggs but Eden also gave us some  ground beef and  a big jar of honey.  I tell you, farm  eggs tasted really different from those we buy from the store.  The beef are sp lean it is so much better than the commercially  packed meat!  

The honey brings me back to my childhood memory.  It tastes  so much better  from the store bought honey.  

Thank you so much Eden for welcoming us to your home, we had a great time out there.  I do believe that my kids would  do just fine if we live in the farm.  They love being around farm anmals.  

House Cleaning, Swimming, and MOre

Weekends  are usually spent on housecleaning at our abode.  I always encourage the kids to help us and in return we always take them to the pool and  have fun swimming.  Having two dogs, two active kiddos, and a guinea pig, it's a busy world for me  even though I am a stay at home mom.  I barely have time to work on my online gigs.  I always lose time to sleep just to be able to   catch up with my  blogging  stuff.

 I do love the  fact that my husband  is such a hands on Dad.  He would ake the kids without me  when he knows that I have so many things to write.  

Despite the busy schedule, I  feel so blessed that I am able to work at home and take care of my kids.  I don't have to worry about  leaving them to strangers.