Black Friday at Buc-ees

I'm not sure why anyone would want to go to the mall,
superstore or toy store on Black Friday. 

Why would you wait, much less camp, for a store to open? 

Because you can buy everything you need at Buc-ees. 

And they are all open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

The Texas owned stores, which has 20 locations across the state,
and a giant beaver for a mascot,

are a MUST stop on all of our road trips! 

 I love their root beer, sweetened with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup! 

They also have a deli, fudge counter and everything else you could ever need for road snacking! 

 

 

Our favorite are the Beaver Nuggets. 

Sweet little somethings. 

Not really sure what they are, but they sure get eaten quickly. 

 

 

My kids love their teeshirt selection. 

Because when isn't a beaver a fashion statement?

Yep, even beaver underwear.....

And they have a great selection of Texas Home Decor. 

Not everything at Buc-ees has a beaver on it. 

They also have a great toy selection, filled with fun stuff. 

But I wasn't able to get any pictures.

My arms were too full to hold my camera

And I was already getting some pretty strange looks

after the 10 minutes I spent taking pictures of
the fountain drinks and Beaver Nuggets.   

 

I have to also mention their amazing restrooms

although I didn't get pictures of them, either.  

Because can you imagine the looks I would have gotten,

taking pictures in there? 

 

For more information on Buc-ees, or to find a location near you,

visit their website;

http://www.bucees.com/

 

All opinions are my own, and I did not receive any compensation for this post,

except by my husband.

Although he doesn't know it.

And what he doesn't know won't hurt him. 

Because we bought alot of Beaver Nuggets. 

 

 

Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!

Michelle

 

United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, one of only two places in the United States where dollars are produced.  Free tours are offered Mon - Fri, but be warned, they don't give out any free samples.   

There was plenty of complaining this morning when I woke my kids up for a road trip to the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  As summer progresses, they are starting to sleep in a little later each day.  I called the day before, and they advised me of the best tour times for today, as some tours have large groups already scheduled.  The tours are offered every 30 minutes, but each tour has a maximum limit of 75.  

We arrived, went through a security check (similar to an airport), and loaded a bus painted to  resemble a dollar, for transport to the tour.  You want to see my picture of the bus?  Well, I would love to show it to you, but they do not allow any cameras, phones or electronics on the tour. 

Once inside, we were able to check out the many exhibits while we waited for our tour to begin.  My four year old loved the backward puzzle of a dollar bill!  There is also a short movie about the bureau, and a scavenger hunt for the kids! 

The tour is really informative, and was interesting.... but I found it hard to concentrate when you are looking at ALL THAT MONEY!  You wouldn't believe just HOW MUCH MONEY is produced there each day.  I'm not going to tell you though, because you really should go take the tour.   

And there is a gift shop.  They sell some unique items, and even uncut pages of bills. 

As we were leaving, we pointed out to the kids the line of visitors that stretched out the door and were waiting in the hot sun.  I felt vindicated, even if I never got an apology for all that early morning complaining! 

For more information, or to plan your own tour; http://www.moneyfactory.gov/tours/fortworthtxtours.html

A fun puzzle idea

As I said, my four year old really liked the puzzle exhibit in the museum.  He, like most young kids, likes all puzzles.  And that's great because puzzles address so many learning objectives, problem solving skills, geometry and hand eye coordination are among some of them.  As we were watching the kids play with the exhibit, my friend, Pam told me of something she had seen on Pinterest.

Using the inexpensive cardboard or wooden puzzles you can find at the dollar store, add magnets to the back of each of the pieces.  Then you can attach the puzzle to an old cookie sheet (hooray for recycling) for fun while traveling in the car, so the pieces don't get lost! 

As she is telling me this, the pieces of no less than 2 of those puzzles are scattered all over the floor of my suburban.  What a great idea!

And of course, you can bring it inside to play with on the refrigerator, too! 

scrabble slam

We keep a small basket in our car for road trips.  It's filled with tic tac toe sheets, mad libs, notebooks, pens and markers (crayons are a no-no, they melt!) and games.  One of my kid's favorite things to play in the car is Scrabble Slam.  It's a fun card game that requires a small playing surface, and is easily played, and stored, while on long road trips. 

Similar to Scrabble only in that the cards look like little scrabble tiles, there are several ways you can play the game. 

The standard game starts by dealing out all the cards.  Each player takes turns as they lay down one card at a time, making new words. 

The speedier, and preferred game by my kids is to start with a (friendly) four letter word, and using only one card at a time, make as many new words as possible.  It's fun and fast competition, each new word possibly blocking the other player from making a word.

I really like that there are many different ways the game can be played! We've also played longer words, and using more letters at one time to change your word.  This makes for a really challenging game, and when we first got our cards two years ago, I would often let my kids win.  I now find myself really challenged when playing with them, and bittersweetly look to the day that they can easily beat me! 

 

 

crock pot cooking in the car

We are on the road almost every weekend, but  regardless where we are, one of my top mom jobs is feeding my family!  Sometimes it takes a little creativity.  Here is one of my favorite Road Trip Tips.  Crock Pot cooking in the car! 

I love my Hamilton Beach Stay R Go Crock Pot.  The lid "locks" in place, making transportation mess free!  I fill up my crock pot and plug it into an electrical adapter in our car, and by the time we reach our destination, lunch or dinner is ready.  For shorter trip, or longer cooking meals, I will sometimes start the crockpot before we leave, then just transfer it into the car!  We save money and time, and I know the food is healthier than fast food.  And while I love to pack a picnic, it's a nice alternative to sandwiches, too! 

Although there is no end to the number of things you can put in your crock pot, some of our favorite meals to eat at the end of the road are pulled pork sandwiches (pictured), baked potatoes, chili (to make Frito Pie), barbecue chicken, and stuffed peppers!  I love the crock pot bags, which make rest area clean up a breeze!  Remember to check the wattage on your crockpot and your adapter, to be sure that they are compatible.  Bon Appetit'!