I Love Travel Movies!

It's no surprise that I am a huge movie buff. I will talk movies with anyone. It's one of my favorite things to do with family and friends. I also make many movie references and quote them quite often. I also love to travel so movies that feature traveling is a win win in my book. You have a couple different types of travel movies, the funny silly ones and the serious dramas. I had a lot of fun creating a list of road trip movies. There is really something for everything. They are mostly for adults though. I was able to even use a couple of my favorites. One of them is a lesser known weird yet amazing movie that I randomly saw on broadcast TV years and years ago. I was just flipping channels and I didn’t even have cable.  I immediately fell in love with it and ordered it from Amazon that night. The other is a newer movie, that I heard wasn’t too great. I ended up loving it and have watched it every time it has been on HBO.  I think that it's fun to share ordinary experiences with movie characters like traveling. Flying wasn't as popular when I was growing up so my mom, sister and I spent a lot of time in the car. I have luckily only had a few weird experiences while traveling. Nothing compared to the movies on the list. One year we were on our way to Gulf Shores and had to take shelter from a tornado in a Dairy Queen bathroom. I am from the Midwest, so I know tornado safety in my sleep. It's engrained in us from birth. That's probably the craziest thing that has happened to me traveling. We have also ended up in other states but that's no big deal.  

Check out my list of great road trip movies.

How do you like to Travel?

Growing up we drove to most places when we traveled. I didn't mind riding in the car. I did get bouts of car sickness. I took medicine in a spoonful of peanut butter. Now as an adult I don't care for plain peanut butter. Noah has flown a lot. He had his first flight at eight months old. We also took our first major car trip when he was two months old. I think it has to do with preferences. When we visit my aunt and uncle in California we always fly. That's a really long drive. They always drive when they come visit us though. They bring their pups and always make a lot of side trips. One year they went to Texas to see my aunt and cousins. They also drove to Florida and South Carolina to see my sister. They stopped in Tennessee and ended up at my aunt's parents to see everyone else. When you fly, you can't do that. The days of meeting family or friends at the airport during a layover is no one longer permitted unless you go back through security. That just doesn't seem worth it. I wish I had my own jet and I could fly anywhere or a chauffeur in a huge comfortable car that could drive me anywhere.  Until teleporting is a viable travel method we ponder the question do we travel by car or by plane? There is so much to consider when planning your method of travel.

Check out my post about Car vs Plane Travel for important things to consider.

How to Save Money for Travel

When you love to travel like I do, you want to do it often. You also have to think of ways to fund your trip. You can save all your change or have a special travel fund. It seems like that may take forever. Sometimes trips come up at the last minute. You decide to get away or a loved one needs you. Unexpected travel happens. You have to plan for the unexpected. You should have a small savings if possible. It doesn't have to be strictly for travel. This fund can be for anything. Traveling doesn't have to be really expensive. There are tips and tricks to save while traveling. Everything from staying with family to packing your own meals. You could see as many loved ones as possible. Try to put together an impromptu reunion or get together. I love when my family gets together. Even when it's family I see often. We sometimes get together because someone is In town. It gives an excuse to see each other. I grew up really close to my cousins even though I am the youngest. We are still really close but don't spend nearly as much time together now that we are all adults with children, jobs and we are more spread out. One of my cousins lives in Switzerland now.

Cutting down or out some of the expenses can definitely help you have a better trip without making your pocketbook hurt.  Check out my tips and tricks to save money while traveling.

Getting Your Car Ready for Winter

Growing up in the Midwest, I know how important it is to get your car winter ready. While the snow is fun to play in and build a snowman with your kids, you still have to drive in it. We can't hibernate like bears all winter. We also tend to travel during the holiday season. Even a short trip to Grandma's house can be hard if your car isn't prepared. There are some easy steps to take to make sure you are ready for the unpredictable Midwest weather. You may face snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain. Don't forget extremely cold temperatures. You don't want to end up like I did, and have your car break down on the side of a busy highway on Christmas Day one year. That was not fun. Thankfully, it wasn't too terribly cold and it wasn't snowing. It ended better than it could have but it still was a major pain to deal with on a holiday were nothing was open and my cell phone was dead. We had to find a pay phone and call someone to come. We had to rely on family to take us to all the places we needed to go. It was when I was married, so thankfully we were able to without really inconvenience anyone too much.  I was able to enjoy Christmas still thankfully. Don't take the risk and get your car ready for winter, I wish I would have.


 Read this post to learn more about getting your car ready for Winter

The Adventures of Traveling with Noah

Riding in a car can be boring. Noah's been traveling in the car his whole life. When Noah was two months old, we went to Virginia Beach. We had been in the car for hours and hours when Noah had enough. Right at that moment, his toy broke and that was the one thing that stopped his crying. I couldn't hold him because we were riding in the car. We were almost to the hotel so I tried everything I could think of. I started singing the Car-X commercial jingle over and over again and he stopped crying. When he was three, we would go visit my sister often. She lived three hours away. Noah started saying Wanna go down the road and asking are we there yet? I had to come up with things to entertain him in the car. Thankfully, I grew up going on vacations in the car. I was able to use my experiences and had an advantage with ideas. I didn't have my mom's smart phone, my mom doesn't have a smart phone, or a tablet, so my ideas were good old fashion fun. I didn't have any screens to watch movies, now kids have it easy. I try and limit Noah's screen time so I don't let him have it in the car. I prefer games, reading and other things that help his brain develop. It's also extra stuff to lug around. We have some fun times in the car together. I use this time together to make fun memories with him like my mom did. I still love to sing Billy Joel and Carly Simon like I did many times throughout the years. 

Be sure to check out my post about How to Entertain Kids in the Car.

Hike Your City with Kamino

Even when you live in a place like I do you still get bored every once in a while. You can only go to the same places so many times.  As much as I love the beach, it can get boring. There are sometimes I don't even want to go to the beach. I am just not in the mood. I guess I am spoiled when I get to go to the beach any time I want. I am always looking for fun things to do in my area. I learned about a new app called Kamino. It is a really neat travel app that creates what they call hikes. A hike is just different things to do in your city or the city you are visiting. I want to explore hidden gems. 

The unique thing about Kamino is you can create your own hike and share it with others. If I were to create a hike for my town I would make it my favorite things hike. I would start off at Johns Pass for shopping and lunch at Hooters. Johns Pass is a neat little fishing village. You can also go on boat rides, go fishing or even parasail. I would then go to Fort Desoto for some time at a gorgeous beach. It is the most beautiful place in Florida. It is a must see. They even have a dog beach. The picture in my header is Fort Desoto. After the beach, I would send you to The Florida Winery for free wine tastings and a tour. The Florida Winery makes their wines on site and they are citrus based so they are delicious. You will probably be hungry again so off to my favorite restaurant Leverocks for dinner. Everything on the menu is delicious. They have an amazing lobster bisque. The Gulf Coast Lobster Tails are always amazing. Save some room for dessert for some Peanut Butter Pie. I think that would be an amazing Fourth of July weekend hike.  

There is also a Fourth of July hike that another member created. It is a food and drinking hike. I am not a big drinker but I really love to eat.  It would be fun to see what other people come up with.  I love to travel. We recently went to Orlando and sometimes going to theme parks are annoying. I want to explore hidden gems.  It would also be fun to plan out a trip for a friend or have them experience your same trip. Who needs travel agents anymore? With Kamino, you can find interesting things to do. It's like you have the local’s opinion of the best things to do without knowing one. 

Here is more information from the developer:

Features of Kamino:

- Hikes on the fly: Find awesome new spots wherever you are.

- Expert recommendations: Get insights from travel experts and local gurus on the best hikes in town.

- Local treasures and hidden gems: Discover what you may have missed in your own backyard.

- GPS-guided hikes: Never get lost! Our built-in GPS system will always get you to your destination.

- Hikes tailored to your interests: Find out if a hike is dog-friendly, good for kids, or great for a night out with friends.

- Recommendations: Add your own as you go or when you get to your final destination.

- Create your own hikes: Share your favorite places with friends, family, and your community!

The best part of this app is it's free! I love Kamino and I look forward to planning new hikes based on other's recommendations and building hikes locally and on vacation. 

For more information please visit the Kamino website. 

You can find Kamino in iTunes for free.

Guy Harvey Outpost Review

Noah turned seven on September 6^th, my little baby who it seems like only yesterday was born. I wasn't sure what we should do to celebrate beyond the normal cake and presents. I had a couple ideas. Noah kind of wanted a party but with friends but since he was in a whole new class I didn't know how to get in touch with the other parents. Noah had been mentioning all summer about wanting to stay in a hotel for a night so, I thought what an awesome way to celebrate turning seven. We live in the land of hotels, but I already had one in mind. It is no secret Noah loves fish. He also is a huge Guy Harvey fan. So, it made perfect sense to stay at the Guy HarveyOutpost for a night. In case you aren't familiar with Guy Harvey he is an artist who specializes in drawing and painting fish. Guy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer. With a Ph.D. in Fisheries Biology, Dr. Harvey is one of the world’s most recognized and celebrated marine wildlife artists. His artwork is the foundation of Guy Harvey Inc, a major publishing, merchandising and licensing organization. Harvey is a vocal and active advocate for marine conservation, having established the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University of Fort Lauderdale, Florida to provide scientific information necessary for effective conservation and restoration of fish resources and biodiversity. He is a trustee of the prestigious International Game Fishing Association, and founder of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, organized to support initiatives of the institute and other marine research, education and conservation organizations. He is Chairman and co-founder of Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts, emphasizing sustainable tourism, marine conservation and water sports recreation.

The Guy Harvey Outpost is a Tradewinds resort. It is located on St. Pete Beach. We were all really excited to arrive after we had lunch. It is about a 10 minute drive from our house so that was really nice. The first thing we noticed was the building complete with a fish painted on it. I knew we would feel right at home. The lobby of the hotel was gorgeous and the hallways to the pools were covered in beautiful paintings of fish and sea life. Everyone at Guy Harvey Outpost was very nice. The man at the front desk was especially nice. I could tell everyone working there loved their job.  We couldn't wait to get to our room and change in to our swimsuits. The resort is right on the beach and the view from our suite was begging us to come play in the ocean.  Our suite was one of the nicest rooms I have ever stayed in. We all loved the Guy Harvey decor. There were of course paintings on the wall but even the bed spread was Guy Harvey. We really liked looking at all the different things in the room. It was a 400 square foot suite with a separate bedroom. It had two queen sized beds in the bedroom and a couch that folded out in to an extra bed. It had a full sized refrigerator. It also had a small range and even dishes. The kitchen area was so nice to have because Noah is a milk drinker. We had a microwave which was good because I brought popcorn as a snack. There was also a mini bar that no one was allowed to touch. If you even pick it up it charges you. I threatened Legos on that one because it contained candy. I wanted to make sure he knew I meant business.  

I was happy to see that they are an Autism friendly hotel. They have activities in their Lil' Guys Kids Program that are tailored to children with Autism. I know that must be a blessing to parents of children with Autism.  Tradewinds and Guy Harvey even held the Autism Education conference in January that my mom attended.  They specifically chose Tradewinds for their convention because of the Autism friendliness of the hotels. 

We went down to the beach and swam in the ocean for a little bit. It was so beautiful. The water was so warm and the beach was so clean. You could see through the water most of the time which was very cool. Noah and I spent a lot of time floating and jumping waves together. We left the beach for happy hour. They have delicious rum punch that my mom and I both enjoyed responsibly of course.  After happy hour and a dip in one of the pools, my mom walked to Publix to get us some sandwiches for a picnic on the beach at sunset. When she returned we put our swimsuits back on and headed back down to the beach. Noah and I made a beeline to the ocean. We were pretty much running. As it does often this time of year, it started raining. We packed up and had our picnic in our suite and were able to watch the sunset from inside. We had a huge floor to ceiling glass door. After dinner l decided I wanted to go to The Oasis. The Oasis is the adults’ only area. They have a pool and a really nice hot tub. I spent quite a bit of time down there. It was so relaxing and nice. The hot tub was so hot.  It felt so good on my tired body and sore muscles. When I returned to the room my mom said that she thought I had shriveled up because I was gone for a while. I was just so relaxed.  Noah was fast asleep dreaming about fishing with Guy Harvey and painting with him too. I hung out in the living area for a while until I was ready to go to sleep. The beds were extremely comfortable. They were so soft and plush. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early.  We had a lot we wanted to do. The cool thing about Guy Harvey Outpost is that there is so much to do.  Since it is a Tradewinds Resort you can use both resorts amenities. The extremely helpful man at guest services told me about the cabana rentals. He suggested that I reserve it online the night before. I was surprised at the availability when I reserved it. We had a second row cabana. I picked number 29 because that's the day my birthday is on so I would remember. The resort charges a resort fee. It is $35 and so worth it. One of the things we were unsure about was if we had to pay to park. It was included in the fee. The cabana rental was also included. That right there with parking was worth the resort fee. You can also have access to the water slides, the paddle boats and other cool activities. I think it is totally worth it.

We started off having breakfast at Guy's Gulfside Grill. I had two eggs sunny side up, hash browns, bacon and toast. My mom had a three egg omelet filled with all sorts of vegetables and bacon with freshly squeezed orange juice. Noah had the Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and syrup. Noah and I both drank apple juice. It was very good too. Our meal was very good and we were all stuffed. After we ate, we went to the Guy Harvey gift shop. One of my mom's friends gave Noah some money as a birthday present and he thought that would be a great place to spend it. He wanted to get something special. He bought a dolphin carved out of wood and a necklace with a shark made out of stone. He really wanted a stuffed Winter the Dolphin but since we live so close to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium I told him we could get one on our next trip there. I saw a dress in the window of the gift shop that I fell in love with. I found out shortly after that it is actually a swimsuit cover up. It is has sailfish all over it. It is so pretty. I tried it on and I bought it. I decided I would also wear it as a dress. I like to get things that I can make multipurpose. I have already worn it as a dress and no one would know that it's a swimsuit cover up. We ran our purchases up to the room and  I claimed our cabana.  We headed over to The Tradewinds.

We wanted to go paddle boating.  I wasn't 100% sure what it was. I was thinking you have ores but no you paddle with your legs. It was fun. It was definitely a workout for those who paddled. There were little rivers on the property complete with ducks and a beautiful swan. You go under bridges and all over the place. Noah was a trooper because he wanted to paddle. He made it the whole time.  We were able to take some great pictures.  We also explored the Tradewinds. They have a bunch of different restaurants and neat stores. We found the ice cream shop and wanted to come back later for some ice cream. 

We went down to our cabana on the beach. Noah and I made a beeline for the water. We spent more time in the water floating and jumping waves.  I asked Noah what he thought about the resort. He said, "This is the best hotel ever.  I love it" and gave it two thumbs up repeatedly through out our stay. Noah loves to "snorkel" so he had his snorkel and mask with him in the ocean. There were schools of small fish swimming around. He got a kick out of seeing them wild. We alternated time in the water and in the shade of our cabana. I would see big fish swimming in the water. When we were in the water we saw some people with a net. They had caught a sting ray. They took it out to take pictures before returning it to the water.  We found some inhabited shells. The resort shares the same rule we do. If there is someone living in the shell it stays there. I was able to find a few different neat shells that were vacant. The coolest thing was when Noah was snorkeling and looking at a school of small fish, he brought up his head and then a bunch of sting rays swam with us. Noah was pretty freaked out while it was going on but loved it afterwards. Good thing we know to do the stingray shuffle.  The stingray shuffle is where you shuffle your feet instead of picking them up to walk. That way you won't step on a ray and get stung or hurt the ray. We swam with wild stingrays without going on a special trip to do so. In all the times I have been in the ocean, which is more than I can count. I have never swum with wild sting rays. They were just hanging out and it was so neat to be so close to them.  We have petted them at the zoo but this was amazing.  Before we left we took another dip in the pool. We also made our way to the ice cream shop. They have Working Cow ice cream which is made right here in Saint Petersburg. There were many flavors to choose from. I had a hard time choosing. I had Cookies n Cream. My mom had Captain Butterscotch. Noah, who is on a cherry kick, had black cherry complete with a cherry on top. We sat under an umbrella and enjoyed our ice cream. We watched the beach and then it was finally time to check out and go home. At this point Noah had asked me a few times if we could come back next weekend to Guy Harvey Outpost. We did decide we are going to go to the beach more often and stay at Guy Harvey Outpost again sometime.


I received a media rate for my stay at Guy Harvey Outpost to facilitate my review.  All thoughts and opinions are our own.

A Special Sheilacakes Annoucement

I am excited to announce that I am now available for press trips and brand trips. Since I am a single mom, it was hard to be able to be available for these trips. Now that Noah is in school, I am able attend without any hassles or asking my mom to take off time from work. I thankfully have options for after school care too. 

I would love to represent your brand and learn more about your company. I feel that I am a great candidate because I am a very passionate person and I have great ideas. I would love to share my thoughts with you in a face to face setting. I would love to get in there and see how things are done. I feel that once you experience being in the heart of a company you truly can relate and understand all the hard work that they do. It makes it more personal. I would love to have my voice and my readers voices heard. I feel like I not only represent Sheilacakes, but I also represent my readers and moms everywhere. I would love to open up a dialogue with you.

I also love to travel. It is one of my greatest passions. I am the go to person when it comes to sharing the best places to visit or stay. I think of every trip as an adventure and a chance to experience a new place and culture. Even in the US each state and region is different and I believe you don't have to go to an exotic place to have a great time. Some of my favorite vacations are random places my family has decided to visit.  I am a very family oriented person, my son loves to travel too. He went on his first vacation when he was two months old. I would love to check out some great places to take family. I am a single mom so vacations for my family have to be affordable and lots of fun. I know that having both of those elements can be kind of tricky.  I am also a big advocate that every mom needs mommy time or should go on kid free trips with her friends. It replenishes us, makes us once again ready for motherhood.  So, if you are looking for a traveling mom blogger to check out your hotel, location or city  I  would love to help.

I would love to discuss opportunities that we can work together further. I look forward to hearing from you.

Family days out in the UK

Photo attribution: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Most of us have a dream to make it across the pond to the UK at least once in our lifetimes whether it’s to trace our ancestry or explore some of the historical towns and cities.  Traveling such a long way with children can be quite daunting, especially if you’re not sure what to do when you arrive.  Follow our guide to the best family days out in the UK.

Anglesey Sea Zoo

This is an aquarium like no other.  With more than 150 species native to UK waters, children and adults alike will enjoy just how close you can get to underwater creatures while remaining completely dry.  A day out here is as informative as it is entertaining with daily talks and feedings with the resident biologists included in the ticket price.  If you’re staying at a Sykes Cottages’ holiday home on Anglesey make the most of your entrance ticket which lasts for seven days.

Alnwick Castle

Not only is Alnwick Castle a wonderful day out for history buffs, this 11^th century Northumberland castle doubles as Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft in the Harry Potter films.  Watch your children’s faces light up as they follow in the footsteps of Harry, Ron and Hermione while you get stuck into the 1000 years of history on offer in Alnwick.  Children can also dress up as a knight or princess to try out medieval crafts or come face-to-face with a scary dragon.

Longleat Safari Park

Drive through the first safari park to be built outside of Africa and get really close to lions, monkeys and giraffes from the comfort of your car.  This is a great way to get the kids interested in wildlife while keeping everyone safe.  The monkeys live up to their cheeky reputation and have a particular fondness for car windscreen wipers!  There’s also an adventure playground with plenty of activities to keep children of all ages entertained.

Enchanted Forest

Only an hour from London, The Enchanted Forest in Tunbridge Wells is the perfect day out for an active family.  Enjoy the raised walkway through the forest with rope walks, balance beams and a puzzling spiral pathway.  If Mom and Dad aren’t tempted by the giant swings then perhaps they’ll enjoy the more formal gardens at neighbouring Groomsbridge Place.

Start planning your dream holiday to the UK by visiting www.sykescottages.co.uk to view more than 3,500 self-catering holiday cottages across the UK and Ireland.