The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a smooth four hour drive north of The Woodlands and offers plenty of options for family fun, perfect for an extended weekend getaway.
One of my absolute favorite attractions is contained within the grounds of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The expansive Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden is a beautifully designed garden with interactive exhibits for kids.
Our Orlando trip was quite flexible and I was eager to visit Orlando Science Center, a favorite of our friends that live nearby. I knew the museum had exhibits for preschoolers but I wasn't so sure what to expect. Boy was I ever surprised! Imagine a science museum virtually ENTIRELY for kids! It was just our luck that we visited on the first day back to school from winter break for Orange County schools, so we had a lot of the museum to ourselves with mainly preschoolers, no tourist hordes and no field trips.
I have a few friends that live in Orlando and an attraction I constantly see them visiting is Crayola Experience Orlando, located at The Florida Mall. I was excited to visit during our trip and little did I know that we'd spend over 4 hours exploring and creating (and that we could have easily spent a few hours more!).
On a day of rest during our week-long Orlando trip, I mentioned to my oldest son that we had a special dinner planned. "Donuts?! I really hope it's donuts," was his response. Imagine his surprise when we approached a medieval castle! Our family was about to enter the Middle Ages to dine like kings and queens while cheering on knights at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
My kids were thrilled to learn they'd be visiting LEGOLAND Florida on our trip to Orlando. They've been reading about the park in the free LEGO Life magazine and had a taste of what might be in store at a 2016 visit to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Grapevine. I planned our day in the park a bit blindly. I found the online map and website a little overwhelming, so I asked a friend who had visited what her must-do rides were and then read a few reviews online to direct our day. We had a late start and arrived around noon. We were a bit confused by a relatively empty parking lot and when paying for parking I asked the attendant how busy the day was. I was through the moon when he replied " Slow! " Even two hours after opening, we got great parking near the entrance, had no lines at the gates and then just had to navigate to the nearest ride.
For the second time in 12 months, I was faced with the fun, yet terrifying task of planning a trip to Walt Disney World. We strategically planned a visit in 2017 before my twins turned 3 to maximize their free tickets and free character meals (details here). When my husband signed up for the 2018 Dopey Challenge as part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, I knew I would need to plan this year a bit differently. There are a few ways to prep for Disney - you can put yourself in the hands of a Disney Vacation Planner and let them take care of your hotel, meals and in-park plans (and checkbook), or you can grab a tour book and start a spreadsheet for a bit of number crunching and itinerary planning. I planned day-by-day Disney itineraries as a young girl, so scheduling our days and maximizing our savings was definitely more my speed. Having gone through the motions twice now, I have a few tips for a smooth and affordable trip.
My family found ourselves on a chilly Sunday morning over a holiday weekend needing to burn a little energy. My friends have raved and raved about a new indoor playground for months and when faced with another cold day indoors at our house I thought this would be the perfect morning to try Kanga's Indoor Playcenter. 
I often hear friends say that there' is just no point in taking little kids to theme parks - that it's a waste of money and preschoolers are so young they won't remember a thing. When researching for our Disney trip last year, one phrase stuck out to me - take trips while your kids are young for the memories you'll have of your children, not necessarily the memories they'll have of the experience. Using that mantra as my guide, I'm here to tell you it is never too early to take your youngest kids to a theme park! We found Six Flags Fiesta Texas more than accommodating for our family of two 3 year olds and one 5 year old, and during this most magical time of the year, Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is filled with enchanting experiences that will help capture the holiday spirit.
