Johnson's Travel Blog

This past weekend was really a disappointment for us. We have been planning to go to Hawaii to attend our son’s graduation in high school, which was yesterday. The plan was to hop on a space A flight through the Air Force Base here in our area. There were several flights that were announced within a 78-hour period, but when the time came it kept bouncing off and postponed or the seats available were limited. That is what happened in space A because flights can change anytime depending on what is going on. Our mistake was we did not check out any cheap flights to Hawaii as a back up plan. We were crunched with time and all flights at the last minute is very expensive.

So, we learned our lesson. We need to make sure next time to check out cheap flights way before the date of any event. We felt disappointed by the whole situation, especially my husband as he really wants to be there. But then on the brighter side, we still can go there after the school is over in June or July. By that time, I am pretty sure we will have enough time, and we can find great deals on flights to Hawaii. Maybe we can also take our chance again through space A since we are not in a hurry and no event to attend to. This is just another option though. The important thing, we have to be always prepared for any circumstances that will happen. I cannot wait to experience Hawaii again and enjoy the pristine beach and the island feel.

The above picture is me and our daughter during our last vacation taken at Waikiki beach. We are all excited to see the island again!

Traveling with kids will entail a lot of preparation. Aside from bringing food, drinks and snacks, you also have to bring different toys, gadgets, books, and other entertaining materials for them not to get bored and cranky when going through a long drive. Things that we don’t forget when traveling are their headphones and DVD kids movies. The good thing now is that there are headphones appropriate for kids that you can get at the store. When we bought theirs, our eldest chose a monster high doll headphone and the youngest chose the lalaloopsy headphone. Most of the DVDs we have in the car are VeggieTales, Strawberry Shortcake and Barbie movies.

We also have nursery rhymes songs in CD’s that we play when they don’t want to watch movies anymore. But kids are kids and they have short tolerance of being seated for a long period of time. We ended up stopping at rest areas or gas stations where we can park for a few minutes to stretch and use the restroom. Another thing to consider also when traveling across states and you have enough time is to try to incorporate some side trips to interesting places along the way. This doubles the fun; sightseeing before reaching the final destination.

One of the happy places for kids here in our place is the Hands On Children’s Museum. The new museum building was opened in fall of last year. It is now bigger and has a lot of interactive areas for kids to experience. The museum, as its name implies, is a fun learning place for kids that can really stimulate their creativity and curiosity as they experience the different exhibits. All exhibits are interactive and certainly can spark the inquisitiveness of the children. The exhibits and galleries to explore are also partnered with specific agencies that gives services in the community like the gallery for Emergency that features medic van/ambulance, patrol car, dental clinic, E.R., scream room, and others, which are sponsored by the emergency services here in our place.

Other galleries and exhibits include Good For You! , Build It!, Move It!, Fabulous Forest, Our Puget Sound, Tides to Trees Climber, Snug Harbor, and Arts and Parts Studio. All exhibits are geared for different learning styles of young visitors. It can be collaborative, investigative, creative and constructive,  fine motor engagement, full-body motor engagement, planning and execution and many others. Below are few of the pictures that I took while we visited the museum. The kids really had a blast and even myself had a great time at the Hands On Museum.

Apple picking and preparing food ordered at the cafe.

Grocery shopping and water table for float your boat.

Tree climbing and boat sailing.

Loading big rocks in a dump truck for construction.

The general admission to the museum is $9.95 (2+), but since we have valid military ID we were able to get a $2 discount each. They also offer membership program and you can get a yearly pass. I am thinking of doing this as the kids love to go there and having a yearly pass can save us from the entrance fees. Every first Friday of the month, the museum has free entrance fee which starts at 5pm until 9pm. They also offers services such as book an event for birthday parties or after hours events. I and some of my friends are already planning for a playdate for the kids to go the museum again soon.