DIY: Magnet Souvenir Board
Souvenir Board for all our Travel Magnets!
Our family loves to travel and explore new places! If we could we would go on more adventures, but time and other priorities take first place for a good chunk of the year. We are thankful for all the neat trips we’ve been able to take and for opportunities to visit with family and friends. A few years ago we decided (the idea stimulated from my cool sister-in-law Becky who already had a fridge full of magnets) to start collecting magnets when we visited a new place. Before that we would random souvenirs such as a picture frame, cup, magnet, or something else.
We wanted to start consistently collecting something that was relatively small, easily transported, not too expensive, and could be found at the majority of places we visited. So we decided on the “magnet” because it was something we could find almost everywhere, they don’t take up that much extra space in our luggage, they are usually a good price, and didn’t cause too much clutter once we got home. As we continued to travel we noticed our fridge began filling up with the neat magnets we had accumulated. It was fun looking at the magnets and reminiscing about the adventures we had on the various trips.
A couple months ago our fridge died. After several weeks of research we finally decided on a new fridge and got it installed. The problem was I didn’t really want the magnets back on the fridge for several reasons – the magnets tend to scratch the fridge (which wasn’t a big deal for our really old fridge), the magnets tend to get bumped or fall off (causing them to break), and the fridge was starting to get a cluttered look. So after a few weeks of deliberation my husband made this amazing magnetic souvenir board for me.
I LOVE the magnetic souvenir board my husband made for our family! We got the picture frame at Hobby Lobby when it was on clearance, he picked up a sheet of steel at our local Lowe’s store, and it assembled in no time at all! Now it is hanging in our dining room with our travel souvenir magnets.
Magnet Souvenir Board Directions:
- Picture Frame 24 x 36 (or whatever size you want)
- Sheet of Steel 24 x 36
- Souvenir Magnets
We picked out a picture frame that specifically fit our sheet of steel so we didn’t have to do any cutting or trimming on the steel. Please be wear gloves and be careful when handling the steel as it has sharp edges. If there is any glass in your picture frame remove it (hint – it is usually less expensive to purchase the frame without glass plus you don’t have to figure out what to do with the extra sheet of glass once it’s removed). Place the sheet of steel into the picture frame. The metal will be a little heavier and when you add the magnets the frame can get pretty heavy so depending on your frame you may want to add a hook that will be able to hold the weight evenly. Add your magnets! Hang it up and ENJOY!
Every magnet tells a story and holds precious memories for our family.
You can make one for your family as well. This can be a reasonably priced project especially if you use coupons or shop a sale, it’s easy to put together, and looks great. You can get whatever frame will look the best for your home decor! Feel free to share a picture of your Magnet Souvenir Board with us! Happy traveling!
Travel & Vacation: Family Reunion at Lake Milford – Boating, Swimming, and Tube Bouncing!
Boating with family on Lake Milford!
We met family at Lake Milford for a fun weekend together. The weekend was full of boating, swimming, good food, and great memories. Thankful for time to catch up, play, and have fun! My parents, siblings, nephews, and more extended family were present that weekend!
Brandon springing off the tube!
Having fun playing on the tube!
Nathan pulling off a cool move!
Sierra showing off her gymnastics moves!
Brandon in mid flight!
Playing in the lake!
Zachie having fun!
Sierra has some spring!
Karlie jumping off the tube.
Taking turns jumping off the tube!
Fun times at the lake!
Brina flying through the air!
Brina enjoys being tossed in the air!
Love the expression on Karlie’s face!
The kids trying to hold onto tube while the adults flip it.
Who know that a tube just sitting in the water could provide so much entertainment!
Having fun on the tube!
Nicko floating around!
A boat full of fun!
Grandpa Veryln and Grandma Doris relaxing after dinner with the entire group at Lake Milford.
Travel & Vacation: Butterfly Garden at Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
A butterfly getting a drink from the purple flower
While in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History we visited the Butterfly Garden. Getting into the Museum was free, but it did cost I believe $5 to get into the Butterfly Garden. I wasn’t sure if it was really worth it, however, Jake insisted that the girls should experience it at least once.
Both girls LOVED it! Brina was convinced she could stay there the entire day. It was really neat seeing the butterflies so close and having them land on you. Karlie didn’t mind them landing on her shoe, backpack, or clothes, but when they landed on her skin she didn’t like it. We spent a good amount of time in the Butterfly Garden which was completely enclosed with a variety of plants, flowers, and of course butterflies. If you get a chance to go through it with your kids I highly recommend it.
Waiting in line for the Butterfly Garden!
Brina thought it was hilarious that the butterfly landed on her camera!
Karlie with one on her leg. “Mom, it feels funny can you get it off!” She was not a big fan of them crawling on her skin, but for some reason they liked her legs, ha!
Brina loving it!
Oh no, it’s on my leg again! Mom! For some reason they liked Karlie’s legs!
One landed on the tip of Brina’s finger!
Karlie holding her hand next to the butterfly to see if it will crawl onto her hand.
Fascinating!
I was busy taking pictures when Brina informed me that I had 2 on my shirt!
One butterfly was checking out Brina’s colorful headband! She said she could feel it moving and it was tickling her ear!
The butterflies really liked Brina. She loved this activity!
Karlie’s backpack was a favorite spot for butterflies to land!
Hey, look at this one!
Karlie trying to encourage the butterfly to walk up to her hand so it wouldn’t be on her leg anymore!
This butterfly has a death wish…. I went to take a step when a butterfly decided to land on the bottom of my shoe. I had to hold my foot into this position until one of the workers came with a paint brush and get the butterfly off the bottom of my shoe! Thankfully I noticed before stepping down!
Jake took this picture on the outside of the butterfly garden. Sweet Karlie taking a picture of the butterfly in front of her!
Brina showing Daddy one of the butterflies that landed on her fingers. This is a little cloudy because it was taken through the canopy, but still really cute. She was so excited to show her butterfly to her Dad!
Travel & Vacation: Exploring Washington, DC – Trolley Ride, Sightseeing, and Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial
Brina all smiles and ready to go for the day.
Our second day exploring Washington DC. We were up early again so we can pack in a day full of fun. Our first stop was the Union Station where we parked the van and caught a ride on the trolley. We soaked up all the cool sights as we made our way through town. Thankful for our time together!
Karlie all geared up with her camera ready to take some pictures while on Washington’s Old Town Trolley!
Washington and Jefferson Monuments reflecting on the calm and peaceful Potomac River.
Karlie thought it was hilarious that several USPS mail drop boxes were painted to look like Sponge Bob. The reason the post office made the mail boxes to look like Sponge Bob was to encourage kids to write more letters. I wonder if it is working?
Riding up the escalator so we can head to the next adventure!
Karlie walking around the Marine memorial and soaking in all the sights around her.
Our family at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Washington DC. It was a super sunny day so all our family pictures were a little cloudy with a rainbow on the memorial.
The Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Washington DC is one of my favorite. It shows great pride for our country and team spirit among the Marine soldiers.
We were able to cover a lot of ground in Washington, D.C. thanks to the Old Town Trolley taking us around. It was a well worth the cost because it was a fast and easy way to get through the city to all the major sights. Plus we didn’t have to waste time finding parking at each place or walking everywhere. On the second day we went further out in the morning to Arlington Cemetery than on to the Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History, Iwo Jima, and more! We packed in a lot of fun, learning, and sight seeing on our second day in Washington D.C. It is a great place to explore with the family!
Vacation & Travel: Fun in Washington, D.C. – World War II & World War I Memorials, Trolley, White House, & Splashing in the Pool
They wanted a picture by the Kansas one since it was the first one they spotted.
We put some miles on our shoes walking to and from the various places in Washington, D.C. this summer. It was awesome being able to go through the city and see the neat historical memorials and monuments with the girls. They were fascinated and had a great time!
Checking out all the states on the World War II Memorial. Brina spotted “Kansas”
Hanging out by the fountains at the World War II Memorial
The fountains at the World War II Memorial were beautiful. There were large pillars on each side one saying “Atlantic’ and the other “Pacific”. On the smaller pillars were the names of the states that had soldiers who fought in the war.
They insisted on stopping to take a picture of the reflection pool and the bird wildlife.
A group of college students were doing a scavenger hunt competition the first day we were in Washington, D.C. One of the items on their list was to take a picture with a set of twins, here is one of the groups (several groups stopped us to ask if the girls would take a picture with them). It actually became quite comical after the first couple of groups stopped us for a picture. The girls thought it was hilarious and fun being a part of a college game!
Karlie posing by the World War I Memorial
WHAT!? Brina stopping to get a sip as we ride the Trolley to the next location!
All smiles riding the escalator back to the van after a big day on the town of Washington, D.C.
After dinner they still somehow had enough energy to go for a swim on the roof top pool!
Karlie diving down for one of the pool toys
Karlie having fun in the pool
There’s Brina!
Brina all smiles as she is ready to jump in and make a big splash!
Look out! Brina’s coming….
Thankful for a fun day in Washington, D.C. with the family. It was worth the stop to see all the neat places. The girls were super excited to explore different places that they had studied about in Social Studies. I think all of us crashed quickly that night once we hit the bed after a fun filled day of adventures, history, and fun!
Vacation & Travel: Korean & Abraham Lincoln Memorials
Etched in the granite on the Korean War Memorial are the words “Freedom Is Not Free”
While in Washington, D.C. we went to several memorials. One of the memorials we visited the first day was the Korean War Veterans Memorial. As we were walking up to look at the memorial we ran into Park Ranger JoAnn. She asked if the girls would like for her to walk around the memorial with them and tell them more about the memorial. The girls were thrilled to soak in more information from the park ranger. She did great with the girls, answered all their questions, and made it fun for them too.
Park Ranger “JoAnn” taking the girls through the Korean War Memorial. She was super sweet and explained a lot of neat details to the girls!
One of the benefits to walking through the Memorial with a Park Ranger is that we got a lot of great information about the memorial that we probably wouldn’t have figured out on our own by just walking through. It did take a few minutes longer, however, it was really worth it and the kids enjoyed hearing the specific details that went into making the memorial special for the soldiers who fought in the Korean War. The granite wall is in the shape of a triangle intersecting a circle. The wall has over two thousand images etched into it that represent soldiers who served in the war from all divisions. The etches were amazing.
Inside a triangle shaped area across the sidewalk from the wall are 19 stainless steel statues designed by F. C. Gaylord in 1994. Each soldier represents all of the American service branches dressed in their specific uniforms. The soldiers are over 7 feet tall and weigh almost 1,000 pounds. The bushes on the ground around the soldiers reflects what the ground looked like in Korean during the war. One of the soldiers has designer Frank Gaylord’s initials and date carved into it.
Listening to all the information. On the opposite side of the wall (where the wreaths are located) are listed the 22 United Nation countries who were involved in the Korean War. The wreaths are not always there, but we came during the week of July 4th.
Karlie listening to what Park Ranger JoAnn is saying while Brina tries to count the reflections of the soldiers on the granite memorial.
When the images of the 19 statues reflect on the memorial wall it appears that there are 38 soldiers which represents the 38th parallel where the war was fought.
The Korean War Memorial is near the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool (an easy walking distance and the closest restroom too). Thankful for park rangers and their willingness to share pieces of history with kids. Our family really enjoyed learning more!
We made it to the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. The girls are excited to see Lincoln’s memorial!
Daddy and Karlie
Jake and his girls at the Lincoln Memorial
Brina and Karlie impressed by the size of Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial
Mommy and her girls! It is so much fun exploring and seeing these great places with the kids now that they know more of their history.
Sitting below Lincoln’s famous speech! “Four score and seven years ago….”
We had a blast exploring many awesome places in Washington, D.C. There is so much to do and see! We started early that morning and packed in as much as possible. We made sure to have plenty of liquids and snacks to help keep us going throughout the day. The girls even wore their own camel backs with water and snacks. They were troopers as we bounced around D.C.
Vacation & Travel: Smithsonian Institution – National Air & Space Museum
Jake and his girls at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.!
Our family was able to spend some time at the Smithsonian Institution of National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. this summer. The first time we drove by the building and Karlie saw the sign she was ready to go explore it! The Smithsonian Institution buildings that we went into were really nice, very educational, and the best part is that they are FREE! You cannot bring in any food or drinks, but there are water fountains and a McDonald’s at one end of the Museum if you get hungry.
So excited to explore this building that they had to get a picture by the sign!
Over-the-top excited to go into the Air and Space Museum
Both girls love science and learning, however, Karlie loves anything relating to space so this adventure was a big hit with her!
So many things to look at and explore in the Air & Space Museum. As you can see Jake is the only one actually looking at me, ha! Thanks Babe! The other two were mesmerized by all the displays!
Karlie all smiles as she touches a piece of moon rock. This particular piece was brought back from the moon on Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Brina touching the moon rock….how cool to think that it was once on the moon!
Jake is so good about showing the girls the various items and explaining it to them. They love soaking up all the cool information!
Having fun at the Smithsonian Institute National Air and Space Museum!
We thought the room with all the history about how planes and other flying items were created was pretty neat!
Brina all smiles waiting in line for the next activity and you can see Karlie in the reflection checking to make sure her Air & Space Museum pictures were turning out! Silly girls!
Brina flying the plane!
Karlie’s turn to drive! They’ve got their eyes on what’s in front of them! Whatever it is better look out!
Soaking it all in….
Wow, what a huge carrier. Even the display model was big! Love that they are so fascinated by the display they don’t even realize I am on the other side taking their picture.
Having fun at the Air & Space Museum!
Karlie wanted a picture by her favorite rocket – The Apollo! The space rooms were a hit with Karlie!
Karlie all smiles as she gets a picture in front of Buzz Aldrin’s astronaut suit. Earlier this year in March she had a chance to see and hear Buzz Aldrin speak at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC!
Mommy and her girls!
It didn’t take Brina long to figure out all the computer activities!
Showing Daddy what she put together on the computer!
Fascinating, this was probably Brina’s favorite rooms with all the interactive science activities, experiments, and fun information.
Gravity, force, magnets…..all kinds of fun activities to check out!
This picture cracked me up – all three Karlie, Brina, and Jake have their heads down looking at the all pictures in the displays.
Someone really liked this room!
Having fun at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Karlie and Brina loved all the neat activities and displays at the Smithsonian Institute National Air and Space Museum! I was shocked at how long we spent there since the time went by so quickly. They could have spent the entire day just in this museum. Karlie was really hoping we had “extra” time in Washington, D.C. so we could go back and go through the museum again, maybe next time sweet girl!
It was educational, fascinating, and a fun place to explore for the whole family. They did a great job with this museum. Washington, D.C. is a great place to visit the only hard part is fitting in all the amazing places to visit into one trip! We packed in as much as we could in the couple days we were there, but I am sure we’ll have to go back at some point to explore some more!
Vacation & Travel: Exploring Washington, D.C. – Union Station, Capital, Washington Monument, and Vietnam Memorial
Outside Union Station in Washington, D.C. The girls first comment was, “It looks like an airport with everyone carrying their luggage around to meet the trains.”
Our family had the opportunity this summer to explore Washington, D.C. The girls were VERY EXCITED! They have studied, read, and heard various things about our capital city of Washington, D.C. so they were thrilled to finally get to go and see some of it for themselves.
We stayed in a Reston which is on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The girls were up early the first morning ready for an adventure. We parked the van in Union Station and caught the trolley to get around town.
Originally, it was our plan to walk from monument to monument in Washington, D.C. but we found a good deal on the Old Town Trolley and decided that would be a great option especially for traveling around town with the kids. I am glad we did because it was hot and we still had a lot of walking as it was with the trolley to ride between stops. If you have kids I highly recommend riding the trolley because it helps break of the walking a little bit, gives you and the kids a chance to cool down, get a drink or snack, and rest. The trolley drivers give you information about the various sights you are going by as well so you get a little bit of extra history information while going from one place to the next too. The trolley’s went very close to every stop we were hoping to visit as well which made traveling around the town much easier for us.
The Freedom Bell outside Union Station in Washington, D.C. it says on the side of it “Proclaim Liberty Throughout….”
Watching the trains come into Union Station
Capital building! The tent out front is for the July 4th concert!
Karlie chatting about all the cool places as we ride the trolley to the next stop!
You can see the Washington Monument from many directions all over town….now they know why….because it’s so tall!
They look so small standing in front of the Washington Monument!
Resting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a moment while they take in the sight of the reflection pool and the Washington Monument.
Getting ready to go visit the Vietnam Memorial. They are standing in front of a bronze statue called “The Three Servicemen” which is part of the Washington, DC National Mall trail and commemorates the Vietnam War.
They were shocked at all the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
Reading the names….so many people and families affected by this war.
Reading through the names with Daddy.
Copying a name onto a sheet of paper with a pencil.
Each girl picked out one name to copy onto their sheet of paper.
As we were walking by the Vietnam Memorial one of the sections had these boots and jacket folded up neatly next to it. It brought tears to my eyes thinking that someone’s family member gave their life to serve in this war. What a special way to honor them by putting their or another family members boots next to their memorial. It makes me thankful for those both in my family and others who have and are serving our country even though there are great risks involved.
Road Trip Tips – Easy Games to Pass Time in the Car
Karlie having fun and being goofy on the road trip.
On the road again….! After a full day of work, horse camp, packing the van, and more fun we set off on another road trip adventure with the whole family. The kids are excited and we have several days worth of fun on the road planned. We get to go to a few places we’ve never been before so that is always fun for the family!
Road Trip Game ideas (here are a few that we played on this particular trip):
- Road Trip Bingo – you can buy a road trip bingo board or create your own if you know some of the items you will be seeing such including road signs, building, national monuments, animals, etc….
- I Spy – you don’t need anything to bring for this game. You just have someone say “I Spy With My Little Eye” and the rest of the family has to guess what object they see whether in the car or outside of the vehicle.
- License Plate Game – how many of the 50 states can you see while on the road trip, if I remember correctly we got 37 US states and even some Canada ones too! It was the closest we have ever come to getting 50 states!
- 20 Questions – this does not require any prep or packing either. Have one person think of a plant, animal, or thing and the rest of the family gets a total of 20 questions to determine what object they were thinking about. The person answering the question can only answer “yes” or “no” and nothing else.
- Animal Game – the first person to spy an animal or pen of animals (a herd counts as 1 point) gets one point. If there are different types of animals in the same pen or location (such as horses, cows, donkey, etc…) they can get additional points for each type of animal if they call them out first. Wild animals or unique farm animals (other than birds) such as deer, coyotes, emus, llamas, etc…. get a bonus 5 points for each type they see. Our rule is at least one other person in the car must see the animal as well.
- Car Game – everyone picks a different color of car and gets a point for every car they see with their color. This game works best in a quieter traffic or two lane highway since in a big city the score keeper will have a harder time keeping up and it becomes a series of yelling “I see a red, white, blue, green…..one!”
- Historical Marker Game – the first person to see something of historical significance gets a point.
- ABC Game – this one is great for areas with a lot of road signs or billboards. You start with the letter “A” and find a written word that starts with that letter than move onto “B” and so forth.
- Car Color Bingo – we picked the car color “yellow” and the first person to spy a yellow vehicle would call out “Bingo yellow Penske truck or Bingo yellow convertible, etc…” and they would get one point per vehicle they spotted. Another person had to see the vehicle to count and the majority of the vehicle had to be yellow in order to count.
These were a handful of the ones we played on our road trip. Hope you enjoy some of them if you are going on a road trip too! It is a great way to pass the time and have fun. We all want road trips with the whole family to be fun and pleasant for everyone!
We stopped for dinner at a Chic-Fil-A along the way and let the kids run around in the play area for a few minutes while we waiting for the food. It was a great way to let them stretch their legs and have fun. It helps break up the time just sitting idle in the vehicle too.
Our family enjoys road trips! It is a fun way to spend extra time since we are all packed into the van together. While in the car we have plenty to talk about, games to play, snacks, videos to watch, audiobooks to listen, and even summer workbooks to complete, stories to tell, memories to laugh about, books to read, and more so the time goes by quickly! Yes, we are one of “those” families that make their kids do summer workbooks to keep them up to speed during summer vacation, although we don’t necessarily make them do it everyday (road trips are a great time to get a few pages of some workbooks done). Even though we have a DVD player in our van the kids are not allowed to watch it very often. It is our rule that unless the trip is 5 or more hours the DVD never gets opened. Since we had a 40 plus hours of driving ahead of us the kids were excited to watch a few DVDs on this trip! What do you do to make road trips fun for your family and break up those long hours in the vehicle with the kids?
Yes, I am Still Here!
A big “THANKS” to all of you who have checked in with me to make sure everything is okay since it has been rather quiet on my blog the past few weeks! 🙂 Yes, I am still around. Summer was a fun, but a very busy time for our family. I think the four of us were only home together three weekends the entire summer break. We had a lot of travel and other activities going on. It got to the point where I had to make a decision on what my priorities were going to be and I chose to make the best of the last few weeks of summer break (and the first few of the new school year) by spending more time with my family.
God has been working in my heart and life over the past few months. A lot has been going on with our family, good stuff, however, even the best things take time and energy. A few weeks ago as I was being pulled in so many directions my husband kindly suggested that I “pick my priorities and let some of the other stuff go” at least for a little while until life calms down more. I took his advice and invested more of my energy into my family as the kids were gearing up to go back to school.
I have truly missed blogging and interacting with everyone online, but the extra time with my family was precious and the memories that were made during our time together was so worth it. While I hope to get back into more regular blogging I am going to try to take it easy and not stress if I don’t have a post up at least 6 days a week. It is my goal to post “regularly” just not necessarily “daily.”
Hope life has been treating all of you well! I am looking forward to sharing with you some of our recent activities and adventures soon. A lot has happened over the past few weeks! Thanks for hanging in there with me.
