The Traveling Sisterhood: 2019

Local 14 Year Old Author's New Fantasy Series: Come and Visit Unicorn Ranch


Last year, our then 13-year-old daughter published her first chapter book, Unicorn Ranch! After receiving raving reviews, she decided to write a sequel which has just been released.

Back Cover Synopsis for Book 1: When Amy has to move to a new city, she never imagines the adventures in store for her. New friends, a faraway journey, and a lost princess quickly weave themselves into the story of her new life. And it all begins at ... Unicorn Ranch! Perfect for girls ages 7 and up. If you want to support our budding author and also show your kiddos they can do anything they set their minds to, you can buy it on Amazon here. Shipping is free with Prime!

My daughter was instantly pulled into this book and couldn’t put it down!! 

We LOVE this book! Hope there will be more books by this young talented author!

My daughter loved the book, she read it in two days and couldn't put it down. Hope to see more stories soon.

My oldest got it in the mail yesterday and devoured it on the way to Mass and then re-read it on the way home. She really enjoyed it! She laughed aloud in several parts and there were a lot of, "Wait; listen to this..." portions she shared with us... She was relieved to hear there is another book in the series coming out soon.

The book arrived yesterday. I read my daughter one chapter before bed - she begged for more so I read another two. She was enjoying it so much I suggested she take it up to bed with her. She has never done that before or been interested in reading on her own before, other than poetry. My husband found her under the covers with the flashlight reading late last night, and she came downstairs this morning proudly telling us she had read a few more chapters. I can’t tell you how huge this is!! She has so many special needs that makes reading challenging for her, yet I have always hoped that she would one day discover wanting to read and the pleasure there is in not wanting to put a book down because you are enjoying it so much. This book has done that for her. It is the perfect book for a reluctant young reader as the story is engaging yet easily read, with short chapters and words, if you don’t know them, that challenge yet don’t frustrate, because they are spaced out enough between the more easy to read words that the story can flow even if you have to skip a word here and there. I hope this young author is busy writing her next novel!




Party at the International Wildlife Museum! #Tucson #TravelArizona

Special thanks to the wonderful people at the International Wildlife Museum for providing my bestie with a party discount to facilitate this post!

Over the weekend, I piled up the Kia with Mema, a coupla presents, four excited kiddos, and my also-admittedly-excited self to head to the Catalina foothills and attend the coolest kid's party I've ever been to!  The party was hosted by the International Wildlife Museum, and the staff did such an incredible job of accommodating us and helping us pull everything together.

Every kiddo there was smiling and laughing and being entertained and interested for pretty much the whole 120 minutes--some of them longer, since they stayed as long as they could.  What did they say when I asked them how they liked it?  Well...

"My favorite part was learning about the animals and petting them. It was the best animal place I ever went to!" -Zoey A.
 
 


"It was the best place on earth!  Better than the zoo!" -Lulu J.


"I laughed so much!" -Olivia J.


 "I liked it!  It reminded me of Night at the Museum!" -Lukas M.


"That gator was fierce!" -Lani A.

And we mean REALLY fierce!

As far as the birthday packages go, you can check out everything that entails here.  There are a couple of options that range from $150 (totally a deal considering I just spent $160 on a bowling party last week which wasn't nearly as fun, another museum in town starts at $175, and the zoo is about $300--yikes!).  As I was saying, it's a great deal considering what you get--admission for 25 guests, all paper goods and decorations, a scavenger hunt, the pleasure of everything being prepared and put away for you, and 2 hours in the dining area.  You can also add goody bags for all the kiddos and (the coolest part!) a live animal presentation.  We learned about and got a chance to pet a box turtle, a baby desert tortoise (so cute!), a bearded dragon, a python, and a bunny.  The live animal presentation was really cool.  Loved it!

"I liked it a lot.  It was such a fun birthday party!" -Alex A.


The photos tell the tale--all of these kids had a wonderful day.  And that's what it's all about: the kids having fun, right?  But the thing is, I'm pretty sure--no, I'm absolutely certain--that I had just as much or more fun than they had.  Last night during an adult bible study, the teacher asked what kinds of things make us happy.  I didn't say anything at that moment because a million things ran through my mind.  So many things make me happy.  Everything going better than planned--that makes me happy.  Learning.  Seeing my kids smile.  Watching them laugh with their friends.  Standing on a bridge overlooking the water.  Discovering dragon flies with my littles while the wind blows a gentle breeze.  Surrounding myself with God's amazing creation.  Being able to spend time with people I love.  Realizing that I'm living such an abundant life.   And I had the opportunity to do all of those things and reflect on them and more last weekend.  Pardon me if I get a little sappy, but you've got to really like a place that can inspire such joy.  So do I recommend that my Tucsonan readers venture over to the Wildlife Museum for a birthday party or just to spend the day?  I totally do!


You Can Find
The International Wildlife Museum On


Travel the World with Little Passports! A Global Adventure Delivered to Your Door

My kiddos and I will soon be receiving a package from Little Passports and I am thrilled! I've heard great things about them from other moms in my homeschool group.

Each month, Little Passports sends a box based on your kiddo's age range.  The contents inside are meant to inspire them to learn about the world! I love this way of doing geography!  Each month, they get to explore a new world theme as packages arrive filled with activities, stickers, souvenirs & more. And...
...they also have a USA edition so your kiddos can travel the 50 states of our country! 
Doesn't this look cool? My map-loving kids are going to have a blast!  The subscriptions start at only $12 a month which is definitely affordable.  They're made for kiddos 3-12 so mine fit perfectly within that age range! Can't wait to receive our kits in the mail!

Visiting the Tuzigoot Ruins and Living History





Crowning a desert hilltop is an ancient pueblo. One thousand years ago, perhaps a child stood there scanning the desert landscape for the arrival of traders. On the day this photo was taking, my children did the same. From the rooftop of the Tuzigoot pueblo it was easy to imagine such a moment.
The Tuzigoot ruins are an ancient village built by the Sinagua people of Arizona. They were farmers and artists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles.There's a trail to walk, homes and worship centers to explore, and a museum. There's a Ranger's Program which our kids participated in and it's all free!

Our kids loved this place! We're always visiting national parks and they are just getting so much appreciation for the outdoors, history, and taking care of and preserving our past. It makes me a proud mama!

You can actually go inside the main feature of the ruins! Walking through the different rooms, you can imagine what life was like there for people who really weren't that different than we are today. People have always been the same--living, loving, caring for their family, their friends. I love imagining what it would have been like to be a young wife and mother in such a place! And, yes, I feel so blessed to have all the modern conveniences we have today!

Maybe Arizona isn't anywhere in your neck of the woods but I encourage you to search out national parks or monuments in your state or a neighboring one. They make such an incredible field trip and are often free, especially if you are a veteran family or military.
What's your favorite national park or historical landmark? Share with me! We love roadtrips and are always looking for new places to visit!

Japan Fun Box: "Visit" Asia with Candy Delivered Monthly

This week, we learned about Asia.  I planned this knowing that we'd be receiving a Japan Funbox in the mail any day.  What's that, you ask? It's a Japanese Candy & Snack Box!
The Japan Funbox is a monthly subscription service stuffed full of Japanese snacks and there is always free shipping worldwide!  We were excited to open it and snack on the contents during a movie about Asia.

Six bags of snacks and candy were included in our box.  The kiddos were especially excited to see the pink candy whistles! They love those!  Our other favorite treats were the chocolate bar and the Tomato Pretz, similar to pizza-flavored pocky sticks. All in all, it was a super fun taste experience with a theme that was the perfect compliment to learning about Asia!
 






As you can see, the box really was packed full, especially considering this was the "Mini" version of the box. You can get Mini (5-7 items), Original (15-20 items), or Family (25-30 items)!

DISCOUNT
Use the code rev10pa to get 10% off any JapanFunBox plan!

Special thanks to Japan Funbox for this review opportunity!  All opinions are honest and our own.