People often raise eyebrows upon hearing of UltimateMama’s trip to Amsterdam with the kids which is silly!  Amsterdam is chock full of culture with plenty of fun filled activities to keep the kids engaged!

A few tips:

– Stay at the Marriott Hotel Amsterdam City Center and if there is an online deal then book the breakfast buffet which is a great way to start off the day.  The hotel is situated in a nice setting and offers a 5 minute walk to the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum

– Visit the Van Gogh Museum (buy tickets online in advance) and get the kids guide upon arrival/really engaging

– Visit the Rijksmuseum to see Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” (also buy tickets online)

– Buy online timed tickets for the Anne Frank House (if you do not buy tickets in advance the lines are super duper long)

– Eat at a pancake house

– Head to the Amsterdam Flower Market and pick up some great gifts from Holland (slippers that looked like clogs were a favorite)

– Let your kids explore the treehouse in Vondelpark

– Spend a few hours at the NEMO Science Museum (indoors and outside)

– Climb around the “I Amsterdam” letters

UltimateMama’s big tip for those traveling to Paris with children is to be organized and book museum tickets in advance.  Most museums have websites that enable consumers to buy tickets online — sometimes one must specify a day or time of entrance.

A few fun things to do with kids in Paris include:

– A visit to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and many other wonderful, priceless pieces

– Lunch at Pizza Vesuvio on the Champs Elysees which is yummy and central

– Shop for casual clothing for daddy at Celio

– Grab some macarons at Laduree (yes, New Yorkers you can get them on the Upper East Side too)

– Go to the merry-go-round at the Eiffel Tower

– Buy your family tickets for the Big Bus Tour Paris so you can hop on and hop off to see all major attractions (online tickets are usually cheaper) including the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, and more

UltimateMama loves taking advantage of children’s reading programs at local libraries.  Not only does it inspire and motivate children to read in the summer months but also such programs often have a social element in which kids can meet new faces outside of the classroom setting.

Whether your child reads books independently, you or another adult reads to them, or your family grabs some books on CD for long road trips there are plenty of great books out there for all ages.  Some great summer reads for 8, 9, and 10 year olds include:

“The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate was a great book on CD for a recent long car ride

“The Doll People” by Ann M. Martin was another wonderful book UltimateMama enjoyed on CD

“The Princess Academy” by Shannon Hale received rave reviews by UltimateMama’s oldest daughter

“The Girl Who Could Fly” by Victoria Forester was another hit

“The Duel:  The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr” by Judith St. George was one that UltimateMama read in order to gain history knowledge with her children

“A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park is an amazing story that UltimateMama read to her children recently

UltimateMama has purchased numerous goggles for her kids in the past 9 years, many with extremely disappointing results (uncomfortable, leakage, breakable, and so on).  However, after purchasing Aqua Sphere’s youth goggles she found a winner.  For younger children who swim recreationally, the Moby Kid goggles reign supreme.  For older children, the Vista Jr mask is a must have for ultimate comfort in the water!  UltimateMama’s kids used their amazing Aqua Sphere googles on a recent snorkeling expedition in the Caribbean!

UltimateMama and her family had a spectacular time in the Virgin Islands recently. One tip:  buy your snorkel gear ahead of time so you don’t have to rent – that goes for adults and childrens gear!  UltimateMama’s kids loved Head Pirate snorkeling gear (the 3 piece set includes a mask, snorkel, and fins).

Stay at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove in order to get a villa with full kitchen.  UltimateMama enjoyed her two bedroom unit in the Tortola building.  The pool with water slide is terrific for kids as is the hot tub for adults.  There are myriad activities on site for people of all ages (bingo, movies, karaoke night, crafts for kids, and more).  You can snorkel right off the beach.  Additionally, one can take advantage of the Marriott Hotel’s offerings next door.

You will want to rent a car in order to explore the island of St. Thomas and have the ability to go to the car ferry to St. John.  UltimateMama was happy with our Avis rental and used it right away to stock up on groceries for the week at Gourmet Gallery.

An absolute must is an all-day boat trip on the Breakaway II to the British Virgin Islands (bring your passports).  You will board the boat at Sapphire Marina then have a wonderful day exploring The Baths at Virgin Gorda, snorkeling at Diamond Reef, eating lunch at Pusser’s in Marina Cay, and jumping off the boat to hit the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke.  Make sure your entire family has water shoes, sunglasses, UV protection shirts, bathing suits, towels, and plenty of sunscreen.  There is a short stop in St. John then you return back to St. Thomas in the late afternoon.

A trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands wouldn’t be complete without a trip to St. John to hit some great snorkeling beaches such at Trunk Bay.  Choose either a car ferry or a foot ferry to get over to St. John (car ferry obviously gives you more freedom once on the island) from St. Thomas.  UltimateMama advises you to get to Trunk Bay early as the parking lot fills quickly.  Trunk Bay has an amazing underwater snorkeling trail, a bathhouse, snack bar, and souvenir shop.  Cinnamon Bay is nearby too.

Back in St. Thomas, take your family on a drive to explore the beautiful beaches that the island offers.  Coki beach (on Coki Point) was a big hit with UltimateMama’s family due to the amazing fish seen when snorkeling in addition to not only a full rainbow sighting but also a double rainbow sighting.  UltimateMama arrived late in the day, parked and spent an amazing early evening snorkeling and taking pictures of various species of fish.  Apparently, the beach gets crowded when cruise ships are in port so be aware of those times in addition to making sure that you know where your belongings are at all times.  UltimateMama had a lovely time at Coki and it was not at all crowded.

UltimateMama’s family looks forward to their next meal so the following restaurants greatly appealed to all travelers (make all reservations in advance):

Havana Blue (on the Marriott’s campus):  Get a table overlooking the water and enjoy the blue lights

Grande Cru (located in Yacht Haven Grande): Upscale food in a tranquil setting

Banana Tree Grille (overlooking the Charlotte Amalie harbor):  Go on a night the piano player is playing and order the amazing Key Lime Pie

UltimateMama and her girls ventured to M&J Trimming last week in the quest to find goods to use to create our own barrettes and hair accessories!  And, were we ever successful (after about an hour of looking through all of the store’s amazing supplies).  First, we headed straight to the clearance section to find beautiful appliques of all kinds at spectacular prices ($1 to $3 each).  Next, we found bags of 4-5 hair clips (medium and large in size) in each pack. Finally, our eyes locked in on E6000 craft glue.  It only took us 30 minutes to glue on the appliques and create red carpet worthy hair barrettes that have become a big hit at school!

Easy, fun, cute, and useful!

UltimateMama and her children love making Ultimate Star Scones!  It is a quick and easy way to incorporate MATH (measuring) skills into your daily routine — not to mention fun and delicious.  It is as easy as this:

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

2 teaspoons of granulated pure cane sugar (plus another teaspoon for the topping)

3/4 cup of dried raspberries

1 cup of heavy cream (plus another teaspoon for topping)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and sugar (2 teaspoons).

Next, add the dried raspberries.

Then, add the heavy cream (1 cup).

Form the dough into a large ball with your hands.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface (use a rolling pin).  Dough should be about 3/4 inch thick.

Using a star shaped cookie cutter (or any other shape you fancy) cut the shapes in dough and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

When you have used all the dough up it is time for the topping.

For the topping use a pastry brush and paint the tops of the star shaped scones with the heavy cream.  Use your fingers and sprinkle sugar on top of each scone.

Put the stars in the oven to bake (about 8-11 minutes).

Serve warm (or at room temperature) either plain, with raspberry jam, or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Depending on the size of your cookie cutter it makes around 10-12 scones.

UltimateMama is always prepared with easy to pack gifts for kids when she is traveling during the holidays.  It is important to pack lightweight, non-breakable treats and items when traveling.  Also, do not forget that chocolate melts so try be careful and opt for well packaged chocolate, jelly beans, or marshmallow candies as opposed to sticky goods.  In terms of creating the Ultimate Easter Basket for kids, UltimateMama is a fan of combining fun little gifts with a small amount of sugary sweets.  Since the family will be in the Caribbean during Easter, UltimateMama already packed the following for her 2 girls:

– 2 cleverly designed paper party bags (from TJ Maxx at $1.79 each – one with a bunny and one with a chick)

– 2 Every Bunny 4 piece beauty sets (also from TJ Maxx at $4.99 each)

– 2 pairs of Candy Girl socks with Easter themes of chicks and bunnies (also from TJ Maxx at $1.99 each)

– Peeps Flavored Marshmallow in Cotton Candy (5 chicks)

– Cadbury Mini Eggs (milk chocolate)

– Russell Stover Maple Cream Eggs

– M&M Minis

A little shopping in advance will save you the headache later of having to find Easter goods while on vacation.  Additionally, you will save money by buying exactly what you want ahead of time as opposed to having to pay hotel or resort prices!

UltimateMama loves using laminated learning placemats at mealtime.  A few years ago she found several placemats of US maps, World maps, and US Presidents for sale on Lexington Avenue near a midtown subway station and last night was happy to discover that the placemats can be purchased from Painless Learning.  Check out the website to find numerous placemats including salt water fish, weather, civil war, signers of the constitution, revolutionary war, declaration of independence, ice age mammals, fractions, butterflies, phonics, dogs, rocks & minerals, bugs & insects, great composers, roman numerals, metric system, famous artists, periodic table of elements, and more!

UltimateMama’s recent visit to the local library was a smashing success.  Her 9 year old devoured the following books:

School’s Out by Johanna Hurwitz

No Talking by Andrew Clements

The Candy Smash by Jacqueline Davies (part of the Lemonade War series)

Ava and Taco Cat by Carol Weston (yes for all you smarties that is a palindromic name!)