This weekend, we enjoyed a family getaway to Omaha, NE (watch for the upcoming March issue of KC Parent Magazine to discover why this is one of our TOP PICKS for a Family Weekend Trip). It's become a joke with my husband and I how often we go out of town only to discover a bit of Kansas City on our vacation. For instance, when I flew in to San Francisco, I was walking through the airport and the first song I heard was a local jazz musician playing "Kansas City, Here I Come." On our honeymoon, we stayed in a hotel in Miami, across the street from Kansas City Steaks (the name of the restaurant). And the list goes on....
On this trip, we were heading north, past St. Joseph, MO, and I was reading. My husband says, "That mom sure is enjoying her trip! Look at that." I look up and driving a minivan I see a mom rockin' to some music, she smiled and waved as we passed... the mom was none other than Kansas City's own Funky Mama, Krista Eyler, (not only did I recognize her, but her van was labeled well with her www.funkymamamusic.com). So, that brings us to Lesson #1:
#1) Funky Mama ROCKS on Road Trips OR Sometimes You Should Too.
Funky Mama tells the truth in her blogs when she writes that she loves to jam on road trips... and she tells the truth when she says that jammin' on road trips makes them a lot more fun!
#2) Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza ROCKS OR Sometimes when you try new things, you discover a FAVORITE.
On our trip we ate at Spaghetti Works, a very popular Omaha restaurant in the Old Market that is absolutely perfect for family dining (so perfect we ate there twice on our trip). On the kids' menu, they feature Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza. My girls, like most kids, LOVE PB&J and LOVE pizza, but they were apprehensive to try this... I think they both envisioned a combination of tomato sauce and cheese and PB & J. What they got was a delicious open faced sandwich on flatbread that had been lightly toasted. My oldest was immediately won over by the creation and already declared that her TOP priority when we return home is to make PB & J Pizza for lunch. I found a Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza Recipe, and we promised to make it this week.
#3) The Giant Ball Room ROCKS OR We prefer Quality over Quantity.
Okay, I have always been a quality over quantity person (one of many reasons I'm not a fan of buffets), so I can quickly apply this little proverb to many areas of life, but in today's illustration we have the Omaha Children's Museum to thank. The Omaha Children's Museum is one of the smaller Children's Museums we've visited (both in actual size and in number of exhibits), BUT, the exhibits there were TOP NOTCH. They clearly devoted great attention to detail and made sure to do everything right. As a result, their ball exhibit which features one very large room filled with tubes, buttons, gears, levers, switches, air compression, spirals, slides, and more, lets children (and adults) play with a giant ball machine (think the COOLEST marble maze you've ever seen, but gigantic and using big plastic balls instead of marbles). We had so much fun with this exhibit that my daughters, and husband, spent over an hour just playing with the ball machine determining what would result from every switch and button. We weren't eager to run off to see the next thing or try the next thing... we were able to take our time and really enjoy something that was extremely fun and held attention! PS: They do have other exhibits that we also enjoyed (our youngest two are always fans of kid-sized grocery stores), but the ball room was the BEST. Oh, how I wish all Children's Museums focused so much attention on quality over quantity... but that's another blog for another day.
#4) Train Conductor Lee Hansen ROCKS OR Exhibits Can't Beat Firsthand Testimony.
At the Durham Museum, housed in Omaha's Union Station, they featured many trains that children could climb through and explore. At the end of one long train, we entered a dining car and were greeted by the train conductor (a.k.a. Lee Hansen, an elderly invalid who volunteers at the museum). Lee told the children about train travel fifty years ago, gave them each a souvenir ticket and punched it with their destination (our excited children were happy to see KC as a choice on the list) and shared his experiences working on the railroad as a young man and now volunteering at the museum. With all the exhibits the museum had to offer, visiting with Lee and hearing his passion for the trains and his hometown, and listening to him share that passion with the children was the highlight of the museum. Kudos to his living facility and the museum for coordinating such a terrific volunteer program and providing transportation to and from the facility.
#5) Kansas City ROCKS OR There's No Place Like Home.
No matter how many little reminders of home we find on our trips, and no matter how much fun we have, it is amazing how much all of us are eager to head back home on the last day. Dorothy was right, "There's no place like home." But once in a while, it's nice to go on vacation!
Written by Kristina Light