Glamping in a teepee at Lake Compounce - Bristol, CT

Back in May, we took a trip to Bear Creek Campground at the Lake Compounce amusement park in Bristol, CT.  Since it was still off-peek season, with our deluxe tipi booking, we also got 4 free tickets to the the amusement park which I thought was an awesome deal.  From what I read, the tipis book up really fast (there aren't many of them), so I booked months in advance, which I recommend.  The drive from RI wasn't bad at all, and we made our first stop to the general store to check in & get our tickets for the park.  Our tipi wasn't quite ready (we were early and before check-in time, so that was on us, not the campground), but we were able to get our tickets so we could spend the day at the amusement park.   Getting checked in & getting our tickets was super easy (plus the general store has tons of stuff for souvenirs or anything you may have forgot).  We got our tickets and drove over to our tipi to park our car for the day.  Even though it wasn't quite ready (just needed to be swept out), we checked it out and it was super cute.  Just the basics, a few cots, mini fridge, electricity, and a lamp, pretty much what we expected. 

We left our stuff in our car, and walked over to the tram (golf cart type of thing), and took it over to the amusement park.  They shuttle back and forth on a regular basis, so there was little waiting.  The shuttle dropped us off pretty much at the entrance, so that made it very easy, and we kind of felt like VIPs. Even though the girls aren't really that into rides, they still had a great time.

tram ride to the park

After spending most of the day at the park, we headed back to unpack and set up our tipi.  Everyone slept on the cots in sleeping bags, and I slept on an air mattress.  There was plenty of room for our queen size one & since there's electricity it was easy to set up. 

Once we set everything up, we cooked up some dinner, and later participated in candy bingo with our fellow campers.  FYI, you need to bring your own candy or buy it at the general store.  Since it was chilly that night, they came around with a large pole and tightened the top of all the tipis, there is a hole in the center (not sure what happens when it rains!).  Not going to lie, I was FREEZING in the tipi and barely slept a few hours.  They don't hold heat like a tent, and I had my heavy duty sleeping bag.  I recommend going more in the summer. 

The next morning, the girls played at the playground and were so sad when we finally had to leave.

Overall, I thought the experience was great, but if we go again in the Spring, we're getting a cabin!!! 

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see where we're off to next. 

Link to Bear Creek:   https://www.lakecompounce.com/bearcreek

xoxo
Sarah

NYC in the Spring - Family Travel

I grew up less than an hour from NYC, and after 6 years, we finally took the girls on their first trip to the Big Apple!  I seriously can't believe we didn't do it sooner, and considering my parents still live so close by, there's no excuse.  We decided to take the girls on a Friday during their April vacation, and thankfully the weather cooperated.  There are so many ways to get into the city from CT, but we chose the best way (in my opinion), we took the train.  It's super easy, and affordable, and with kids in tow, in was a no brainer!!

It took just under an hour to get from CT to Grand Central station.  I totally thought the girls would have been impressed, architecture, even maybe remind them of Wreck it Ralph, but nope.  They just wanted to go shopping!!!  I was all about taking them shopping, but I had a few stops I wanted to make first.  First stop, Bryant Park.   Walking to Bryant Park from Grand Central is very easy, but also a little scary for the little ones.  I totally forgot to warn them about the homeless laying on the streets, and this caught them off guard.  Once we were about a block away, they started getting really excited and kept telling us how the buildings were so tall they were in the sky!!!  Bryant Park is beautiful in the Spring, really anytime, but Spring might be my favorite.  We made our first stop to the carousel, and then they made some wishes in the fountain.  They were wishing for love (insert eye roll).

We then proceeded on (again by foot) to Times Square (the Disney store won them over), Rockefeller Center (gorgeous as well, and they loved the Lego store), and we ended the afternoon with a walk through Central Park (where I realized I may have have pushed their walking limits).  They got treated to their first NYC taxi ride back to Grand Central, which they thought was AWESOME!!  I think my heart only stopped beating about 5 times.  Overall, the girls loved it, and can't wait to go back again.  Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later.

To see more picture from our trip, come visit me at beachplusfarm on Instagram....

thanks for reading

- Sarah

Lake Placid in the Winter with Kids

Over Winter break (yes, I'm still very behind on my posts), we took the girls to Lake Placid in NY.  Since the girls were with us this time, we decided to stay right in the center of town to make it easy for them (and for us!).  We stayed at the Hotel Northwoods and we were really happy with our stay.  It was right in the middle of main street, had a cozy lobby with a separate room for ping pong, and a great restaurant downstairs where we got breakfast.  The girls still talk about how big the pancakes were!!  Our room was a really good size too, had a separate living room which I liked.  Since we were only there for 2 days and it was in the 70's (no joke!), we took in the Olympic sites and dog sledding.  Because the snow & ice were melting, I was nervous on the lake while dog sledding, but it was fine, and the guys running it were excellent.  There was a long wait though, so be prepared. I also recommend the Adirondack Brewery.  There's a kids room where they can play while they wait for their food & you can make s'mores right at your table!! Some pictures from our trip....

And don't forget to follow along on Instagram

xoxo
Sarah

Martha's Vineyard for the New Year - 2017

So it's not exactly January, or Winter for that matter, but I'm adding this post to my blog now (and some other past travels we took this year), because I don't want to forget them, and who knows, someone out there is the cyber world, might find it useful. 

When we travel to Martha's Vineyard in the warmer months, we make a long day trip of it.  However,  in the colder months, we spend the night at one of the many hotels on the island.  We've stayed at 3 different properties (all in Edgartown), and honestly I just book on price.  This time we stayed at the Clarion.  I chose the Clarion not only for its reasonable price, but for it's location to Sharky's (the local Mexican restaurant).  It's also next to a supermarket & since it was cold and flu season, it felt like a safe bet.  The hotel wasn't that bad, nothing fancy, but clean and safe.  The girls did complain that the room was small (I didn't think it was that bad), but they like a small place to play when we travel, and our room did not have that.  The biggest drawback to the hotel was that it lost that "New England" feel.  Felt like we could have been anywhere.  I must say, the hotel did have a nice continental breakfast and the staff was amazing and happily gave us an extended checkout.  Out of the 3 hotels we've stayed out, I would sadly put the Clarion 3rd, but still recommend it.  It just wasn't for us.  We'll probably end up back at the Harbor View or the Kelley House again for our next overnight trip out there.

I'll add links below to the places I've mentioned & don't forget to follow me on Instagram!!!

xoxo Sarah

Pics from our trip:

Sailing To Martha's Vineyard

 

Dinner at Sharky's Cantina

Harbor View Lighthouse

Porch of the Harbor View Hotel (the girls found a local store that sold Beanie Babies cheap!)

with my love

Where we stayed: Clarion Martha's Vineyard
Where we ate:  (they have 2 locations and we've eaten at both) Sharky's Cantina
Other Places we've stayed:  Harbor View and Kelley House

Nautical Bell Sleeves

So I'm totally loving the bell sleeve trend that's going on right now, and when I saw so many fashion bloggers talking about Shein clothing I had to try them & of course I got a nautical stripe bell sleeve top.  I'm beyond predictable, it's kind of sad, but at least you know what you're getting.  Anyway, when I saw the $21 price I was a little skeptical, but I needed to know.  The verdict, I love it!  It's a little tight on the arms, so I think I would size up in the future.  I also haven't washed it, but I think I might hand wash it, or dryel, so it doesn't get smaller, since I doubt my arms will be shrinking anytime soon.  I got so many compliments on the top from my friends, so that made my feel good.  Anyway, I would buy from Shein again, especially for my trendier pieces, because their stuff is really cute, and the price is good, great actually.

Shop the top:  Here
Shop the sunglasses (Nordstrom):  Here




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Bamboo isn't just for floors anymore

I tossed, I turned, I yelled at my sleeping husband for no reason, and even slept in my 5 year old daughter's bed on Frozen Anna & Elsa sheets!  Sleep disorder? Bad back?  No & No!  Our bed sheets kept popping off our matress!  They were new, and I didn't want to go out and buy another set, but after seeing Cariloha sheets all over Instagram, I figured they really were heaven in a box or really good at marketing.  One night at work (I nanny and the babies were sleeping), I read a blog about the sheets & this woman swore they were the real deal.  Fast forward to this past Friday, when a box arrived on my doorstep from Cariloha.  I was in the middle of frosting cookies, but dropped everything and opened that box.  Old sheets thrown on the floor, kitchen a disaster, house guests coming literally any minute, but those sheets were getting on my bed!  Result.....they are heaven in a box.  I sleep through the night again, they're amazing!!!! Downfall, I have yet to get up at 5:45 for my morning walks since getting them.  If I ever become one of those people that starts to grow to their bed (it happens, have you watched TLC?!), I know exactly who to blame!  Btw, I also ordered a dress & a shirt, and they're just as comfy.  Living by the ocean is awesome, but the humidity is nasty, but clothes and sheets made out of bamboo make it better.  So much better.

Shop Sheets:  here
Shop Dress (on sale):  here

 Thanks for reading
xoxo Sarah

Martha's Vineyard for the New Year

Since the holidays were a little crazy, we decided to sail off to Martha's Vineyard for a night with the girls. Since not too much is open in January, it forced us to just chill out and relax. We decided to stay at the Kelley House in Edgartown, and I was really happy with our stay. Our room was a great size for the 4 of us, the location was right in the middle of town, and the staff was amazing. They make chocolate chip cookies at night and the smell is awesome (I won't say how many I ate, but I wasn't shy). They even let us stay past checkout, which was great, because the girls were watching Snow White, and pulling 2 kids away from a movie before it's over is apparently a sin in preschooler world. Don't for get to follow me on Instagram to see where we are headed next!

Outside the Kelley House

Edgartown

Lobby of the Kelley House

Kelley House: here

Vest: Lilly Pulitzer / Shirt: Old Navy // similar ones here: