Sandcastle Playground at Regatta Grounds Park in Lincoln City, Oregon

Regatta Park in Lincoln City is a stunning place on Devil’s lake in Lincoln City. Although the wind was awful at the beach, this park was far enough away that it didn’t effect this lake. We couldn’t even get our kite to fly here. The have a small dock that you can fish off of.
 
We came here because we read about the Sandcastle playground. Sandcastle playground is a massive wooden playground for kids.
 
It was an excellent playground.

The bathrooms were pretty rough here. They smelled bad and had no doors on the stalls.

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Hiking Drift Creek Falls

There’s a scenic hike just south east of Lincoln City along Drift Creek, which leads to Drift Creek Falls. Once you pull off the main road you are about a thirty minute drive from the beginning of the trail head. At the start of the trail there are bathrooms and a parking lot. (I really wish I had known there were going to be bathrooms. Yes, I went in the woods. My kids were shocked.)

It’s a beautiful hike and was easy enough that my six year old did it no problem. Although the sign says it is 1.25 miles each way, I would guess it’s more like 2 miles each way.
 
Near the end of the trail you will come upon a suspension bridge. 
You only have to walk about on the suspension bridge a few feet and then you will see Drift Creek Falls. It was a great waterfall.
   

Women's Essentials for a Disney Vacation

Have you ever wondered what you should pack in your suitcase for a trip to Disney? Here are some essential: shorts, tennis shoes, comfortable sandals, comfy shirts, and a rain jacket.

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Ridemakerz - Xtreme Customz Party

My youngest and I got the chance to host a high energy car party using Xtreme Customz starter kits thanks to RideMakerz and MommyParties who sponsored our party and sent of a variety pack of starter kits.

Each kiddo got to pick out which car they wanted to create. I was a little worried that they might fight over one, but they didn't at all.

Each of the kids enjoyed putting their cars together. All of the kits came with everything needed to make one car.

The boys we had over were between the ages of 5-6 and they were able to put them together. They even helped each other and figured them all out. 

Each of the cars vary from the others, but the pieces are interchangeable. If one kid wanted to switch parts they could with their friend, they could. Interchangeable parts include wheels, rims, car shell, missiles, spoilers, 

The starter kits start out at $9.99. 

My son is holding the Ridemakerz Xtreme Customz Starter Kit - Viper GTS, Green and Black Rally

To find your own Xtreme Customz starter kit check out their website www.xtremecustomz.com or find them at Target and Toys R Us.

Here's a short video of our party.

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Undersea Gardens – Newport, OR

The Undersea Gardens in Newport, Oregon is not worth the money if you are paying full price. If you can get a discount then go for it. I got a daily deal that got us into Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Wax Words, and the Undersea Garden. If I had paid full price I would have been upset.

•   The Undersea Garden is one room with windows showing local fish. It is very dark in there and it’s moving, 
• If your prone to motion sickness then you are probably going to feel sick when you leave here. 
• A few times a day they offer a show. Only go during times that they are doing a show, otherwise you’ll be done in 10 minutes.

During the show you will get to see an octopus, a sunflower starfish, and an eel. Some one in a scuba outfit goes down and picks them up and swims back and forth along the windows with them.
 

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2013 Chevy Traverse

The 2013 Chevy Traverse is for the mom that doesn't want to drive a minivan! I say this as a

mom who hates driving a minivan. In my defense, there weren't a whole lot of options when we went from a 2 kid car to a 3 kid car seven years ago. So, what is it you wonder that make me think this SUV can compete with the minivan! For me it came down to two things, the seating arrangement and the storage in the back.

Seating Arrangement in the Chevy Traverse

The seating simply put, is just like a minivan. Meaning 2 seats in the front, 2 seats in the middle that do not touch, and the traditional 3 seats in the back row. For me personally it is a major deal to be able to sit all three kids in their own seats. I do not want my kids touching each other. I do not want to listen to "She's touching me." or "He's breathing on me." Mom's I know that you know what I am talking about!

Chevy Traverse Storage

Everyone knows that minivans crush the SUV when it comes to storage. Chevy obviously realized this and have made some improvements. The storage in the Traverse is almost twice what I've seen in comparable suv's. Is it as much as a minivan? No, but for an SUV with a 3rd row, it's the best I've seen so far. 

The 2013 Chevy Traverse has a household plugin. #tmomchevy #tmomdisney via mommytravels

Chevy Traverse - Other Things I Like

• The Traverse has some interesting and unique interior styling like the threading in the front is a light blue. At first I wasn't sure what to think of the splash of color somewhere unexpected, but it did look good.
• My personal favorite thing is the electronics inside of the Chevy Traverse, especially the household plugin! I've never seen one of these in a car before and it's about time car makers added them.  
• I'm not to savvy when it comes to the mechanics of the car, but I can tell you that the brakes worked great. 

Disclaimer - Thanks to Chevy for bringing out some cars for us TravelingMoms to try out during our conference. All opinions are my own.

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Wax Works – Newport, OR

Wax Works in Newport, OR

Are you into wax museums? I’ve never been to one before, so I don’t have anything to compare Wax Works to, but I wasn’t impressed. This place seems old and run down. The best part was getting to see Yoda, he actually looked more realistic then the others. Maybe, because he’s not actually a person! With that said the people in front of us seemed really into it and took tons of pictures. They did seem impressed.
 
I did not pay full price to go here. I got a deal through a daily deal site. I do not recommend paying full price. It’s just not worth spending the money.

Wax Works
250 S. W. Bay Blvd.
Newport, OR
541-265-2206

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Reducing Our Carbon FootPrint #EverydayEffect

Have you done anything lately to reduce your carbon footprint?

We've been back in Oregon for over a year and like any true Oregonian would, I decided to try and reduce our home's carbon footprint. I decided this because of our rising utility bills, it's the right thing to do, and it didn't hurt that P& G and SheSpeaks ask me to participate in they're sponsored #EverydayEffect campaign.

Save Money on your Utility Bills

So far our electric bill has dropped $60! Here are some of the things we've been doing.

• Turning off the lights in rooms we are not in.
• Unplugging the coffee pot when it is not in use
•  

Our gas bill has dropped $80

• Wearing warmer clothes instead of turning up the temperature in the house.
• Turning our fireplace off and shutting off the gas valve
• Replacing our old thermostat for a new efficient one

Win a Washing Machine

enter the P&G #EverydayEffect Pinterest Giveaway by filling out the form here: on.fb.me/ZMyucH