Weekends Count Magazine - Helping you maximize your weekends through travel and DIY experiences.: Black Family Travel

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Traveling During COVID19: Cooking in Your Hotel Room - Shopping List

When we travel, we are extremely focused on having the BEST experience while saving money. One of the most effective ways that I've found to help us save money, save time, and (now) stay safe is to cook inside of our hotel room.

We've been cooking inside of our hotel rooms since 2008. I used to have a lot of business travel and I discovered that I could stay in bed a bit longer if I could pack oatmeal packets in my travel bag. Now, I've transitioned from simply traveling with oatmeal packs to traveling with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Despite our frugalness, we LOVE to eat a good restaurant breakfast (and lunch). In fact, it is one of our most MISSED activities during the pandemic. We love a good full restaurant buffet with french toast, sausage, bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, a good English Breakfast tea... oh my - I am just getting hungry just thinking about it!

Let's talk about the real reason for this post. Traveling with food and cooking in your hotel room.

We always have a grocery checklist before we travel. This checklist changes if we choose to travel by air or via car. We have a TSA friendly domestic and international travel grocery shopping list. Now, we have a neat opportunity to customize our shopping list without entering a grocery store through our weekly orders through Imperfect Foods. Check them out!

Despite our love for a good restaurant breakfast, we have not taken the leap to dine in a restaurant since February 2020. Actually, we have just started the carry out process at restaurants.

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We provide easy links for you to click to make your busy lifestyle easier!

Here's our typical grocery checklist:

Fruits and Vegetables:

Breakfast Foods:

Bagels

Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal

Almond Butter

Clif Bars

Bob's Red Mill - Gluten Free Pancake Mix

Lunch Foods:

Bread (for Sandwiches)

Tortillas (for Wraps)

Seeds of Change - Rice

Dinner Foods:

StarKist Chicken Creations, Chicken Salad, 2.6 oz Pouch

StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water

Chicken of the Sea Premium Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon,

Pasta

Bear Creek - Soup Mix

Additional Items:

Dash Griddle

Packable Kettle (for Hot Water)

Mini Crockpot (for Road Trips) OR Lunch Crock (for Airplane Travel)

Foil Sheets (Purchase these at Sam's or the Dollar Tree)

Plates

Dawn Dish Soap (Purchase these at Sam's or the Dollar Tree)

Travel Cups

Plastic Bags (Purchase these at Sam's or the Dollar Tree)

Olive Oil

We usually place all of these items in gallon-sized bags and place them in our North Face Backpack! Plus, it is easier to take out during the TSA security screening.

Definitely pre-plan your meals ahead of time. Plus, if you have any questions or if you want to see a meal guide, please let us know!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count Magazine is focused on helping people navigate travel, build their family business, and manage their money. We provide tips, printables, and easy-to-understand infographics to help people learn amazing ways to make their lives easier.

We are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas areas. based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and the Shreveport Metroplex area.

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Contact Information:
Weekends Count

Box 501
Beckville, TX 76048

weekendscount@gmail.com
(817) 382-8475
Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com

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Remember to Purchase or Download Our Family Travel Book on Amazon! - Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget!

Visit the Starr Family Home in Marshall, Texas!

Looking for a fun, family activity in East Texas? Then head over to Marshall, Texas to visit the Starr Family Home! This is a Texas Historic Site! We visited the property during its annual Victorian Fair.

The property includes one large home, several smaller homes, and a schoolhouse. Multiple generations of the Starr Family lived on the property. At the time, the property was considered to be in a very rural area, but has now been surrounded by development in the city.

Outside the different buildings, you and your family will find markers describing the buildings and the people who lived there.

On this day there were also arts and crafts stations where kids could make toys common during the time when the property was occupied like dolls made of straw.

There were performers dressed in historic clothes playing dulcimers and other instruments at the Victorian Fair.

Because the property is now maintained by the Texas Historic Commission, the buildings are preserved to look like they would have when they were occupied.

The Victorian Fair also featured a photo station inspired by that period of history. Our daughter really enjoyed that station!

Outside the schoolhouse, there were historic games and a person making balloon animals.

Texas Parks and Wildlife brought some animal furs and bones for kids to observe and identify so students could learn about science and history.

While the Victorian Fair is an annual event, the home is available for tours throughout the year. The kitchen was actually on the side of the home next to the servant quarters. The stove actually works and was used to make lunch for the staff. As an African American family, we appreciate the Texas Historical Commission for preserving the servant quarters to honor their contributions to the home and also to help our daughter the opportunities she has today.

The Starr Family Home is actually three stories and includes a huge and extravagant mother in law suite that has been preserved.

We highly encourage you to visit Marshall, Texas and tour the Starr Family Home.

What are your favorite historic places to visit?

Let us know in the comments!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We provide easy links for you to click to make your busy lifestyle easier!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Contact Information:
1030 East Highway 377 Suite 110
Box #145
Granbury TX 76048
817-382-8475
Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com

Our Social Media Channels:
Check Us Out on YouTube! - http://www.youtube.com/weekendscount/
Become a Fan of Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/weekendscount/
Follow Us on Twitter! - http://www.twitter.com/weekendscount/
Look for Us on Instagram! - http://www.instagram.com/weekendscount/
Discover the Weekends Count Blog! - http://www.weekendscount.com

Remember to Purchase or Download Our Family Travel Book on Amazon! - Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget!

24 Hour Travel - From DFW Airport to Denver, Colorado on United Airlines

What happens when you want to travel and you only have from 5pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday? Yeah, you know the typical workweek? You just have to plan around it!

So, this means that we have to book a ticket a couple of weeks to two days ahead of time (yes, I am famous for this as well). Recently, we booked a ticket from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) to Denver, Colorado Airport (DEN) on United Airlines. We arrived at 8:30 am and then we quickly checked-in at the Westin Denver Airport hotel, which was FABULOUS!

9:00 am - Then, we purchased light rail tickets from the airport to downtown. The ride was around 25 minute and it was a scenic trip for our family to view the terrain of Denver. Then, we realized that the 24 hour rail pass included MANY routes (that we plan to explore soon). We disembarked at the main downtown station and we walked around downtown Denver.

10:00 am Tattered Cover Bookstore - Our first stop was the the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. It featured an amazing mannequin in the bookstore and this is definitely a bookstore picture stop! Also, the children's reading section was excellent!

10:30 am - Centennial Gardens Park - We also visited Centennial Gardens Park to view the gardens. In addition, the gardens, there is a great under the bridge photo opportunity! While we were walking under the bridge we saw several Lime Bike Riders. It seems like a great way to explore the city!

11:00am - Confluence Park - After our visit to the park, we walked to a downtown falls area (Confluence Park) and it was absolutely beautiful! Great for pictures and then for a quick bite to eat (we brought food from Texas and it was still cold)!

12:00 pm (Noon) - We visited 7-11 downtown because my little one wanted ice cream. So, we purchased three pints (with spoons) and walked downtown to eat our treats in the downtown gardens area).

1:00 pm - We walked to view the Big Blue Bear and then we visited the local Convention and Visitor's Bureau for more information about downtown. THEN, they told us about a local (and free) music festival that was by the downtown library and capital building. We walked four to five blocks and the festival was great! Many vendors, many free samples (Haribo, Sahale Snacks, and a milk company).

4:00pm - Then, we walked back downtown to find this mini golf area by the Westin Hotel and my little one LOVED it! It was free and she is such a mini golf fan!

5:00pm - We ordered a gluten free pizza (with napkins and plates) and then boarded the light rail from downtown Denver to the Westin Airport hotel.

6:00pm - We arrived back in the hotel and then we ate the pizza in the hotel room while watching a movie.

7:00pm - We began preparing for bed for a 8:00am flight the next morning.

As you can see, we had a fun-filled, great time that lasted for 24 hours instead of an entire week. This was fabulous for our work schedules and we were able to accomplish MORE in less time!

Travel to Denver, Colorado on United Airlines from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport is a quick and easy flight from Texas. We embrace 24 hour travel during the weekends for our busy Texas family. In Denver, we played free mini golf downtown, enjoyed the downtown parks. We stayed at the Westin Airport hotel and it was a simple train ride to Downtown Denver. We enjoyed seeing the big blue bear outside of the convention center. Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

24 Hour Travel Adventure in Minneapolis - Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America

When you find the perfect indoor theme park for your family, you HAVE to embrace it! Recently, when we discovered CHEAP tickets from DFW Airport to Minneapolis, Minnesota on United Airlines and I had to research the city.

So, I discovered that Minneapolis was the home of Prince and the Mall of America. I KNEW that Mall of America also contains Nickelodeon Universe. During dinner, our family watches theme park videos and Nickelodeon Universe was one of the recent videos.

In Minneapolis, we traveled via the light rail from the airport to the Mall of America (a 10 minute ride). When we arrived there, we walked through the mall with our luggage and headed to our hotel (the JW Marriott in the Mall). After organizing our items in the room, we headed down to the Nickelodeon Experience. We had a GREAT time! Then, we visited the American Girl store and it was EPIC for our little one! After everything we experienced in the day, we headed to the Flyover America and it was a great way to end the evening, but WAIT there's more!

We grabbed some noodles from Noodles and Company and we were SURPRISED by a light display (with amazing music) in the Nickelodeon Experience. We definitely enjoyed the experience! You should definitely take this cheap trip from DFW Airport or Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Have a great week and plan for the weekend! Remember to give the video a thumbs up!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

Celebrating Dr. King's Legacy at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee!

Since our daughter is very young and grows up in a world where she can eat in any restaurant, stay at any hotel, and attend any school, she has trouble understanding the challenges that people have faced and still face for being different. Each year we try to take her to places that help her understand how far we have come as a country so she can truly appreciate the opportunities available to her and the people who sacrificed so she could gain those opportunities.

During our visit to Memphis, Tennessee, we stopped to visit the National Civil Rights Museum! The former Lorraine Motel was the place where Dr. King stayed in Memphis after delivering the now famous "I've been to the mountaintop" speech. He was shot by James Earl Ray from the building across the street.

The Lorraine Motel was one of the motels that would allow Dr. King and other African Americans to spend the night during segregation. In fact, there was a publication called the Green Book which highlighted these hotels and motels for African American travelers. As modern-day travelers, this trip makes us extremely grateful to be able to stay in great hotels.

The beginning of the museum experience focuses on Africa and the slave trade.

While these images aren't fun, they do give our daughter a sense of what her people have endured.

The next part of the museum dealt with segregation during the era of Jim Crow.

We have read to our daughter about Rosa Parks so she knew African Americans had to ride in the back of the bus and give up their seats to whites, but the bus and life size photos helped her better understand what people faced. On the bus, they play audio of a bus driver shouting at African Americans to give up their seats.

She also got a chance to see a recreation of a sit-in where African Americans endured abuse to sit at a lunch counter in a restaurant that didn't allow African Americans to eat there.

We also saw an interactive video screen with events around the United States where people fought against segregation. One of the events was in Dad's hometown of San Antonio, Texas, where people fought to sit anywhere in a movie theater.

There was another interactive board that displayed videos and facts about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Since our daughter knows how to use tablets, she loved this exhibit!

The museum experience concludes with a recreation of the rooms as they were when Dr. King stayed at the Lorraine Motel. In this space, you hear a recording of Mahalia Jackson singing "Precious Lord." It's a very emotional experience.

Keep your tickets and go across the street to experience "The Legacy." This building focuses on James Earl Ray and the events surrounding the assassination.

The exhibit includes a replica of the car James Earl Ray drove.

You can also see the Lorraine Motel from a similar perspective to what James Earl Ray saw. The exhibit doesn't glorify James Earl Ray but better understand the investigation regarding the assassination.

How do you celebrate Dr. King's legacy?

Let us know in the comments.

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.

This week,

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Sincerely,

The @WeekendsCount Family!

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About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Mailing Address: 1030 East Highway 377 Suite 110; Box #145; Granbury TX 76048
Phone Number - 817-382-8475

Did You Watch Our Videos on YouTube, Yet? Remember to Subscribe! - http://www.youtube.com/weekendscount/
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Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com

Remember to Check Out Our Book - Family Travel Hacks and Tips for Any Budget!

A Millennial Family's Review of a Room in the New Orleans Marriott

The New Orleans Marriott hotel is an exceptional location for families and working professionals who are traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana for a vacation or for a conference.

This hotel also has an "M Club Lounge" which is one of my FAVORITE Marriott Lounges in the world! Yes, I can say the world, because we visited our first Marriott Lounge outside of the United States this summer.

Even if you are not a Marriott Rewards member, this lounge is an incredible deal because it provides breakfast and dinner! Yum!

The rooms are amazing, because they offer spectacular views of the street below. It is a great way to see the city at a glance without actually having to leave your room.

This video offers a view of a typical room at the New Orleans Marriott.

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

About Weekends Count - Weekends Count is a Millennial Family Travel, Fun, Food and Activities blog based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. We review hotels, travel and household items, and millennial family experiences!

Authors - Jennifer and Tony Edwards

Here's a link to our press kit/media kit - http://www.weekendscount.com/p/our-media-kit.html

Mailing Address: 1030 East Highway 377 Suite 110; Box #145; Granbury TX 76048
Phone Number - 817-382-8475

Send us an Email! We are PR friendly! - weekendscount@gmail.com
Watch Our Videos on YouTube! - http://www.youtube.com/weekendscount/
Become a fan of Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/weekendscount/
Follow Us on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/weekendscount/
Look for Us on Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/weekendscount/
Discover the Weekends Count Blog - http://www.weekendscount.com

Travel with Unlimited Books Through Amazon Kindle Unlimited

We are still on our journey to read 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and we reached our halfway point! Yes, I know that we have three more months, but we will MAKE IT! Yes, I am the mom with optimism! Plus, I have to add the books from her bedroom as well! :)

To help us on our endeavor and to prevent the weekly run to the city library, the church library, and the local Goodwill, I decided to purchase the Amazon Kindle Unlimited App for our family. I use it for my college courses, my little one uses it for her 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and my husband uses it for church! There are 172,347 books for kids!

This post contains affiliate links to help you build your shopping list and travel list for your family. We are passionate about the product and the experiences listed in this post, but we also wanted to provide easy links you can click to purchase products for your busy lifestyle.

We love this app, because it is easy for summer travel (instead of traveling with 8+ books) and it is great for the family! Check it out and let us know what you think!

Here are 10 Ways that you can read 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten as well! Thank you to the Hood County Library!

Have a great week and plan for the weekend!

Make Your Weekends Count!

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