January 2012

Make Musical Connections: Take the Kids to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH and the Chicago Blues Festival

You could say that our family adventure to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio was a little bit hip hop and a little bit rock and roll. Back in the summer of ‘09, my kids and I headed out on a two-month-long Read Across America Road Trip. Many happy miles flew [...]

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In Search of the Best Hot Dogs: Tony Packo’s Hungarian Hot Dogs

by Sandra Foyt

Before the epic failure that was the Foodie Adventures Road Trip of 2011, we undertook other family road trips – and other foodie adventures. In the summer of 2009, I took my kids on a two-month long grand adventure – the Read Across America Road Trip Across America. And our first stop was for a [...]

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Healthy Fast Food

by Sandra Foyt

Is there such a thing as healthy fast food? It’s tough to make good food choices when you’re pressed for time and money, but there is a way to minimize the harm. Last spring, my son and I went to a few fast food restaurants to see if it was possible to feel satisfied with [...]

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Back To Berkshire East Ski Area

by Sandra Foyt

Berkshire East Ski Area is a kid-friendly sort of place, well known for programs that introduce children to skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. But given that it’s a 1.5 hour drive to get there from Albany, each way, we don’t go too often. On Sunday, January 22, 2012. my daughter and I returned for another ski [...]

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Enter the Year of the Dragon in Vancouver’s Chinese Garden

by Sandra Foyt

When the clock strikes midnight on January 23, 2012, the Chinese New Year will usher in the most promising of zodiac tidings – the Year of the Dragon. It’s going to be a good year. Considered the most powerful of the twelve animals associated with the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is a symbol of strength [...]

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Fun and Educational Things To Do at Disney World

by Sandra Foyt

One of the reasons I love Disney World is that kids learn while they are having fun, without even realizing that there might just be an educational component. Spaceship Earth at Epcot in Disney World The Spaceship Earth attraction at Epcot is a 16-minute omnimover ride through history that “depicts the stirring story of human connection and [...]

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Get Close to Manatees in the “Real Florida”

by Sandra Foyt

Just like the manatees leaving the cold St. John’s River, our family sought out the warmth of Blue Spring State Park. Walking on boardwalks along the clear waters, we saw herons, snapping turtles, humongous fish, and manatee families, including the sweetest “little” baby manatee clinging to its mother. It’s a pleasant spot, easily accessible, that [...]

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From Russia, With Love – Albany-Tula Alliance Essay Contest

by Sandra Foyt

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” “I know which is the road that leads home and if I weave like a drunken man as I go down it that does not mean the road is the wrong one.” If you can name the author of these quotes, you [...]

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Vignettes in a History of Family Travel

by Sandra Foyt

On this, the official second birthday of Albany Kid, I’m launching a new family travel series – Vignettes in a History of Family Travel. For the past couple of years, a friend’s comment has been burrowing under my skin, a splinter that resisted pulling, until late last year. A group of homeschool moms and I [...]

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Do It For The Kids: Stop SOPA and PIPA!

by Sandra Foyt

I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to talk about freedom. By now, even the most die-hard Luddite will have heard about the hotly-debated legislation that would censor the Internets – SOPA and PIPA. The bills before Congress don’t state the intention to put a stranglehold on creativity, but well, there are writers who have explained [...]