By The Back Seat Reviewer — Road Trip Mom’s Daughter!

Don’t miss the Dragon Challenge Roller Coaster in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.  As you walk through the Forbidden Forest trail, past Hagrid’s Hut, Ron’s beat up old car, and visit the Goblet of Fire, you can catch a glimpse of the two dragons. Choose either the red or the blue dragon and strap in!  The best seats are either the front half or the very back. Your feet dangle off as you ride your dragon through twists and turns. The scariest part is when you flip upside down and pass within a yard or two of the other dragon and it looks like you’re going to crash with the other roller coaster!

This happens several times and the passengers of each dragon scream!  While you are up at the top,  you  can see the entire park and all of Hogsmeade. This ride is very fun for those who love a wild ride.

Keep reading for lots of tips on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal Studios theme parks.

NOTE FROM ROAD TRIP MOM: This is a review by one of my road trip daughters! She and her sister are becoming regulars on my website with their product reviews and backseat opinions.

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This kids’ luggage is Cute As A Bug!

There is even more cute luggage at PolkaDottedLuggage.com

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Here’s a car game you can play without any materials at all.  It’s a geography game that I found on Education.com, which also has a lot of other games and printable materials for kids — great stuff for road trips.

The geography game is super easy to play.  You simply take turns naming different cities, states or countries around the world. The only catch is that when it’s your turn, your geography point must begin with the same letter that the last person’s ended. Simple!  If you have an atlas in the car, this game will have your kids scouring through it and learning new places.

Devra, my friend and frequent road-trip cohort from Parentopia.com, has played this game with her family (and me) for years.  But somehow  it always seems to me like there are a lot of  geography points that start AND end with the letter A — Alaska, Alabama, Alameda, Australia, Angola, Argentina, Albania, …  see what I mean?  Next time I’m on a roadtrip with them, I’m using “Arkansas” as my secret weapon.  If you can’t spell it, you won’t know that it ends in an “S”! And if that doesn’t get them, then I’ll try “Albuquerque.”   Ha!

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Check out my article on how we made this adorable birthday cake look like the nyan cat from youtube!

We also have a video of the cake.  Please hit the “Like” and “share” buttons! Enjoy!

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On road trips, or just hanging out, kids love to color!  I found a website that has some of the cutest printable materials I’ve ever seen online.  It’s called Python Printables.

Check out their Holiday printable coloring pages (This link includes a $5 coupon when you download along with their free printable pages to use with their premium products later if you want).  They have lots of different holidays and other events to keep your kids busy and creative!

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Somewhere in the middle of a beautiful rural Kentucky byway,  while I was on my way to Kentucky Lake for my annual Pirate Adventure , my minivan had a birthday.  Or rather, a birth-mile.   Sylvia (my minivan, also known as “The Mother Ship”) turned 100,000 miles.  I took a picture.

Why is that mile different from any other? When I posted the photo to my facebook, I had many friends comment on their locations when their own vehicles hit this milestone. They all remembered where they were when that odometer turned over  99,999 –> 100,000 .   I guess it’s just really fun to watch all those 9′s turn over!

One friend commented, “Keep going! You’re halfway to the moon!”

So, happy milestone, Sylvia.  Here’s to many more fun miles on the way to more adventures.

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“How much longer?!”

If you’re on a road trip with your kids, and you are tired of hearing this question, try this activity:  Travel Tickets! You can make your own, or print these travel tickets  – they are brand new from MomsMinivan.com.  Happy travels!

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What’s the only thing worse than breaking your arm during summer vacation?

Answer: Breaking BOTH arms!  (OUCH!)

But never fear, this little cutie’s summer has been saved.  Read my article,  Cast Relief,  to see how our friend managed to find some relief for her cast torture, and save her summer vacation!

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In his blog for dads, Brandon the Duncan has begun a video section of his blog where “Daddys Can Do Crafts”.

In his first webisode, he does a full demonstration of my instructions for how to make a pirate treasure map!

Check out his video demo!  Thanks for the great walk-through of my article, Brandon.  Enjoy your treasure maps, mateys!!

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The best souvenir we’ve ever had from any trip is a memory book filled with all the pictures from our trip.  You can make your own memory book, starring YOU!  It’s not expensive and it’s really easy.  Upload all your pics and order a hard-bound copy. then order extra copies for each of your children.

The best place I have found to do this is at Snapfish. They frequently have specials and will also do regular prints dirt cheap! We have found the quality to be excellent.

Here’s a book I made from our recent trip to Universal Studios Orlando. I got a copy for each of my children which I gave to them as a gifts at Christmas.

This is truly a souvenir that they will cherish the rest of their lives, that won’t get lost in a drawer somewhere, or tossed aside and forgotten.   As an added bonus, you get the the thrill of reliving those memories every time you look at it. Without a doubt — the best souvenir ever!

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