travel

Summer Bucket List Adventures

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Thank you Maxi-Cosi for sponsoring this post. Keep your little adventurers comfy, safe & stylish with the Maxi-Cosi Magellan 5-in-1 car seat!

Summer is in full swing over here and it is flying by way too fast. We’ve had a lot of fun adventures already but there is still so much left to do before school starts and cold weather sets in. I think midsummer is a great time to take a look at your adventure list and evaluate what you still want to accomplish. A summer bucket list will vary from family to family based on ages and interests but there are a few adventures that are sure to be on everyone’s list.

Here is what is on our list this summer, if it is in bold that means we’ve already done it!

Summer Road Trip
Drive-in Movies
Backyard BBQ party
Tent Camping (we usually go in our RV)
Kayaking with the Boys
Hike 2 of the High Peaks
Lake Day with Friends
Visit another Country (read about our trip to Iceland)
Backyard Camping Party
Visit a National Park (thinking Acadia or Shenandoah)
Overnight Summer Camp (click here for a great summer camp packing list and tips)

Part of making our adventurous lifestyle happen with such young children is having the proper set up from start to finish. Not only do we need the proper outdoors gear but we need the proper equipment to help us get to our destination. I’m happy to have discovered the Maxi-Cosi brand of car seats. Maxi-Cosi was founded nearly 30 years ago in the Netherlands and over the years they have evolved into the most popular brand of car seats in Europe.

SO, if you keep up with me on Instagram or here on the blog then you know just how much of a struggle it has been to drive anywhere with our younger son. From birth to about age 2 he screamed and cried every time he was in the car seat, even just on a 10-minute ride to the post office. It was rough, and it was sad because it greatly interfered with our travel-loving lifestyle. Thankfully that is all in the past now, but not without us learning some great lessons from it that I want to share with you.

Right from the get-go invest in a good car seat. Sure, all of the ones on the market are “good” in that they are safe and approved for use, but some are definitely way more awesome than others. Enter the Maxi-Cosi Magellan 5-in-1 Convertible Car Seat. This thing is amazing! It is an innovative new 5-in-1 convertible car seat, meaning you only ever have to buy one car seat because it accommodates children from birth to age 10 (5 pounds to 120 pounds). It very easily transitions between the 5 stages of use: Baby Rear-Facing, Toddler Rear-Facing, Toddler Forward-Facing, Child Forward-Facing, and Belt Positioning Booster. I also love that it has two cup holders (dishwasher safe) AND has patented Adjustable Side Impact Protection.

The car seat just feels like luxury and safety all rolled up into one seat. I am below the weight limit (not height though!) so I happily tested this out before we installed it in our car and I have to say it is full of cushiony comfort and is sure to make any car seat hating child a road trip lover. Since we’ve been using this in our car for our summer adventures our son has not complained once! I’m not exaggerating, he really loves the car seat and we’ve used it for all of our summer adventures, near and far.

If we are going on a longer trip we also pack up a bunch of snacks (healthy ones) and dollar store or Target dollar section toys to keep the kids occupied. As they are getting older it seems we don’t have to occupy them as much with toys. Leif, our younger son, is really mostly content to just stare out the window or talk to us while we are driving these days. (What a welcome change that is!)