Adventures in Boise, Idaho- Part 1

 

We recently enjoyed a trip to Boise, Idaho to compete in an extracurricular event and then meet up with extended family + explore Boise. I always enjoy sharing our adventures here! 

Things that worked on driving days- chatting // music // 90s trivia for my husband and me // Family Feud for everyone (haven't finished every card but nothing inappropriate so far) // Innotab (old hand-me-down I can't even find on eBay to link) + my brother's old Game Boy Advance + my grandpa's old handheld Solitaire game, but during scheduled intervals and not as a free-for-all // foods we brought from home

Day 1- We got into our hotel in time for a late dinner. Settled in and ate, checked out the event venue, read and relaxed.  

Day 2- We started our day with breakfast we'd brought from home but some of the other families at this event said the breakfast was good. We got kids registered for their event and then we took a beautiful riverfront walk right outside a hotel entrance. 

We had to pass a giant chess board and checkers board in a courtyard so of course we played those, too. 

We went back over for the start of the event and socialized with others for a bit (had the coolest conversation with a parent from Venezuela who shared so much of his life journey with us + was stunned to learn that Americans don't typically get a passport unless they're about to travel to another country) and then I took the younger two back to the hotel room for a while. (The littles and I went back and forth for their sake).

We all just ate lunch we'd brought from home and then the littles and I ran to Whole Foods to grab some dinner items. We admired a lot of art on the way and I realized that's one of my favorite things when we travel, seeing the art in different cities and towns! 

We were all so mentally + socially drained by the time the event was over! We had just-add-water soup/noodle snack plate dinners in the hotel room while watching Jumanji since it was playing on one of the channels (we bought an electric kettle just for this trip and wow, highly recommend!)

My husband and I also (finally!) watched the first of six episides of A Thousand Tomorrows before bed.

Day 3- We slept in (needed it!) and lounged around in the hotel room for a bit, ate breakfast I'd brought from home and then took another beautiful riverfront walk. This time we saw people surfing! 

 After our walk we packed everything up to make our move to the Airbnb we'd gotten for the second leg of the trip. We couldn't check in or meet extended family until 4pm so we had time to kill. We started with the aquarium which wound up being so great!  

My girls and I have been doing the TGTB Wind and Waves science unit and they've all been pretty fascinated by the ocean info + loving an ocean science kit on the side. This got them so excited! Some of my kids fed fish + pet stingrays and starfish, and everyone enjoyed seeing all there was to see. 

After that we went to the mall to look for a birthday gift component for an extended family member. We of course checked out all the puzzles and games while we were there. 

The rest of the night went by fast! We met up with family at Natural Grocers to buy food for our meals together, got all set up in the Airbnb, and the kids played Uno with family while I made a super easy dinner for a crowd. 

If you're ever cooking for a big group, I highly recommend burrito bowls. It's so easy to put multiple meal components out and et people add whatever they want to their respective bowls. I cooked a big batch of rice + riced cauliflower as the base and then we put out bowls of options on the table... Steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms + onions, pinto beans, black beans, salsa, Pico de Gallo, romaine lettuce, cashew cream, coconut aminos! You could also add meat, cheese, whatever 

After that Hubby and I finished setting up the airbnb, tucked in the kids, and then curled up in bed to watch the next episode of A Thousand Tomorrows and then read!