I know you said the couple is from the US but maybe they have traveled/lived overseas etc.? In Germany games are definitely quite common.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Unfortunately, we won't be able to bring a crockpot (or much of anything else) as we are flying in from overseas. Generally, it doesn't get THAT expensive when we eat out as there are only 3 of us (and one or two might order from the kids menu). So the meal shouldn't really cost more than around 10$ at the most (or else we might as well not bother). I guess part of my problem is that while eating at restaurants is a bit cheaper in the US than at home, groceries are quite a bit more expensive (especially meat and cheese). On our last visit I was so shocked at the price of hamburger meat that I didn't even buy it! I am okay as far as breakfast is concerned - I generally skip it, one son eats cornflakes and I buy bagels or something like that for my younger son. Lunch/snack foods aren't that much of a problem either. I guess I am more looking for ideas for days on which we don't have a "real" meal out and the kids want something "cooked". Maybe someone has ideas for some easy recipes with rice/beans/veggies/eggs? Omelettes will definitely work for one child, maybe for both. Pancakes are a good idea as well. Taco soup sounds tasty - will have to look for a recipe.

We (one adult, two kids) will spend three weeks in a rented apartment in LA for our vacation this summer. We definitely will eat out quite a bit but to keep cost down I plan on having breakfast, snacks, and the occasional meal at the apartment. As the main reason for cooking (on vacation!) is to save some money I am looking for some fairly easy (both timewise and as far as equipment is concerned as I doubt that the kitchen is as well stocked as a regular one) and inexpensive meals. Preferably with fewer ingredients as there is really no point in buying a lot of condiments, spices, bulk goods for just three weeks - they would just go to waste. The only thing I can come up with is spaghetti - which will be kind of repetitive if we have it every second day. Almost forgot: I am pretty easy to please but one kid eats little meat (just if it is kind of hidden), neither one likes cheese (unless on top of a pizza), and one doesn't eat "white" sauces... And yes, finding something on a kids menu for younger son is more than challenging - we usually end of buying some expensive vegetarian dish from the grown-up section. So I would really appreciate some ideas - either just general ideas or recipes would be great!

We rather like dressing up for formal night too. Still, my boys (11 and 8 on the last cruise) generally wear a dark suit (no tux) and they are definitely on the fancier side for kids clothing (at least on Royal Caribbean - I am sure there are cruise lines where everyone gets dressed up). I would say get them a suit if you can do so inexpensively and if you think they will be able to get more use out of it (my kids have worn theirs on several cruises as well as on Christmas and for First Communion/Confirmation). If not, nice pants and a shirt will be just fine!

Thanks for all the answers so far! Good point about not locking myself out! No, the camp is not in the woods. It is actually at a college campus and each family has their own apartment in which the kids will have their own room. As far as I can tell a certain part of the dorms is set aside for the program so I would assume the adjoining rooms have other families in them. Generally, the boys get along. The older boy doesn't boss my little one around that much and younger son is generally very easy-going so there are rarely big confrontations (at least not when they are on their own). They would probably be either asleep or reading/playing on a tablet etc.

Another thread made me think of this and I would love to hear everyone's opinions! We will attend a week of family camp this summer in California. During the day there are various family activities as well as kids' activities while parents do other stuff. However, there are also a couple of events at night (generally around 9 to 11 pm) for adults when there are no kids club activities. The camp offers babysitting for a fee - you can sign up and have one of the employees watch the kids. I might possibly want to take part in two or three of these activities (we have never been there so not sure yet). Anyway, my sons are almost 12 (will have a birthday the week after camp) and 9.5. I would say older son is about average for maturity for his age, younger son is very mature (so both about like a 12 year old). We live in Europe and I do leave them home alone for a couple of hours fairly often (mostly to go to the store when they don't want to come along, rarely for some parent event at the school). I have no hesitation in doing so - this is quite common where we live and completely acceptable here. Kids that age go alone to the pool etc. However, I know that this is often handled differently in the US. The boys don't really want me to sign them up for a babysitter (they have never had anyone other than family watch them like that). I would obviously rather save the money but it isn't a deal-breaker either. Reading another post about a 12 year old babysitting much younger kids for a longer period of time made me think it really might not be necessary to hire someone for this after all though. I would be on campus and presumably there would be other parents/babysitter in the adjoining rooms in the event of a real emergency. So what do you think (please be gentle if you think the idea is horrible)?

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that she tested unprepared. I guess I was more thinking that some individual help (maybe someone you know, not so much a professional) could take a look at her taking the test to figure out where the problem is. Is she just too slow? Does she need specific skills/knowledge (the majority of questions on the SAT at least rely on a limited number of concepts)? etc. Some things would be easier to correct than others of course but as she is a good student otherwise I think it should be possible to boost her test results at least into the average range. Unfortunately, I don't know which colleges are better about ignoring test results than others but I see many posters had great ideas on this. I guess it depends somewhat on how set she is on specific schools and how important scholarships etc are. My point was largely that test taking is a skill that can be learned (to a degree) and not to be discouraged by this. Good luck - I hope she gets into the school she wants!

Not sure this is helpful but - I did really, really well in those kinds of testsand think at least part of it is practise/strategy. The first couple of times I tried them I didn't do very well at all! But working through a couple of books helped a lot. It sounds like she doesn't mind working hard so it might help to just get several of the practice tests/prep books and really work through them. Also maybe you could find a college student who did do well on those tests and have him/her spend some time with your daughter to go over strategy/techniques. I do agree that test scores are just a small part of the whole admission process which means she doesn't have to get great scores, average should be fine. Good luck!

That does sound neat. Not sure about the venus fly traps etc. My boys are easily grossed out. Hate spiders etc. and think mummies are icky... Now I on the other hand loved mummies and anything gruesome as a little girl - go figure. I will have to definitely check into that - sounds great.

We did the aquarium under the pier and really enjoyed it - definitely on our repeat list. Also went to the Natural History museum and the Tar Pits last time and it was great (though I am not sure we will go again this time). It seems we did hit many of the highlights on our previous trip (many of which we would love to repeat). I do appreciate all the ideas, but would especially love any less well known activities/destinations. I am thinking a great place for ice cream, a cool playground, interesting store, special summer events, etc. as these are often harder to find out about.

Have thought of this but kids are REALLY sensitive/ easily upset. We can barely watch any movies so I think it would be too much.

We went to one of the free concerts at the Getty last time and I thought it was great. Older son didn't like it that much (he says). Might have been though because it took us forever to get there. We didn't have a car and on a Sunday it took about two hours to get there with public transportation so we were running out of steam before we even got started. Hopefully, he will like it better this time.

Thanks - we visited the California Science Center (pre-Endeavour) and the Santa Monica Pier last time and definitely plan on going again. LACMA, the zoo and Autry are also on the list (it is pretty extensive) though I am not sure we will get to all of them. We have a great zoo where we live but there are quite a number of animals we don't have there (elephants, hippos, koalas) so would be fun. I have never visited the Wells Fargo even though I used to work right around there. I have been wondering about the Huntington - I visited once a long time ago and really liked it but wasn't sure whether it was child-friendly. Again thanks for the recommendations.

They are 9 and 12 (birthday while we are there). Kidspace was really nice last time though. We live overseas and while we can get most books through Amazon it gets more complicated for older / used books etc. I probably could get it but not in time for our trip as we are leaving in two weeks (last time I tried ordering something similar it took about six weeks). Too bad as it does look interesting. I pretty much have all the Southern California/Los Angeles guide books I could find.

Thanks! Yes, the County Fair is on our list. We visited KidsSpace last time - liked it a lot but think my boys might be a bit old for it now. Definitely planning on Queen Mary and Griffith Park. The recommended book looks interesting - not sure I will be able to get it in time though as we are leaving in two weeks. Any other ideas would be great!

We (I and two sons, 9 and turning 12) will spend most of August in Los Angeles. I used to live there for a while and we have visited before so I do know the city and the main "tourist attractions". Still, if anyone has some additional ideas / tips for less well known events/activities I would very much appreciate it!

I am an introvert and would probably have liked that proposal BUT honestly think it is too much pressure. I mean there is no way I would say 'no' and publicly humiliate the guy so I would have to say 'yes' no matter what. So, no, I don't really think it is a good idea. How can you know if that answer would have been the same in private?

Mine is called 'Inky'

Yes, Chicago is way up on the list (never been). We'd probably stay two to three days there before (or after) heading out to see some of the countryside. We all enjoy zoos and a museum or two would be great as well. Then we might add in one more city (I will have to read up on the ones suggested above as I really have no plan).

Thank you so much for all the ideas. As I really have no clue about the area I will have to read up on the various places mentioned. My thoughts so far: We would probably skip South Dakota/Kansas just because I have been there before (and we won't be able to cover everything). The Kelloggs plant tour would have been great but apparently has been discontinued. Definite possibilities are Des Moines (to visit family), Mackinaw Island, Grand Rapids/Muskegon, Harry Ford museum/Greenfield village. Not sure if Branson will fit in after all. Might do Wisconsin Dells instead. We also would definitely hit a couple of cities (Chicago and ?). I don't want to be on the go for four weeks in a row so we would probably alternate between moving around and staying in one place for 5 to 7 days. Maybe one location that is more rural (i.e. hiking, swimming, relaxing, exploring) and one that is more commercial (i.e. water parks, amusement parks, shows, miniature golf, etc.) If anyone has more recommendations (especially in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio) I would really appreciate it. We have been visiting a lot of major cities in the last couple of years and so have visited loads of Science Museums, Aquariums, Zoos, etc. Of course we would want to visit a couple of these as well but I am think we would mostly concentrate on fun, nature, and things like fruit picking, fairs, town events, etc. Would really like to see some pretty small towns and a more relaxed way of life (we are going to Disney World and other Florida attractions this year and went to Southern California last year).

Well, I am thinking a nice mix. Maybe 5 days to a week at a place like Mackinaw Island (will have to look the other places up that you mentioned), a couple days in Chicago, possibly ending in Branson? Never been to that area at all. In general, I want it to be fun and relaxing but there should be some cultural/educational stuff mixed in as well. This is VERY preliminary - however, if we went it would probably be in August/early September.

I am considering a possible vacation in the midwest (Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, etc.) next year with my two sons (then 12 and 9). It is really the only part of the US I have never been to at all (well, aside of Alaska and Hawaii). We would probably be travelling for a fair amount of time (three to four weeks) and would like a good mix of culture/city, nature, educational stuff, and of course fun! I am not really a fan of driving to a new place every day so ideally would like to spend at least part of the trip in one place. I would really appreciate some ideas as I have absolutely no idea about that part of the country and don't even know where to start!

Thanks so much for all the info. I will definitely look for that book - it sounds like it would be perfect for my purposes. We are actually planning an extended trip to Southern California and Hollywood is just a small part of it. Still, it seems that it would be more fun for the kids if they had more of an idea about movies in general. Also, I feel that I have neglected that part of their education somehow. So this isn't just for the trip but to give them at least a basic understanding of movies which I think is part of a well-rounded education (and fun as well). Actually, I have started a list of possible movies and it is coming along nicely. What I am still having trouble with is finding appropriate movies that are newer and feature more recent actors/actresses (e.g. Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt etc.). Would love to have some suggestions for this as well.

Thanks so much - this is already a great start. I guess what I am looking for are movies that will help the boys to enjoy visiting Hollywood. Obviously, it would be fairly boring to see the footprints/stars etc. if you have never heard of anyone. So I would say one objective is to hit a number of the best-know/loved movies but the other objective is to get familiar with many of the "Hollywood legends". Mostly I am thinking of past actors/actresses (eg. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, etc.) but it would be great to also get to know some of the stars of today. The major difficulty I see is that the boys are really not at all ready for anything scary/sad etc. - I think the Wizard of Oz is pushing it. So any additional ideas (either of movies or not to be missed actors/actesses) would be great.

Okay, I would really love some help with this! I am planning on taking the kids (9 and 7) to LA this summer and we will also visit Hollywood. However, I just realized that this won't be too exciting for the boys as they know absolutely nothing about movies. As far as I know, the only movies they have seen are animated Disney movies. So I was thinking it might be a good idea to watch some movies to make them familiar with famous movies/actors etc. before we go on our trip. Looking for suggestions of good movies to watch for the entire family. I am most interested in old classics but some newer movies might be good as well. What makes this a bit difficult is that both boys are VERY sensitive so anything "exciting" is out. Would really appreciate recommendations of movies to watch!