Age 5 and beyond: The hippocampus and frontoparietal regions of the brain undergo critical development. This allows five-year-olds to accurately link the what, where, and when of their experiences into enduring, long-term autobiographical memories.

Where do you go when you realize your five year old is capable of making long term memories but also have a one year old to entertain. Take them to the Mall of America.

Day 1

We kicked off the vacation with a visit to Mcdonald’s. This was not mom and dad’s first choice, but McD’s caught Briar’s attention with their Kpop Demon Hunter’s meal. It was a Huntrix box with nuggets, trading cards, and fries that you can turn into ramen fries if you add the seasoning included. I tried it and it was pretty good. Both girls shared this meal because it was huge. Rob and I drank the pop that came with it and we ate what was left of the nuggets and fries once the girls were full.

We drove right to the mall once we arrived to Bloomington, Minnesota. Hotel check in was not until late afternoon so we had some hours to burn arriving at 11:00am. The Mall of America is more than just a mall. There is an amusement park, an aquarium and so much more. To get the fun started the least expensive option for our family was to buy Briar a 3-Pack Attraction Bundle. This is a wristband you purchase in the mall or online. Each bundle comes with unlimited rides at Nickelodeon Universe Amusement Park. The 3-pack allowed us to pick two other attraction from tiers A and B. We chose the Amazing Mirror Maze and the Museum Of Illusions. Kids five and under are actually free for the Amazing Mirror Maze and Museum Of Illusions, but by bundling it with rides we were able to make the ticket cheaper. Rob or I were able to use the tickets on her wristband. Therefore, only having to pay full price for one adult at both attractions.

We did have to purchase a ticket (points) for the carousel later on for Raya (one year old) which she loved! You can buy points to ride just a few rides, a few times, if you are not interested in all of them. I picture a teenager or adult doing this, as there are a few rides that looked pretty intense, but a lot more kid friendly rides! Something amazing that Nickelodeon Universe does is if a child requires an adult to ride with them the adult rides at no cost. Briar wanted Rob on all the rides with her. Thankfully Rob didn’t have to have a wrist band to do so. Raya was free for the Adventure Bay Playground within the amusement park so she spent time there while Briar rode the rides.

*Something to know is they do a combined ride schedule so there are certain rides that are only opened for 50 mins. They close and the worker leaves to open the partnered ride for 50 mins. Alternating them all day long. Schedules are provided by the rides so you know when it will open next.

The Amazing Mirror Maze was fun! It was not too difficult. You can go through several times so we went through, I believe, 4 times!

Museum Of Illusions was ok. I think our girls were too young to really appreciate it. For the price, Rob and I were not that impressed (we had to buy one full price adult ticket and it was $25.00)

Of course when at the Mall of America you have to check out The Lego Store right next to Nickelodeon Universe. You will find it right away. They have huge figurines built out of legos that go multiple stories high. There is a play area to build with legos. You can make three characters of your own to take home for $9.99. Briar had not built legos before so she enjoyed putting together three characters. Of course she made them look the Huntix stars from Kpop Demon Hunters. She did well with what they had. The cashier could tell what she was trying for.

We only had one meal at the Mall the first day. We went to Rainforest Cafe. It was pretty cool! It is covered in foliage and pretend animals. The food was good. They would have the animals come to life as we ate and some thunderstorms playout.

We left for the hotel after dinner. We picked a hotel really close to the mall, Wyndham Bloomington-Mall of America. If it was not cold out we could have walked. We chose the hotel because of the little water park they had inside. Funny enough, we looked for a “fun” pool and when we did go swimming the girls just wanted to splash around in the deep end. I guess they did not need all the water attractions. That being said, if we were to do the Mall of America again, Rob and I agreed we would just stay at a hotel attached to the mall (Radisson Blu Mall of America or JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America). Especially if you have a kid that still naps and/or it is a colder season.

Day 2

The downfall of having early risers is that the mall does not open until 10:00am. Our girls were awake by 6:30am. Our hotel had take and go breakfast and a coffee shop that mimicked Starbucks. We hung out there for awhile and then went to Target to load up on snacks. We ended up still arriving to the mall before 10:00am. We saw that the doors were unlocked, watching people walk in and out. Turns out the mall doors open early but the stores do not open until 10:00am. There is a mall walking route open to the public if you arrive early. We did not mall walk but instead got in line to purchase our next bundle. This day we purchased the bundle that combined Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium and the Crayola Experience, both inside the mall (this bundle does not include rides). Raya was free for both. You do not have to visit both in one day, so we chose to just do the aquarium for day two.

After the aquarium we had lunch. Like most malls there is a food court, so everyone was able to appease their taste buds. We decided Briar and Raya could pick something out at one of the stores after we ate. So many stores with window displays pulling Briar in. Briar found an item at Five Below. It is not a new store for us. We actually have one close to home. If you have not been to one they are pretty fun for kids. A great place to find some stocking stuffers! We didn’t find anything that day for Raya but stay tuned.

One of Briar and Raya’s favorite places at Nickelodeon Universe was Paw Patrol Adventure Bay Play Place. Bonus for us was that Raya got into that play area for free. We purchased a ticket for Briar and the girls played there until they closed it for cleaning.

The day was coming to an end after all that activity, it was time for dinner. We picked the Sugar Factory Express. Sugar Factory is known for its instagram-worthy moments and celebrity visits. It is all glammed up with chandeliers and flowers. They have unique drinks and very decorated desserts too. I wouldn’t say the food was amazing but the dessert was a fun way to end day two.

Day 3

Day three was a Sunday so the stores in the mall opened an hour later than the previous days. However, Barnes and Nobles opened up early so we hung out there for awhile. Coffee for mom and dad, toys and books for the girls. Briar did talk us into a purchase. It was actually pretty cool; a very “Briar Item”. If you have a kpop fan who likes to journal this would be a great purchase!

Day three’s plan was the Crayola Experience. I did not know what to expect. Rob did most of the research and he felt the girls would really enjoy it. From the moment we stepped in we had a blast! I highly recommend it!! Briar enjoyed every minute and we spent hours there. Raya had a great time exploring too. They made crayons and colored. They created puzzles and sculptures. There was a playground and theater. They melted crayons into spin art and shapes. We were there for hours. We took a break to eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe again (Briar’s request) and then went back in for more coloring and play time.

After we finished at the Crayola Experience we walked around the mall in search of a Christmas ornament. Rob and I started collecting ornaments while on vacation when we first married. We did a lot of traveling back then. We have continued the tradition since. While looking for gift shops, Raya saw the carousel again and really wanted to get on it, so we purchased more points so each girl could get a ride in.

Rob and I were worn out by the end of day three, meanwhile, Briar was trying to add three more days onto the trip. We left the mall early that night and ate the leftovers we had in the hotel fridge for dinner. The girls then swam the night away.

Day 4

Top of Briar’s list for day four was more rides. We decided to purchase another bundle for Briar but just do a 2-Pack Attraction Bundle. This includes the rides and one item off of a tier. We picked mini golf. There are two mini golf courses in the mall. We chose Moose Mountain Adventure Golf. Briar and Raya were both free to golf so we used the ticket on Briar’s wristband for Rob. I did not golf knowing I would need to help Raya. Golf was fun for a little while but we got stuck behind a very large group and the girls started to lose patience. We ended the course early and noticed several other families behind the group did too.

While Briar rode more rides, Raya and I set out to find something fun for her. We still needed an item for Raya to take home. Of course I snagged us some treats too. The things you have to get if you are in a mall… Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Orange Julius. Those snacks held us over while we watched Briar finish up some rides. Then is was time to drive home.

There was so much we did not do at the mall. I think we could have spent another full day there if we really wanted to do it all. However, our energy was running low with going all day long and eating junk food. Not to mention sharing beds with little ones for three nights. Check out the attractions page to see all the choices you can choose off the tiers.

Day 1 & 5: Travel Days

You will want these Leggings!!

The Quarter Zip is great quality but does run a little large so I would not size up and if you want more of a fitted look then size down.

I chose to wear these boots because I did not want to wear my snow boots on the plane and I did want a little dressier shoe just in case we went out to eat. These boots are waterproof which was favorable for this time of year in Reno, Nevada and Oakhurst, California.

Outright Bar Cookies and Cream = best meal replacement bar ever!!

You can take empty tumblers through security at the airport as long as they are empty. You can then fill them up once you get through the TSA check in.

These phone attachments because you can loop them around your finger and use your hands accordingly without dropping your phone. They also have kickstands to watch movies on the airplane in case the plane has not been upgraded with the new phone stands on the back of the seat yet.

These are the older wireless earphones that I have, but I still really like them. The earbuds magnet together so you can wear them like a necklace around the airport. It is also nice that you can use the same charger as your iPhone to charge these while you sit at your gate.

Do plane rides make you feel sick? Me too! I take Dramamine and then I just listen to Audiobooks instead of physically reading so I do not aggravate the motion sickness.

Day 2: Skiing at Palisades TAhoe

After skiing we traveled to an Airbnb in Oakhurst, California and stayed there until we flew back home. This made the drives to Yosemite National Park and Mariposa much shorter. The Airbnb included a pool table, hot tub, wood burner and a fully stocked kitchen; We used all of these perks!

What I packed in my suitcase is above, but what I actually wore is seen in our photo. Our luggage was lost between connection flights so my sister had to dress me with what she had available until our suitcase arrived that night.

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Day 3: Hiking The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Trail

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Day 4: Yosemite National Park

Some pieces I brought but did not wear because hiking ended up being an all day Snow/Rain Day and we did not go out to eat. Instead my sister put on a pot roast and it cooked while we hiked. We came home to food ready! RECIPE HERE

Yosemite Falls

El Capitan (This is what Alex climbs in the documentary “Free Solo” on Disney+ with no ropes or anything to catch him if he lost grip of the mountain)

Artist Point Trail

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