Give it to the Aussies to know about the sun, and let them come up with a wonderfully simple solution to a shade tent for your family beach trips.  Called Sombrilla, this tent is easy to set up, easy to get under, and easy to carry.  Order Sombrilla ($150) directly from the makers, Hollie and Harrie, and US delivery is just $30 flat rate from Australia.

So simple, it’s one of those things that leaves you wondering “why didn’t I think of that!”  via Holamama.

Last year, we finally experienced the Fourth of July fireworks show at the Rose Bowl, after living in Southern California for over 30 years.  This show lives up to it’s billing – it’s certainly the biggest and longest show (25 minutes long) we’ve seen in a while.  Friends of ours gave us these tips to help navigate the crowds and traffic that comes with going to Rose Bowl events, which we hope will help your family enjoy the day.

1. Get there around between 3 and 4 o’clock, so you’ll beat the later crowd and avoid the traffic back-up into the parking lot.
2. Bring a picnic, chairs, and blankets, and set up your tailgate party right there on the golf course.  No need to pay the admission ticket price to sit inside the Rose Bowl.
3. Pack up your car before the fireworks show and be first wave of people leaving the area.  You’ll beat the traffic and your kids appreciate getting home sooner after a long day out.

So if your family is thinking of going out the the Rose Bowl for the July 4th fireworks show, then follow these tips and you’ll have a really great all-American holiday.  Have a happy Fourth, wherever you celebrate.

Click here for more information about Amerifest 2011 – 4th of July Celebration at the Rose Bowl.

image via Magnetic Lobster

Beyond the iPads and other must-have gadgets, maybe giving the gift of travel tops it all for our older children.  And whether for your own teenagers, or a niece or nephew, I love the idea of giving the gift of travel to a high school or college student.  Here’s six valuable learning experiences one writer remembers from his early travels as a teenager.

As parents struggle to find just the right gift for their children this holiday season, let me make a suggestion: I’d give the gift of independence.

In this age of “helicopter parenting” — our unceasing hovering over our children — it’s not always easy to instill in them the joy of independence and its corollary, self-reliance. Do we really want them to leave us behind and embark on some other journey, separate from our care?

Yes.

Read “The Gift of Travel: Priceless” via The Los Angeles Times.

Illustration: LA Times

In a few weeks, we’ll be in Hawaii for a family reunion.  One family, three generations, five kids from ages 3 to 20, a tropical location, and four plus years since we’ve all been together – we’re excited to say the least!  While lots of photos will be taken, last week, we decided it would be great to hire a photographer to capture everyone together away from home.

After asking friends and researching through many family photographer websites, I thought I’d share my favorite choices so far.  Each photographer has their own style, and it’ll be hard to choose from this wide range of work.  This week, we’ll be contacting them to see who we “click” with.

• Carrie Hasson – there’s a dreamy quality to Carrie’s work that I’m drawn to.
• Natalie Norton – not your typical on-the-beach location shoots
• Jayson Tanega – Jayson’s work is professional and slick – I think you’ll like it or it’s not for you.
• Frank Amodo – primarily a wedding photographer but the look of his family photo shoots are gorgeous.
• Lisa Hoang – vibrant and colorful work (be careful – don’t click on the “Remember” link n her site – there’s a virus there)
• Lisa Warninger – a talent from the mainland who shoots in Oahu once a year while based out of Portland

If you have any recommendations for other family photographers working on Oahu, we’d love to hear about them too.

image: Frank Amodo

These Contigo travel mugs are guaranteed to be spill-proof.  Find out if they pass the mother test over at Car & Caboodle.

Just opened an email from Laura of Baroque Babies, one of two American moms living in Germany who blog about their lives, cool Euro products, and lots of traveling.  I’m amused by their writing and love the fresh perspective of life away from the States.

The wooden Vespa screams ‘I belong somewhere on the Amalfi Coast with my hair whipping through the breeze.’ The color is dreamy and the idea of a child’s play toy that is not electric (and not a Bobby Car) is highly appealing.

[via Time] The oft-married Zsa Zsa Gabor once said that you never really know a man until you’ve divorced him. I disagree. A far more pleasant (and less litigious) way to figure out whether or not you and your beliked are compatible is to hit the road.

Together, I mean.

Whether it’s a five-star holiday in Kuala Lumpur or a backpacking trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains, traveling à deux is the quickest way to get to know somebody. There’s no room for pretense after she’s heard you screech over a sand snake, and politesse quickly falls to the wayside after one of you gets hit with Montezuma’s revenge on a romantic getaway. Traveling together can be a dealbreaker or a dealmaker.

Read the whole story here.

Do you have a travel story that convinced you to marry your husband or wife?

[via Time] The oft-married Zsa Zsa Gabor once said that you never really know a man until you’ve divorced him. I disagree. A far more pleasant (and less litigious) way to figure out whether or not you and your beliked are compatible is to hit the road.

Together, I mean.

Whether it’s a five-star holiday in Kuala Lumpur or a backpacking trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains, traveling à deux is the quickest way to get to know somebody. There’s no room for pretense after she’s heard you screech over a sand snake, and politesse quickly falls to the wayside after one of you gets hit with Montezuma’s revenge on a romantic getaway. Traveling together can be a dealbreaker or a dealmaker.

Read the whole story here.

Do you have a travel story that convinced you to marry your husband or wife?

Is there any better place than the "happiest place on earth" to spend your birthday?  Disney thinks not.  Register online to get free admission to Disneyland or California Disney on your birthday.  Really.  Register your kids too – those under 13 must have an adult register for them.  Offer is good only for 2009.

Is there any better place than the "happiest place on earth" to spend your birthday?  Disney thinks not.  Register online to get free admission to Disneyland or California Disney on your birthday.  Really.  Register your kids too – those under 13 must have an adult register for them.  Offer is good only for 2009.