Travel Tips

There is one activity I love to do on a regular basis and that is travel. I find airports exhilarating with the smells of coffee and people rushing here and there in anticipation of the next destination. I love exploring new places and seeing the vast landscapes of this country as well as those across the globe. Unfortunately travel comes at a price, and I often have to get a little creative to make my dreams a reality. There are still many limitations to my desires to travel, especially overseas, but I have found many ways to get away at least once or twice a year.

I have listened to many people talk about how they would love to get away, but the most common complaint is of course money. I have also found that with all of the resources available with the invention of the worldwide web there is still a lack of information among the general public in regards to obtaining good travel deals. On this note I decided to write a blog with some tips that I use to make travel more affordable for our family.

Tip #1 Don’t Be Scared of Priceline

I remember many years ago when priceline first came out. I love William Shatner so the commercials really stuck out to me. I’m not sure if people think this is too good to be true or if they are just worried about bidding on a hotel with little information. Let me tell you if you can be a little flexible with your wants and needs you can score big on this one. Chris and I have a policy never to pay more than $50-$60 for a hotel room. We have stayed at Hyatt’s, Marriott’s, Holiday Inn’s, etc. We usually always bid on the highest star rating available for the area, but if all you desire is a bed and a shower to rest between sightseeing than you can usually get a two star for as little as $30/night. For more tips on how to place a good bid check out this site www.betterbidding.com. This also can work really well for rental cars. We usually can get a standard car for about $20/day, but we have scored as low as $13/day. On this particular occasion we were actually upgraded to an SVU upon arrival.

Tip #2 Skip the High Life and Eat With the Locals

I love a good meal as much as the next guy, but when you are on a budget sometimes the gourmet restaurant mentioned in your Airline travel magazine just isn’t going to cut it. I have found that there are some great bargains and food to be had eating where the locals go. If you are downtown or close to a tourist area try to drive or catch a ride to a nearby neighborhood. Often you will find a hidden treasure tucked away in a strip mall. If you are in a big city with specific cultural areas check out a local pub or eatery. It can be a great way to get the true vibe of an area. It’s also possible to find some great specials. Chris actually experienced this while in Chicago in Greek town. He found a pub offering $1 cheeseburgers and some cheap drafts. It sure beats a $20 hotel burger.

Tip #3 Coupons are not just for Your Momma Anymore

It may sound silly, but when we go out of town I immediately start browsing for local food and attractions that have coupons or deals going on. Recently before we went to California I joined several restaurant clubs to receive e-mail deals. Of course most of these places are not even located in Texas, but just for joining I received a lot of buy one get one free deals and free desserts. Restaurants.com is also a helpful resource. You can pick the area you will be staying and buy gift certificates that are $10-$50 for about $3.00 a piece. You may have to order a minimum amount of food, but we usually still save quite a bit.

Tip #4 Save Cash and Leave the Credit Cards at Home

This one is near and dear to our hearts since we became avid Dave Ramsey followers. A lot of people think that a vacation is out of reach if they even tried to save for it. I have found that people do what they want to do. If you want something bad enough you can save for almost anything. I have found pulling small amounts of cash out every pay day and making a vacation envelope can have you on the way to your dream destination in no time. Just think how easily you can spend $50 a week just going out for lunch every day. Skip the lunch and brown bag it. Just $50 a week over the course of a year will $2400 towards a nice little vacation. Once you have your cash leave the credit cards at home. It is easy to become tempted by silly diversions. What may seem like a good idea at the time will translate to probably hundreds maybe thousands of dollars of interest over the years. Just think about it before you by the dashboard hula girl. You’re here for the memories which are easily captured by camera, not a tacky trinket.

Tip #5 When Booking Air Travel Refer to Tip #1

I hate to admit it, but I am a little spoiled in this. With my dad working for an airline I pay for some taxes and fees, but not nearly what a full price ticket can be. This does not mean you cannot still have an affordable experience. I have heard of many people getting excellent deals through Priceline by naming their own price. Chris also signs up to receive American’s net saver fares. He has seen some excellent deals come through this.

Tip #6 Be Flexible

I believe this is first and foremost for anyone desiring to travel on a budget. I tend to be fairly low maintenance on a lot of things so this comes a little easier for me. If you really want to get out there and see the world you need to be willing to adapt. You will find that if you can relax a little on the specifics and do your homework you can experience a wonderful vacation for a deeply discounted price.

A Day As a Stay At Home Mom

I t was my first time alone with just me and the kids. I know that probably sounds weird to the modern family of the twenty first century. Call us crazy but Chris and I just like to be together. Of course we argue and get on each other’s nerves at times, but there is something comforting about having each other around. What can I say, we love each other. We eat every dinner together as a family and spend most of our weeknights at home watching movies, playing the Wii, or talking. Chris has never had to travel with his job so it took me a bit by surprise when he was asked to travel to Chicago for a trade show. I really thought it would be no big deal a few days away and time will go by quickly. I didn’t think much of it and when Sunday came we said our goodbyes and dropped him off at the airport. I made plans for the next two days to keep the kids busy and give ourselves a little routine.

I was holding up well until we came home from swimming that afternoon. The kids were well behaved, but even when they are it is still a little work when you are used to having such a great helper around. I know I am spoiled and I have so much respect for women who have husbands who travel or are in the military and especially for any single mom. My hat is off to you! Something about coming home and the kids napping and a great quiet settles over everything. Suddenly it hits me that it’s just a little too lonely without my best friend around. Of course right about that time I get a phone call and that always makes things a little better.

Finally I get to what I really wanted to blog about. That is my day as a stay at home mom. It was bittersweet because of course I missed my sweetheart, but it was also glorious in so many ways. Of course all of you stay at home moms know there is no such things as sleeping in even when you don’t have an office waiting for you at 8am. Around seven I hear a voice next to me saying,” mommy, mommy, its morning, and I had a good nap.” Kaylie makes no distinction between sleeping through the night and taking a nap so she always just tells me she had a good nap. I ask her to please give me just a few more minutes, but then five minutes later I here Micah drumming on his crib waiting for me to come greet him. At this point I’m up. There’s just too much day to waste sleeping. I actually get to make breakfast since we are not in a rush to get out the door, and we enjoyed a gourmet breakfast of biscuits and bacon while watching my personal favorite, Sesame Street. After packing bags and quick baths we head out on our first adventure, story time at the library. My mom usually takes the kids on Thursday, but we decided to catch the Monday edition. It cute and quirky and Kaylie loves it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much she participates. She used to be a little shy, but she really gets involved now. Micah spent most of story time trying to wriggle out of my arms so he could crawl around the room. Story time just isn’t as appealing to him yet. Afterwards we had to scrap our plans for the park as the rain started to fall. We opted instead for the mall’s indoor playground. What a zoo that place is! Micah really enjoyed it despite the chaos and my constant worrying that he would be trampled. He took his first few steps on Friday so this was his big chance to display his skills to the world.

As the rain fell intermittently through the morning I decided that we should head home for a short nap. I was successful at getting the boy to sleep, but Kaylie tends to talk nonstop in an attempt to fight sleep. At last the house was quiet and a soft rain started to beat on the windows. I cannot describe how wonderful it was to take that nap as I listened to the rain fall. How often I sit at work watching the rain just wishing I could be at home in bed. It really was all it is cracked up to be. It wasn’t a long nap, but just enough to recharge for the afternoon. I loaded up the kids and picked my parents up at the airport so we could meet Melody at The Incredible Pizza Company. It was good to spend some time with them, and a great help with the kids. That place is nuts and I could not imagine going by myself with the kids. I cannot believe how loud it was even on a Monday afternoon.

I left with two happy kids and realized it was already past four, the time I would normally be coming home from work. Why must the day go by so quickly when we are having fun?

We settled in at home and I began to prepare for the following day. I wanted everything in order since I alone would be responsible for packing bags and getting them off to grandmas. It was rough knowing it would be back to the old routine. It is no easy task managing children and a home. I will never be one to say that moms who stay home have it easier than those of us who work. I will say that the time I have had to play a stay at home mom with my children is still by far more rewarding than any other job I have ever done.

Nothing

There is nothing more beautiful than the selfless, unconditional love of another. I am so lucky to have this abiding with me on a daily basis. Sometimes I am ungrateful and lose sight of all I have, but real love just keep loving. It is for this I am a woman of great wealth.

Well It's That Time Again

Time for me to be catching another darn cold. Seriously, it is getting to the point where if I even hear that someone's brother's best friend's grandmother has a cold I can be sure I will be getting one in a week or two. Of course it had to come on as my joy and anticipation was growing for the weekend. For now I am going to try and not get too down. I will relegate myself to bed in a few minutes. I usually don't go the zinc route, but I am going to this time around. If it can shorten my cold by even a day I will be a happy girl. Anyone else out there have any sure fire cold remedies? I'd love to hear about them. I've never been one to be a conspiracy theorist, but I really start to wonder if finding a cure for the common cold will ever happen because they make so much money off all symptom relieving medications. I'll be the first to admit when I have a soar throat, runny nose, and stuffy head I will gladly fill a basket with decongestants,nasal spray, tissues,and nyquil no matter what the cost. Now that is what I call taking advantage of people while they are down.

Oh well enough whining. I really need to let these bleary eyes get some shut eye. Maybe i won't be too much of a bear in the morning!

Who's in charge?

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are stopped dead in your tracks by an intervention from the God of the universe? Well I had one such moment today. I have been in constant self inflicted agony over our home situation.

I’ll start from the beginning. This month our refinance fell through. It was partly our decision as we were not willing to shell out more money to apply with Bank of America to consider subordinating our second loan to a new loan. We realized that with no guarantee of approval we would be out more money that this was worth. Even if it was approved, we would save approximately $150 a month while adding an additional $10,000 to what we currently owe. There was always the option of going directly through Bank of America, but that would consist of more fees and that is money that could be going directly towards debt. This brought us back to the selling option. We realize home sales are down, but we have come to the conclusion we would rather break even and start fresh. This has brought a whole new list or worries for an anxious person like me. I spoke with a potential realtor yesterday and suddenly the panic set in. Suddenly I wonder if I can keep the house immaculate enough for showings. I fret over whether or not we will make enough to break even. I worry about finding a new place to live. What if the kids can’t handle the move? What if I can’t handle the move? Should we get an apartment or a house? The idea of strangers probing every nook and cranny of my home makes a bit uneasy. So here I am worrying about everything under the sun, and there is not even a “for sale” sign in the yard yet.

As I was pondering all of these thoughts once again for probably the millionth time I hear a soft yet unmistakably familiar voice. “Do you trust me?” Of course God of course I trust you. What kind of question is that…ok ok maybe I do have some trust issues. It is in that quiet moment when the work world is buzzing around me that I take a deep breath. It is so much easier to fall back into the ever present, unwavering arms of God. I often wonder why I carry such burdens when there is a porch swing out back with a loving heavenly Father waiting to reason with me and let me know that in the end He is in charge and it will be ok.

Why Do They Grow Up so Fast?

With Micah's first birthday rapidly approaching I can't help but feel excitement and sadness. I love my kid's birthdays. Maybe more than they do. It is a blessing to my life to celebrate their the unique contribution they made to the human race the day they made their grand entrance into this world. While some may dread planning parties, noisy kids, and a messy clean up, I embrace it!

All of this nostalgia over upcoming birthdays has me looking at some photos of how the kids have changed. Having Micah has made me remember some of the little things I forgot Kaylie did when she was going through these same stages. There are many similarities in how children develop, but I love how they each do it with their own flair. Here are some pictures of my kids through the years as they have moved, humored, frustrated, and delighted me.

I wanted to post some newborn pictures of Kaylie, but I realized they were not stored on this computer. That will have to be for another time. This picture was taken on vacation when Kaylie was about four months old. She surprised us that night by breaking into uncontrollable laughter. Every parent remembers when their child laughs a real genuine laugh for the first time. It is wonderful.

Here she is at about seven month. Her uncle had just come home from France, and they spent the afternoon goofing around.



This was Kaylie's first birthday. It was a Dora party of course! Chris stayed up late the night before decorating, and she was so thrilled when she woke up the next morning and came downstairs.
On to her second party. which ended up being Dora as well. Dora was like a family member for a few years. There is still nothing comparable to those piercing blue eyes.
Kaylie at her third birthday party. We finally broke the streak and had a princess party at Chuck E. Cheese. She enjoyed it so much and I got a pass on cleaning since I just had Micah two weeks prior. Micah on his first day. He was so sweet and cuddly. I'll never forget the nurse laying him on my chest right after delivery. Those chocolate brown eyes would melt any heart.


I think this was a couple weeks after his birth. He was still getting used to the flashing cameras.
Micah's first trip to the fair. As you can see he wasn't totally impressed. I'm sure that will change this year.
I believe this was taken around Christmas time. Still working on the camera poses.
Micah on his first vacation.

Seven months old and working the camera with a smile.
And here is my boy today, already taking the first steps to full on walking.
Wow they grow up fast, but it's such a fun ride!

Little Experiement

Since we've established from previous posts that I'm a cynic I've decided to embark on a little experiment for the next few days. Anytime words that are less than positive come to my mind, I am going to try with everything within me to change them to something more positive before they tumble out in word form. I must be honest. I am sure I will not be perfect, but I am trying to really see things as God sees them. I know this does not involve glossing over truth but I also want to try and set my mind on things above as the Bible states.

With God so far above our feeble mind and residing outside of time it is a wonderment to me what it is that keeps Him so in love with this human race. I may never completely fathom this great love, but I want to try my hardest to see as He sees so I can love as He loves. I admit my great weakness in this area. May He make me strong.

I will try to journal some of my experiences privately and share what seems relevant here. For now I leave you with this

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.