Mama Knows Best

Residence Inn Blog Tour

When it comes to planning a family vacation, I often time find myself more than a little stressed. The part where you physically travel to your destination is not what stresses me out most, but the actual accommodations once you get to where you are going. Hotels/motels always sound nice when you read the brochures or peruse their websites online, but sometimes they fall short of your expectations.

When traveling with my children, I look for amenities that make travel much easier. Recently, the Residence Inn by Marriott underwent renovations that no longer cater to the needs of only business men and women, but also towards families. Their suites come equipped with a full kitchen (microwave, stove/cook top), table and chairs to sit down and eat, a couch that opens into a bed and free internet access. Some of the rooms even offer bedrooms behind closed doors– which moms, I think we can all agree, is a luxury!

Another luxury that comes with staying at the Residence Inn is that you can save money. With their suites offering a full kitchen, there is no need to eat out for every meal while on vacation. You can grab a few groceries and cook up a meal in the kitchen because their kitchens also includes plates, bowls and the basic utensils needed. Plus, they have a FREE Hot Daily Breakfast!

I am in the midst of helping plan a small, fun-filled getaway for a group of friends and myself. We have booked a suite at the Residence Inn by Marriott for a week full of fun. Having a small budget to work with, we’ll cook up our own meals and spend the rest of the weekend relaxing!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Residence Inn by Marriott and received a chance to win a weekend stay at a Residence Inn to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »

Docta, docta, give me the news.

When Jeff was toying around with the idea of becoming an over the road truck driver, all I could think about were all of the Sam Bernstein ads on television and the lawsuit settlements. I would get so nervous about being sued by someone because of an accident or whatnot. Let’s face it– we’re a very sue happy nation these days and people will sue you over the damnedest things. One of the companies he trained with offered business cards to a Texas Truck accident lawyer. Seriously? You have so much confidence that one of your drivers is going to wreck that you go ahead and set them up with an attorney first? But… I know longer have to worry about such things and can go about my day a little less stressed out.

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Movin’ on down.

Every time I turn around, it seems as though someone I know is moving to Florida or somewhere down south. Maybe that is an over statement, but honestly, I have heard it more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. If I could hack the heat, I may be joining them in their Fort Lauderdale job search, but the sun and I are just not friends.

When I called down to my grandparents this evening, who live in Florida during the winter, I was informed that two of their friends just purchased foreclosed homes down that direction.  Is the economy that much better down there or are these people just getting one heck of a bargain when shopping?  I have considered the snow bird life style, but then again.. I would only last down there for maybe two months max. When Ethan was 4 months old, we flew down to Florida to visit my grandparents and I could barely last the week we were there.  I can home with the most awful case of sun poisoning and a blistery sun burn.

So for now, I think I will just suck it up in Michigan until something better comes along– if it ever does.

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I’m so obsessed.

Almost three years ago, the phone rang and my mother was on the other line telling me about a truck she saw that would be perfect for me and my family.  She knew how badly we had always wanted a truck and so, without hesitation we piled into the vehicle and met her at the bank.  You see, due to unfortunate circumstances, a truck had become available to us through my mother’s bank.  It was a 2004 Ford F-150 Triton XLT, with a little over 20,000 miles on it.  The gentleman who owned the truck had purchased it for use on his farm, but developed cancer and wound up only using the truck for the first six months of ownership– where it sat afterward, until his death in 2007.

After purchasing the truck, I fell instantly in love.  It is my pride and joy.  I have wanted a truck for so long and now that I have one, I find myself babying it a little more than I typical would a vehicle. Right now, as I type this, Ford has my truck in their shop, putting my new custom slipcovers on the seats. A purchase I never really wanted to have to make, but the interior is trashed from rain drops, sippy cups and children. How is it that my house can be immaculate, but my vehicle looks like trash? I have never understood that one.

When they drop the truck off later today, I need to run some errands.  Between the babes, school, pjmommy.com, gishers.org and littletykecentral.com– I feel like a chicken running around with it’s head cut off.  I have absolutely no time anymore to just sit back and enjoy myself.  I am hoping for a little reprieve once Amanda gets settled in and her computer back up and running, though I am not holding my breath.

Posted in Tackle It Tuesday, Travel | 1 Comment »

On the road again..

Why is it that every single time I say that I am going to spend a nice quiet weekend at home, I wind up making plans for us to go out of town? Tomorrow I will be loading up the munchkins, bright and early in the morning and traveling North to spend time with my sister and her family. I am looking forward to spending time with the family, but also dreading waking up so stinking early and riding in the car for nearly two hours. My niece, nephews and my babes will be doing a little Easter egg hunt in the spirit of Easter… Should make for some interesting photographs!

Speaking of traveling, I am secretly dying inside this evening. My sister’s husband got his 2nd speeding ticket in the past three weeks and is now having to find new auto insurance. Apparently the company they go through frowns upon two back to back tickets? How I am glad to not be in their shoes and having to get auto insurance quotes. I remember how expensive it was when I got my license and all of my tickets– so many, in fact, that I lost my license for a short period of time (another story for another day). No one wanted to take me on once my driving privileges were restored and it took almost four years before I found affordable insurance again. Le sigh. Insurance companies- health or automobile- have us by the balls, do they not?

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Family Vacations

For all of you mother’s and father’s out there; I have a question. When did you start taking your children on family vacations? We have been talking about starting to take the kids on family vacation, but have been struggling with ideas as to where to take them. Our budget is not tight, but we are trying to limit our spending. Disney is on our list of places to visit and we will be doing that this coming December (as many of you already know). We started looking into Outer Banks rentals for places ocean side. I thought Ethan and Addison would enjoy being on the ocean, as it is an entirely new experience for them.

Posted in Travel | 3 Comments »

Jingle Bells

In late December 2010, I will be packing up the kids and heading down to Orlando to visit my grandparents and Disney. I have yet to tell Ethan any of this exciting news, as I have learned that sometimes, things just do not work out the way you plan. I am currently tossing around the idea of an Orlando timeshare or staying at Animal Kingdom (any suggestions). Both children are very much into animals and according to my parents who have stayed there several times, it offers a fabulous view of wildlife. I really wanted to take the kids during this past winter, but with everything going on in the family, it just seemed like a bad time for traveling.

Posted in Travel | 2 Comments »