Category Archives: Travel

Family Travel Destination – San Antonio, Texas

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I recently visited the Embassy Suites Riverwalk-Downtown property in San Antonio, Texas.  While in San Antonio, I visited many of the city’s family friendly activities including the San Antonio River, The Alamo, the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, Market Square, Museo Alameda, and Witte Museum.

The first adventure our group embarked on was dinner catered by Rio Rio Cantina on a river barge combined with an amazing cruise tour down the San Antonio River.. which I learned is a real river.  Tomorrow we will visit The Alamo, Market Square, and Witte Museum to name a few.  It’s going to be a busy day!

Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown Hotel
Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown Hotel Accommodations and Amenities

About Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown:

The Embassy Suites Hotel is located on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. From the steps of the hotel you can stroll around the San Antonio River and sample some of the best shopping and dining in Texas. If you prefer, take a guided boat tour of the river.

Families can spend free time at the outdoor pool and spa or in the state-of-the-art fitness center. While enjoying the outdoor pool take time to relax on the spacious deck and treat yourself to a cool beverage from the poolside bar.

When it’s time to experience some first-class dining head to Luke, Chef John Besh’s signature restaurant located in the Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown. Chef Besh’s Luke is an authentic brasserie featuring old-world German and French cooking reminiscent of brasseries that once reigned in New Orleans. The view of the San Antonio River from the restaurant and bar will add to the experience and keep you coming back time and again.  Oh, and the two two 32″ flat screen televisions with cable and in-suite movies don’t hurt either! 🙂

125 E. Houston Street, San Antonio, Texas, United States 78205
1-210-226-9000

Three Family Fun Attractions in San Antonio:

Alamo IMAX Theatre Rivercenter
What child doesn’t love IMAX films?  Currently showing is Born to be Wild narrated by Morgan Freeman (love his voice!).  The giant IMAX screen, large film frames and incredible sound system create The IMAX Experience.
849 E Commerce, #285, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 247-4629 / Toll Free: (800) 354-4629

Dinosaur Quest
DINOSAUR-QUEST is an exhibition of Dinosaurs, displayed in brilliant lighting and sound, all complemented with high-end video animation.
849 E. Commerce St., Suite 759, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 229-8888

Ripley’s Believe It or Not & Louis Tussaud’s Wax Works
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! allows you to discover one-of-a-kind oddities, curiosities and illusions gathered from all over the world by the famed cartoonist Robert Ripley. There are over 500 exhibits – one of the largest in the world!
301 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 224-9299

I’ll be posting more about my trip to San Antonio soon!

Disclosure: All travel expenses and accomodations were paid for.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

SALONPAS Pain Relief Patch Review

Health, Travel, , ,
SALONPAS Pain Relief Patch
SALONPAS Pain Relief Patch

Ever since a car accident I had about 10 years ago, I’ve had back and neck issues.  My back and/or neck hurt substantially hurt 70% of the time.  I don’t want to take perscription pain meds so I rely on my trusty heating pad and my massage chair every day.  I was recently introduced to SALONPAS by Stacie from TheDivineMissMommy.com and it really has changed how I do things.   I used to dread long road trips because it was a sure thing that my neck and back would be hurting after about an hour in the car.  Now, I just put a SALONPAS pain relieving patch on my neck or back and wahlah, it helps so much!

I ‘m getting ready to attend a nice relaxing 😉 Salonpas Twitter party hosted by @theprplace, @StacieinAtlanta, @lisasample, @crissy along with @mrsalonpas. I’m going to learn how to soothe the aches and pains that are sure to follow our Spring Break family vacation with Salonpas. You can join the party & be entered to win prizes here: http://productreviewplace.ning.com/profiles/blogs/salonpas-twitter-party-monday

You can learn more about SALONPAS on their website here.

SALONPAS Twitter

SALONPAS Facebook

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

My 2006 Nissan Quest Lease is Almost Up.. What Should I Do?

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I drive a 2006 Nissan Quest minivan sportsvan and love it.  The lease is just about up on it though am I’m struggling with trying to figure out what to do or get.  Not once in my life have I been so completely satisified with a car so much so that I wasn’t anxious to trade it in after a few years.  However, my Nissan Quest not only satisfies me but I am proud of it too.  Unlike with other cars I’ve driven in the past, I don’t mind piling a few of the kid’s friends and parents in the car for a day out because I like my Quest and I’m proud of it.  Oh, and I just had some vinyl lettering installed on the rear window on the Quest for my website, AtlantaMoms.com, so I’d had to do that all over again if I got a new car.. but that’s not a big deal.

2006 Nissan Quest
My 2006 Nissan Quest Collage

I use my car to the max. The kids and I are always on-the-go between school, after school activities, local events, my job (AtlantaMoms.com) has us going to events around Atlanta a lot, camping trips, and I’ve been driving it to blog/social media conferences often lately which my great friends Desiree Miller from StressFreeBaby.com and Stacie Connerty from TheDivineMissMommy.com and would love to continue to do so.  I’m afraid if I keep putting miles on this Quest, it’s going to go give out on me or the maintenance expenses will sky rocket.  So, is that a good reason to get a new car?

Again, I love my Nissan Quest.. I’m not anxious to get a new car. I just want to make the smartest decision when my lease is up.. very soon.  The Quest has take us to Orlando many times, Kentucky to see family many times, on many many road trips, and to and from every day activities for almost 5 years.

Here’s what I love about my 2006 Nissan Quest:

  • The size.  It seats 7 people easily.
  • The cargo area in the back is great.
  • The DVD movie and sound system is great.
  • The heated seats. I love these.. even on hot summer days I use the heated seats to help with my back issue.
  • The running boards.  I am short (so are the kids!) and I love having running board to step onto so I don’t fall on my face when I get out of the car.
  • Automatic doors.  I love that the kids can push a button to get out and that I can close the door from the front control panel when my daughter’s teacher gets her out of the car in the morning.
  • Safety.  The Nissan Quest crash test results were very good.
  • The leather seats.  They are so easy to clean.
  • The adjustable pedals.  Because I’m short, I tend to have a difficult time reaching the gas pedals on some cars.  The Nissan Quest has adjustable pedals so I just move them all the way up so I can reach them easily.
  • It hasn’t had any major mechanical issues.
  • Wireless headphones.  The kids can listen to a movie while I listen to music up front.
  • Front and rear air conditioning.
  • Rear View Monitor

Here’s what I don’t love about my Nissan Quest:

  • I think the front seats could be much more comfortable.
    I drive long distances regularly for family road trips and blogger trips and have back and neck issues, so being comfortable while driving long distances is extremely important to me and is the MAIN reason I would consider getting a different minivan.
  • It needs about $800 worth of regular maintenance done on it within the next few weeks.
    I maintain my Quest very well and this is a regular maintenance and new tires, etc.. but I’m thinking maybe that $800 can be spent on a new lease or buy instead of on maintenance on a vehicle I might not have in a few months when my lease is up.
  • Not that this is something I don’t love about my current Nissan Quest, but I am always on top of the newest technology and it sort of pains me to know that there is a newer version of my car out there that has better technology implemented in it than mine.

What I would love in my next car:

  • All of the things listed in my “What I love..” section above PLUS
  • Built in GPS
  • Moonroof
  • Blind spot warning system
  • Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System
  • Woodgrain
  • USB input

Here though, are a few questions I’ve been asking myself over and over for the last few weeks:

If I trade it in for a new Quest:

  • How much will I be charged for being over milage?
  • How much will I be charged for the broken cup holder?

If I keep and buy my Quest:

  • When I finish buying the Quest, in three years, will I still want it and will it still be in good enough condition to drive for another few years so I can be without a car payment for a few years at least?

Go New..Buy or Lease?

  • If I decide to trade the current Quest in for a new car, should I buy or lease?
  • What are the proc and cons of leasing?

Go New All Together

  • Should I embrace change and buy or lease an entirely different vehicle?  I need a minivan and have test driven the Honda Odyssey and didn’t have any qualms with it but am not sure if I want to switch from Nissan to Honda.

The funny thing is, I haven’t actually seen or driven the new Nissan Quest yet.  I’ve seen plenty of photographs online and inquired about it at my local dealership where I leased my Quest, but the salesperson at the dealership wasn’t very nice or informative which turned me off to shopping with them.

What I’m asking for from you..

Is your help with this process!  What would you do? Are there other questions I should be asking myself?  Am I using my super power of over-thinking things too much here?  I need to have one of Oprah’s Ah-Ha! moments here.. I’m desperate!

Your advice and thoughts are greatly appreciated!  What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Image source: The photograph of the Nissan Quest above, is from Edmunds.com. Can you believe I couldn’t find a single full body shot of my van?

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

American Academy of Pediatrics Advises Parents to Leave Children in Rear Facing Care Seat Until They are Two Years Old

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AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2
AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2

New advice released March 21st, 2011 from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will change the way many parents buckle up their children for a drive.

In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.

“Parents often look forward to transitioning from one stage to the next, but these transitions should generally be delayed until they’re necessary, when the child fully outgrows the limits for his or her current stage,” said Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP, lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report.

“A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” Dr. Durbin said. “For larger children, a forward-facing seat with a harness is safer than a booster, and a belt-positioning booster seat provides better protection than a seat belt alone until the seat belt fits correctly.”

While the rate of deaths in motor vehicle crashes in children under age 16 has decreased substantially – dropping 45 percent between 1997 and 2009 – it is still the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and older. Counting children and teens up to age 21, there are more than 5,000 deaths each year. Fatalities are just the tip of the iceberg; for every fatality, roughly 18 children are hospitalized and more than 400 are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment.

New research has found children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing.

“The ‘age 2’ recommendation is not a deadline, but rather a guideline to help parents decide when to make the transition,” Dr. Durbin said. “Smaller children will benefit from remaining rear-facing longer, while other children may reach the maximum height or weight before 2 years of age.”

Children should transition from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness, until they reach the maximum weight or height for that seat. Then a booster will make sure the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fit properly. The shoulder belt should lie across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not near the neck or face. The lap belt should fit low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the belly. Most children will need a booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.

Children should ride in the rear of a vehicle until they are 13 years old.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration permits children under age 2 to ride on an adult’s lap on an airplane, they are best protected by riding in an age- and size-appropriate restraint.

“Children should ride properly restrained on every trip in every type of transportation, on the road or in the air,” Dr. Durbin said.

A car seat guide for parents is available at www.healthychildren.org/carseatguide

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.  Read the full press release here.

Your thoughts..

What do you think about this new advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics?  Will you keep your baby in the rear facing position until he/she is two years old?  Why?  Why not?

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

The ‘P&G Have You Tried This Yet?’ event in Miami – Such fun!

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P&G - Have You Tried This Yet? Miami event

Stacie from The Divine Miss Mommy, Desiree from Bottles To Britches, flew to Miami yesterday to experience P&G’s temporary ‘pop-up’ store here where shoppers can try and experience dozens of P&G products.  In a continued effort to make consumers aware fo their innovative product offeringsProcter & Gamble Company is once again undertaking the Have You Tried This Yet? campaign, a multi-faceted program designed to showcase high-performing products with benefits that help consumers (and busy moms!) meet everyday needs.

Moms.. be on the lookout because this coming Sunday, February 27, P&G will distribute a brandSAVER, a complimentary coupon booklet that features more than$131 in savings on the campaign’s featured innovative products, in local newspapers throughout the country.  I love brandSaver coupon booklets.. they are the first one I browse through and the one that I clip the most coupons from, and actually use!

Do you live in Miami?

From February 18 – 27, a free, interactive Have You Tried This Yet? Pop-Up experience will be open to the public in Miami.  Located at 843 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida, the Pop-Up will be open Sunday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and will offer free demonstrations and product samples from brands such as Pantene®, Oral-B®, Gillette®, Downy®, Swiffer®,COVERGIRL®, and Puffs®, allowing consumers to experience first-hand the innovations each product offers.

For the four days that we’re here in Miami, we are staying at the the beautiful beachfront The Raleigh Hotel and let me tell you.. despite the fact that our room is not very large and we don’t have an ocean view, I think my blood pressure is significantly lower than it was before arriving in Miami.   Between the plush greenery and the beautiful warm pool, the atmosphere is gorgeous and provides a much needed break for busy moms.  Everywhere you turn in The Raleigh, there is a place to sit and relax and just breathe.. which doesn’t happen at my house.

P&G Have Your Tried This Yet event in Miami

What we did at the P&G event last night

The P&G Pop-up experience we attended last night in Miami offered free, interactive product experiences including a skin test by Olay and makeup and hair sessions.  I was lucky enough to have Marsha Chilko, National Product Training Manager at Procter&Gamble, do my make up.  How excited was I?  Very!  After applying my makeup, Marsha spent a few minutes with me to give me some much needed make up application tips tailored just for busy moms including:

  • Every mom needs two make up application brushes.  A medium thick brush for applying powder, blush, and even eye shadow and a thin brush for applying lip stick and/or eye shadow/liner.
  • You can use one CoverGirl pallet for all areas of your face.  Yes, ALL areas, even your lips!  Marsha used one pallet of four colors on my face.   She used what would normally be eyeshadow as a blush on my cheeks, and two other colors from the pallet on and around my eyes.  Sounds weird doesn’t it?  Just take a look at the photo of me below (with Marsha) and you’ll see that I don’t look as strange as it sounds.
    Marsha said that you can even use one color in the pallet as a lip color and just apply a gloss or light lotion over the shadow.  That way your colors are all tied in together and there’s no need to worry if your colors match.  Great idea!

Darned if I didn’t get to try the Charmin Ultra Soft while we were there.. I’ll save that for when we get home.  But I did get a demonstration of the newest Swiffer WetJet and I learned just how damaged (or not damaged in my case.. surprisingly enough!) my skin is from the girls at the Olay ‘experience’.  I am having such a great time here in Miami, thanks to P&G and Stacie and will post more about our trip here soon!

Is there anything I need to check out while I’m here in Miami?  I’ve never been before so I don’t know where to begin exploring.  I think I’ll just walk down the street and see where I end up.. or maybe that’s a bad idea? 🙂

Disclosure: My trip was paid for by Proctor & Gamble.  Thoughts expressed in this post are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor