Category Archives: Travel

We’re launching a Travel Edition soon – be a contributor!

Travel, , , , ,

I’m well aware that parents are desperate to travel whenever possible.
Summer vacation, 3-day weekends, holidays.  You name, let’s leave the house and go somewhere fun!
We have to get away from the dirty laundry and dishes sometime right?

I also know that finding a family friendly hotel, lodge, or resort to stay at can be difficult without recommendations which is why I’m partnering with a few bloggers to provide our readers with real, honest, and detailed reviews of hotels, resorts, lodges, and other family friendly travel accommodations.

Sign up for our newsletter, Twitter and Facebook updates to be the first to know when we launch our new Travel Edition of The Mommy Insider.

If you are a blogger or a parent who loves to travel and would like to have your family friendly travel destination review(s) featured on our Travel Edition let me know at alicia@themommyinsider.com.

The End of Lapchild? What are your thoughts on the Lapchild?

News, Travel, ,

Budget Travel Magazine recently reported on The National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation that all passengers, including children under the age of two, have their own seats on planes. This means infants would no longer be allowed to sit in their parents laps, and they would no longer fly for free.
Here is an excerpt from the story:

The NTSB released its official recommendation to FAA earlier this week, listing numerous occasions when airplane passenger injuries and fatalities could have been minimized by the use of restraint devices (i.e. seatbelts). Oddly enough, many of the examples listed involve passengers over the age of 2, who would not qualify as lapchildren.

What do you think?

  • For the safety of everyone, should the lapchild be banned?  Yes or no?
  • Should parents be required to buy seats for infants and toddlers, and secure them either in car seats (which often don’t fit in a cramped plane), or in an over-the-shoulder CARES restraint device (which are designed for kids weighing 22 to 44 pounds)?
  • Should the airlines be forced to make some provisions for the safety of kids, perhaps even by offering special seatbelts for tiny travelers?

View more on this story here on Budget Travel Magazine.

My thoughts on the Lapchild

I prefer to have Madelyn in a car seat when flying.  I feel like she’s safer being strapped in via a 5-point harness than on my lap.  I’m not confident that I would be able to hold on to Madelyn and keep her from flying out of my arms, hitting her head, or falling, in the case that we hit severe turbulence.. or worse.  I’d rather save up and pay for an extra airplane ticket/seat than take the risk of Madelyn not being as safe as I think she could be during a flight.

Thank you to Lisa from Budget Travel Magazine for the heads up on this story.

When a downgrade to you is an upgrade to your husband

New posts, Transportation, Travel,

My husband traded in his nicely equipped Volvo s60 a couple of weeks ago and got a Ford Mustang.
Huh, you said?  He went from a Volvo to a Ford Mustang?  Yeah.. I said that too but I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks that just because I think the trade from the Volvo to a Ford Mustang was a huge downgrade, he feels very strongly that it wasn’t a downgrade at all, rather the best thing that’s happened to him since the kids were born.

Here are some ‘behind the scenes’ snippets of conversation between Tim and I over the last couple of weeks, since he’s had the Mustang:

Me: Ugh! I can’t see out of the wind sheild (I’m 5″1′)
Tim: I’ll get you a cushion to sit on

Me: There’s not a sunroof? (the Volvo had a sunroof)
Tim: No (short and sweet)

Me: There’s no wood grain (the Volvo had beautiful woodgrain accents)
Tim: No.. but look at these air conditioning controls!

Me: Do the kids have air conditioning vents back there.. it’s 101 degrees!
Tim: No, but the windows go down.

Me: Do you know this car only gets about 16 MPG in the city?
Tim: Do you hear the sound of that engine?

Me: The drivers seat doesn’t have memory settings
Tim: Check out the ambient lighting down there by the door jam.. isn’t that cool?  You can even change the color!

Me: Where do you put your iPhone (there’s not much storage space in the ‘cockpit’ area)
Tim: It doesn’t  matter.. it’s all hands-free
Me: Oh!  Really?  Huh.  (the little voice in my head says “that’s awesome!  I want hands-free talking in my Nissan Quest!”)

Me – when we get home: Why isn’t Madelyn out of the car yet?
Sebastian: Uh Mom.. you need to move the seat up so she can get out.
Me: Oops.. sorry Madelyn

Ok, so there are a few really cool things about the Ford Mustang that I think I’d like to have in my next vehicle including:

  • Hands free phone and ipod control
  • Built in GPS
  • Built in Satellite radio
  • Comfortable seats.
    The seats are more comfortable than in my Nissan Quest which quite frankly are the most uncomfortable seats ever in my opinion.  My Quest is a 2006 though so hopefully the newer Nissan Quests have more comfortable seating in them.

The first time I got in the car and looking around, I was surprised that my husband now owns such a small, no bells & whistles car.  He went from a Volvo with a wood grain accented interior to a plain interior, lost the sunroof, lost the memory seats, lost the rear air conditioning, and lost TWO DOORS!  All of that to me, equates to a downgrade.  However, to my husband, the v6 engine and the fact that it’s a Ford Mustang make up for the lack of the bells and whistles and I’m happy he’s happy with the car.

Your thoughts..

Do you like your spouse’s car?  What’s your next dream car?  I personally am dabbling at the thought of a newer Nissan Quest, a 2011 Honda Odyssey, or a Mercedes M-Class (funny, huh?) when I’m over my Nissan Quest. 😉

P.S. Click here to follow me on Twitter to get more ‘behind the scenes’ snippets, reviews, coupons, and giveaways.

Things aren’t always what they seem – ask questions and do research!

New posts, Travel, ,

My 10 and 4 year old and I and my mother took off from Atlanta Sunday for a 4 day stay at a state park lodge in Kentucky through this Thursday. My son loves hiking, I love water, and my daughter loves everything so we’re all happy to be here.
Unfortunately, I’ve learned that ‘lodge’ doesn’t always mean the accommodations will be beautiful, plush, fancy, or clean. I am not a big complainer, as you know if you are a regular reader. But I’m having a really hard time keeping my mouth shut about some of the stuff I’ve seen and experienced here.. I can’t however bring myself to complain to the staff. I’m a non-confrontational person. That’s why I’m not going to say where exactly we are.. I’m not trying to bash the place but I’m pretty frustrated.

The main lodge

First, the good stuff about the lodge:

  • My 10 year old loves the hiking trails. My mother and aunt have taken him hiking both mornings so far. They went 3 miles the first day and 6 miles today where they saw waterfalls, streams, a turtle, and a crawfish.
  • The cottage bedrooms are a good size and have two double beds each.
  • The pool is nice, with a walk in entrance.. great for the little kids.
My aunt, son, and mom going out for a hike

Here are my gripes:

  • The septic tank just behind our cottage is overflowing/leaking.. there is toilet paper on the ground. Here is a photo – don’t click if you’re easily grossed out.
  • While the pool has been my favorite amenity at the lodge, the kids were a little bummed that the ‘mushroom waterfall’ in the pool doesn’t work.
  • The lobby in the lodge, where I’m working now and is the only place to sit besides the dining room, doesn’t have anything for kids to play with.
  • The couches and chairs in the cottage are made of a terrible material, some kind of vinyl or something, and are not comfortable at all. It’s like sitting on hard plastic.
  • The kitchen is tiny.. the refrigerator door hits the chairs when open.
  • While there is Internet access in the lobby of the lodge, the cottages and cabins do not have internet access at all.
  • The game room looks like the inside of an institution (all gray and white.. no color) and has a ping pong table, a foosball table, and a chess, and checkers table.. all very flimsy and cheap and you have to pay to get a ping pong ball, golf club and golf balls, and bow and arrow, at the front desk in the lobby.
  • We had to ask for more dishes and they were delivered in a black garbage bag just like the clean towels are delivered every day.
  • The swings and playground equipment do not look clean.. most of the equipment is moldy. Sad for the kids. 🙁
  • There isn’t a DVD player in the room. We’ve been too busy to need the TV on, but it would be nice to know that we could pop a fun movie in for the kids if needed.
  • There are no laundry facilities which is very strange for a place where people hike (get sweaty) and swim.
  • No garbage disposal

This experience has taught me that it is very important to ask a lot of questions and do a lot of online research before making reservations anywhere. The website for this lodge shows beautiful cottages, pool, miniature golf, archery, and the inside of the lodge look beautiful when in fact they are not extremely impressive.

This lodge has tons of potential if they would just spend a little time checking things (like leaking septic tanks) and cleaning (playground equipment).

Here are a couple of photographs of the kids having fun at the lodge.

The kids at the lodge pool
Madelyn playing with survey tape.. who knew survey tape could be so fun?

Motorola MJ270R Two-Way Radio review and free designer faceplate offer

Gadgets, New posts, Safety, Travel,

Two-way radios have been around for years but up until a few years ago I didn’t feel the need to own a two-way radio.  HOWEVER now, I can imagine not having two pairs of two-way radios.  I know what you’re thinking.. don’t you all have cell phones?   Yes, my husband and I have iPhones and my son (spoiled) has a Palm.  Oh, and my 4 year old has a very cute Barbie cell phone that she uses often.  But, I don’t want to use our phone minutes just to tell my son that it’s time to come inside for dinner or to call him home from a nearby friend’s house.  That’s when our Motorola two-way radios come in handy.

My dad bought my family our first pair of Motorola two-way radios about 5 years ago and now we take those and our new Motorola MJ270R two-way radios with us on camping trips, hikes, and most vacations.  We have two two-way radio charger stations in our front hallway.. that tells you how often we use them.   Motorola’s  MJ270R two-way radios are great to take to places like Disney World, Busch Gardens, the Zoo, and Great Wolf Lodge, where older kids are likely to want to go to a different area than the younger kids.

Motorola’s MJ270R two-way radios are the perfect emergency preparedness communication tool for outdoor enthusiasts and active families and include features like an emergency alert button, 11 weather channels with an alert feature and a built in flashlight.
Want to keep in touch with changing weather conditions during your family camping adventure? There’s no need to stop the fun.  Weather alerts will provide you with warnings of incoming storms or dangerous conditions. And, by tuning in to one of 7 NOAA channels (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on your MJ270, you will always know what to pack with continuous local and regional weather broadcasting. When you are hiking up a steep mountain trail, you really need to keep your hands free to brace the rocky terrain.  With iVOX acting like a speakerphone and allowing hands-free communication, you can keep on moving without stopping to answer a call.

For just about $50 you are giving yourself the opportunity to save money on your cell phone bill, be prepared in the case of an emergency, and have quick access to your child’s whereabouts whether they’re in the backyard or at a nearby friends house.

Buy your family a pair of Motorola TalkAbout MJ270R 27-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios here.

Take a look at Motorola’s full line of Two-Way Radios here on Motorola’s website.

Bonus.. get free designer faceplates for your two-way radios!

Purchase a pair of Motorola MR350, MR355R, MR356R and MJ270R Talkabout 2-way radios from a participating retailer by December 31, 2010 then go to www.talkaboutpromo.com and follow the instructions on the website. You will be asked to fill out the promo code provided on the pack to receive your choice of free designer faceplates (includes two faceplates).