Showing posts with label family travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family travel. Show all posts
September 15, 2009
Mother Daughter Vacation
I'm really exited to be taking a Mexican Riviera cruise with my daughter. It's going to be a great time for us to bond and all that sort of thing. I'm just wondering if I might go crazy... because she's 2. As much as I love her, I'm a little nervous that, for 8 days, my only interactions are going to be with a little person who's mental capacity is slightly greater than a cave woman. Now, I'm not trying to be derogatory. She's very smart for 2 and extremely capable. Just this morning she left for daycare wearing a tutu and a T-shirt a bow in her hair with her purse, complete with makeup compact, and jewelry. So, maybe we will have lot's of things to bond over. Still, it's not like we will be debating the finer points of Obama's healthcare plan and I'm just wondering what will happen to my brain after eight solid days being a 2-year-old!
August 27, 2009
Beach Fest
This weekend we went to the Port Hueneme Beach Festival in Ventura. It was a lot of fun - and not just because it was free! Ava ate her first shave ice and Audrey had a great time hanging out in the grass. The festival happens every year, and is perfect for families.
July 24, 2009
Never Too Young
After a recent trip to Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., I returned to the office gushing about how much fun I had. It wasn’t my first time there, or even my second. In fact, I am up there so frequently that I think my coworkers were surprised I was so excited about my trip. What was all the fuss about? Mammoth Mountain’s Adventure Center, which offers a bevy of activities such as mountain biking, scenic gondola rides, ziplining and a climbing wall. 
We had gone up to visit the Adventure Center with our two small children, so even though we could have taken turns mountain biking and watching the kids, my husband and I had planned to just hike around Devil’s Postpile National Monument, where visitors can take short hikes to the monument, swim in the river and hike up to Rainbow Falls. We also thought we would ride the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain and check out the Interpretive Center — and that was about it.
When we got to the Adventure Center, however, Ava, my 2-year-old, ran straight to the zipline, where there was a line of older kids – all at least over 4 – waiting their turns. She carefully watched as the kids zipped down from a 20-foot platform, and I knew she wanted to climb up there and go herself, and I wondered how to explain to a 2 year old that she was too young without enduring a tantrum. So I just started to lead her away. She cried. She stomped her feet and then a woman came over and told us that Ava wasn’t too little, and I was shocked. I guess I should have asked first, but, bad parent that I am, I just assumed.
So, we got her a harness that surprisingly fit and a helmet that was WAY too big and off she went. And with the utmost determination and more patience than I have ever seen her display, she negotiated the step ladder all the way to the top of the platform, waited her turn and then zoom….off she went!
Afterward, she headed straight for the climbing wall and 10 minutes later, she was hanging 25 feet in the air, at the very top, smiling for a picture.
http://www.mammothmountain.com/
We had gone up to visit the Adventure Center with our two small children, so even though we could have taken turns mountain biking and watching the kids, my husband and I had planned to just hike around Devil’s Postpile National Monument, where visitors can take short hikes to the monument, swim in the river and hike up to Rainbow Falls. We also thought we would ride the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain and check out the Interpretive Center — and that was about it.
When we got to the Adventure Center, however, Ava, my 2-year-old, ran straight to the zipline, where there was a line of older kids – all at least over 4 – waiting their turns. She carefully watched as the kids zipped down from a 20-foot platform, and I knew she wanted to climb up there and go herself, and I wondered how to explain to a 2 year old that she was too young without enduring a tantrum. So I just started to lead her away. She cried. She stomped her feet and then a woman came over and told us that Ava wasn’t too little, and I was shocked. I guess I should have asked first, but, bad parent that I am, I just assumed.
So, we got her a harness that surprisingly fit and a helmet that was WAY too big and off she went. And with the utmost determination and more patience than I have ever seen her display, she negotiated the step ladder all the way to the top of the platform, waited her turn and then zoom….off she went!
Afterward, she headed straight for the climbing wall and 10 minutes later, she was hanging 25 feet in the air, at the very top, smiling for a picture.
http://www.mammothmountain.com/
June 19, 2009
Five Fun Trips With the Family
From TravelAgeWest.com:
It’s funny, but I can’t remember a time in my life when travel wasn’t a big part of it. Ever since I was a kid, I feel like I have been packing a bag to go one place or another — be it on a business trip or for vacation or backpacking through Europe. However, 2008 was a significant year in travel for me — it was the first year that I would travel with my daughter. She, like me, will hopefully never remember a time in her life when her bags weren’t packed, ready to head off for some fun or exotic destination. So, here are some of my favorite adventures from 2008 – with and without the family.
Read the full article at TravelAgeWest.com
June 18, 2009
What Happens in Vegas
Lessons learned on Vegas trip number two - it's not always the kids you have to watch out for, and sometimes two-year-olds can be embarassing.
While watching out for my two daughters, I managed to misplace my phone, forget my camera in the hotel room and lose my favorite sweater. Not to mention the fact that I was running around with baby spit up on my dress. I'm thinking no one noticed, either that or my friends are really mean. I guess I'm the one who needed looking out for on this trip.
And in the vast wisdom of the universe, I did finally learn my lesson that everything you say your young children will repeat. While we were innocently trying to teach our daughter, Ava, that every fart isn't a poop (We were a little sick of changing "poopy" diapers), we now know she got the message, a fact we learned when she proudly announced to an entire wedding party - at the top of her lungs just before they marched down the aisle - that she farted...and farted and farted. "Me fart, me fart....ME FART!" is still ringing in my ears - and probably everyone elses. Thank god our friends love us!!
Next up: A weekend of rest!!
While watching out for my two daughters, I managed to misplace my phone, forget my camera in the hotel room and lose my favorite sweater. Not to mention the fact that I was running around with baby spit up on my dress. I'm thinking no one noticed, either that or my friends are really mean. I guess I'm the one who needed looking out for on this trip.
And in the vast wisdom of the universe, I did finally learn my lesson that everything you say your young children will repeat. While we were innocently trying to teach our daughter, Ava, that every fart isn't a poop (We were a little sick of changing "poopy" diapers), we now know she got the message, a fact we learned when she proudly announced to an entire wedding party - at the top of her lungs just before they marched down the aisle - that she farted...and farted and farted. "Me fart, me fart....ME FART!" is still ringing in my ears - and probably everyone elses. Thank god our friends love us!!
Next up: A weekend of rest!!
July 2, 2008
Mexico for the Whole Family
My daughter got to experience her first fam trip at 10 months old when we were invited, as a family, to experience Club Med Ixtapa Pacific. It wouldn’t be her first flight, or her first time out of the country, but the seven-day trip was going to be the longest period of time we’d be away from home together. And, since we were staying at the resort, we figured that we would have to bring everything, or take a very expensive cab ride to town and try to figure out what “Enfamil” formula was in Spanish. So, when we packed our belongings, it looked like the luggage aisle at Wal-Mart.
In my infinite wisdom (or lack there of), the night before we left, I read all of the amenities that Club Med had to offer families, and as it turned out, they provided just about everything we would need. Their Baby Welcome, which is free for parents, includes changing pads, a crib, a highchair, a bottle warmer and even a stroller. Babies have their own buffet in the main buffet restaurant, where they have a selection of baby food jars as well as formula, milk and yogurt. There’s also 24-hour access to a room with bottle-warmers, microwaves and more baby food. Our room had a refrigerator and bottled water was replenished daily.
So, needless to say, Club Med’s Baby Welcome puts a whole new spin on all-inclusive – and saved my husband a lot of extra baggage…in more ways than one.
In my infinite wisdom (or lack there of), the night before we left, I read all of the amenities that Club Med had to offer families, and as it turned out, they provided just about everything we would need. Their Baby Welcome, which is free for parents, includes changing pads, a crib, a highchair, a bottle warmer and even a stroller. Babies have their own buffet in the main buffet restaurant, where they have a selection of baby food jars as well as formula, milk and yogurt. There’s also 24-hour access to a room with bottle-warmers, microwaves and more baby food. Our room had a refrigerator and bottled water was replenished daily.
So, needless to say, Club Med’s Baby Welcome puts a whole new spin on all-inclusive – and saved my husband a lot of extra baggage…in more ways than one.
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