Family Friendly Vacation in NYC

May 24, 2012 by 3 Comments

We are so excited for our upcoming stay at the Benjamin Hotel in New York City. My son and his best friend can’t wait to visit the Central Park Zoo, and they are really intrigued by the cereal buffet. All the cereal they can eat, brought to their room waiting for them when they wake up? That sounds pretty good to everyone. No one wants cranky, hungry kids. That’s a stroke of genius. No need to even leave the room- hooray! As the grown-ups, we are happy to wait, and get a great breakfast from Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s restaurant. Right? So worth the wait. We can’t wait to tell you all about it- stay tuned for the details of our adventure, and read on if you would like to book your own trip 🙂

LION & TIGERS & CEREAL (OH MY!)
FAMILY-FRIENDLY ESCAPE AT THE BENJAMIN WILL HAVE KIDS ROARING FOR MORE
Features Tickets to Central Park Zoo, Night-Before Delivery of Cereal for Kids Who Wake Hungry as a Bear, Frisbee for Park Fun, Winks’ Kidzzz Club & More
New York, NY – May 4, 2012 – Lions & Tigers & Cereal (oh my!), the newly unveiled family-friendly getaway at The Benjamin, a boutique NYC hotel located in the heart of midtown, will have kids roaring with laughter and parents relieved that everything is taken care of. From a daylong outing to the zoo, to a cereal buffet delivered to the room the night before, it’s all covered. The one-night adventure, available through September 30, is priced seasonally starting from $374 this summer and includes:

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Lodging Options of Antigua, Guatemala – What’s Your Style?

May 24, 2012 by 4 Comments

Antigua, Guatemala is a tiny city with tons of surprises. You can find a whole other world just by walking through a small, colorful – ancient – door. Its hotels are the perfect example of that.

You can go through a door and find yourself in one of the most luxurious, colonial style hotels you have ever seen, or you can find a tiny boutique hotel run by its owners.

This is how diverse your lodging options can be:

1. Earth Lodge: This lodge is located on a hill about twenty minutes away from Antigua that offers rustic cabins and camping equipment to rent. This is an amazing place to spend a couple of nights and is probably the only safe camping with the kids you can find in this area.

campsite3

2. Hotel Casa Santo Domingo: This hotel is worlds apart from earth lodge, it is located right on the main entrance to Antigua and it is known for being one of the best, most luxurious hotels in town.

This five star hotel is right where an old monastery used to be, part of the restaurant [Read more…]

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Savings and Deals!

May 24, 2012 by 3 Comments

If you are expecting a baby, or know someone who is, you might want to check out these deals! You can Save big this Memorial Day at the 3 stores below!!
The deal is this for each store: Buy One Get One Free on all Sale Items (Excludes plus sizes & sale bras). Valid 5.24-5.28.
Carolina Pad has 50% OFF Select Items! They have a lot of office and school products! The notepad above is on sale for only $2!! That is pretty [Read more…]
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Guerilla Gardening: The Urban Farmer’s Guide to Saving Grocery Money

May 23, 2012 by 4 Comments
Guest Post by Thomas Doane
Last year, changes in the economy hit my family pretty hard. My hours were cut at work, and I found myself unable to afford necessities like food and toiletries. In desperation, I turned to gardening and couponing, and I haven’t looked back. By investing time each week cultivating my vegetable plants and some smart shopping at the grocery store, I’m able to save my family thousands of dollars every year.
Planting and Growing an Urban Garden
Getting creative in the garden has helped me save money each week. My family loves fresh produce like tomatoes and salads, and I enjoy working outside. With more free time after my hours got cut, I turned to gardening as a way to cut our food expenses and cultivate a hobby.
We don’t have much space in our urban yard, but I was able to grow tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil bushes last year. This year, I plan to add lettuce, peppers and chives. Primarily, I used a small space in my apartment’s courtyard. I don’t have personal outdoor space, but my landlord agreed to allow me to plant in the communal space. Greenhouse plants can be expensive, so I purchased only the larger plants like tomato bushes that would have taken too long to grow from seed. I purchased affordable organic seed packets to grow herbs. With regular watering and attention, the plants flourished and provided us with tasty produce all season.
You don’t need a huge back yard in order to grow a prolific garden. My neighbors started a roof top garden, and friends across town grow herbs in their home. Both of these options help families save money and grow fresh produce in limited space.
Clipping and Using Coupons

I started my couponing venture with the Sunday newspaper. Every week, coupon fliers offer savings [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, food

Wordless Wednesday- Disney Days!

May 22, 2012 by 3 Comments
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@ThermosBrand and @HaveSippy are having a Twitter Party Thursday

May 22, 2012 by 5 Comments
@ThermosBrand and @HaveSippy (that’s me!) will host a Twitter Party this Thursday, May 24 from 3pm – 4pm (CST). The chat will focus on summer on-the-go fun with your little ones – watch for the hashtag #FoogoFun.
The chat will start with introductions [Read more…]
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Family Travel: Five great things to do in Cincinnati

May 22, 2012 by 7 Comments

When you think of Cincinnati, what comes to mind? Baseball, for sure (love those Reds).
King’s Island. And Skyline Chili! But there’s so much more to Cincinnati, especially for
families. I’ve been delving into a new book, called Adventures Around Cincinnati: A Parent’s
Guide to Unique and Memorable Places to Explore with Your Kids. Written by Laura Hoevener
and Terri Weeks, it’s extraordinary, and full of great ideas for exploring Cincinnati and its
environs.

The book is split into three sections. The first section, Creating Memories with your Family, is an excellent read for ANY traveling family. It’s a manifesto for creating adventures (and memories) for your family while you travel. Both inspiring and instructive, this should be read by anyone with kids in their lives (whether you’re headed to Ohio or not). The second section, Attraction Listings, is PACKED with detailed information on a plethora of attractions (both free and with a fee) in central Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky, greater Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, Lexington, Louisville, and Indianapolis. This is the meat of the book and it shows in the honest, informative listings.

The third part, Planning Help, lists sample itineraries and an attraction table (showing which categories each attraction is in – VERY helpful if you have a kid into art, or fossils, or planes). Laura and Terri KNOW what they are talking about – their kids have experienced this all (lucky kids!). This book also teaches you that there is MUCH more in your own backyard than you can imagine. So the five great things to do in Cincinnati? Drawing from the many activities in this book, here are my favorites for family travel:

1. Cincinnati Art Museum. First, because they have an Artworld JUST FOR KIDS. Secondly,
because in their family guide (get one at the front desk) is a SCAVENGER HUNT! Yes. Some
parts of the Art Museum are hands-on, and there are many programs for children.
2. Cincinnati Fire Museum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, travel

How to Save Money on an International Summer Vacation

May 22, 2012 by 6 Comments

Seventeen percent of US consumers plan to take an international vacation this summer, according to
a recent survey from the Royal Bank of Canada, and if you’re one of them, you’ll need to know more
than simply how to adjust to a strange culture (though that’s important as well). More
specifically, traveling abroad is expensive, and there are some surefire ways to make things easier on
your bank account.

1. Save on Currency Conversion

You’ll need a way to turn US Dollars into the currency used in your vacation destination, and card
networks (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express) automatically provide some of the
lowest currency conversion rates. According to Card Hub’s currency conversion study, consumers who
use Visa and MasterCard cards to make purchases abroad save 15% compared to those who trade in
cash at an airport kiosk and save 8% relative to those who do so at a local bank prior to departure.

To score such dramatic savings, you’ll need a no foreign transaction fee credit card on either the Visa or MasterCard network.
After all, more than 90% of credit cards assess surcharges of 2-3% for transactions processed outside of
the United States (which means foreign fees could come into play even before you leave), and Visa and
MasterCard are the most widely accepted networks internationally.

You won’t be able to use a credit card for every purchase made abroad, however. The cheapest and
most convenient method of procuring cash while abroad is to bring a debit [Read more…]

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