Winning Wednesday: Diaper Bag from AllModernBaby.com

Congrats go out to lucky commenter #38, Aisling, who wrote: “I’d love to win this to give to my niece who’s working hard to get everything their new baby needs and is relying a lot on gifts and hand-me-downs.”

I am thrilled that it sounds like the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Edition Diaper Bag in Navy Blossom will go to someone who can truly use it.

Aisling, I’ll email you to get your snail mail address.

Again, we select all of our giveaway winners via the random number generator random.org. If you didn’t win this time, keep an eye on TravelingMamas.com — we love to give stuff away, and we’ll likely hold another giveaway soon!

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July 1, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar | 1 Comment 

Diaper Bag Giveaway from AllModernBaby.com

All of the Traveling Mamas are past the diapering stage (hallelujah!), but we know how important it is to have a good diaper bag for traveling, or simply running errands with babies in tow.

diaperbagWe’ve partnered with the folks at AllModernBaby.com to give to a lucky reader one of the site’s best-selling items: the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Edition Diaper Bag in Navy Blossom. While I’ve not seen this item in person, reviews on the site suggest that the medium-sized shoulder bag has great pockets with magnetic closures — and that the color is closer to black than navy.

All Modern Baby is a contemporary children’s furniture site that carries leading manufacturers such as Stokke, DwellStudio, and Bugaboo. It sells not only items for the home, but also travel-related gear, too, like strollers and baby carriers. Many of the products are hip and high end (strollers for $1,200!), but it’s certainly a pretty, easy-to-navigate site for browsing and dreaming if prices are too steep for your pocketbook.

All you need to do to win this diaper bag is tell us in the comments why you want to win it: to have a spare one on hand, you’re expecting a baby, you’ve worn out your old bag… or you just think it’s cool!

Leave a comment below to enter until midnight Tuesday, June 30. We’ll pull a name randomly (with a random-number generator) and announce a winner on Winning Wednesday, July 1. Only one entrant per person, U.S. only; no immediate relatives of Traveling Mamas. Good luck!

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June 26, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar | 93 Comments 

Q&A with Megan Calhoun, TwitterMoms Founder

Traveling Mamas interviews the Head TwitterMomI’d like you to meet Megan Calhoun, the brains behind TwitterMoms.com. In case you don’t twitter (or are not part of the demographic) Megan started this website as a convenient, easy to use way for moms who use Twitter to find and keep connections with their cohorts. It’s quite a site: In less than a year, TwitterMoms has been recognized as a force in the online community, with a distinct, lively personality and active forum. So impressive! A mama with great ideas is a mama we want to get to know better.

Tell us a little about TwitterMoms; what inspired you to create it, and what would you like to see happen with it in the future?

As a stay at home mom, you sometimes don’t get enough adult interaction during the day. Twitter was great for connecting with friends, and I noticed a lot of interesting moms on it – but no easy way to learn more about them, or make decisions about who would be really interesting to connect with on Twitter.

My husband joked about starting a site to fill that niche. On Sept. 2, 2008 I had roughed out the concept on Ning (a free “build your own social network” web hosting company). I added the URL to my Twitter profile and the next morning we had four members. A month later, membership rushed past 2,200 active members, and now stands around 16,000. It’s been quite a rush!

For the future of TwitterMoms, I would like to continue to offer the moms high-quality opportunities and resources from the media, marketers or other moms. I want to give my members value that could possibly help them in either their professional or family life.

We believe that any mama can be a Traveling Mama. Where are some places you’ve vacationed with your children?

rockiesWell, I love to travel – it’s one of my passions that I would like to pass down to my kids. But since they are so young right now I’ve really only taken them to places to visit family like Colorado to go skiing with their cousins, Florida and Indiana to visit the grandparents. However, I plan to travel internationally with them when they are older.

Since becoming a mother, have you had to travel without your family?

Funny you should ask I’m leaving for a business trip to New York without my kids in a couple of days. It’s the longest time I have ever been away from them. On one hand, I’m very excited about having a break, but on the other, I will miss them so much.

Where is the one place you’d most like to vacation with your children?

Italy. Because I want to give my children the opportunity to learn about another culture and experience a different world outside of their bubble. And, I love the food, language and people. My dream vacation would be to rent a villa in Tuscany for many weeks and take trips to Florence, Venice and Rome. Wow! I would love that.

Thank you, Megan! And for the uninitiated, you can find Megan at Twittermoms, or on Twitter as, well…her Twitter name should be no surprise. Thanks for letting us get to know you better, Megan!

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June 18, 2009 | Filed Under Mama Interviews, The Cookie Jar | 2 Comments 

Motorola Talkabout Two-Way Radios Review & Giveaway

motorola1Heading to a theme park, campground or ski slopes anytime soon? (Okay, maybe not ski slopes in the U.S.) If so, consider a pair of two-way radios to keep in constant contact with your traveling companions. Two-way radios are especially key in remote spots — like on camping trips — where cell phones may not work. But they are frankly fun to play with just about anywhere.

My family tested the Motorola Talkabout Two-Way Radios on a recent camping trip, dude ranch vacation and hotel stay. We gave the kids a radio so they’d be reachable as they walked the campground loop, and we let them take one while they tried to find our hotel room on their own (didn’t quite happen; they read the signs wrong — but they didn’t panic since they heard us on the other end of the radio). The kids actually got the most use out of them when we took two cars to the dude ranch (Dad had to leave early) and they chatted with each other between cars. Of course the most appealing feature of the radios for the kids: the built-in flashlight.

Other perks for this particular pair: you can receive weather alerts from the NOAA Weather Radio; the radios can work up to 9 miles away in “medium-interference” situations (like on a flat lake); there’s a “hands-free” option; and there’s an emergency alert button you can hit to send out a distress call (perhaps best not to teach young children this signal, lest they “cry wolf” and get in big trouble).

One feature that drove me nuts until I figured out how to turn it off: the “I’m done talking” beep that occurs when you’re finished transmitting. This so-called “Roger beep” is optional, though, so that made me happy.

motorola2Overall, this radio that retails for $80 (a pair) has more bells and whistles than the average family might need. But if you’ve got a geeky mate who might dig all the extras, it’s a fabulous gift.

That said, you can also comment below to win a pair of Motorola Talkabout Two-Way Radios. Yes, Motorola has generously offered to mail a U.S. winner a set. All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me on what summer trip or excursion you might use them. Enter until midnight (EST) Tuesday, June 23; I’ll draw a winner randomly and announce a name on Wednesday, June 24. Again, only U.S. entrants and no immediate family of the Traveling Mamas!

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June 16, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar, Travel News | 274 Comments 

Winning Wednesday - LUSH Contest Giveaway Prize Winner

Wow! We had a near-record entries for our Lush contest giveaway: 375 comments is a lot for this humble travel site. What can I say? People love their fresh, organic luxury bath products.  Giving away a LUSH gift box full of The Art of Bathing bath bombs and bubble bars sure taught us that. There’s not much that relaxes me as much as a wonderfully scented Lush bath - I’m so happy that our (random) prize winner is also, clearly, a big fan of Lush products! Just take a look at what Emily had to say:

Lush Bubble Bar

Lush Bubble Bar

“I work a pretty customer service oriented job and am definitely a people pleaser so it is really hard for me to let go of my day or not take my job home with me. I am a HUGE fan of LUSH products and they always come into play when I am trying to unwind. My favorite thing to do to get away from it all is to give myself a facial and make myself a really really good sandwich. Often my boyfriend participates in both (since the day I noted his flaky tzone and did the LUSH Love Lettuce mask on him - he was very impressed with the results) and I start with Ultrabland, then steam my face over a bowl of hot water with a C toner tab to get everything out of my pores. Then I do the Cupcake mask which smells just like chocolate frosting and wipe it off with the toner water and moisturize with Imperialis. Then we watch a bad bad wedding movie or old episodes of The Cosby Show and he tells me I won’t always be able to please everyone and we have a cup of tea. It’s my favorite thing. This is an awesome giveaway. Thanks for letting me enter!”

Congratulations, Emily. I’m thrilled to see that this prize is going to someone who will definitely appreciate it. Contact me through this site, and the Art of Bathing gift box will be mailed to the address of your choosing. Happy bathing!

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May 27, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar, Travel News | 3 Comments 

Contest Giveaway - Lush At Home Spa Getaway

Win a Lush Gift Box

Win a Lush Gift Box

We Traveling Mamas love our getaways, but we love our giveaways, too. We’ve got a fantastic gift box to feature in our latest contest giveaway! The Art of Bathing gift box, by Lush, is packed full of those organic, fresh, handmade Lush bath products that make a soak in the tub feel like a weekend spa vacation. If you love spa trips but don’t have one scheduled, The Art of Bathing has the equivalent of 12 body soak treatments in one pretty box.

The Lush Art of Bathing gift box contains: Avobath, Haagenbath, Sex Bomb, Butterball, Big Blue and Supernova bath bombs, along with Hot Milk, Pop in the Bath (my kids’ favorite) Bathos, The Comforter (my fave!) and Ma Bar bubble bars. That’s a lot of fun in one gift box. Fans of Lush products - like the Traveling Mamas - know that the benefits of a good soak in great-smelling water does wonder for our tired spirits. Lush in particular, with its emphasis on fresh organic ingredients, is one of our favorite brands. Nothing can truly replace a real vacation away from the daily grind, but a pampering, luxury spa-like soak in the tub can come close. The Art of Bathing has a retail value of $86.95.

To enter this Lush contest giveaway, leave a comment below describing your favorite way to “get away from it all.” One winner will be chosen using a random number generator, so don’t worry if you’re not feeling prolific or creative. Contest is open to US residents only (it’s a shipping costs issue), and relatives of The Traveling Mamas may not enter. Contest giveaway closes Tuesday, May 26, at 6:00PM PST. This is a great gift; good luck!

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May 18, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar, Travel Gear, Travel News | 387 Comments 

At What Age Can You Leave Your Kids Alone in a Hotel Room?

Three-year-old Madeline McCann disappeared from her hotel room at a Portugal resort after her parents left her alone, sleeping, while they ate dinner at an on-site restaurant about 130 yards away.

I thought about this tragic story during my family’s recent stay at Azul Beach near Puerto Morelos, Mexico, earlier this month — but it didn’t dissuade me from leaving my children, ages 7 and 9, in our ground-floor room alone while my husband and I took a 45-minute walk on the beach, and then ate breakfast on our own at a hotel restaurant.

Was this bad?

I don’t think so. Here’s my defense:

  • We put the “Do Not Disturb” signs on the doors, so housekeeping would leave them alone.
  • We closed the sliding glass door, but made sure they knew how to open it.
  • We made sure they knew to call “0″ in an emergency to get the front desk.
  • We checked in on them in between our beach stroll and our breakfast.
  • It’s a tiny resort - just 97 rooms - and they’d found their way around the property within the first hours we were there.
  • We leave them unsupervised together for short periods of time at home — say, when I need to get to a PTA meeting, and my husband is on his way home from work, but still 7 minutes away by car; our relatives live next door and they know Grandma’s cell number (please don’t call social services on us).
  • They’d eaten room service breakfast and were totally occupied watching cartoons.
  • They get along swimmingly, don’t bicker and they watch out for each other.
  • They said they were comfortable with it.
  • The Kids Club wasn’t open yet and I didn’t want to pay $15/hour for a babysitter to sit in our room while our kids watched TV.

I’m thinking about Lenore Skenazy, the mom who let her nine-year-old son take the subway alone in New York City, as well as the wrath she endured afterwards. “What if something had happened!” commenters on her blog said. “Nothing did happen,” she replied. And she knew her son.

I know my kids, and I know what they are capable of handling. Leaving them unsupervised in a secure hotel room (though, we all know not all hotel rooms are totally safe) for 45 minutes at a time was something they could handle and I felt okay about.

Of course, if something did happen to them, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. The guilt would likely send me to a funny farm. But bad things happen at home, too. Kids are snatched from playgrounds or walking to the bus stop. Accidents happen. We can’t envelope our children in bubble wrap all the time. We’ve got to let them spread their wings so they’ll grow into capable, independent adults.

I admit I left my children alone in a hotel room because it was convenient for my husband and me. But we also feel they were mature enough to do just fine on their own. And they did.

What about your children? How old would they have to be to for you to feel comfortable leaving them by themselves in a hotel room? I’m curious what other parents would have done — or what they do — in this situation.

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April 24, 2009 | Filed Under Family Travel, The Cookie Jar | 30 Comments 

Family Friendly In Phoenix: The Legacy Golf Resort

This past weekend my family and I loaded up our Camry, slid open the sun roof and headed up to Phoenix for an unplugged family-friendly weekend. After about an hour and half we arrived at The Legacy Golf Resort, which hosted us for the weekend, located on 280 acres in the foothills of Phoenix’s South Mountains. As we pulled in we immediately began admiring the lush golf courses and colorful flowers surrounding a pretty waterfall that greeted us as we parked in front of the registration office. The entire resort is Spanish mission-style, complete with wrought-iron accents and striking arches. We knew we were going to love it here.

While I checked in, my husband took the kids for a walk around the corner to an on-site gated playground to burn off some of that built up energy from the drive. Nearby, a family was grilling burgers and hot dogs on one of the many community grills, while other guests cruised by with towels over their shoulders on their way to and from the huge swimming pool.

As we made our way to our one-bedroom condo we couldn’t help but notice even more families staying at the resort and when we saw the list of activities we knew why. The Legacy truly is a family-friendly resort. In addition to golf, there is sand volleyball, shuffle board, a fantastic health club, tennis, a spa, and daily activities and programs for adults and kids. While we were there I noticed there was yoga in the morning for adults and later that afternoon was t-shirt tie-dying. Everyday is something new and the staff is incredibly nice - not resort snobbishness here, just smiling faces (one of my favorite things about the resort). We didn’t get a chance to eat at the Trail’s End Grill, but other families raved about the food- and the view from the patio is spectacular.

Our one-bedroom condo was surprisingly spacious (the property has 328 suites and condominiums). The living rooms have a  fold-out couch (the kids’ bed) and an entertainment center. The fully equipped kitchen is furnished with a full-sized fridge, dishes, silverware and a dishwasher. Each condo also has a washer/dryer - a must when traveling with children. The bedroom has a comfy king-size bed and the bathroom is fantastic with a massive whirlpool tub. A private bathroom with a walk-in shower allows access from the front entryway and the bedroom. All of the space made the entire stay so relaxing. The kids had plenty of room to stretch out and run around indoors, while our patio opened up onto a stretch of grass where the kids enjoyed playing tag each evening. At one point we saw a mommy and baby hummingbird feeding on nearby flowers. Shopping, restaurants, sports games and attractions are all a short drive away, but you don’t have to leave the property if you don’t want.  If you’re looking for a family friendly resort in Phoenix, Arizona I highly recommend The Legacy Gold Resort.

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April 21, 2009 | Filed Under Family Travel, Luxury Travel, The Cookie Jar | 1 Comment 

Women, Travel and Hotel Safety: The Door Stop Alarm

Women need to keep safety on the mind, especially while  traveling. We’re physically weaker than men and we usually carry a purse. But what about when we’re in the safety of our hotel room? As a frequent traveler, I have lost count over the years how many times someone has walked into my “safe” hotel room, or tried to. The incidents were harmless, usually the person being a housekeeper, maintenance worker, other hotel guests who were accidentally issued a duplicate room key to my room, or the nosy neighbors who decided to open the adjoining room door (it had a broken lock).

However, my heart still pounds when I think back to the first time someone tried to enter my room uninvited.

It was 2am and I was jolted awake -  a man was slamming my hotel room door again and again only to be stopped by the door latch, which can only be locked from the inside. The man was yelling and screaming profanities with each slam of the door. He used such force the bolts securing the lock loosened and striped the bolts in the wall. Yes, the man had a working key, issued by the front desk and he was not thrilled I was in “his” room.

I recently decided to dig for some info about hotel door alarms. I cruised a bunch of sites and finally found a company of interest. Chris at Security Plus Omni Corporation responded to my email and was more than happy to discuss the various options for hotel door alarms. Chris told me some door alarms only work on certain types of doors while other just aren’t reliable. I asked him what he thought was the best option and he pointed me to the Door Stop Alarm from PlanetMace (check out the Safety Mace blog for more safety posts). I was fascinated. With a 9 volt battery, this little six-inch wedge can do everything, except turn on your bath water.

Make sure the Door Stop Alarm is on (switch is on the back) and place the wedge behind your hotel door. If someone tries to open the door, the wedge design, with its rubber bottom, will stop the door from opening, while the motion sensor triggers an alarm. There is even a volume control (low, medium, and high - up to 118db). The Door Stop Alarm should scare away any intruder, alarm anyone else nearby and definitely alert you to someone trying to open the door (quick, grab the lamp as a weapon and call security).  And, yes, it works! I’ve tried it myself. As a woman who travels frequently and often spends nights alone in a hotel room - this is one item I’m keeping in my suitcase from now on.

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April 17, 2009 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar | 8 Comments 

Friendly Travel Folks I Met at Social Media Strategies for Travel in San Francisco

The Traveling Mamas love travel-related conferences. After all, we first met in person at Travel Media Showcase back in November 2007. Since then, we’ve been to other TMS events, BlogWorldExpo, Luxury Travel Expo, South by Southwest and Social Media Strategies for Travel, produced by Eye for Travel.

I had a ball meeting all sorts of folks from the travel industry at Social Media Strategies for Travel in San Francisco last month. It was a whirlwind two days of meet-and-greets, fascinating presentations about the changing face of marketing online, and yummy lunches (oh, and cocktails) at downtown’s Hotel Nikko. While I collected dozens of business cards from a bunch of people at the official event, as well as the associated travel-blogger gathering, here are just three organizations I wanted to share with you:

Trekaroo: Co-founder and CEO Esther Lee is a ball of energy and exudes so much passion about her family travel website that recently launched. I love the colorful and upbeat design of the site, where users review family-friendly accommodations and attractions. Only eight U.S. states are represented now, but there are plans to roll out more as soon as possible.

Bike and Roll San Francisco: I was disappointed I didn’t have enough time in San Francisco to sample a tour or bike rental from Bike and Roll — especially since Director of Business Development Aimee Harcos spoke so highly of the adventures I could have on two wheels throughout the San Francisco area. One popular escorted tour: a nine-mile ride through a bit of the city and across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, with a return by ferryboat!

10Best.com: Spencer Spellman of Greenville, South Carolina, is such a great supporter of the Traveling Mamas (thanks for your Twitter tweets and re-tweets)! He was at the conference representing 10Best.com, which, frankly, I didn’t know much about until meeting Spencer. Turns out the site has loads of worldwide city guides — 457 to be exact — packed with firsthand recommendations for restaurants, nightclubs, shops and sights.

So nice to meet you Esther, Aimee and Spencer! Hope our paths cross again.

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April 15, 2009 | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Destinations, Family Travel, The Cookie Jar | 2 Comments 

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