It may feel like Summer but before you know it a chill will be in the air and we’ll be trekking our families all over the place for holiday travel. It’s never too early to get those thoughts in our minds so before you get lost in the details of your family meal, let me share with you my tips for travel sanity with kids in tow.

Whether you are travelling near or far, by plane, boat, car or train, having kids in tow does add an extra element of planning as well as a tad of stress. The logistics of today’s travel are not always simple with the added security measures implemented due to recent events. The best way to ward of unnecessary travel stress and to make your trip as fulfilling as possible, is to plan ahead a bit, do some research before you go, and find ways to actively involve your kids in every step of the process from planning to packing to hauling bags!

Continue Reading

There is a sort of kindred spirit among parents that can be wonderfully supportive. It can help other parents feel not so lost as they sort out issues with their own kids, regardless of age, and especially for first time and expectant parents. This special club of parents is most useful as a gigantic support group, though, just to listen, laugh and provide that well placed hug when the work of parenting makes us all want to scream at times!

Where we have to all draw the line and be very cautious is in giving well meaning advice that only true experts should provide. Just to be clear, true experts are people who have gone to school to study a specific area and spent time honing skills in that area. While parents do have experience in many topic areas, being well read and having kids doesn’t make one an expert.

Continue Reading

I live in an area where there are some fun areas to walk to. To get to my favorite rehydrating spot, I have to first cross one sticky intersection. What makes it sticky is this:

This curious light combination is very common in Massachusetts so shouldn’t cause any confusion to drivers who, like me, have been driving around the state for a long time, perhaps even for life. For those of you out of state, this curious light combination has the same meaning as the right column of this picture:

Continue Reading

I’m all for a good family day with parents and kids together but I’ve noticed a disturbing trend lately of parents taking kids to events that are clearly “adult”.   I can’t help but wonder if today’s modern parent’s need to share has blurred too many parents minds to common sense. Let me give you two examples.

On our recent cruise to Bermuda,  there was an “adult only” show by Second City.  The cruise director didn’t keep this fact hidden. It was announced every which way for two days, in print and by overhead announcements. He even made an announcement just before the show giving the few parents who  still brought their under 18 year old offspring into the lounge, and, yes, it was so “adult” it was held in the lounge, a chance to escort them out. During this last announcement he stated clearly:  ”This is your last reminder. If you choose to have your kids under 18 years of age watch this show, you do so freely, at your discretion, and take full responsibility for the consequences.” In other words, don’t blame us if the content is over the top and inappropriate for your kids…we warned you!!

Continue Reading

What do you remember about family vacations as a kid? Exactly! Not too much. I know. Same with me.

I have a few scattered memories of car drives in the family station wagon. These memories always involve my brothers and I elbowing each other or me squirming to get comfortable on that bump in the middle.

We did visit some fun places like Disney World, Cape Canaveral, Yosemite National Park, YellowStone National Park. In college, we took some more elaborate trips to Isreal and Greece. In truth, I don’t remember much about any of the trips…even those in college.

What I do recall from my childhood is time with my family on vacation. And, interestingly, the trips I recall most vividly from all ages are the ones that were the most low-keyed…the ones where we rented a house or just went to the beach.

My husband found the same has been true for his childhood memories.

Continue Reading