Travel Tuesday - A Travel Tips Carnival!

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I was going to begin posting about my trip with Kate to London and Paris, but that will have to wait one more week since Antique Mommy is hosting a blog carnival which, interestingly, she’s calling Travel Tips Tuesday. And this is one carnival that a trip-lover like me could not pass up.

So, where do I begin? Well, that’s my tip.

When beginning to plan a trip, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There are several great websites that will give you all sorts of insider information for planning your trip. And insider information makes all the difference between having a good trip and having a GREAT trip.

Some of my favorite trip-planning websites are TripAdvisor, Frommers, Fodors, and Rick Steves. Spend some time on these websites, learning some background about the place you’ll be going, and, especially, taking advantage of their forums.

I’d say that out of those, Tripadvisor is my absolute favorite. I have spent many happy hours on their forum boards, gleaning lots of insider information from people who really know "what’s what" about your travel destination. People are usually more than happy to answer your questions about your destination, as long as you’ve done a little homework first and you try to refrain from asking the most obvious of questions.

For instance, this summer, when I was planning a trip for 16 people to Switzerland and was the go-to gal in charge of the whole thing, I spent lots of time on Tripadvisor. It was there that I learned how to navigate the Swiss Rail system which can be veeeerry confusing. I even learned about getting group rates for train travel and saved our group a LOT of money. I also found out that in Interlaken you can watch paragliders come in for a landing in the park in the middle of town—lots of fun on a sunny afternoon.



But I didn’t just stop with Tripadvisor. I moved on to Rick Steves, even buying his book, because he provides some pretty interesting walking tours that you can do on your own—best part is . . . they’re free! We would not have known how to find Lindenhof Park, the beautiful park in the middle of Zurich that is so stereotypically European that old men even play chess with huge chess pieces there.



Nor would we have found the ruins of Roman baths down along a small alleyway in the center of Zurich without Rick’s help.



Travel website forums come in really handy when you’re deciding on a hotel. Say you’ve done some research and you’ve found three hotels you’re interested in. They are all in the same location, they all cost about the same, and they are all similar in terms of their amenities. How do you know which hotel to choose? Travel websites like TripAdvisor, allow members to post reviews and photos of these hotels, and, believe me, these reviews have helped me out more than once.

Last spring I was trying to decide which hotel in Paris to choose, and, thanks to the good information I got from these reviews, I ended up in a beautiful small hotel in a quiet neighborhood that was just right for my daughter and me. I also learned that this hotel would be about a fifteen minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and that there weren’t a lot of restaurants on the street where we’d be staying. By reading forums and hotel reviews before I left home, I wasn’t surprised by any of this when I got there.

So before you pack your bags, do your homework. Your trip will go from good to GREAT!

Where's Mom When You Need Her?

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I was beginning to wonder, and now it is officially confirmed: there is no such thing as common sense anymore.

In the old days . . . like when I was a little girl . . . my mom instilled common sense in me. She’d tell me things like, “Bundle up, it’s cold out there!” or “Wear your seatbelt!” or “Eat a good breakfast before school.”

Mom had a lot of common sense. She still does. She recently went on a trip to Europe, but stopped at my house first. When she was here I got to look inside her suitcase and saw that she packs every outfit for her trip in a Ziplok bag—one of those big ones they make now. Isn’t that great?! Such practicality.

I guess mothers today are not doling out common sense the way they used to because more and more I see stories on the news that just make me scratch my head.

“Like, DUH!” I want to scream when I see a story telling people to put all of their underwear in the same drawer so that like things are in the same place. Or to change their sheets every so often to prevent bed bugs. You know, just the every day, common sense stuff of life.

So I just had to laugh out loud when I opened my computer this morning to the most recent headlines. Were they anything about the economy or the election? Nope.

One of the stories was about stick bugs. They’re long.

One was about "energy" food to keep you going all day long. Eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Drink water. (My mom could have told the nation that one!)

And the one I loved the most that made me guffaw with laughter was about the latest threat to our health: cell phone rash.

Yes, you read it right. Cell phone rash. You know, that itchy, burning rash you get on your face and ear from holding your cell phone there too much. Haven’t heard of it? Me neither. Until today.

There it was, the ominous headline: “Doctors Warn of Cell Phone Rash.”

I read it out loud to B who said, “Gee, all they need to do now is put the word ‘syndrome’ after it and we’d have a national crisis on our hands.” He’s right. Can’t you just see the ensuing panic?

You would think that normal people, who can figure out how to actually work a cell phone, would be able to figure out that if you regularly repeat a motion and it eventually makes your skin break out in little bumps that they should stop said repetitive motion. Right?

Wrong.

Apparently our society today needs a little hand holding. Somebody to knock a little common sense into their heads.

Apparently our society needs a mom.

Travel Tuesday - How It All Began

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I think it was somewhere in Scotland.

B and I had been driving throughout England and Scotland in 2005 with my sister and brother-in-law, each couple celebrating our 20th wedding anniversaries. B and I had been to England together, once before, pre-kids, and we were reminiscing about that wonderful trip.

Backpacks. Youth Hostels. Trains. No money.

In 1991 we spent two glorious weeks traveling around England and Scotland and did the entire trip, airfare included, for $2,500.

My, how the times had changed. We packed rolling suitcases this time, stayed in the nicest accommodations we could afford (even in a castle for two nights!), drove an SUV that was outfitted with a GPS system (thank God for that traveling mercy!), and spent just a little more than $2,500.

So there we were, enthralled once again with the place that had captured my heart in 1984, when, as a college student I had the life-changing opportunity to kick around the country and study for a summer. I learned that summer what “old” really is as I toured 900 year old castle ruins, and I realized for the first time how big this world is. I also learned that Laura Ashley dresses could be bought for a lot less in England, and oh, how I loved Laura Ashley in the ‘80s!

So we were driving along, B and I, thinking about how travel changes us—had indeed changed us—and how we would love for our girls to see this big, beautiful world too and be changed.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring the girls here?” one of us dreamed.

“Oh yeah, broaden their horizons, it would,” dreamed the other.

The idea simmered throughout the trip until eventually was born what I consider one of our very best parenting ideas EVER. We decided that when each of our girls turned 16, I would take them on a mom/daughter trip. You know, to bond like we’ve never bonded before.

This past spring Kate and I “bonded” over tea and scones, fish and chips, and croissants and jam. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Next week: Mom/daughter trip realized. Part ?? because I’m not sure how many blog entries it’s going to take!


Worth It

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On Saturday we woke to the most spectacular sight. It wasn't the promise of a warm autumn day, although that was part of it. It wasn't the fall colors that were just beginning to burst, although those were beautiful.

It was a blank calendar.

Nothing, absolutely nothing was on our agenda for Saturday. And so, with the promise of a warm autumn day and the prospect of seeing some gorgeous color, B and I decided that we would have a "family day." Even the dog was going to come.

We thought it would be great to put everyone in the car and drive about an hour away to the farm where I was raised. We'd let Thunder off the leash for a while and let her run through the cornfields. We'd spend some quality time together as a family and everything would be beautiful.

Until we broke the news to the girls. They had other ideas for their free day. Plans that did not include being outside, getting dirty, or taking part in any excercise. Plans that DID include florescent lighting, air conditioning, and spending lots of money.

What to do?

Being the good parents that we are, we loaded up our disappointed girls and our car-sick dog (oh my, that's another story for another blog) and headed out to the farm.

At first we heard some whining, but that quickly settled as we threatened to leave the whiner home. Since nobody in our family ever wants to miss out on an outing, everyone came. And so did their books, their iPods, and their Nintendo DSs, but that's o.k. It made the car ride, which turned out to be much longer that we had thought because of the lovely Chicago traffic, just a little more bearable.

The day turned out to be lovely. And our walk was perfect. And when we got home, nobody said they would have rather spent the day at the mall.

Even though it takes some coaxing to get teenagers to participate in family activities, and even though it seems like a hassle sometimes to load everything up and drive for a while just to spend a couple of hours outside, it really is worth it.

I think we'll remember our free Saturday for quite a while.



Step Right up and Get Your Halloween Toy!

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The best thing about Halloween has always been the toys, right? I mean, seriously, my kids just can’t wait to go Trick or Toying. Kids throughout the neighborhood are lining up at my front door to get a toy.

It’s all about the toys. Always has been.

You’re probably laughing right now, thinking I’ve lost it, and if you are, you’d be right. That is exactly the reaction I had when I read this article by the Associated Press this week.

The article basically suggests that people pass out toys or stickers or other such things on Halloween—anything but candy. Because candy is full of evil sugar and we can’t have our kids consuming anything so downright bad for them.

How ‘bout we give them toy guns instead?

And just in case your parental skills are really lacking, the article suggests several ways you can combat the ills of sugar-exposure.

Tactics like playing the “switch witch” with your kids. At bedtime, kids leave out as much candy as they want and the “switch witch” comes and swaps their candy for a toy. The more candy, the bigger the toy.

Or talking to them about nutrition because, you know, we don’t do that but on one night a year and kids are really in a listening mood on Halloween.

Or rationing. Whatever.

Here’s my tactic for Halloween. Send the kids out to get as much candy as they can possibly carry. When they get home, have the kids dump the lot in the middle of the floor for sorting. Grab the Baby Ruths and run.

They can eat the rest. But I know they probably won’t.

Every year, sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I clean out my kids rooms to find an entire stash of uneaten Halloween candy. I eventually throw it all out, and nobody even gives it a second thought.

By then, Halloween is a long-gone memory. The kids have moved on to Christmas and are already dreaming about the toys.


Reach Out and Touch Someone

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Remember way back in July? How could you--I didn't have any readers back then.

Just to refresh your memory, I wrote this post about Kate calling us from Costa Rica to tell us that her flight was cancelled and that she wouldn't be returning from her missions trip until about 24 hours after we thought she would. We were glad to know that she was safe, and we were happy to pass the news on to the other parents of kids in her group.

Now, about the SECOND collect call she made . . . ? The one a few hours later just to tell us they were getting on the plane to Miami . . . ? The one when B kept her on the line for a while, just chatting it up about her experience . . . ? The one when I kept telling him to HANG UP THE PHONE . . . ?

Not only did I not know they still DID collect calls, I didn't know how much a collect call from Costa Rica would cost. I do now though. Oh, yes I do.

Wanna make a guess?

We didn't talk for more than three minutes each time.

So I guess that would be, oh, about $13.00 per MINUTE.

Yep, the bill came and the calls from Costa Rica cost over $40 EACH.

Can we all say "aye carumba" together now??

Travel Tuesday - Inaugural Edition

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Travel is, some would say, a passion for me.

And I know where it came from. When I was very young, my grandfather retired and from that point on, he and my grandmother traveled the world. They were gone--a lot--and when they weren't on a trip, they were planning the next one. I remember asking them, as soon as they got back from somewhere exotic, where they were going next. Grandpa always had an answer.

So I credit my wanderlust to Earl, and in his honor I want to inaugurate Travel Tuesday. On Tuesday I'll tell of a travel-related adventure I've had, or one that someone I know has had. Maybe it will ignite some wanderlust in you, too.

Today, since I forgot to do it when I got home, I'm going to post some pictures from our trip to Aspen. I had heard about Aspen in the fall, people would "oooh" and "ahhhh" when we told them we were going, but I had no idea how vibrant those Aspen trees could get! In fact, as we were flying into Aspen, coming over the mountains covered with an almost neon yellow, I said to my husband, "Hey, look at those fields of daffodils!" Boy, I hope nobody on the plane was listening.

Of course, I don't have pictures of those vibrant Aspen trees because on the one hike we took that was the MOST beautiful, I forgot to bring the camera. Will I never learn?

These are the hills of Snowmass, taken from the top of Aspen Mountain.


No thanks. I'll choose life.







Take note of that elevation. Amazing!

Random Things That Make Me Happy

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I guess it's a random kind of day. And a day to steal other's ideas.

Yesterday Sophie at Boo Mama listed some random things that make her happy, so I thought I'd run my own list. Remember, it's random. I could come up with lots of other things on any other random day.

-My family which includes my always-generous husband and three delightfully fun and interesting daughters.

-Laughter, every day

-Books and time to read them

-Cousins Christmas

-Cheese

-Chicago pizza

-Reality t.v.

-My town in the summer

-My town in the fall

-Qdoba

-My friends

-Coffee, strong and black

-Vanilla bean Frappucino with a shot

-Kiawah Island

-Travel of any kind but especially to Europe

-Long talks with my girls

-When the lightbulb goes on (in my head or my students’ heads)

-Buddy Holly

-The Trifecta: clean sheets, clean pajamas, shaved legs

-Thunder the Wonder Dog

-The smell of burning leaves

-My alma mater

-Holding hands with my husband in church



Random Sentence of the Week

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My middle daughter, Abby, is a hoot. She makes me laugh on a regular basis.

She's also a quiet, listening type of person. She observes. She listens. She notices things.

A long time ago, probably a year or two, she started coming home from school with the "Random Sentence of the Day." It could be anything, as long as she had heard it sometime that day and it was, indeed, random. I've been the "victim" of Abby's RSOD many times.

So, in honor of Abby, and . . . well . . . O.K., to steal her idea, I'm instituting a "Random Sentence of the Week" on Fridays. Usually it will be a truly random sentence, but other times it could just be a sentence I like.

This week's entry is a sentence I heard from a woman in my Bible study group that I thought was priceless and completely sums up my feelings:

"Change is really great. . . . You go first."

Anything for the P's

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On Monday morning one of the girls opened the refrigerator door and said, "Ugh, Mom, something has gone really, really bad in there!"

That afternoon, after a flurry of errands, dodging raindrops, and one blown-off lunch (thanks a lot!) I came home to this:


I just couldn't take it anymore--the smell, my family's complaints, and the fact that my parents are flying in today (that's pretty much what it takes to get me to clean out my fridge . . . parental pressure) all came together in what they call a "perfect storm." It had to be done.

Now, by taking a look at that picture you can learn a lot about me.

Number one: I like dairy. Of all kinds. Notice the whipping cream container--I didn't even have plans for the cream, it just sounded good one day when I was at the store. And somewhere back there is a container of Half and Half too, just in case I ran out of real cream. Funny thing is, I take my coffee black! And should things get completely desperate, there's also milk . . . and cheese . . . and eggs.

Number two: I don't like to use Tupperware . . . much. You notice the very large soup pot? Yup, just too lazy to transfer the soup to the appropriate container. I think the pot is appropriate. And the Chinese containers? Well, if it was good enough for the restaurant, it's good enough for me. Actually, I prefer the Glad disposable containers because when I find unidentifiable meat in one, I don't feel tooooooo bad just tossing it out. Like I did on Monday.

Number three: Well, this should be obvious. I consider cleaning my fridge a useless exercise that is largely a waste of time. I mean, seriously, the minute things get tidied up in there the refrigerator mice come out and mess everything up again. The next time you open the door it looks just like the way you left it BEFORE you cleaned it out. Honestly!

Well, with my hopes high that the refrigerator mice had indeed gone packing for the summer, I mustered up some courage and dove in.

Baked beans? When did we have baked beans?

Chicken? I shudder to think what would have happened if someone had actually found it and eaten it.

Well, after unloading much of the contents of that nasty refrigerator, wiping everything down, and replacing the few items that were actually still edible, here's what I had.



Ahhhh, the peace and tranquility of a clean refrigerator. Until I closed the door and the mice did their thing again.

Inspired Bliss

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Talk about challenging myself! Whew! When Robin at Penseive asked for contributors to a new faith channel of "Blissfully Domestic," I hesitated for a minute, and then said Yes. Why not? Why couldn't I challenge myself to write a short devotional once a week?

After all, my friend, Cheryl, does it, so why couldn't I?

So today I'm excited to announce that my first post on "Inspired Bliss" is up and running. I will usually be the Saturday contributor, but this week I'm Monday.

Hope you enjoy it!

We Have a Raccoon Problem

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One of those "parent nightmares" happened this weekend. The one where you get a phone call from one of your kids who is babysitting.

Caller I.D. told us it was Abby calling from her babysitting job at the house of some of our friends.

"Um, hello, Dad?"

"Yeah, Abby. What's going on?"

"I, ah, stepped on a nail. Could someone come over?"

Before the words were even out of his mouth to tell me what had happened, I grabbed my keys and sped down the street. It probably took me 30 seconds to get to the house where, in the fading light, I could see Abby standing on one foot.

As I got closer I could see her other foot, the foot she was holding up, and from it was dangling a board. WHAT ON EARTH?!

"Abby, what happened?!"

"We were playing Ghost in the Graveyard, and I fell into the window well. The Smiths were having trouble with raccoons, so Mr. Smith put this board with a bunch of nails sticking out of it to catch the racoons."

Great.

At this point I realize I have to be a mom. I have to put my complete hatred of blood aside and conjure up any amount of courage I might have to even make some sense of the situation.

"Hey, Abby, let's try to get you to the car so we can get you to the hospital. That board can't just stay there, attached to your foot."

"NO MOM!! I don't want to go to the hospital. I'll just pull it out."

Any protestations on my part weren't going to do any good, so the boys Abby was babysitting, who were so sweetly trying to do whatever they could to help, got her a chair.

Within ten minutes my brave not-so-little-anymore girl had that nail (which we later figured out was actually a screw) pulled out of her foot. I was amazed as I watched my daughter valiantly take care of the situation without shedding even a single tear. At that moment I realized that she really has grown up. She didn't need me there . . . she wanted me there.

We got her home, soaked the foot, and packed it with Neosporin. But, poor thing, it's swollen now, and it hurts like crazy (gee, wonder why!), so we're heading to the doc to have it checked out . . . just in case.

So all weekend the nagging thought in the back of my mind has been what happens to the poor raccoons when they step on a nail? It's a question that will no longer have to be answered because our friend told us yesterday that the boards are already in the fire pit.

(Update: Abby ended up getting a prescription for an antibiotic for a week--"just in case." She wanted to go back to school, so she's there now, hobbling on crutches and trying to make the best of it. Just the other day B called her tenacious. I'll say!)

Good News, Bad News, and a Bonus

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Well, the good news is that B and I weren't the oldest ones at the concert last night. Not by a longshot. Those guys up on stage? They were older than us by at least 15-20 years.

But I do have to say (and this is GREAT news) that good old Joe, Glen, and Don have still got it. What an amazing concert. (And I didn't even know I liked the Eagles!)

We heard songs we hadn't heard in years like "Witchy Woman" and "Life's Been Good To Me." And, of course, "Hotel California," which I still don't like but oh well.

Honestly, B and I kept looking at each other all night long, amazed that we knew almost every single song they sang (except, of course, the songs off their new album) and amazed at HOW GOOD they still sounded. It was like being in the studio with them--they were that good.

And now for the bad news. . . . The Eagles gave such a good concert, and such a LONG concert, that we didn't get home until about 12:45 . . . that's THIS morning. I slept so little last night that my eye cream didn't even have time to work.

I guess every adventure has its drawbacks.

And now for the bonus.

Earlier this week, Lysa TerKeurst asked for some Fall recipes, so it motivated me to get out one of my favorites and send it to Lysa. (The poor girl needs help.)

And while I was copying it down for Lysa I decided to make it myself. See?



So, in honor of Fall, which, in case you didn't know, visited us this week, here is my mom's recipe for Pumpkin Squares. These are so easy--you don't even need to use a mixer. I hope you'll give them a try.

Pumpkin Squares

4 eggs
1 2/3 C. sugar
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 C. vegetable oil
2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
A dash of ginger, nutmeg, or cloves, if desired (I use the ginger and nutmeg)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a second mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and other spices. Slowly mix the wet ingredietns into the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour batter into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Or pour batter into a 9x13 pan and bake for 25-35 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, very soft
1 stick butter, very soft
2 t. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and blend. Add powdered sugar and blend. Add cinnamon and blend. Spread over cooled cake.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.


Never Too Old

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Yesterday a friend of ours called B at worked and asked if we’d like to go to a concert with him and his wife tonight. His company had the “Penthouse Suite” at the United Center, so he thought it would be fun to get a group together.

Sure, we’re always up for an adventure!

So tonight we’re going to see The Eagles. Fun, right?

Yes, it’s going to be a blast, except I keep asking myself if we’re too old for this. Our friend and his wife are probably ten—maybe more—years younger than us and ten times cooler than us. (They were students of mine WAY back when they were in college. They met in my class—how strange is that?!)

Now wait a minute . . . too old to attend a concert? No way. Here’s the thing . . . once you think you’re too old, you are. Once you give in to the temptation to just sit on the couch and do nothing every night, you become nothing. I say ‘Go for it!’ Try something new, out of your comfort zone, and you just might be renewed, energized.

B and I have often talked about retirement (that long-way-off-“event” that might, hopefully, someday take place). We don’t want to sit on our butts then, so we really can’t sit on our butts now. When opportunities present themselves, we try to take the adventure.

Which is why we said yes to the concert. It’s not like we’re huge Eagles fans. (Heck, I thought the football team was coming to town when B asked me about it!)

So I asked our friend, when he dropped off the tickets yesterday, if he was sure he wanted to take us along. After all, we’ll probably know all the words to the songs!

He assured me that, yes, they were really looking forward to it.

I guess they need some chaperones.



I'm Back, and I'm Better!

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No, don't click the "X" in the corner! You're in the right place! I had my blog remodeled. Don't you just love it?!

Thanks so much to Shauna (who just happens to live in one of my favorite places--Dallas) who did the work for me. I love it!

Well, Aspen was beautiful. About five weeks ahead of us in weather so, I have to admit, I was happy to come home to degrees in the 80's.

But still, B and I had a great time exploring, hiking, driving, and gondola-riding. Aspen is just as charming as I had imagined. And just as "ritzy." Oh my. I couldn't hang out there too much longer or my kids wouldn't be able to go to college.

I think the highlight for both of us came yesterday, after B's meetings were finished. We hopped in the car and headed for the Maroon Bells--two mountain peaks, not far from Aspen, that are both over 14,000 in elevation. We took the beautiful drive to the parking area, then hiked for a little while, past Maroon Lake and on up toward the mountains.

Past flourescent yellow aspen trees in their peak color, over small wooden bridges, along a small mountain creek toward a dry creek bed. We imagined how huge this dry creek must be when the snow is melting in the spring. We contemplated the different colored ridges up high on the rocky peaks and wondered how those stripes of white were formed into such red rock. We talked about how small we are, really, and how all the "stuff" we worry about day-by-day is really insignificant in light of God's huge creation.

It was a marvelous hour or so.

But you know what we didn't do?

Take pictures.

[Note to self: real bloggers carry cameras. Always.]

Life Just Gets In the Way

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I was reminded by my two readers this week that, no, it ISN'T September 11th anymore and that they are looking for the rest of the Patricia Palaco story.

Well, sorry sistahs (literally), the story will have to wait. Life kind of got in the way.

As you well know, Mom and Dad came for a few days and, being the dutiful daughter that I am, I spent the better part of the past four days cooking and driving and sweeping dog hair off the floor because Dad can't stand the dog and it's just one little thing I can do to help him kind of not hate her so much. But I've enjoyed every minute of their visit, and now they're gone--on their way to Norway or Stockholm or Iceland--I don't know, somewhere cold.

I can't imagine.

Anyway, life continues to get in the way because in anticipation of the weekend ahead (in which B and I get away to Aspen for four days--whee!)I have a lot to do.

Like get the emissions tested on my car.

And actually think about leaving some food for my girls and their kid-sitter.

Oh, and pack a suitcase.

So, dear sistahs, Patricia will have to wait, but fear not--I am taking my laptop to Aspen with me and I plan to spend a lot of time writing while B is in meetings.

So, go ahead, live your life without me for a couple of days. You can do it. Heck, you've been doing it!

I'll be back.