So it's been cloudy and cold all week here. Ugh! But yesterday Jon sent me an e-mail with Living Social's Escape and it was to Orlando and Daytona.
Calgon, take me away.
The Living Social Escape is for $295 for 4 people, 3 night's in Orlando at the Kissimmee Country Inns & Suites. They offer a shuttle to and from Disney parks and free breakfast. Then, 2 nights in Daytona at Inn on the Beach. On. The. Beach. My kids would be sold. They also offer free breakfast.
So, naturally being curious, I looked into hotel prices. Of course, depending on what time of year you're looking at, the prices fluctuate. If you look for next month, they start as low as $30 a night including breakfast. That is a 1 star hotel. So 3 nights at $30 is $90 for Orlando. They do not offer shuttle to and from Disney, so if you're flying you'll need to rent a car.
Hotel prices in Daytona were a little more. $51 per night including breakfast. It was not oceanfront, though, as LS's hotel is. So then you have $102 for Daytona. That would make the total $220 for 5 nights after tax.
Here are the minus' that I can see. You'll need to rent a car, if you fly, to get from Orlando to Daytona. That may be fine if you do a day of Disney before you head to Daytona, though. Check out of the hotel, put your suitcases into the car and use the shuttle to and from. Another thing I would wonder about is how 'available' the dates are.
So bottom line, I would call the 1-800 number at the bottom of the deal with all questions you may have, and your dates in mind. I talked to my mom to refresh my memory on how much we paid for the hotel when we went 2 years ago. For 3 nights where we stayed, the LS deal is still cheaper. And you get breakfast! Remember to factor in all the costs though. The cost of the flight, the car, the theme park tickets, food and the hotel before buying the deal.
And now I'm off finish cleaning my house. The bathrooms need my undivided attention. Again.
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Final Chapter
So this is the end. It's a long last chapter too. So get comfortable and enjoy!
After leaving Tennessee, we headed up to Iowa for a surprise visit to my family. They were definitely surprised. Although, my brother asked my mom if she liked her surprise before she even got it, kicking her Nancy Drewness into overdrive. My sister apparently cannot lie, so she admitted to Mom that we were in fact there. Siblings.
THE GOOD OF IOWA-
Well there was a whole lot of good. My family and grandparents were totally excited. The kids got to spend lots of time with their grandparents and at the houses' of my grandparents. I think the highlight for the girls would've been the Chinese restaurant my dad took us to Thursday. All you can eat sushi. 2 plates each. My girls get their money's worth at Chinese restaurants! The next best thing, they saw a heifer being born. Well, on Isabella. Liana saw her about 5 minutes after she'd been born. They wanted to name her Princess and Keisha. We always love visiting family.
THE BAD OF IOWA-
There wasn't any bad! There was only catastrophic, so I'll skip the bad.
THE UGLY IS EXTREME-
I. Lost. My. Phone. How I cannot tell you. All I know, is I remember reading a text from my friend Laura Mae on Saturday after we got back from the farm and then I couldn't find it. It has all of the pictures and video from the girls riding their horses. It has so many pictures from our entire trip. And no, I didn't have them backed up. We left Sunday morning late because I was still desperately searching for it.
Then, about an hour and a half from our house, our truck broke down. Brilliant. What a day. Luckily we were able to make it off the interstate and the first restaurant was Pizza Hut. I'd been craving their breadsticks for the last 100 miles. God was taking care of my smallest desire. It was perfect. So we ate pizza and waited for our ride.
THE GREATEST PART-
The icing on the cake came Tuesday when I got a text from my mom saying that my Grampsy was cancer free. It's not something I've shared freely, but he was diagnosed with it back in November. It's been an extremely tough road for the family, and was part of the decision to head up there last week. You have to enjoy the time you have left! So for him to have a scan and the doctor tell him there is no cancer in his body is a great feeling. God is awesome! And doctors are pretty cool too.
Our food total was *drumroll please* $162. Overbudget! Our meal while we were waiting actually was about $20 more than I would've spent at the grocery store on the way to the house for dinner, but whaddya do?! We are so glad to be home! I've been spring cleaning this week (ugh) and am ready for my long run (still training for my half marathon!) and enjoying time in the garden this weekend.
After leaving Tennessee, we headed up to Iowa for a surprise visit to my family. They were definitely surprised. Although, my brother asked my mom if she liked her surprise before she even got it, kicking her Nancy Drewness into overdrive. My sister apparently cannot lie, so she admitted to Mom that we were in fact there. Siblings.
THE GOOD OF IOWA-
Well there was a whole lot of good. My family and grandparents were totally excited. The kids got to spend lots of time with their grandparents and at the houses' of my grandparents. I think the highlight for the girls would've been the Chinese restaurant my dad took us to Thursday. All you can eat sushi. 2 plates each. My girls get their money's worth at Chinese restaurants! The next best thing, they saw a heifer being born. Well, on Isabella. Liana saw her about 5 minutes after she'd been born. They wanted to name her Princess and Keisha. We always love visiting family.
THE BAD OF IOWA-
There wasn't any bad! There was only catastrophic, so I'll skip the bad.
THE UGLY IS EXTREME-
I. Lost. My. Phone. How I cannot tell you. All I know, is I remember reading a text from my friend Laura Mae on Saturday after we got back from the farm and then I couldn't find it. It has all of the pictures and video from the girls riding their horses. It has so many pictures from our entire trip. And no, I didn't have them backed up. We left Sunday morning late because I was still desperately searching for it.
Then, about an hour and a half from our house, our truck broke down. Brilliant. What a day. Luckily we were able to make it off the interstate and the first restaurant was Pizza Hut. I'd been craving their breadsticks for the last 100 miles. God was taking care of my smallest desire. It was perfect. So we ate pizza and waited for our ride.
THE GREATEST PART-
The icing on the cake came Tuesday when I got a text from my mom saying that my Grampsy was cancer free. It's not something I've shared freely, but he was diagnosed with it back in November. It's been an extremely tough road for the family, and was part of the decision to head up there last week. You have to enjoy the time you have left! So for him to have a scan and the doctor tell him there is no cancer in his body is a great feeling. God is awesome! And doctors are pretty cool too.
Our food total was *drumroll please* $162. Overbudget! Our meal while we were waiting actually was about $20 more than I would've spent at the grocery store on the way to the house for dinner, but whaddya do?! We are so glad to be home! I've been spring cleaning this week (ugh) and am ready for my long run (still training for my half marathon!) and enjoying time in the garden this weekend.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tennessee Edition
THE GOOD OF TENNESSEE-Living in Tennessee for 6 years (Jon lived there 8) we forged some pretty amazing bonds. Some live in our city, some stretch out across the country and world, but some remain in Cleveland. It was so wonderful to spend time with people that we love so much. I got to hold a baby (which made we want one), see a friend's new house, eat delicious food, spend girl time with old and new friends and catch up on the latest. The city has grown a lot since we lived there!
The kids had a wonderful time making new friends, showing off, being spoiled by Mimi, riding horses and riding the train. We have heard nonstop about horses and trains. They were so sad to leave, that they cried when we told them it was time to go.
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| Konnor's train ride |
THE BAD OF TENNESSEE-
Was there any bad? Maybe my leg muscles feeling like jelly after running 4 miles (hills are not easy) which I felt I had to do after the delish caramel pecan cake I ate. Maybe being sent home with a quarter of the delicious cake who's frosting I could eat for every meal.
My name's Carmen. I love sugar. Especially frosting.
On a serious note, though, my friend Janna had strep. So I only saw her...maybe for 3 hours total? We were looking forward to early breakfasts with all our kids and coffee, late night laugh fests, kids enjoying each other and the list is endless. Next time!
THE UGLY OF TENNESSEE-
There's no question what I'd put here. Lydia Garrett. My friend whom I haven't seen in almost 2 years, whom I love dearly and whom I never got to hug and have coffee with. Next trip, I will hug Lydia!!!!
It was such a great leg of the trip. The kids really adore our close friends there and made new friends of their own. It was neat to bring them back to the place where it all began for our little family and share with them the people that were so much a part of our lives and remain such. They are already begging to redo the trip!
I haven't forgotten about my $150 food challenge. I will put that at the end of tomorrow's post!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Recap of Camping
Before I start on our camping trip, I want to revisit yesterday's post. I was using Huggies for an example. Little did I know they actually are on sale! And there is a Target coupon for $2.50 off. Click here to print out the TQ (find it quickly under the Baby category), which you can print twice. Click here to print out a Manufacturer coupon for $2 off 1 package of Huggies which you can also print twice. That would make them $8- $2.50 TQ-$2MQ = $3.50 plus tax per package. You don't have to do different transactions either. I recommend handing them one at a time to make sure the full amount is deducted.
Well, it was an amazing adventure. We are home, for the most part unpacked and completely enjoying the spring weather we came home to. I love the smell of spring, especially when my whole house can smell like it!
I got a lot of great photos! And I think I'm going to make the kids a small photo book of our trip. I have a credit at Picaboo that I need to use!
THE GOOD FROM CAMPING-
We had so. much. fun. I am not one for camping, normally, but this trip changed my mind. The scenery was breathtaking, the trails were kid friendly and not one time did I ever feel unsafe. We had plenty of food (enjoyed a high fat meal of hot dogs and brauts) and drinks that we brought with. I had a whole crate of just food and utensils. Another plus, we were on the top of the mountain, so at night you could see the city below.
THE BAD FROM CAMPING-
Since this was very new to the kids, they were totally excited, the whole time. Which is what we want! But not around the campfire while we're cooking the hot dogs.
Another negative...I love Boy Scouts, but not a whole troop camped pretty close to us. They don't have the bedtime my kids, and even I have. They were going strong at 10 PM.
THE UGLY OF CAMPING-
It was so cold at night. We were going to bring the hot water bottle (but I forgot) so Jon threw big rocks into the fire. They got hot & he wrapped them in towels and put them in our beds. He's pretty much awesome! But around midnight, I hadn't stopped shivering (says he) so we got the kids and all piled into the truck for the rest of the night. It warmed up fast and we only woke up once to warm it up again, four hours later.
But look at those views!!! The good definitely outweighed the bad and ugly, such as they were. We learned a couple of things that we would do different next time, but had such a fantabulous time that I would do it over in a heartbeat!
I got a lot of great photos! And I think I'm going to make the kids a small photo book of our trip. I have a credit at Picaboo that I need to use!
We had so. much. fun. I am not one for camping, normally, but this trip changed my mind. The scenery was breathtaking, the trails were kid friendly and not one time did I ever feel unsafe. We had plenty of food (enjoyed a high fat meal of hot dogs and brauts) and drinks that we brought with. I had a whole crate of just food and utensils. Another plus, we were on the top of the mountain, so at night you could see the city below.
Since this was very new to the kids, they were totally excited, the whole time. Which is what we want! But not around the campfire while we're cooking the hot dogs.
Another negative...I love Boy Scouts, but not a whole troop camped pretty close to us. They don't have the bedtime my kids, and even I have. They were going strong at 10 PM.
It was so cold at night. We were going to bring the hot water bottle (but I forgot) so Jon threw big rocks into the fire. They got hot & he wrapped them in towels and put them in our beds. He's pretty much awesome! But around midnight, I hadn't stopped shivering (says he) so we got the kids and all piled into the truck for the rest of the night. It warmed up fast and we only woke up once to warm it up again, four hours later.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Another Vacation Deal
Yet again, I'm going to sing the praises of a little research.
I'm sure you read my post about the horseback riding lessons for the girls. Right? If not, we'll chat later. So the very same man (my awesome hubby) that found the great deal on the girls' horseback riding lessons, struck again!
It was an hour of pure joy for the girls. Apart from every couple of minutes Isabella was distracted by something, and Liana kept saying 'Ew, gross. I see it's b**t' for the first 15 minutes. Oy vay!
Konnor was feeling a little left out, because he was too little to have a lesson. I was fine with that, he can't have everything! Plus he's not quite 4, and we all know you start to get everything you've ever wanted when you turn 4 (sarcasm noted). But this is spring break and our first 'family vacation', so we wanted to do something each child would love. The girls were easy, with their horse love lately. Konnor was actually easier, but more expensive.
This past year, Konnor has become quite the tall tale teller. He tells all kinds of stories about going to Mex-i-clo when he was a daddy, and how he used to be a daddy then grew to be a little boy. More recently stories about a cat scratching him on the next and his eyes breaking out. I could write a book from this boy! But one story that has always stayed true, is that he wants to go on a train trip with Daddy across the world.
There happens to be a train ride that lasts about an hour, in Chattanooga. Which, if you don't know, is about 30-45 minutes from where we are depending on what part you're going to. It was going to cost $24 for Jon and Konnor, which isn't bad. If all 5 of us were going...well all 5 of us probably wouldn't go. Then Jon goes and searches for a coupon code and found one that made Konnor's ticket free. That bumps the total down to $15.
I am doing my happy dance right now. I'm glad you can't see it.
I'm sure you read my post about the horseback riding lessons for the girls. Right? If not, we'll chat later. So the very same man (my awesome hubby) that found the great deal on the girls' horseback riding lessons, struck again!
 |
| Isabella riding Imp |
 |
| Liana riding Zip |
Konnor was feeling a little left out, because he was too little to have a lesson. I was fine with that, he can't have everything! Plus he's not quite 4, and we all know you start to get everything you've ever wanted when you turn 4 (sarcasm noted). But this is spring break and our first 'family vacation', so we wanted to do something each child would love. The girls were easy, with their horse love lately. Konnor was actually easier, but more expensive.
This past year, Konnor has become quite the tall tale teller. He tells all kinds of stories about going to Mex-i-clo when he was a daddy, and how he used to be a daddy then grew to be a little boy. More recently stories about a cat scratching him on the next and his eyes breaking out. I could write a book from this boy! But one story that has always stayed true, is that he wants to go on a train trip with Daddy across the world.
There happens to be a train ride that lasts about an hour, in Chattanooga. Which, if you don't know, is about 30-45 minutes from where we are depending on what part you're going to. It was going to cost $24 for Jon and Konnor, which isn't bad. If all 5 of us were going...well all 5 of us probably wouldn't go. Then Jon goes and searches for a coupon code and found one that made Konnor's ticket free. That bumps the total down to $15.
I am doing my happy dance right now. I'm glad you can't see it.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Snow Days and Disneyland
Pshew, Monday! And a happy day it is indeed! Except for my daughter that has to return to school today.
With all the snow here in Oklahoma, we had school one day last week, haven't had any mail since Monday and have sucked the grocery stores clean. I am in awe of people. I went grocery shopping last Monday before the first wave of snow hit and people were shopping like they were going to be confined all winter. Sheesh! Plan people, plan.
It will probably be the same today, considering we are supposed to get another 5-10 inches tomorrow. We'll see!
I, personally, had a fabulous time! I made snow ice cream with apple crisp (which was A-mazing!), brownies and sugar cookies. My waistline is not thanking me. Plus lots of comfort foods! Chili, Ham & Beans, Fireside Nachos...YUM! Here is the link to the recipe for Snow Ice Cream from Paula Deen, 3 ingredients and pure delish. Here is the link to the recipe for the apple crisp, one of the best I've had!
Snow Ice Cream
8 cups fresh snow
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix together and serve immediately!
Apple Crisp
4 cups sliced apples
1/2 cups light brown sugar (pack it tightly)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup rolled oats
4 Tbsp cold butter (Half a stick)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix with the apples and set aside. In separate bowl mix flour, sugar and oats. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Pour apples into pan, pour crumble on top. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, or until top is light brown.
*********
The complete opposite of cold is warm, and I was thinking about how nice it would be to visit somewhere warm. 3 years ago my parents took our entire family on a trip to Disneyland. It was their 30th Anniversary (which is the exact same day of Jon's 30th birthday!) and they wanted to celebrate! I, being the bargain hunter I am, wanted to try and save as much money as possible and ended up planning quite a bit of the trip. If you're planning a vacation to Disneyland, here are some things I learned:
**Disney Value Hotel vs. Non-Disney Hotel**
I was thinking I'd save us money by booking a hotel that has a shuttle multiple times a day to and from the parks. It was only about $20 cheaper, but with 2 rooms for 6 nights, that ends up being $240! Well, here's something you find out when you get there. You have to pay $15 a day per room for 'service charges'. There's no way out of it. There goes the big savings. The Disney shuttles came much more often, too. We'd see 2 or 3 shuttles come and go before we saw even 1 for our hotel.
**Dining Plan**
There's no doubt, it's hard to resist the temptation of buying food in the park. Disney offers dining plans when you purchase your tickets that can sometimes be bought at an extremely good rate. Unless you are very disciplined, buy the cheapest plan. We took our own food which worked out pretty great. BUT, there were a few meals that we ate in the park due to fatigue, or we were just plain hungry. What we spent in 2 or 3 meals could've bought a whole plan for half of us. If you have a stroller, it's not a big deal to take your food into the park. But if you don't, you keep the cooler in your car (if you drove) or in your hotel room. Sign up on Disney's website to get their monthly e-mails. In these e-mails you'll get information on the specials they are offering. When their meal plans are on sale, it's in this e-mail.
**Bibbity Bobbity Boutique**
Let me just say, I am frugal so this seemed like such a waste of money. But my mom wanted to do it for the girls, so I'm not going to protest! It is a fairy tale dream come true. From the moment the Fairy Godmother in Training takes your little princess to her makeover, until she leaves...it is an experience they won't forget. The bad? They are in hair, make up and dresses (optional) all day, and when it's hot that's not exactly ideal. The good? It's so amazing for a little girl. If you have $55 to completely blow, spend it on this. So. Fun. For little girls. You can bring your own princess attire so you don't spend an extra $100 on an outfit from the boutique.
**Airfare**
Make sure when you find a great price for a ticket (if you're flying) that the airport is close to you. We made the mistake of getting a great price on a ticket, but had to drive nearly 3 hours to get to the airport. Gas and parking extra cost $75. Unforseen expenses. Had we left from our home airport, we could've had a friend drop us off.
After re-hashing all of this, I want to go again!!!!! So if you're planning a trip to Disneyland, take some of these tips and have a great time!
With all the snow here in Oklahoma, we had school one day last week, haven't had any mail since Monday and have sucked the grocery stores clean. I am in awe of people. I went grocery shopping last Monday before the first wave of snow hit and people were shopping like they were going to be confined all winter. Sheesh! Plan people, plan.
It will probably be the same today, considering we are supposed to get another 5-10 inches tomorrow. We'll see!
I, personally, had a fabulous time! I made snow ice cream with apple crisp (which was A-mazing!), brownies and sugar cookies. My waistline is not thanking me. Plus lots of comfort foods! Chili, Ham & Beans, Fireside Nachos...YUM! Here is the link to the recipe for Snow Ice Cream from Paula Deen, 3 ingredients and pure delish. Here is the link to the recipe for the apple crisp, one of the best I've had!
Snow Ice Cream
8 cups fresh snow
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix together and serve immediately!
Apple Crisp
4 cups sliced apples
1/2 cups light brown sugar (pack it tightly)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup rolled oats
4 Tbsp cold butter (Half a stick)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix with the apples and set aside. In separate bowl mix flour, sugar and oats. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Pour apples into pan, pour crumble on top. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, or until top is light brown.
*********
The complete opposite of cold is warm, and I was thinking about how nice it would be to visit somewhere warm. 3 years ago my parents took our entire family on a trip to Disneyland. It was their 30th Anniversary (which is the exact same day of Jon's 30th birthday!) and they wanted to celebrate! I, being the bargain hunter I am, wanted to try and save as much money as possible and ended up planning quite a bit of the trip. If you're planning a vacation to Disneyland, here are some things I learned:
**Disney Value Hotel vs. Non-Disney Hotel**
I was thinking I'd save us money by booking a hotel that has a shuttle multiple times a day to and from the parks. It was only about $20 cheaper, but with 2 rooms for 6 nights, that ends up being $240! Well, here's something you find out when you get there. You have to pay $15 a day per room for 'service charges'. There's no way out of it. There goes the big savings. The Disney shuttles came much more often, too. We'd see 2 or 3 shuttles come and go before we saw even 1 for our hotel.
**Dining Plan**
There's no doubt, it's hard to resist the temptation of buying food in the park. Disney offers dining plans when you purchase your tickets that can sometimes be bought at an extremely good rate. Unless you are very disciplined, buy the cheapest plan. We took our own food which worked out pretty great. BUT, there were a few meals that we ate in the park due to fatigue, or we were just plain hungry. What we spent in 2 or 3 meals could've bought a whole plan for half of us. If you have a stroller, it's not a big deal to take your food into the park. But if you don't, you keep the cooler in your car (if you drove) or in your hotel room. Sign up on Disney's website to get their monthly e-mails. In these e-mails you'll get information on the specials they are offering. When their meal plans are on sale, it's in this e-mail.
**Bibbity Bobbity Boutique**
**Airfare**
Make sure when you find a great price for a ticket (if you're flying) that the airport is close to you. We made the mistake of getting a great price on a ticket, but had to drive nearly 3 hours to get to the airport. Gas and parking extra cost $75. Unforseen expenses. Had we left from our home airport, we could've had a friend drop us off.
After re-hashing all of this, I want to go again!!!!! So if you're planning a trip to Disneyland, take some of these tips and have a great time!
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