Sun-drenched in St. Thomas
Have you been recently? Hurry up, as American Paradise Awaits You…
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Welcome to the East Coast’s secret Hawaii.
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With winter fun and relaxation in mind, meeting my kids in Park City after my husband and I attended the Consumer Electronics show seemed like a wonderful idea. The problem? Planning, scheduling, and packing! Searching for affordable solutions to make our trip more manageable, I started with one of the more complicated travel issues – luggage.
Our travel schedule, which merged two trips into one, required that my husband and I somehow pack luggage for both destinations. To complicate matters more, my two teenage kids needed to pack and board a plane by themselves in order to meet us in Park City. Knowing the two would have all they could do to get to the resort without any hiccups, I went searching for a luggage solution. Suddenly, Luggage Forward entered my travel plans and made the entire process seamless and stress-free.
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Even though winter brings about changes in the weather and driving conditions, one thing doesn’t change: we still need to get our families around town safely. For some of you, the change in temperature also means family road trips to winter wonderlands and ski vacations. Whether you’re driving the carpool or traveling through snow country, changing the way your drive in the winter is crucial for your safety.
If you live in a milder climate (like me) you don’t get much opportunity to drive in winter conditions. My lack of experience and fear of getting in an accident has kept me from taking our family on winter trips to ski or play in the snow. I’m sorry to admit my two younger sons have never seen real snow on the ground! Thanks to GMC and their Terrain Winter Driving Event, I’m thinking this might be our year to make some snow-filled memories.
Getting Behind the Wheel of the GMC Terrain
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While a chill pervaded the December air and holiday lights twinkled nearby, Boston’s Eastern Standard Restaurant exuded a hot Caribbean vibe as the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and JetBlue celebrated the kick off of JetBlue’s first non-stop service from Boston to St. Thomas.
Members of the Mom Central team attended the media reception, and we immediately took a deep, relaxing breath as we soaked in the warm, friendly Caribbean spirit, took note of the placards of the white sand beaches of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and feasted on such fabulous Caribbean fare as fried conch, crab dip with plantain chips, jerked goat meatballs, and chicken skewers. Representatives from Cruzan Rum kept the event hopping with festive drinks, including an amazing Christmas cocktail.
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After the soccer game, we walked out to our cars together. My friend reached to open his back hatch and I caught the name of the car before the door swung up: Traverse. “Hey! How do you like your car? I had the chance to learn about the Traverse when I went to Detroit a while ago. What do you think about it?”
You would have thought I asked about his best friend. He told me his Traverse was comfortable, reliable and never disappointed him. He couldn’t say enough good things about it. “I’ve already put 65,000 miles on it and I’ve only had it for about two and a half years!” he exclaimed.
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I always joke that my family needs a cow. We’re close to going through a gallon of milk a day and in the middle of writing this post, I’m sure I’ll be asked to pour at least one glass of milk for my youngest son. I’ll choose ice cream over cake any day and consider frozen yogurt a treat as well. Dairy products are a huge part of our family’s diet.
When I got invited to tour two dairy farms in the Riverside, California area, I knew I would enjoy seeing where my beloved milk products came from. I wasn’t disappointed. Not only did I love the intimate view I got of the dairy industry, thanks to the up-close tours from Scott Family Creamery and John Bootsma Dairy, I learned many things I never knew about cows and the dairy industry.
My top 10 list of things I learned about cows and dairy farming
1. Happy cows are quiet cows. If a cow is stressed or upset, that’s when it moos and makes noise. I didn’t hear any mooing from the cows I observed. These were happy cows!
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Two weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to be flown to Kelowna, Canada to watch the movie Flicka 3 in production. Not only would I be on a movie set and meet actors including Clint Black (country singer, Flicka 2), Lisa Hartman Black (Knots Landing), and Kacey Rohl (Little Red Riding Hood). I would also be treated to the beautiful scenery of Kelowna!
Manteo Resort and Old Vines
After I was picked up at the airport, I was taken to the gorgeous Manteo Resort. When I walked into my villa style room, I found delicious treats waiting for me along with an amazing view of the water.
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Anonymous
If you find yourself in Del Mar, California and are looking for a way to unwind, consider stopping by PLACE360, a mini oasis of a spa located just 30 minutes outside of San Diego.
I had the exclusive opportunity to visit PLACE360 as a VIP during my trip to San Diego during the Blogher conference. To say that I was a bit wound up when I entered the spa may be somewhat of an understatement. BlogHer is busy time of year for the staffers at Mom Central, and it’s easy to forget how the craziness affects our bodies – and our sanity. Thanks to PLACE360, I got to let everything go for a few hours and totally reboot.
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Anonymous
Many movies make claims to the tune of “something the whole family will love,” but often fail to entertain all. Finally, Dolphin Tale has filled a spot among the true family movies that your kids will surely enjoy, and chances are, so will you.
Dolphin Tale is based on a true story and revolves around a real-life dolphin named Winter, who lost her tail after getting caught in a crab trap, but luckily was rescued and rehabilitated by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Winter plays herself, and the movie chronicles her struggles, and ends with ultimate successful creation of her own prosthesis. The material used to create her prosthesis has been appropriately named “Winter’s Gel,” and has even gone on to help human amputees. Although many other parts of the movie are fictionalized, the cast including well-known actors such as, Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd bring you into the movie emotionally and you leave the theater feeling like you can accomplish anything.
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