Coast 2 Coast Mom

Waking up in Cleveland

The snow and wintry weather made our drive back to New Jersey difficult, so we stopped in Cleveland to stay for the night. Thank goodness for my Hyatt Gold Passport points so we had a free stay. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade right smack downtown, and had a very nice stay. It was snowing on our drive in past Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena, though the holiday lights in Cleveland's Public Square was still cool to see (we'd never seen that many red or blue lights at once before!). It was our first time in Cleveland, and it was fun learning bits and pieces about it during our brief stay. (Seriously - the first things that came to mind before when I thought of Cleveland were: 1-LeBron James, 2- Grover Cleveland and 3- the movie Howard the Duck.)

For example, the first indoor shopping mall in the U.S. was opened in Cleveland in 1890. That's what it looks like today up above. The Hyatt is attached to the mall, and the mall looked beautiful as we came in from the snow. We learned about the 57 floors of the Key Tower on Public Square which was beautifully illuminated in holiday colors, and was the tallest point between New York and Chicago when it was built in 1991, until the Comcast Center went up in 2007 in Philadelphia.

Before we took off in the morning, we walked down the restaurant row on 4th Street to Erie Island Coffee Co and were glad we ventured out before climbing back into the car home. We all split the French Toast Crush and the Applewood Bacon Crush - a crush being a mix between a bagel sandwich and a panini. c2cDad LOVED their Ivory Mocha, Li'l Boo enjoyed his whipped cream and kids hot chocolate and I had a very nice Chai. Because everything was so tasty, we took a strawberry smoothie to go (trying build up our Vitamin C reserves).

East 4th street looks like a fun summer hot spot, and a place we plan to explore when we return to Cleveland. Oh, we'll return alright - to check out the Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (with the largest primate collection) and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and maybe see Progressive Field up close and continue Li'l Boo's tour of baseball fields this summer.

Our 2009 Holiday Roadtrip

We had a Merry Christmas in that the weather cooperated for our twelve hour drive to Michigan, and counting gifts from all of our extended family, Li'l Boo received most of what he asked for (alas, no puppy). The downside to our trip was that Li'l Boo and I caught a flu bug and we cut our visit with my in-laws to celebrate a very late Hanukkah waaaay short. One of the most difficult things about our roadtrips to Chicago, Kalamazoo and Detroit is that we can never fit in visits with everyone we want to see or do everything that we want to do, but alas that's what email, Facebook, blogs, etc. are for - right?

Some highlights:

• Seeing family! We miss 'em dearly and I always cry when we have to leave.
• Biggby Coffee (friendly and de-lish as always) and we tried Penn Station East Coast Subs in Kalamazoo which was great - kind of like Potbelly Sandwich Works and the fries reminded us of Five Guys.
• Li'l Boo's gifts: all of 'em. The entire family played his Beatles: Rock Band on Christmas Day (he asked for a drum set, and I thought Rock Band drums would allow him songs he could play rather than blindly and briefly banging on a set of drums - so perhaps he'll get a set of drums for his birthday ;-)), and he LOVES his new Trek bike and Leapster 2. We're going to have lots of fun playing with all of his new dinosaurs, trucks, puzzles and games!
• Missing having a country music station in NYC. Oh, and my favorite new cd: Carrie Underwood's Play On. It's been a LONG time since I could pop a cd in and listen to the entire thing without fast-forwarding past songs.
• c2cDad and I both stayed off of our laptops for three full days - a near record!
• Stopping off in Cleveland to get off of the snowy roads on our way home.

We're so thankful for our friends and family around the world, and hope everyone is enjoying a blessed holiday season!

Otterbox Defender: Protective Peace of Mind for Your iPhone

I have to admit that I was torn when I had the opportunity to review the Otterbox Defender iPhone case in pink. First, I thought a case named "the defender," with three layers of protection would be overkill for li'l ol' me and my everyday life. (I'm not climbing mountains or motorcross racing, ya know.) Second, I knew c2cDad had already ordered a green Psych iPhone cover for me for the holidays as I've wanted one since I first saw Shawn sport one on the USANetworks show. However, my guilt passed as soon as I opened the box and saw what was to become my new favorite phone case.

The Otterbox Defender case is substantial, yet light and TIGHT. It's not big, bulky or heavy to carry around like I envisioned before the case arrived. The case attaches to the iPhone in three parts: a hard polycarbonate shell, and a silicon cover that grips the shell snugly and includes tight-fitting power and audio port covers, keeping dust and dirt from getting into those tiny spaces. The protective touch screen membrane is part of the hard shell, providing a seamless cover to negate water drops sliding into or onto the touch screen. It comes with a ClipStand holster, but I don't generally use it unless for some reason I want to stand my phone up on my desk. I've tried clipping my phone onto the inside of my purse, but I'm more of a low-maintenance grab and go gal, so I prefer to just keep it in my pocket (jeans or coat), and the phone fits comfortably in either.

Why do I think every parent with an iPhone should have an Otterbox cover?

• If you can't purchase insurance for your phone, and you're a busy multi-tasker on the move, accidents can happen. Items get dropped in the car, in the driveway, down the stairs, into grocery bags, into sinks, off of playground equipment, under bleachers - you name it. So who wouldn't want to protect it as much as you're able to within reason? I know I've paid to replace one iPhone, and don't want to do it again.

• Most parents I know use their iPhone to entertain their kiddos at restaurants, in doctor's offices, while on public transportation, etc. Kids can't always understand the investment required to have the iPhone, nor are they the most sturdy and reliable folks. I realize how lucky I am that my two year old didn't fling it out the window or through the window of our car when we moved from Chicago to NYC two years ago and were in the car the entire day. 

Seriously, I want one for my other phones now. ;-) You can read my review on Techlicious.

Discounts to Family Favorite NYC Holiday Shows

If you haven't caught these shows yet, there's still time! The Radio City Christmas Soectacular has just been extended through Jan 3rd, 2010. Thought I'd pass along a couple of NYC holiday family entertainment deals and discounts:

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

• 40% off Orchestra or 1st Mezzanine Seats with code SNCHEER through 12/21/09.
• Buy One, Get One Free on Orchestra/1st Mezz Seats with code SN50 through 12/27/09.

Wintuk from Cirque du Soleil

• Kids Go Free with the purchase of one adult ticket with code 50MAGIC through 12/24/09.

Haven't Sent Holiday Cards Yet? Make A Quick Video Holiday Card

I was ecstatic this year to have enough time to order our Christmas cards from Erin Condren designs. I've admired her design collections for the past two years, but never had our year-end wrap-up or photo pulled together in time to order them until this year. (Thanks to the Radio City Rockettes!) So I was able to order from ErinCondren.com the first week of October and I'm really pleased with our cards this year.

However, this year is an anomaly for us, and if you're feeling the stressful pinch as the days until Christmas wind down, take a deep breath and maybe re-assess your means to a card-sending solution. In less than an hour, I created the above little holiday diddy using Animoto. What I loved about using Animoto: it was quick, the process was simple and streamlined - without many decisions to make -so it sped up the process. The only reason it took an hour was because we had to find and decide upon the photos and video to throw into the video montage.

If you've already taken care of your holiday cards, then you may want to consider using Animoto to create meaningful and authentic thank-yous to send to people. Who hasn't nagged a child to write their thank-yous, or fully dictated thank-yous for them to send out? Why not capture their excitment upon opening their gifts, record them thanking the gift-giver with a close-up shot, and take a photo of your child using or wearing the item later on? It's personalized and compelling, and may just bring a smile to the recipient's face. Check out my piece on Techlicious to prepare your own video thank-you.

They Start So Young

Just a couple of things Li'l Boo said these past couple of days that I don't want to forget. . .

While flipping through word families with Flipping for Phonics, we were trying out the "ad" family. (cad, had, lad, etc.) When I asked Li'l Boo what sound a and d make together, he said, "Add. Like add you to my facebook." A few minutes later when we tried the "ap" family, I asked him what sound a and p make together, he said "A and P! Like the grocery store!" "App - like your phone. An app for your phone." Does this kid grow up in a techie household or what?

Then yesterday on the way home from preschool:

Li'l Boo: "[a girl in my class] told me she liked me."

Me: "She did? What did you say?"

Li'l Boo: "Thanks."

Everytime I think he's missing out from not having my hubby or other males in our daily life more, Li'l Boo surprises me by showing me he clearly knows how to think like a man. Or maybe I'm raising a Chuck Bass Jr. who has trouble saying "I Love You." Great Gossip Girl last night, BTW . . .

What's Said At Home Doesn't Stay At Home

Twice last week I was greeted with a smiling teacher' smile when I picked Li'l Boo up from preschool. The first time was when the class had to draw a picture of something they're thankful for. Mind you, most students drew their dogs, love, money, presents, parents, etc. Li'l Boo drew the double-decker main line train. I recognized it by the words they wrote to title the piece, but then saw it clearly as a big rectangle with multiple rows of windows. I instantly knew what he meant. What's not to like about the new train cars: clean, bright, and carrying more people than the older trains? When there's a large crowd waiting on the platform, I'm grateful for the double-decker trains too.

The second time she approached me grinning was to hand me his dictated Thanksgiving letter for my hubby and me. My son had told her that he was thankful for me "taking care of him because he's our only kid because we don't have any more babies" - his words verbatim. Yo boy. Guess he's overheard us discuss that topic a bit too much this past year. . . or this was his way of saying that he wishes he had a little brother or sister - so he stops trying to take over others' siblings during playdates. ;-)

I can only imagine the stories preschool and grade school teachers have shared with their own familes or friends based on the things the kids say and share at school. I recently read the charming book Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind by Phillip Done as part of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog book club. It cracked me up with his re-telling of things his students have said or done in class over his career as an elementary school teacher. I smiled my way through the entire book, from the first paragraph when he described the drawings on his desk:

"If I'm in the drawings, I am usually as tall as the schoolhouse in the background. My head is bigger than the sun." So true, right? Our refrigerator is plastered with family drawings like this too. . .

Amidst the stress of my daily life, it was a delight to be reminded of the memories of my childhood, grade school, and my hopes for my son to share these same experiences in school. I read the book a little each night before bed and have to admit that I'm sad to have finished the book, because it was such a great reminder of the simple joys in life (and to ALWAYS watch what we say and do with a kid around), and way to end my day with a smile. Ahh . . . to only be eight again.

This post was inspired by the book, and you can read other moms' musings inspired by or about the book across the SV Moms blog network on Monday, December 7th.

Full Disclosure: I received my copy of the book from the publisher for free as part of participating in the SV Moms book club.

Try Pedialyte Travel Packs To Take Along On Holiday Travel

Just in case you're traveling over the river and through the woods with your kids this holiday season, I thought I'd share with you a new travel version of Pedialyte that I checked out while at the Garden State Plaza today. If your family is anything like mine, someone is bound to get sick on the return trip, or a week later.

Pedialyte was giving out samples of their new powder packets near the photos with Santa, and offering tastes of the grape, strawberry and apple flavors (they offer tropical punch as well, but it wasn't available to taste). Li'l Boo tasted the strawberry flavor and liked it - I was shocked seeing as how he hasn't eaten a strawberry in about two years. You just pour the Pedialyte powder packets into water (8 oz of water per packet, so two packets to fill a normal 16 oz water bottle), shake it a bit, then drink. Kids must be 1 year or older to drink it.

In a nutshell, Pedialyte quickly replaces lost fluids and electrolytes due to dehydration when sick, and it contains less sugar than juice or regular soda, which can make dehydration worse when sick.

It makes perfect sense to me. I was one of those Airborne purchasers over the years, dissolving the tablet in a water bottle just before take-off, and I carry the Propel powder packets with me to mix into my water bottle on the ride home from the gym. Though I have to admit that I've been carrying the current packets in my purse for a looooong time as I haven't been to the gym in several weeks.

If you'll be at Garden State Plaza tomorrow (Saturday 12/5), stop by the table near Lord 'n Taylor to sample it and see if you like it. They also have coupons for $1.50 off a purchase of a Pedialyte product. Oh, and Westfield was also handing out Westfield Wednesday  WFamily loyalty discount cards to save money at a list of stores in the Garden State Plaza every Wednesday of the year. Westfield is also promoting their 12 Days of Shopping with special activities and discounts each day.

 

Night at the Museum 2 DVD Launch Event at Madame Tussauds

It was a fun coincidence that we saw Night at the Musem 2: Battle of the Smithsonian a month after we last visited Washington D.C. with Li'l Boo. He was excited to see the sequel - even as a three-year old - and sat rapt in the theater commenting along the way in his sweet little boy voice "that's Abraham Lincoln - we saw him!" and other sites he recognized throughout the movie. Beyond the sites, one of his favorite characters from the Night at the Museum movies is the capuchin monkey. In fact, he throws out "capuchin monkey" whenever we get to the letter "C" in the animal alphabet game on our roadtrips or at restaurants.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was just released on DVD on December 1st, and will find its way into Li'l Boo's hands this holiday season. Though I had to opt out of taking my son to the DVD launch event for one of his favorite movies, I had my hubby attend for me at Madame Tussauds to celebrate the unveiling of historical wax figures featured in the movie. Actress Mizuo Peck (Sacajawea in Night at the Museum) and the Crystal the Monkey both attended the DVD launch event, and I instantly regretted not taking Li'l Boo as I reviewed the photos and video my hubby took. Li'l Boo would have loved seeing the capuchin monkey! The kids in attendance all looked to be having a fantastic time petting Crystal and making wax casts of their hands. The new exhibit features the likenesses of Amerlia Earhart, Napoleon and President Abraham Lincoln. They look SO lifelike! You can check out the Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian wax display at Madame Tussauds now through January 3, 2010.

Crystal the Monkey was such an entertainer. She was smiling, would raise her hand when everyone else in the photo did, and held up a DVD for photo shots - check out the video below from the DVD release press conference below. Kinda makes me want to get a trained monkey instead of another child . . . kinda. I'm planning to take Li'l Boo to the museum to check out the exhibit once we're all healthy again.