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... Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

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. Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →

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... Read more →