Mama's Musings

Homeward Bound

In 24 hours we'll be standing in line with the rest of Munich's unrested vacationers looking to head home through the crowds.

I called Munich airport to ask if Iberia Airlines has early check-in. The clerk's sudden inward breath made my eye twitch.

"Iberia? Uh...." I could hear him shuffling a few papers. Then, with a definitive shuffle, I heard him say, "No, not Iberia..."

What exactly does that mean? Not Iberia...I surfed the Internet, searching for customer reviews. I usually take them with a grain of salt because people who write reviews usually have an axe to grind for one reason or another.

Iberia took a hit in the review department.

Then, for comparative purposes, I bounced over to United Airlines, one we typically fly without problems. The same gripes.

So we are flying a different airline to DC via Madrid. So what? We might learn a new language, immerse ourselves in Iberian culture, charm the pants off the steward who serves us ample drinks...who knows. All I know is we're homeward bound in less than 24 hours now.

And that's worth a little uncertainty and an hour or two standing in line...

Back Off and Let Me Drive

Necessity is the mother of all invention. For a lot of student drivers, tailgating, finger-flipping and road rage are a part of their daily lives. It's not easy being a newbie on the street. One entrepreneur (and dad of two) came up with a great idea ~ 'student at the wheel' magnets you can attached to the back of your car.

"The idea is to alert others that there is a new driver and to back off and give them some room," says co-founder Alan Klayman whose wife Karen came up with the original idea. "After having two kids go through the process and hearing a bunch of people complain that people wouldn't leave them alone when they were teaching their kids to drive," says Klayman, "Karen came up with the idea for STUDENT at the wheel® magnets and window clings."

Whenever the couple would tell others about the idea, they agreed it was a great thing. Surprisingly, however, it was the student drivers themselves who pled for the magnets the loudest. "Our surprise is how many kids want them, not just their parents. The response has been truly inspiring," admits Klayman. "Just about everywhere we go (checking into hotels, on the train, at restaurants, all over) when people here about it they buy them off of us on the spot.  We were in a store recently asking if they wanted to carry them. Two ladies overheard us and bought them from us standing in the store.  This really does happen quite often." 

In an ideal world we wouldn't need decals that subtly tell people to get a grip and back off. Until that day comes, we'll let the magnet do its magic and ease the road rage, if even a little.

Taking Care of the Caretaker

A long while ago I wrote a piece called 15 Ways to Nurture the Nurturer. We moms are particularly susceptible to burn-out. As our parents age, our children grow, and our lives become more and more demanding, we seem to be on an endless treadmill of stress-induced activity.

That's why vacation is so important.

CNN recently interviewed me about how many Americans fear taking a vacation at all. The reporter and I had a long chat about productivity and how we ultimately get our best ideas while doing something completely unrelated...such as daydreaming or taking a walk through Nature.

So tomorrow I am taking my own advice and unplugging for a week of fun on a Spanish island with my two very best friends in the world - my girlfriend from way back and my husband.

Taking care of the caretaker is as important as the air we breathe. And I'm going to enjoy every sun-drenched, ocean breeze-enriched gulp of it!

Budapest rocks

We returned late afternoon on Friday. I know I've already written about Budapest in a previous post, but these pictures are a must-see. As I mentioned, Budapest is full of gorgeous architecture, including thermal baths:

It also has a very obvious Western component to it:

It's the most gorgeous McCafé I have ever seen. Then there's Dove, of course, that has made its mark worldwide. Here's the proof:

To prove it wasn't all work and no play, I have two pictures proving we attended a wine festival in the castle district. What an unforgettable experience to stroll over the cobblestones amidst the dimly lit castle grounds with thousands of other Hungarian visitors.

  So much wine, so little time!

Travel with Kids

The Indianapolis Star ran this piece about travelling with kids. The writer quotes a few tips I offered up to his readers, which I thought was neat. Having logged over 100,000 air miles with both of my children, I'd say air travel can be fun, if you're prepared.

Travelling alone can be great if you tell your kids what to expect in advance. Toddlers are particularly challenging as they like to move around. Set your travel schedule when your child is most likely to be tired. You'd be amazed at how quickly they fall asleep, even in Economy Class! Homeopathic chamomille drops work wonders in calming your child's nerves (as well as your own). I swear by it (and so many other fellow travelling parents who gave their kids a few drops and watched in amazement as their children settled down)!

The end of air rage

Oh yummy! According to the Wall Street Journal, JetBlue has test-piloted free email access on a few of their flights. Imagine - an entire flight of clickety-clack on keyboards versus obnoxious, sloven drunks who pester the airline personnel. Or angry people shooting daggers at desparate new moms whose babies won't quiet down and are as embarrassed as you are mad.

Surfing the friendly skies.

Love it.

Mama's Musings Holiday Giveaway #7

For those men in your life who won't stop to ask for directions; for those women who love to plan family getaways and for the kids in the back who are bored and love maps, we've got ourselves one spectacular giveaway today, folks. Rand McNally is offering one 2008 Rand McNally Road Atlas (valued at $13.95). For you GPS-loving folks, hear me out.

It offers:

• Up-to-date maps of each U.S. state, Canada and Mexico.

• Road trips suggested by Rand McNally's travel experts.

• Contact information for hotels and car rental agencies.

• Road construction info.

• Emergency cell phone numbers.

• Much more.

Enter to win by leaving a comment and subscribing to my parenting newsletter. The winning name will be drawn from a hat, then notified via email the same day. Deadline is November 21st. We promise never to sell, rent or give away your personal information to anyone. Ever.

Fill out your e-mail address to receive my parenting newsletter!

Happy Trails!

CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER ANGELA!!

Mama's Musings named Finalist as Blog of the Year for the Stevie Awards for Women in Business

Caesars Palace, here I come! At least, that's where I've been invited to the awards ceremony.

Can you believe it? I'm shocked. Mama's Musings (um, this blog) has been named Finalist in the Blog of the Year 2007 category of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. What a delight! What a dilemma.

Now you all know I'd just love to hop that plane, bee-bop to Vegas, and smile cheerily as Darcie/Joanne/Mary wins this category. My lips would lurch upwards to a frozen grin. It'd be great just to be there. I mean it's Caesars Palace, people, Celine Dion's second home.

And then there's the fact my husband is traveling to Prague the day after the awards ceremony and there's no physically possible way I could make it back in time for the kids to come home from school on Tuesday (remember: they have an abbreviated school day most days even though they're in first and third grades -- this leaves me just enough time to go food shopping and get a tank of gas on most mornings. But fly nine time zones? Ahhhh....just a stretch). Such is the life of an expat mom.

Nonetheless, it is fun to dream. The master of ceremonies will be Melody Thomas Scott. For all you Young and the Restless fans, she plays Nikki. For years she's pined for Victor Newman. Her performances saw me through many boring summers and sick days in the winter. After 27 years and 393 episodes, she's still at it.

Now that's commitment.

I am honored just to be considered. Maybe one day I'll grace that stage with an award in my hand and say "You like me! You really like me!"

Then I'd turn to Ms. Scott and say "Would you mind autographing this? I just love you!"

Washington DC fun

We escaped to the big bad city today. The kids got a lesson in civics and aeronautics. The Space Shuttle 3D movie (narrated by Tom Cruise) was one of the best IMAX movies we'd ever seen. Highly entertaining and informative.

Tomorrow it's off to the zoo in the morning, then perhaps a visit to the Natural History Museum.

Mini Me Sizes to Make Travel Light

A little-known secret about me? I love trial sizes. Those dazzling aisle containers with miniature bottles of mouthwash and band-aids get me all a-quiver. Perhaps it is because of the possibility lodged in those tiny containers of hair conditioner and shampoo. You really just need them for weekend jaunts to faraway places only two-seater planes can take you. Or perhaps they imply a getaway with your spouse (you know, that person you see in the pre-dawn blur as your children awaken you for the simple reason that their bedskirts resembled the monster they were just dreaming about). I envision lying on a king-size bed, moodily flipping through a fashion magazine as I occasionally look up to the lakeside view from my five-star hotel window, trial-sizes at my side.

You think I'm kidding? I'm not. Whenever I feel down, I browse the aisles of our local drugstore, thinking of whether I should buy the family-size tub of lotion or the petite travel size version just in case I really do take that cruise. I was thrilled to learn someone specializes in travel-size packages. Minimus offers various convenient packages for Summer Camp, Baby on the Go, Dorm Laundry Kit, and more. They have grab bag snacks (not all healthy, but certainly good for an occasional school excursion snack), too. The best part is they have sizes matching the FAA's liquid restrictions during air travel. That's a plus for someone such as myself who flies more often than she drives.