Fall is my favorite time of the year, also the time of our son's birth. The cool crisp air, the change of color in trees, football everywhere, fall festivals and holidays right around the corner; I love it all. Of course Seth is really looking forward to his birthday, and all of the following activities we will be enjoying this season.
Fall Foliage: This has got to be one of the best gifts from nature to us. The beautiful colors of the tree as their leaves change to different shades of Orange.…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on October 1, 2009 at 12:54pm —
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I and my husband both drive 4 cylinder sedans which give great mileage. Even so, I'm always looking to find ways to
cut cost on gas. It's not a technical guide, but some things which are common sense, yet we tend to overlook. The following are some methods I use:
Roll Down the Windows: This is so simple, yet we're so used to having the AC on, that we tend to forget to roll down our windows once in a while. I don't do this in the summer, but hey it's Fall! There's nothing like feeling a nice fal…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on September 25, 2009 at 7:57am —
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My last post was 11 Must Have Free I Phone Apps for Travel . Continuing with the theme, is this post, for Moms.
These are my favorite iPhone apps, because they work really well around my lifestyle as a Mom.
White Noise: If you have an infant, who refuses to go to sleep, this might just be what you need. It has sounds
by K!T flickrof the Ocean waves, rain, train tract, fan, thunder storm, chirping crickets. Seth is almost 3, and he loves to fall asleep to the ocean waves crashing on the beach s…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on September 23, 2009 at 8:34am —
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Now that we have these applications for our phones to virtually do anything, I wonder how we survived without them
for so long. In 20 years our kids might say something like, "Mom what do you mean you had cell phones without any apps? How did you find your way around town, or find your favorite restaurant?"
The following are free i Phone apps, that really helps during travel, or other times too.
Skype: Can't say enough about Skype. If I got a nickle every time I talk about them, I'd be rich! I…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on September 21, 2009 at 7:43am —
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One place Orange County in Southern California has plenty of, are the beaches. The hard part is choosing which ones to go to, because there are so many, and each of the beaches have different things to offer and their unique personalities. The beaches and their cities might just be several miles apart, but bring different environment, surroundings, and atmosphere to enjoy.
Huntington Beach: Yes the city beach area is quite commercial, and touristy, and no I don't surf, but I absolutely love thi…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on September 18, 2009 at 11:36am —
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One of our favorite places to visit is Southern California, namely the Orange County area. Seth had his first beach experience at Newport Beach when he was 7 months old. Here are some things other than Disneyland to enjoy when you are in the area:
Beach: If you are there for a week, and went to a different beach every day, you'd still have more left to enjoy. Each has it's own charm, crowd, sand, and waves to enjoy. You can watch the surfers at the Huntington Beach, have a bonfire, as you watch…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on September 10, 2009 at 8:03am —
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You may be planning a trip to a third world or a developing country sometime in the future. Having grown up there, and with my frequent visits to Nepal, a developing country, I can attest to what you can expect, traveling there or to a similar country. I honestly believe the essence of traveling is to experience all things; people, culture, language, food, and living conditions. I'm glad to say Seth had this opportunity to travel to Nepal around when he was 1. These are things we wouldn't think…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 28, 2009 at 8:10am —
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This is a guest post from a wonderful travel blogger Brian Peters of No Debt World Travel. As his blog name suggests, he has been around the world, and writes great tips on how to do it for less.
A few years back I read an article in Men's Journal magazine called "99 Things to Do Before You Die."
It listed out all of these people who wrote down what they wanted to accomplish in life, and just simply set out to do it.
The key to travel and other seemingly far off goals is to:
•Sit down in a q…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 26, 2009 at 2:35pm —
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One of Seth's favorite book from Nepal is, Rama Danga Parin, translation: "Rama got amazed". It's a book, where a little girl, Rama, from the village, comes to the city for the first time, and gets amazed seeing all the different, cars, trains, and planes. Someone traveling from a Western country to Asia or other parts of the world may be just as amazed, as the little girl in the book, seeing the different unique modes of transportation there.
Rickshaw: It's a human powered mode of transportati…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 21, 2009 at 10:55am —
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This post follows my last one, 14 Insider Tips on getting Discounts on Hotels - Part 1; an interview with The Starwood Hotels executive. She gave great insiders tips, which can be a great guide for you to save money when booking for hotels.
Question 8: Is the overall price cheaper with a Saturday overnight stay?
Yes, that is typically the case.
Question 9:Does the selection of a floor or particular room on a floor make a difference?
Hotels offer a variety of room types. A standard city view ro…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 19, 2009 at 7:23am —
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I recently interviewed an executive, from The Starwood Hotels in Atlanta. She was very kind to take the time to share some insightful tips. She did request to stay anonymous. The interview was quite lengthy, so I'm posting it as a 2 part series.
Question 1: When can you get the best rate?
It depends on what city you're in, but we'll use Atlanta as an example. Hotels are running incredible packages these days - more so than ever. Starwood Hotels, in Atlanta, which include Westin and Sheraton, am…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 17, 2009 at 8:05am —
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Yes labor day is right around the corner, and summer is almost over, but the fun does not have to end. In fact, September through mid November is one of the slowest travel seasons, before it picks back for the holidays. Airlines, Hotels, Cruises, and Car rentals are all offering some amazing deals, offering some great bargains.
Jet Blues: "All you can Jet" is a promotion that lets you fly with no black out dates, unlimited for a month between September 8 and October 8, for $599. You need to joi…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 14, 2009 at 1:45pm —
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Making calls to and from abroad can get quite expensive. Fortunately, there are ways to make it more affordable. We use the following methods when traveling, and from home to connect with family and friends, spread across all corners of the world.
Skype: This online video chat method is by far our favorite. We use Skype to make local, domestic, and international long distance calls, absolutely FREE. The free calls can be made to, and from one computer to another with Internet access. For a rela…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 12, 2009 at 9:23am —
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After enjoying a nice low key, yet relaxing and rejuvenating Birthday weekend, I thought I'd write about Birthday freebies!
Disney Free Admission: You have to register on the Disney website in advance. You get free admission to one Disney theme parks of your choice on your Birthday. That's $79 in savings, price of 1 day ticket!
Toys R Us Geoffrey's Birthday Club: Sign up your kids in advance. On their birthday, they'll get a personalized Birthday card from Geoffrey, and at the store they get a…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 10, 2009 at 10:58am —
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I may be highly budget conscious, but I do enjoy eating out with my family every so often. That does not mean we pick out any Zagat rated fine dining we feel like on a Saturday evening and splurge. With a little flexibility, and creativity, you can spend a lot less when eating out. For me the bottom line is being together with the family, not having to cook, serve, or do the dishes!
Find restaurants that offer kids eat free days / nights. Since the economy started its downturn, a lot more resta…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 7, 2009 at 6:15am —
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As a writer, and a blogger, I feel incomplete if I have not written or published my post for the day. Wednesday is my regular post day. I do have my posts written well in advance, however recently it's been quite hectic with summer, and life in general. So as I was still pondering on what to write today, I opened my mailbox, and there laid the answer. A simple, and sweet, yet money saving subject to write about!
As the name of my blog suggests, I'm quite frugal. I'm not too good about clipping…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 5, 2009 at 4:06pm —
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Following the post on 10 places to eat in New York City for less:$1 to $15. Here's a post geared specifically towards kids, each restaurant has some element that compliments their choice. The Kids Eat Free Card will be coming soon to New york, as of right now the card can be used in Orlando. Once it's launched, I'll be writing more about the restaurants included in the card.
Peanut Butter & Co / Greenwich Village: This is heaven for children. All the sandwiches are variations of peanut butt…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on August 3, 2009 at 10:54am —
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We haven't been on a Disney Cruise ourselves, but our 14 year old niece, Lauren, has been on it 4 times and she absolutely loves it! She continued to talk about it, and insisted we do a post about it. So this is her version of why she loves the Disney Cruise.
Guest Post by Lauren Bridges
Kids perform a musical play with their age group for the parents. You sing songs and interact with Disney characters on stage.
Labs: You take your child to a lab, where they have fun with kids their age group.…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on July 20, 2009 at 5:59am —
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Recently, I've been writing posts about free things to enjoy this summer. Today I am writing about things we have enjoyed with Seth that are small, subtle most of them around the house, yet fun at the same time. Most are free too. So this summer let your hair down, and let the inner child come to life. I promise this will leave the kids, and you with smiling faces and great memories.
Have cousins or close friends over for a few days. They'll be the best cure for your kids boredom; even if you d…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on July 15, 2009 at 2:23pm —
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We went to SeaWorld, Orlando last week, and had a wonderful time. We had just as much fun as Seth did, we enjoyed all the exhibits, the shows, encounters, some rides, and the kids play area. It was our first time there, and I'll have to say, for toddlers, SeaWorld is perfect.
The ticket is $75 each, for unlimited use through the end of the year. If you want parking included, you can pay $99, and have unlimited use for an entire year from the date of the purchase. If we knew we'd have so much fu…
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Added by Shreejana Hickman on July 9, 2009 at 7:45am —
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