Mom Road Trip

Caption Contest Winners Announced! Kaspersky Lab will help you be more secure!

2009-10-13T09:01:41-07:00

Remember our road trip? Remember our caption contest from the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Of course you do. What you probably don't remember is the announcement of who won the contest.

Without ~~3 more months~~further adu, here are our fabulous winners!

Option 1: {sarah thinks} He's cute and all, but he's so quite. Maybe he's just not that into me. *sigh*

Posted by: Kim/hormone-colored days | July 22, 2009 at 08:45 PM

Option 2:

He who smelt it, dealt it!!

Posted by: Lilith (Crunchy green Mom) | July 23, 2009 at 10:34 AM

The good folks at Kaspersky Lab will be sending the goodies to you faster than what it took us to announce your awesomeness!

Road Trip Rewind

2009-08-03T08:07:05-07:00

We're going to spend some time rewinding the trip. What better place to start than In The Beginning.

In the beginning there was Sarah, and she was good, there was also Devra and she was ridiculous. See for yourself....

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sweet Home Chicago. Seriously. It's like we never left.

2009-07-22T18:22:00-07:00

Today we rolled up to the Omni Hotel in Chicago. Nothing says "I'm fly" quite like a white economy car sporting manual locks and reeking of Febreeze. Nothing!

As we waited for the elevator Sarah turned to me and shared, "You know, it's really nice to stay somewhere familiar. I remember waiting right here waiting for you and Meagan. Do you remember that?" Remember? Who needs rely on my brain when a picture says a thousand words! After all, how many times does one wind up on the front page of Gawker (nee Valley Wag) caught on camera doing Jazz Hands? Evidently Sarah was not the only one taking a stroll down memory lane.

After stopping in at the registration desk, we went up to our room A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I swung the door open. The bellman grinned and announced, "It's nice to see you again!" He paused for a minute, then said, "I remember you from last year. Did you drive straight in from DC or did you spend the night somewhere along the way this time?"

Sarah's right. Staying somewhere familiar is nice. I'm glad we're here.

I Never Knew (Cleveland)

2009-07-22T15:59:06-07:00

Here is a little known fact: I was born in Ohio. I moved to Florida when I was 11 and I lived there until we moved to the DC area about four years ago. I never lived in Cleveland, but as a child I was always under the impression that Cleveland wasn't really a place anyone would ever want to go unless they wanted to catch a Browns game.

I had no idea.

Cleveland is really cool. We had an amazing hotel.

Cleveland has a huge culinary community and we had two amazing meals.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is something that every music fan should get a chance to see once in their life.

Don't listen to the stories about The Cuyahoga River catching on fire. I mean, yes, it happened but that was 40 years ago. Cleveland is a beautiful city right on Lake Erie that is full of culture and wonderful people.

We even made some new friends.

Devra, Michelle, Sarah, Alexa, Amelia

I hope we get to come back soon.

Goon Squad Sarah's other work can be found on Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms.

Goodbye Cleve

2009-07-22T09:36:52-07:00

P>That's as far as I got before we got a flat tire. Nothing like leaving our dream hotel, where we treated like royalty(and a prince was staying there, so we know they must do that a lot) to cruising down the road, hooked up to theMiFi all set to write about our adventure in Cleveland, and then hearing, Sarah say, "Dude. I think something's wrong with the car. I think we have a flat tire." Sure enough, that's what we got. Exit off the highway and straight into the closest filling staion. Which by the way, my use of the term "filling station, just resulted in a 3 mile discussion as to the use filling station versus gas station. To sum it up in fewer than 3 miles, we decided it's regional. Sarah uses gas station, I use filling station. Which is ironic since wee only live about 10 miles from each other. But back to our adventure...

Given our rental car status, it came with "Avis 24 Hour Road Side Assistance" and the quotation marks around those words is no accident my friends. I phoned "Avis 24 Hour Road Side Assistance" and explained our situation. "Yes, we are in a safe place," I answered when he asked with the same level of empathy and concern if one is asked, 'Would you like fries with that?" At the same time, two men approached and offered to change the tire. We waved them off as we knew "Avis 24 Hour Roadside Assisance" would be helping us any moment. The reality? We would be helping ourselves any moment because "Avis 24 Hour Roadside Assistance" told us, "We will have someone out there in about 30 minutes and they will put the spare tire on the car, then you will drive the car to the nearest Avis location and pick up a different car." So I ask, "Can you please tell me where is the nearest location?" Turns out it's a a whopping 6 miles from our present location. I make the suggestion that a car be brought to us and we switch them out and be on our way as it is only 6 milies way. The gentleman, and I am being kind here, tells me to hold and he will see if that is "even possible." He returns after ~~I age about 3 years~~ a few minutes to inform me, "We can't do it. We contract with an outside company. They will have to change your tire and then you will have to drive it to the Cleveland Airport." I thank him. Why? I dunno, he's done nothing for me at all. Because I know I can change a tire in under 20 minutes and we will be on our way. So I change the tire as Sarah gets on the phone to call Customer Sevice and explain what is going on and why this isn't making us feel all warm and fuzzy. At this point, we're not angry, just annoyed. We are 6 milies away! It's not rocket science and how did we ask to be caiught in an eddy of bureaucracy?

Andrea from Avis Customer service gives it a try, she connects Sarah with the folks at the Airport Avis and listens in as Sarah is told "We will have to have a tow truck tow the car back to the airport." And Sarah again suggested, very nicely, if we could just have someone bring us a car to swap out since it was only 6 milies away, Sarah was told, "No. You have to wait." Sarah asked to speak to Andrea again and the resonse Sarah received made her just say "Wow." into the phone because it was just that rude. Andrea sadly had been disconnected from the call. We can only imagine the "Avis 24 Hour Roadside Assistance" folks wanted to keep their rude behavior a secret from Avis Customer service. Maybe they have a reputation to protect. Sarah missed Andrea very much. She was nice, this was hell. And while Winston Churchill said "When you're going through hell, keep going," but he probably never had to deal with "Avis 24 Hour Roadside Assistance."

I was happy I had decided to wear something casual for our drive, because I don''tchangie tires when I am dressed up. In under 20 minutes tire was changed, donut in place and we were on our way to the airport to change out the car. We are now cruising down the turnpike in another car without sattelite radio and it smells like someoen must have shaken up a carbonated canistor of Febreeze and let it go.

It''s definitley someting we're both going to have to get used to. The other car smelled like weed.

When Mommy Travels

2009-07-21T18:58:33-07:00

I have been home with my twins for five years now.

I don't mean to insinuate that we never leave the house. I don't even mean to say that I haven't gone on trips without them. I just mean that for for five years I have been the primary caregiver. I have either been a stay at home parent or a work at home parent for their entire lives.

I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful husband who doesn't mind that I now travel for work. (Yes, I blog as a career. I know, life is tough, right?) I am also lucky enough to have parents and in-laws who are always ready and willing to help take care of our children whenever we need anything.

To be fair, sometimes they are willing to help even if we just want to do something. Yes, I am fully aware that I am one of the luckiest people in the world.

My point is that I spend a lot of time with my children. A LOT. Seriously, me and the kids are together ad nauseum. Sometimes it is nice for us to get away from each other. I need a break from them and they need a break from me.

Plus, when Grandma is with them all day long they get to do pretty much whatever they want. (I mean that in the nicest possible way. Grandparents are supposed to spoil their grandchildren. It is part of the circle of life.)

Usually when I travel for blogging business the kids don't seem to miss me at all.

Somehow this time has been different. They are fine all day long, but at bedtime my son wants a lullaby.

The lullaby can only be sung by me.

I feel like Faith Hill in that old cell phone commercial that always made me so mad.

Two nights ago it was in over in the quiet area by the restrooms at the Pittsburgh meet up. Last night it was in a corner near the front door of The Greenhouse Tavern. Tonight I stood in front of Lola singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to my son while my dining companions ate dessert.

It is fun to go on road trips to blogging conventions. It is fun to be a grown up for a couple of days. I enjoy going for more than 24 hours without having anybody wipe their nose on my shirt and being able to go to the bathroom without having someone walk in who has an urgent need for a banana.

But even at BlogHer, where I can talk about social media and blogging platforms and streaming video I never stop being a mommy.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Goon Squad Sarah's other work can be found on Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms.

A CONTEST! WE HAVE PRIZES AND EVERYTHING!

2009-07-21T07:53:06-07:00

Well, hello internet. So nice to see you. While we are spending the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Alison we are going to put you to work.

Well sort of work. It is a contest, a caption contest. We are on a Hall of Fame roll. Yesterday we went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. We give you two options. You may caption option 1, option 2 or both. The one that makes us laugh the hardest wins Kaspersky Internet Security Softw are for a year. It includes Complete Internet security protection with anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, anti-spam and anti-hacker technologies. Plus parental controls and virtual keyboard perfect for home or small office.

You know you want it, so go forth and be witty.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Goon Squad Sarah also forces people to caption things on a regular basis on on Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms .

On being PittsburgHers

2009-07-20T22:24:00-07:00

If you've never been to Pittsburgh, then don't go. Not because it's a bad place, just the opposite, we want to keep it all to ourselves. We're not going to share Pittsburgh with you. If you even think about going there, even if you need to change planes in the airport, you're going to find yourself in big trouble, mister (or ma'am). Realistically speaking, we cannot hoard an entire city. Particularly if it doesn't belong to us. But that doesn't stop us from wanting to own it. First of all, a big shout out to our host ClumberKim who not only arranged our meet-up, she found fablous sponsors (Hello iTwixie! andIsidore Foods!),an incredible space (Hello AlphaLab!) and she fed us. I am running out of adjectives to describe the dinner and desserts made by Clumberkim, KDiddy and Rebecca.

After last night, I can now say I know, not one, but two guys named "Spike." And neither one of them happen to be a football player, a biker or in a punk band. And considering the plethora of "Paul's" who attended my highschool, it was down right refreshing to meet a Paul living outside of Hamden, Connecticut and he wasn't even from Hamden, Connecticut. Together Paul and Spike gave Sarah and me the capability of Live Streaming! So look for some action from us later. Not that kind of action, we signed a strict "No Porn on Vivo" agreement, but we may sneak in some Shoe Porn. Sarah has some nice wedges. Wedges, not wedgies. Crack kills and we''re fairly certain we can't post that on Vivo anyway. Nick Pinkston showed us what can only be called the Rubiks cube of business cards. It folds in many different ways and we easily could have spent hours folding it, but it didn't belong to us and we had to give it back to him. KDiddy, I had hoped for a farting contest, but I didn't get enough roasted garlic to make myself a viable contender. Besides, I think the folks from Abby? Left To Right? Are you reading? I hope so because I don't have your URL and want to give you a shout out too!

Looks like we may have a trip back to Pittsburgh in our future for Pod Camp, so please have the salad fixings, broccoli slaw, and homemade Ho-Hos ready!

Thank you again to our wonderful host and sponsors for Phabulous meet up in Pittsburgh!

Preeeecious

2009-07-20T13:54:38-07:00

...and now a word from one of our sponsors. Sort of. Really this is more of an insight into Sarah's mind. You see Nikon let us borrow these Nikon D90s. Since I recently purchased my own Nikon D60 I was interested to see what made this camera 30 better than mine.

I found out.

Now I am all about sponsorship, but I am not a big fan of talking a lot about products that I am not a big fan of. That is not a problem in this case.

Meet Precious:

I named her within 45 minutes of meeting her. The first picture I took out of my car window (Devra was driving) came out crisp and clear even though we were on the beltway going about 70 miles per hour.

I mean 60. Devra would never knowingly disobey the posted speed limit.

Anyway, I love camera and I may have become a little bit obsessed.

The D90 is a beast, and I mean that in the best possible way. It is amazing. My pictures are insanely good, and I've taken most of them on the auto setting. I haven't even learned all of its tricks yet. It even takes video!

Luckily, I have the whole summer to figure it out.

Then I promised Nikon that In would return it.

Sure, they can have Precious back.

When they pry her from my cold dead hands.

Of course Sarah is going to give the camera back if they make her. She exaggerates on Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms too.

Hello Cleveland

2009-07-20T12:36:34-07:00

I haven't been back to Cleveland since 1989. Take that back. I've only been to Cleveland once in my entire life. Now it's twice. Frankly, I wish my body from 1989 was still here, but that's really not the purpose of this post.

If you are a blogger in the Cleveland area, we're having a meet up at The Green House Tavern at 6:00 this evening, That would be July 20, 2009. AKA TONIGHT!

We look forward to seeing you there!

PS I snapped this picture of the Cleveland sign in the car, through a windshield at 80 exactly 55 MPH!

ATTENTION PITTSBURGH!

2009-07-18T08:12:05-07:00

Dear Pittsburgh Bloggers,

You are our first stop. Devra and I will be leaving in the morning and arriving in your fair city tomorrow evening.

We would love to see you while we are there. So please join us along with ClumberKim and kdiddy as we will be rocking the party at alphalab on the South Side.

The meet up is at 6:00 pm, so be there or be square.

We cannot wait to stop in Pittsburgh, even if you guys do hog all of the good sports trophies.

Please rsvp to kdiddy.org@gmail.com or if you are on twitter @clumberkim if you can make it.

___

GoonSquadSarah is also bitter that her teams haven't won anything good lately on Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, and Loser Moms

And so it begins

2009-07-17T21:55:00-07:00

Last year when we set off for SF my children were away at summer camp. This year we went the day camp route, so my kids are ~~all up in my grill~~ helping me get ready to leave for a week. As I was explaining some of the ins and outs of Blogher, it occurred to me that I hadn't had a pedicure in quite awhile, and given the copious amounts of BlogHer shoe porn, a trip to the local nail place was in order.

As I headed out the door, I ~~made a tactical error~~ told each son they could pick a nail polish color. Older son picked the shade for my hands while younger son got the toes under control. My logic was "I can handle any color on my feet. Fewer people will see them. Hands are far more visible. How bad could it be?"

Would you be Shrekked or is it snot worth worrying about?

People Get Ready! Road Trip to Blogher '09.......

2009-07-17T11:32:05-07:00

Now that Catherine and Katie are safely home with their families Devra Renner and I are getting ready to head back out on the road.

That is right. We are driving to BlogHer again.

(By the way - feel free to call me or leave a comment below if you want to give us a car to drive.)

Ahem.

So, yes. We are thrilled to be going back on the road. (What? Why are you looking at me like that. Last year was fun, and Chicago is a lot closer than San Francisco.)

This year will include blogger meet ups in Pittsburgh and Cleveland (details forthcoming) and trips to the Pro Football and Rock N Roll Halls of Fame.

Hall of fames? Halls of fame has to be right, like attorneys general, right?

Anyway, lock up your daughters or what have you, but we leave Sunday morning. If all goes well we will be having giveaways and contests and probably a good deal of silliness.

CHICAGO OR BUST!

Love,

Sarah

GoonSquadSarah also blogs and Sarah and the Goon Squad, Draft Day Suit, DC Metro Moms Blog, MamaPop, BlogHer, Loser Moms... look, she blogs everywhere, okay?

Only One Gopher Died in the Production of this Roadtrip

2009-07-13T21:51:00-07:00

We are back.

Truth be told (and I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone), we didn't want to go home at the end of our trip. Save for the fact that we missed our husbands, dads, and some of the cats, we could have kept going all summer long. I think we all -- kids included -- have a touch of gypsy in our blood.

I'm so proud of we survived (seriously) and the fact that did so much in such a short period of time. And we would have loved to do more. But we did make our way from Atlantic to Pacific with three young children in tow, taking a total of six flights, two massive cars, a whole lot of extra luggage, one hitchhiker, while only killing one gopher in Alberta - it was not pretty, and putting the fear of death in one duck family in New Brunswick -- I can still hear the screams -- but rest assured no ducks were harmed in the making of this road trip.

Of course doing this wasn't without the help of many players, two of those key folks being GM Canada and the Fairmont. Because let's face it, the trip wouldn't have happened without wheels or shelter.

First up Wheels:

I drove two GM Canada vehicles - the Traverse on the eastern leg and the Yukon Hybrid out west. From a parent view point, both are SUV size that easily accommodated three car seats -- which was our only vehicle requirement. Installation was easy-peasy in both and each vehicle offered enough room for all our luggage which also included two umbrella-style MacLaren strollers - one being a double stroller. And oh my holy heck, strollers are a pain in the a*s but total lifesavers in airports.

Personally I liked the layout of the Traverse interior for driving, the dashboard was logical, the bucket seats made it easier for tying down rabid badgers, and that baby had power under the hood (plus this model included a DVD player - no explanation necessary why that was a bonus). But I also loved driving the Yukon Hybrid because that had an extra special bonus besides space and power - fuel efficiency (just made my Dad proud with that statement). There was next to no fuel burn when in the city. Under 60km/hr she was super quiet and what we saved in city traffic was noticeable to the official monitor of the gas gauge (and that would have been me.)

Also, I won't beat around the bush: I'm short and small and these cars are B-I-G. But I never felt like I was driving a behemoth. I was totally comfortable behind the wheel for two primary reasons: adjustable in every way seating & steering and the miracle of the rearview camera system. Can I just say that the rearview camera system in both cars totally rocked for parking such huge vehicles? Seriously, I wanted to lick the camera and monitor (in the Traverse it was in the rear view mirror -- so Star Trek), that's how much I loved them.

Now moving on to shelter:

The Fairmont chain is wonderful. If you ever wondered if those beautiful historical landmark hotels that dot the Canadian landscape are only reserved for honeymooners and moneyed people, you would be flat out wrong. I never associated them with family-friendly but I was so wrong - they are totally prepared to embrace the smallest and fussiest of guests.

Setting the bar high was our first stop at the dreamy Chateau Frontenac, a hotel I've wanted to stay in since I was eight years old. My. Dream. Came. True. Oh yes, it did (except not with husband but sharing it with daughter was awesome too). The staff were super kid-friendly with touches like colouring books and the best in-room kids menu; I recommend the Frontenac Club for kids - perfect price and size with a side of fresh cut veggies, Gemma devoured it like candy. Also another small but important touch was the pool toys, an unexpected bonus considering the pool looks like something out of the Great Gatsby.

But the Chateau Laurier also proved to be super kid friendly (who knew something so close to Parliment Hill could be that way?) Staff really knew how to talk to kids and milk & cookies on arrival was a beautiful touch. Wide hallways provided an excellent place to run out sugar-highs and the downtown location, close to the Rideau Canal, Bank Street, and the Byward Market, is convenient. Gemma didn't want to leave her comfortable bed in the morning -- and trust me, that never happens.

Next was Jasper Park Lodge which is hard to beat on (a) location and (b) natural beauty. Sure there was some small hiccups with our reservation but they fixed it fast and we quickly forgot when we kicked back in our cabin rooms in the fresh air, beautiful views and late night sunset. Also the girls loved the noodles and life jackets in the most awesome indoor/outdoor heated swimming pool. I could have stayed in there all day.

Plus like all the hotels we had already stayed with in the Fairmont chain, Jasper also had the all important kid-friendly staff -- because if the hotel doesn't know how to speak to kids who travel with adults, it just doesn't work as family friendly service. Every member of the staff took the time to greet our kids, take their food orders with patience, and answer any questions they had - and when the customer is a "but why" three year old, that can be a difficult task to accomplish. But all the hotels did it with finesse. Another bonus for the Jasper Park Lodge, the man who served us dinner made us all smile with his jokes, and the girls thought it was great when he rode up on a bicycle to deliver an extra spoon. Staff on earth-friendly bicycles to get around is the awesome.

Then we went to the unbelievably beautiful Chateau Lake Louise. The view cannot be captured on film. Or maybe I'm just a bad photographer (don't answer that.) The rooms are beautiful, I wanted to live in my bathroom, and it was tranquil. The kid cups that came with the kids meal was a nice touch (anything that helps prevent spills is a thumbs up from this sticky mom) and again, lots of space to run around (as long as we played goalie near the lake). Sonny who is pictured below works at the concierge desk but he was AWOL when we met him in the restaurant (he apparently likes to shadow kids with snacks. Don't blame him one bit, it's a guaranteed score.)

Our last haven was the The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver and they mean it when they say waterfront. We had a view of the harbour, BC Place, the city, heliports, and the ferry. The distractions for a three year old that those views provided were priceless. Again, consistent kid-friendly staff and accommodations and this is the only place where we took advantage of in-house babysitting (pricey but worth it for sanity sake). Our sitter Lorraine used her magic on our three kids to get them to eat their dinner and go to sleep all by 8:30 pm -- which is something I don't think we achieved as parents on the entire trip. Mind you, I'm no Mary Poppins but apparently their sitting staff have the touch.

We couldn't have done this trip without the GM Canada and Fairmont Hotels who were the most awesome of sponsors on the Canada Moms Blog road trip. Thank you so very much for helping us make our way across Canada to meet some of the most wonderful bloggers from Coast to Coast - you ROCK!

Home Again, Home Again...

2009-07-13T10:24:32-07:00

We've been home for only a day, but we miss road-tripping already. Seriously. No, seriously.

Because, that is not my house, and that is not my car. So.

The girls were good, the vehicles were sweet (thank you, GM!), and who can argue with luxurious-but-family-friendly (thank you, Fairmont!) hotels? And - most of all - the non-stop, ever-unfolding adventure (the oceans - we saw two! - the mountains, the wildlife, the friends - also a form of wildlife, but that's another story - the wonder, the everything). How are we ever going to get back to everyday life?

We will, somehow. But first we're going to revel in our memories a while longer: we're going recap the trip here, as soon as we get some rest. In the meantime, check out what our favorite stowaway had to say about the trip. And check out the video from Grandma's Pit Stop.

Are We There Yet?

2009-07-10T12:38:32-07:00

Yeah, we're there. Which is to say, we're almost at the end of our trip. And we thought that we ought to go out with a little bit of a bang, or at least, go out with some prizes.

Btrendie.com has offered up a bunch of prizes to award to the MomRoadTrip followers who can identify where in the world - well, Canada - we've been. Have a look at the following pictures, and see if you can figure out where, during our travels throughout Canada, they were taken:

We'll select three winners, drawn at random from everyone who makes correct identifications! Huzzah! (Winners must reside in Canada or the United States).

What can you win?

1. KUSHIES ZOLO PLAY GARDEN MAGNETIC ACTIVITY GARDEN
With this magnetic build-and-stack activity garden, children can build their imaginations by creating their own garden. Magnetic creatures stick to the garden, and the magnetic plant pieces stack and build. The unique garden window box doubles as a zippered carrying case for toddlers on the go. Contains: flower garden that doubles as a reusable carrying case for easy storage, and 11 magnetic garden accessories. Ages 18+ months.

2. FORGOTTEN SHANGHAI SILK MESSENGER BAG
The Forgotten Shanghai Silk Messenger Bag works well as a laptop case, airline carry-on or as a hip, fashionable baby bag. It is a light-weight bag made of the finest silk, has magnetic flap closure, a durable easy to use two-way zipper, an adjustable shoulder strap, inside zip pocket, mesh see thru pocket, and side pockets.

3. IMAGINE IF....
Imagine If... is a hilariously fun and creative literacy tool, perfect for children ages 4-8. Inside you’ll find 75 eye-catching illustrations depicting a fun range of “who, what, and where.” Simply choose 3 pictures as the beginning of your story. Continue the story by flipping to new pictures. No two stories are ever the same!

So, tell us: where in world (of Canada) were we?

***************************

Oh, hey! Our contest winners have been chosen by Random. org and the winners are:
1 Lala - http://crosswind.wordyblog.com/
2 Aman - http://onlyaman.net/
14 Shannon - http://whiskeyinmysippycup.com/

Contest Winners will be contacted shortly! CONGRATS!

***************************

Join Now! Btrendie is the exclusive online shopping network for moms! Use invitation code: SVMOMS

Meet Up: The Recaps!

2009-07-09T22:13:16-07:00

We've had some awesome meet-ups on our roadtrip and I have not had the time to give them the props they deserve:

Our first was in Ottawa last Thursday and it seems like eons ago that it happened (it seems we have been on the road forever). One of the most awesome recaps I read is over at Muddy Boots, please go over and see her beautiful photos from the day -- I hope she didn't mind that I lifted one of the group. Our kids had a playground and splashpad to work out their energy along with a great bunch of blogkids. Catherine and I had some wonderful bloggers to meet. There was Sassy Monkey, Capital Mom, PhD in Parenting, and Lalawawa who brought an entire wagon full of snacks for everyone to enjoy (whoot whoot and thank you!) Thank you for arranging this one ladies, it was a beautiful finish to a loooooooooooooooong long driving day.

The second was in Edmonton and I want to shout out another huge thank you to Tanis for setting it up (we found this impossible to do from the road so props to all the wonderful bloggers who volunteered to set things up - a thousand "thank you so very very much"). There we hit another great playground and met with Natasha, Lynn, and Habanerogal and their kids. Habanerogal even brought her monkey and YES she did let me pet her monkey (props to all those that get that SNL reference). We spent a couple of hours letting the kids run around and even found some time to meet and talk when not chasing down the troops. Why do kids all run in seperate directions when trying to wrangle them? It's like herding cats, but most of you know that already.

Our last meet up was in Vancouver and this was a decidedly more adult one... HEY! get your minds out out of the gutter... I mean this one was SANS ENFANTS (you don't know how ready we were for a night away from the kids -- it was sorely needed at this point on the trip.) Our beloved Shannon of Mr. Lady fame put this one together and a lovely group of blogging ladies joined us for dinner and drinks at the scrumptious Morton's. We were in fine company that evening: Mandy Gratton, MoWo, Earnest Girl, Left Coast Mama, and Sandi (5and1). Drinks and food were plentiful and Morton's spoiled us in a way that was much needed.

Now I wish I had a better pick to show you but here is some photographic evidence of the evening. That white spot in the centre is me trying to molest my dear Tanis. That happens when cooped up too long with good friends and no husbands. Or at least that's how most naughty stories start out. It's amazing what happens when away from the homestead too long *wink wink*

We will be flying back to Toronto in about twenty-four hours and then will be arranging a last hurrah of the Great Canadian Roadtrip of 09. I'd promise to gather more photographic evidence on that bash but more than likely, I'll probably be too excited and forget to take out the camera *le sigh*

Seacreast out and the adventure continues...

Hello Goodbye Vancouver

2009-07-08T10:24:31-07:00

Last night we had a bloggers night out with some mighty fine folks in Vancouver but more on that later. For now a small video from Gemma and me :)

Disclosure: GM and Fairmont Hotels are the SVMG Canada Moms Blog road trip car and hotel sponsors.

Down To The Coast

2009-07-07T08:28:23-07:00

We just spent an awesome evening at the home of a good friend, and now we're headed down to the coast to Vancouver for two days.

This is the part of the trip that gets sad - I'm making a detour this afternoon to attend my grandfather's funeral - but I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to drive to and through the province of my childhood and reflect on some of my happiest memories of him.

So, yeah, today there are some dark clouds, but they'll part later, and the sun will shine again.

Onward and upward. Or, downward and coastward. Or something.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Rockies

2009-07-05T21:24:49-07:00

We left Edmonton yesterday with one extra passenger, none other than the Redneck Mommy herself, Ms. Tanis. She was so generous in organizing an awesome get together of bloggers in town (shout out to Natasha, Lynn, and Habanerogal -- thank you so much for coming out to meet us!) we just had to take her with us.Thank goodness that GM Yukon we picked up in Edmonton was big enough for all our luggage plus her sweet butt.

After a day of driving down Highway 16 -- which for the record severely lacks in good coffee en route -- we entered Jasper National Park and my brain was officially blown. Anyone who says they aren't impressed by the majesty of the Rockies lacks soul. This was my first time seeing the mountains and I could not help but feel a huge wash of emotions come over me as I was humbled by the offerings of our natural world. It's easy for me to understand why so many artists come here for inspiration.

We spend last night at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and despite some annoying hiccups (lost reservations, screwed up billing, and rooms so far apart we could have used our own golf cart to see each other), the landscape and friendly staff balanced out the negatives. Look who greeted us this morning!

I'm still debating if those are white tailed deer or elk but it doesn't really matter because OH MY WORD they were beautiful. Oh and this was the view at breakfast (le sigh).

Tonight we have arrived in Lake Louise and I'm still feeling like this is some kind of surreal fantasy. It's like we've fallen into a painting or an episode of old school Wild Kingdom. So far today we have seen our elk/deer friends above, three eagles, a baby moose, mountain goats, and big horn sheep (and those horns are b-i-g). No bears yet but I'm keeping my eyes sharp.

Tomorrow I have no idea where we are heading, I'll leave that up to our West Coast expert, Catherine, but our adventure continues towards the Pacific. British Columbia here we come!

The Amazing Race to Alberta

2009-07-04T07:06:05-07:00

First Up from our beloved Redneck Mommy who is putting up with our equivalent of a touring heavy metal band:

We would love for you to be able to join us at a small blogging meet up where you can discover for yourself that we are just a bunch of frazzled geeks with access to the internet. With nipple hair and the odd chin whisker. We are throwing caution to the wind and unveiling our quirky personalities for all to see.

If you happen to be in the Edmonton-ish area (if I have to make the drive into the city you should too,) please consider joining us for the revelry. I promise to keep the blue thunder well contained.

We’ll be meeting Saturday, at Rundle Park at the playground, at 10 am. Bring your children. We are. (You know you want to meet the newest little Redneck, Jumby.)

We will set the children loose on the playground and get down to the serious business of getting to know one another.

Contact me if you need directions or want my cell phone number so you can breathe heavy in my ear. I like that.

For those of you who can’t make it, no worries. I’m bringing a video camera as well as my fancy schmancy camera to capture the joy.

You never know when a beaver is going to be on the loose after all.

Now on to our travels:
Yesterday was a page ripped right out of The Amazing Race which for the record, is a show neither myself or Catherine can watch because it induces such extreme anxiety that we need a mainline of Xanax just to make it through an episode.

It was the first morning we just had to be somewhere on time. We had booked a noon connecting flight out of Ottawa (FTR: The Fairmont Chateau Laurier was a wonderful palace where milk and cookies rained down on our princesses and the service was extrodinary) and we had to return our powerful chariot GM Traverse to it's home (we were sad to see it go). It seemed easy enough, we had made plenty of time, and we even had hours of wiggle room to make sure we didn't stress ourselves out.

Funny how that time disappears in the blink of an eye.

Our first flight was delayed - first by thirty-minutes, which turned into another twenty, which then morphed into ALL OUR WIGGLE ROOM. We literally ran with strollers, baby, carry-ons, and preschoolers in tow, screaming through our connecting airport and somehow we made our connecting flight to Alberta. I think we both almost passed out once we were actually on board that flight and it took all of my strength not to order a drink straight up once the bar car was broken out.

After we calmed down and landed in Edmonton, we picked up our new ride, the GM Yukon Hybrid and hit the road to our Redneck hostess with the mostest.

And the adventure continues...

Into The West

2009-07-03T05:47:16-07:00

And... we're off! Again! Today we fly to Edmonton and to the western leg of our adventure, and WE. ARE. STOKED.

The recap of our wonderful meet-up with Ottawa bloggers will be posted once we land and have collected ourselves, but for now: THANK YOU, Ottawa (and Quebec, and Nova Scotia) for such a wonderful time, and au revoir!

Join Us In Ottawa (We'll Bring The Ham)

2009-07-02T05:49:00-07:00

After we eat our fill of crepes - and maybe also croissants - and maybe also a few buckets of cafe au lait - we'll be rolling out of Quebec City later this morning (and bidding adieu to the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Frontenac) (*wipes tear*) and heading to Ottawa.

(Yes, sadly, we have to zip right through Montreal and miss smoked meat sandwiches, but time just does not permit.) (*wipes tear*)

But we will be in Ottawa this afternoon, decompressing at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, and heading out late afternoon for a come-one, come-all playdate.

The details (courtesy of Annie at PhD In Parenting):

Location: St. Luke’s Park

Address: 166 Frank, just off of Elgin (see map)

Time: 5:00pm on July 2, 2009

What to Bring: Yourself, your kids, snacks if you wish (some of us will bring shareable snacks too), sand toys or whatever else your kids might enjoy using at the playground.

Where does it go from there? I’ll be there with my kids and they’ll probably be ready for some dinner after playing. We might head out somewhere nearby to eat and others are welcome to join in if they want. We can play it by ear.

In case of rain: There is a chance that it will be raining. If that is the case, the alternate venue is the Children’s Museum at the Museum of Civilization in Hull. Admission is free on Thursday evenings. Please watch this post early Thursday afternoon for a final call on whether we go with St. Luke’s Park or the Children’s Museum.

Check back at Annie's blog this afternoon to see if the weather is going to push this indoors. And please RSVP, too, at Annie's, so that we know who to expect.

Hope to see you there! Like I said, we'll be bringing the ham.

Quebec City: Perfect for Princesses-in-Waiting

2009-07-01T19:56:06-07:00

This afternoon we arrived in the beautiful city of Quebec and as we entered the walls of the Old City it was like being transported back in time and we were riding in on a 288 horsepowered carriage (the Traverse packs amazing power and I love being behind the wheel.) We pulled into the most beautiful of palaces and I knew our two little ladies were going to be impressed with the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac -- who wouldn't fall in love with the fortress over the St. Lawrence?

Of course when I turned to the back seat, I expected to see little faces drinking in all the splendor but instead I found everyone asleep. Kids! As we set about waking up the tiny ones, the most helpful team of Fairmont people swooped in, taking bags, completing registration in record time, tending to our needs, all while handing out colouring books and crayons to our special crew.

The Chateau Frontenac is as beautiful inside as out and everything so far has been wonderful down to the smallest detail. We took a dip in the beautiful art-deco pool, I had time to rest my wary road-trip legs in the hot tub, and then we took a quick trip around the beautiful surroundings, before retiring to some room service in our room overlooking the city.

Are our princesses pleased with their accommodations? You bet. And the moms are also very impressed. It also goes without saying that the lone prince on this trip also is impressed with everything he can see - as far as he is concerned, it's his kingdom and he is here to conquer Quebec.

Disclosure: GM and Fairmont Hotels are the SVMG Canada Moms Blog road trip car and hotel sponsors.

Ottawa, Ahoy

2009-07-01T14:05:04-07:00

Hey, Ottawa folk! Plans are in a motion for a meet-up: Canada Moms Blog road trippers arrive Thursday afternoon and will be pretty much heading directly there. Join us! Here is a link to a post that discusses the meetup: "Canada Mom Road Trip Invades Ottawa" on the blog PhD in Parenting.

Red Neck Mommy posted on her blog about a meetup for the Canada Moms Blog Road Trip in Edmonton area this weekend.