Well, now it’s time for the big reveal…

I LOVE IT.

I love it so much.

The bottom half of Bruiser’s room is black chalkboard paint. The top half is a more masculine gray-blue color. I opted to not paint the top half with chalkboard paint, because I want this paint job to last well past the time when Bruiser thinks drawing on his walls is fun- but I could have had Walmart mix up a batch of chalkboard paint in literally any color.

The other part of this project that I loved was how EASY it was to redo Bruiser’s room- Had I known, I would have done it much sooner. I hired a painter to paint Bruiser’s room and it took him only half a day to do it. I switched out his “baby” blackout curtains for sheer white panels, moved some of his larger toys to the playroom and bought an enormous red beanbag chair to take their place, and replaced his heavy winter duvet with a lightweight comforter provided by the Disney bedding collection, which is available at Walmart. Had I painted the room myself, the whole project would have come in at under $250. Not bad, right?

Once we got through the seven day waiting period required before drawing on a chalkboard paint wall (the hardest part of the project BY FAR), we got out the chalk and invited all the neighbors over to see Bruiser’s new big boy room.

It was an instant hit.

In fact, nearly everyone who’s come to our house has drawn on Bruiser’s walls, from kids to babysitters to adults. Bruiser even has a special “autograph” corner, where guests sign their names!

While the children enjoyed drawing on the walls, their parents discussed the paint job. They loved the smooth finish of the chalkboard paint– If the kids weren’t drawing on it, you’d have no idea it was a chalkboard. They also loved how easy it is to remove the chalk. A damp cloth easily removes the chalk and leaves no trace of it behind. I think we definitely have a few new chalkboard paint converts on our hands!

I can’t even tell you what a huge success the chalkboard paint has been in our house– I love seeing the creations Bruiser comes up with (this BOOM I found in the corner the other day made me laugh) and it has also sparked more than a few games of tic-tac-toe and hangman. I have talked with several of my friends who’ve used chalkboard paint and they all love it, and say it lasts for years.

Sponsored post or not, I would absolutely recommend Disney Paint to anyone. I couldn’t be happier with how Bruiser’s room turned out. In addition to chalkboard paint, the Disney Paint collection also includes metallic paint, glow-in-the-dark paint, “princessy” paint with glitter and sparkles, and all kinds of decals and accessories that allow you the option of a ‘Cars’-themed room, or ”Disney Princess’ or ‘Tinker Bell’ or ‘Toy Story.’ And don’t worry if you’re not a do-it-yourselfer– The Disney Paint website include how-to instructions, videos, and a virtual room painter to walk you through every step of the process.

We have even more plans for Bruiser’s room coming up– In the next year, we plan to replace his twin bed with bunk beds, paint his dresser white, and replace the carpet. Since Bruiser loves family photos, I’m planning to print out his favorites in black and white, put them in matted  frames, and hang them on his walls. I think it’ll look great.

In the meantime, though, I’d say we’re off to a fantastic start.

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.

I’m absolutely certain that you’ve all been sitting on the edge of your seats for the last 36 hours, anxiously wondering how on earth we Ferriers were managing to survive without downstairs A/C on an 80 degree day!

THE HORROR.

Well, after reading all of your amazing advice (thank you to everyone who chimed in here and on Facebook- you all should read the comments on the last post, because there are some great tips in there that I will definitely use in the future), Dennis called the company back on Wednesday and again insisted that they send someone out immediately. Once again, they asked to send out the original technician. Once again, Dennis said it would have to be someone else.

When I brought the kids home from school, the owner of the company was in my driveway. He was very nice and apologized for the trouble. He checked the unit and quickly got it up and running again– He explained that the purple and blue wires had been crossed accidentally. I acted like I knew what he was talking about. But all I was thinking was–

AIR! WE HAVE AIR!

Before he left, he asked me why we didn’t want the original technician to come out again. I told him the whole story and he admitted that other customers had complained about the guy, including the owner’s own mother! However, he had an explanation for the technician’s off-putting behavior:

“He’s from Georgia.”

Bless his heart.

The owner promised never to send him out to our house again, gave me a heartfelt pitch to continue doing business with them, and was on his way. Problem solved!

I’m sure the fact that Dennis had begun answering his cell phone as “Investigative Reporter Dennis Ferrier” whenever the company called had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it!

P.S. We are never getting a “preventative maintenance plan” EVER, EVER AGAIN.

Image via danxoneil/Flickr

Two years ago, we replaced our downstairs HVAC unit.  Last year, Dennis signed us up for a preventative maintenance plan. A technician would come out twice over the next year, clean out both our units (the upstairs unit was replaced a year ago), and hopefully make everything last a little longer.

Recently, the company changed ownership, but we were assured that the new owners would honor our warranty and maintenance plan. Bored yet? Sorry. To get to the point, on Friday they sent out one of their technicians for the second of our two maintenance visits.

When he arrived, Dennis had not yet left for work, so he showed the guy where the units were located. I was immediately put off by the fact that the technician walked past me in the kitchen twice and didn’t look at me or acknowledge me in any way. Who does that?!

Dennis had to leave while the guy was still here, which was unfortunate– We’ve both noticed a surprising number of service technicians and repairmen who’ve tried to jack up the prices and services supposedly “needed” when I’m the only one here, assuming that I’m a gullible stay-at-home-mom who will sign a check for anything. The fact that this guy had already decided I wasn’t even worth acknowledging was definitely not a good sign. I made up my mind at that point not to buy anything– Our air conditioners and heaters had been working great, and I wasn’t going to fix anything that wasn’t broken.

Sure enough, within a few minutes of Dennis leaving, the guy was back inside, telling me that a part needed to be replaced, for $250. “It’s not broken yet, but it will go out eventually,” he said. “You don’t want to be stuck waiting for us with a broken air conditioner when it’s 95 degrees outside.”

“I think we’re going to wait on that,” I told him.

“Do you need to talk to your husband about it?” he asked. “I’ll wait.”

“No,” I said. “I think we’re going to wait until the part actually needs to be replaced.”

He pursed his lips. “Well, okay,” he said. “I’ll just go outside and finish cleaning up and be on my way.”

From that point onward, he was even more brusque than he had been before. I worried as I heard him clanging around outside that he would do something to make the part break faster and make me “sorry” I hadn’t taken his advice. I also suspected that the “preventative maintenance” visits were just a way for the company to find something– anything– wrong, and make more money. Either way, I suspected, we were screwed.

We didn’t need to use our heater or air conditioner for a few days after that, but on Sunday night, the temperatures dipped and we turned on the downstairs heater.

Guess what?

It doesn’t work.

Dennis called the company and very politely told them what had happened, and asked that they make it right. They said they could send the same guy back over on Monday, but obviously we wanted a different technician. They said another technician wouldn’t be available until today, but so far we’ve heard nothing. And now, the temperature is reaching 85 degrees each day and we have no downstairs A/C.

So what do we do? What would you do? We’d like to call another company to come out and fix it, but all of our warranties are with the original one. We’ve talked about having someone else come out and document whether our system was tampered with by the last guy. Would you do that, or would you wait to see if this new company makes it right?

Either way?

UGGGGGHHHHH.

Image via Sylvar/Flickr

This recipe is based on Martha Stewart’s very popular recipe for mac and cheese, which you can find all over the Internet- HOWEVER, if you’re familiar with Martha Stewart’s recipes, you know that they often contain ingredients that are difficult to find and steps that are tough to follow. So I did it my way– I added a few things, took out a few things, and I think the results are even better. AND you can find all the ingredients at your local grocery store! I added white truffle oil to mine, which I found at Kroger in the cooking oils- It’s expensive, but I think it takes this recipe to eleven and you only have to use a tiny bit.

It’s still a special occasion dish, but it will be a show-stopper at your next potluck– and if you make it for your family, it’ll last all week long– It’s very dense and rich, yet my entire family of picky eaters LOVES it.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 slices good quality white bread (I get a loaf from the supermarket bakery and use half). Remove crusts, tear into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar OR I used Kraft 3-cheese (sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, white cheddar with a touch of cream cheese) and it turned out great
• White Truffle Oil (optional but highly recommended)
• 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere OR 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano (I use grated pecorino Romano, which is easy to find at the grocery)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

DIRECTIONS

–Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 7 1/2 x 12 1/2 dish (I spray mine with butter flavored baking spray) and set aside.

–Put bread pieces in a medium bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour butter into the bowl with bread and toss. Set the bread pieces aside.

–In a medium saucepan on medium heat, warm milk, making sure it does not boil.

–Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Make sure your flour/butter measurements are EXACT– Otherwise, the flour will clump together in the sauce.

–Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. I like to pour in a tiny bit of milk at a time and let it thicken as I go.

–Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup  Romano. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of white truffle oil. Set cheese sauce aside.

–Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer’s directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone (It will continue cooking in the oven). Drain the macaroni in a colander, then rinse under cold running water. Drain well. Stir macaroni into the cheese sauce.

–Pour the mixture into your prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake uncovered until browned on top, about 30 minutes.

–Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

–Enjoy!

A few months ago, I started researching my family tree, with the help of my 88-year-old grandmother, the Internet, and an out-of-print history book on Harlan County, Kentucky that contained my great great grandmother’s notes in the margins.

The research became a rabbit hole for me, where I could lose myself for hours. I’ve discovered to my surprise that I’m as American as it gets- Every single line I’ve traced back began in England or Wales and crossed over to the United States in the 1600s or early 1700s. I’ve discovered that I’m a direct descendant of English nobility, Native Americans, Quakers, Revolutionary and Civil War heroes, a murderer, and Oliver Cromwell. I’ve read 300-year-old wills, newspaper clippings, death certificates, and census records. I’ve connected with distant cousins who’ve sent me photos of family members that I’ve never seen before, like my great grandmother on her wedding day, and I’ve made it my goal to attend a family reunion at the historic (and hard-to-get-to) Hensley settlement in Harlan County. The Hensleys, apparently, are genealogy fools, and I can’t wait to add their stories to my own records.

My favorite discoveries, though, have been the photos. I’ve found a surprising number of them. The women interest me the most, because they’re the hardest to trace. They didn’t buy land or serve in the military or vote. They were, primarily, mothers. That was their job, and it was an important one. They often had staggering numbers of children. And while I didn’t know most of them well or even at all, they each contributed in a very real way to the person I am today.

Here are just a few of their stories.

Sally Clark Eager is my fifth great grandmother. She told her children that she remembered when her father returned home from the War of 1812, walking to Harlan, Kentucky from the Mexican border. He was still wearing his red uniform jacket and he carried a small bottle of wine for her mother, encased in woven straw.

Now that’s love.

Anna Miracle Hoskins is my third great grandmother. She had three sons with my great great grandfather Ezekiel, who died in the Civil War. She remarried and had ten more children with her second husband, and she ultimately lived to be 77 years old. This photo was taken alongside husband number two. You can just tell by looking at her that she liked my great great great grandfather SO much better.

Laura Vaughn Williams is my great great grandmother. She’s pictured here with my great great grandfather. She died at the age of 52, when my great grandfather was 20, and it deeply affected him. He had been very close to her, and kept many of her things after she died.

I wish he had kept that hat.

Olive “Ollie” Jones Hensley is my great great grandmother. She had 18 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood. Women like Ollie are rockstars on sites like Ancestry.com– Since hundreds of people can trace their roots back to her, there’s lots of information about her. Ollie wrote down quite a few of her family memories in the margins of my Harlan County history book. I feel now like I know her, even though we’ve never met.

Cassandra Davis Hoskins is my great great grandmother. She lived in the log cabin pictured here. My grandmother still remembers a time when Cassie’s husband, my great great grandfather, stood up in church and invited anyone who needed shelter during an upcoming revival to come stay with them.  70 people showed up and the Hoskins fed and housed them all, killing pigs and a cow in order to feed everyone.

Now that’s hospitality.

Zella Hensley Walker is my great grandmother. This is Zella on her wedding day. She was full of mischief, and loved playing pranks even when she was elderly. She hated cooking and her method was to shove everything in the oven and cook it on high, in order to get it done as quickly as possible. This resulted in our family’s famous “Chunky Pumpkin Pie” recipe, which is, quite frankly, to die for.

Nancy Hoskins Williams is my great grandmother. This picture was taken on her wedding day, when she was just 15 years old. I love imagining what was going through her mind when this photo was made– She must have been terrified. Don’t worry, though. It all turned out fine. My great grandparents were married 56 years and my grandmother never once saw them argue.

Jeanette is my grandmother, and the daughter of Nancy. She’s 88 now and my children agree that she’s the nicest woman on earth. I love her so much, it hurts.

Sharon is my mother. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and a great mom. I know for a fact that she’d do anything for me. She might complain about it, but she’d do it.

I never knew all that much about the women in my family until now. I feel stronger armed with this knowledge, and connected to something that’s far bigger and more complex than I can even comprehend.

I am part of a line of amazing women, who loved and lost and fought and endured and dared and suffered and rejoiced. My daughter will grow up now knowing about them, and she will be better because of it.

This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking of all of them.

Last weekend, I went to Mom 2.0 thanks to a generous sponsorship from CVS MinuteClinic.

Mom 2.0 took place this year at the Laguna Beach Ritz-Carlton.

I know, I know. Rough life. I have been to Laguna Beach before and knew it was going to be nice. But I had no idea just how nice it truly was.

This is the hotel.

This is the view from the hotel. Those little dots in the water are surfers, and they were there from sun up to sun down.

I am a beach girl at heart, and I have never had a more hypnotizing view of the Pacific Ocean. It was tough to pull myself away from this sight… and the CVS MinuteClinic team must have known this would be true for all Mom 2.0 attendees. The first event CVS Minute Clinic sponsored was a Friday morning fun run along the beach.

The first party of the weekend had been held the night before, and I wondered how many moms would be able to pull themselves out of bed the next morning for the start of the run at 7am.

A lot of moms, as it turns out. A sizable crowd of women- and a few men- showed up, ready to run (or in my case, WALK). It was a good call, because the running path was spectacular. Runners could opt for a 5K run or a 1 mile run with workout stops along the way, led by CVS nurse practitioners.

It was truly inspiring to see so many moms taking the opportunity to do something good for their bodies while at a conference. I’m always tempted to sleep in, but seeing these ladies start off the morning right made me rethink my future travel plans. I really believe that working out in the morning makes the day a whole lot better.
For me, walking the 5K was a fantastic way to clear my head and start off the weekend right. I began the walk with my brain clouded with a long list of things I needed and wanted to accomplish. Over time, though, the ocean air and beautiful scenery began to work their magic. By the time I was finished, I felt like I had had a mental massage. My thoughts were clear, I was at peace, and I was excited to see what the rest of the day held.

Mission accomplished.All weekend long, CVS MinuteClinic had a booth in the Mom 2.0 Marketplace, where attendees could learn about all of the services available at the MinuteClinic. (I’ll be writing about those in greater detail in a later post.)

CVS also sponsored a Friday evening cocktail party (which, as you can see, was a very popular event) and a delicious snack break on Saturday. And in a genius move, instead of giving out swag bags at the event, CVS shipped bags filled with products to every Mom 2.0 attendee. The bags were filled with full-size products from Roc, Aveeno, and many more brands and I can’t wait to try everything out.

I accepted this sponsorship because I’m a huge fan of (and participant in) the CVS MinuteClinic concept. I have a family doctor and a pediatrician who are both wonderful and highly skilled– When things are really wrong, I’m grateful to have them. But when it comes to the small stuff, like strep tests, flu shots, school sport physicals, and even lice checks (shudder), I’m so glad there’s a MinuteClinic nearby (covered by my health insurance!) that saves me a long trip to the doctor and a long wait in the waiting room. CVS MinuteClinic is expanding, so check the website to find out if there’s a MinuteClinic in your neighborhood. I’ll be writing more soon about some services provided by CVS MinuteClinic that you probably didn’t know existed. They’re exciting, so stay tuned!

CVS MinuteClinic sponsored my trip to Mom 2.0. My opinions in these posts are my own.

I’m sure many people read that news and thought “They GOT IN HIS CAR? Who would get in a total stranger’s car?!” That’s what I thought too, at first. And then I realized…

I almost did the very same thing. And I almost paid dearly for it.

When I was in college at the University of Georgia, I’d ride the university bus to Milledge Avenue each day, get off the bus at a large apartment complex, and cut through its parking lot to get to a shady residential side street. A five minute walk down that road brought me to my own apartment.  The walk was a bit of a hike, but worth it since parking spots on campus were expensive and scarce. When I got off the bus, a small crowd of students always got off with me– Some lived in the large apartment complex, others parked there and rode the bus to class each day. I took little notice of them; Athens was a pretty safe town.

One spring afternoon, I got off the bus, cut through the parking lot, and began walking down the long street to my apartment. Within seconds, a guy pulled up beside me in his car. I recognized him– He had gotten off the bus with me.

“Do you need a ride?” he asked, smiling. For a moment I hesitated. It was a hot day. I was tired. My books were heavy. And he seemed friendly and good looking. What could possibly go wrong?

“No,” I said, reluctantly. “I’m fine. I live just right down the street.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “It’s no problem.”

“I’m sure,” I said. “Thanks anyway.” I started walking again.

His car moved along beside me. “Get in my car,” he said. I looked over at him, surprised. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

“No, that’s okay,” I said. I was confused. Was this some kind of joke? Because if it was, it wasn’t funny.

“Get in the car RIGHT NOW, YOU F*!#ING BITCH!” he shouted.

Quickly, I looked around. No one was in sight. I ran around behind his car and memorized his tag number. Then I panicked. I was alone on the street. I was wearing a long, straight skirt that would make it difficult to run. Unsure of what to do, I started walking quickly down the sidewalk as he drove along beside me, screaming expletives at me and ordering me to get in his car. Should I run to someone’s front door? What if they weren’t home? Should I run in the other direction? WHAT SHOULD I DO?!

After a few seconds of this, he pulled up and into a driveway right in front of me. He started to get out of the car. He was still screaming at me. My heart leaped into my throat.

At that point, another car turned down the road. I ran out into the street and flagged it down. It was another male student.

“Please help me!” I gasped. “I don’t know that guy! He’s trying to force me to get in his car!”

The student looked at the guy, who was still screaming at me, calling me a bitch. “I don’t know,” he said uncertainly. “I’m late to class.”

“I DON’T KNOW HIM!” I said. “PLEASE HELP ME!”

“Okay,” he said at last. “Get in.”

And that is how I ended up in a complete stranger’s car, being driven (I hoped) to safety. Once I was in the car and he understood what was going on, he was very nice and we drove around the block a few times to make sure the guy was gone and not following us before he took me to my apartment.

I got home and I collapsed in fright, sobbing. And then I called the police.

They handled it and I never saw or heard from this guy again, but looking back, my life changed after that incident. I found out from friends that it was not random– The guy was in a fraternity and had been asking my former sorority sisters about me for months. (I desistered after  a year, but stayed on good terms with everyone.) He had been following me that day. And so I never rode the bus home again after that. I spent hundreds of dollars to park on campus. I didn’t go out alone. I constantly watched my back. My safe college town was no longer safe to me.

I have no idea what that guy was planning to do after I got in his car, but I do know it wouldn’t have ended well. And I still think sometimes of that moment when I thought about getting in.

I almost got into his car.

This is exactly the kind of situation, I imagine, that these three women were in. Maybe they got in because the day was hot. Maybe they got in because they recognized Ariel Castro as the father of a girl they knew. Maybe they got in because they were in their own neighborhood, and he seemed like a local. What could possibly go wrong?

What could possibly go wrong?

These are the stories we need to tell our children now. Their lives may depend on it.

It is Teacher Appreciation Week at school, and while my kids and many others are honoring your hard work and dedication with drawings and flowers and candy, I wanted to let you know from a parent’s perspective how very much you’ve meant not only to my kids, but to my entire family.

I want to thank you for being a second mother to my children. I know my kids have called you “Mommy”  more than once- They always tell me about it afterward, giggling like crazy. To me, that says so much about you, and how you treat your students. I remember a day when one of you was comforting a boy whose parent couldn’t come to an event. “Don’t worry,” you told him, taking his hand in yours. “I’ll be your mommy this morning. It’ll be okay.” I see these small moments and my heart swells. I love how much you love the children in your class.

Thank you for making learning fun. My children come home from school each day excited about what you have taught them and eager to tell me all about it. Your lessons on space and Japan and photosynthesis and presidents and cultural holidays and the civil rights movement are shaping who they are and who they’ll become. Your rewards for reading  have helped turn my daughter into a child who has a nightstand stacked with books and who spends most of her free time reading them. Your belief that students enjoy being challenged means that my son is now adding and subtracting double digits, learning about fractions, and counting into the thousands in kindergarten. Kindergarten! I am in awe of all you have taught my children, and so happy that they’re having fun in the process.

Thank you for dealing with my daughter’s first bully swiftly and decisively. When I wrote you a tentative e-mail about what was going on, you responded within minutes and dealt with it the very next day, both with me and the other child’s parents. It turned out to be a valuable lesson for my daughter in speaking out when there’s a problem and keeping it from happening to someone else.

Thank you for keeping stress to a minimum during standardized testing. Both my children treated those days like any other at school, and I realized from talking to other parents that their attitudes had everything to do with your attitudes. I know that standardized tests are incredibly stressful for you, as teachers– Thank you for not letting that stress transfer to your students.

Thank you for your continual thoughtfulness. I have seen you give my children your own drink from the refrigerator when they didn’t have one of their own. I heard just yesterday that you bought Bruiser a popsicle on Field Day after I forgot to send money for him. You have called and e-mailed me with reminders when I’ve needed them, let the kids bring projects in late when I’ve forgotten about them, and been so forgiving of my lapses when I’m traveling or under deadline. You have minimized the fact that I’m far from perfect when it comes to remembering everyone’s schedules, and I’m so grateful for that.

To the teaching assistant in Punky’s classroom– Your job on paper is to help the kids in the room with special needs, but you do so much more than that. Thank you for being a true maternal presence in the classroom, always ready to re-tie hairbows and give hugs and comfort the children when they’re upset, and to teach them funny phrases like “Hubba, hubba.” Thank you for helping with handouts and cut-outs and class projects, and for making them special treats throughout the year. You have gone so far above and beyond– There should be a special award just for you.

Each one of you has treated my children like they mean everything to you, and that’s so much more than I was expecting from their elementary school experience. If they can’t be here with me every day, I can’t think of a better place for them to be than with you. I know that they will remember each one of you for the rest of their lives. So will I.

I am so grateful for you.

Flowers via TwoMoreSeconds/Flickr

By now, you know that my family loves to travel. We’ve done everything together from snow skiing in Colorado to shopping on Melrose Avenue in LA to white water rafting to playing on the beaches of Florida and South Carolina– and I’ve written about most of our travel experiences on this blog.

One thing we haven’t done yet is go on a family cruise– and I’m dying to remedy that. We’ve been talking about booking a family cruise for AGES- Dennis and I love the idea of unpacking once and visiting multiple ports of call with our children. We also love the idea of a vacation that includes family time AND time for just the two of us. We want a cruise that has fun youth programs now that our kids are at the perfect age to really enjoy them. Not only do our children get the opportunity to meet and play with others their age (which is currently their favorite thing to do), but Dennis and I get to enjoy a little time on our own– That way, it truly is a vacation for EVERYONE.

One option we love is Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Cruising for families. These cruises include a revamped, complimentary youth and teen program for kids ages six months to 17 years that includes circus school, interactive arts and crafts workshops, and a luxurious kids center that gives kids a chance to enjoy some of their favorite Wii games, kids activities, and surround sound cinema with plenty of supervision. The counselors are trained to make sure your child has as much fun as possible in a super-safe environment.

Looking at all that’s offered, I’m pretty sure I would be dragging my children away from the youth program kicking and screaming! You can choose from the youth program’s morning, afternoon or evening hours, depending on what you and your special someone have planned. I also love that it’s included with the price of the cruise- We let my children participate in a resort kids camp at the beach last year and they loved it so much that they wanted to go every day. Unfortunately, it was so expensive that we had to limit them to two days out of our week. Had it been complimentary, we would have let them go all week long– While they were enjoying kids camp in the mornings, Dennis and I got to go bike riding and kayaking in a lagoon, things I ordinarily wouldn’t have been able to do on a family trip. Everyone was happy!

For teens, there’s Entourage, a program for 13-17 year olds that offers sporting activities like soccer and volleyball, themed events like scary movies on vampire night, and a supervised teen center. And when you arrive at a port, you can check kids ages 2-12 into Port Play if you and your spouse want to enjoy some alone time on land. I know we all dream of bringing our kids along, but the reality with small children is that some of them would probably enjoy Port Play FAR more than shopping in town. One aspect of the youth program I really appreciate is that parents are issued a beeper or handy phone when they check in their children, so that they can be notified any time their child needs them. That would really put my mind at ease, particularly when my children were smaller.

Of course, if you’re like us you want to spend most of your time WITH your family– Norwegian Cruise Line also offers activities for all of you to do together, like Family Fun Shipboard Challenges, Family Circus Shows, Family Movie Nights, Family Pizza Making, Family Scavenger Hunts, Family Building Block Hour, Game Show Challenges, and Family Poolside Challenges. In addition, Nickelodeon™ activities are now available on Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.

And while you may be imagining trying to cram your family into close quarters on a cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line offers 2-bedroom family suites. Love it! Specific Norwegian cruises include performances by the Blue Man Group and Second City comedy troupe, water slides and kids’ water park areas, Nickelodeon-themed programming, and a special help-yourself buffet that’s just for kids. That alone would be enough to keep my kids happy on a cruise!

Are you as excited as I am to book a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise for your family? I still have to find the money before I can make a reservation… but one of you may be in luck. BlogHer and Norwegian will be giving away a cruise voucher for a family of four to one lucky person. To enter, leave a comment on this post answering the question, “What is your dream vacation for your family?”

Here are the official contest rules:

• No duplicate comments.

• You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

• Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled for winner selection; only two entries per household.

• This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

• The Official Rules are available here.

• This sweepstakes runs from 5/7/2013-6/2/2013.

Be sure to visit Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

My children’s lunch times are vastly different, so I always choose different days for for having lunch with them. This was Punky’s day– but when I got to the school office to check in, I saw my son in the nurse’s room. Quickly, I rounded the corner of the office to find out what was going on. Bruiser was sitting on a chair and holding a blood-soaked piece of gauze to his nose. Blood stained his shirt and shoes and was smeared on his arms and legs. He looked up with his best trying-to-be-brave face, but there were tears in his eyes.

“Oh honey,” I said. “It’s okay.”

It was my baby’s first nosebleed. Bruiser had had a particularly bad head cold and apparently, the congestion was enough to burst a blood vessel. I took over for one of the secretaries who’d been helping him and cleaned him off as well as I could. Mostly, though, I held his hand and kissed his head and gave him lots of hugs as we waited for the bleeding to stop. He looked at me with the grateful eyes of someone who’d just been helped to safety after clinging to the side of a steep cliff.

“Can you believe I showed up right when this happened?” I said as I wiped off his arms with wet paper towels. “What are the chances? How long were you in here before I came in the door?”

“About a second,” he said, grinning from behind the gauze.

I stopped what I was doing. “Did you wish for me?” I asked him. “Were you thinking ‘I want my mommy SO MUCH’ when you came in here?”

“Yes, I was,” he said.

“Well, that was Mommy Magic,” I said.

And no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise.