photos by husband
travel safer – and cheaper with a gas card giveaway!
I don’t know about you, but we are road tripping all over the place this summer! Now that we are a family of 5, we only fly when driving is absolutely out of the question. Driving – especially with kids in the car — can be really stressful. All of us seasoned moms know about tricks like planning travel games, packing snacks, organizing the driving route, and securing the perfect road trip music playlist to help make the ride easier. But what about your car? The NAIC has five tips for a stress-free summer road trip:
-
image via naic.org
Confirm your car insurance is active and premiums are up-to-date. Have a current copy of your insurance card in the car.
- Check to see if your policy includes roadside assistance. You can be covered for towing, fuel delivery, lockout service, jump-starts and more. (Our insurance offers this for like $5 a month. Totally worth it!)
- If renting a car, check if your current policy includes coverage, and verify limitations with your agent. Some credit cards offer rental coverage, so check with your credit card company to determine if that is an option.
- If rental car coverage is not included in your policy, consider adding an insurance rider for a small fee or purchasing coverage from the rental car company. Make sure you don’t duplicate benefits from your existing auto, health or home insurance policy.
- Verify your homeowners or renters insurance covers the theft of personal items from a car, especially if you are planning to carry expensive items in your car such as golf clubs, video or digital cameras or laptops.
WIN!!
To help make your summer travel even more painless, the NAIC if offering one lucky Girlymama reader a $50 Shell gift card!
Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me one of your favorite road trip destination!
Extra Entry #1: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you subscribed to Girlymama’s feed by email or in a reader.
Extra Entry #2: Leave another comment telling me that you Girlymama on Twitter!
Extra Entry #3: Leave another comment telling me you visited the Insure U Online site.
Extra Entry #4: Leave another comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting about it on your blog or Facebook, or Tweeting about it.
Contest ends Tuesday, July 5th at noon. Entries such as “Enter me” or “I want to win” will NOT be counted. Winners will be selected by Random.org, announced back here on this post, and notified via email with further instructions. If I don’t hear from the winner in 48 hours, I will be choosing a new winner.
for the home: easy canvas prints
We love photography and constantly take pictures. We love surrounding ourselves with pictures in our home. We often change out the pictures in the frames so we can enjoy some new photos of our family as our kids grow up and we have new adventures.
But there are those few pictures – I can think of maybe 5 or 6 – that I just love. I love them so much that my grandchildren will probably remember these pictures hanging up in their grandma’s house. One of my favorites is one that my husband took of me and my son. It was on our birth announcement and it even won a photo contest. This was the picture I turned into a gorgeous canvas print with Easy Canvas Prints.
It turned out so, so lovely:
Easy Canvas Prints is super simple:
Step One: Choose your size and thickness of the canvas. You can choose either .75 inch thick standard wrap or 1.5 inch gallery wrap. I chose the 1.5 inch because I wanted it to stand alone without a frame. I got an 8×10, but next time I will definitely go bigger. It is so gorgeous – I’d love to get a 16×20 for over the fireplace for my next picture!
Step Two: Upload your image. Easy canvas Prints will tell you if your image quality is high enough resolution, which is a great check that you’re getting a great product.
Step Three: Choose your border. You can get a solid color, a mirror image or you can stretch the photo around the canvas. I chose mirror image, since my photo didn’t have a huge border around the central image.
Step Four: Optional retouching (extra charge) or change your image to black and white or sepia (also extra charge).
A tip from a graphic designer (me) when you edit and crop and such in Picasa, you lose image quality. For something like this, when you need a really high resolution, use Photoshop or let them fix it.
I was very pleased with the whole process. It was super simple, much more affordable than some other photo-to-canvas services and the final product was gorgeous.
Check out my fashion blog, All Things Chic: we’re giving away a 8×10 print from Easy Canvas Prints this week!!
to the beach
This week we’re headed to Ocean City for a week at the beach. So excited to lay in the sand, play with the kids, sleep late, drink coffee out on the porch listening to the ocean, walking along the boardwalk, indulging in boardwalk food…
Love.
But, alas, we will have no internet at the beach. So enjoy some pictures, some oldies and be sure to check out my fashion blog, All Things Chic while I’m gone!
xoxo
fashion friday: weekend getaway wardrobe
We’re heading out for a family vacation – but next week is our anniversary! Oh, I wish we could sneak in a little weekend getaway. Alas, we cannot this year. But I can dream… about the cute outfits I would wear! Here’s a total budget friendly weekend of clothes – all for just about $300 for everything – jewelry, purses, shoes – the works!!
Friday:
You’ll probably be traveling to get to your romantic getaway, so you want to keep it comfy, but still be nice if you want to go out sightseeing when you get there!
Open Front Cardigan $30 |Ruffled Chiffon Cami $15 | Denim Capris $27 | Lusa Studded Flip Flops $10 | Crossbody Bag $19 | Circle Chandelier Earrings $3.80
TOTAL = $104
Saturday:
Hit the pool. Hard!
Polka Dot Bikini Top $15.50 | Polka Dot Bikini Bottom $10 | Embroidered Gauze Swim Cover-Ups $26 | Flip Flop $3.50 | Floppy Hat $10.50
TOTAL = $65.50
Out for date night on Saturday night!
Ruffle-Tier Tie-Belt Dress $35 | Elliana Wedge Sandals $25 | Circle Chandelier Earrings (from Friday) | Textured Cuff Bracelet $6.80 | Matelass clutch $12.80
TOTAL = $79.90
Sunday
Brunch. Yum.
Peasant Top $32 | Denim Capris (from Friday) | Crossbody Bag (from Friday) | Circle Chandelier Earrings (from Friday)
Total = $32
Don’t forget the jammies 😉
Crochet-Trim Gauze Chemises $20
TOTAL for the whole Shebang? $301.That’ll leave you enough left over to treat yourselves to a nice dinner, for sure 🙂
Did you do a fashion post today? Link up!
daddy’s little helper
Its not unusual to hear Colin tearing through the house yelling, “I need my tool box! Hang on a minute! I need my tool box!”
This means that Daddy got his tool box out to fix something. And Colin needs to be his “big helper” and be “just wike Daddy!”
I love it.
try this: healthier microwave popcorn
So in our little journey to eating healthier, we have made several changes like switching to organic dairy, avoiding food dyes and HFCS, giving up soda (sob!)… and now here is the newest change:
Good-bye, Microwave Popcorn.
I won’t even address what is probably in that “butter” flavor or the trans fats or the sodium. Blah Blah. This is hardly news.
But a study released on November 8 by the University of Toronto found the chemicals used to line microwave popcorn bags are contaminating the food inside. The linings of microwave-popcorn bags may contain a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which is used to prevent the food from sticking to the paper. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFOA is a likely carcinogen.
We love popcorn in our house, my kids eat it several times a week as a snack, so we started to make our popcorn in a pan on the stove top with coconut oil. Very yummy, but I so missed the convience of mocrowave popcorn. But then I discovered this:
We got this Catamount glass microwave popcorn popper and are LOVING it! You put the popcorn kernels in the bowl, add a bit butter (if desired) to the little BPA-free top, and it pops the popcorn in the microwave (ours takes around 2:30) and it melts the butter right over your popcorn. Add a bit of salt and YUMM!! Its easy, quick and a healthier alternative! Score!
weekend wrapup
This weekend started by me taking all the kids along as we attended a Brownie Field Trip to the Aquarium with Ellie’s troop on Friday. I’m still not sure why I thought that was a good idea. Even with my father-in-law along to help it was insane. Eight-year-old girls in general are pretty exhausting. In a group, they are a force of nature! I came home and literally fell dead asleep for over an hour.
Then that evening, we saw Gracie’s first dance recital. It was so, so wonderful – the whole show was fantastic. The tiny class before hers – I think they were Tiny Tap class or something – were too adorable for words. So darling. Gracie did a fantastic job! Her smile was so huge and you could tell she was loving every minute of being on stage! I was in tears the whole time…
my little ballerina
***
On Saturday, we went to Dorney Park for my husband’s company picnic. So much fun – it was the perfect day for it. Grace, Colin and I had to leave early, so we hit Planet Snoopy hard. Colin was thrilled – they had a truck ride AND a race car ride. I lost track of how many times we rode the race car ride. I’m still a little dizzy actually… He was super cute on this truck ride. He said, “I drivin’ and you in the back, Mama! It backwards!”
truck driver colin!
Ellie stayed with Daddy to hit all the roller coasters in the afternoon, which we headed home. Grandma and Grandpa watched Colin while I took Grace to her dance recital.
Grace had been begging me to be a Backstage Mom. She played the guilt card hard, so I signed up.
Big mistake. HUGE. My husband may or may not have gotten a text halfway through the show saying something along the lines of “Get me the heck out of here! Send wine!”
It turns out that the Backstage Mom is in charge of keeping the class entertained for the entire recital (except the 3 minutes they are dancing.) This is a tough job. That I will never. do. again. Every single Backstage Mom looked ready to collapse during the finale.
***
This week I’m hoping to get into the doctor again. I am still feeling awful – I’m not sure this medicine is working. I’m so so tired of being sick and feeling sick and being in pain and always being exhausted. Hoping to get better soon. Sorry if blogging is light. Or boring. There’s not much to write about when you’re sick!
Congress Hall
This weekend, I stayed at Congress Hall in Cape May, New Jersey.
It was love at first sight when I walked into the gorgeous lobby. So elegant. Yet, the hotel is far from stuffy. The staff is delightful and welcoming.
lobby - photo by jo-lynne
I was instantly charmed when they handed me my room key. A real key! The keychains were inspired by the luggage tags of the early 1900s, when Cape May became a popular summer haven for folks from Philadelphia and New York and D.C.
The charm and attention to detail didn’t stop there. Located right across the street from the beach, the Congress Hall Hotel manages to be both a fun family vacation spot and a romantic getaway at the same time. The hotel has a history more than two centuries old – history buffs will be thrilled to walk the halls that are hung with historical tidbits. Congress Hall was built 1878 and lovingly renovated by owner Curtis Bashaw in 2002. But while it now has all the modern amenities, but still holds that historic touches that makes Cape May unique among towns at the shore.
My room was an ocean view king room. It was very spacious and decorated with fabulous simplicity.
And the details – the moldings, the old windows, the adorable bathroom, a sitting area with two chairs (why do hotels always have only one?), the walk-in closet – all of it was wonderful.Very comfortable beds with high-quality linens, a great shower, plus lots of luxurious extras like two fluffy robes hanging in the closet and Aveda toiletries.
i must find their bathroom fixtures for when we re-do our bath! LOVE!
What impressed me the most about Congress Hall – besides the fabulous design – was the variety of activities they offered. There are tons of activities for the kids, but this remains a place where can enjoy themselves too. Kids are more than welcome and will have an absolute blast, but they haven’t taken over the resort. Its still a place I would want to take my husband for a romantic getaway. Perfect example? The Boiler Room. By night, its a nightclub with live music for adults. But if you come down in the early evening, you’ll find kid’s Karaoke! How fun!
The beach is just across the street (complete with full service cabanas, if you’re so inclined) or there is a lovely pool where you can relax with the kids while you sip a cocktail delivered to your beach chair. The hotel provides everything – all you need is your bathing suit!
photo by jo-lynne
I love that my whole extended family could come here – Cape Resort Group has such a variety of properties all within walking distance, we could all stay where we like, but join up during the day or for meals. Plus, with Camp Congress Hall, my husband and I could still sneak in a date night on our family vacation! LOVE!
And the spa! THE SPA! Lovely – just lovely. Peaceful, luxurious, gorgeous. My massage was divine. One of the trip highlights, to be sure.
Of all the hotels I’ve stayed in, Congress Hall is one of my favorites. The character, charm and history really set this one apart in my mind. I stayed at Congress Hall, but got to peek at the Virginia Hotel and the Beach Shack and they both looked fabulous. I highly recommend these hotels and I can’t wait to come back with my family!!
Be sure to follow Congress Hall on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all their activities. If you’re heading to Cape May, you can receive a $100 resort credit to be used during your stay when you stay at Congress Hall, Virginia Hotel or the Beach Shack. Make your reservation online and use the code MOMBLOG and book by July 31, 2011 for a stay in 2011. Not valid with any other offers.
Disclosure: This trip was sponsored by Cape Resort group and The Motherhood. I was provided with meals, accommodations and a spa treatment in order to appreciate the Congress Hall experience. All opinions are my own.
fashion friday: 10 cute dresses under $25
Its been an übercrazy week here in the Girlymama household, but I’m never too busy for some übercute dresses! I live in sundresses all summer – and at these amazing prices, I can indulge in a few more! Many of them are in extended sizes as well, so give them a try!
Crochet Knit Tank Dress $12.99 | Rugby Striped Knit Dress $16.99 | Solid Sweetheart Knit Dress $16.99 | Kimono Sleeve Dress $15 | Smocked Strapless Dress $19.99
Sleeveless Aqua Maxi Dress $24 | Women’s Jersey Tube Knot Dresses $24.95 | 
Sleeveless Ikat Print Strapless Maxi $24.95 | Bali Maxi Dress $24 | Jersey Cross Front Maxi Dress $24.99
Did you do a fashion post today? Link up!