Day Tripping.

We live in a fabulous location. An easy hours drive can have you in the heart of Amish country, the Jersey Shores, Delaware Beaches, Annapolis- home of the Naval Academy, Philly, or Baltimore. If you are willing to go another 45 minutes to an hour you can be in DC or NYC.

Yes, we love our location. We also are huge fans of day trips. We very seldom pack all our stuff for an overnight stay-- why bother when we can make a day of it then sleep in our own beds?

Here are my tips for successful day trips:

• Be ready the night before. Pack the bags, lay out the clothes, find all the shoes... This assures that you'll leave the house before noon.
  
• Pack food. Lots and lots of food, in individual servings. It may take longer but is so much more do-able when walking through the zoo or in the car. Don't forget the merit of carrots, apples, cheese sticks... junk doesn't feel very good in your tummy come about 5:00.
  
• Pack water, but be mindful of how many bathroom stops you want to take...
  
• Babywipes, babywipes, babywipes.
  
• Wear layers. I'm always surprised at how chilly a breeze can make a sunny day feel. Sweatshirts are your best friend!
• Take it easy! The joy of a day trip is that what you don't see today you can come back for. I'd much rather really enjoy one museum than rush through 3.
• Go for the offbeat attractions too! Some of our favorite things we have seen were in the back corner of a museum nobody suggested we visit (An amazing flag collection in a closet of a museum at the Naval Academy).
  
• Don't forget your camera! I take photos of signs that tell where we are, so when I get around to scrapbooking them (wink wink, yeah right.) in 25 years I'll know where we were.
• Don't forget, it is about Having Fun!
  

One of recent trips to DC included a car overheating, getting lost behind the zoo, a daughter throwing up (on a National Monument no less) and a Mom with a Vomit-inducing Migraine. We had an awesome day, no really, we did! I think being extra prepared and able to relax and laugh makes all the difference.

This is Eve. Good thing I believed her when she said she was feeling sick and told her to "lean out" rather than tossing her cookies on Sleeping Henry.

'Twas the night before houseguests

'Twas the night before houseguests and all through my house
Not a thing was quite ready, not even my spouse.
The towels were hung in the bathroom with care,
In hopes that our guests would not see the mess there.

The children are nestled all snug in MY bed,
While dread of sleep deprivation dances in my head!
You see, me in my slippers and Jason trav’ling Texas
Had just gotten used to a house without houseguests.

When out on the internet there arose such a clatter
I sprang to my desk to see what was the matter
When, what to my web-surfing eyes should appear,

But a birthday invite! How I hope they’ll stay here!

With 5 sweet children, so precious and good,

I just cannot wait to see M’lissa and David.

More rapid than eagles Emily and kids came,

And have kept me company and kept me sane.

"Now, Mom! now, Robin! now, Kristen and kids!

I love you so much! But there’s no more room in the inn.

To the Crowne Plaza Hotel! It is right by the mall!

Now hurry up! Come right now! Dash away all!"

As siblings that live far apart, far and wide,

When their grandma turns 90, they mount to the sky,

So up with Southwest, United and Delta they flew,

With their arms full of kid’s gear, and lots of love too.

And now, in a twinkling, I've realized right quick

That my family won’t judge me if things aren’t perfect.

We are coming together to celebrate and do
Our grandma’s 90th birthday! And Jane’s baptism, too!

This is the t-shirt logo for our Grandma's birthday. Ninety is the new forty.

We haven’t all been together for years...
Thinking of that puts me almost in tears.
I care not if my house is just perfectly right;
My heart swells to think of the beautiful sight:

Of our family, together. How lucky are we!
To be a happy, loving, eternal family.

STILL, all will be gathered here for days on end
And I have plenty of things to mend.
The kids’ toys, their closets and more are a mess!
We all will work hard and just do our best.

My pantry is stocked with chocolate and junk food
And not to be bossy or demanding or rude,
But a job chart is hung on the fridge with great care
In hopes that I won’t be pulling out my hair!

In truth, I can’t wait to see my sweet fam’ly
With their kind faces and warm love for me.
They are witty and smart, a right jolly old crew
And we never run out of fun things to do.

Remembering this and all else that I’ve said,
Helps me to know I have nothing to dread;
Now I’ll websurf no more, but go straight to my work,
And clean up this house; with a smile as a perk,

This is always what I look like when I do housework. Always.

And setting my alarm as early as it can,

I’ll awake to continue my housecleaning plan;

Such that when all arrive I’ll feel cheerful, not weepy

But I think most of all I’ll be feeling quite sleepy.

So they’ll hear me exclaim, ere I run out of sight,

"Welcome to all! And to all a good night!"

......................................................................................................................................

The real story: I love having houseguests. Robin the Wonderful has planned a party for our Grandma's 90th birthday (I hope she will blog about it), and every member of our family will be here for it! When I found out that everyone would be able to come, I invited (begged) those that live furthest away and have the youngest/most kids to stay with me. We will be in cousin heaven here and I can't wait.

Dear Bossy Readers!

I need some advice.

Some of my favorite people in the world are coming to visit me next week. I will have 11 houseguests for 5 days & nights. What is required to be a good hostess? Please keep in mind that I am not Martha, I have very young children who require constant attention, but I also want my guests to have a lot of fun and feel welcomed and loved.

Thinking about times you've visited family, and times that you've hosted, what are the things I can do to make everyone's stay enjoyable?

Thanks!
Sally

Le's go to hav sum fun!

My first grader made this for me right before school started this year. How could I resist this request? We went to the beach, and I keep this visible to remind me to hav sum fun.

One of my favorite ways to have fun is travel. It may be my most preferred (and most expensive) hobby. Before children, I traveled extensively for education, fun, and business and also lived in Moscow, Russia; Paris, France; and various states in the US. Now that we have these crazy little people running around, we've dialed it back a lot. Still, we take trips whenever we can, and I look forward to visiting Asia and Africa and other exotic locales as soon as our family and budget allow (sounds like a long time from now). In the meantime, we mostly stay in North America.

I am not a high-end traveler. When my husband and I lived in Paris 12 years ago, we spent a whole month sleeping in our rental car as we explored all of western Europe. Even if I'm on an expense report, I don't need the most luxurious hotels or the trendiest restaurants. However, I do want a good night's sleep in a comfortable hotel, and I need to eat delicious food and see the most interesting things. Do you like to travel, too? If so, you are in luck today. Because I am super nice, I'm going to share with you how I manage: my three favorite travel-related websites.

Hotel:

biddingfortravel.com This website is a web forum that will help you get great prices on hotels (and car and air). People come here and learn how to strategically bid for hotels on Priceline, then they report their winning (and losing) bids. The first time you visit this site, ignore the clunky design and read all the instructions. Then go crazy. We have stayed at super luxury resorts for $100/night. We were in Quebec City about 2 years ago and stayed at a Loews with a killer view room that would have been $325/night, but we got it for $67! On the lower end, I've stayed in Residence Inns for $30/night. Emily just got a great room at a luxury hotel in Chicago for an upcoming trip, thanks to Priceline and biddingfortravel.com. Never book a hotel without checking here first.

Food:

Chowhound.com message boards This is my kind of place. These are people who love good food but don't care for pretension. People ask questions, write reviews, and give advice freely. There are some snobby foodies, but you're likely to see a hole-in-the-wall Thai joint recommended right alongside a tres chic, expensive French restaurant. When I am traveling to a new destination, I always do my research at Chowhound first to find out what the local specialties are, where are the best places to eat at any budget, and what to order. I've found fantastic places to eat in LA, New Orleans, Hawaii, Mexico and even Germany. This is one of my favorite websites of all time because I LOVE TO EAT GOOD FOOD.

What to see and do:
Fodors Travel Talk Forums These forums are populated by experienced travelers and locals who want to share what they know. I have used these forums to plan trips to everywhere from Rio de Janiero to Rome to Provo, UT. Seven years ago we took a cruise through the Caribbean. I planned wonderful and fun excursions for us at every port thanks to the Fodors forums. We traveled by cab, daily rental car or pedicab, got to all the sights when they were still peaceful and easy to see, and just as we were leaving to go to our next activity the cruise buses would pull up with their hundreds of passengers. We also saved money by not going with the cruise line. I will never forget snorkeling in Jamaica--we were the first ones to the reef, saw barracuda and amazing fish, and after an hour or two we left when the hordes of cruise tourists arrived. Sweet! One tip--before you ask a question, do a search on the site first to see if the question has already been asked. There's so much great info, not just on sightseeing and activities, but also hotels and restaurants.

All the Bossy Sisters like to travel. We love travel stories. If you want to share yours with us, please do! When my friends go on vacation, I always request a detailed trip report when they're home. Vicarious travel is pretty good if you're as addicted as I am.

I'm going to go to hav sum fun now.