Family Vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee-Yippee!

Our family usually enjoys traveling the end of October, but once we heard about the winter celebration in Gatlinburg, we decided to travel the beginning of December to this getaway in the Smokies. Gatlinburg is about 13 hours away, and yes, we drove it. This was an experience in itself, but we'll save that for another post. Gatlinburg reminds me of Wisconsin Dells for those of you live in this wonderful state and have been there. While Gatlinburg is nicely nestled at the foot of the Smokies, it has been turned into a tourist town with plenty of fudge and old-time photo shops. I absolutely loved our resort (the Westgate Smokey Mountain Resort) and loved the mountains. Hiking was a true delight and the waterfalls were phenomenal. I highly recommend taking the drive that transverses the mountain range into North Carolina for great picture taking and views. Restaurants were plenty and satisfied all tastes, and of course, Ripley's has taken over a good deal of the entertainment choices, so you can see their many different attractions.

Do I recommend this trip? Well, sort of. The mountains are SO majestic that it is hard not to fall in love with the area immediately and think that you could live there off the land like they did on Little House on the Prairie, but in reality, I am a small-city girl and would never be happy like that. Time with the family is never a waste, even if we sometimes feel like referees during Friday Night Smackdown. Vacations also make you appreciate the comforts of your home and the friends you left behind. Hearts grow fonder for all things home.

More on New York City and Children

I feel that my children live a pampered life compared to many others in the world. While we don't have too much money, we do have heat, food, electricity, clothes, clean water, and all the other necessities. We also have many non-essentials such as a Wii, 3 televisions, a Nintendo DS, every Hot Wheel ever made, every action figure known to the younger generation, and all forms of building blocks. You get the idea.

We arrive in New York late at night because our plane was delayed. We are all tired by the time we reach our hotel. Uh-hem, Hostel. We check in and find out we are on the 4th floor and we have to all pile into a tiny elevator that moves at the speed of a snail. We step off the elevator onto a floor that I can only say looked like somebody threw up raspberry sherbet all over the walls. I tell the kids we will be fine and this will be an adventure, then we head to our room. Once the door is open, all of us start looking for the light switch. About 3 minutes later, I notice something hanging from the ceiling. It is a piece of string to which I then pull and the only light in the room comes on. Maybe we should have just kept the light off. My middle child, being the pampered middle that he is, exclaims "what is THAT about? This room doesn't even have a switch?" I then explain to him that this is still a common observance in some parts of the world and we will survive pulling the string. Well, the hostel didn't have bugs, or rats, but there was a bird in the room next door and we weren't sure if it was the occupants' or one that had taken residence from the outside. We shared an interesting experience sleeping in this different form of a hotel and we know we will laugh about those raspberry walls for years to come.

Wanted: Interior Decorator for the Candy Hotel/Hostel in NYC

P.S. I would have taken a picture but have to admit, I didn't want others to see where we had been willing to stay to save a few bucks.

Only in the Midwest

I love the way the people in the Midwest set their own rules. We run wild and free, most of us owning a house and land, or even just a plot of land. We take pride in our land and will defend it against those who would criticize the way we use it. Even when we are in an "urban" setting (a town considered incorporated), we choose to use our property in unique ways. I have seen full gardens, nick knacks all over, shadow people and animals lingering by many a fence, fake animals tromping through a front yard or sipping from a man made pond. Today, I saw a popular sport being played out in the front of our neighbors' yard within the city limits that could only be tolerated in the Midwest.

After playing at the local playground with all our children, we drove by our neighborhood church, then to our surprise, witnessed the corner home occupants hanging their latest deer kill from a tree. I cringed slightly, not because I am opposed to deer hunting, but because they then proceeded to gut the deer and remove the vital parts and spill them on the front lawn. "Kids, look at that. You should go down there and watch after we park the car," says my husband. Yeah, right. I wanted to take a picture to prove that it actually was happening in our quiet neighborhood, but thought that tacky and probably not appropriate for some of our readers. Where else could my children get such an accurate animal anatomy lesson from the comfort of our own vehicle? Only in the Midwest. Can you imagine what would happen if you lived in a high rise condo and suddenly saw a bloody carcass smack your window from the condo above? Heavens would that create a fuss. Bless Wisconsin and the freedoms we enjoy.

New York Review-Fun in The Big Apple!

Our trip to New York City was a great success. I highly recommend a visit for all of you who truly love a city vacation. There were so many exciting things to see and interesting people to meet and observe. Some of our favorite adventures follow. Enjoy.






Ah, Central Park in fall. I have to admit we were all very impressed with the beauty of it. An oasis amidst all the business of the city. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk through it. Funny- mentioning the walking, I do have to share that for the 4 days we were there, we spent most of the time walking. My sister-in-law wore her pedometer and we clocked 50miles around the city-JUST walking. The boys were actually great sports about it after a new pair of shoes for one and Red Bull for both. Walking is really the only way to get the most out of seeing the city.

The subway certainly provides a different form of transportation and entertainment. As it was Halloween weekend, we did expect to find people dressed up in costume. As we were obtaining our Metro cards for an early morning subway ride, I was poked in my back 3 times only to turn and see that next to me, was a young man 3/4 naked, dressed in a Chippendale tie, cuffs, and bikini. He got on our subway and ended up standing right next to us. I couldn't avoid commenting to him how daring that costume was and ask him where he put the money for the subway. He proceeded to share how he got stranded at a friends with no other clothes and now needed to get a pair of sweats purchased-FAST. I agreed. My boys just gawked at first, then acted as if they see it all the time on the streets of Waupaca, WI.

Of course, we visited all the usual sights. I found myself answering many questions as to why the sights didn't look quite the same as the movies they were featured in. The most disappointing being the Central Park Zoo. My children, who have watched Madagascar too many times to mention, were wondering where Marty, Gloria, Alex, and Marvin were. The zoo didn't even have any of these animals, but my children noticed that the clock in the movie was actually there. Thank you for small favors.

Lastly, we enjoyed the local wildlife. J and J (the boys) terrorized the pigeons, squeeled when a rat ran across the sidewalk in front of us one night, and admired all the New York "city" dogs. The reward of travel comes when my children realize how fortunate they are and empathize with those who don't have what most of us do. This trip taught them much, made them laugh, forced exercise (lots of it), and provided an experience I hope they never forget. You may hear more later as I share an embarrassing event that happened to me. Being able to laugh at ourselves is a true gift. WE LOVED NYC but it's good to be home.

Finding the Joy: Spending time together, especially while traveling, is a true blessing. We are thankful for the safe travel.

New York on a Budget-It CAN be done!

Tomorrow, a couple of my older boys and I embark on a journey to The Big Apple. We are SO excited about this, especially because we will be sharing our time with their aunt, my sister-in-law, and she is FUN. I love to research travel bargains and New York City provided many opportunities. Known as one of the most expensive cities to visit, it is also known to be rich in culture and learning opportunities that I really just HAD to have my children experience. After talking to a few friends about their experiences, I knew that my excitement was justified. Let me just end the mystery by letting you know that I was able to find bargains for airline tickets, 2 shows (1 on Broadway, 1 off), hotel (actually, Hostel), and sight-seeing for the unbelievably lost cost of $450.00/person-TOTAL! The extras will be Metro cards, food, and souvenirs, but WOW. Let me share my recommendations, then upon my return, I will write and let you know how we fared and if my bargain buys were really worth it.

1. I am not loyal to just one single airline, but I do have frequent flyer miles with 2 in particular. I must say that I fly the most frequently with Airtran Airways. I like that they have many nonstop flights (important with children) and many locations they fly in/out of. Our tickets were snagged for about $175/person.
2. Hotels can be pricey, but I found a well-rated Hostel in the upper West side of Manhattan close to the Museum of Natural History for get this-$92/night. That includes tax. Their are no frills with this, of course, just 2 double beds in a private room with linens, towels, and soap provided, and a shared bath, but how long do you actually plan to spend in your room? The shared bath was the hardest perk to give up, but the reviews stated the baths were kept VERY clean and were often available.
3. Tickets for the sight-seeing were snagged at one location: CityPass. Six top locations can be visited for one price-about $78/adult. The boys I purchased separately online at the various websites for a lower price.
4. Broadway shows. My friend recommends TKTS and I do, too, but I was also able to scour the Internet for tickets to Mary Poppins that totalled around $32/person (mezzanine) and an off-Broadway show called Altar Boyz for about the same. Total for shows: $64/person.
5. Through an organization known as Big Apple Greeters, I was assigned an excited volunteer who loves New York, to give us a FREE 4-hour tour around lower Manhattan.

This is all SO exciting. Now lets see if the bargain hunting was worth it. Tune in next week for the results and pictures.