Selfish Mom

Happy Halloween, from 2008!

Oct 31, 2009 What's Going On

So I just realized today, the 11th of Novmember 2008, that I was going to post this picture on Halloween.  My sister sent it to me and while I’ve seen pumpkins like this before, I’ve never seen quite as good a set-up.  The scene is set really well!

So, this post is a time capsule of sorts.  Where was I almost a year ago, when I wrote this?  Mostly very happy.  Still feeling guilty about not being as involved this year in the kids’ school as in past years (but much much happier not being as involved).  Thinking about how I could get my acting career back on track with all the other stuff I’m doing and the kids and the house, and coming to the conclusion that I probably can’t.  And that I’d have to lose about 50 pounds to be serious about it anyway.  Being happy that my marriage is still mostly great after almost 20 years together!  Being happy that my kids have reached the point where their default positions are behaving well and misbehaving is the exception, not the rule.  Being disappointed that I still don’t have a third child and there’s no indication The Ass will ever change his mind about that.  Wondering if this time next year we’ll still be living in only half of our house.  Wondering if The Ass is going to get fired.  And if he does get fired, wondering if we can drop the kids off somewhere for six weeks and go on The Amazing Race together.

Life is good right now, I hope it lasts!

Originally posted on SelfishMom

Win iTunes gift cards from Holiday Inn

Oct 30, 2009 Product Giveaway

Be a BudJetsetter

I’ve always been partial to Holiday Inn when traveling because I’ve worked at two of them: one as a lifeguard and the other as a concierge.  They’re usually a good mix of value and amenities, and most are very family-friendly.  Children under 12 get to eat free off of the kids’ menu in the hotel’s restaurant, which is a huge savings when traveling with kids.   Even here in New York City, which is infamous for its ridiculous hotel prices, the Holiday Inn on Sixth Avenue is listed as a “Best Value Hotel in New York,” offering the “most for the money.”  Very cool for families that want to experience NYC without breaking the bank.

Holiday Inn has been making a lot of changes recently, including updating their website.  Holiday Inn wants you to be a BudJetsetter (get it? Budget? Jetsetter? Jetsetting on a budget?).  Whether traveling to see family or going on vacation with your family, there are lots of ways to fit travel into your budget.

Some budget tips that I’ve picked up myself after 8 years of traveling with kids:

• Make sure there’s a pool.  I’ve found that my kids will skip all sorts of expensive outings to hang out in the pool all day.
• Ask if a suite is available.  In theory, my kids go to bed a lot earlier than I do.  So when I’m traveling with them, I try to book a suite.  This does not have to be expensive!  I stayed in a Holiday Inn in Kansas City a couple of years ago where I was able to get a suite for only $20 more than a regular room.  After the kids went to bed in the bedroom, I had the whole living room to hang out and watch TV in.
• Find a free breakfast buffet.  Holiday Inn Express is especially great for this.  My kids love getting to help themselves to whatever they want, and it usually saves us about $20-25 per breakfast.
• Check out local children’s museums.  The admission price is usually pretty low, and even if you go to your local children’s museum a lot, the exhibits will be totally different.  And, if you have a membership to your local museum, check and see if they have a reciprocal agreement with other museums – our family membership to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum gets us in to hundreds of other museums across the country, for free!
• You know those huge racks of fliers that are sitting in a lot of hotel lobbies?  The ones that I used to walk by quickly so that my kids wouldn’t grab them all and make a mess?  There are some fantastic deals and travel coupons in those, plus we often find out about local attractions we never would have found otherwise.

Win iTunes Cards from Holiday Inn

Traveling is always a good time for music, on the plane or in the car.  Holiday Inn is providing two of my lucky readers with $20 in gift cards for the iTunes store, so that they can make their own vacation music mixes.  When my husband and I went on our first vacation together, to Disney World (waaaay before kids and marriage), we played “Roam” by the B-52s as we set off in his mother’s car.  To this day, almost twenty years later, every time I hear “Roam” I think of that trip.

So, what songs would you put on your vacation mix?  Put your answer in a comment on this post.

You can also get one extra entry by tweeting about this contest (leave a separate comment linking to your tweet!)  Just make sure to mention what the prize is and link back to this page, or you can just copy and tweet this:

Win $20 in iTunes gift cards from Holiday Inn Hotels! Enter over on SelfishMom.com: http://bit.ly/4xZSdt

So, that’s a maximum of two entries per household, please.  The comments will close at noon-ish on Friday, November 6th and random.org will draw the winners.  For complete rules, please see my Giveaway Rules page.  Good luck!

This is a TravelingMom dedicated post.

Originally posted on Selfish Mom.  All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted.  This post has Compensation Levels of 3 and 10. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: Holiday Inn, iTunes

Congratulations to the “Snow White” winner

Oct 30, 2009 Product Giveaway

Congratulations to Rashmi, who won the “Snow White” DVD and Seven Dwarfs plush set.  Please let us know how you like it!

Thanks to all who entered.  And of course, thanks to Disney for providing the prize!  I hope to see many more Disney titles on Blu-ray.

I’ve got a ton of giveaways coming up between now and Christmas, so please check back frequently.

Originally posted on Selfish Mom.  All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted.  This post has a Compensation Level of 10. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Shop Amazon

Tags: Blu-ray, Disney, Snow White Diamond Edition

Tongue-tied

Oct 30, 2009 Amy in the Morning

Originally posted on Selfish Mom.  All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted.  Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: Halloween, spanking, The Today Show, Thriller

By the time you read this, I’ll be back in bed

Oct 28, 2009 Amy in the Morning

Originally posted on Selfish Mom.  All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted.  Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.