We're planning to spend a day in Santa Monica on our next family visit to Southern California. Does anyone have tips on what we should see, do, and eat while we are there?
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Posted on October 8, 2009 |
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In my carry-on bag, I usually have a few toys, some books and our high-tech secret weapon (only to be pulled out when all else fails): an iPhone loaded up with a few kids games. Access to mom or dad's phone is a surprisingly appealing treat, and we've worked our way out of some very sticky situations by handing over the phone. It helps that the phone is always within easy reach.
Last week my friends Hillel, Walter and Jenny released Hippo Hooray a set of three iPhone apps just for Preschool age kids. Each one is beautifully illustrated and focuses on a different theme (shapes, letters or colors). D (who just turned three) has been really enjoying these, and each of the Hippo Hooray games is easy enough to use that D can launch and play it on her own. These would be great for a long plane ride or road trip. For a limited time HippoHooray Shapes is free at HippoHooray.com. Colors and Letters are only 99 cents each.
I have 10 copies to give away to my regular readers. You get one entry for each way that you connect with DeliciousBaby, and each winner gets to choose which app they would like. This giveaway ends on Monday October 12 at 11:59pm.
Here are the different places that I am available:
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Next, let me know how you are following me using this form it takes just seconds to fill out!
Check back here to find out whether you won on Tuesday October 13.
Rules
Please, only fill out the entry form once - using the form you can specify each way that you are following DeliciousBaby and will be given additional chances to win. Duplicate entries and Anonymous entries will be discarded. Please make sure that the email address in your entry form is valid (email addresses are never public). Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. A Sweepstakes winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within the specified three business days will be considered such Sweepstakes winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries. To enter, you must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older. Employees, partners and vendors of DeliciousBaby and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return within five business days an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release to be eligible for the prize or an alternate winner will be selected. All prizes will be awarded. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that DeliciousBaby reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize.
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Posted on October 5, 2009 |
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Here are a few of the articles I enjoyed this week
Will we be forced to use cash the next time we travel to Europe?
In case you thought Sonoma, CA was only for grownups, here's a nice story about canoeing down the Russian River with kids
A great looking book about Africa.
ContestsHere's a giveaway for my favorite baby carrier, the Ergo. Come to think of it, mine is looking a little scruffy... maybe I should enter!
If you are running a contest or giveaway related to family travel, please submit it here. I will select my favorites each week and publish them in a weekly blog post.
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Posted on October 4, 2009 |
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Sometimes the one of the kids adopts a posture or attitude that seems so much more grown up than they are. Look at E lounging like a teenager and playing a game on his daddy's iPhone. He just needs to jettison the blankie and cute robot-adorned pj's
Related LinksPhoto Friday:
Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. Note that I am using "Simply Linked" instead of Mr. Linky this week - it should be straightforward to use, but please send me email if you have trouble. If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly My address is debbie at deliciousbaby dot com
First timers, here is more Information about Photo Friday
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Posted on October 1, 2009 |
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If you follow my blog regularly, you know that I rarely write about deals and promotions. Most just aren't that newsworthy, or they are too location dependent to be relevant to most readers. However, Disney just made an announcement that I think is so exciting I wanted to make sure to pass it on.
In 2010 Disney will give away free park passes to up to one million people who volunteer in their communities. My kids are too young to participate, but there are volunteer opportunities for children as young as six when they volunteer together with a parent. This seems like a great incentive for families to get out and volunteer together during a time when needs in most communities are greater than they have been in years.
Volunteers register with Disney and choose how they will give their time through the HandsOn Network, an organization that works with 70,000 agencies across the country. After volunteers gets their service verified with the agency, they get a voucher for free park admission. Here in Seattle, the opportunities include activities like mural painting, helping sort and package food at a food pantry, or visiting a nursing home. Each of these is a really concrete, hands-on way to teach children about their role in making their hometown a better place to live.
Click here to learn more about the Give a Day Get a Disney Day promotion. If you are a Disney fan, you might also want to check out the company's new Disney Parks Blog
Posts on DeliciousBaby are never sponsored, and when I do receive a free service to review, I will always let you know.
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Posted on October 1, 2009 |
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During Labor Day weekend I was invited to a local media brunch with Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motors as a part of the effort to launch the new Ford Taurus. If you want to see me looking serious and taking notes, click here
I sat alongside journalists who have been covering autos for years and instead of asking about unions, fuel efficiency, company finances or any of a number of other worthy questions, I asked about what seemed most relevant to my life and to my readers... What is Ford doing to make our children safer when they travel in Ford vehicles.
According to the CDC motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, so even small improvements can make a big difference in the number of fatalities each year.
Mr Mulally's answer focused on what Ford is doing to help drivers avoid accidents in the first place. Optional features on the new Ford Taurus alert the driver to an approaching vehicle in the car's blind spot, and to difficult-to-see cross traffic when the Taurus is backing up. These innovative features seem like they could help avoid some of the common causes of accidents.
It is also important that each child be seated in a correctly installed child safety seat. Child safety seats have proven so effective that they are mandatory in all 50 states. In Washington State, where I live, child restraints are required until a child reaches age 8. I will be installing, uninstalling, and re-installing car seats for a total of almost 13 years! Each time one child outgrows their seat, I revisit this issue, sometimes re-arranging and re-installing all of their seats.
It sounds easy enough, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four car seats are used incorrectly. Properly installing a car seat can require reading both the car seat installation instructions and the car's owner's manual as well as a number of "tricks of the trade." To make things even more complicated, not every seat fits in every car - meaning that a parent might spend hours trying to properly install a seat only to return it, purchase a new seat, and try again.
It's so difficult, that the government has asked that by 2011 car manufacturers test and recommend specific car seat models that work well in individual vehicles. Some car manufacturers, including Nissan already test and recommend specific seats, while others, like Volvo sell booster seats designed specifically for their cars.
I followed up with Kelly Adams-Campos in Ford's Automotive Safety Office (Ms. Adams-Campos is also a registered car seat tech in her off hours) to understand what Ford is doing to make car seat installation easier and more reliable for their customers.
According to Ms Adams-Campos, the company has simplified installation by making it possible to use LATCH in the middle seat position with some car seats. However, the company does not test or recommend specific car seat models.
When I asked about the government's new program, I was told that the company does not have plans to test specific seats or make recommendations, because, according to Ford, it is not a good use of Ford's time and resources. Instead, the company refers customers to the website CarSeatData.org where parents share information about what worked for them.
As a car-owner and a parent, I'd love to see auto companies work together with car-seat manufacturers to make it easier to install seats properly. A list of seats that work well (and seats that don't) seems like a great first step. Do you think car manufacturers should do more or do you think that researching, choosing and installing the correct car seat is easy enough already? What would you like to see auto companies do to help make children safer? Share your thoughts in comments, and I will make pass them on to Ford.
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Posted on September 30, 2009 |
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Here are a few of the articles I enjoyed this week
Here are some great tips for family road trips from a family who spent 5 months roadtripping together.
WanderTot writes about a study that links travel with academic acheivement. I hope that's true - my kids should breeze through this year!
ContestsThe DVD Standing With Stones from Roaming Tales looks like an interesting documentary about stone structures like Stonehenge. Leave a comment to win.
Enter to win Alpental Hoodies from ExOfficio at Wanderlust and Lipstick
You can win a family vacation on Florida's Amelia Island at WeJustGotBack.com
Who wouldn't want four park hopper gift certificates to LegoLand.
If you are running a contest or giveaway related to family travel, please submit it here. I will select my favorites each week and publish them in a weekly blog post.
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Posted on September 28, 2009 |
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I stayed at the Dana Hotel at my own expense. Whenever I accept a complimentary service for review, I will always let you know
When I visited Chicago this summer for BlogHer and TBEX, I spent one night at the Dana Hotel and Spa. Perhaps, I thought, I could relax a little by osmosis? Needless to say, with a 2 month old in-tow I skipped the spa.
I was surprised to find myself in a very sexy, yet modern hotel room - this is the view through the glass walled shower into the hotel room. It felt a little strange to be staying here without my husband, but the hotel turned out to be surprisingly baby friendly. Not only did the staff deliver up a crib, but I could easily keep an eye on baby Eilan while I showered!
Related LinksPhoto Friday:
Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. Note that I am using "Simply Linked" instead of Mr. Linky this week - it should be straightforward to use, but please send me email if you have trouble. If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly My address is debbie at deliciousbaby dot com
First timers, here is more Information about Photo Friday
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Posted on September 24, 2009 |
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With E and D in different schools this year, we are spending a lot of time in the car. Every day feels like a mini-road trip, and believe me it's challenging having three tired kids squeezed in the back of my small station wagon. I have tons of travel toys that will now migrate into the car, but we also need something new to listen to as we roll along...
Do you have favorite "books on CD," music, or other audio entertainment that you use for road trips? Let me know in Comments.
17 comments |
Posted on September 24, 2009 |
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I just spoke with a writer for a national magazine who is looking for first-person stories from family travelers. We thought it might be fun to publish her query here so that she can follow up with (and possibly quote) a few of my readers! Here is what she is looking for:
If you would like to participate, and possibly be quoted in her article, please leave your answer(s) in comments below. Remember to include your email address where the comment form asks for it so that I can tell her how to follow up with you (your email address will not otherwise be shared or used).
13 comments |
Posted on September 23, 2009 |
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