vacation Archives – Corporettemoms.com

The Easiest Family Vacation Resorts for Working Moms

08/08/2017 by Kate Antoniades 39 Comments

Which family vacation resorts have you tried and enjoyed? Are there any you’ve tried that you wouldn’t? Which is your kids’ favorite? When you want to have a fun family vacation but don’t want to do a lot of planning, where do you go? Which do you think are the easiest family vacation resorts for working moms?

Before my husband and I became parents, I wouldn’t have considered an all-inclusive and/or resort-type of vacation. We valued flexibility and spontaneity: the opportunity to have our full pick of hotels and B&Bs, the ability to choose any restaurants we wanted and also to discover some by wandering around a new city, etc. Why would we want to limit ourselves by taking a cruise or staying in a resort, and why would we want to stay in one place?

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Filed Under: Family Travel, Lifestyle Tagged With: family vacations, posts, vacation, vacations

Family Friday: Lifeguard Clarifying Shampoo

05/12/2017 by Kat 80 Comments

With summer coming up, if you have little ones who’ll be swimming you’ll want to make sure to take care of their hair — especially if they’ll be spending time in chlorinated pools. I didn’t, and my little blond boy got totally dry, crunchy hair last summer. This shampoo from Fairy Tales seemed to work, and these little pouches work wonders if you’re already looking at chlorine damage. (They’re pricey, though; I got one for free from my cousin, a hairdresser, and you may want to check the salon locator if there’s one near you that sells them for less than $20.) Having researched swimmer’s hair a bit for my blonde son, though, one of the best things you can do is spray water on your kiddo’s hair (or otherwise get it wet) before they get in the pool. Apparently, hair is like a sponge and can only hold so much water; if you get it wet with non-chlorinated water first, the chlorine water has much less to “stick” to. Pictured: Lifeguard Clarifying Shampoo

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Filed Under: Recent Recs - Family Tagged With: kids, swimming, vacation

Three Companies That Rent Baby Gear for Travel

11/08/2016 by Kate Antoniades 6 Comments

Parents learn very quickly that going anywhere with a baby requires a lot of “stuff.” If you’re talking about going out to dinner and bringing a diaper bag packed with supplies, that’s not so bad, but family vacations are another story. If you’re traveling somewhere (say, doing an Airbnb with kids) rather than visiting friends or relatives who already have baby gear you can share or borrow, you’re likely to find yourself with a long list of things to bring: carseat, Pack ‘n Play, stroller, baby carrier, etc. — and that’s a huge hassle, especially if you’re flying with kids. Have you ever used a service that rents baby gear for travel? What did you rent? (Do you have any other strategies for dealing with a need for baby gear on a trip?) As the holidays approach, we thought we would round up three companies that rent baby gear for traveling families:

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Filed Under: Family Travel, Gear, Lifestyle Tagged With: baby gear, baby gear rentals, family vacations, posts, vacation, vacations

School Break Camps: Open Thread

02/10/2016 by Kate Antoniades 5 Comments

Do your kids go to school break camps during winter and spring school vacations? With day care, you usually don’t have to worry — just send them to your regular provider. But parents of school-age kids need to find an alternative child care situation.

Good sources for information about school break camps include local parent magazines and websites, and local parent email lists/groups. Last month I asked about camps in a Facebook group for parents who live in my town and got some great ideas. (They included unexpected options from a chess center and aerial arts studio!) Depending on where you live, you might find school break camps from providers like these:

Cultural attractions: Check museums, art galleries, zoos, and other institutions. (Think outside the box: Even our local animal shelter offers break camps!)
Kid-oriented businesses: Good bets include martial arts centers, dance studios, climbing gyms, or places like The Little Gym.
STEM & arts centers: Your kids could spend a week enjoying photography, creative writing, robotics, Lego building, or Minecraft.
Grocery stores: Larger stores may offer kids’ cooking classes during breaks.
Libraries and bookstores
Gyms/pools/YMCA
Community centers/rec centers
Academic/tutoring businesses

So, let’s talk about what you do during school vacations! Do you ask family for help or hire a babysitter? Do you ask your nanny to work extra hours? Do you enroll your kids in camp? Do you take time off, or go on a family vacation? Also, how do you find out about camps? When you’ve chosen a school break camp, does it usually fit your work schedule? (Or does it seem geared toward families with a stay-at-home parent?) When do you think kids are old enough to stay at home while you’re at work?

Pictured at top: Lego Club — 2012, originally uploaded to Flickr by Clearwater Public Library System Photos.