Scoring a Holiday Deal That Won’t Bust the Budget

Scoring a Holiday Deal That Won’t Bust the Budget

I’m perched in a wooden treehouse lazing on a cushy double mattress atop a white sand beach along Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, I’m about as far away from holiday hoopla and craziness as I can get when the beach butler comes by to see if I need anything.

When Life Interferes With a Planned Celebration

When Life Interferes With a Planned Celebration

Life has a way of changing planned celebrations. Jean Anne McKiernan and Richard Sandano were planning a big Brooklyn, N.Y., wedding when they discovered—very happily—they were going to have a baby.

Surviving (Maybe Even Enjoying!) a Road Trip

Surviving (Maybe Even Enjoying!) a Road Trip

No matter how snazzy the car and how short (or long) the trip, the biggest challenge is keeping the kids amused along the way. And that’s clearly a challenge a lot of us will be facing this summer.

On the old-fashioned train to the Grand Canyon

On the old-fashioned train to the Grand Canyon

It’s that rare vacation moment when everyone is happy at the same time. And all it took was an old-fashioned train in a remote Arizona town and a singing cowboy leading the kids in a spirited rendition of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”

ON THE TRAIN TO THE GRAND CANYON

ON THE TRAIN TO THE GRAND CANYON

Today, the train once again carries more than 200,000 passengers to the Canyon 60 miles and 2.5 hours from Williams. Some will return the same afternoon. My cousins — -Jayme and Mike Sitzman and Ethan, 6, and Hannah,4, and I have decided to overnight at the canyon so we have more time to “explore,” as Ethan says.

DAY ONE OF A TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON

DAY ONE OF A TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON

DAY ONE (Tuesday, March 31, 2009) — The Purple People Eater; Qutie (well it’s a four year old’s turn); Rhinoceros; Tickle Monster… by the time we get to Umbrella the kids’ interest in that old “I pack my grandmother’s trunk” road game is flagging.They quickly...
Finding an affordable last minute holiday getaway

Finding an affordable last minute holiday getaway

Finally, some good news for traveling families. If you thought the ever-worsening economy meant you should forgo a holiday or post-holiday getaway with the kids, think again. The reality is that this may be the year to travel.

Surviving the holiday travel crush while you are watching every penny

Surviving the holiday travel crush while you are watching every penny

Another Thanksgiving weekend, we got back to Chicago with our crew after visiting the relatives to discover that the battery to our minivan was dead — in the airport parking lot. We waited a long time that cold night for AAA. Isn’t holiday travel with the kids fun?

HITTING THE AIRPORT VIP LOUNGES

HITTING THE AIRPORT VIP LOUNGES

Pancake, the much loved blue bear, seemed right at home among the oh-so-serious laptop-toting business people. So did his 4-year-old owner, Colin Blodgett. Colin, Pancake and Colin’s parents were awaiting their flight from London to New York in British Airway’s expansive $60 million Executive Lounges in Heathrow’s new Terminal 5