Let the Summer Adventures Begin

Summer break has officially begun! 

We’ve celebrated with ice cream.

We’ve visited the library.

But I am ready embrace the thing that I love most about summer (besides an ice cold beer): travel.

I love to travel, and I want the kids to love traveling.  I talked about this last year (along with how things just did not go how I had hoped). 

In order to celebrate my inner fun parent, I decided to kick off summer break with a mini staycation adventure to Ann Arbor.

I am going to try *really* hard to keep my expectations closer to the realistic side of the spectrum and as far away as idealist as possible.

As we embark on our first summer adventure of the season, I thought I would re-share my Live in the D: Summer Travel Tips with Kids post again.

Hope these help you as much as they have helped me!

Traveling without kids

This week my husband and I leave for California part business conference/part fun. The last time we left together on a trip like this was two years ago when his conference took us to Marco Island.

The last time we traveled together

The time before that was Dallas. Hours before we were supposed to be on the plane, Marie had just been diagnosed with pneumonia. I struggled if I should stay home, but the grandparents assured me she would be ok. 

She was. 

I was not. 

I cried a lot and wondered what the hell I was doing. 

For the past three years, life has prevented me from traveling with Harrington to these amazing conference destinations. One time it was when I started a new job. Another time was when Thomas started Kindergarten this fall. Then there was the time I had to cancel the trip to Lake Tahoe/Napa when Marie having a hard time adjusting to a new school.

But this time, as of right now typing this, I am on a plane to California. Please note, I did cry the ugly cry at our boarding gate as I wolfed down my Egg McMuffin minus Canadian bacon because too much salt before flying is never a good idea.  I have been so fully entrenched in taking care of the kids, it felt impossible for me to leave, especially when they don’t want me to leave.

Super excited that my non-waterproof liquid eyeliner stood the test of the ugly cry.

Marie is nervous about me leaving (actually, really super anxious), which makes me really super anxious. And than anxiety morphs itself into the strongest, most aggressive kind of mom guilt. 

So Marie asked me to make her coconut cream pie awhile ago, so I finally got around to that. 

Just happy she didn't ask for a pony

I baked a ton of their breakfast muffins so they can keep up the same routine. I've been stockpiling all of their favorite snacks and treats. I show my love through food. 

I also having lovingly prepared countdown bags, an idea I got from my couisin years ago. Each day, they open a bag until we get home so they have a visual of when we get back. And it helps with my mom guilt, and they get fun little treats so everyone wins, really. 

All of the gift bags.

I'm sure everything is going to be fine. And if not, they have enough carbs and ice cream to help them through the bumps. 

As for me, I am planning on the beautiful scenery and beverages of Napa and Sonoma will help me with the bumps along the way.

How often do you travel away from your kids? What do you do to make it easier?

In Photos: Lunch with Ricki Lake

Last Monday, I had lunch with Ricki Lake. 

Me with Ricki Lake

Well, not actually lunch as in we sat together and shared a meal.  Actually, I was lucky to enough to sit next to these wonderful bloggers and social media mavens.

Lauren from Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood,
Emily A. Hay and Betsy Critchfield
from Hay There Social Media, me, and
Elena Wollborg from Mommy is in Timeout 

While we ate an amazing lunch of grilled chicken and kale salad, we were listening to Paula Tutman from Local 4 interview Ricki Lake.

Ricki Lake and Paula Tutman

I am super excited for The Ricki Lake Show which premiers on September 10 at 3pm on Local 4!  I think the way that she plans on incorporating social media into her show is incredible.  Ricki has created the hashtag #FriendsofRicki on Twitter so viewers can continue the conversation after they are done watching the show.  Also, the Friends of Ricki Facebook fan page is a great way to connect with viewers.  What I think sets her apart is not only that Ricki’s production team accessible via Twitter, but they have production meetings that are open to the public (I had the pleasure of meeting Josh from Team Ricki, and he was very friendly).  You can log in at the website and participate -  seriously, how cool is that?!

Ricki talked a lot about how she has evolved as a person and how her life experiences (marriage, motherhood, divorce, producer of The Business of Being Born) have helped her to gain a better understanding of her authentic self.  As someone who is trying to figure out this new stage in her life, I connected with this statement.  And I like how she used evolved rather than reinvent.  I look at it like this: to “evolve” is to take life experiences and learn from them as opposed to “reinvent” which sounds like forgetting the past and disregarding any lessons learned.  

My day could have stopped there, and I would have been totally happy.  Hanging out with fellow bloggers and meeting Ricki Lake was such a fun way to spend the afternoon.  But the cherry on top was meeting Local 4’s weatherman Andrew Humphrey (who is so incredibly nice and tech savvy), chatting with Paula Tutman, and getting a little peek at the Local 4 studio.

Me and Andrew Humphrey

I savor these moments that are totally out of my normal routine and soak up all that I can, whether it be adventure, inspiration, or fun (or in this case, all three).  It was an incredible day, and I feel so fortunate to have been invited!  

About the Time I was a Fashion Model at the Village of Rochester Hills La Femme Fashion Show

I did it.  I walked the catwalk at the Village of Rochester La Femme Fashion Show in my denim and suede fringe ensemble by Chico’s.  I won’t lie: I was extremely nervous.  Walking and standing seem simple enough, but when you add music and the photographers at the end of the runway, it suddenly seems like the most awkward task imaginable. 

That's me! 

My one and only measure of success was not to become “fashion road kill” a la Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City, so by that account, I was victorious!.  The icing on the cake was making new friends with my fellow Chico’s models.  (And one of them had some very sage-like and gave me tons of tips like how to pose and hit my mark.  Thanks so much, Linda!)  Also, as someone who’s background is education, it was very interesting to see how a whole different industry event is organized.  Not to mention, I got to see some super awesome clothes that I will be going out to buy in the very near future.

Me and my fellow Chico's models.
We had so much fun together!

I

I am totally grateful for this experience.  Getting out there and doing the unpredictable can be scary, but I did it.  And I even had fun doing it. 

In the end my take away from La Femme Fashion show is this: if you are open to the unexpected possibilities and refuse to let fear be your guiding force, the journey becomes more exciting than you can ever imagine.     

How about you?  I’d love to hear how your journey has taken an unexpected turn!

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Also, if you are interested in reading about a great, local company called Alex and Jane Shapemakers, check it out here at my Detroit News MichMoms post!