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Warning About Diesel Fuel Mistakes

Anyone who has ever pumped diesel gasoline into their tank knows just how critical it is that it’s DIESEL that makes it into the tank, not regular, not premium, but...

Summer Fun: Vegetarian Travel to NYC

Vegetarian travel gets easier in the summer, when farmers markets and their bounteous produce draw tourists and local chefs. Summer is also know for outdoor eating, and New York City...

Father's Day

Father's Day can be a great day to get out in nature and take a special hike or walk, like this family is doing at San Elijo Lagoon, in San...

Disneyland Paris

Memorial Day Weekend kicks off the summer season for Disney Parks everywhere. My family and I recently managed to get to three Disney Parks in three weeks, finishing with a...

Devil's Tower: An Overlooked National Park

When planningyour summer road trip don't overlook Devil's Tower, Wyoming. It is one of my favorite side trips and possibly one of the most overlooked National Parks.  The first time...

Martinique Beach Nova Scotia

Martinique Beach Provincial Park is a treasure of the Eastern Shore in Nova Scotia, and is one of many delightful discoveries I made during a road trip along Marine Drive...

June 17 Twitter Party: Travel Upgrades

When moms travel, we tend to be so focused on making sure everyone else is getting the vacation they want and deserve, we seldom take time out to consider what...

Natural Disaster Preparation for Travelers

When we travel thoughts of disasters are far from our mind. But with the news of natural disasters, especially numerous tornadoes in Oklahoma and the Midwest -- as well as...

Greetings From Asbury Park: Shore Open for Business

"Sandy, the aurora's rising behind us, the pier lights our carnival life on the water." ----Bruce Springsteen, Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) For years, we’ve been hearing the news: Asbury...

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Family Travel Experts

Family Travel Stories and Ideas

Stardust Memories: The Lights of Broadway
Discovery TravelingmomStardust Memories: The Lights of Broadway

Billing itself as “The Best Free Show on Broadway,” n’s Stardust Dineras been open since the 80’s, but it’s décor, memorabilia and food will take you back to the 50’s. However, what are you really going to see at this popular tourist destination in the heart of Times Square?  [ ... ]

Caesers Atlantic City Girlfriend Getaway
Disabled TravelingMomCaesers Atlantic City Girlfriend Getaway

Relax at the Qua Bath and Spa, play the slots and dress to the nines to party at the Pool After Dark. This is just part of a Caesers Atlantic City girlfriend getaway. Located on the Boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean, Caesers offers entertainment and fabulous dining.

Reserve a room, depending on the [ ... ]

Where to Stay on Oahu with Kids
Traveling MomWhere to Stay on Oahu with Kids

Cozy is the word my son used to describe our room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.  Not the first word that usually comes to mind when you describe a 22-acre property with 3,500 rooms.  It’s a testament to Hilton’s commitment to creating a family friendly environment at their enormous p [ ... ]

Behind the Disney Magic
Traveling MomBehind the Disney Magic

Disney makes the magic look easy, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I am always inspired by the team of people who create the masterful new Disney experiences.  One of the pleasures of my job is getting to spend time talking with and learning from these incredibly creative [ ... ]

Where to Surf in Arizona
Desert TravelingMomWhere to Surf in Arizona

Who says you can’t surf in the desert? The Kierland FlowRider opened last year at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s the first of its kind in Arizona and one of the main reasons why I think the Westin Kierland rocks for kids and anyone else that loves to have fun. Kierl [ ... ]

Looking for Kings in Paris
Abroad TravelingMomLooking for Kings in Paris

Context Travel is a Rome-based tour company that offers educational walking tours for a number of European destinations. What makes Context Travel unique is its intellectual and educational focus, with experts from a variety of disciplines, including literature, history and art, leading the tours an [ ... ]

Disney - Tugging on my Heartstrings
Traveling Mom with ToddlersDisney - Tugging on my Heartstrings

Most of us have a memory of getting lost as a young child. I remember the first time I couldn’t find my parents.  I was probably about six years old and I was playing in the Barbie section at K-Mart. My Mom kept telling me it was time to go but obviously, as a five-year-old child, I was too b [ ... ]

Contemplating the New Year, travel first

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IMG 0009Busy Christmas. Boatload of options for 2012. Early January travel to shape a bridge between the two.

That’s my annual approach: live December’s holidays to the hilt blending as many friends and family of all ages and interests as possible, and then open a big window to the imminent future.



Bridging the blended family busy-ness of December holidays with the unlimited vistas of a new year for me requires long walks, best taken away from home.

The woods surrounding a little town on the North Georgia/Tennessee state line gave me the focus I needed.    

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Folk art needs to play a role in Traveling Mom’s new year.


Six hours of interstate driving from my home to McCaysville, returning four-year-old granddaughter Mattie Jewell to her parents in Atlanta en route, arriving in time for the New Year’s Eve gathering of neighbors with second-home cabins on Fightingtown Creek.   

I was the dud of the party and stepson Allen and his wife Bev who co-own our cabin on the creek could testify to that.

Partied out I was, more suited to sitting and staring and eventually thinking and planning.

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Gazing at the flames lulls the brain to a contemplative place.


Contemplative is my travel parameter for ringing in the new year through its first week.

The cabin’s stacked stone fireplace is fine for cheery conversations most of the time; bridging 2011 and ‘12 called for simply staring. No talk.

Plus perhaps receiving some energy from the art on the mantle, painted decades ago by my friend Mary Alice when we were raising young sons at the same schools.

Stoking those fires nearly emptied half of the woodshed.  Ah-hah! Half full or half empty?

I was using these travel days to shape my new year in the full and happy mode. Hiking is a chore, actually punishment for my husband.

For me it’s a brain releaser, delivering clarity and calmness.  I hope that shows all year for the many generations in my blended family of six grown children.

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Fightingtown is the name of the creek and some of the paths in the woods follow its banks.
 

Top Photo: Half full or half empty – the woodshed and the possibilities for 2012

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Author Profile: BlendedFamily TravelingMom  - Website

Christine Tibbetts filters travel through her blended, multi-generational "his, hers, ours and theirs" family eye. Follow her also on www.TibbettsTravel.com.

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Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas
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