May 2009 Archives

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Outside my window... it is drizzly and foggy.

I am thinking... should I wake up Andrew? It is nearly 9AM.

I am thankful for... my prenatal appointment going well and that the baby is so alive and kicking!

From the learning rooms... there is a pile of "Thomas" trains.

From the kitchen... the smell of roasted chilies and a brewing pot of pinto beans to go with tonight's tacos.

I am wearing... black sweat/yoga pants, white tank, pink maternity top & socks.

I am creating... my twitter account.

I am going... to vote like mad for Kris tonight even though I don't think he can beat Adam on American Idol.

I am reading... The Seventh Dial by Agatha Christy.

I am hoping... to update my photo albums with the new family pics.

I am hearing... Mat Kearny's new City of Black and White

Around the house... there are bags of various unused items to go to charity.

One of my favorite things... when Brian calls from work to see how I am doing...as he just did a second ago. Aww.

A few plans for the rest of the week... take Bella to her Little Flowers Girls' Club and have my in-laws over for dinner on the weekend. (What to cook???)

Here is a picture I am sharing... here's a pic of Andrew helping me with my ironing.

Thanks to The Simple Woman's Daybook for the questions.

Here is the next installment of EML's Tightwad Tuesday.

We just took a vacation to CA for my brother's wedding so I thought I would compile a short list of some of the way we keep our cost down while on vacation.

1. Don't just look at discount sites for airline tickets, but also check the companies site directly for sales. We usually fly Jetblue or Virgin America since they have direct flights and it is almost always cheaper to buy directly from them. Virgin America was actually having a sale on round trip tickets from DC to CA for $160 round trip!

2. Do some reach for your destination spot and see if they have any "off season." We usually fly to CA in the colder months
(January-March) since airline tickets and car rentals seem to be cheaper then.

3. When I am looking for a hotel, I always make sure it comes with a free breakfast. I am actually surprised at some hotel's free breakfast since it is like going to a sit down restaurant.

4. Get a hotel room that comes with a fridge and microwave so you can bring and prepare your own food. For our honeymoon, we stayed in an extended stay hotel and it came with a complete kitchen! We saved quite a bit of money by packing our lunch and making our dinner. It was nice to go out a few times on our honeymoon, but I actually preferred the homemade food.

5. Think about going on vacation with a group of people to help cover cost.
a. When you have a group of people you can see about renting a house in the area rather than staying in a hotel. However, renting a house usually requires week long stays.
b. Carpooling will help you save money on gas.

7. Most cities have tourist websites so check out what free things you can do in the area.

8. Set a budget of what you can spend on the vacation and stick to it.
If you are the type that always goes over then only use cash that way you have a more clear idea of how much money you have for the trip.

What are some of your ideas to save on vacation and still have a great time?

We've been out of town to attend the weeding of my brother Rob to his fiance Maria Rangel. The wedding was beautiful and Bella had the honor being the flower girl. (The most touching part was when Brian leaned over and whispered, "It was almost as beautiful as our wedding," and then he kissed me. It's nice to know he can still make my heart skip a beat after ten years of marriage!) Anyway, here is a pic of Bella with the bride and groom and Andrew dressed like a little man.

Catholicvote.org's pro-life commercial was approved and will be playing during the American Idol finale. Good for them! Check it out.