Fabulous Family Fun on a Budget

As you all know, this Queen Bee is voluntarily forgoing all "non-essential" spending. However, I still need to maintain my fabulousness and fulfill all of my and my family's physical (including fitness), entertainment, education, social, spiritual and emotional needs. Today, we spent the afternoon at our local Public Library. I realize that we spend a great deal of money on books and magazines that we read once and discard...money that will be saved this year and spent in a more purposeful and meaningful (and what is more meaningful than a pair of Louboutins pray tell?) way.

I haven't been to a public library in AGES and I was pleasantly surprised by the magazine selection (Italian Vogue, Yay!) and children's activities available. The upcoming events at our branch include a showing of "The Chronicles of Narnia" and a puppet show. You can find out more about your local public library on their website, which you should be able to access through http://www.publiclibraries.com/. The cost for this fun filled and educational afternoon? Absolutely nothing!

Mini Get Aways

Long weekends are the perfect opportunities for embarking on adventures. But every Queen Bee knows that traveling with kids is an adventure onto itself. Whether you are traveling by car or airplane, your planning and your packing can make a huge difference in the amount of stress and frustration, or jubilation that you experience.

Plane Trips

• When traveling by plane for a 3 or 4 day trip, the key is to pack as lightly as possible.
• You save a lot of time and trouble when you don't have to collect baggage (though admittedly, sometimes, it is great to have your hands free) .
• You are usually allowed 1 - 2 pieces of carry-on for each paying passenger, so although your lap baby is not entitled to any carry-on, your 2 year old (and up) is.
• We always make sure to pack outfits that can be worn interchangeably, but we also always plan to stay somewhere we will have access to a washing machine (the only bad thing about packing light with kids is that they are prone to have...accidents).
• We try to make sure that the we and the kids are travelling in their bulkier pieces (sweaters, jeans, boots) so we don't have to fit them in the bags.
• We also make sure to pack empty sippy cups (to avoid the liquid scrutiny at the security check point), snacks and entertainment (books, games, toys) to keep the kids busy on the flight.
• Nowadays, it is critically important to get to the airport at least 2 hours early - this way you have time to make sure to get the kids to the bathroom, fill those sippy cups and re-adjust yourself after the security check.

Here are a couple of stylish a functional options for kids' luggage (Both come in styles for boys and girls):

Car Rides
Car rides are a completely different story. You don't need to worry as much about how many bags you pack as much as you need to plan for activities and rest stops.

• Try to include rest stops that double as sight seeing opportunities - there are many tourist attractions to be found en route in most cases.
• Make sure to include the rest stops in your travel time - if you need to arrive at your destination at a certain time, give yourself plenty of wiggle room.
• Come prepared with a list of car activities, Moms Minivan.com has a great list of them!
• Pack lots of snacks!
• Allow for the kids to enjoy different activities (portable DVD players, video games, or mp3 players - all with headphones)

Pre-planning, smart packing, patience and a sense of adventure (and realistic view of what kids are and are not capable of) will ensure that you and your family have an awesome trip!

How to Avoid Morning Madness

Every Queen Bee knows that it is critically important to get her beauty rest. To me, this means waiting until the last possible moment to get out of bed. Don't get me wrong Sister Bees, I am a morning person. Once I get out of bed, I am ready for the day!...it's just the actual getting out of bed that is the problem...

Anyway, evening prep is the obvious solution for that early morning madness. Sounds simple right? Sure, but sometimes I need to remind and motivate myself to do these simple things at night, so I don't have to do them in the morning:

• Make sure my work clothes and the kids' school clothes are out and ready to wear
• Pack lunches
• Check my calendar and coordinate the family calendar
• Decide what you are making for dinner the next night (this way you can add any needed grocery items to your task list)
• Make a task list for the next day (as necessary - also, keep a notebook by the bed just in case some pressing matter wakes you up in the middle of the night)
• Straighten up the house

These simple steps take little time, but can save those precious minutes in the morning that impact your ability to get the kids to school on time and get yourself to work. PLUS you come home to a decent house and less stress...before you mess it up again!

Your own routine will be very specific to your morning needs and your family situation, but here are a couple of other routines you might get ideas from:

The FlyLady
Zen Habits

Royal Assistant

Every Queen Bee needs a trusted and loyal Assistant to help her through her day. One that will keep all her work, social and family appointments organized, help her remember her loved ones' birthdays and phone numbers, and hey, it doesn't hurt if the Assistant also knows all the Queen Bee's favorite songs, takes pictures, records and plays videos and makes phone calls. Caught on yet? I'm talking about Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs, which come in nearly as many different shapes, colors and functions as the Jimmy Choo Spring Collection. Personally, I need my PDA to be as multi-functional as I am. So instead of opting to carry a PDA (which routinely would include a calendar, contacts, and select functions usually associated with Microsoft Office type tasks), MP3 player, digital camera/video recorder and cell phone, I like to have one device that does it all.

I live a fast paced, high impact life, so I tend to be hard on electronic devices. However, Queen Bee that I am, I also expect that anything I am carrying will be as sleek and stylish as the rest of me. Right now, I carry the Samsung BlackJack II.
I chose this device because I use Microsoft Office products at work and at home daily and I need to have access to my documents when I am on the go. It is also critical for me to be able to sync the calendar I have on my desktop with the calendar that is with me everywhere I go (not to mention all my music and videos in Window's Media Player). The BlackJack's 3G capabilities mean that I have a superfast connection to the internet at all times and I get my email to my phone in real-time. I am also able to IM with AOL, Windows Live or Yahoo, which is awesome considering that the firewalls on the network at my job do not give me that same opportunity. Furthermore, you can expand the memory with up to a 4 GB micro Scan Disk memory card. Plus - and this is the real reason I chose this phone -it comes in red, which is my favorite color in the whole wide world.

Before this, I carried the Cingular 8525, which has been upgraded to the AT&T Tilt. This device is slightly bulkier than the BlackJack II, much more expensive, and it doesn't come in any pretty colors (you can see what my priorities are...) BUT, it does have a much larger screen, a slide out key-board, 3 mega-pixel camera (v. a 2 MP w/ the BlackJack II), and a touch screen - which if nothing else, makes it a lot easier to play Solitaire. This device is all business, all the time and what it lacks in flamboyance, it makes up with functionality.
Finally, to help my husband better organize his life, I got him a Palm Treo 750.
Although this device is not equipped with 3G or the IM functions, it is equipped with Windows Mobile and does everything else the BlackJack II does, with a touch screen. My husband really loves his and I considered getting it, but it only came in blue...and I really had my heart set on the red...

Most wireless carriers have versions of these devices. If you are not dead set on the Window's operating system, your options widen even more. I basically chose the BlackJack because it was the most cost efficient and (if I haven't mentioned this already) the color. Also, of the three, the BlackJack II was the only one eligible for insurance. When you go through devices as quickly as I do, insurance is a MUST. In the end, you have to choose a device that is going to meet your needs and fit your lifestyle, so...what kind of Bee are you?