I just returned from the Caribbean! Yes, I told my children that I would plan a vacation before school started and so a few months ago I began the search for the best vacation. I looked into all inclusive hotels but didn’t really feel they would be as safe. Plus, you can end up spending quite a bit on the days you get bored and head to town to shop.
I looked at staying close to home and just getting a hotel with amenities but I felt that would be too stuffy for the children to really enjoy. Then, it hit me. Why not look into a cruise?
I got online and started pricing things and the inclusive setup of a Carnival cruise was perfect for us! I worked to set up the trip before school started and ended up, after much planning, with the week before school as my only opportunity due to reservation times.
We left on Sunday and stayed in a hotel overnight, then boarded the ship on Monday morning. We had a day at sea on Tuesday, landed in Progreso, Mexico on Wednesday, Thursday we hit Cozumel and went snorkeling, Friday another day at sea, and yesterday we hit land at 7am and drove home (from Galveston up to Dallas).
We feel completely spoiled! If you’ve never been on a cruise, you have no idea how special they make you feel for a full 5 days (or more, depending on the cruise you choose). Your bed is made each day and after your wonderful dinner of full service by the waitstaff, you return to your cabin and realize they’ve done a turn-down service with mints on your pillow. My daughter had a great time and wore a tiara to dinner each night. They kept calling her “princess” while serving her at dinner and she felt fabulous.
My son met lots of friends his age on board, too, and stayed busy with mini golf, swimming, visiting, and eating lots of food. With 24/7 choices of what to eat, you never ever go hungry on board. My favorite time though, was in Cozumel, where we went snorkeling together.
My daughter was a bit afraid at first but once I talked her into the ocean a bit and showed her the fish nearby, she warmed up a little. I told her to kick her feet behind her and let me swim us around. We explored the reef area and my son kept pointing out neat looking fish nearby. We ended up on a little island area out in the water where you could climb a ladder and lay up on the deck and sun bathe.
After relaxing a bit, we snorkeled back to shore and hit one of the restarants for some lunch. I couldn’t keep my daughter out of the water–as soon as we were done eating she wanted to go see the fish and swim more. We got stung by a few jellyfish on our way out but it wasn’t bad and even the kids were shrugging at the stings. It was a wonderful time and we can’t wait to plan our next cruise!
I found myself, before the cruise, reading forums and trying to find out what to pack, what to expect, and how to tip while on board. It was a great way for me to feel informed and I ended up taking just enough clothing, knowing what to expect while on board, and having a wonderful time with the kids during our week of vacation.
Tomorrow, school starts and I go back to work. I expect my desk to be full of things for me to complete and I’m sure the children are going to have a great time re-connecting with friends but they will also face work to do while there. I’m so thankful we were able to go on this vacation before the school year began.
It was incredible and we have memories we will never forget!
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Staying busy, but it feels good. I really have worked to keep organized and find ways to continue to get through life day by day. It helps, as I’ve said before, to have an excellent support system. It also helps to realize how strong I am. I have gained confidence in myself and that has done more for me in the healing realm than anything could have, I think. I hope to write a bit more about how I reached that, it’s worth sharing.
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Sometimes, green is GOOD! With the new Preserve Toothbrush that Mom Central had me review recently, I felt like I was doing my part to stay earth-friendly in the small ways that truly matter. This toothbrush is found at Target and other locations and I was asked to check it out. Made of 100% post-consumer paper and plastics, the products over at Preserve are recyclable via postage-paid labels and mailers (or by using your own community recycle centers). Saving energy and limiting our environmental footprint can be a big step towards making things better for future generations.
Not only are these toothbrushes neatly designed, but they work very well and I was quite pleased with how clean my teeth felt. I’ve spoiled myself by using an electric brush for some time and I was worried I would come away a less than happy consumer of this product. Not so! I was very happy and I visited the site to see what other products Preserve offered along the same eco-friendly line.
Razors, cups, tableware, kitchen products…all made from safe to recycle materials. With cutting boards and colanders, sturdy plates and utensils, Preserve works to make it easy to choose to be earth-friendly on a daily basis. Thanks, again, Mom Central, for a great product I was able to experience and review. Check out the store finder on the site to find out where you can purchase their products.
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Yes, I know it’s been some time since I blogged regularly, and my plans are to get back to being a little more personal about my diagnosis and my daily life…but for now I had a few reviews to do and I hope you don’t mind the commercial breaks.
Sometimes it helps to break things up for a bit and change the format. At least it helps me, anyhow. Things are good and all is well, I have just been extremely busy taking it a day at a time. Trying to follow my own advice, scary huh?
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Occasionally I get review opportunities from MomCentral and I post my experiences here on my blog. Recently I was able to try out the new NintendoDS game, GoPets Vacation Island. As soon as it arrived my daughter grabbed it up, created a character and was on her way to imagination land.
In selecting her character, she had the choice between being a dog or a cat, to start. And, if your child can’t decide between the two animals (some children like both so much they have no idea which to choose!) the game does a quick questionnare for them and helps them to find out which animal they should start with. I enjoyed helping my daughter (I bet you had no idea she chose a cat, right?) choose the pet she wanted to be and set up her game.
Then, she set off to explore the island with an easy to use map, a chance to buy cute toys and outfits for her pet, and then we explored the WiFi options of the game. We set up the DS to hook into our router at home and she was off communicating (with safe and limited text options) to others in the game. It made for a great experience and she still enjoys playing with her GoPets game to this day.
Thanks, MomCentral, for the chance to review such a fun game! 
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