Baseball season started last weekend. My son played 2nd base, catcher and was the closer (closing pitcher) for the game. Allow me to brag for a moment because the coach gave him the game ball. Not every game he has ends this way, sometimes there are tears, so the need to cherish the accomplishments is a goal.
Cruisin’ the bayou and beyond with Carnival
A milestone birthday. Easter break from school. Yearning for warm weather and new adventures. Those thoughts eventually led me to book a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Conquest, sailing out of New Orleans.
I chose New Orleans because we’ve been to Florida several times so I wanted the kids to experience a new city. And boy, did we. In just a day, we hopped off the plane, left our bags at the hotel before check-in and went straight to a cemetery tour.
After the tour, we checked in to the Doubletree downtown and were excited to find that our room opened up to the rooftop pool but then quickly changed our tune when the water turned out to be pretty chilly.
We wandered around to find some good seafood for dinner and ended up seeing a couple of wedding parties pass by. This looks
like such a fun tradition! We of course had to stop by Café du Monde for some beignets, too.
The next morning, we headed to the port. The check-in and boarding process was fairly easy, and we went to the Lido deck to await our room checkin. We already had our bathing suits on (from doing my research ahead of time) and I did see a few kids having a fit because they couldn’t go in the pool.
The first two days were sea days so spent our time getting to know the ship, and the kids were thrilled to have the kids club and meet new friends.
It’s hard to complain when the most difficult part of 
your vacation is finding a deck chair so you can sit in the sun!
Up next: Carnival cruise ports!
Categories: Family Friendly Resorts, Travel with kids
Tags: Carnival Conquest, cruising with kids, family cruise, New Orleans
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The highs and lows of adventures in Maui
I’m not normally the adventurous sort. Sure, I’ll take out a map and find an alternative route if traffic backs up, but I’m not interested in bungee jumping or scuba diving. When my husband planned our first trip to Maui (my first to any Hawaiian island), he received a jam-packed itinerary in his job as a golf and travel writer.
Included in the list of activities were zip lining and snorkeling. We went on the zipline tour first, with Skyline Eco-Adventures in Maui. Everyone receives a water bottle and is weighed to make sure the guides on duty can handle the weight of each guest. Then, the group is taken by large van to the mountain. The van ride is an adventure in itself, bouncing up a bumpy dirt road on the side of a mountain. Part of the wary up, we arrive at a small shack with a large covered porch. Here, we are fitted with helmets and harnesses. We then transfer to another van with larger tires to make the steeper trek deeper into the mountain.
With sweaty palms and a hammering heart, I took my first zip line without looking from side to side, intent on hitting the ramp on the other side without falling. Success!
In the middle of eight runs, we head to an outdoor platform that overlooks a beautiful gorge. Here, we have a great lunch from a local restaurant with locally-sourced items.
As we walk to the platform, the guide tells us how wild boars are common on the mountain and that we should stay still if we hear one. As we hike back to the ziplines, a wild boar is heard and the group all runs and jumps, only to have our guide come out of the bushes.
On each run, they encourage us to try different things, like jumping off backwards or how to shift in the middle for a different view. On the last run, the guide tells us to tuck our knees into our chest so we go faster to make it across the longest run.
When I, the first girl of our group, heads up for my turn, the guide tells me to tuck my knees and he’ll help me with my send-off. Little did I know that I was going to turn into a human helicopter when he spun me like a top. Although my screams could be heard throughout the mountain and beyond, it was a fun, exhilarating ride. I can’t wait to try it again.
Categories: Family Friendly Resorts
Tags: adventure travel, Maui, skyline eco-adventures, travel, zipline
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Making a splash at Sea World
This spring, my family and I headed to Sea World for the first time during a trip to Florida. We’ve been to Disney several times in the past but had yet to hit other Orlando-area attractions.
We hit the park bright and early with our walking shoes on. Shamu was there to greet us and take photos after we entered (OK, not the real Shamu, but the fuzzy one).
The next thing we saw was a rollercoaster where the riders are under the tracks. My conservative, small kids said “no thanks” but loved to watch the people as they rode by.
We decided to keep it low key and headed to the pets show first. Great choice – the whole family loved the talented rescue dogs, cats, rats, birds and pig (and other creatures I’ve left out). At the end of the show, we were able to pet a few of the animals.
We thought the Shamu show (now a new show called One Ocean) would get crowded later in the day so we headed there next. It ended up filling up but we were there early enough to sit in the splash zone. The whales are beautiful and amazing creatures and we were on the edge of our seat the entire show. Luckily, we were on the edge of the splash zone so we only had a few sprinkles, although we did see one of the ushers get drenched.
My daughter’s favorite show was the dolphins. The acrobats with the dolphins had her in love. Even better, we were able to say hi to the people as we were leaving the theater area. My son enjoyed the Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island show with the funny otters and the walrus who makes a big splash.
The highlight of mom and dad’s day, though, had to be the dolphin feeding experience. This was the first time any of us had touched or feed a dolphin. The kids were a bit nervous with a big creature coming towards them and didn’t quite get the “feed with one hand, pet with the other” move down but loved seeing them up close.
Overall, we loved the laid-back vibe and unhurried atmosphere of Sea World. The shows, sprinkled in with a few rides and hands-on activities are a great mix to keep any family entertained.
I can’t wait to head to San Diego this summer and visit Sea World on the West Coast!
Categories: Family Friendly Resorts, Travel with kids
Tags: Florida vacation, Orlando for kids, Sea World Florida, shamu
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Fun in the Florida sun at the Omni Orlando Resort
This spring, my family and I stayed at the Omni Orlando Resort for two nights. My husband, on a press trip, was golfing at Champions Gate, and we were able to tag along.
The first thing we noticed about the hotel was how nicely the property is laid out. When you arrive to see the large signs, you feel has if you are entering a special place. The hotel lobby also makes you feel right at home, with cold water bottles and fresh fruit, usually apples, to welcome you.
The main attraction for the kids, besides how bouncy the beds are, is always the pool. In this case, the Omni Orlando is a mini-oasis, with a family-friendly pool, waterslide, splash area, lazy river, hot tubs and adult pool, along with an outdoor restaurant.
When we went down to check out the pool, we were thrilled to find a chalkboard with daily activities listed, including Wii competitions and nightly movies by the pool.
For this mom, my favorite part of the trip was the warm pool. Usually, pools are slightly chilly and occasionally too cold for comfort. The Omni, however, had it just right, which allowed us to stay and play to our heart’s content.
The lazy river was longer than others we’ve been in and also had more features, such as a randomly shooting water cannon and an optional waterfall (you can go under it or behind it. The resort also has a basketball court and tennis courts. My son made some friends and found a pick-up game of boys who weren’t averse to playing hoops with an 8-year-old.
If you need activities during the day, Orlando is full of them. We found the drive to SeaWorld easy and convenient, and it was nice to come back to the hotel and unwind after a day in the sun.
And, we came back to a nature welcome – we spotted an alligator near one of the sand traps on the golf course – now that’s Florida!
Pros: Warm pool, activities for all ages, comfortable rooms, reasonable rates, shuttle service to Disney parks
Sports for the whole family at Club Med Sandpiper
My sports writer husband was invited on a fam trip to Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The entire family was invited and my kids and I had to pay for our flights and rental car.
Many perceptions of Club Med are swinging singles getaways. However, this Club Med was all about family.
From the minute we walked in, the kids were in love. The room had a bunk bed and a separate TV in the kids’ area (it’s a separate room but has a thick curtain instead of a door).
We quickly unpacked and the boys headed off to a golf scramble. My daughter and I headed out for an informal tour. The resort has three swimming pools (or 3 1/2, as the children’s area has a splash area plus a cute little triangular foot-deep wading pool for the little ones).
One pool is a lap pool that also hosts most activities, like water aerobics and pool sports, plus a zero entry pool and an adults-only infinity pool that overlooks Port St. Lucie and has a hot tub next to it.
There is also a beach that has sailboats, jet skis and a fishing boat for rent.
The pièce de résistance is the trapeze and circus school. The scariest part was climbing the skinny, extremely tall ladder, especially after two days of yoga followed by water aerobics. Getting over my aching, shaking arms, leaping from the tiny platform was an entirely new experience. My daughter, the bravest of us all, did it three times – once in the dark when they had “sports under the stars.”
In the “Mini Club Med,” the kids also do circus school, which involves a trampoline, juggling and tumbling. Mini Club Med is worth another post but suffice to say, my kids cried at the end of the day when mom and dad came back to get them. Fast friends and endless activities, they did not want to leave this trip.
And the food, oh the food – all inclusive and buffet style, but not that type of buffet. Some food items were the same but most were different each meal. Drinks were also included. My daughter loved the frozen drinks and I chose the frozen spiked drinks.
At Club Med, each evening has a theme. While we were there, we had wear black, sports jerseys and sports casual nights. Not everyone does it, but those who did had a lot of fun.
The activities were endless – golf, tennis, swimming, boating, exercise, or just plain old relaxing. We’d definitely head to Club Med again. The kids are already asking when.
Categories: Family Friendly Resorts
Tags: Club Med Sandpiper, florida families, trapeze
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Thrills, spills and snow at Shanty Creek
We went to Shanty Creek in northern Michigan for a long President’s Day weekend. Although many people were there, we never felt overly crowded and didn’t have to wait in any long lines.
Shanty Creek actually has three main areas: Schuss Mountain, Summit Mountain and the back of Schuss Mountain and Cedar River Fillage. We stayed at The Lakeview Hotel & Conference Center at Summit Village with a view of Summit Mountain, ina a hotel room with kitchenette, fireplace and balcony. The kids love having a ton of snacks at their disposal and the fireplace was a warm welcome after skiing.
We went to Schuss Mountain first because my daughter likes the magic carpet that we experienced at Crystal Mountain. It was a little busy here due to several classes that were in session but served as a good warmup for all of us to get used to skiing again. The kids got cold pretty fast so we called it a day and went back for some swimming. The indoor pool was heated to a great temperature. At other places we’ve been, heated pools can still leave us shivering, but this pool was comfortable for everyone.
We skied out of the back of our hotel and the kids got used to using the tow rope. At first, this area looked daunting because you could keep skiing and go all of the way down the mountain, instead of stopping and turning at the end of the tow rope area.
Once everyone was comfortable, we ventured down one of the green-colored hills and rode up the chair lift. The kids prefer the lifts that have a bar in front to hang on to but we used our ski poles across their laps to make them feel secure.
My son refuses to listen to his dad and skis like a mad man down the hills, legs flailing and wobbling around until he gets to the tow rope. My daughter was more cautious and so she listened a bit better and took some time to practice her form and stops. The tow rope did chew up the kids’ gloves (and mine) so next time we’ll invest in better ski gloves or bring out the old duct tape.
For our last day, we went to the tubing hill, which charged more because it was President’s Day but nonetheless was a great investment. Snow groomed over the driving range, the tubing hill provides tubes and a hook and rope system to pull you in your tube back up the hill.
The kids loved going down as a group because you can gain more speed. When my daughter (6) tried to go down on her own, she didn’t have quite enough weight to get all the way to the bottom. On our last run, my son was at the bottom when his hat fell off. When he bent down to pick it up, he was plowed over by another person on a tube, and he ended up with a foot in his face and walked away screaming with a bloody nose.
Although we left on a bad note, the overall experience was very positive and the kids were asking when we could go skiing and swimming again.
We loved the atmosphere of the family-friendly skiing, swimming, tubing and overall winter wonderland.
(Disclosure: The hotel and lift tickets were provided by Shanty Creek.)
Categories: Family Friendly Resorts
Tags: Michigan skiing, Pure Michigan, Shanty Creek, tubing
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Twitter class with the #backchannel: how journalism and social media evolve
In 2010, I began teaching the first class at Eastern Michigan University that revolves around social media. Housed in the journalism department, the class draws aspiring journalists and PR pros.
This semester, after we had a full class of Twitter immersion, I introduced a new concept. First, we watched a video from Stephen Clark on how he developed the #backchannel for WXYZ-TV in Detroit. Then, each student opened up their Twitter client and created a search column for the #backchannel. I sent out a warning tweet to the #backchannel that the class would be joining.
When the newscast started at 7 p.m., we had the live video from the website streaming on the screen. A few students starting picking up on the interaction and began tweeting. Others were watching their Twitter client and trying to figure out the rhythm of communication.
Then, it started to happen. People on the #backchannel began to respond to the students. Now, the students were talking to people outside of the classroom. Then, Stephen Clark tweeted and welcomed us. The class became excited and the noise level grew.
During a particular segment, Clark mentioned “crazy kids” on the air. Immediately after, he tweeted that the reference was for the class. Now they really dove in and began tweeting. Others in the Channel 7 newsroom were having conversations with different students and the backchannel was in full motion. Students were tweeting about news segments and talking to other viewers at the same time.
Near the end of the newscast, Stephen Clark said something to the effect of “I want to thank some students from Eastern Michigan University for joining us on the backchannel tonight.” I’m not exactly sure what he said because the room erupted into cheers and amazement.
Following the newscast, Channel 7 staff tweeted to the students and asked if they had any questions. Q&A went back and forth for awhile and the students learned about the origins of the backchannel and how the rest of the staff uses it.
Now, I could’ve showed the video about the backchannel, showed some slides of recent tweets and explained the process. But the effect and experience would not be anywhere near as memorable or educational than experiencing this new form of journalism.
Of course, my students now want to watch the evening news every Thursday during class. But they also know how to use Twitter better than the majority of the population and they know that it can be extremely effective for journalists.
Categories: Social media conferences
Tags: backchannel, journalism, socialmedia, WXYZ
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Bucket List/Life List
My goal is to create this so I can track towards these goals.
Travel:
- Hawaii
- Greece
- England
Education:
- Get my master’s degree
- Learn to sew
- Take a course/webinar on interior decorating
Categories: Me and my family
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Tonja's Travels 