An Impromptu Weekend Get Away!

  I am happy to say that my resolutions for the year are coming along quite nicely.  At the end of the year I will happily disclose all that I have done.  Let's get back to the here and now shall we?  One of my resolutions is to show my son the world and take him on as many adventures as I can.  This Friday we are leaving for New Orleans with a family friend.  We live in South Louisiana and N.O. is only a 2-3 hr drive from where we live.  It was entirely unplanned and spontaneous in every sense of the word.  I called up a friend of mine on Tuesday and said, "Hey you want to go with me and Parker to New Orleans this weekend?"  She of course replied with a seemingly thrilled "Yea sure".  The reason I chose this weekend to go to the Crescent City is because my mom and her boyfriend went on a cruise and will be returning on Sunday.  How fun will it be for my 4 yr old to see his Mammie stepping off this big ship?  I may be more excited than him but as a mommy on a budget you can't get more of a cheap attraction than watching a ship dock in the port!  Plus, a bonus for them too because they have no idea we will be there!  The only thing we planned was a trip to the zoo and aquarium.  Everything else we will decide once we get there.  Unfortunately, I didn't know that the renowned Jazz Fest was this same weekend.  Bummer right?  Because the Jazz Fest is huge and hotels book up fast!  The hotels who still have rooms available jack up the prices to unreasonable prices.  I was looking and all the hotels in safe areas that were more than flea bag dumps ranged from $250 - $400 a NIGHT!  The idea of an impromptu vacation seemed to slip away just as quickly as it appeared.  However, I wasn't giving up (this momma certainly doesn't give up until she finds a deal)!  I headed straight to all the web site I knew of that could get me the good prices.  Everyone of them said the same thing....hundreds of dollars for one night.  I was not having that.  I went to priceline.com and decided to try bidding for the first time ever. *Note: I waited until the day before to bid on a room.  The reason I did this was because if they did have any rooms left the hotels would want to fill up to capacity; leaving them more likely to accept my low priced bid.  I won a 3- star hotel in the Warehouse/garden/arts district for $95 a night! SCORE!  This hotel was going for $289 a night and the area is the most beautiful of all of downtown New Orleans.  Might I add walking distance to everything and just a couple of blocks to the port where my mom's ship will be docking.  So, stay tuned for more of our impromptu vacation.  I have already mentioned my first deal of the trip and there will be plenty more.  I can't wait to share all of the places we will go and the things we will see. Until next time...............

Year Four!

It is just the second month of the new year and only two months into my son's fourth year of life and already it is proving to be very challenging. You always here people talk about the terrible two's but no one really says anything about kids until their pre-teen/teen years. My Parker Michael is very fun and I enjoy watching him grow and learn. However, he has really started to perfect pushing my buttons and toeing the line between well behaved and a little rascal! He hasn't gotten to the lying stage yet but her certainly knows how to make excuses. I am a single mother and enjoy motherhood more than anything in the world but doing it alone has been difficult on more occasions than I can count. (Even if I hate to admit I can't always do it on my own). Being a single mom makes my funds lower than I am comfortable with, my time for myself and my little one far and few between, my energy low, and my daily Tasks multiplied. Needless to say I am in a funk as a mom and as an individual. As I mentioned in previous posts I am also bipolar and between learning about my new diagnosis and trying to find the right medications life has gotten a little more difficult than anticipated. But I have a lot of faith and I know this is going to be harder than I would choose but I can do This! In fact, I have to for my budding four yr old who needs more discipline in his life! As scared as I am about our futures I am also very excited about a new chapter in our lives. Each year as my son grows older I get Wiser as a mother and as an individual. Each new chapter is a new adventure for us because we are doing it together and it helps us bond in a way no one can really understand but us. Soon he will be sTarting school and trying sports and other activities that I cannot wait to begin making those memories! So if you are in a similar situation or have a four year old just know that it is all a learning process and we can all get through it together. If you have any suggestions on how to discipline your pre-schoolers or any new habits you are teaching your little one I'd love to know. Leaving comments or email me on the actinides you and your kiddo enjoy to do!