Easy, Healthy Kid-Friendly Foods from Kidfresh (And, Oh Yeah – They’re Packed with Hidden Vegetables!) + Giveaway!
January 26, 2012
As a working (although now part-time and looking) mommy, it becomes a bit difficult to plan out meals in advance to make sure that there are healthy options in the fridge. I shop at Whole Foods in TriBeCa to make sure that at least what I do have in our fridge is organic and healthy. But sometimes, I just don’t have the time to put the ingredients together to make an actual meal with all food groups represented – especially vegetables. (Does anyone feel my pain?!) My girls, are pretty ok with veggies. They like raw carrots and steamed broccoli and beans – sometimes. I do have to remind them to eat the veggies when we I make it for them. I would LOVE to make sure that they get veggies in every meal that they eat and sometimes its just not easy.
Through Jessica Murphy at Macaroni Kid Downtown, I was introduced to Kidfresh – great tasting, all natural frozen kids meals that have no artificial ingredients, flavors, colors or preservatives. Kidfresh meets USDA and FDA federal requirements for “all-natural”. And the best part? Each frozen meal is packed with hidden vegetables: some of their meals offer up to 33% of a child’s daily vegetable requirement (USDA recommends children aged 4-8 eat at least 1-½ cups of vegetables per day). For example, the Muy Cheesy Quesadillas and the Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese have carrots snuck in there; the Totally Twisted Pasta and Meatballs and the Spaghetti Loops Bolognese have carrots, tomatoes and sweet potatoes; and the Easy Cheesy Ravioli has tomatoes, butternut squash and carrots!
O had taste tested the Muy Cheesey Quesadillas and loved it. It was easy to make – I just popped it on a cast iron skillet and browned it till warm (you can pop the meals into your microwave, too.) She loved that it was crispy and cheesy and I loved that there were carrots in it!
And, as you know, I try to use eco-friendly, BPA-free products, so I was excited to learn that Kidfresh uses BPA-free and Phthalate-free bowls so that we can use them safely in our homes. They also use sustainable, 100% recyclable packaging and their boxes are made from 100% recycled cardboard.
Wanna try Kidfresh? Two (2) Winners will win two (2) coupons each for FREE Kidfresh meals. Coupons are good until July 31, 2012. To find a store that carries Kidfresh, please click here.
Mandatory entry: All you need to do is visit the Kidfresh website and come back and leave a comment saying which product(s) your kids would like to try.
Extra entries:
- 1 extra entry for following @Kidfreshfoods on Twitter. Sign in to Twitter, go to to the @Kidsfreshfoods twitter page HERE , click the “Follow” button and come back to leave a comment saying you did it.
- 1 extra entry for Tweeting: “Easy, yummy + healthy kid-friendly meals. Enter to win FREE Kidfresh meals here http://bit.ly/yZ6ps4 @triplethreatmom”
- 1 extra entry for following @triplethreatmom on Twitter. Click the “Follow” button and come back to leave a comment saying you did it.
You must be at least 18-years-old to enter the giveaway. Open to U.S. residents only. Two (2) winners will be chosen at random. Each winner will receive two (2) coupons each for FREE Kidfresh meals. Deadline for the drawing will be on Friday, February 3rd at 11:59PM EST. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 24 hours to claim the prize.
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. I was given coupons for review and giveaway purposes. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
As you all may or may not know, I have been looking for a marketing position that allows me to pursue my passion for social media and allows me the flexibility to be a mom – let’s call this balance. As of tomorrow, I am the (part-time) Community Director for this amazing design company called LABEL+thread. It was started by two mommy friends of mine (and old co-workers from my Banana Republic days), Catrin Grote and Theresa Robinson, who have decided to go on this mommy-venture two years ago in pursuit of finding balance.
LABEL+thread’s aesthetic is clean, fresh and modern – and they use the most AMAZING fabrics: from cashmere to super-fine merino wool to pima cotton. They’ve got sweaters, knit tops, cardigans, hoodies and scarves. Seriously, throwing on one of their pieces will automatically make you look and feel super cool. Who doesn’t want that?
The Community Director position, although part-time, still allows me to stay active in the social media circuit, while being able to find other opportunities in the digital marketing world and continue to blog and tweet for TripleThreatMommy.com. As if that isn’t enough, I get to work with two old friends and talk about their fantastic product (and I’m sure we’ll be talking about the kids, too!)
Speaking of fantastic product, this week, I’m excited to let you know of LABEL+thread’s WINTER SAMPLE SALE - I mean, we do have to make room for the Spring collection that’s coming up! Prices are outstanding at 50% – 70% off the retail prices. Details are:
- Three days: Wednesday January 25th through Friday January 27th
- 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- 312 East 23rd Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, Suite 10C, NYC
So, hope to see you at the sample sale! And don’t forget to “LIKE” LABEL+thread on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @labelandthread.
xo
TTM
{TripleThreatMommy.com is the part-time Community Director for LABEL+thread}
Easy and Eco-Friendly Lunchtime Bags and Accessories
January 24, 2012
At the beginning of this year, we officially moved S from a half-day pre-kindergarten program to a full-day, five days a week pre-k student, which means she gets to eat lunch at school with all of her friends (SUCH a big girl!) and that also means we have two kids that we have to prepare lunch for in the mornings. Although, the choices haven’t changed much throughout the years in our family. Our girls can usually count on: cinnamon raisin bread with cream cheese, mac ‘n cheese, turkey and cheese with mayo sandwich, and since our trip to Paris, we’ve had requests for a baguette with butter, ham and fromage blanc. They are so chic.
What do we use to pack all this goodness in? We tend to go with what is easy to carry and what is eco-friendly. This is what we use:
- Soft lunch boxes. They are easier to carry, doesn’t weigh down the backpack, easily cleanable (thrown them in the laundry!) and keeps the food cold / warm. We’ve used ones from The Gap, Lands End, and this year’s favorite is a chocolate brown Hershey branded soft lunch bag that I received at BlogHer 2011.
- BPA-free plastic containers for sandwiches, snacks etc. This cuts down on using plastic zip-lock bags which means better for the environment and BPA-free which means its better for your kids. Containers also keeps sandwiches and snacks like grapes or chips from getting smushed and crushed. We use the containers from Laptop Lunch’s Bento Box, and recently we bought from Bed Bath and Beyond a set of 50 piece plastic container set for under $10.00 (the link goes to the 24-piece set, but they had the 50-piece set in-store.)
Bed Bath & Beyond's Plastic Containers (They're BPA Free!). Photo courtesy of BedBathandBeyond.com
- Thermos Fogoo for hot foods. I don’t know how it does it, but it keeps my girls’ food warm. It works. Buy it. You can find it anywhere, just Google it.
Thermos Foogo. Photo courtesy of Diapers.com
I know that there’s a whole host of new things out there that can make lunchtime easy and eco-friendly like the Lunchskins Reusable bags. I haven’t used these yet, but they look great. What do you use to make lunchtime packing easy and eco-friendly?
Lunchskins' reusable sandwich bags. Photocourtesy of Lunchskins.com
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Jessica Alba’s launch of The Honest Company
January 19, 2012
When I was pregnant with our second daughter back in 2007, I distinctly remember being six months pregnant and cleaning our bathtub with an abrasive powder cleaner that reeked of chemicals. I remember thinking, “This smells so bad, it’s making me sneeze and cough, this CAN’T be good for me or this little baby in my tummy!”
That moment started my quest in finding non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products. For some reason back in 2007 there weren’t too many options. At the time, Whole Foods Tribeca was not open yet so it took a lot of Google-ing to find eco-friendly products, and when I did find them, the prices were outrageous! However, The Hubby and I have made a conscious effort to purchase these types of products as an investment in our health as well as the planet’s.
Today, we are 99% eco-friendly in our home cleaners (If we have a clogged drain, we do buy the normal stuff). But there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to personal care products like lotions, soaps and even diapers.
Earlier this week, I was invited by MomTrends to celebrate the launch of The Honest Company, at New York City’s ABC Kitchen. Jessica Alba along with Christopher Gavigan, author of Healthy Child Healthy World, teamed together to create The Honest Company, a company that provides non-toxic, eco-friendly, green and sustainable products for your child and family.
Me and Jessica Alba (The Hubby was dying!) at the launch of The Honest Company
I listened to Jessica speak about why she wanted to start an eco-friendly product line. She said she was “inspired by her daughters and her niece and nephew” and wanted to make the world a better place for all children. She and Christopher also wanted a product with all the qualities that they would want in a dream brand: savvy style, affordability, safety, sustainability, extraordinary service and convenience – all wrapped up in a passion for social goodness.
At the event, Jessica said, “The Honest Company makes it easy to get safe, non-toxic products for families: It comes right to your doorstep [in easy monthly deliveries]!” She also believes that “you shouldn’t have to break the bank to have healthy children” which is why The Honest Company has affordable priced products.
Currently, they are offering a FREE TRIAL on a sample pack of diapers and wipes OR the bath, skin and cleaning products. All you have to do is answer some simple questions and pay the $4.95 shipping and handling fee. I opted for the bath, skin and cleaning products kit. Seven days after I receive my Honest Discovery Kit, I will be charged $35.95 for the Family Essentials Bundle, shown below. And just so you know, you can cancel your subscription within seven days of receipt of your Discovery Kit, but I am sure you won’t!
The Honest Family Essentials Bundle includes Shampoo, Body Lotion, Hand Soap, Healing Balm, and Laundry Detergent.
Our girls used the Healing Balm and the Face & Body lotion this week. They loved it and it really helped both of their chapped hands and my older daughter’s eczema.
The other product that I have not moved to eco-friendly status is the diaper. So, when I was given a few samples to try, S was more than happy to choose which diaper she would be wearing that night. She did have a hard time choosing from the many choices! From my point of view, Honest’s diapers are not only super-cute, but they also aren’t made of any of the nasties that normal diapers are made of.
The Honest Company's Honest Diapers. Eco-friendly hypoallergenic diapers that are non-toxic, chlorine-free, sustainable and made from plant-based materials (and CUTE, too!).
S had a hard time choosing between the floral print or the skull and cross-bones. She can be so rock and roll sometimes, but the flowers won this time around. How cute are they?!?
Trying to Save Money in New York City by Not Buying Prepared Food
January 17, 2012
Once upon a time, I worked in a very corporate company environment as a marketing executive for a handful of fashion brands. I grew up in this company and made many friends throughout the years. We were a bunch of comrades trying to make it in the rough and tumble world of fashion retail. In between meetings, conference calls and video conferences, we always came together because of one common goal: we were hungry, and we wanted something to eat. This would happen at any time of the day: for breakfast, mid-breakfast snack, lunch, afternoon snack and of course the 3:00pm coffee break.
After college, when I started working I was not making any money. I would eat breakfast at home, buy a small cup of coffee (perhaps splurge on a large cup for $1.10), bring my lunch (because I simply couldn’t afford a $7.00 meal) and chose to forego the afternoon coffee break. At one point the company I worked for had a self-serve free coffee/cappuccino machine. I took advantage of that. A lot.
As the years went by I started to make more money and my habits changed. I never brought food to work. I was too busy (lazy?) to prepare it the night before. So, I bought breakfast – a full breakfast and coffee, and sometimes a juice and a bottled water. An $8.00 lunch morphed through the years into a $12 lunch with a soup, salad and something “fun” to drink (read = a $3.00 gourmet drink.) An afternoon designer cup of coffee would cost $5.00. Dinner would be take-out for me and The Hubby because we didn’t have time to cook for ourselves. Luckily, the girls’ caregiver would cook dinner for them so at least someone in the family was getting a home-cooked meal.
Fast forward to last April 2011 when my position at said company was eliminated. Since then – actually after my contract position at a social media agency ended late last year – I have been extremely cognizant of how much money I spend on prepared food – food that I buy when I already have food in my fridge or pantry. I estimated that I must have spent at least $35 a day on food when I was working full-time!
Now that I’m not working full-time, I simply cannot in my right mind spend that much money on prepared food. For breakfast, I’ve learned to make my own warm apple cider with chai tea (a savings of $4.75) by buying a liter of Red Jacket Orchard apple cider ($3.50) and a box of Yogi Black Chai Tea ($4.99 for a box of 2o tea bags.) For breakfast, I eat cereal or oatmeal with fruit prepared at home. Talk about a huge savings. Lunch is usually a sandwich made with some lunch meat and cheese that I already had bought for the girl’s school lunch. My mid-afternoon designer coffee has been replaced by a can of Illy Issimo ready-to-drink cappuccino (4-pack for $7.99). For snacks, I bring a tupperware of fruit such as grapes, sliced apples or a Cutie Clementine; or I bring a granola bar. My favorite is Cascadian Farms Organic Sweet & Salty mixed nut granola bars (box of 6 for about $4.29). Dinner is – surprise! - a homecooked meal by yours truly.
It makes me feel good that I am not spending money that I don’t need to be spending. I feel good about eating what I bought at the grocery store and not wasting money and food. I also feel better knowing exactly what I put in my body as well as my family’s.
When I do get a job outside of the home, I hope that I keep some of what I’ve learned. I have to be realistic and perhaps I won’t be bringing my lunch every day, but I can certainly bring my own cider chai tea, some snacks and my can of Illy coffee.
What have you done to stay on a budget and to save money? I’d love to know!
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Ice Skating in Wollman Rink, Central Park
January 15, 2012
Although we so miss the ice skating rink at Battery Park City, we’ve made do with ice skating uptown in Wollman Rink at Central Park 
It’s a great way to spend with the family, not to mention a great core and thigh workout for the mommys and daddys. It’s a pretty big rink but expect for it to be crowded. We went last Saturday morning – when it was 60 degrees out – and part of the rink gets blocked out for skating lessons, however there still is a lot of room to skate.
Me and the girls getting ready to skate at Wollman Rink.
A small cafe is available serving chicken fingers and hot dogs etc., but your best bet is to bring your own healthy lunch and snacks to keep everyone’s energy up. We brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some fruit, GoGo Squeez applesauce and some veggie chips. You can then reward the kids with a candied apple bought from the cafe (it’s fruit – so its somewhat healthy!)
If you love ice skating at Wollman Rink, don’t forget to sign up for Big City Moms and Scooter Magazine’s Winterfest Family Fun which takes place at Wollman Rink on January 29th from 12-3pm. There’ll be lots of ice skating, fun and what’s more is that a portion of all proceeds goes to K.I.D.S. Kids in Distressed Situations. Purchase tickets here.
See you on the ice!
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Bonjour! Traveling to Paris with Kids: Activities
January 13, 2012
For the Christmas holiday, we decided to have a family trip to Paris, France via a home swap through HomeExchange.com. We had a great time in Paris. It is such a family-friendly city and so easy to navigate via le metro. I wanted to share with you the things we did, plus some tips that will help you in your Paris travels.
Getting around: Since we were there for seven days, our HomeExchange.com family suggested that we purchase the Paris Train Metroweek Pass Navigo Decouverte for both me and Michael. It cost 5 Euros for the card fee + 18.85 Euros for unlimited use within zones one and two in Paris. The girls were able to ride along with us on the Navigo pass (although I’m not sure if this was following the rules, but no one said anything.)
Me and the girls in le metro. Notice the stroller. Even though we took the metro everywhere, the stroller is a must-have especially for the five-and-under set. There just is simply too much walking to do for tiny legs!
Just a quick tid-bit about the time difference. Because Paris is ahead by 6 hours, the time difference actually worked well for us. Our daily schedule consisted of the following, and if you are on Eastern Standard Time, the schedule will definitely work well for you, too:
- 10am-12pm: Wake up and walk to the local boulangerie for our daily breakfast of un baguette, trois pain au chocolats, and deux croissants; eat breakfast and get ready for our day! Out the door by noon.
- 12:00pm-2:30pm: First Activity
- 2:30pm: Lunch at someplace casual and easy – or even better: street food!
- 3:00pm-6:00pm: Second Activity
- 6:30pm: The girls eat a casual dinner at a brasserie or someplace kid-friendly while we have a snack
- 8:00pm: Dinner for me and The Hubby at a nice restaurant with the girls. The girls munch on an appetizer or bread and then have dessert with us.
- 10:30pm-11:00pm: Home and in bed!
- Rinse and Repeat
Activities + Tips:
- Go to the Top of The Eiffel Tower. On our first full day, we tackled the Eiffel Tower and went to le sommet (the summit). It was a beautiful sunny day so we were able to see everywhere. In person, it is so magnificent and HUGE! I couldn’t believe we were there. Going up the elevator was a little scary for me but the girls and The Hubby handled it really well. Tip: Purchase and print out your tickets before you leave your hometown. This will save you several hours of waiting in line. Seriously, I mean several hours. There’s a carousel across the street for 2 Euros per child and is a great “reward” for the kids after waiting in line.
Me and The Hubby at The Eiffel Tower!
S enjoying the view from the Eiffel Tower's Summit
O enjoying the Eiffel Tower's carousel.
- Go on a One-Hour Boat Tour of the Seine. This is another touristy thing to do, but it gives a good overall view of the city and highlights the major points of interest. We used Bateaux Parisienne which was pretty good and had commentary. Plus, the main guide spoke SIX languages; French, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian! Truly a highlight. Tip: Similar to The Eiffel Tower, purchase and print out your reservation ahead of time! Do this the same day as your trip to the Eiffel Tower since the boat dock is right across the street.
- Visit the Toy Department at Le Bon Marche. The store is elegant and beautiful and especially around the holidays, dripping with lights. The toy department downstairs is like a mini FAO Schwarz so be careful – the toys are very pricey. The do however, have a lot of toy displays that kids can play with, so you can easily spend a good hour here. Tip: Give your kids a small allowance for this activity, say 7 Euros. They actually do have a little table where you can buy small trinkets and most of them are under 10 Euros. That way, you can minimize the whining
- Visit the Louvre. An absolute no-brainer, but just be forewarned that it’s tourist central and is very crowded. We went late in the afternoon on a Wednesday, when it stays open later and is a little less crowded. We saw the famous Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo plus the dungeons that were underneath the Louvre – excavated when IM Pei created his glass pyramid. Tip: Instead of waiting on the huge line at the Louvre to buy tickets, go to Le Bon Marché’s Concierge (or any other place that sells tickets to the Louvre) and buy your tickets there. The Concierge Desk is located on the main floor by the men’s department. Doing this probably saved us a good 2-3 hours of waiting in line!
The fam in front of The Louvre.
O in front of the world-famous Mona Lisa at The Louvre.
- Go to the Jardins du Luxembourg. This is one of the most kid-friendly parks ever and is a MUST especially if you have kids! Going here is a good balance to all the sightseeing that you’ll be doing.
- Visit the playground. It costs 2.50 Euros per child but is totally worth it. The playground has two sections: one for the 7-12 year old set and one for the 6 and under set. You can easily spend several hours here. It’s good for the kids to let out some energy, especially after going to all the museums and doing some site seeing.
The playground had this amazing kids zip-line which the girls LOVED.
- Watch a puppet show at the old theatre. We saw Puss in Boots and it was fantastic. It was like taking a trip back in time in this small theatre with puppets in the style of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood (do you know what I mean?). It was in French but the girls got the gist.
This is where the puppet shows take place. It's right next to the playground and carousel.
- Go on the antique carousel. It’s a merry-go-round and kids love it.
- Ride the Little Buggy Cars. When the playground closed, we passed by this open area and to the girl’s delight, it was a place where you can “rent” little buggy cars for 1.50 Euros per ride. The girls had a blast riding around.
So much fun riding around in these buggys!
- If you have girls, you must go to The Doll Museum - La Musee de la Poupee. This museum was one of the girls’ favorites. They enjoyed seeing dolls from the early 1900′s and comparing and contrasting the kind of dolls they have today. Tip: Google map the location because it is on a teeny, tiny road that you can easily miss. It is one block away from the Centre Pompidou, so you should do both activities in one day.
- Check out the Centre Pompidou. This is all about modern art and is a museum that isn’t so crazy like The Louvre. I stayed in the Galeries des Enfants with our 4-year old in “La Blobterre” – a kids exhibition while The Hubby and O toured the rest of the permanent exhibitions seeing the Chuck Close, Rauschenburg, Schnabel, and other of their favorites. Tip: The museum opens at 11am, so get there as soon as it opens so you don’t have to wait in the lines. The first line is for bag-check/security. Once you get in, head straight for the shorter and quicker automatic ticket line instead of the teller line.
- For Kids Big and Small: The Magic Museum – La Musee de la Magie. Another kid-friendly museum that features the history of magic with some hands-on exhibits plus a 30 minute magic show throughout the day. In the same building, but for an additional fee, is the Museum of Automations – La Musee des Automates, an exhibit of old automated robots that also has hands-on exhibits. The girls LOVED both museums because they were able to touch (almost) everything! We easily spent two hours here. Tip: Buy the combo entrance fee for both museums. You won’t regret it. Our girls had a blast. If you are clamoring for some American food, head over to nearby Breakfast in America.
- For a Great View of the Eiffel Tower go to the Trocadero. Take some great pics of the Eiffel Tower and from here, walk to the Arc de Triomphe, then down the Champs Elysée. Tip: At the bottom of the Champs, reward yourself with a crepe du Nutella from one of the many crepe vendors.
One last crepe du Nutella for the girls...
Obviously, I highly suggest a family trip to Paris. Even when the weather was a little rainy and overcast, the city is just beautiful and there are so many things to do. Do you have any must-sees when you are in Paris? Let me know!
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Our First HomeExchange.com Experience in Paris, France
January 9, 2012
I had written earlier last week how we had decided to use HomeExchange.com for our holiday trip to Paris for my grad school present. HomeExchange.com is a vacation alternative in which you trade your home (apartment, or condo – or whatever you live in!) for an agreed upon time frame. You pay a minimal monthly fee in order to see the various listings. At this time its about $10/month for a year commitment. When I had posted our apartment on the HomeExchange.com website, I didn’t realize how fast things would start moving. Within three days, we had offers to exchange from Dubai, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Spain.
We decided Paris, France would be a great city to explore because it is just like New York City: It’s a beautiful walking city with a great mass transit system which makes getting around with two little girls very easy. I’ve been to Paris several times in the past for work plus I speak some high-school French, so at least I could get us around.
Let’s get the first question I know you’re all asking out of the way: “You are allowing absolute strangers into your home?!” Well, yes and no. Yes, we have never met the family we decided to exchange with, but for seven weeks before the exchange, we had written almost daily emails to each other, gave each other tips about our cities, spoke on the phone, and became friends on Facebook. Our French family even created a personalized Google Map for us so we knew where the local boulanger and boucher was even before setting foot in Paris. HomeExchange.com also provides agreements that you and your family can use once an exchange has been confirmed.
There are many things you can do to prep for a home exchange. Here are a few of my own. Feel free to add your own comments, too!
- Get to know your family really well and vice-versa:
- Ask questions! Your family is your local expert – ask them about restaurants, places to visit, non-touristy things to do.
- Give them tips about your city. I found out what they wanted to do and see here in NYC, so I also created a personalized Google Map for them with a list of restaurants, museums and flea markets to check out. It took over an hour, but well worth the time and effort and they appreciated it. I know I appreciated it when they did it for us – without even asking!
- Skype, Google+ or have a simple phone conversation with them. Making some form of contact in which you can see each others faces or hear each others voices helps in the “trust factor.”
- Be their friend on Facebook. You can see who they are, what they do and what they talk about. And vice-versa. I have actually become friends with the dad and their two kids on Facebook.
- Send them a picture of you and your family. Just personalizes things a bit more.
- Arrange your flight schedule so you can meet each other. Our French family arrived the day before we left (they stayed in a hotel nearby). They came about an hour before it was time for us to leave, which gave us ample time to meet them, chat and show them around the apartment. Again, helps on the trust factor.
Preparing your home for a HomeExchange.com vacation is different from any other vacation. There’s just a lot more to do and requires work, but what kept us motivated was thinking about the 2,800 Euros we were able to save by exchanging instead of getting a hotel room.
- Clean out your home. This is obviously an no-brainer. You don’t have to clear out everything, just the important stuff:
- Put all your fine jewelry in storage. ‘ Nuff said.
- Box up all personal files like tax forms, bank statements, credit card bills etc. and lock those up.
- Buy an external hard drive and put any personal documents from your computer on to the hard drive and lock that up in storage.
- Buy new sheets and towels that you can specifically reserve for when you do an exchange.
Again, I know its a ton of work, but once you mentally add up the amount of money that you save plus the kind of experience that you and your family get by actually living in a home instead of vacationing in a hotel room – its priceless. We were able to go to the local boulangerie (bakery) and make friends with the boulanger. Whenever we passed by to go to le metro, he would wave to us. I mean, you can’t get that when you’re in a hotel, can you?!? The girls were also able to have their own bedrooms and had more than enough room to run around and have “alone time.”
Our daily breakfast in our Paris apartment: un baguette, trois pain au chocolat and deux croissants from our local boulangerie, which was down the block from our Paris HomeExchange.com apartment.
The night before leaving Paris, we did have to clean up the apartment: I lightly vacuumed, and we cleaned up the dishes and took out the trash. The morning we left, we threw our towels and some bed linens into the washer and left everything neat and tidy. When we came home, we found our apartment as we had left it: clean and tidy with nothing out of place. At the end of an exchange, you can also ask your exchange family to write up a review of the experience. We just finished up writing our positive review for our French family and we are already trying to figure out when and where our next HomeExchange.com experience will take place.
Have you done HomeExchange.com before? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Top Three Reasons Why I Haven’t Posted in Six Months
January 4, 2012
I know have been remiss in keeping this blog up to date. REALLY remiss. It was easy at first to keep the posts coming because my job as a Marketing Director was eliminated (eliminated – yes, that is what the career counselors taught us to call it) in the spring of 2011. I was with my girls, I was going to blogger events and I was cooking, so I had a lot to write about. Then things got a little busy. Below are my top three excuses -I mean reasons – as to why I haven’t posted in six months.
The first reason: I got a contract position at a social media agency. The position allowed me to truly work in social media 100-hundred percent all-in. Something that in my past positions I wasn’t able to do because budgets never allowed for much more than a Facebook page or a Twitter handle. I learned so much, worked with amazing clients and was able to manage social media projects that I never even knew was possible. Truly enlightening. But, it took up a lot of time, which most jobs do, and it was hard to fit in TripleThreatMommy.com into my schedule.
While working as a contractor at the agency, my other job was finishing up grad school, my second reason. As soon as I came home from work, we all had dinner, put the girls to sleep, then by 8pm, I checked in on Foursquare to “Pam’s Capstone Study Center” (my desk). I was writing up my final project called “Capstone,” which all grad students in my NYU program have to complete in order to graduate. The Capstone I worked on was a business and integrated marketing plan for a non-profit called Newark Yoga Movement. A fabulous organization that provides yoga to the students of Newark, NJ. My Capstone was created to help Newark Yoga Movement move from a grassroots non-profit organization to one that would have fully integrated marketing plan with the goal of increasing the number of donors with a solid operations business plan to support it. Researching and writing Capstone would literally take me to 1am or 2am almost every night. Grueling is the only word to describe it. Once that was done – it looked like this:
My 74-page (not counting the addendum) Capstone project: a business and integrated marketing plan for Newark Yoga Movement.
Once Capstone was handed in, you’d think that I’d allow myself some down time. Well, not so much. I was busy with my third reason of why I haven’t posted in six months: planning our HomeExchange.com vacation! Since I wasn’t working, I couldn’t justify a full-blown out vacation with hotel and airfare. I don’t know about you, but we aren’t in a position to spend $10K-$15K on a vacation, so I had to come up with something creative. I wanted a grad school present (I do deserve something, right??) but something that the whole family could enjoy.
Friends of ours told us about HomeExchange.com , in which families swap homes for their vacation – with no money being exchanged. Our friends had spent 2 weeks last summer in Sardinia via HomeExchange.com and had a great experience. I thought, why not? We put up our apartment post on a Tuesday and by the end of the week we were in the process of going to Paris, France for the Christmas holidays. Going to Paris with kids definitely requires a lot more brain work than a simple beach vacation so I had a lot of planning and researching ahead of me (a post to come on HomeExchange.com and Paris soon!).
So that’s it for my excuses – I mean, my reasons – as to why I haven’t posted since last July. It’s a new year and one of my resolutions is to keep up with this blog. I will and always will be a Triple Threat Mommy.
xo
TTM
{Triple Threat Mommy was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are all mine.}
Wordless Wednesday: Who you Gonna Call?
July 6, 2011
Hook and Ladder 8 in TriBeCa, where Ghostbusters was filmed.
According to the TriBeCa Trib, Hook and Ladder 8 is one of two Lower Manhattan fire stations on a list of 20 across the city scheduled for closure by July 1 in the mayor’s new budget proposal. The firehouse has been part of the TriBeCa community for over 100 years.
xo
Triple Threat Mommy