Splashing at Great Wolf Lodge

We finally made it to Great Wolf Lodge! It feels like we're the last family on the east coast to visit this family resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.  It's one of a chain, others located scattered across the U.S. and is fairly popular for family get-aways.

The theme of Great Wolf is all rustic and woodsy, with cute fluffy wolf ears at check-in. There are a number of room options, including a log cabin themed room, with a separate tent-looking area for the kids. We were in a regular family suite (the tent-theme rooms were sold out), which was space-y enough for the six of us, with two beds and a sleep sofa, an in-room coffee maker, microwave, and refrigerator.

• Tip: you get a wristband which acts as your water park admission, room key (swipe it across the sensor) and room charge card (again, swipe it across the sensor.)  I like this and it was handy not having to carry a wallet in the pool area.

The big attraction is the indoor water-park, which makes it a great middle-of-winter (or when will winter ever end!) mini-vacation.  There's a wave pool, multiple fun slides, one of those scream-inducing vortex/tornado type slides, a water-y playground, lazy river, and a little kids' shallow pool.  And an adults-only whirlpool.  (Is there any better two words at a family resort than "adults only"?)

• Tip: you have access to the waterpark before you check in and all day when you check-out, so pack the family swimsuits separately for your arrival and have traveling clothes packed separately on your departure

On the lower level is also other entertainment options. There's a 4D video, video games, arcade, and duckpin bowling, all for additional fees of $2-$6 per person.  Our kids spent a few minutes challenging each other in the Time Challenge - a room equipped with a pattern of lights which the kids had to run around and turn off in sequence (think, life-size Simon.)  There's also a few Quest games - the kid gets a magic wand and then sets off to different stations around the lodge. It looked to total almost $50 to play and seemed geared to younger kids, so we got out of having to do that ($50 for 4 kids adds up.)

• Tip: Have a plan and a budget. You know how quick $2/kid/game can add up. You can get a point card to load your points, so that's a good way to limit your spending.

We didn't eat in the lodge, but I did get coffee from Dunkin' Donuts! I think this was the first hotel I've stayed in with a Dunkin' Donuts and I was kinda happy. Although there was a long line, as folks were picking up donuts and breakfast, too.  We also got ice cream and fudge from the sweets shop, even before breakfast - you know that's a sign of spring break.

We were only there one night, but it was a full stay.  If we had a lower rate, we may have stayed another night.  We're on Spring Break this week and it seems like everyone else is, too, thus, the higher prices.

• Tip: Prices, like most travel destinations, vary depending on season and demand, so if you're flexible, you can get a better rate.

The kids had a great time and I'm glad we finally checked this off the family to-do-one-day list. I could see us heading back on another mid-winter/will winter ever end get-away.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Going back to 1776 in Colonial Williamsburg

We spent a day in the 18th century in Williamsburg, once the capital of Virginia.

If you haven't seen the commercials, Colonial Williamsburg is a refurbished town, with live actors, or interpretors, re-enacting the activities of the time. There are wheelwrights, milliners, shoe makers... even slaves and free Blacks.  Throughout the day, you encounter them in their various shops and on the streets.  According to the wheelwright, the skilled laborers actually go through an apprenticeship to learn there craft and the work they are doing is real, not just for show. For instance, he was working on two projects - carving a section of a wooden wheel, using a tool that would've been used in colonial times, that would go on a wagon used in the town, as well as making a cannon wheel for a museum in New England. Of course, I made stops in the spinning shop, where the woman was spinning wool into yarn, and bookbinder. Interesting to see that some of these crafts have not changed much in hundreds of years.

The townspeople were fascinating in that they seemed to know a lot about their particular craft (it was just as intriguing to hear them field questions, as to hear  their own presentations), had  opinions about other folks (the shoemaker clearly expressed disdain for the cobbler), and portrayed a well-rounded and informed  history of the time and their character. Many of the people talked about what was going on in other parts of Virginia or pieces of trivia about the Governor's palace. The slaves mumbled to each other that nothing was going to change as the Declaration of Independence was read out loud.  There were re-enactments of one man's decision on joining the military and a slave jumping the broom ceremony.  It all felt like you had stepped back and were eavesdropping on history. To the point that when the townspeople nervously yelled that the British soldiers were coming, my kids got up and ran with them.

You need a pass to go into the various shops, available as one day, multiday, or annual passes. We received annual passes as part of our room package at Williamsburg Woodlands. If you go, check the various room deals; this one turned out to be a little less than what I would've paid for hotel and five day passes. There's a daily schedule of events, when shops are open and special activities.  Take note of any special things you want to see, as once you start wondering around, you might forget.

A day in Colonial Williamsburg transports you back to a time when cooking was done with food grown nearby, clothes were recycled and repaired as an economic necessity not as fashion, and when towns were filled with skilled "smiths." It was also a time when women couldn't vote, nor could poor men, and slavery was still legal.  There's stepping stones going into Williamsburg that remind you of the differences. It's an educational and entertaining day, and makes you appreciate walking back into the present.

Should Kids Get Vacation Days?

How many times have you thought, "wow, look at that sale on plane fares, we could go on a great vacation! Oh, but dang - there's that whole kids have to go to school thing." It's pretty much a rule: when schools are open, kids are supposed to go. In our schools, if your kid misses too many days of middle or high school, they could automatically fail their classes. And if your kid misses too many days in some districts, somebody's coming to find you and ask where your kids are.  But those hotel rates in Disney are so much better on a Thursday in the middle of October than Christmas week!  What’s a vacation-needing family to do?

Apparently, some parents argue that family vacations should be acceptable absences.  Family time, lessons from traveling, life experiences, etc. etc. Parents should be able to choose whether they want their kids in school or hiking in the Alps.

But what if family vacation isn't hiking in the Alps? What if it's going to visit grandma in the next state over? What if there's no vacation fund because dad lost his job, so family time is picnicking at the local park? What if you can't get your kid to school because he missed the bus and your car's in the shop and you need that cab fare to get to work – isn’t a missed day still a missed day? And it's interesting that this comes up as an issue for "vacation" when teachers for years, at least in my school experience, have said how disruptive it is when a student with roots in another country is out of school for a week or more to visit family back home.

Again, like so many issues, this becomes one of income, class, and family choices.  If parents can have permission to take their kids out to go canoeing in the Caribbean, can a student also get the day off to go hang out at the zoo with mom? If a kid gets a pass because the flight is cheaper if his family leaves on Thursday, does another kid get a pass because his mother ran out of bus fare to get to school?  If that kid can get his classwork packed up for him so that he can go skiing for a long weekend, can another kid get his classwork too, so he can stay home with his little sister while his mom goes on job interviews?

To make “vacations” an acceptable absence, then makes a judgment call on how a family uses their time or the choices they have to make.  That shouldn’t be the school’s decision.

On the other hand, as a parent, yes, you should be able to decide whether those plane discounts are worth your kid getting marked absent.  Your grown, your an adult, you get to make that choice. But then realize that there may be consequences for that absence, like not being able to make up the work and getting a zero.

It seems like an easy answer. But then you realize, everybody doesn't get vacation days.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Top Just Piddlin' Blogposts of 2014

We’re getting ready to close out another year.  2014 brought more books, travel, cooking, and crafts while raising kids. Shuffling from here to there. Keeping up with homework. Cheering at basketball games, tennis matches, and swim meets. Grocery shopping and cooking meals.  A lot of sorority and PTA meetings.  Trying to squeeze in a little bit of time for my own stuff.  And yes, despite the happy Facebook posts, there were some bad days, but as the old spiritual says, they were outweighed by the good days, so I won’t complain (too much.)

Over the year, these were the readers' favorite posts.  Is your's on the list?

Travel

• Whenin Texas... Finding the Perfect Cowboy Boots - p.s. I love my cowboy boots and ready for a return trip for another pair
• Takingthe Sweet Road - Our Ice Cream Tour - I love ice cream. This was this tasting thru New England
• PackYour Bags: Conferences - the essentials for your next conference

Books & Music

• WhereDoes My African-American Child See Herself in Books?  This one was also very popular on the BlogHer website.
• Books I'm Carrying Around: The Supadupa Kid
• Books I'm Carrying Around: 12 Years a Slave, James McBride, Sue Monk Kidd
• #ColorMyShelf- Diverse Books for All Kids
• MaryJ Blige Heads to London for #TheLondonSessions

For the Kids

• 5 Lessons from Rubber-band Bracelets
• 10 Ways to Avoid an "I'm Bored!" Snow Day
• 10 Things to Do on the Longest Days of the Summer
• Youth Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship: Watching Seeds Grow

For the Home: Cooking & Crafts

• #WIP- #DIY Decorated Clipboards
• Crockpot Cooking Without a Recipe - Perfect for your next busy day to have dinner ready when you (finally) get home.

Thanks for Just Piddlin' with me.  Come on back and join me for piddlin' in 2015!

Follow on Twitter @JustPiddlinBlog

Like on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Must-Haves for the Perfect Hotel Stay

It's been a whirlwind of travel this spring and summer.  I’ve stayed in a lot a lot of hotels for various reasons between sorority, PTA, and family vacation.  With all the stays, I’ve whittled down a list of must-haves for a great stay.

Bed in Banyan Tree Mayakoba may be the best bed ever. But the hammock just outside is competition.

Great bed. Well, of course, that’s the whole point of staying in a hotel, right? Climbing into a perfectly, expertly made bed with a pile of pillows and more linen than you would even know what to do with at home.  Enough said.

In-room coffee maker. Because it’s really quite an effort early in the morning to get dressed and go downstairs to the coffee bar/breakfast area (because that also is a requirement), get a cup of coffee and then go way back to your room. It’s just too much to ask for. And we don’t want to start a trend where people come down to the requisite coffee bar/breakfast area in whatever they slept in. No. Don’t.  Now, the hotels that really get an extra star are the ones that provide those little teeny containers of liquid coffee creamer, not the packets of powdery stuff that never dissolve right and leave floating flour-y lumps floating in your coffee.

DoubleTree Cookies & Chupa Chups at Springhill Suites in Mystic, CT

A sweet greeting upon arrival.  Of course, Doubletree has their famous delicious chocolate chip nutty cookies.  In fact, that is one of the reasons you would pick a Doubletree over the hotel next door, isn’t it, just for a cookie?  On our roadtrip this summer, the kids were excited to see that other hotels offer a sweet little “hello,” too in candy bowls.   Granted, the challenge is then to keep the kids from raiding the candy bowls every time you pass the front desk.

The view from the rooftop of the Fairfield Inn, Brooklyn NY

A great view. No one likes to wake up in the morning, open those big heavy curtains and look at the back of another building or a parking garage.  The beautiful view, be it city skyline, rolling waves, or hazy mountains, is a wonderful thing to remind you “look, you’re away from home!”

Indoor pool at Hampton Inn, S Kingston, RI (there's a whirlpool nearby so you can keep an eye on the kids)

A private pool right off your door isn't too much to ask for either; Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Exercise facility and/or swimming pool.  Because there’s nothing that takes you out of your exercise routine than being away from home.  I’ve gotten a little bit better though; I generally pack sneakers and a workout outfit with the intention of running or getting to the gym.  Depending on the neighborhood and how comfortable I feel about not getting lost, I’ll go out and run.  I’ve found a few hotels that will even offer you a map of a good walking or running route.  The pool is not only for exercise, but the rainy day when the outside activity plans are cancelled, those couple hours before dinner, or even an after dinner family swim.

Breakfast included.  This isn’t as important when traveling alone, but when traveling with kids – getting them all up, dressed, piled in the car, to a restaurant somewhere in town, waiting for a table, ordering, eating, and spending $50 before the day is even started? Ugh.  If you can manage the getting them up, dressed, and down the elevator part you’re off to a good start. Plus – the breakfast included option usually ends by 10 am so you’ve got a built in incentive to get up!  My kids know that if they miss the hotel breakfast, oh, well – instead of make-your-own-waffles, they’ll have pick-out-a-cereal-bar.  And that extra money in your pocket for the ice cream later on is a nice feeling.

Hotel bar.  At the end of a long day, with or without kids, what a great way to end the day.  Have a drink and some salty snacks. Ride the elevator home, no charges for drinking & pushing “up.”  One night on vacation, my husband and I went to the bar and it had just closed, the bartender was cleaning up.  He looked at us and asked, “aren’t you the family with the four kids?” We nodded rather sheepishly wondering what commotion had they witnessed.  The bartender wiped off his hands and said, “What would you like to drink?”

What have I left off? Any other must-haves for your hotel stay?

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances