Tawanna, Author at Mom's Guide To Travel

Mar 05 2014

Social Good: IHOP’s National Pancake Day More Than Just Free Pancakes

Today while I was in the kitchen, my son Asad requested pancakes loud and clear. I think he was reminiscing about the fun morning he had yesterday at IHOP’s National Pancake Day, being celebrated as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Honored Hero.

Mother Nature

Months of planning and emailing lead up to National Pancake Day. Initially, we were worried that the day might be a bust because of the snow. However, the weather proved to be a gift. Many kids, including my own, had a snow day. This allowed droves of families and out-of-school teenagers an opportunity to cram into IHOP reception areas and wait for their stack of free pancakes. Overall, I think the day turned out to be a roaring success.

Autism and Leukemia

Our morning started early and was a fun-filled few hours of Asad being in the spotlight. The funny thing about it all was that he was the least bit phased. Most, if not all of the employees at the Rockville IHOP, where we celebrated National Pancake Day, were oblivious to the fact that Asad also deals with autism, in addition to the leukemia. In the end, I guess none of that really mattered.

Once Asad settled down from the initial onslaught of the crowd, noise, and attention, an overwhelming experience for a child with autism, he was able to find his groove. The stack of warm buttery pancakes dripping with syrup – a diet detour for my gluten free kids – was the vehicle that got him to his happy place.

A Celebration

National Pancake Day is not only a fundraising event for organizations like LLS but also a celebration of children like Asad, a celebration of life and survival with a disease that claims so many lives.

Breakfast at IHOP was one big party – a birthday party for my little Lion, filled with hundreds of guests, birthday cake, smiling faces, cameras, dozens of presents, and best of all, pancakes.

Asad and his brother loved the day – a second birthday, a second chance to smile, to forget about drugs, forget about hospitals, forget about needles, and just be a kid.

Gratitude

It’s so much easier to be a giver. I’ve learned that Humility requires strength and is an honorable trait. It allows you to graciously be on the receiving end of social good.

We, his parents, are humbled once again by the kindness of strangers. We are forever grateful for his “second day”, the celebration of life and survival. And most of all, we are grateful for the gifts of love, compassion, and pancakes.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, LLS, is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Feb 26 2014

Philadelphia Hotel Monaco Family Fun Night Package: 5 Things To Love

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Imagine taking a quick city getaway with the fam. In cities like Philadelphia, parking can be a nightmare, searching for a restaurant with kids a bear, grabbing a quick pre-dinner wine more drama than it needs to be, and entertaining the kids in the evening enough to put you to sleep early.

Kimpton’s Philadelphia Hotel Monaco does a good job with its’ Family Fun Night Package addressing all of those needs. As I contemplated when I’d visit the hotel again, I realized how much I appreciated the package, the little details that made me happy.

1. Valet parking

Parking in Philly is a beast. With the Monaco’s prime location on Chestnut Street across from the Liberty Bell, it’s almost impossible to find a space. It’s a relief to exit your car right in front of the hotel, surrender your keys and just begin your getaway. Tip: Take care of your valet handsomely. The convenience and service in a hectic city is priceless. Outside of the package, valet parking costs $40 per night per car. The Family Fun Package includes valet parking for one car.

2. Hosted Evening Wine Hour and Kids Hour

Although the wine hour and kids hour is available to all Kimpton guests, it’s still a part of the total package of what you’re paying for in staying at the Philadelphia Monaco. The kids get a chance to eat candy and enjoy games in the lobby at 4pm while parents get to enjoy a glass of wine at 5. Everybody gets their “time”. Everybody’s a happy camper.

3. Movies in Bed

The In-room movie selection was surprisingly good. The Philadelphia Monaco had all the latest releases of both family movies and adult movies. Outside of the package , the In-room movie will run you $17.95 but is included in the family fun package. The hardest choice will be what to watch on your flat panel HDTV.

4. The Rooms

In general, the hotel’s decor is fun, modern, and eclectic. Simply put: visual candy. The rooms are spacious and beautifully designed. I stayed in a Parkview King Room and couldn’t be any happier. I had a wonderful view of Independence Hall and the park. My king bed was ridiculously comfortable with its’ 300 count frette linens. I’ve seen well-made beds before but for some reason, this bed looked so pretty I didn’t want to disturb the sheets.

To give you an idea of size, the Parkview Queen Queen room is 350 square feet – a good chunk of real estate for a family of four. Even if you decided to be more conservative with the Double Double room, you’re still getting a decent 300-325 square feet to spread your wings. A desk to work on, modern furniture, a sliding bathroom door, bold wall paper and curtains…the colors are bold but still relaxing.

5. Late Check-out

With the Family Fun Package, you can check out as late as 2pm. For me, this is vacation gold. It was just enough time for me to wake up, have brunch, come back and let my food digest while I watched a movie – a perfect end to a quick city getaway.

Other things that I love about the Philadelphia Hotel Monaco:

The Robes

The robes are one of my favorite things about Kimpton hotels. The fun animal print robes for adults are sexy yet comfie and they make your relaxation experience that much cozier.

Technology Aware

One of the challenges for hotels housed in historic building is their ability to accommodate today’s digital guests. This is not the problem at the Philly Monaco. They get it. Outlets, outlets and more outlets. I guess because I have so many devices, it’s something that always sticks out for me. Mom and Dad don’t want to compete over outlets with the kids nor do they want to move hotel furniture around to access an outlet. I counted 11 easily accessible outlets in my room, from the bathroom to the side of my bed, to the desk, to outlets designed into the furniture, there was a place for me to be plugged in.

Great On-site Restaurants

We dined at Kimpton’s other Philadelphia property, the Hotel Palomar on 17th street. Square 1682 is a low-lit chic little restaurant that knows how to make simple foods like popcorn and carrots interesting. For starters, we had popcorn drizzled with truffle oil. I opted for the specials: a vast bowl of carrot purée soup and the jumbo scallops with poached lobster – both very delicious, colorful, and satisfying. To wrap up the evening, our host graced us with a large cheese plate with over five cheeses, fruit, nuts, and quince – a meal onto itself.

Disclosure: I was hosted by the Hotel Monaco to check out the property and experience the Family Fun package. I received no compensation – all opinions expressed are my own.

Feb 25 2014

Global Awareness: Save The Children Ending Newborn Deaths Report

22 hours of labor. Contractions two to four minutes apart. Total dilation: 2.5 cm. Final result: an emergency c-section. This was my birth experience with my first son. In situations like these, the mother risks dying in labor and the newborn is more susceptible to succumbing to the stresses of labor as well. Thank goodness we were blessed with our circumstances. I could have easily been one of the millions of women that Save The Children report on, who die every year from childbirth.

Today, 2.2 million first-day deaths and stillbirths happen during labor around the world because of a lack of adequate delivery of health services to pregnant women and newborns. Save The Children has just published its Ending Newborn Deaths Report which calls for the ending of preventable newborn deaths that range in the millions.

There is a crisis in newborn mortality.

Many women and newborns die because they are poor. Many newborns die because they are not receiving adequate care when they enter this world. Many newborns die because of a global shortage of midwives and other health workers at birth. These are just some of the contributing factors to the high preventable newborn mortality rate.

Startling Numbers

Here are some of the figures from the Save the Children report:

2 million newborn babies could be saved each year if we end preventable newborn mortality.
1 million babies did not survive their first – and only – day of life in 2012.
2.9 million babies died within 28 days of being born in 2012. The number is disproportionately higher in Africa than in Europe, 4:1.
6.6 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2012, mostly from preventable causes. Although the number is half of what it was in 1990, 18,000 children died every day.
The world is short 7.2 million midwives, nurses, and doctors to address the need for skilled workers.
There were 1.2 million stillbirths (when the heart stops beating during labor) in 2012.
40 million women across the world give birth each year without any help from a midwife or other trained and equipped health worker. 2 million women report that when they last gave birth they were completely alone. What a scary thought.
Universal coverage of skilled qualified birth attendance could be achieved by 2025 if we double the current rate of progress. If the rate doesn’t increase, this won’t be achieved until 2043 and millions more will not live to see past their first day.

Global Responsibilities

The fourth UN Millennium Development Goals set a 2015 deadline to reduce child mortality by two-thirds. The world is off track. Save The Children is calling on world leaders, governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to tackle the crisis of newborn deaths by implementing a five-point Newborn Promise to end all preventable newborn deaths. Essentially, each one of these actors are being called upon to take onus in specific responsibilities.

Here’s a brief snapshot of a few of the actions Save The Children is asking of governments and the private sector:

Governments – increase expenditure on heath care; remove user fees for all maternal, newborn and child health services.

Private Sector – develop innovative solutions and increase availability for the poorest to new and existing products for maternal, newborn and child health.

Read the Ending Newborn Deaths report here: http://bit.ly/1etoqWw

Get a better idea of the crisis that the world is facing and spread the word by sharing this post or the link to the report via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The only way we can enact change is by creating awareness and consequently pressure.

Every child deserves to live when their death can be prevented.

This post was written as part of the Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, women and girls.

Feb 22 2014

Ryleigh’s Oyster In Hunt Valley Pays Homage To The Sea

[Tweet “In my professional opinion, people who eat oysters have more fun!”]

One of the things I’ve come to love most about living in the Baltimore-Annapolis area is the availability of seafood and the vast selection of fish restaurants you can find here. Growing up in New York, we had very few dedicated seafood restaurants. There were three main options: Coney Island, City Island, and Red Lobster. And if you didn’t live close to any of them, it was always a special occasion to go out to dinner for seafood.

This is certainly not the case in the Baltimore area. Seafood restaurants are a dime a dozen. Besides crab, oyster is king and Ryleigh’s Oyster (RyleighsOyster dot com) in Hunt Valley, MD is doing a delicious job of honoring the thrown.

The Hunt Valley location opened this past November, the second location of Ryleigh’s Oyster, following the success of the original in historic Fells Point. Located in what looks like a small office complex, the inside is not what you’d expect looking at it from the outside. The space is open and large enough to fit a concert full of people. Two large bars serve up signature drinks like the Creamsicle, a combination of whipped vodka, triple sec, fresh squeezed orange juice with a splash of Sprite that go incredibly well with a platter of raw oysters. The drinks are in no means watered down.

Farm to Table oysters

How many oyster bars do you know that have their own farm-raised oysters?

Ryleigh’s sources their oysters from small sustainable farms like Shooting Point Oyster Company on the remote Eastern shore of Virginia, where the owner has a dual interest in feeding the public’s appetite, yet protecting the waterfront. In March 2012, Ryleigh’s partnered with Shooting Point to cultivate the petite Avery’s Pearls oyster, controlling the size, salinity levels, and shape of the oyster. Named after the owners’ youngest daughter, the Avery’s Pearls oysters make for a gentle introduction to eating oysters.

I wouldn’t say I’m an oyster connoisseur but after my visit last month to Ryleigh’s, I will admit to being a fast learner. Executive chef Patrick Morrow gave me a lesson in all things oyster. I learned how to shuck an oyster, slurp an oyster, and respect the delicate balance oysters provide to Maryland marine life.

My presentation plate of oysters was filled with just over a dozen oysters ranging in size and salinity levels, from the smallest of the Avery’s Pearls to the largest, the Honeysuckles. The oysters come from various parts of the shore from New Jersey down to Virginia. For example, the Avery’s Pearls are grown at the North end of Hog Island along what is describe as an unspoiled stretch of the Atlantic Coast. The result that the farmer gets from the location is the purest form of a “salt oyster.”

Beyond The Raw Bar

If you’re not a fan of oysters, don’t worry, you’re still invited to the party. Ryleigh’s also specializes in fresh seafood, meats, and produce. You’ll forget you’re eating your veggies when you engage in a side like the crispy brussels sprouts cooked in an apple cider reduction and bacon.

Raw oysters aren’t for everyone but fried oysters may be. Or how about the more waistline-friendly grilled oysters? Channeling memories of New Orleans, these babies are worth their weight in seafood gold. The grilled Chesapeake Bay Oyster is juicy and nicely prepped with an oven roasted tomato butter and sprinkled with cheese.

If you like warm bread and you love crab, you can not go wrong with the crab pretzels. This Federal Hill Pub classic is all things Maryland. Ryleigh’s is one of few places to make their own pretzel dough fresh, in house. These little balls of carb-y goodness come out piping hot, either plain (although glossed with butter) or smothered with a Maryland crab dip and aged cheddar. Tip: Do not think about this starter if you’re trying to cut calories anywhere in your life.

Want something really unique? Try the octopus chorizo. It’s creative and colorful and darn good for raw octopus. And don’t worry, it looks and tastes better than it sounds. Light and fresh, it’s a flavorful alternative from the raw bar if you’re not in the mood for oysters.

Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with too many things on Ryleigh’s menu. They certainly pay homage to the oyster here but it doesn’t upstage the symphony that the total menu plays.

Your experience can be filled with the familiar of crab cakes and raw oysters or you can branch out to a pastrami spice cured salmon or a butternut squash hummus with candied pecans, saba, grape salad and root vegetable chips for an adventure.

Ryleigh’s is one of those spots where as soon as you leave you call a friend and say, “Yo, I’ve got a place for you. We gotta go back for dinner.” And when you walk out of a restaurant looking forward to your next visit before your food digests, you know they’ve done something right.

Feb 20 2014

5 Hot Destination Ideas For Spring Break

For those of us on the East Coast, this winter has been one of the coldest we’ve had in years. We’re drowning in snow mounds and the season isn’t over just yet. If you’re like me, you’ve been envisioning your warm weather escape or you’ve already booked it. Spring can’t come soon enough and with Spring Break right around the corner, while you’re frustrated and emotional, now’s the perfect time to solidify your Spring Break vacation plans.

This year, our Spring Break falls in mid-late April when chances are higher that we’ll have mild weather. But why take the chance? Don’t let the warmth find you, check out these 5 hot destination ideas for your upcoming Spring Break and go get your dose of sun.

1. Belize

Believe me when I say that with the publishing of Trip Advisor’s 2014 Traveler’s Choice Awards for “Top 10 Islands in the World”, and with Ambergris Caye coming in at number 1, this quiet island destination will be even more of a hot spot than it already is.

My husband and I traveled to Ambergris Caye in 2007 before kids. The destination is a tropical and ecological playground for any age. Kids will love the beaches, water, and amazing marine life if they enjoy snorkeling. I tried snuba for the first time in Ambergris Caye. The reefs are a big draw for divers, making it a popular destination for the sport.

Be prepared: Ambergris Caye wasn’t the easiest island to get to but once you’re there, it’s a slice of paradise.

2. Puerto Vallarta

Littered with beachfront resorts, Puerto Vallarta has been a popular tourist getaway for decades. At last count, there were roughly 41 five-star and four-star hotels in PV. Many of the hotels are all-inclusive with amenities and discounts nicely suited for families. You can save precious funds with offers like free childcare, free city tours, and hotel packages where kids stay free.

Hotel prices at the four-star level range widely, from $115/night to $600/night. You’ll want to sift through their amenities and offerings with a fine tooth comb to see what you’re getting for your dollar. Outside of the resorts, Puerto Vallarta offers a thriving culinary scene, rich history, colorful arts and culture, and plenty of outdoor activities.

3. Costa Rica

Did you know that Costa Rica is the most visited nation in Central America? Most of its’ tourists originate from the U.S. And why not? Hotel rates in Costa Rica are attractively inexpensive, and flights from the East Coast are comparable to what you’ll pay flying across country. I found a flight to Costa Rica from the D.C. area for $500 round trip – easily what I’d pay flying to Cali.

In addition, traveling to Costa Rica with kids has been demystified for families as more information has become available online. And with ecotourism as its big draw, parents can easily justify the trip as an educational adventure with a few tropical perks.

4. Riviera Maya

Everyone identifies Cancun with couples and partying. However, just an hour down the road, you can travel to Riviera Maya and enjoy a more laid back Spring Break vacation with your family. Large scale all-inclusives dot either side of Highway 307 as you make the drive from Cancun International airport.

Like many other destinations in the Caribbean, families can jet ski, snorkel, scuba dive, zip line, swim with dolphins and explore the natural habitat.

Riviera Maya Temple — Temple of the gods

There’s also the Mayan ruins of Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Coba, perfect for a Mexican history lesson. For the time being, urbanization hasn’t gotten out of control but I feel a change coming. Flights to Cancun are frequent and reasonably priced. Resorts like the Palladium Hotels and Resorts make vacationing in Riviera Maya easy with extensive kids’ programming and stay-free options.

5. Cruises

Yes, I know cruises aren’t technically a destination but they sure are fun! I love cruising and with all the options out there, it never gets old. Hey, you either like a boat or your don’t!

To me, the best part about cruises is that you can hop on one just about any time of the year, not break the bank, and be some place warm in no-time. In November, I sailed on the Carnival Sunshine and caught a brief break from the early winter chills.

Think I’m the only one with a love affair? Think again. Cruises are very popular during Spring Break. Why? Because they’re an economical choice for individuals and families. Their all-inclusive nature, mixed itineraries, kids programs, and party-like atmosphere take the guess work out of planning a relaxing and affordable family vacation. Ships that I like for Spring Break family fun: Carnival, Disney, and Royal Caribbean.

So, what are your Spring Break plans? Where are you and your family headed to? Share them with me in the comments below.