My Triumphant Return to the Blogosphere

It's been several months since I've written you and let me tell you, I have been feeling the void!.

Just to give you an update from my time I was MIA, back in April my husband and I were knee deep into the house hunt.  We had been renting the same house for almost 5 years and our life and family had evolved.  We needed more. 

Everyday after work we met with a realtor to look at houses. 

 Every. Single. Day. 

My every thought was consumed with bedrooms, acreage, "we can make it work"'s and "it's not too far of a drive."  

Finally in July, we actually found it! Endless stalking on Google Earth and real estate websites gave me every tid-bit of information I could have ever wanted. But as we pulled into the driveway, you could almost hear our hearts stop.  We had found it..."the one" we had been waiting for.

I was IN LOVE with this house.  Yes, true, I fell in love with no less than 10 other houses during our search but this seemed different somehow, special.

So, long story short, we joined the circus and jumped through all of the necessary (and unnecessary) hoops.  On August 23rd, 2013, my hubby's 29th birthday, we closed on our new house!

"Brian, I'm really sorry I didn't get you a gift to open on your birthday but, 

I just bought you a house...so, yeah...."

Oh geez, of course I got him a gift, calm down, I'm only joking! 
What kind of wifey do you take me for?!?

 My parents and I went in on this awesome grill that does everything short of washing the dishes and rubbing my feet!

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The kids' first day of 3rd grade was the day after we officially moved in, so you can imagine how insane that night and morning were.  Just a little tip for all of you parents out there--don't buy a new house and move in merely hours before your children start school.  Avoid this utter chaos at all costs...Seriously, I'm saving lives here people!

Emily & Darien on the first day of 3rd grade!!

  

 

 

 

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Another big change in my life (pfft), I'm another another diet...surprise!!! Seriously though, I'm on a mission to get my insurance to pay for a breast reduction to help get rid of my excruciating back and neck pain.

   In order for them to even consider  paying for the procedure, my BMI needs to be closer to the healthy range.  According to the charts, I am morbidly obese and my goal weight is still in the "overweight" range.  They sure do know how to make a girl feel pretty, don't they?!?  Needless to say, the BMI chart gave a pretty serious blow to my already dwindling self-esteem.

I'm on the verge of looking like this...SMH

Another "mommy-blogger" I know put her weight and measurements on her blog and I thought to myself, Wow, she's either crazy or really brave.  I decided she was brave and now, in order to hold myself accountable, I will be sharing my stats as well.

Start Date: 10/07/13

Start Weight: 198

L-Upper Arm		13.5
R-Upper Arm		13.5
L-Thigh		27.5
R-Thigh		27.25
Natural Waist		33.25
Lower		42.5
Bust		42.25
Hips		48.25
L-Calf		15.25
R-Calf		15.25

L-Upper Arm		13.5
R-Upper Arm		13.675
L-Thigh		27.25
R-Thigh		27.875
Natural Waist		35.75
Lower		40.75
Bust		43.125
Hips		46.875
L-Calf		16
R-Calf		16.875

Weight: 195.5

Date: 11/04/13

Maybe Amanda is having better luck. Check out her progress at:  We Don't Give A Hoot!

Thanks for reading today.  Let me know if you have any fitness tips to help boost my crawling metabolism!

I'll keep you updated and I swear I'll never abandon you for 6 months again!

~*Kristen*~

Just a few tips on how to be courteous....

Dear fellow parents,

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your courtesy to other drivers during the morning drop off at school.  No please, by all means, continue putting on your eyeliner and talking on the phone.  I really didn’t need you to let me know that you were turning.  I understand how that pesky signal stick is just SO far out of the way, so really, don’t trouble yourself! Not only am I not on time for work, but I am also more than happy to continue sitting here when I could have turned 5 minutes ago.  Kind people like you all really help set the tone for my day, so thank you.

Another point I feel obligated to mention is that the “drop-off lane” is exactly as the name states.  You drop off your child and then drive away.  Please do not park in this lane and watch your 9 year old to see if they actually made the 15 feet walk from your car to the building.  If you were really all that concerned you would park your car, walk your kid into their class and not continue to waste my time.  I suppose I can understand your concern if this were my kids’ first year at school but if they are in 3^rd grade and you still grit your teeth with worry during that short walk, you have some serious separation anxiety issues that need to be worked out, stat!!!

Also, I swear, if I see one more little girl wearing a winter coat paired with Rainbow flip-flops in the cold January weather, I’m going to punch you in the throat.  If you can afford Rainbows, you can afford some sneakers or some snow boots. 

Come on now parents!! Get on the ball here!!

I sincerely hope that your children grow up to be better and more courteous drivers than you are; however, with your driving ability, I seriously doubt that will happen. 

On a lighter note, despite my comments above, I am actually in an incredible mood today which is a nice change of pace!!

So, I’m interested, what suggestions would you give to other parents? Let’s keep the comments PG 13 here!

Kristen B Riggan

Tired of Crappy Drivers

BTW, I have an AWESOME Mother’s Day Scentsy gift bundle on sale for only $45!!!! You get a warmer, 3 scentsy bars, a scented card, a gift box, and ribbon which is normally $60!! This is a crazy good deal ladies and gents!! Wouldn’t you like to have this sitting in your living room or bedroom with a relaxing spa scent filling the room?? I would!!

www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.US

Online Vs. Outside

What to do when your child refuses to shut down the computer.

I remember the good ol’ days when I was young.  All I wanted to do was play outside with my sister or the animals. (Hey, I didn’t get the nickname Elmira for no reason!!) We would climb trees, throw rocks into the creek, go ice skating on the pond, make rock forts, and so much more!  To say I was a tom-boy is an understatement. 

I had an odd 6^th sense that would allow me to somehow know whenever my mom wanted to put me in a dress and tights.  That sense saved me for dressing up countless times!! Mom would eventually give up her pursuit and let me wear pants and a shirt. Score!

I remember how I dreaded the moment that my mom would poke her head out the window and call, “Girls, it’s time for dinner, come inside!!!”  Don’t get me wrong, my mom’s cooking is great but I knew that after dinner it was bath time, and after bath time it was bedtime, thus the end of my outside play for the day.  It was a sad time indeed.

My point is, I LOVED playing outside for hours upon hours.  Muddy clothes, scraped knees, and burrs in my hair were the everyday norm for me.  It was great! 

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I am finding that the older Darien and Emily get, the harder it is to get them to go outside and play.  I want them to use their imagination and climb trees and dig up bugs.  I wouldn’t trade those bits of my childhood for the world, and I so badly want Darien and Emily to experience all that I did!  Technology had definitely become a problem in our household.  We had a Wii, a computer, a 3DS AND a regular DS, a PSP, and a Super Nintendo.  Not to mention the 5 televisions we have in our home!!  It’s ridiculous!!

One day I had an epiphany; it’s OUR fault that the kids don’t go outside anymore.  We have given them so much do INSIDE that they don’t have any reason to go outside.  Needless to say, we no longer have a Wii or the PSP.  The DS’s have been confiscated indefinitely and the computer is ONLY available for school work.  The TV’s upstairs are only watched on weekends and the TV in the living room is watched before school/work in the mornings and/or after homework for the week has been 100% completed. 

Do I think I’m being a bit overly harsh, NOT AT ALL!!! 

You see, ever since we have severely limited their exposure to all these games, they ask all the time if they can go outside!! Darien and Emily can spend literally hours outside, and I love it!  Not just because they’re out of my hair, but because I can see that they are having 10x more fun than they would ever have inside stuck in front of the television or computer screen.  My husband recently brought home hundreds blocks of wood from work and let the kids go to town!! They spent the entire day making little houses and trails and obstacle courses!  Darien now has a deep interest in building, and not only is it expanding his mind but you can’t go wrong when you know how to work with your hands and build!!  I’m so proud of him!!

So all you Moms and Dads out there, I am issuing a challenge for you all!  Turn off the television, shut down the computer, and take away the handheld games.  Yank the kiddos off the couch, put your shoes on, and go outside and have a good time!  Not only will it continue to strengthen your relationship with your family but it will also build your kids’ brainpower!! It’s an amazing thing!! 

I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog this week!! Feel free to leave your comments.  Come back tomorrow to read our Friday Mom!!

Kristen B Riggan

Successful Mom-ipulator!

BTW-Please check out my Scentsy website!  Mother’s Day is coming up and this stuff makes GREAT gifts!! www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.us

A Day In The Life....

Welcome back to all of my faithful readers!! I’ve missed you all so much, yes, both of you!! First of all let me apologize for my little extended absence.  I have been buried over my head in work, Zumba, and Scentsy, not to mention the everyday roles of wife and mommy which you all know is a full time job in itself!

I’d like to take the time today to write about a problem that is present in so many of our lives.  This problem can take you over, make you forget details; cause your hair to fall out, your boobs to sag, and your patience to run away.  Yes ladies, you guessed it!  The affliction I am talking about is known as Motherhood.

I wake up every morning more tired than I was the day before.  Why, you may ask?  Well, I’ll walk you through a normal day in my life, lets say Tuesday, and it should explain quite nicely!

I woke up at 7am, as late as possible, and scrambled to get myself ready.  Thankfully, the kids are on spring break this week so there were no arguments about brushing their teeth or putting their shoes on.  I gave Daniel a bottle as he smacked my cheek whenever I looked away while watching the minutes on the clock tick tock tick tock, closer and closer to 7:50am.   This is the absolute latest time I can leave home and not be late for work.  My mom arrives at my house to watch the kids just in time for me to run out the door, pulling my sweater on, tripping over Emily’s shoe, and forgetting my coffee in the process. 

I get to work at 8:01, just great, and I am assaulted with 20 questions, requests, and comments in the small walk from the parking lot to my office.  Did you run that report? Can you help me with this spreadsheet?  How do you run a ticket report?  Do you want to go to lunch today?  AHHHHH, why can’t they just wait for me to hang up my sweater and get some coffee before they attack me!! 

Oh, who am I kidding; I love being needed by my work family!!

Anyways, 10 o’clock break rolls around and I’m so busy that I don’t realize until 11 o’clock that I’ve missed it.  Then comes lunch at 12 when I run home as fast as I can to see the kids and eat some pathetic excuse for a meal then rush back to work.  A few hours later comes our 3 o’clock break which again I accidently work right through. 

So up to this point, I’ve been running around non stop since the moment I woke up and the day is still so young!  I get off work at 5:30 and rush home where I immediately start cooking dinner.  Chicken, rice, and veggies sounds good for tonight! Oh but wait, I forgot I have to be at my Zumba class at 7 o’clock so I eat a quick bowl of cereal, give the hubbs instructions on how to serve the kids’ food, change into my workout gear and fly out the door to pick up my Zumba buddy.  We make it to class just in time to start jumping and dancing around without pause for an entire hour.  I absolutely love Zumba, but this day is getting longer and longer.

At 8 o’clock, Zumba is over and I stop at McDonalds on the way home to replace those many calories I just burned. It’s defeating the purpose, I know, but I’m just SO totally hungry after Zumba that I can’t think about anything else! When I get home, Daniel needs to be changed, the kids are fighting over the rules of some made up game yet again and the hubbs is sitting on the couch watching the latest episode of Pawn Stars.  The poor guy busts his butt all day at work so I can’t be too irritated with him.

I finally herd the kids up to bed around 9:30, an hour past their bedtime, and rock Daniel to sleep and put him in his crib. Once the kids are down, and Brian is snoring away on the couch, I pull out my Scentsy stuff and try to make some sales, update my website and sort out orders.  That usually takes an hour or so depending on sales.  I have made it to the end of my day, and somehow I haven’t managed to throw myself into oncoming traffic, so yay for me! 

Then, it’s time for dessert, WINE!

As I put my glass up to my lips I realize, oh crap, I have to shower!  It’s important; I’m stinky and sweaty from my entire day of chaos so I can’t put it off any longer. My day normally ends around 11 o’clock most nights and that’s if everything worked out as it should.

In all seriousness, as chaotic as my life sometimes is, I love it! I love that my kids have such an imagination and make up silly games to play even if it does end up in a fight.  I love that my husband works so hard for his family all day everyday and then still comes home and watches the kids while I try to go out and better myself. 

Thanks for reading this week, and again I’m SO sorry I haven’t been writing like I should.  Now you know why!

Kristen B Riggan

Exhausted to the MAX!

PS. For some really adorable candle warmers and other wonderfully scented items, check out my website! You won’t be sorry!!

www.KristenRiggan.Scentsy.us

Marital Advice

Recently, I have been approached by several people who tell me how they see how madly in love with each other my husband and I are.  They seem almost in shock and awe of the fact that we rarely fight or that we still cuddle on the couch and hold hands.

I find this very sad.  Why is it such a shock that we “still” cuddle?  Still?  We’ve been married just under 3 years! I guess my question is when does the “newlywed love” or “honeymoon stage” wear off?  I can honestly say that yes, my husband and I still make out in the car and give each other sexy, smoldering looks from across a crowded room.  We actually find enough value in our relationship to WORK at it all the time.  It’s not something we just coast along and go with the flow and it’s definitely not something we’re willing to fail at.

Our first year of marriage was met with seemingly endless drama.  Maybe not the typical newlywed drama; jealous exes, child custody fights, and crazy family members seemed to come at us from all angles.  They wanted to break us. They wanted to hurt us and our family but the joke is on them because it only made us that much stronger!

To me, marriage is about being your husband or wife’s best friend, confidant, lover, and supporter just to name a few.  When couples forget what made them fall in love in the first place and get lazy in their marriage, they are dooming themselves to fail; it’s as simple as that.  I hear women talking crap about their husbands and constantly running them into the ground.  That’s where it starts.  I’m not saying you can’t joke around and be playful but I do NOT want to hear about how fat your man is or how bad his breath stinks everyday.  I think it’s totally disrespectful to him and it makes me very uncomfortable…ESPECIALLY when your man is right there listening!  All I can think about is how it makes him feel to be picked on in front of everybody.  It takes you back to your awkward teen years.

My husband isn’t perfect and neither am I but our relationship is pretty darn close. Sometimes I’ll write about Brian in my blog and poke a little fun at his snoring but I don’t constantly talk smack to the point where he develops a complex. 

I’d like to list a few of my favorite tips for all of you married folks out there who have forgotten why you got married in the first place.

1. Always, always, always compliment the one you love.  It can be a very small unimportant thing but it’s sure to make them feel good! “You smell really sexy today!” or “I love that shirt on you, it makes your arms look so muscular!”  Silly things like that really go a long way!

2. Touch!  Never underestimate the power of touch!  When you walk past him slap his butt or rub his back.  Why in the world wouldn’t you want to touch your husband?!?

3. Tell them how much you appreciate them.  Brian never wonders if I appreciate him because I let him know! I appreciate how hard he words to provide for our family.  I appreciate that he comes home from work every day dirty and sweaty to make sure we have what we need.  Ladies, men NEED to feel like their hard work does not go unnoticed.

4. Communicate.  If you’re upset with him, just tell him.  Don’t beat around the bush.  Don’t be immature and give him the silent treatment because you think he KNOWS WHAT HE DID!  They normally have no clue what they do to upset us.  We’re emotional creatures so how can we expect them to understand unless we tell them?

5. Intimacy is still key.  I’m not saying get busy every night because that’s just flat out unrealistic.  What I’m saying is that there are other ways to be intimate besides sex!  Rub each others feet and hands with lotion.  Take a shower together and wash each others backs.  Take the time to actually hug each other.  It’s so important and you won’t realize it until it’s gone!

I know I know, I’ve only been married for a very short amount of time compared to many couples out there so what do I know, right? Wrong! Why wouldn’t anyone want to take advice from someone who is still in the honeymoon phase?  It is my goal to make sure Brian and I are ALWAYS in the honeymoon phase.  Despite bills, work, family drama, anything I will not lose my marriage to the trials and tribulations of every day life.  We have got to get back to the basics ladies and remember why you fell in love with your husband.  Just think about it and take my 5 tips and put them into action and I guarantee that if you both are willing to fight for your relationship, you can too get back to your honeymoon phase. 

Thanks for reading today!

Kristen Riggan

Madly in Love

Oh yea, check out my new website as a Scentsy Consultant, you’ll love it!!

www.KristenRiggan.scentsy.us

Teething Ring

Teething Ring

Nope, this is not about my 9 month old….it’s about me and my dental woes.

Yesterday, I had a very busy day.  I had a few appointments so I was able to take the whole day off work. 

First, I went to the dentist, where I received some news I was not quite ready for.  Apparently, pregnancy wreaks havoc on your dental health!  I have had 1 cavity in my entire life….I now have 5 cavities that need to be addressed.

What the what?!? 

PLUS, the one cavity that I had filled when I was around 9 or 10 years old is the old kind of metal filling.  I guess that kind of metal contracts and grows with hot and cold and the “movement” of the filling has cracked my tooth!  AHHHH! So, my dentist has to remove the old filling, repair my tooth, and refill it with the new tooth colored enamel in addition to all of the other fillings I need to have. Great…well, at least those will be taken care of.   Not only do I have cavities, but I developed pregnancy gingivitis which unfortunately did not end when I had the baby. I had NO earthly idea what was going on!

Pregnancy is not the only contributing factor here.  I was born without my thyroid gland and my parathyroid gland.  The parathyroid gland distributes calcium throughout your body to the places it is most needed.  Basically, I have to take a calcium supplement to give my body what it needs…but who knows if it’s even getting to where it needs to be?  There is no conductor at this station! So, my growing bundle of joy pretty much stripped my body of its calcium leaving my teeth weak and unable to properly protect them.  Also, I have GERD; Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease.  Which is pretty much a fancy schmancy way of saying I have some SERIOUS heartburn, all the time.  Imagine drinking molten lava….yea, that’s how I roll.  Anyways, the lava, I mean heartburn has also helped strip my teeth of much of their enamel as well.  Fun stuff, right?  Okay, one more, one more.  During my first trimester, I was sick every single day, multiple times per day.  The vomiting was also a culprit in all this drama.

When I was about 8 years old and still living in New York, I wanted to be Nancy Kerrigan (the ice skater, duh, keep up!) One day, my mom took my sister and I to the roller skating rink.  After a while, it was time to go, but being the hard-headed child I was (am), I decided to go around the rink a few more times….I just wasn’t ready!  After a few more rounds, my mom is standing on the side and pointing her finger at me shouting, “Kristen Norma Bonaparte, I said NOW!”  Again, I didn’t listen and I continued skating around doing twists and twirls feeling as graceful as a swan.  I spread my arms to my side and lifted my right leg behind feeling the wind on my face…and then feeling my face on the floor.  I ran over a tiny little pebble and unfortunately my front tooth broke the fall.  As a kid in school used to tease me about, “I bit da flo.”  Yes, I broke my tooth and had to get a fake one put on.  One year later, we’re living in North Carolina and I’m about to give my sisters dog, Bernard, a kiss on the nose when he jerks his head up and his long tooth hit mine and broke it AGAIN!  This time, I had to have a root canal and the fake tooth was replaced.  I was teased incessantly in school…they said if I hadn’t been trying to make out with my dog, that wouldn’t have happened.

  So, fast forward to present time and here I am bill in hand, trying to figure out how I’m supposed to afford $2,000!  I was told that the material used to fix my tooth should only have been good for about 5 years….I’ve had it for 15 years and my dentist was shocked that it’s even still attached. Now, I have to get a porcelain crown which is nice and expensive; to the tune of over $1,500. 

Sorry about this post ladies….spending money makes me mad.

Kristen Riggan

Chock Full of Cavities

My Son the Gamer

Its official, I think my kid is a nerd!

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It’s true, he’s is a bona fide dork! The only thing missing is his wide framed glasses with tape on the nose, braces, and a face full of acne, but hey, puberty is just around the corner! He hasn’t yet gotten to the point of carrying a protractor in his front pocket, but I think that also is coming soon!

Darien is an amazing kid, he seriously is; however, he is creeping steadily closer and closer to nerd-dom.

He regularly reads science books in his spare time.  He prefers learning about dinosaurs and bees. Ugh, creepy.  He will sometimes sit down and write out step by step directions to a new video game he wants to create when he’s a “grown-up.” 

The game will have a character that has to complete certain animal related missions, like rescuing the birds’ nest from a scavenger, or helping the dolphin get out of a net in the ocean, and so on.  You will have a panel of special animal abilities, like flying or jumping high, on the left side on the screen to choose from.  The abilities will help you complete your mission and when that happens, you get additional abilities! He’s got this all figured out!  He said he thinks it will be fun and educational! Ha!  How many kids do you know that thinks about creating an educational game? Just one!

Speaking of games, this child is obsessed with Zelda.  In case you’ve been living under a stone since the 90’s, Zelda is a game about a princess that needs to be rescued by Link. Link has to do a bunch of random stuff and use clues to figure out how to save Zelda.  Needless to say, it’s right up Darien’s alley!  For quite a while, literally all he would talk about was how to get in the castle or how to fight some crazy monster.  He knows the names and stats of all the characters, their special abilities, and what kind of information they can give to Link. 

Me thinks I should be worried!

His obsession went a bit too far, and he actually tried to become Link and games were soon after cut out completely!!  It got to the point where he would half-ass his homework or chores just so he could get back to playing.  He became so consumed with this game that he is no longer allowed to play ANY games. Yep, I’m mean, and nope, I’m not sorry!  I’m not having my child live in a world of mythological creatures and other weirdy stuff like that.  Plus, his school work was starting to go downhill…can you really blame me? 

And another thing, he pretends he’s fighting with a sword all the time.  He says they’re much more effective than anything else, oh except for nun-chucks, “Duh, Mommy!”  My husband even got in on the fun and carved him this huge sword out of wood complete with little decorative jewels (screws/bolts) and a holster thingy that goes over his back, “Don’t encourage him,” I whispered to Brian so Darien wouldn’t hear.

Okay so, I’m going to take this time to stop ragging on my baby.  He’s 8 and he has a wonderful imagination.  I really don’t even care if he is in fact a nerd because I love this little boy more than he can ever imagine.

Despite his total absorption in the fantasy land, Darien is so very smart.  He aces everything in school, is learning to play the guitar, and he is a wonderful soccer player.  He enjoys digging in the dirt and breaking open rocks to find hidden treasures. My child is definitely not close-minded and refuses to limit himself to one talent! I love that about him! The world is his oyster.

Plus, since my Dad is stuck in the pre-historic times, he helps him figure out what to do on the computer and how to save contacts in his cell phone.

I’m so proud!

So, do any of who have kids who are just plain nerdy?  Do you ever wonder how they’re going to turn out as adults? 

Tell me, what funny quirks do your kids (or husbands) have?  I’m interested!

The geek shall inherit the earth.

Kristen’s Proverb 1:1

Thanks for reading this week!

Kristen B Riggan

www.facebook.com/KristenRiggan

Take Me Down to the Paradise City

So, the weather here in North Carolina is going crazy.  Last Thursday we had snow and the whole city was practically shut down.  The grocery store was filled to capacity with people worried they would be snowed in for weeks!  There was a 78% lift in milk and bread sales in the NC market. (It could be true!)  Everyone went crazy worrying about what could possibly happen.

 In New York, it would snow as high as your car and schools wouldn’t be shut down.  Wear your snowsuits to school they would say, and as kids we loved it!!!  It wasn’t until we moved down south that a light dusting of snow would keep us out of schools for 2 days.

I watched the news Wednesday night and due to the “threat” of severe winter weather, most schools would be on a two-hour delay.  As the school closings ticked across the bottom of the screen, I slowly rolled my eyes.  These people are ridiculous!

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Yesterday and Tuesday we had 70 degree weather. The shirts and tank tops came out. Pale, pasty legs were on full display.  People were riding with their windows down, hair blowing in the wind and their music turned up loud.  It was indeed a nice change of pace.  I thought, spring here we come!!! Yeah!!  Now, this is what I’m talking about..nice warm days, not too hot and not too cold. Just perfect!

That should bring you up to date.  We’re rolling back down the weather roller coaster; today’s high is forecasted to be 50 degrees and Friday is 42.  Apparently Momma Nature is at a point in her life where she is going through “the change.”  Hot flashes and cold sweats are in full force.

Needless to say, this back and forth change in weather has me wishing for warmer climates. 

Warmer climates, paradise….

VACATION!!

Spring break is coming up soon at the kids’ schools and I just hit my anniversary date at work.  This year I get 2 weeks of vacation!!  The last week in March is wide open! 

Oh, the possibilities are endless!!

It’s time to spin the Wheel of Vacations!!! Woooooo!

The wheel has all of our vacation possibilities.  Will it be a cruise, camping, sailing the World’s oceans, backpacking through Europe, beach, mountains, etc? Some are unrealistic and will never happen on our budget with 3 kids, and some are definitely more in our range.  Some are just for S’s & G’s.  Can you guess which is which?

Okay, so no the 2013 Riggan Family Vacation will not be planned by spinning a wheel…I only wish it were that easy. 

Our ideal vacation must have the following qualifications:

1. It must be family friendly.
2. It must be reasonably priced.
3. It must not be ALL about the kids.
4. It must be warm
5. It must not be too warm.

I have a few realistic plans laid out.  First, we could go to Myrtle Beach.  We would walk along the boardwalk, get some ice cream, and spend a small fortune on the Ripley’s Aquarium.  Let’s not forget the sand.  The awesome, stick to every square inch of your body, sand! Yipee!  Can you tell I’m not that big on the beach??  And no, the fact that I will never again be able to wear a bikini has nothing to do with it…kind of!  I just think we’ve gone to the beach a gazillion times and done the same things every time!  It gets old after a while!

Second, and ideally, we’d like to take a trip to the mountains.  The flowers are in bloom and the weather won’t be too hot or too cold.  We can take the kids to the Tweetsie Railroad and The Mile High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain.  Plus, I found this awesome place called the Forest Discovery Center that lets the kids do a scavenger hunt and when they find everything on the “forest floor” they get ranger scout badges! Also, I’d like to take the kids to Emerald Village where they can mine and keep their own gemstones! How fun is that?!?  ALSO, we’d be staying in a “rustic” log cabin, complete with hot tub and a separate room for the kiddos!! (See bullet 3.)  I think this is a winner!

I think when I’m older and the kids have all moved out, Brian and I will go to a travel agency and let them do everything for us!! Wow, that will be a nice change!! Only 18 (pfft) more years to go!

So, what is your typical family vacation?  I need some fresh ideas for next year!! I’ve got to keep this family on their toes!!

Thanks for reading today!!

Kristen B Riggan

Ready for a break

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