Bittersweet Vacation

Bittersweet is the only way to describe the past weekend. My husband and I took our first vacation without Baby Crawfish to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.

When I booked the trip to the Marriott Grand Hotel, I had envisioned sleeping late, room service and lounging by the pool with Customer Service by Peter Shankman accompanied by a drink with an umbrella in it. It was the perfect not too close to home but not far enough from Baby Crawfish location.

While I did get the drink with the umbrella and I did read the book, which was great by the way, I did not get the rest of the vision.

It started off by the fact that it took me two days to just pack her! I was so afraid to forget something that she would need that it was an exhausting process. The morning that we left for the trip, hubby and I threw our bags together and ran out of the door. While Baby Crawfish had perfectly matched outfits for her weekend, mommy on the other hand did not. We are talking navy yacht club logo flip flops with a black dress to dinner, oh well.

For the three hour or so ride from New Orleans to Point Clear the topic of conversation was nothing but Baby Crawfish. I am really not sure what we talked about before she was born.

The Grand Hotel is absolutely beautiful, (review of the hotel to come in a later post this week) and just what we needed.

I learned, what many parents before me have learned, you are now trained to be on your child’s schedule. At 6:30AM when hubby and I were wide awake wishing we were still sleeping I knew my vision of sleeping through breakfast was shot. I camped out in the bed and refused to get out before 9AM, strictly on principle.

By the time the last day rolled around I hoped out of the bed at 6:30AM threw the bags together, just as I did when we were packing them in the first place, and convinced hubby that it was time to go home. I just needed to get home to my Baby Crawfish.

Over all the trip was wonderful, hubby and I really enjoyed all the resort had to offer and the uninterrupted conversation. This weekend has shed a light on a new perspective to vacation. You can take the mommy out of the city but you can’t take the mommy out of the girl!

To make it worse, when we got back Baby Crawfish had gotten two teeth in our absence! My first words were, “We are never leaving again.”

Lesson: It is good to get away and be a couple and it is VERY ok to miss your baby terribly!

I will miss her just as much on our next parents’ only vacation! 

Get your entries in!

Just a reminder that all entries for the Ringling Brothers Circus ticket give-a-way must be in by Monday, June 13 by 5PM. 

Get the details here, http://crawfish-tales.blogspot.com/2011/06/give-way-family-night-out-for-greatest.html. 

Give- A-Way: A Family Night Out for The Greatest Show on Earth

What:

Watch out NOLA, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® is rolling into town! Crawfish Tales will award two winners with a Family Pack of 4 tickets to the show time of your choice!

BARNUM 200 ^SM, a new jumbo-sized, un-miss-able event celebrating The Biggest Bash in Circus History will be at the New Orleans Arena for seven performances Thursday, June 16 - Sunday, June 19.

From the moment that you arrive, the momentum explodes as The Greatest Show On Earth^® comes to life in a way that can only be inspired by the greatest showman who ever lived.  At BARNUM 200, the funtastic and funbelieveable experience answers “What wonders create The Greatest Show On Earth?”

How To Enter:

To enter, comment on this post and tell me your favorite part of the circus. Is it the elephants, the clowns, the acrobats, the cotton candy?

Tweet or post a link to this give-a-way on Facebook for an additional entry. 

The Circus Experience:

To kick off the The Ringling Bros. experience, a free and open to the public event, the Crescent City Summer Celebration Parade, will be held on June 15 at 11AM at the intersection of Girod Street and Loyola Avenue.

The circus animals will be on parade lead by Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson, along with the show’s clowns and dancers. Guests will also have a chance to win free tickets by catching some of Ringling’s exciting throws!

The parade will begin at the New Orleans Arena and go down Girod Street, left on Baronne Street, up Poydras and conclude on Loyola Avenue. As the parade comes to the end, a “watering” event will be held on Loyola Avenue where spectators will have a chance to see how Ringling keeps its largest and most pampered animals cool in the summer heat.

Bonus: If you have not made plans for Father’s Day. Dad will get in FREE to the circus on June 19^th performances, 1:00 and 5:00PM, code FATHER at the box office.

Deadline: 
All entries must be submitted by June 13. The winner's name will be posted on the blog on June 14. The winner has 24 hours to contact me to claim the prize.

Didn’t Win:

Tickets are $90 (Circus Celebrity), $45 (Front Row), $35 (VIP), $25, and $15 for Reserved Seating. Tickets are available at the New Orleans Arena Box office, online at Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. 

Crawfish Tales Details:
Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

Give-A-Way: Monte's Birthday Party at Hotel Monteleone

Give-A-Way: Monte's Birthday Party at Hotel Monteleone


Winner: Erika Lehmann. Thank you for submitting the most entires! Enjoy Monte's Birthday Party with your daughter!

What:

The Hotel Monteleone's lovable mascot, Monte, is celebrating his birthday! Crawfish Tales has two tickets to give-a-way!

Monte's birthday party will be on June 11 from 10AM-noon at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter.

Monte the Lion is one of the most loved – and most cuddly - members of the Hotel Monteleone family. Children attending the party will have the chance to take pictures with Monte on his birthday and play with his mascot friends including Gumbo from the New Orleans Saints, Hugo from the New Orleans Hornets, Boudreaux from the New Orleans Zephyrs, Riptide from Tulane University and Havoc from Loyola University.

A birthday cupcake making station will sweeten the mood along with food, pictures and games. As a special birthday treat, Monte the Lion will premiere his very own children’s book and will sign copies for all party goers.

Didn't win: 
Tickets for Monte's party can be purchased for $25 online.

There is a bonus: Everyone who purchases a ticket will have the chance to win four tickets to “Shrek the Musical” at the Mahalia Jackson Theater and to meet the characters live. “Shrek the Musical” will be in New Orleans May 31 – June 5.

Crawfish Tales Details:
Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation

It's Time to go Royal Street Strollin!

Some people are Jazz Festers, some French Quarter Festers, but to each his own. My favorite NOLA event is the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience’s Royal Street Stroll. There is nothing more relaxing then browsing through million dollar jewels, art and antiques at M.S. Rau or visiting the Historic New Orleans Collection with a glass of wine in your hand. Galleries and shops in the 300-900 blocks of Royal Street stay open late to host the strollers.

Get a babysitter and enjoy a night out with an endless glass of wines from around the world. The event is from 5:30 – 8:30PM and covers the 300 – 900 Blocks of Royal Street. Tickets are $75 a person in advance.

The event will feature food samples from Antoine’s, Drago’s, Bourbon House, Cuco’s, GW Fins, NOLA Restaurant and the Pelican Club.

Anchoring the Royal Street Stroll and will be the Hotel Montelone’s Rock the Block. In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the hotel, music by the Bag of Donuts from 5:30 – 8:30 will play in the 200 block of Royal Street in front of the hotel. Republic National Beverage will provide Margueritas, Firefly Vodka and Bacardi Hurricane.

No children are welcome so take advantage of it! Put down the bottles and the diapers and enjoy a night out!

Fighting Hunger is a Family Event

I work with Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana to lead the fight against hunger in 23 Louisiana Parishes.

Louisiana tops the nation with one in four children ages 0-5 who are at risk for hunger. As a new mom, knowing that 1 in 5 kids under 18 struggle with hunger every day just in my own community is devastating. I can’t even imagine putting Baby Crawfish to bed at night knowing that she is hungry or deciding to buy gas to get to work instead of putting dinner on the table.

Good nutrition has such an important role on a child’s physical, behavioral and mental health. For just $5 you can join the fight.  Second Harvest Food Bank is hosting the second annual Rubber Duck Derby on Sunday, May 22 on Bayou St. John at 3:45PM.

10,000 rubber ducks will race to the finish line to help battle the everyday disaster of hunger in our community.  The derby is a fun day for the family and quite a spectacle to see!

Right now as the price of gas rises and as kids who usually receive free and reduced lunch are getting out of school, additional strains are being placed on families already struggling to meet daily needs.

Those families as well as the families facing the flooding from the Mississippi River will turn to Second Harvest Food Bank. Please help Second Harvest by participating in the Rubber Duck Derby. Ducks can be purchased for just $5 online at www.no-hunger.org.