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Priceless Family Memories Emerge when Frugal Living Backfires

We travel a lot with our girls throughout the year. From work related travel to our daughter’s dance competitions—we have a reason to travel a few times each month. As most parents know, family travel is expensive! Even driving for day trips is costly now with increased gas prices. We try to cut travel and trip costs where we can—but, like most things, there are times that being frugal or cheap with kids backfire on well meaning parents!


Saving $30 on a hotel is great deal, right? We found a “great deal” on a hotel that saved us nearly $30 on the rate, offered free breakfast, and free parking. Our downfall? We did not check more than one travel review site.

The arrival. We should have known we were off to a bad stay when the “bellman”, standing by the hotel lobby entrance smoking a cigarette, appeared to be 16 and made no offer to help us inside. “Mommy, doesn’t he work here?” “Apparently, only on paper, honey.”

The room bathroom. After three hours in the mini-van, the bathroom was a popular place. Judging from the room’s appearance, it was often a pretty popular place for everyone—except the housekeeping staff. They hadn’t been there in weeks. Okay. I’ve used outhouses in obscure state parks. “Mommy, is there another bathroom?” I had forgotten that our girls, especially the middle one, refused to visit outhouses in obscure state parks. No answer at the front desk as I inquired about a cleaning. It was going to be a long night.

Why was parking free at a major hotel in the city? Perhaps it was free because there were not enough spaces in the lot for all of the guests. Maybe it was because the lot was also completely unsecured and unmonitored. “Daddy stole somebody’s parking space and we have to bring everything inside so we don’t get robbed.” Lovely.

The room. While the husband and middle one were securing the car, the little one and I were preparing the room. “Mommy, what’s on the pillow?”

“What? Oh—that…well, now that appears to be dried blood….probably a nose bleed…why don’t you go ahead and put your shoes on…we won’t be staying here after all.”

“Mommy, do you think someone died here? Maybe that’s why housekeeping doesn’t clean—they are scared! Maybe our room’s haunted.”

Note to self….limit Goosebumps exposure once home.

By the time the husband returned with the final armloads of “stuff” from the car, the littlest one and I had repacked our things to move out of the room. We now seek out lots of travel reviews—and the first hint of “dirty rooms” sends us to the next hotel option. We still attempt to travel frugally with the kids—within reason! Our extra research time beats the bewildered looks as one of our daughters announces to Grandma that “Someone may have died in our hotel room!”

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Family life offers some funny material—as stand-up comedians and parents alike understand all too well! Unfortunately, for busy parents, finding time to enjoy life’s funny moments is a little more difficult. Sometimes a potty break is the only way for a busy mom or dad to have a little downtime! Understanding this, The Clorox Lounge, sponsored by the Clorox Family of Toilet Products offers a fun online place for busy parents to visit for jokes, photos and videos. While the writers at A Mama’s Corner of the World are hardly in the running—we want to let our readers know about a fun contest called The Last Comic Sitting, being held at the Clorox Lounge. If you need a little break (and you are not yet ready to see the humor in your own daily family life), head over to the The Clorox Lounge and check out some of the comedians in the competition, take a few minutes to vote for your favorite contestant and enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win $10,000.

For more information on The Clorox Lounge and Last Comic Sitting Competition & Sweepstakes visit: http://bit.ly/x7m1OB



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Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox® blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

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