Just in time for holiday travel, Choice Hotels is offering twice the rewards to guests at any of its nearly 5,000 hotels nationwide.

The company kicks off its Airline Miles + Choice Privileges Points promotion Dec 1, enabling travelers to earn either airline miles plus Choice Privileges rewards points or double Choice Privileges points for every qualifying stay with arrival between Dec. 1, and Feb. 29, 2012.

Travelers can participate in this promotion as often as they like. To qualify, they must register at ChoiceHotels.com and select the offer they want to earn. Reservations must be made at ChoiceHotels.com or 800-4CHOICE.

This promotion is available at all Choice Hotels properties: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, and Ascend Collection member hotels. Great for families, couples and business travelers, these lodgings offer affordable rates and appealing perks like free Wi-Fi and free continental breakfast for additional savings.

Joining Choice Privileges is also free. Members can redeem their points for complimentary stays at Choice hotels as well as other benefits like retail gift cards, dining, entertainment, sporting events and airline miles, making travel all the more rewarding. For details, visit http://www.ChoiceHotels.com.

It is the hardest thing for Brent and I to do, travel. At least all together as a family. We usually go on one big trip a year and we have to plan a year in advance for it. Otherwise it’s me traveling alone with the kids or him of course traveling for work. If I do travel with the kids alone it’s usually to families but often times I want to do a stay-cation here in Arizona during their breaks. It’s easier on me and we usually only have a allotted amount of time for it. But a hold up with that, is finding a place that the kids will enjoy and that I can enjoy watching them.

So this email informed me of something that the Preferred Hotel Group has come up with – Preferred Family. Let me grab some information directly from the press release;

Just in time for summer travel planning, Preferred Hotel Group™ is proud to introduce “Preferred Family,” a certified collection of hotels and resorts that go beyond family-friendly. Preferred Family enables parents to evaluate a hotel based on specific age groups, services and offerings and match it against their family’s own needs and interests, from planning a beachside getaway to exploring a new city.

“Family travel is growing worldwide, and not just to destinations one would typically associate with a family holiday,” said Lindsey Ueberroth, president of Preferred Hotel Group. “Today’s families are traveling to every corner of the world, from city centers to resorts and even exotic destinations. Motivated by a sense of togetherness and a desire for personal enrichment, parents are pursuing travel experiences that are adventurous, educational, and fun for the whole family. Preferred Family cuts through the ordinary, cookie-cutter family offerings and provides the necessary tools to choose a hotel or resort that will exceed family-friendly expectations, promising experiences that will become everlasting memories.”

Right away I went to the Preferred Family site to check it out.

When I browsed “collection” – locations – I saw on the top of the US list, Arizona and a resort participating. I have to say that I like this site and the idea behind it. I see myself using it quite a bit during the kids spring and fall breaks for a way for us to take a break from out typical four walls here but not have to drive a million miles to do it.

So check it out. They didn’t pay me or bribe me to share this. I just thought it was definitely something worth sharing. Especially if you are like me and my family.

This really isn’t a promotional piece and I can tell you straight out, they have NOT offered me a dime to write this. I am writing this because the employees (possibly the owners even, I’ve never been there so my facts are not entirely straight) are THE GREATEST people my family has encountered.  And to be even more honest, my husband LOVES this hotel. He refuses to stay anywhere else.

They have been the most affordable for us. I realize he hasn’t stayed anywhere else (other than the scary place) but we have done price comparison and truly, for the price it’s a great place to stay. It’s clean. Friendly. Convenient. Accommodating. Whenever I call to make his reservations, they know exactly who he is, what type of room he likes etc. I often get the jokes from them, “Oh that Greer. He’s the only one we don’t allow to stay with us”. And I always get, no matter who it is, “Alright, don’t worry we will take care of him”. On their site they have the following listed under accommodations:

And as much as I would love to go on and on about this amazing motel in Anchorage, I would feel too much like a salesperson. My true intent is to recommend a place to stay for those traveling to Anchorage and to thank them for their phenomenal service to my family in the past six years.

Orange Blossoms in Arizona. Mmm. They are such a rich and beautiful smell. Yeah I even tweeted about my stealing of them from my grandparents yard. I did come home to see my small trees in my back yard had a lot of them. I’m waiting a few days for them to bloom even more after the rain. Then I can cut them and put them all over my house.

In about one month, which one month from today is my birthday, it will be pretty much swimming season here. YES! That not only make me happy, but makes my children happy.

This is a park in Arizona. Spring in Arizona means the kids will be playing not at the park but outdoors in general more. Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Spring in Arizona also means that it’s getting closer to summer. Which means more time to head to the lake, Canyon Lake even, and have a TON  of fun!

Spring is one of my favorite seasons no matter where I live. Everything is blooming, the weather is perfect. It’s just amazing. Really. But living in Arizona, spring brings a lot to look forward too.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Coleman contacted me a few weeks ago giving me the opportunity to check out some of their great camping gear. I was so excited. It was the perfect opportunity to gather the Greer troops and head to a nearby campground to spend some time outdoors with the family. And it was NOT going to be the first time either!

Brent and I decided to hit up Canyon Lake Marina and Campground near Tortilla Flat, Arizona. Canyon Lake is only an hour drive from our house in Queen Creek. We packed the gear that Coleman provided for us:

We got a Air Mattress, Ice Chest, Sleeping Bag, Jugs For Drinks, Tent and Lantern. When we got to the Campground the kids took off in a flash to check out the lake. The camping site we paid for was only $35 and we got a table, water and electricity. Plus obviously room for our tent and it was a water front camp site. Super great price! The gentleman working at the marina that checked us into our site was not only friendly but a great help!

At Canyon Lake you have so many options for camp sites, there is a restaurant, you can rent boats, jet ski’s, ride the steam boat, eat dinner at the cantina and much more. There were portable showers too near the camp site for those tent campers like us! Lots of grass area, pets allowed and well the list could go on. So if you are in Arizona – check out Canyon Lake! You’ll love it!

Moving on though, while the kids were itching to swim, Brent and I wanted to swim with them – but we needed to unpack and set up camp first.

The tent was actually pretty easy to set up. Brent and I laughed because camping – well the tent is always the hassle and you hear horror stories or watch movies with horror stories of tent set up. I think it took us maybe 30 minutes at most to get the tent up. The air mattress is a queen and since we had electricity – we plugged it right in and blew it up. Now if you go camping somewhere that does NOT have electricity – come prepared with a back up plan to blow up the air mattress. Also we laid the air mattress down inside the tent then blew it up. We weren’t sure it would fit through the doors. I said it would, but Brent didn’t want to test my theories. I am not sure if there is another option to blow it up – so the particular air mattress is good for camping near electricity or using as a guest bed for a full house!

Back to the tent though. Super easy to set up and HUGE. It comes with a separator too inside. So you can make a “rooms”. It has 2 entrances so it makes a great day tent to for taking naps or for the kids to chill out if you go out for a day trip. The two doors also come in hand for air circulation. There is also this tiny little door at the bottom of the tent that I swear is for dogs. Brent says its for the kids. Ha!

The other great thing is the lantern. It takes 8 D batteries  and is GREAT light. BUT there are four sections that come apart from the base that are powered by triple A batteries. That way the kids can use a section to use the bathroom without the main campers losing lighting. OR you can separate them all in side the tight to give lighting to each corner of the tent etc.

All in all it was a fantastic time and we are ever so thankful to Coleman and Canyon Lake for letting us have this memory as a family!

Image: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/nick_uk/2319167901/

We stopped and ate a great lunch inside the gift shop and little cafe they had inside. Then we paid the (I think) $5 to run around outside in Bedrock City. The lunch was fabulous and they staff was so very nice. We all ended up with burgers and I think Tristan had chicken. I know the kids didn’t finish all their meals so we put them in to go boxes and they held it for us while we ran around.

I didn’t end up getting pictures because Brent and I ran around with the kids too. It was so much fun to run and explore Bedrock City and we were actually the only ones there. The kids loved being able to play pretend in the houses, slide down the slide and star in their own show on the stage!

Brent and I played pretend with them and it was a lot of fun. We played hide and go seek even!

So if you are making a trip to the Grand Canyon make sure to stop in at Bedrock City! You won’t regret it!

We walked in and they were not busy at all. Of course when we took this trip it was a bit colder so not a lot of travelers out and about. Which was actually pretty nice for us because we had the whole place to ourselves. We walked around and enjoyed each and every plane. We also talked to the people working there, who were SO friendly, SO kind and SO helpful!

A bit of Information about the Air Museum:

As more and more aircraft were restored and the Planes of Fame collection grew, an additional display facility was opened in Valle, Arizona in 1995. Located halfway between Williams, Arizona and the south rim of the Grand Canyon, this facility houses over 40 of the Museum’s aircraft, many of which are also flyable.

Hours of Operation

The Museum is open every day of the year, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and occasional special events.
Normal hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Brent and I paid $16 dollars to get all five of us in plus we were able to walk next door and see the older cars inside of the building there. WELL worth the (very little) amount we paid! So if you are planning a trip up to that area, you must stop and see the airplanes. Here are a few pictures that we took. Of course I have a ton, but thought I would post just a few of them so you can see.

Click for larger image.

Be sure to like Planes of Fame on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter!

Pictures of family and your children in a hallway can make it feel like a home. Trinkets placed around the house give it a lived in feel. A large soft comforter with the right amount of pillows on a bed can make your bedroom inviting.

But if there is one thing that can make a break your house, it’s lighting. The perfect lighting in a kitchen or anywhere else for that matter is essential. And often times with a beautiful piece like this Premier Lighting Chandelier:

It can become the focal point of the room and not only make it feel home but bring it a touch of class.

About Premier Lighting (Based out of  Arizona!):

ShopPremier.com is an online lighting store operated by Premier Lighting, LLC of Arizona. Premier Lighting works with an extensive number of suppliers from all over the world making it possible to offer a wide range of products to fulfill all of our customers needs. Our product is kept by our large distribution center in Phoenix which is continuously stocked with the latest in lighting trends. We stock more than anyone in the southwest. With this wide variety of styles our professional team will aid you selecting the perfect lighting package to fit your home and your budget. With 25 years of experience in home and business lighting solutions you can feel comfortable trusting us to handle your lighting needs.

I have spent so much time already with Brent picking out different lighting fixtures and more with Brent. So if you are in the southwest and looking for a way to spruce up your house, check out Premier Lighting. Be sure to find out where the closest one is to you so you can view their showroom in person!

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millenniumhotels.com

From the press release about Current Codes for Travel.

In the Internet age, it’s no longer who you know that counts.  Now it’s the code that really opens doors—and deals.

CurrentCodes.com, co-founded by technologist and entrepreneur Barry Boone, is perhaps one of the most useful sites on the World Wide Web today.  An indispensable destination for online shoppers, CurrentCodes.com is a clearinghouse for promotional codes—those short strings of numbers and letters made available by retailers to their customers in order to qualify them for various discounts.

Nearly all Web merchants now have a place in their checkout procedure for promotional codes.  Some codes are issued in advance to preferred shoppers; others are given out to compensate customers who experienced problems with previous orders.  Enter a valid code in the proper box and you’ll automatically qualify for special pricing or other perks.

It’s CurrentCodes.com’s mission to identify these prized codes from the Internet’s best and most popular online stores, then make them available at no cost to site visitors.  The company’s trained professional staff follows over 2,000 top retailers—from Barnes and Noble and Figis.com to NeimanMarcus.com and Dell—to make sure CurrentCodes.com has the most exhaustive, the most timely, and the most accurate lists of coupon and discount codes.

“CurrentCodes.com isn’t a price comparison site, nor is it a shopping site in the strictest sense,” said Boone.  “It’s a site for people who know what they’re going to buy and who they’ll likely buy it from.  Even if our visitors don’t have a specific retailer in mind, they can search the appropriate product category for the latest discounts, then choose the retailer with the best offer.  At CurrentCodes.com, chances are good that we can save the customer some real money.”

To make choosing the right retailer and deal even easier, CurrentCodes.com also lists sales and other discounts that are currently in effect.  Product categories on the site cover the gamut of consumer goods and include automotive, beauty/cosmetics, books, computers, clothing, consumer electronics, food and wine, gifts, health products, jewelry, leisure, shoes, sporting goods, travel and more.

1 – Always check for a coupon or promotional code before checking out.  Visiting promotional code sites and getting a coupon only takes a few seconds and could save you anything from free shipping to 50% off or more.

2 – If you know the exact product you want to purchase, it pays to visit several online retailers to get the best price.  Sites like CurrentCodes.com can help you find that best price by giving you a list of online stores in the category you’re shopping for, and showing you the coupons that those stores are offering.

3 – In general, it is far safer to use a credit card than a debit card for shopping online.  Most debit cards do not offer the same level of safety that a credit card does, and when an unexpected or erroneous charge shows up on your debit card, the money is taken from your bank account and you can end up with bounced checks or other issues before you realize the problem has occurred.

4 – Always be sure that the final checkout screen shows the correct items, quantities, and pricing before you submit your order

5 – Read the site’s privacy policy on information sharing, and be sure you don’t unintentionally opt in to having your information shared with third parties.

6 – Some merchants are required to collect sales taxes in your state while others might not.  It can pay to check several online retailers if the merchant you’re about to purchase from wants to charge sales tax.

7 – If you’re an eBay shopper, be sure to check CurrentCodes.com for an eBay coupon, especially if you pay by PayPal.  eBay sometimes issues coupons that are valid for purchases made on their site with PayPal.  This is especially true near the holidays.

8 – Pay close attention to shipping charges.  Some retailers make up their low prices by padding the shipping, so you want to be sure you’re getting the lowest possible overall price.

Check out CurrentCodes.com for travel codes and more!

So we went there, sat outside because it was a fabulous night to be outside and ordered drinks. I decided that I wanted to get an Arnold Palmer. For a beautiful night the drink was just perfect to sit down and sip on. We ordered hummus and pita bread. The hummus was the BEST hummus I had ever tasted. No joke. My favorite from the three though was the roasted red pepper. Mmmmm.

Anyway our friend ended up coming down right when our food arrived. I ordered

Roast Beef Sandwich

Slow Roasted Beef, Apple Horseradish Chutney, Crispy Fried Onions, on Kristin’s Buttermilk White Bread

And my friend ordered

Coca-Cola Ham

House Marinated, Basted and Roasted Ham, Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze, Bourbon Mayo, Tomato

served on Pumpernickel Bread

These sandwiches for their price were GIGANTIC. I ate half of mine and was full. Gigantic and delicious.

We hung out for a bit and talked after we were done but I was advised by my friends that I had to check out the bathrooms inside. It was the coolest decor I had seen. Vintage. With amazing accents all over.

If you are looking for a great place to eat and enjoy the downtown Phoenix atmosphere you must check out Local Breeze.