Sheila's Blog at Care.com - Thoughts and Advice on Child Care, Tutoring & Private Lessons, Senior Care, Pet Care, and Housekeeping

July 06, 2009

Family Safety Plan

A couple of years ago, Adam (our little guy) used the microwave to time himself while practicing the piano. Our nanny Amanda thought it was fine at the time. She didn’t realize though that he was actually not using the timer and had turned it on. Thankfully they were both safe and the house didn’t burn down! It made me think about developing a detailed safety plan for our care providers.

Do you have a safety plan? We ran a poll not long ago and asked Care.com members, “What does your child safety plan include?” I was really, really surprised to find that nearly 20 percent of people who answered said they didn’t have one.

I wanted to write and encourage everyone to take some time over the next few days and set up a safety plan—for your children, your elderly loved ones, your pets, for everyone you care about. Taking a few minutes to plan now can make a world of difference to prevent accidents.

Interviewing Care Providers

When hiring a new care provider, make sure that you run them through emergency scenarios in their interviews and ask how they would handle them. You can also ask their previous employers how they handled a crisis, if any came up. It’s important to provide your babysitters, pet sitters, or elder care providers with guidelines, but you also want to ensure that they have good judgment in handling difficult situations. For advice on interviewing care providers, check out this Care.com article. Also, don’t forget to use the hiring safety tips that our Director of Product Management, Dee Zepf, just blogged about last month.

Emergency Checklists

Before leaving your loved ones or pets in the care of others, they should have basic safety and contact information in case of emergency. We’ve created some easy-to-use checklists for families (and care providers) to fill out so they’re prepared. Print them out, laminate them, and make sure your family and friends know where to find them—we keep ours handy on our home office wall.

Child Care Safety Checklist

Special Needs Safety Checklist

Senior Care Safety Checklist

Pet Care Safety Checklist

First Aid Training and Safety Certifications

There are also some safety skills that are great to have and pretty easy to learn—if you’re taking a certified training course, that is. Local chapters of the American Red Cross offer regular programs for First Aid and CPR. They even have created specialized training for care providers (These courses could be valuable learning experiences for parents, those of us who care for elderly relatives, and older children who sometimes watch younger siblings, too).

If your regular care providers aren’t certified, you might want to think about splitting the cost or paying for them to take a course. Or if you’re looking for a new care provider, either ask them about their certifications in the interview or include in your job post that you’re looking for someone with these specialized skills.

Let’s not forget about the pets, either! The ASPCA offers regular safety training for pet owners and professional pet sitters alike. Just visit their site, find your local center, and sign up for a class. You’ll be glad you did.

Safety and security is one of our highest priorities here at Care.com. To learn more, please check out our articles and resources sections which are loaded with helpful information for parents and care providers. If you haven’t seen them yet, there are links at the top page for each service. I definitely suggest checking them out.

And you can also see all the resource pages for each of our services here:

For those of you who do have a safety plan in place, what kinds of emergencies do you prepare for? And if you’re looking for a new care provider, would you be willing to pay a certified care provider more than someone who doesn’t have the same amount of training?

Posted at 01:20 PM in Child Care, Pet Care | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Care.com in the Running

Last week, nine of our Care.com team members joined a crowd of 12,000 other Boston-area workers to run in the 26th annual J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The challenge is a 3.5 mile race run through the heart of Boston that helps raise awareness for “green” thinking and environmental issues, supports local charities, and gives participants a little bit of out-of-the-office fun.

This year, the Challenge raised money for Camp Harbor View, a Boston-based organization that offers 11-14-year-olds from at-risk neighborhoods a chance to leave the city and participate in a four-week-long day camp program during the summer. Kids who participate get to enjoy the outdoors while hiking, swimming, or doing arts and crafts in a safe, educational environment.

I’m happy to report that all nine of the Care.com entries finished the race (all at times that way outpace what I’d be able to do… I’m so out of shape!), no one got hurt beyond a few sore muscles, and everyone had a great time. Word around the office is that training for 2010 has already begun!

Here are a few pictures from the event. Congratulations to all the runners!

Image, from left to right:

(Back row)

Dee – Product, Jeff – Finance, Justin – Corporate, Nelson – Creative, Amber – Member Care, Sabrina – Marketing, Mark – PR

(Front Row)

Ron – Marketing, Mike - PR

Posted at 12:04 PM in Care Stories | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 29, 2009

Would You Be on Reality TV?

The last few months, we’ve heard all about the marital problems of Jon and Kate Gosselin (of Jon and Kate Plus 8 fame). It seems like you can’t get away from the news, since it’s everywhere you look on TV or in magazines. Thankfully for the family, most of the focus has been on the parents with the media laying off their twins and sextuplets, but it got me thinking—could I ever put my own family on a reality show and let cameras into our lives?

Doesn’t it seem like every week we see ads for a new reality show that has cameras following around families? Some of them feature celebrities (The Osbournes, Hogan Knows Best), others are about large families (18 and Counting, Table for 12) and some document unique families (The Little Couple, Little People, Big World, even American Chopper). But it all boils down to a family choosing to let cameras into their homes and putting their daily life out there for the nation to see.

Part of my job requires regularly talking about Care.com on TV or inviting the media into my home for an interview (like I did for this recent Cookie Magazine article—I just love that photo!), but that’s not the same as facing cameras, microphones, and producers 24/7.

With the Gosselin’s divorce filing becoming very prominent, public news this week, I couldn’t help but feel bad for their children. Any major shift can be hard on our kids—especially when they’re so young—but I couldn’t imagine how difficult, emotional, and confusing it must be for them to work these things out in the public eye.

However, you can also understand why these families (especially the larger ones) choose to do reality TV shows. By signing a lucrative contract, these parents can provide for their children. And with the extremely high costs of child care, it’s understandable that the extra money comes in handy.

For me and my family though, I don’t think we could do it. It’s nice to be on TV for a quick interview when I’m at my best—I can wear a new blouse, my make-up is done well, and I’m smiling. But there’s no way I’d want to have to air out every daily event for a national audience. We’re happy to just be a plain old, everyday family who’s far away from the spotlight.

What about you? Would you ever agree to do a reality TV program with your family? Do the pluses outweigh the minus? Let me know what you think!

Posted at 05:02 PM in Child Care | Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)

And the Winners Are...

We had such a great response to our Father’s Day Contest! So many of you took the time to write in and share why the fathers in your life (dads, husbands, sons, and brothers) should be chosen as the winners in four different categories: World's Best Caregiving Dad, World’s Best Fixer-Upper, World’s Best Cookin’ Dad, and World’s Best Recliner.

It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed down the entries to four winners…and here they are!

World’s Best Caregiving Dad
My husband is a knight in shining armor when it comes to almost everything. But the way he cares for and understands our autistic son is amazing. My husband came on the scene when my son was six months old (biological dad skipped town during pregnancy), was a good friend for years, and moved across the country to help me. A year later, we were married (just celebrated our tenth anniversary in May!) and he has been "Daddy" ever since. Jason has read every book written about childhood disorders, he has attended parenting classes on how to be the best parent for a disabled child. He has been hit, kicked, and screamed at by our son when he was having terrible tantrums. He has been at bedside during hospital stays, he has gotten up in the middle of the night every single time my son has been ill or had a nightmare. He attends every therapy and doctor session possible. He has given up time with friends, date nights with me, etc. so that our son is taken care of in the best way. He has fought by my side when schools wouldn't listen. He is an advocate, a caregiver, a loving father, a strong support. Jason is Joshua's knight in shining armor and I am so blessed to have him in our lives.
Thank you Jason and thank you Care.com for allowing us to share this with you.
(Submitted by Brenda R.)

World’s Best Fixer-Upper
My father, Norman Moore, is the most amazing man. I think he could win every category but I will focus on being the best fixer-upper. He can fix just about anything. He always had a work bench in the basement or in the shed where he could tinker around and fix things. He fixed our toys, our cars, our fixtures. As we got older and moved into our own places, he would come there and do the same. He is aging now, and does not have quite the same strength and stamina that he used to, but when he comes to visit, I can still count on him to fix a broken door knob or to re-tool a cabinet if the fixtures are not just right.
He was an aircraft mechanic during most of my growing up years, a trade he learned from 22 years spent serving our country in the Army. While in the Army, he served in many capacities as a mechanic, and during wartime as a medic, fixing up bodies of wounded soldiers until he could get them to the medical tents where the trained doctors and nurses could take over.
After pondering this, I realize my dad was pretty good at fixing up broken hearts as well. He was there when I had my feelings hurt as a teenager by some silly childhood crush. He was there when our marriage had difficulties and rejoiced with us as we made it work. He was there to help be a fixer-up when we lost our babies. He is there fixing things up for my mom as she ages and faces the deterioration of her own health. He makes her meals and cares for her so lovingly and tenderly that it is hard to imagine him being the lean, strong mechanic I remember from my youth. I hope you will consider him for your contest.
What a great way to help us reflect upon what we love about our dads! Thanks!
(Submitted by Malia)

World’s Best-Cookin’ Dad
My dad is the best cook in the world. Me and my brother love his Super Duper Beeforonis. He says it's his original recipe. It's cheesy and beefy and always brings “yumm” sounds around the table. Dad would make things especially for mom, too. Like, every year for her birthday, he makes her curried crab legs and twice-baked potatoes. I think he just bakes them two times, but mom says they're special. Now that daddy doesn't live with us anymore, I missed his cooking for a while but I found out that he can still cook Super Duper Beeforonis even from his new place. And they still taste just as good. I love my daddy.
(Submitted by Darian P.)

World’s Best Recliner
My husband's step-dad, Frank is Mr. Recliner! He has been a master plumber for many years and just killed his knees, resulting in surgery last year. That means lots less activity, but no less fun! With a 13-year-old daughter still at home, he's a single dad with lots on his plate, so he deserves his down time. Now we spend our time together cheering on our favorite teams on the big screen or from the seats of Fenway Park, hot dogs in hands. We're huge Red Sox and Patriots fans, but now that we live miles apart, our trash talking is mostly texted!
Our lives wouldn't be half as fun, or as fulfilling, without these two fantastic guys!
(Submitted by Joanna)

Congratulations to each of the winning dads! We’ll be sending each of them a $100 Amazon.com gift card to use on something special. But judging by these entries, it may not be for them—with their big hearts, they’ll probably share the prize with their families.

Thanks to everyone who entered and all the dads out there who devote their time, love, and energy to their families.

Posted at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 22, 2009

How to Find a Babysitter

One of the first questions parents ask me when I’m traveling across the country, meeting families is, “How do I find a great sitter?”

Before we became parents we never thought about finding sitters, but once the little ones arrive, hiring a great caregiver becomes a top priority. As soon as you start looking, you realize that it’s incredibly difficult to find a good one. You get references from your friends, talk to a dozen different ones before trying one out, and then (more than likely) worry about your kids the whole time you're away.

If you’re one of the thousands of parents trying to find the right babysitter, here are a few pointers to help you out. And, in case you missed it, I was thrilled to share some of these cost-cutting ideas on Good Morning America this past weekend!

How Much Should You Pay?

Babysitter salaries can vary greatly based on their experience, what you're asking them to do, how many children you have, and where you live. For example, you should pay a sitter with CPR and First Aid training more than you would a 17-year-old first-timer. If you're looking for a good starting point, our Babysitter Pay Calculator should help you out—it’ll show you the going rate for sitters in your ZIP code.

Let’s debunk one myth: if you have two children, you don't have to pay two times as much. Some of the salary depends on their ages, but if you have a second child, you should only pay about 30-50 percent more.

What Kind of Babysitter Do You Need?

Before you start looking for care, jot down the answers to these questions:

What do you need a babysitter to do (i.e. just child supervision or will she cook and play chauffer, too)?

How often will she work?

How long are the shifts?

Will you ask her to do any non-child care related chores, like housekeeping?

List out the potential sitter responsibilities, keeping mind the more you’d like your sitter to do, the more you should pay.

Interviewing a Potential Sitter

I think interviews for babysitters should be mandatory, even if it’s someone a friend has recommended. Treat it like a job interview and do your homework before hiring. Ask them what experience they have, when they're available, and how much they charge—the basic stuff.

I also like to ask open-ended questions, too, to see if they’ve thought about how to handle emergencies, their strengths, and weaknesses. And I like to find out about their hobbies and interests, too, to see how they’ll gel with my boys.

For suggestions on interview questions, check out this article: How to Interview a Babysitter.

I’ve Found One I Like, Now What?

It’s always a good idea to check with a babysitter’s references and request a background check (which you can do for free as a Care.com Premium Member). Talk with families who have hired them before or ask for character references.

The First Time

I’m a big fan of having your sitter come over for the first job while you're still around the house. This way, she can ask you questions, and you can check in periodically just to make sure things are running smoothly.

But if you have to be away from home, have your new babysitter come early. That way, you can introduce her to your kids, fill out the Emergency Checklist, and show her around the house. Not only will having her over while you're there help your children adjust to this new stranger, your sitter will also have time to acclimate herself.

Drop by Unannounced

During your "trial period,” try coming home early or stop by unannounced while she's watching your children. These small "surprises" will give you a sense of what she's like in the moment as a caregiver. And it gives you great insight to how your children are doing.

If you're a parent you know great babysitters can be hard to come by. I hope these tips will help you out if you're in the market for a new one. And when you’ve found a great one and it's time to say goodbye and head out the door, you can be off to a fun evening with your special someone (or just run a few errands by yourself), knowing that your precious little ones are in good hands.

Posted at 04:55 PM in Child Care | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Keeping Up with Learning

I just joined the board of a non-profit, Massachusetts Public School Performance, whose mission is to improve the quality of education. Supporting and improving education has always been a passion of mine. From my days at UPromise (I was one of their first employees) to my time now helping companies and organizations, like MPSP, with an education focus grow or even get started, I’m always looking for ways to improve the quality and experience of learning, especially for children.

Now that summer’s here, school’s out, and grades are last semester’s news, does that mean we should stop thinking about learning? No! As a mom, I’d like to encourage parents to keep supporting their children’s education by setting aside time to foster an environment for learning at home this summer.

When school isn’t in session our children are free to explore their hobbies and interests. Now is the time to especially encourage those budding passions. Without the pressures of daily homework and class schedules, our children have the chance to spend extra time exploring the subjects that interest them the most. We can help them out by seizing this opportunity to support them in their growth.

Now that there’s a little more free time on the calendar, take the chance to help out your children and support ongoing learning. If they love dinosaurs, take them to a natural history museum. If they’re fascinated by machines or Legos, bring them to a science museum. If they paint, write, or sing, try finding a private lessons instructor to help encourage their hobby. And if you’re looking for fun and educational group events, your local library should have regular (free) events, so check with their schedule for fun things to do.

Summer doesn’t just mean school’s out. It means we parents have the chance to help encourage our children’s passions. Who knows? Maybe that hobby could turn into a lifelong profession?

If you’re looking for some other learning opportunities, here are some resources for you to check out:

Secret Builders – a great site for little ones (I'm an advisor)

MyHappyPlanet – a language learning site for older kids or parents (I'm an advisor for this company, too.)

FamilyEducation.com – tons of hands-on activities and crafts

Family.com – Disney's super-fun site for families

Education.com – info for parents (of older children)

PBSparents.org – info for parents (of younger children)

FunBrain – fun, educational games for elementary-age kids

What are you doing to keep your kids learning during the summer? Share all your great ideas in the comments!

Posted at 04:54 PM in Tutoring | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Here at Care.com, we have our fair share of dog owners and pet lovers. And though our office is in an industrial park, we have a nice grassy area for lunches (or Frisbee sessions), as well as great walking trails to break up the day in the office, which makes HQ a great pet playground!

That’s why we’re looking forward to June 26th, which happens to be National Take Your Dog to Work Day. It’s a neat event that encourages everyone to give their pet sitters a break and have Fido and Fluffy come keep you company at your desk.

So swap out the candy dish for a water bowl and put biscuits in the M&M dispenser, because the dogs are coming to work!

Are you bringing your puppy into work on June 26th? Let us know!

Posted at 04:49 PM in Pet Care | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

June 15, 2009

Father’s Day Shout-Outs (and a Contest!)

This Father’s Day, we wanted to do something special for all the dads out there who do such a great job caring for their families. But no one can say, “Thank you,” better than Dad’s own family. That’s we’re opening up the comments for everyone to write in and nominate their dad in one of four categories: World’s Best Fixer-Upper, World’s Best Recliner, World’s Best Caregiving Dad, and World’s Best-Cookin’ Dad.

Take a few sentences and tell us why your dad would be a great fit for one of those four categories, post it in the comments, and you’re done! We’ll read all the comments, then pick one winner in each category on June 21st (so get those nominations in now!).

If we choose your Dad-nomination, we’ll send you a $100 Amazon gift card so you can buy Dad something special (and don’t forget to use it on Care Club to double dip on discounts and cash back too!). Good luck! Here are the categories:

World’s Best Fixer-Upper—in many families, Dad is the go-to guy when things fall apart. Has your dad gone above and beyond for home repairs? Nominate him for the World’s Best Fixer-Upper.

World’s Best Recliner—Okay, so this is a silly category, but the time spent on the couch watching a family move or a ballgame can be special, too. Does Dad always fall asleep and snore through the credits? Tell us a story about your TV traditions and nominate him for World’s Best Recliner.

World’s Best Caregiving Dad—Moms aren’t the only ones who can take care of the kids, pets, and loved ones! A recent Care.com poll shows that a third of households split the parenting duties. If you have a “Mr. Mom” in your home, say thanks and tell us why he’s the World’s Best Caregiving Dad.

World’s Best-Cookin’ Dad—Some dads out there can really cook up a storm. Does yours have a stack of recipes as big as a Christmas ham? Then he’s a qualifier for World’s Best-Cookin’ Dad. Tell us about him in the comments below.

Before we get to your stories and comments, Adam, Ryan and I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to our own dads.

To my own father: Papa, thank you for encouraging your daughters to pursue their dreams and telling us that nothing could hold us back. Most of all, thanks for teaching me how to care about everyone from all walks of life and for loving us unconditionally.

To Dad, from Adam: I am thankful for your nice cooking. I am also thankful for you always coaching my team.

To Dad, from Ryan: I am thankful for your endless stream of advice, which at times seems nagging and tedious, but ultimately has played an influential role in the direction of my life.

Okay, so now it’s time for you to tell us why your dad is the World’s Best Fixer-Upper, Recliner, Caregiving Dad, or Cookin’ Dad! Post a comment using an email address you check often, and you could win a $100 Amazon gift card for some Father’s Day shopping.

Happy Father’s Day!

PS – Still not sure what to get dad for Father’s Day? Why not download these fun, free coupons and let dad choose what he really wants for Father’s Day?

Posted at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (44) | TrackBack (0)

How Young is Too Young to Babysit

Would you hire a young, inexperienced babysitter? Or if you’re a parent and one of your children wants to babysit, how old should they be?

PBS Parents asked me to be a guest blogger on their regular “Expert Q&A” column. So, last week, I wrote a post about finding summer child care, and then responded to readers’ questions and comments.

One 13-year-old wrote in asking how she could find a babysitting job. She’s too young to list herself on Care.com (for legal reasons, our minimum age is 17). Since she’s just in her early teens and new to babysitting, I suggested she check out her local American Red Cross chapter. They offer great First Aid/safety training classes for 11- to 15-year-old sitters who are just getting started.

The key thing for younger babysitters is to try and receive training early on. That way, they’ll be better prepared for a caregiving role and have the know-how for handling emergency situations. The Red Cross courses are even great training exercises for your older children, if you sometimes leave them alone with their younger siblings, so you might want to look into them for your own family, too!

So, what do you think? Would you be interested in hiring a young sitter like Alysha who wrote into my post at PBS Parents? Or do you have a minimum age for babysitters? Let the Care.com community know with a comment!

Posted at 11:44 AM in Child Care | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

June 08, 2009

Staycation Survival Guide with Shoestring Magazine

Thanks so much to Sheila for inviting me to guest blog for Care.com's readers!

As any parent knows, you don't have to leave home to have fun, and at Shoestring, we believe that every day is a new adventure in affordability.

Two weeks ago, we launched our first-ever "staycations" guide as part of our budget travel issue, capitalizing on the buzzword du jour for spending quality time at home without breaking your nest egg. Sure, through road trips, exploring your city like a tourist, and capitalizing on nature's summer bounty, we do regain a little financial security, but more importantly we foster a stimulating sense of youth, of simplicity, and of directly contributing to our local community -- friends and neighbors who are hurting in this economy, too.

Whether in lieu of a traditional family getaway or just to complement sending the kids to the babysitter instead of the camp counselor, plan valuable, educational, and memorable vacations closer to home with our Shoestring Staycations Survival Guide (plus some bonus tips below just for Care.com members!)

First and foremost: Just because you're staying at home doesn't mean that work, chores, or other daily obligations have a place in your list of activities. This is a vacation, after all! Turn off the cell phone and tidy up as a family before you embark on your staycation adventure.

Now, for the fun stuff…

PLAN A PARTY
Everyone loves a good theme party, but a good staycation party planned well can also become a great educational opportunity. Pick a place, either in a faraway country or a domestic city foreign to your family's experiences, and research the ins and outs of that culture to pick your décor, activities, attire, recipes, and the other elements that will contribute to an authentic experience. From something as simple as a "truck stop breakfast" to a full on British bash, you can have fun on a budget while still bringing out the curiosity and sense of wonder your family would find on a ‘normal’ vacation. Our tip: start in the international foods aisle of your local grocery store for inspiration. Depending on what your kids first gravitate towards, Vegemite or Pocky Sticks could be the inspiration for an Australian or a Japanese staycation party, complete with vocabulary lessons. Read our full interview with staycation party planner Jenn Sbranti on Shoestring for more planning advice.

FLY WITH FOREIGN CULTURES
Spin the party out into a full week of exploration with ideas like this 7-day Argentinean staycation planner. Pick a place and buy a guidebook just as you would for a far-flung vacation, but instead of booking reservations at international hotels, use Yelp.com or other city search resources to find restaurants near you cooking that culture’s cuisine and book a table. Call the local embassy of that country for their advice on what to do in your area, like a visit to the French library during Bastille Day, or sign up for a class in tea ceremony or shiatsu massage. It’s amazing how quickly a whole week can fill up with local (and low-cost) activities, plus you’ll save a fortune in hotel and airfare expenses. Can’t find enough on a particular culture to fill up an entire week or weekend? Do an “Around The World” vacation where each day is based on a different destination.

GO CAMPING…IN THE BACKYARD
If you have all of the right equipment (or can reasonably rent or borrow it), there’s nothing more fun to an elementary age or preteen kid than camping out in the backyard – especially if they’ve never camped before. (Plus, it's close enough to the house not to ruin your trip if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, or they get scared of the elements.) Pitch a tent, plan a campfire menu of franks, beans, and s’mores, and play a little Kumbaya or flashlight tag. Learn how to tie Scout knots or study the plants, trees, flowers and bugs found around your property. If you live in the city, consider taking a trek up to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park – an affordable option that’s both campground and theme park, just an hour from New York City.

FREE FAMILY FUN
We're all so mind-numbingly busy these days that we don't even get a chance to really enjoy or explore own cities and towns -- not to mention take advantage of all the fun and free activities for families. Have the kids help -- maybe even keep the family hound in mind -- when researching your itinerary for the week or weekend, and start with the free local events: fairs and festivals; book readings and story hours; outdoor films and plays in the park. Check out this Care.com article for Fun Things for City Kids to do in metro areas all over the US. (Fun fact: I wrote it when I used to work for Sheila as Care.com's editorial director. : )

TINY TRIPS & SCENIC DRIVES
We all have the stories to prove it: family road trips are fun and fabulous in theory, but frustrating (or worse) in reality. You know your own kids best, however, and gauging their excitement level and their age, tiny trips and scenic drives (with a big reward at the end) can be totally doable -- usually on a dime. Open up your atlas or Google Maps and plot a reasonable drive of a certain radius in miles from home. Then, look up fun and off-the-beaten-path things to do for the whole family that don’t cost a whole lot of dough. Our favorites (since we’re based in New England) are a trip to the century-old Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire for its wooden roller coasters and lakeside paddle boating or a trip to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont for all the ice cream cones you can carry. Check out more of our budget-friendly road trip ideas on ShoestringMag.com, as well as our top 10 tips for road-tripping with your pets.

Does your family have a favorite "staycation" idea or tradition? Share it with us and the Care.com community by leaving a comment below!

Cheers,

Melissa

Melissa Massello
Founder, Editor in Chief
Shoestring Magazine

Posted at 12:24 PM in Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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