Because few of us will actually get to celebrate in Ireland I wanted to take a look at what is going on around the US.  Here’s what I found:

Boston, MA Last year we spent 3 months in Boston and my main “must see” was the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  You can read about it here.   This year’s parade is on Sunday, March 14.  For more on the Irish in Boston see this article I wrote for Uptake.

New York City, NY The parade runs up 5th Avenue from 44th to 86th streets beginning at 11am on St. Patrick’s Day.  This is its 249th consecutive year. An estimated 250,000 people will march in the parade and up to 2 million will be on hand to see them.

New Orleans,LA Parties are big business in the Big Easy- I found 5 different parades to celebrate the wearin’ o’ the green.

Savannah,GA This was once the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country.  It begins with Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and begins after Mass at 10:15.

Chicago, IL The Chicago river turns green for the celebration on Saturday morning and the parade is the same day (March 13) beginning at noon.  Why not take a cruise on the green river if you’re there?

St.Paul, MN My old home town prepares for almost a month for St. Patrick’s Day.  Dinners, Irish Tenor contests, nursing home & community center tours and a crowning of Miss Shamrock all take place before the big day.  Mass is said at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 9am and the parade begins at noon on St. Patrick’s Day.  The following Sunday is the golf tournament.

Des Moines, IA The parade begins at noon on March 17 from 15th to Locust, then down Locust to the Embassy Suites and a post parade celebration.  Irish dancers will be performing at the Des Moines Historical Building at 1:45 and 2:30.

San Francisco, CA A day-long celebration of all things Irish!  From 10am – 5pm; parade at 11:30.  More information can be found here.

Butte, MT Locals call Butte “Ireland’s Fifth Province”.  Irish settled here to work in the mines and now hosts the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Montana.  In fact, other Montana cities offer shuttles for their residents to join the fun!  Events begin on Monday March 15.  The parade is on March 17 beginning at 11am.

Hot Springs, AR The world’s shortest street hosts the shortest parade beginning at 1pm on Saturday, March 13.

Near you.  Of course every pub turns Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.  Does your city hold a parade or celebration?  Share your information in the comments.

One commenter will receive a Family Rambling Travel Journal.  One comment per person.  Winner will be chosen using random.org.  Enter by 11:59pm March 16, 2010.  Winner will be drawn March 18.

~ Two nights in a deluxe room at Esplendor Resort, a Heritage Hotel and Resort located in Rio Rico, Arizona
~ One round of golf for two people on the Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed 18-hole golf course
~ Your choice of two signature dishes prepared from recipes by Primal Grill® for one night of your stay

One entry per person.  Click here to enter.

Contest ends May 10, 2010.  Rules are here.

I’ve tried quite a few activity items in the car and these are the 5 that travel with us most frequently.  Bonus: these are also popular at home, too!

1) Threading Animals.  It’s almost like sewing but you never make a mistake.  These wooden lacing animals have an extra-long string that is attached to the toy so the string is never lost (a problem we’ve had with other lacing toys).  We bought these from Kangaroo Boo, an amazing toy store.  Another fun lacing toy is the Wooden Lacing Sneaker.  It’s great for learning to tie shoes (especially when you don’t actually own tie-up shoes!)

2) Kumon Books.  I adore the Kumon books.  They are a fun and educational workbook.  Books cover everything – colors, numbers, paper folding, mazes, alphabet, telling time, the value of money…  I could go on and on.  Learning levels begin at pre-k and go through grade 6.  Amazon has a great selection of these books beginning at $6.95.

3) Dry Erase Magnet Boards.  I love a toy that does double duty.  The wonderful magnet boards from Tika Kids can also be used with dry erase markers.  With the varied use my girls will go from telling stories to each other using magnetic characters to putting together magnetic puzzles to playing a game of tic-tac-toe.  Tika Kids also makes a great activity bag for carrying the board, markers and other activities.  For more about Tika Kids click here. Boards are $10, bags are $15.  They are machine washable and come in both boy and girl friendly designs.

4) Figurines and Cars.  Right now my girls can’t get enough of the Disney Precious Princess figures (small; like Polly Pocket) and Polly Pocket dolls.  According to my friends with boys the Lego Star Wars figures are popular and Hot Weeels cars never seem to go out of style.  We have a small pouch for these toys and use them with the Snack and Play Travel Tray so the little pieces don’t escape.  A wide variety of these toys are available on Amazon; prices vary.

5)  Books with magnetic play sets.  We received a couple of these for Christmas two years ago and they have traveled with us many times.  While ours are Disney Princesses and Fairies the options I’ve found include letters,shapes and colors, Shrek, Scooby Doo, Cars, Toy Story, American Girls characters and more.  Some books include a hard plastic carrying case; some don’t.  Amazon has a large selection with prices beginning around $7.99.

What is your favorite travel friendly item for quiet play?

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of both Family Travel Gear and Amazon. The items I have listed I do use and recommend but clicking on one of the links and buying a product may cause me to earn a tiny (tiny) bit of money.

It may seem a bit peculiar at first glance for a traveler to visit a place where debt is dumb and cash is king.  After all, many people run up credit card bills to take the vacation of their dreams.  We were once the same.

I was recently in Nashville for a conference and couldn’t resist making the short drive out to Brentwood to meet Dave Ramsey and see him do the radio show live.

Before you go I strongly suggest contacting Financial Peace Plaza to make sure Dave will be in when you want to visit.  The office building is very easy to get to, though I was a bit nervous before heading in.  It’s not everyday you meet someone who has impacted your life as much as Dave has impacted ours.

Walking into the building is almost like entering a coffee shop.  Tables, chairs,and even a couch are set up to make the area inviting for visitors.  You can watch Dave in his studio through a large window or on a television, which also shows the line up of callers and how much time before commercial break.

To complete the coffee shop feel enter “Martha’s Place”.  Drinks and tasty goodies made by Martha Thompson,director of guest relations, are the perfect accompaniment to Dave’s financial advice.  Or take some time to wander around the small shop.  All of Dave’s books are available here, as are his financial tools, accessories and books he recommends from other authors.

If she isn’t too busy take time to chat with Martha.  Her warm personality will instantly draw you in.  Martha is very interested in hearing your “coming to Dave” stories and your tales of debt- and, hopefully, of your freedom from debt.  In all honesty I think I may have enjoyed my time with Martha more than I enjoyed meeting Dave.  Of course I spent much more time with Martha…  She exudes southern charm and hospitality and you can feel that you are an honored guest.

The day I visited Martha had a few minutes and gave me a tour.  First stop : the control room and a quick introduction to Blake, Matt and Laura.

The timing was perfect and Dave was getting ready for a break.  Martha took me around the corner and slowly opened the door.  Getting the “ok” from Dave, she led me into the studio and I got to meet Dave Ramsey.  It was, obviously, a short meeting.  I *think* I thanked Dave for all his advice and teaching.  Before leaving Martha snapped a picture of me with Dave.

Martha then continued the behind-the-scenes tour showing me photos, employee areas, sharing perks of working at LAMPO and pointing out Dave’s new Marconi Award.

Behind the reception desk in the lobby are a selection of Dave’s favorite quotes.  If you listen to either of Dave’s shows you are sure to know a few of them.

While Financial Peace Plaza isn’t a destination on everyone’s Nashville itinerary it’s definitely a great stop for a boost of inspiration and a kick in the pants if you are working to become debt free.

For an amazing stay in Nashville I highly recommend the Opryland Hotel.  It’s in no way a “budget” hotel but it is incredible.

Prize consists of three consecutive nights accommodations two adults and two children at TradeWinds Island Grand Resort in a tropical view suite; two $50 TAZ Passes to be used towards TradeWinds activities; and one breakfast for four at Bermudas Restaurant.  (You can upgrade to add children at your own cost).

Ready to enter? Click here.

Contest ends March 16, 2010.  Rules are here.

Good luck!

Here’s what you have to do… (and you only have to do it once)

1) Become a fan of Ciao Bambino on Facebook- you must do this to comment.  They are one of my favorite resources for traveling with kids so you should be reading them anyway.

2) Now, go to the photos (here is the direct link to mine). The photo I submitted is from Brenna’s first trip to Ireland in 2005.  She had learned to walk just a few weeks before and looked so cute in her pale pink pea coat.  Brenna has never met a stranger and this trip was no exception.  The friendliness of the Irish is one of the reasons we love the country so much.  *Again, all you have to do is leave a comment under that picture.*

Of course I would be incredibly appreciative if you would also let ask your friends and family to help me out.  But that’s purely optional.  Voting ends March 12.

A little added incentive:

Leave a comment here and let me know you left a comment on my photo at Ciao Bambino’s Facebook site.  Five readers will win a Family Rambling Travel Journal.

For an extra entry copy & paste this tweet: Help @iatraveler win @CiaoBambino contest. Please! http://tinyurl.com/yaesgx8 Leave a comment letting me know you tweted.

And thank you for helping me!

These are the five products I can’t live without.

1) The Snack and Play Travel Tray. I reviewed this tray about 2 years ago and it continues to be a favorite travel accessory.  The firm foam padding is great for drawing and coloring, the tall foam sides keep everything on the tray and because it is nylon covered it’s easy to clean.  This is great for keeping items in reach, keeping food from escaping and is safe in the event of sudden stops or, heaven forbid, accidents.  The Snack & Play Travel Tray is available from Family Travel Gear for $19.99.

2) A Car Entertainment Organizer.  Because we have a mini van things put on the floor tend to be too low for the girls to reach or too far back for me to easily reach.  I like this organizer because it sits below the DVD player (attached to the back of the headrests) and has enough room for practically everything- including tissues (we always seem to need tissues).  With pockets and pouches galore  this is an easy, effective catch all.  The Talus Media Organizer is available from Family Travel Gear for $18.95.

3) A dashboard non slip mat. While this may sound simplistic I can’t tell you how much I love the clingy mat on my dashboard.  It holds my phone, iPod, sunglasses…  And keeps them from sliding across the van when I stop suddenly or turn sharply.  Not only is it an organizing tool, but I also consider it a safety tool.  Amazon has a large variety of these mats beginning at $2.99.

4) A garbage can.  I’ll be honest, I’ve tried to “make do” with plastic bags but even adults have trouble getting trash into them.  I love this 2 gallon leak proof model for a few reasons: Velcro grip strips on the bottom keep it in place, easy wipe-out cleaning and snap in side supports to keep it from collapsing.  This model is available at Amazon for $13.99.

5) A place for food.  Long road trips involve food and drinks.  We’ve tried a few different scenarios for keeping things cold, but nothing works as well as our portable mini fridge.  (It’s also very handy for hotel stays if there is no mini fridge in the room.)  The AC/DC lets us plug in in anywhere and it has a handy switch that lets us decide if we want it to warm or cool the items in it.   Amazon has a variety of these, as well, the nicest begin at $79.99

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of both Family Travel Gear and Amazon.  The items I have listed I do use and recommend but clicking on one of the links and buying a product will cause me to earn a tiny (tiny) bit of money.

And getting out of Des Moines is often half the cost of the entire flight.

So when I saw that we will be getting a new charter airline in May I was overjoyed.  When I saw that one way flights were well below $100 I was thrilled.

What is this great new airline we’re getting?  It’s Branson Air Express.  Yes, Branson.  Which is actually really pretty cool.  But you know what’s better?  It’s another alternative, another airline to compete.  And I applaud that heartily.

In other airline news, AirTran begins service from Des Moines on March 6.  I’m practically giddy!

First up, an amazing contest from CiaoBambino:

Win a week long stay at Casa Cornacchi Country House in Tuscany!  You can get all the info on entering here.  Read the details carefully and follow the instructions!

Second is a two night stay for 4 at Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando, Florida from Travel Mamas:

This is a two part contest with 4 entries per person.  Read about the contest here and don’t forget to go back next week for the second part!

The prize in this contest includes:
~ Three-night stay
~ Breakfast for two daily
~ Two rounds of golf
~ Two spa treatments

Click here to enter.  One entry per person.

Contest ends May 11, 2010.  You can find the rules here.

Good luck!