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12 Family Hotels That Offer a Free Breakfast
Okay, even if you don’t looooove chain hotels, you gotta admit — the free breakfast is awesome. Even if it’s just a bowl of cereal or a pastry and orange juice, that’s one meal out of the way. You can avoid  taking your gang of ravenous, borderline-manic children into a Denny’s or breakfast diner (hmm, or is it just me with that problem?). I created this list of free breakfast-serving hotels in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Some of these are not just fine, but great — you’ll get a hot meal, a cooked-to-order breakfast omelet or an evening reception. Not bad at all. Many chain hotels also provide indoor…
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How to Score a Four-Star Priceline Deal
I love using Priceline to go on our frequent trips. Using Priceline, I think I’ve stayed in almost every four-star hotel in Vancouver, BC and Portland, Oregon. But I rarely pay over $80 per night for these rooms, while other hotel visitors are spending over $175! I’ve stayed in Vancouver for $65 per night (winter), Portland for $50 (winter) and  Seattle for $75 (summer!). This approach works best for staying in four-star hotels (and sometimes three) downtown, and in big cities: Seattle, Vancouver BC and Portland. For Whistler, use Suite Secrets (no rebid, but good deals). It is difficult – if not impossible – to use Priceline in Victoria, BC.…
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Families Travel! A mom to 15 kids tells you how she travels
Sarah Reese is a 36-year-old Bellingham mom to 15 kids. And she loves family travel. Yes, you read those two sentences correctly. Sarah was a single mom to just one child when she met her husband Robert, who was a single father to four children. Like a Super Brady Bunch, the duo combined their children, then adopted foster kids and Haitian orphans. Eleven children live at home; four are grown and have moved out. She blogs (beautifully and with vulnerability) about her journey and parenting struggles at Mom to 15. Many of Reese’s children have special needs – physical, medical or psychological. Seriously, her blog sucks me in. I admire her ability to parent with such reflection…