Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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mom2mpr
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Posted: Nov 08 2010 at 3:47pm | IP Logged Quote mom2mpr
We have family all over. We were looking at our spending trying to increase our contributions to charity and are realizing how much we spend in hotels, gas, eating out, entertainment while with others, etc.
We knew we weren't spending a lot at home   
It is really all the visits to family. And with both sides being all over the country and no routine reunions, we spend a lot of time and money on this. Funerals, special birthdays, bar mitzvah, a holiday, etc.

How do you handle visiting family? My parents are older and only have my 2 kids for grandkids so I would like to see them at least once a year. But they live a 2 day drive away. And dh's grandfather is a 6 hour drive and 2 hotel nights--we do him yearly. I need some space so the hotel is sanity thing and one with a kitchen to help feed dd with her allergies makes it easier for me.
I'm having a tough time determining some "parameters." If it can even be done.
Ideas?

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Erin
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Posted: Nov 08 2010 at 7:08pm | IP Logged Quote Erin
Maybe you should start planning routine reunions.

I'm afraid our families are scattered throughout Australia and we only can go years without seeing each other.

I always state to my children that I plan on having everyone home every third Christmas, this way we will ensure some visits. Also thinking of instituting an annual or maybe bi-annual holiday at the beach once they start leaving home.

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: Nov 08 2010 at 8:01pm | IP Logged Quote CrunchyMom
We make a trip once a year to see each of our families. That is it. This year, our trip to see dh's family coincides with his niece's wedding and Thanksgiving (which she planned so that people could come without making an extra trip). But we don't make special trips for extra things. If we make it to an "event," that means we timed our yearly trip to coincide with that event, yk? We do try to communicate with family so that we are there at the same time that siblings we haven't seen in a while are there. But we will often go several years without seeing some of dh's siblings who are scattered all over.

Erin, I think that the "third" Christmas and periodic (though, I probably wouldn't go annual because that get's to be a burden and you might have better luck getting everyone at the same time if it were less) vacation are great ideas!

Sometimes it feels like you have to plan these trips out a couple of years in advance, and then you are never sure if you'll end up at the holiday the right year to see the people you've missed on the last trip. A routine like that would be so helpful!

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JodieLyn
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Posted: Nov 09 2010 at 12:13am | IP Logged Quote JodieLyn
Christmas is tricky.. so many things can trip you up.. weather not the least of all.. plus when family is used to teens/adults only.. sometimes they can be resistent to adjusting for young children again.

We travel at Thanksgiving.. or Easter.. summertime is usually out because of dh's job. Occationally early fall when other things preempt travel at Thanksgiving.. like Confirmation for our oldest.. due dates.. and such things.

But my family is all local to me for the first time since I got married.. and dh's family is only a half day drive away.

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