We are proud to announce that ViveVita, llc and Robyn Pellei, as the CEO, won FIRST PRIZE in the Business Baby Shower contest! “The Business Baby Shower is a contest to celebrate entrepreneurial moms and all they do to birth and grow a successful company while balancing family life.” Her submission was judged on the following criteria: (i) degree of business solution; (ii) creativity of solution; and (iii) practicality/broad applicability of solution. The panel of judges included Tamara Monosoff of Mom Invented, Stacey Kannenberg of Cedar Valley Publishing and Andrew Morrison of Small Business Camp. Winners received media exposure for their business from the Media Sponsors as well as gifts, services and bonuses from the Contest Sponsors. Robyn was delighted to learn she won first prize, and had tears in her eyes when she heard the good news and shared it with her family. According to Rob
We are now official Amazon.com vendors!
As of last night, we became official Amazon.com vendors! We do not sell our products directly, nor via ebay or Amazon, but we do supply vendors on those sites who are retailers.
But this means Amazon will sell and deliver to you, so there is broader access to our Bandette product, and we expect more will follow.
Traveling with Children: Day 16 of 27 days in a green tin can with 9 children–CT to NY
Day 16:
I have known my buddy Rob since the third grade, and we’ve been fast friends ever since, creating havoc and getting into trouble. Rob’s father, rest his soul, was a World War II veteran in the French underground resistance and became an agent for the American forces. While Rob’s Mom was several years younger (way to go, Jacques!), she still had a slightly longer perspective and would laugh it off when Rob and I got into hot water. As such, she was like a second Mom to me while growing up (and my Mom was like a second Mom to Rob, whether he liked it or not).
Now Mrs. M. has a beautiful home, with lots of crystal and china from around the world. We did well visiting there with the first few children in the past as we taught them how to behave in a house that was not ‘childproof’. But with 9 wiggling around, we thought it would be best to pick her up and take her to lunch. We also had the opportunity to introduce Robyn and the children to the locally-famous Duchess Burgers, a Southern Connecticut phenomenon where I spent perhaps half of the money I earned in high school. We were treated when Rob’s sister and nephew showed up to dine with us as well. Unfortunately, I did not have the presence of mind to take a single picture, which I regret.
After lunch, we saddled up and moseyed down the road to Scarsdale, NY, to visit with my Auntie Ria, my Godmother. She is a special lady. My father had two older sisters, Ida and Maria, who grew up with him in their home in the Bronx. Ida passed away from breast cancer in the late 1980′s, but Maria is still active and with it. For a number of years she was in California milling about with both literary and media greats. She has a picture of her and Carl Sandberg, for whom she was a personal assistant. She worked on the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and met John Wayne, who played the one-line part of the Roman Centurion on Golgatha.
Anyway, we got to NY, unpacked, and went for the afternoon “passagiare”, or walk. Then we went for Chinese food at Lotus, returned home, settled the kiddies into their makeshift bunks, said prayers, and returned downstairs for a nightcap with Auntie Ria. She’s such a sport, and she enjoyed trying out Mojitos for the first time.
Ria’s an incredible lady with more spunk than Robyn and I put together! The only +/- 80-year old I know who can keep up with 9 little ones, and two spent parents …and take us in and out of NYC a couple times for the weekend. More to follow…..
Scroll down below photos to see today’s tips.
Click on thumbnails below to see the whole picture.
Tip: You don’t need individual rooms and suites for small children. Ours prefer to sleep all together, both traveling and at home. We fit three on a trundle bed, one on a couch and another on two chairs pushed end-to-end, then laid up against the couch to provide two separate cubbies for sleeping. We also employed a pack-n-play and two kiddie cots, each of which could break down and be carried in the van. My oldest daughter was treated to a special place in the office/study downstairs next to Auntie Ria’s room.
Tip: Remember, when traveling (and sometimes at home), a bedroom is for sleeping! You don’t need a ton of space, just enough to hunker down for a night. Seeing a ship’s berth (tiny, cramped space where dozens of people stayed on trans-Atlantic voyages) helped solidify this concept for us.
Traveling with Children: Day 15 of 27 days in a green tin can with 9 children–Monroe, CT
Day 15:
We spent the morning of Thursday April 15th resting in the hotel, getting caught up on laundry and some down time. We then drove the children around Dave’s home town of Trumbull, CT and past his old house. We cruised up to Monroe, CT where we had lunch with another one of his long-lost high school friends with whom he just recently reconnected via Facebook. ”Smurphy” is doing well, living in a beautiful home with an impeccably maintained yard, with some very cool kids and even some chickens way back in the yard. We had fun sharing pizza and memories as the kids played with her youngest daughter. We also were able to meet her two growing boys just before we headed down the road. Thanks, “Smurfy” for hosting us for lunch. It was great to see you and meet your children. We hope to meet Jim next time we come up this way. See picture gallery below.
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A short time later we found ourselves at dinner with Dan-o and gang at his Mom’s house. No, really, it’s just a coincidence we wound up at his Mom’s house, and it just happened to be dinner. I wasn’t plotting this as an excuse to indulge in G’s cooking for months…Great food and family with “G and Bill” and their grandchildren. What a great family gathering, just like old times. My guys also got to indulge in some Klondike bars for dessert, and there was a 2-on-1 “old guys versus 13-year-old Anthony” basketball game. Unfortunately, Anthony handily shamed Dan-o and Dave, but, really, being ‘old guys’ they didn’t have much to lose to being with.
All-in-all, a very good day.
Traveling with Children: Day 14 of 27 days in a green tin can with 9 children–CT, day 2
Day 14:
We have a great day with Tommy and Teresa and family. What a joy to sit with a cup of coffee in my hand and the baby on my lap, while watching 12 children run giggling around the back yard.
Dave was always in admiration of Tommy’s parents: their marriage and the people they were. Tommy’s Dad let them in on a secret once: ”when you get out of college, go down to Virginia and find yourself a nice Virginia girl”. It looks like they were both paying attention, as that is what they both did! Dave and Tommy both agree that’s the best advice they received while growing up.
The children had a great time playing with each other and running around the yard.
Evening dinner was one time it paid off to feed the children first, then get them dressed for bed and let them watch a movie while the adults have a nice sit-down dinner in the dining room.
Thanks, T&T for sharing your home and family with us!
Our thanks to the whole gang. We always have a great visit. Only wish we could have found the parfait glasses….
Traveling with Children: Day 13 of 27 days in a green tin can with 9 children–CT
Day 13:
Woke to a European style B&B breakfast experience–fresh ground and fresh brewed espresso (hot-diluted to cafe Americano), home-baked bread with homemade marmalade and country salted butter, and fresh fruit. Do we really have to leave? Our New Haven friends are so good to us and it is a long process to extract our children and ourselves and say goodbye.
We lumbered down the road to Shelton, CT, which is just up the road from Trumbull, CT, where Dave grew up. A little hiccup in the plan as we checked into the Marriott Residence–because of fire regulations, most hotels will not let you sleep more than 5 people in a room, even if it is a 2-bedroom suite and 3 are in pack-and-plays. So when we booked through the national reservation center we were under the impression we were getting two adjoining 2-bedroom suites. When we got there we were informed this was not possible as each two-bedroom suite was located in a separate building, and none connected to any other adjoining rooms.
Dave was in talking to the desk clerk while Robyn stayed in the car with the children, and we communicated by walkie-talkie as Dave discussed options with the clerk. After spending several minutes of trying to figure out alternative options and explaining that if we put one adult and 4 children in each of two rooms, that would still leave one child in a room solo–not going to work. Now, after reading “Spirit to Serve: Marriott’s Way”, while studying customer service models, Dave is a big fan of the Marriott chain. But this was kind of a startling setback.
Enter ‘protective Mama bear’. Robyn tells Dave on the walkie-talkie, fully audible to the desk clerk and now manager also, “OK, you come on out and I am coming in”. Dave shrugs an empathetic “I am sorry, I tried…glad I am not you right now” shrug to the ladies behind the desk as he exchanges places with Robyn. Within 5 minutes Robyn comes back out the the car with a card-key for the upgrade to the ‘Penthouse suite’. Problem solved, once again proving that women can really communicate.
So we unload into the suite, which is roomy enough for all of us (thank you, Mr. Marriott), drop off our bags and gear, and head out to lunch at a restaurant nearby with a dear friend of Dave’s from high school, whom he has not seen in about 25 years. What a beautiful family they are, although the oldest daughter is away traveling in Costa Rica (can you blame her?).
On the way back to the hotel, we nearly run into Dave’s buddy Tommy’s Mom who is backing out of her driveway. She has never seen our van so she’s looking at us like we are about to stick her up. Dave jumps out of the van and runs up to her window (at this point she’s looking a bit frightened until he’s about 5 feet away) when she recognizes him and jumps out of the car to give him a hug. 
At this point Mr. P. recognizes the hub-bub in the driveway and comes out to join the fun and inspect ‘the wheels’. He was very impressed with the E350 chassis. But we are running late for an appointment in Fairfield, and have to move on.
We are due to meet Father Larry (now Monseigneur Larry) at St. Pius in Fairfield at 4:30PM, and we’re running a little late. Fortunately, he is also running a little late so we have time to drive around Fairfield a little bit and Dave gets to tell the children about how he went to high school at Fairfield Prep just down the road, and how when he was in high school Msgr. Larry was a newly ordained priest who was running the St. Teresa’s youth group in Trumbull. Fr. Larry was a good advisor for Dave and his brother Steve, and he helped teach them wisdom and steer them clear of trouble (mostly) during those formative years.
Our meeting with Msgr. Larry is short but good, with updates from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. The kids love the cookies they always get when visiting the rectory, and they are absolutely in love with Fr. Larry’s dog. Even little Robert, who usually shies away from animals, is captivated by this old, patient, friendly dog.
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We top off the evening with dinner back in Trumbull with Dave’s high school buddy, Tommy, and his family. Dave and Tommy both were smart enough to go South after college and marry Virginia girls. Robyn and Teresa get along like sisters, and you’d think they knew each other longer than Dave and Tommy. Tommy and Teresa have 4 children, roughly matching the ages of 4 of ours, but all 13 play along with each other incredibly well. It was a hoot when Robyn and Teresa both had the first-borns around the same time, and named them after Dave and Tommy. So Teresa introduced the babies to each other: ”Little Dave, meet Little Tommy. Little Tommy, meet Little Dave”; we knew it would be an historic event. It was sort of like seeing the most recent Star Trek Movie when young Captain Kirk meets young Mr. Spock.
TIPS:
1) Most states limit hotels to 5 people per room due to fire codes. B&B’s are usually more flexible or have a better way to accommodate large families.
2) If you have to stay in a hotel, choose a customer-friendly place like the Marriott chain. That way, if there is a mix-up, they will understand customer service and find a way to make you happy.
3) Sometimes a sock drawer or empty closet bottom with good padding can serve as a wonderful makeshift bed for little ones.
