Search Results for: blog mother nature vs baby new year

Living with Dogs Might Improve Baby Health

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real reason to keep our dogs around our babies? Some people are terrified of the idea, thinking that it’s dangerous to let dogs around small children. At first it’s best never to leave dogs alone with babies, to make sure the animals know to be gentle around them. However, we pet owners know that some dogs are great with babies. There have already been some studies about how being around dogs in the first year of infancy can help reduce the chances of a child later developing allergies to dogs, but what about … Continue reading →

What to Know Before You Take Off This Summer

Bankrupt airlines, grounded planes, record high-fuel prices, and delayed flights. Those are just some of the issues you can expect to deal with during the busy summer travel season. If you are one of the millions of travelers planning to take flight in the next few months the outlook for a smooth ride looks bleak. Here’s what travel experts say you can expect if you’re departing on a family adventure this summer: DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS The FAA’s maintenance audits will continue through June 30th meaning the possibility that your flight could be delayed or cancelled is quite high. For those … Continue reading →

The Things You Shouldn’t (or Can’t) Force

Babies come with a mind of their own. I don’t believe they’re a blank slate, but rather already have a distinctive personality. If you really don’t believe me, have a set of twins. Twins are interesting to watch because as far as controlling variables on the nature vs. nurture front, this is as close as it’s going to come. But I digress. Having been the baby blogger here for soon to be two years (I can’t believe it’s been that long), I often find my e-mail and private messages boxes full of questions on how to get your baby to … Continue reading →

Is Mother Nature Really To Blame For Airline Weather Delays? (Part 2)

In my last blog I recounted my friend’s sad holiday travel tale in which she spent the bulk of her New Year’s Eve sitting on a chair at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport waiting for her twice delayed flight to finally board. The airline insisted Mother Nature was at fault, but now it appears weather was only partially to blame for the “weather related” delay. Airlines say they are telling the truth when it comes to canceling flights due to inclement weather, but travel experts say when a carrier feeds you the line that Mother Nature is at the root of your … Continue reading →

Is Mother Nature Really To Blame For Airline Weather Delays?

Weather history was made this evening in Wisconsin. A rare series of January tornadoes ripped through a county just south of where I live, demolishing buildings and houses, downing power lines and leaving more than a dozen people injured. The ferocious storm also caused delays at area airports including Milwaukee and Chicago’s O’Hare. Totally reasonable. However, there have been many times when I wondered if airlines were telling the truth about weather delays. For example, a couple of weeks ago United Airlines cancelled 1,200 flights and blamed various winter storms for doing so. But then, a couple of days later … Continue reading →

Island Hopping in Hawaii

Mother Nature has not entered 2008 peacefully. As I write this my aunt and uncle in Lake Tahoe, California are dealing with blizzard-like conditions. Meanwhile, in Miami, Florida residents there are dealing with record low temperatures the likes of which they haven’t seen in more than five years. And here in the Midwest portion of the United States we are under severe fog alerts. (The fog is so thick here I can’t see the end of the driveway.) With all this inclement weather who wouldn’t want to escape to the always balmy and beautiful Hawaii? If the rotten weather has … Continue reading →

The Nation’s Most Frequently Delayed Flights

Good news for frequent flyers: The federal government is trying to help you avoid flight delays. The Department of Transportation recently issued a report listing the nation’s eight most-frequently delayed flights. Not surprising (to me anyway) all involved a New York City airport and half involved a flight operated by or affiliated with Continental. If you are planning to fly in the near future and don’t want to deal with the hassle of being delayed take note-—according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the following were the most delayed flights in the nation during the last couple months of 2007: … Continue reading →

Mother Nature vs. Baby New Year

My friend just called to wish me a Happy New Year… from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. No kidding. The poor thing is sitting in an airport on New Year’s Eve on her way back from spending Christmas with her brother in Colorado. She’s been waiting 3 hours for her now twice delayed connecting flight back to Wisconsin. If she’s lucky she’ll land here by next year. Mother Nature has not been kind to holiday travelers this year. Bad weather has made the busy travel season difficult for flyers from coast to coast. Making matters worse is a new report from the … Continue reading →