Having manners doesn’t mean you need to be completely knowledgeable about your silverware or know which angle you should curtsy.  It comes down to the most simplest things such as saying “excuse me” and “thank you”. 

Recently, I got to review the book Where IS Your Mother? by Ava Carroll-Brown which pretty much gives you the 101 on etiquette.  It goes into details and gives you examples of what you should and should not do.   

I think we’ve all been put into situations where we had to question one’s etiquette or lack thereof.  I mean people, REALLY?  Don’t eat your toenails at a public beach (go crazy in the privacy of your own home) or burp into the face of your dinner guest (save that for a belching competition).  Sounds digusting?  It happens more often than not.

Read more about Where Is Your Mother? and my gaggable experience on Savings.com.

I don’t know about you, but I love dressing my daughters.  It brings me back to the days that I played dress up with my own dolls. 

Kids are cute in pretty much everything, but I love to mix and match things and make my children photo ready without having to do much.  For me, an accessory can take a blah or ordinary outfit into something extra special. 

While my parents and in-laws spoil my kids with brand name designer clothing like Jacadi (which are not really meant to be worn all the time), I like to buy clothes that are functional, comfortable and extra cute.  I frequent stores like Pumpkin Patch, GapKids, H&M, Target, Macy’s, and Crazy8.  They always have great sales and variety.

Take a look at the outfit below.  It’s a good example of what you would see my daughters wearing on a normal day.  There’s not too much styling and the outfit is quite adorable when put together.

Just recently Virgin America, opened up services to Chicago and since the price was right and I needed to book tickets for my cousin’s wedding, I chose to fly with them.

I’d flown with them before when my older child was almost two years-old and had a great experience.  At the time, my daughter was a little sick and instead of having her sit on my lap, they gave me the entire row.

I have to say that this time around, I was a little disappointed with the inconsistency of customer service.

The toll-free service remained good, but at the Los Angeles check-in counter everything took forever and it just left me wondering if the staff was competent enough to handle day-to-day business (we were checking in two car seats and it took 30 minutes).

The on-board crew from Los Angeles came off a little stuffy and conservative. Out of the three attendants, only one was super-polite (she actually moved the person next to us, so that my lap child and I could sit comfortably) and one was just rude.

The Good

Pricing: Virgin America has good tiered-pricing which makes it affordable for most Americans. I hate paying full-price for my child who takes up half a seat, so getting the best price for a plane ticket is a must. The average cost to Chicago was $149 each way, plus taxes and other fees. However, I was able to snag a round-trip for $199 on Hotwire (certain days of the week are cheaper than others).

Read more at Savings.com.