There are any number of things that can put a damper on your vacation: lost luggage, high-priced restaurants, overcrowding at attractions and bad weather are some common culprits. But illness is probably the worst; getting sick during a fun time can be a serious roadblock for all your plans, and dishearten the most optimistic of tourists.

If you get sick, all the time, money, and preparation you put into your trip may have been for nothing, and there will be nothing to do but hole yourself up in a hotel room and try to get better before the flight home.

But it doesn’t have to be like that! There are a few quick, simple things you can do to stay away from sickness during your vacation.

Most Common Sources of Viruses on Vacation

Unsurprisingly, the two biggest sources of vacation virus are airplanes and hotel rooms, so it’s important to take extra precautions when flying and when settling into your room.

In a plane, all of the air in the cabin is continuously re-circulated. This means that any germs that other passengers may have brought on board stick around, and gradually spread through the cabin as the flight progresses.

As you can probably guess, longer flights present the greatest risk of germ exposure; the longer flight gives germs more time to spread, permeating all the corners of the cabin, and to infect passengers.

When flying, remember to wash your hands frequently, and try as best as you can to keep them away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Frequent hand-washing is hard on airplanes, so bring some alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your carry-on, and use it every hour.

Stay hydrated during travel, which means drinking plenty of water and avoiding caffeine and alcohol. These substances contribute to dehydration, which is bad for your immune system.

On a normal day, at home, you should be aiming for drinking 60% of your body weight in ounces of water – in other words, if you weigh 100 pounds, drink about 60 ounces of water every single day. But, while traveling, your body tends to get dehydrated much quicker due to stress and activity – aim for drinking 70% of your body weight in ounces of water during trips!

Viruses can linger for up to 18 hours, which means that if a sick person has recently stayed in your hotel room, there may still be virus in the room when you check in, particularly on faucet handles, remote controls, light switches, telephones, and doorknobs. If the hotel staff doesn’t do a good enough job of cleaning up your room, there’s not much you can do.

What you can do is wash your hands frequently. Also, it’s a good idea to leave your room for a few hours immediately after checking in. Leave a window open. Hopefully, by the time you return, the room will be virus free.

Avoiding Other Illnesses

Motion sickness is a problem for many first-time cruise passengers. For some, it lasts only a couple of hours, while for others it doesn’t go away until they get back on solid ground. Most cruise ships have doctors who can give you motion sickness medication, and you can also use anti-histamines or motion sickness disks. Also, some sufferers of motion sickness say that green tea and ginger can be helpful.

E. coli, or traveler’s diarrhea is no fun, but fortunately it usually passes within a day or two. If you want to avoid it, only eat food that is thoroughly cooked, drink bottled water, and – stay away from ice cubes.

If you’ve ever had a severe sunburn on vacation, you already know how crippling it can be. The key is prevention: Any time you’re going to be out in the sun, slather on as much sunblock (SPF 30 at least) as you possibly can. Repeat application regularly throughout the day, and if you do get burned, drink plenty of water and use aloe lotion until the pain passes.

About The Author: Bobby DeMuro is the Founder of FusionSouth, a personal training/sports conditioning firm in Charlotte, NC. He is also the Executive Director of NoFizz Charlotte, a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness on the importance of proper hydration. He resides on Lake Norman with his 2-year old boxer, Dakota.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I know the person who won will really put hers to use, congratulations to Paula B from Bell’ Alimento YUM!! I’m emailing you right now, please be sure to respond within 48 hours.

Like I said since there was such a great response I may have some other Ball goodies up my sleeve in the near future, so keep checking out MommyB Knows Best.

Unfortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to deal with several blow-outs from both girls, which is why I carry an extra set of clothes for both Baby C and myself…because, well you never know! That’s why I love award winning Dipe ‘N Go, because you never know when you’ll need a changing station.

I installed the Dipe ‘N Go that I received, for lack of an easier word, really putting the Dipe ‘N Go in your vehicle is as easy as tearing off a strip of sticker backing. And of course after it was in my van Baby C gave me a great opportunity to use it….we were shopping at Target and I had Baby C in the front carrier and all of a sudden the Earth shook and I could tell the Dipe ‘N Go was going to come in really handy, blow out city! Don’t tell anyone but I had a few more items to get and my cart was already full so I finished up my shopping, don’t worry CPS (child protective services), it only took me about 5 minutes.

I loaded up the car, got Miss A buckled into her car seat, and prepared for my review. I love how the Dipe ‘N Go just folds right down for easy access. The 3 large pockets hold Baby C’s extra outfit, diapers, and wipes with extra room to spare and everything is right at my hand so no need to run to the front of the car or leave Baby C even for a second. I think the best part about this product is the large changing area. Most of my changing pads have come with my diaper bags and I’m not sure if a.) my babies are mammoth or b.) they just don’t make them very big. I’m thinking probably the latter, but not in Dipe ‘N Go’s case, they made their changing area large and I really appreciate that my baby doesn’t have to have half her body on and half off or be in an extremely awkward position for me to change her.

Using Dipe ‘N Go really saved me time and frustration and was easy to use with only one hand. I think Baby C appreciated the ease as well and ended up riding home, clean, fresh and happy and mommy was happy too!

Aside from my favorite things Dipe ‘N Go is gender neutral and cleans very easily, you can wipe the fabric down or throw it in the washing machine. I found Dipe ‘N Go was cheapest at Amazon.com but you can also buy yours here. Note that Dipe ‘N Go is made for hatch back vehicles with a good amount of room for baby this is not something you would want to use in a standard car. That would just be plain scary or funny, depending on the parent!

Have any funny diaper stories???

Now in a perfect world I’d get up at 10:30 and the whole family would be ready to head out the door by 11:00 right? Not with us, not only did I need to get myself around, I needed to feed Baby C, get her dressed, dress Little Miss A, and then, dum…dum…dum…Mis A’s hair….this is an entity in itself. Often times I find myself wondering why I prayed for daughters with curly hair, and I love the look when it’s all pretty and done up, but it sure does take some energy, time, and product! After all of us getting ready plus 30 minutes for two puffy piggies, we were finally out the door…at lunchtime?!?!

What were we, as parents thinking…we ended up giving Miss A a snack to tide her over. Once we got to the Farmer’s Market we were excited to check out all of the goodies we were going to score. There were a few different areas to shop around, we saw trees and plants, crafts and wood carvings, a fruits and veggies (with preserves,) and a flower area. If I could give anyone advice, when going to your first farmers market you may want to choose something a little to start off with. I for one was a little overwhelmed with all of the sellers choices, so many people had the same items and we had to stroll up and down the aisles looking for the freshest, best priced items.

Overall though we had a really great time, I learned a few things about produce, we got a chance to discuss healthy options with Little Miss A, and got some exercise, although it was pretty warm. Luckily, I have a little hand-held fan that Miss A used to keep the sweat from dripping down her face. We spent about $30 but got a great amount of food, and here it is, our bountiful harvest, $30 later, we filled our fridge with God’s Goodness!

There were some ideas of tips that came to my head while we were shopping.  Now that I’m well seasoned after just one farmer’s market *insert eye roll here.* I would go back and tell myself, being a first-timer.

1. Get there early, but not too early, you’ll miss the crowds but not the late arriving sellers.

2. Bring your own reusable bags, to save from using plastic AND it’s easier to carry than flimsy plastic handles.

3. If you have children strollers are a MUST, there are a lot of adults and many opportunities for your little one to wander off, it’s a great place for your child to rest from all of the walking, plus it gives you a good place to store your finds. – Just make sure your goodies don’t outweigh your child…or everything will be on the ground (no this did not happen to us,but that would have been funny, er horrifying  )

4. Haggle, haggle, haggle. Daddy B begs to differ with me, but I told him most things in the world you can bargain down, plus it can’t hurt to ask right???

5. In the Summer be sure to bring drinks and hats to keep cool.

6. See what is in season, and remember supply and demand when it comes to prices. Check this list to see what’s in season in NC: http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/chart.htm, if you’re not in NC check out google for the fresh finds near you.

7. Bring snacks for you and the kiddos, the fruit and veggies have not been washed, if you’re like me I’m not a believer in the “a little dirt never hurt,” saying, that’s the overprotective mommy-type A in me.

Here are a couple of pictures of the rows of preserves we had to choose from, Daddy B got us Strawberry Rhubarb, because apparently they don’t sell just Strawberry preserves…is that weird or just me?

And some yummy berries, we ended up getting 2 pints of the organic, homegrown, insecticide-free blue berries and they are tasty. That’ll be another post

So back to how we ended up at McDonalds…well we were all starving, and in a hurry, Miss A was upon rest time, with the heat we weren’t sure leaving our new goodies in the 100 plus degree car would be a good idea, Baby C needed to nurse and we were hot and tired. So, we opted to go to McDonald’s which for some reason keeps drawing us back. At least next time we’ll be a little more prepared. Lesson learned.

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!!

Thank you for everyone who entered, some of your favorite summer smells are freshly mowed grass, salt water, and ripe fruit. Congratulations to the winner this time, Sarah L!!

I’m emailing you, please be sure to respond within 48 hours to ensure your very own conatiner of Sand Gone. Check out MommyB this week for a fun trip to the Farmer’s Market, Diaper Changing wonder, and even some sure-fire tips on how to stay healthy on vacation. Also, be sure to enter my Ball Canning Giveaway that’s running for the next couple of days too!

At the hospital all you see are rows of cute cherub babies wrapped like tiny burritos in the hospital blankies, most parents want to carry on the swaddling when they arrive home and Koala Kuddles is a great way to carry that on.

I’ve tried to swaddle with receiving blankets, and even the swaddler blankets but always worried that my hot blooded girls would be too sweaty, amazingly enough Koala Kuddles are made of muslin, a very light, breathable fabric often used in dress-making. You can tell the fabric is made for swaddling babies, it’s so soft and unlike some straight-jacket like swaddling blankets it allows baby to move a little.  When I first received my unwashed and washed Koala Kuddles I could tell the difference immediately and the more I washed it, the softer it got. So don’t worry if it seems a little scratchy when you first get them, I’d recommend washing at least once, if not more, before use on baby.

Another thing I really like about Koala Kuddles is that they are much bigger than your typical receiving blanket, at 39″ by 39″ even the biggest baby will fit and be cozy and comfy. Much like Little Miss A, Baby C does not like being confined with swaddling, so we stopped swaddling at about 2 weeks, but the Koala Kuddles are still great as:

- Nursing cover (when I forget mine)

- Car Seat cover, when I want Baby C to rest or not be around germy sneezing people

- And of course a lightweight blankie/or burp cloth

Not only are the 3 Koala Kuddles designs super cute, you can choose from Australian Animals, Polka Dots, or an Assortment and they come in a pack of 3. I’m all for products with multiple uses and lots of choices.

I wouldn’t really say there are any reasons not to buy Koala Kuddles except that they may be a little pricier than some of the other swaddlers you may be looking at, but if you figure you get 3 for $32.95 you’re paying about $10 per blanket, and that’s cheaper than most blankets separately.

Koala Kuddles is offering MommyB Knows Best Readers 20% off on all purchases from now through August 14th, 2010. Enter MommyB to get your 20% off right now! Great for your babies or shower gifts. Go to the Koala Kuddles website here: http://www.koalakuddles.com/ for yours.

Did you swaddle your child(ren)? If so what were your experiences?

When I first became a mom, no amount of babysitting or nannying prepared me quite enough for the responsibility and blessings that motherhood would bring.  Just like all the other moms we were figuring it out as we went. That’s where this book comes in, if you want a little insight to motherhood, author Jen Klein has survived it all, changing diapers in not-so-quaint places to finding baby food in the most unlikely places.

The Mommy Files features quotes from both famous and real moms and adds some She Knows secrets from SheKnows.com, a site for women that covers many topics including parenting. This book reminds me a lot of what a girlfriend’s Cliff Notes for the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. From morning sickness to potty training and beyond The Mommy Files cover the details of having a baby, but it also covers the “nitty gritty,” that most books don’t touch on.

I love this quote from the book: “Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes.” – Joyce Armor. It’s really funny because I often refer to my own stretch marks as my battle wounds. It’s a long and hard pregnancy but I survived. I also enjoy that this book has great information on Birth Plans and Birthing options if that’s something that you are interested, but I am a little put off to see that The Mommy Files does not really discuss C-section information, which I think is handy for every new mom to know. I think there are a lot of women out there who are scared of c-sections and don’t have the facts going into it, that would have helped ease my mind a little more.

I also noticed in this book Klein discusses breastfeeding mothers looking down on bottle feeding mothers, which I do see in the mother-world, but she doesn’t touch on those moms that choose not to nurse who criticize mothers who breastfeed in public or even in private, I know some of those mommies too.

In one of the chapters, I noticed that Klein kind of suggests to ignore advice that comes your way, personally I think if you’re like me, I wanted all the advice, the good, and the bad that way I had as much information, tips, and tricks I could have in my arsenal to choose from down the road. I guess that’s why this book interested me too.

I like the way this book is written in a whimsical, funny, yet realistic point of view. Love the sections on mommy groups and sleep and think overall it’s a great book for the collection. Motherhood is a huge topic to cover so I don’t fault Klein for not hitting every point, but you may not want to consider The Mommy Files your end all be all guide to pregnancy and childbirth.

What’s the best advice you can give a pregnant mom??

Back to Tommee Tippee, it’s hard to believe that we’ll be going through Baby C starting solids in just a few weeks. She doesn’t seem as interested in food like Miss A was, but I’m not worried, she’ll do everything in her time. I did get a chance to test out a few products though, I like to try things out and watch things before the kiddos do, just to find out all the quirks and whatnot. When I first got the Tommee Tippee products I noticed how bright and vibrant the colors were. I received an Explora Water-Bottle, in stage 4, the 2 Explora Weaning Bowls with Lid and Weaning Spoon, and an Explora Easy Mat.

Miss A loved fun, pink, Explora Spill-Proof Sippy and so do I! Lately every single sippy we own has been leaking in my diaper bag or all over the car, I’m so over it. This Tommee Tippee cup is a breath of fresh air. It is completely Leak Proof, and has arrived just in time to give me some sanity. The spout of this sippy is rubbery, which I really like because Miss A hated the hard feeling of other sippy’s and would not drink from them when she was younger.

The cup is designed for children 18 months and up, which I agree with, I don’t think a smaller child would be ready to go from breast or bottle to a sippy designed more like a sport squirt bottle,  and even though Miss A is 3, it’s a great alternative to carrying around a regular cup when we’re on the road or somewhere I don’t want the drink to leak out. I also like the ridges on the side of the sippy that give little kids more grip. Tommee Tippy Explora cups come in several stages so check to see what is best for your child.

I was also very impressed with the Easi-mat and Weaning Bowls. The Explora mat covers a good surface, without being too large for standard high chair or booster chair trays. It sticks to all flat surfaces and I even saw on another great mommy blog that it stuck to her wall, unfortunately in our house we have textured walls, so I can’t try that one out for you, but I did try something even cooler for an awesome testimonial on how great the Easi Mat works try holding up a Step 2 table using Tommee Tippee Explora Easi-mat and Weaning Bowl, I did it and it totally worked.  That’s pretty cool if you ask me! *Make sure you wipe all surfaces (and even the bottom of the Easi-mat if you want) with a damp cloth for maximum stickage.

Even though Miss A is 3 these are still great products for older children. I slapped the Easi-mat on her table and pressed the weaning bowl into place and I don’t have to worry about the endless bowls of cereal that fling to the floor. And although A is pretty good with her bowls it definitely helps me feel better about not having to clean up more than I already do.

I never tried Tommee Tippee products before today and have to say that I honestly fell in love. I enjoy not having to clean up my diaper bag, Miss A’s carseat cup holder, change endless wet or stained outfits, or sweep and mop from all the sippy and food spills.

If you want to try Tommee Tippee now is a great time, both Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us sell Tommee Tippee products and best yet, today and tomorrow (July 23rd) you can buy any Explora item (cups and toddler feeding), get the second 50% off at BabiesRUs.com.

Thanks again to Mom Bloggers Club and Tommee Tippee for providing review materials, I can’t wait to go buy more for both Miss A and Baby C.

What kind of spills do you hate cleaning up??

I had no clue where to sit so I grabbed a seat next to three great women, Kathy from Kath Eats Real Food, Emily from The Front Burner, and Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point, right away I noticed these ladies were total foodies, I felt a little weird sitting there, being a stay-at-home-mom who usually eats standing and often with my fingers, but again I don’t think anyone really noticed. From what I gathered I think I may have been the only mom blogger there, which was pretty cool. The girls and I talked a little about Virginia and DC as two of them are moving away very soon.

I got to meet Chef Keith Snow from PBS’ Harvest Eating who was really down to Earth and seemed very nice. Once the presentation began the yummy food from Charlotte’s Mimosa Grill arrived on the table. Everything I tasted was very delicious, of course I had my favorites of a goat cheese stuffed chicken breast and tomato and mozzarella tower, and you can’t forget dessert, I was offered two, but the Carolina Mountain Cherry Cheesecake was my favorite by far, so rich and creamy…..yum…oops back to what you all came for, Ball Canning…

I learned so much I hadn’t already known about Ball as a company and their products. I don’t want to overwhelm you with all of my newly acquired knowledge but I will say that I did not realize that Ball is made in the US and was started over 125 years ago, that means my grandma’s grandmother could have used Ball canning goods. CRAZY! Chef Keith Snow’s grandmother used Ball so not only does he love using Ball for his own canning needs, but it carries a personal attachment to his family as well.

Although I don’t recollect details, I do remember people in my family canning, but from what I remember I remember a long, tedious, process with lots of steam, and tongs which at the time was sort of scary for me being so little. Definitely not something I would think I would be considering when I grew up, but here I am, mother of two beautiful little girls, trying to make healthy decisions for my family and not wanting to spend hours in the kitchen because trading off time spent with my girls is just not an option for me.

It seems like a lot of people are in my position, and if not, I know there are a bunch of you who are trying more local foods or better yet growing your own gardens, (go you!!), and canning is a great option for you. For those of us who are afraid of canning I learned at this luncheon how easy canning really can be (no pun intended, unless you want it to be,) an easy process.

Chef Snow showed the luncheon attendees, bloggers, retailers, consumers, how simple it is to make a Zesty Salsa from scratch, using just a few ingredients he cooked up a fresh, vibrant salsa that was ready to be canned. After cooking up the salsa and heating his Ball glass canning jars he poured the mixture in, put the lid on top and screwed on the band and set the jars in the water to heat up and cool. Voila you have a great dish, or even a fun gift and the nice thing is you can make batches to save for future use. There are some items need to be pressure cooked, but water boiling is a great option for canning simpler items.

Ball introduces it’s newest Canning Discovery Kit. This kit is amazing for anyone who wants to learn how to can on a budget. At $10 to $12 you really can’t go wrong, and you get 3 pint-sized Ball Home Canning Jars, with lids and bands, plastic canning rack with lifter, and a step-by-step beginner’s guide to canning and recipe booklet. As long as you have pots, pans, water, and ingredients you’re all set. Not too shabby!

The recipe book that comes with the Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit gives mouth-watering recipes for Dill Pickles, Corn Relish, and more. I’m most excited about trying to make some Blueberry Syrup, but that’s if I ever get enough time to do so.

Check out the Ball Website for more great items here: http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ and get your Home Canning Discovery Kit at Ball, at Lowe’s, or Walmart. I have yet to see the products on the Lowe’s or Walmart online and noticed it’s back ordered with Ball but you can be emailed through the Ball website.

Have you ever tried canning? What are your memories or experiences with canning?

Ball Home Canning is giving away a Discovery Kit to one lucky MommyB reader.

Here’s how to win: Using the entry form directly below this paragraph (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entryentries you are submitting. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be completed before you can qualify for additional entries.

Giveaway ends July 27th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

I thought I would try a product from Blow, a new haircare line sold by my favorite hair product site Lock & Mane. Blow haircare line was created by the experts at Blow, the award winning New York Blow Dry Bar. The collection of products was specifically designed to give you better blow dry results at home. Free of sulfates and parabens that deplete hair and limit the life of your blow out. Never tested on animals.I tried out Blow’s Beach Blow texturizing mist, the mist has been awarded one of Allure magazine’s Best Products for Beachy Waves product. The instruction on the bottle says to spray on wet hair and then blow dry but online it says to take your hair, apply beach blow in sections after blow drying and “scrunch” hair to form natural waves and texture.It is said to give hair a beachy, “tousled” texture. I tried the method on the bottle and my hair did look beach blown, although it was a little limp it did give my hair texture.

If you’re like me I don’t love blow drying my hair a lot in the summer so I like to wash and go, this is a great product to do just that. One of my favorite parts about Beach Blow is the smell, it includes sea salt, what could be more appropriate for the beachy wave look. The 8.5 ounce bottle is the perfect size for travelling and if you’re using the wet method you could even spray after the beach or pool.

Want to get your bottle of Beach Blow? Check out Lock & Mane here: http://www.lockandmane.com/all-products/blow-dry-bar-new-york-beach-blow-texturizing-mist.html and tell me what you think. While you’re there check out their other great products.

What’s your favorite summer hair look??