Ways to Save at the San Diego County Fair

May 28, 2018 by 33 Comments

Ways to Save at the San Diego County Fair

The fair opens this week, Friday June 1st and runs until Wednesday, July 4th and my family couldn’t be happier to once again attend the fair and make awesome memories. But with so many things going on right now, and so many other activities happening, we have to be frugal when we think of the activities we’re doing over the summer. And that means looking for some great deals and ways to save at the San Diego County Fair.

Luckily I’m a pro at this by now with experiences from past fairs since having kids. And I’ve gotten a little savvy on ways to save and maximize my fair-going experience without shelling out big bucks. Here are a few great ways to save at the San Diego County Fair without skimping out on the fun stuff… or the food!

San Diego County Fair Carousel 2013

Ways to Save at the San Diego County Fair

Buy a Costco Fair Pack

For around $75 we picked up a San Diego County Fair package. It included the following:

  • 4 admission tickets
  • 1 free Passport to Savings book coupon
  • 1 parking pass
  • 4 2-for-1 drink coupons
  • 50 ride tickets

We always purchase one of these so that we can go to the fair on a weekend – crazy busy! – or one of my husband’s off Friday’s and not have to worry about taking the bus in or spending a whole lot on food because we have the coupons. It also gives the kids just enough ride tickets to satiate their need for carnival attractions while distracting them from the carnies who try to lure them into tossing rings or darts in an attempt to get a 25 cent stuffed animal.

Some years we do purchase additional tickets there because 2 kids go through 50 tickets quite quickly! Most rides average between 3-6 tickets each. And that includes adults as well if you have to ride with your child.

Get the Best Pass Ever!

You know you can’t see everything at the Fair in just one day, so here’s your opportunity for big savings with the Best Pass Ever! Just $28 buys one person admission to all 26 days of the Fair; regularly $19 each day (adult admission). On sale online, at the Fairgrounds, or at San Diego County Albertsons and Vons stores, now through June 30. For more info see the Best Pass Ever page.

Kids Free Tuesdays at the San Diego County Fair - Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair
Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair selfie sticks

Take Advantage of Kids Free Tuesdays

Children 5 and younger are admitted free every day and do not require tickets. However, if you have kids older than 5, Kids’ Day will be June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29; children 12 and younger are admitted free. You can check out all of the activities for kids by checking out the links on this page here. (Admission for ages 6-12 other days is $12.)

Free Kids Tickets for Reading Logs
Children 12 and younger who read 10 or more books, verified by a teacher or librarian, get free admission any day of the Fair. (Regular child’s admission is $12.) Download your Reading Certificate [PDF] before school gets out!

Discount tickets at Albertsons and Vons

Albertsons | Vons $5 Fair Days — Come to the Fair for just $5.00 on Friday, June 1; Saturday, June 2; and Wednesday, June 6, 2018. These tickets are available only at San Diego County Albertsons and Vons stores with a $10 minimum purchase. They are not sold at the Fairgrounds.

Save on 20% adult admission tickets: Discount adult admission tickets for $15 (save $3.00 off the regular adult admission price) are available at Albertsons and Vons stores. Albertsons and Vons also will have senior ($11.00; 62 and older) and children’s ($11.00, ages 6-12) tickets for sale so you can purchase for the whole family.

The nearest stores to the Fairgrounds are Vons at 2606 Del Mar Heights Road (one exit south of the Fairgrounds) and Vons at 931 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach (one exit north).  And remember – there is a $10.00 minimum purchase required.

Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair - save money on food at the fair with Taste of the Fair Tuesdays
Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair - kids meal deals

Save Money On Food

Taste of The Fair Thursdays

On Thursdays, from 12noon until 5:00PM, you can buy $3.00 taste-sized portions of some of your favorite Fair foods, such as corn dogs, fudge, fish tacos and cinnamon rolls, on Taste of the Fair Thursdays. So many choices! You guys… it’s the PERFECT way to sample everything you love in little bites. Especially if you’re like me and your husband won’t share 5 different dishes at one time and suggests you choose only 1-2 treats.

Kids Meal Deals
Look for the Kids’ Meal Deal signs throughout the Fair at participating food booths. The meal includes an entrée, side dish, and drink, plus a free child’s admission, with paid adult admission, to 10 local attractions, for $5.99 or less.

Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair - ride tickets packages and other discounts

Get Bussed In or Take Mass Transit!

Save On Parking And Transportation

You can find free parking at the off-site lots and then get bussed into the fair to save money on parking. Find out more information in the Transportation section of the website.

Get a discount on Fair admission if you’re a regular transit rider. Find out more information in the Transportation section of the website.

Ride the train, take the bus, save money!: During the Fair, shuttles transport bus and train passengers from the Solana Beach train station to the Fair’s West Gate (you must present a train or bus ticket to board the shuttle). You can buy the Fair Tripper, a Fair admission-and-public-transportation-fare package; or present a same-day transit ticket or monthly pass at the West Gate window for an admission discount on adult, senior or child admission.

Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair - teachers and educators discount

Are you a Teacher/Educator?

School Staff Appreciation Days presented by Mission Federal Credit Union
Everyone who helps to educate the next generation are all VIPs in our book, so we want to reward your dedication with a discount day at the San Diego County Fair.

Head to any San Diego County Mission Federal Credit Union branch (starting June 1), and receive four free tickets from any San Diego County Mission Federal Credit Union branch* when you present your school employment ID.

Bonus! In 2018, these Fridays also are Kids’ Day, when children 12 and younger receive free admission, and we have lots of fun, special things for them to do. So use your free tickets for the “big kids!”

School Staff Appreciation Days

Friday, June 15
Friday, June 22
Friday, June 29

Tickets are available ONLY at the 27 Mission Federal branches, while supplies last. These tickets will not be available at the Fairgrounds. Find the Mission Federal branch closest to you

Saving on Multiple Trips

Free Return Ticket 
Every year we’ve been able to receive a free return ticket back to the Fair just by completing a survey while there. You also get a free return ticket in your Passport to Savings book. So here’s what we do! I go for the Albertson’s $5 day with the kids. Then I turn in my coupon from the Costco pack for the Passport to Savings when I’m there and I take the survey.

That means I have a return ticket for me and the coupon for a return ticket in the Passport to Savings. Then I have my kids’ teachers sign off on his Reading Log to get free admission so everyone in the family can go again before we even use our Costco passes! That’s 3 trips to the fair in one season. Pretty awesome deal!

There are also a few other ways to save that you can find on the Fair’s website here.

Ways to Save At the San Diego County Fair - enjoying the fair skyline

Are you going to the fair this year?

Filed Under: Events, Parenting, San Diego Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Should I Take My 8 Year Old To Avengers Infinity War?

April 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Are you a little curious as to how Marvel will interweave all of the superheroes introduced over the years into one cohesive movie? I envisioned an epic journey where each hero would propel the core group forward but was pleasantly surprised at what was presented.

Interweaving Storylines With Action, Humor, and Character

If you have noticed during the previous films there are 6 powerful stones created when the universe was formed. Anyone that posses one or more of these gains special abilities, like time manipulation, augmenting reality, and power absorption/direction to name a few. Thanos, the villain, in this film is trying to collect all six stones so that he can bring balance to the universe. By balance he means culling populations down so that those that are left to thrive within the resources constraints of their planet. So the Avengers and friends step up to try to stop him because no single being should decide who lives and who dies.

This film follows the classic Marvel movie formula of action, humor, fast pacing, and characters you care about. By doing this the film makes for a very good kickoff to summer movie season. Since we have all invested many hours into the Marvel universe stories over the years it’s nice to sit back and watch these characters and their inter-relationships play out on the screen again. 

I think everyone will be pleased with the screen time the Guardians of the Galaxy get as their banter is awesome as always. They are probably my favorite part of this movie. I also appreciated that Thanos was a bit deeper than most comic book villains. I also thought the jokes were pretty good in this one as I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times.

Should I Take My 8 Year Old To Avengers Infinity War?

You should watch Capitan America Civil War, Black Panther and Thor: Raganork before seeing this movie as it continues on from there. The violence and language were about the same as all Marvel movies. I think an 8-year-old could probably handle it okay. But my wife suggests waiting till 10 for the full in-theater experience due to the emotional toll the movie may have on a younger audience. Definitely make an effort to get out and see Avengers: Infinity War this summer. And like with all Marvel movies, please stay after the credits. You won’t want to miss out! 

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out!

Like AVENGERS on Facebook | Follow AVENGERS on Twitter | Follow AVENGERS on Instagram

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens in theaters 

everywhere on April 27th!

Filed Under: Date Night, DIsney Movies

The Perfect Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for Toddlers in Playgroups

March 20, 2018 by 2 Comments

Check out these perfect Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for toddlers when you’re planning an egg hunt for your playgroup. We’ve been planning playgroup egg hunts for years and have nearly perfected the art of the perfect playgroup egg hunt! And we’re sharing all of our tips today! 

I am not sure if you know this about me but I actually ran a playgroup of moms and kids for about 5+ years. I jumped in when my good friend moved out of the area and needed someone to take over her playgroup. Because I had such a great experience when my youngest was an infant and had built true friendships, it was a win-win situation for me. Sadly, with work and life (and our kids going to school) we no longer have playdates regularly but we still get to see each other on occasion. 

From this experience, I have a lot of knowledge of all things playdate. And planning the perfect playdate becomes an art form after a while. That includes holiday-based playdates. With Easter right around the corner, I thought it’d be the perfect time for me to share how to plan the perfect Easter egg hunt for toddlers and preschoolers. These ideas are great when paired with an active local playgroup in your area or a good group of friends and kids. 

Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for Toddlers

In a playgroup setting, it can be really fun to gather friends for a classic Easter egg hunt. Especially for toddlers and preschoolers. Not only is it smaller than, say, a community gathering, there’s also more control over the overall experience for your little one. We’re sharing some of our top tips for planning and executing a seamless Easter egg hunt for toddlers. 

Planning the Perfect Easter Egg Hunt 

1. Choosing the right location – The perfect location for an Easter egg hunt is just as important as the planning of the hunt itself. You want to consider the age group you’re planning for and the level of difficulty they’ll need to make the event fun. Here are a few things to consider: 

  • Is the event space easily accessible for parents? Does it have close parking for parents of multiple children or parents of infants? 
  • Does the event space have a large amount of grass to run around on? 
  • Are there taller hiding areas for older kids in your group? Are there areas other than the ground you can hide eggs in or around? 
  • Are there restrooms close to the event space? It may not sound like a big deal but for potty training toddlers, having access to a bathroom is ideal. 

2. Getting the invite out – Planning an event, like an Easter egg hunt, can be very easy if you use services available to you. When I ran my playgroup, I used Meetup.com to faciliate the playdate scheduling and RSVPs. But you can use something as simple as SignUp.com or even evite to set up your event. When you are creating your invitation, make sure to be very clear on a few things: 

  • Ask each parent to bring at least 10 filled plastic eggs per child they’re bringing. That way each child will collect the number of eggs their parent brought (no one is left out!).
  • Be clear on any specifications of what can and cannot go in the plastic eggs. If you know a child with an allergy will be attending, look for non-food options to stuff your eggs with. Some great ideas for this would be stickers, age-appropriate toys like finger puppets, erasers, sticky hands, and age-appropriate jewelry.
  • If you are enjoying snacks before or after the hunt, ask each parent to contribute a dish to the event. And just like with the eggs, consider allergies when preparing dishes for the group. 

3. Setting up the event – As the host, try to arrive at your event about 30 minutes prior to the event starting. That way you can scout out where the best spots for hiding eggs are and can secure a bench or area for your playgroup to create a home base. 

  • It’s helpful to bring a trash bag or two just in case the area doesn’t have accessible trash cans. That way you can take out anything you brought in with you. 
  • If you’re serving food, don’t forget the wipes! 
  • Create a station at your home base for parents to dump in the pre-filled eggs they brought with them so that once everyone arrives, you can hide the eggs while the kids are enjoying their time playing together or sharing a snack. 

4. Starting the egg hunt – Once all of the parents have arrived, it’s time to get the egg hunt started! 

  • Enlist one or two parents to help you start hiding the eggs while the kids are distracted. 
  • Once all of the eggs are hidden, come back  to the kids and make sure each has a basket or bag to collect their eggs. 
  • Instruct the kids to only collect the number of eggs they brought with them. Once they are done collecting that number, have them come back to home base for some fun revealing what’s in their eggs. 

Since each child is collecting the same number of eggs that they’ve brought, you don’t need to worry about starting one age group before the next. The toddlers can take their time collecting eggs (or picking dandelions like my kids do) while the older kids race ahead. 

Easter Egg Hunt Snack Ideas 

If you’re looking for ways to spice up your Easter egg hunt, here are few cute recipes and snack ideas to serve at your Easter egg hunt: 

Peeps Rice Crispy Treats

Easter Basket Cupcakes

Easter Egg Cups

Want more Easter fun? Here are some posts we think you’ll enjoy! 

Inexpensive Easter Basket Ideas for Kids

3 Ways To Dye Easter Eggs with Toddlers and Preschoolers

How to Make Confetti Eggs

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Filed Under: Easter, Holidays, Parenting

5 Ways to Make Potty Training Fun + Sweet Incentives

November 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

We’re celebrating potty success with help from our sponsor, Pull-Ups Training Pants! Check out these 5 ways to make potty training fun plus a recipe for crazy cake below.

We’ve been on our potty training journey for a few months now and I’m happy to tell you that our youngest is now 100% potty trained. And we couldn’t have done it without the help of Pull-Ups Training Pants. Pull-Ups products are all about providing parents and kids with tips and advice to help make potty training easy and fun, plus they provide plenty of tools specifically designed to keep children engaged throughout the potty training journey. Pull-Ups has potty trained 50 million Big Kids and counting – so I’ll take this one from the experts.

Potty training success starts with attitude. And if you don’t have the right attitude, neither will your kid. This is such an important milestone for toddlers and it’s also an opportunity for parents to work together with their children to reach the end goal: potty training success! It sounds daunting to so many parents, but why not make it fun?

5 Ways to Make Potty Training Fun

1. Purchase your first pack of Pull-Ups – 

Pull-Ups Training Pants help your child recognize potty training as a significant milestone in their development by providing independence, teaching physical and cognitive skills, and offers a consistent representation to your child of their potty training journey.

With different design options, let your child choose a package that they identify with to make the process fun! 

2. Singing the “Time 2 Potty” song – 

Following the fun path, sing the Time 2 Potty song with your kid to get them used to the idea of being a big kid and all that being a big kid entails. 

Time2Potty Song:

We’re gonna do this together, 

we’re gonna stick to the plan. 

Do everything we can to make it easy and fun,

It’s time to potty everyone!

They’re designed like underwear, 

special friends make ’em fun to wear.

So boys and girls sing out loud:

I’m a Big Kid now!

3. Donate unused/leftover diapers – 

Find a local diaper bank that needs diapers or donate your unused diapers to a friend or family member with a baby to help your child get used to the idea of transitioning out of diapers and into Pull-Ups. By removing the diapers from your home, you’re preparing for the potty training journey and removing any crutches.

Once your child has transitioned from Pull-Ups to underwear, you can do the same thing with your unused Pull-Ups. My daughter decided to gift our Pull-Ups to her 1 year old cousin (hence the bow on the package in the photos). She may be too young just yet but my daughter knows that all the Pull-Ups were given to her cousin and we don’t have any more in the house to use. 

4. Print, color, pose and post with a Potty Training Certificate –

Grab a Potty Training Certificate and print it out for your child. Let them color and personalize it, then snap a photo of them with it to commemorate the moment. You can do the same thing when they’ve successfully potty trained to commemorate their progress and their “graduation” into big kid underwear.  

5. Celebrate potty training success with sweet incentives – 

When your child has transitioned into Pull-Ups and starts to have accident free weeks, consider a sweet incentive to encourage them even more. We would use lollipops and other small prize rewards to give to our kids when they successfully went on the potty, when they had an accident free week, and finally, when they transitioned from Pull-Ups to big kid underwear, we celebrated with a Crazy Cake! 

Cakes mean celebrations for us and this Crazy Cake recipe is one that my husband’s family has been making for years. It’s a super easy recipe that the kids can help with AND it’s egg and dairy free. Most of the ingredients are staple pantry items. 

Chocolate Crazy Cake Recipe

Chocolate Crazy Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cold water

  1. Sift dry ingredients together directly into a 9 x 13-inch ungreased baking pan.

  2. Let your child make three wells in the dry ingredients. Pour the oil into one well, vinegar into the second well, and vanilla into the third well. Pour cold water over everything and stir well with a fork.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  4. Frost with your favorite icing.

What sweet incentives would your child love to celebrate with? 

Loved the tips we shared in this post? Check out these other potty training tips: 

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Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Parenting, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

The Ultimate Potty Training Kit: Potty Training Must Haves

September 13, 2017 by 7 Comments

We’re celebrating potty success with help from our sponsor, Pull-Ups Training Pants! Find our potty training must-haves to help you succeed with potty training below.

Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves

Three weeks ago, my daughter was getting ready for the day and decided to take her Pull-Ups off. Instead of reaching for new Pull-Ups to put on for the day, she wanted to hang out without anything on. What can I tell you? My kids like her freedom.

All of the sudden, 5 minutes later she comes running to me telling me she has to go potty. So we go to the bathroom and she pees on the potty. Woot! Success!

After this potty success, she put her Pull-Ups back on and went on her way. We had a few more successes followed by a few minor accidents but for the most part she would stay completely dry during the day.

This continued throughout the day and into the next three days. There was an accident here or there but nothing major. The next week she woke up, asked for underwear, and told us when she had to go just like when she wore her Pull-Ups except for this time she didn’t have any accidents and stayed completely dry in her underwear.

In no time, she was running to the potty alone, pulling down her pants, and going. So now she goes like a big girl on her own, with only a little help from mom or dad when she can’t get her pants all of the way up.

You guys… when they’re ready, they really are READY.  So make sure you have the tools you need to succeed on this potty training journey with your toddler!

Here are our potty training must-haves for success:

Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves

Potty Training Must Haves

Small Portable Potty

A small potty seat is a must for any potty training household. Not only is it convenient to move throughout the house as needed, you can even throw it in the back of your car for much-needed potty breaks on the go. Going camping? Or taking a road trip? Avoid icky public restrooms by bringing along your small potty!

We keep ours in the bathroom and take it with us when we’re going places we know won’t have restrooms (or if the restrooms are dirty or hard to find) like the beach and park. I’ve found that my daughter is now starting to show an interest in using the potty so we’ll be keeping this around for a while until she feels comfortable on the big potty.

My daughter also loves her potty seat that goes on the potty that we purchased online. What I love about it is that it includes a small step up so we don’t have to have a stool and a potty seat. It stays on the side of our toilet and she pulls it out whenever she’s going to the restroom.

Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves

Potty Cover

For those times when you’re forced to use public restrooms, make sure you have a few disposable potty covers with you! They’re individually packaged for on-the-go ease and fit nicely in a diaper bag or purse. Plus, with children who like to touch EVERYTHING, these will keep your kids clean and sanitary.

Pro Tip: Find the type that covers the whole potty, not just the top of the seat.

I’ve found these to be helpful when we’re at a park or another location where seat covers aren’t easily accessible. And they’re great for wet bottoms because they won’t fall apart or rip on you (ever get out of the pool or ocean and try to use the restroom? Not fun!).

Disinfectant Wipes

My little one still sometimes rushes to the potty a little late. With that, there are a few potty clean ups at home and on the go. We had quite a fun time on our recent road trip in the back of the car… We needed these in to-go wipes too!

Since disinfectant wipes can be easily stored in the bathroom cabinet or close to the toilet, we can just grab one, wipe up, and throw out. I even threw a pack in the car for on the go needs.

 
Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves

Pull-Ups

This is a given. Whether it’s for night-time or daytime use, when our daughter started showing signs of readiness to potty train, we ditched the diapers for good and introduced Pull-Ups and she caught on quickly! Once she got the hang of sliding up her own pants, she was ready to use these on her own too and loved the independence she felt when using them.

Pull-Ups really are more than just a training pant – Pull-Ups.com has tons of simple ways to make potty training easy and fun for parents and children to start together, with tons of guidance on how to tailor the journey based on your child’s unique personality. In fact, 3 of 4 moms prefer Pull-Ups©!*

Pull-Ups provide award-winning design specifically to help teach potty training skills like they did for my daughter. They also provide consistency for any learning style throughout their potty training journey. What does this mean for you as a parent? Less frustration and definitely more fun together!

And last but not least…

Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves, potty training rewards

Rewards!

We are currently using stickers, lollipops or small chocolate candies as a potty reward. And you know what? This kid love rewards. She is constantly telling friends and family that she goes pee-pee on the potty so she can get her treat.

After a full week of no accidents and filling her potty rewards chart, she was able to pick out two packs of her favorite character underwear as a Big Kid reward. A lot less expensive than the $50 toy my son picked out when he went a week without accidents! But that’s what she chose. And let me tell you, they will not let you forget their reward!

Potty Training Kit, Potty Training Must Haves, potty training tools

Tools to Keep Them Engaged

We also recently discovered that you can give your favorite characters a call on Pull-Ups.com, which my little girl LOVES! It’s so cool, you can get your child excited about potty training and keep them engaged by receiving a call from one of their favorite characters. This is a great way to keep potty training fun and exciting for your toddler.

Has your child begun potty training/learning? What’s in your Potty Training Kit?

*Pull-Ups offering includes product, packaging and in-pack prizes and activities vs. Pampers© Easy Ups©.

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Make Creative Back to School Memories That Last

August 25, 2017 by 5 Comments

The first day of school can be brimming with anticipation and excitement. Both for our kids and ourselves. With a new school year here, we want to capture as many back to school memories as possible. Especially when we can highlight these milestones through photos and traditions.

back to school memories

There are a few ways to create and preserve the memories of the first day of school.

Here are a few of our favorites:

 

Special First Day of School Breakfast 
Fix a special breakfast of your child’s favorite pancakes or some delicious french toast.  Try making a batch of delicious homemade cinnamon rolls lfrom the Frugal Greenish Mama or a delicious blueberry coffee cake. Or let them decide what they want to have the night before. No matter what, don’t send them off without a full tummy.

While they’re chowing down, leave a note or two for your child in their backpack or jacket pocket to let them know that they’re awesome and you’re thinking of them on their first day.


Back to School Photo Shoot

Before you leave for school snap a few photos. You can be creative and use a chalkboard to write what grade your child is going to.

I’ve turned my large chalkboard (tutorial can be found here) into a first day of school tradition. Every year I can take a photo of my children on the first day of school, and then a photo on the last day of school to store these perfect memories forever.

Or simply print out a piece of paper with the grade and date on it. There are a few great templates out there to download including this one we use every year – we’ve even included a PicMonkey tutorial in case you would like to make your own)

Make sure to have a repeat photo session on the last day of school as well so that you can look back on how much your child has grown over the school year.

First Day of School Questionnaire

Ask your child a series of the same questions every year when they get home from their first day. Add a photo and look back on the answers with your children at the end of the school year.

Some questions to ask: 

  • When I grow up I want to be a ______________.
  • My favorite color is ______________.
  • My teacher’s name is ______________.
  • I learned about ______________ on my first day.
  • My favorite part about my first day was ______________.
  • My friends are ______________.
  • I’m looking forward to doing ______________ tomorrow.

After the First Day of School Treat

When you pick the kids up from school on their first day, make it special by taking them to the local ice cream parlor or fro-yo shop for a special treat.

You can talk about their first day, fill out your questionnaire, and talk about what the rest of the year (or maybe just the week) has in store for them. Be involved, be excited for them, and make sure they know you’re there to share in the excitement of the new year.

How do you celebrate the first day of school?

This post was originally published on August 29th, 2012

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Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

August 23, 2017 by 14 Comments

These top 5 tips for surviving a long road trip with kids will help keep you and your family sane on your next fun road trip!

This summer has been full of fun memories for our family. From days at the beach, to drives up to Disneyland and Great Wolf Lodge, to a road trip to Washington State, we’ve seen quite a bit of excitement. But being prepared for traveling with kids in the car has been something we’ve worked on. And surviving a long road trip with kids takes a bit of planning. 

Since my daughter is newly potty trained the one thing we worried about when on the road with her is that she’d have to go #2 and not be able to tell us until we were too late and she got out of the car. Also, with the long 2 day ride to Washington State, we worried about how many stops we really needed to make and how many stops were just “fun” stops.

In preparation of our trip we decided to bit of research to make sure that we had a successful journey with three kids in the back seats. Since we’ve made this trek once before with our two older kid,s we kind of had an idea about what to expect. In an effort to make our next trip successful we wrote down a few things that helped us along the way.

Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

Here are a few ways to keep your road trip fun and successful with young children:

1. Make sure to pack a potty –

We simply placed our Joovy Loo in the back of the car. That way if we needed to stop and there wasn’t a place to do so, we could just use the back of the van. This helped us a lot when my son was working on things and just needed to sit on something other than his car seat to help him along when he was little and it worked perfectly for our daughter as well.

It also gave us peace of mind when on long stretches of road. We didn’t have to worry about not being able to find a sanitary place to stop (my husband isn’t as adventurous as I am and doesn’t approve of a 2 year old relieving themselves on the side of the road unless it’s an absolute emergency… just wait till we go camping!).

Potty Kit Necessities to Bring: 

Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

2. Plan out frequent stops –

This won’t just give your child a chance to “try” to go potty but it will also give them a chance to stretch their legs and get a little energy out. By planning out where your next stop will be you might be able to quickly answer your children when they ask how long it will be until you arrive at your next stop. That’s much easier for them to handle then to say, “Oh, about 12 hours!”

You can also use pre-planned stops as points for conversation. By letting your children know what the next stop is, or giving hints to where your heading, you might be able to create a sense of excitement and adventure as you make your way through the trip.

We had fun picking out where we stopped and made sure to mix restaurants in with quick pit stops at gas stations. I also allowed the kids to pick out one “surprise” at each stop to make it more interesting to them as well. They sure did love the huge gas stations we found along the way filled with everything from fidget spinners to snacks to souvenir t-shirts. 

Pit Stop Checklist: 

  • Did everyone try to go potty? 
  • Do we need to re-load on snacks or water?
  • Did we take all of our trash out? 
  • Do we need to change clothes?

Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

3. Create a fun pack filled with games and activities –

By creating a fun pack filled with new-to-you toys, activities focused on the age level of your child, and games the children can play in the car you can create distractions and, hopefully, reduce the amount of, “Are we there yet?” questions from the back seat. Surviving a long car trip with kids is no fun when they don’t have anything to do IN the car. 

Figure out some fun games you want to play with your child on the road. Consider simple ideas like finding an object of a certain color, finding a certain letter of the alphabet, or, depending on where your driving, looking out for different animals! By making the ride fun and entertaining itself, your child will be less likely to complain about being in the car and more excited.

We brought our fun activity backpack and filled it with the following:

Another great distraction for the older kids is a portable DVD player or tablet that already has their favorite games and movies downloaded. We grabbed a copy of The Lion King and Disney’s Star Wars Rebels: Season 3 (both out on Blu-ray August 29th) to keep our kids entertained on the trip. it helped to have both a movie and a tv series because we could switch from the longer movie for longer stretches of travel and the shorter episodes of Disney’s Star Wars Rebels while we went through smaller stretches or in between playing other games in the car. 

Top 5 Tips for Surviving a Long Road Trip with Kids

Pro Tip: Finding fun crafts to go along with the movies you select are also fun! Check out these awesome Lion King crafts by clicking the button below: 

Download The Lion King Signature Mask Craft

4. Find a great local attraction to visit –

Take a look at a map and find a great middle point between your home and your destination. Are there any fun, quirky activities you can stop and do in between? Maybe a museum or a historical monument. By maping out a spot or two on the way to your destination you can talk with your children about what you might see, what they would like to do, and how you will spend your time at the next spot.

You can also use these stops as teaching opportunities. By learning a bit about the spot beforehand you can tell your child about the history behind the attraction as well as why it’s such an interesting stop on your journey. Surviving a long road trip with kids takes a bit of planning when it comes to local attractions but there are sure to be some gems along your route! 

Local Attractions Do’s and Dont’s: 

  • Do – take the time to explore and learn about where you’re stopping
  • Don’t – spend all day unless already scheduled
  • Do – consider free or in-expensive pit stops that take an hour tops
  • Don’t – forget that delicious bakeries and restaurants can be considered local attractions too! 

5. Make Sure The Kids Are Safe And Comfortable

When traveling with young kids, it’s important to remember that while we want our kids to be comfortable, we also need them to be safe too. I have 3 kids in 3 different types of car seats right now. My 2 year old is in a 5 point harness, my 6 year old just transitioned out of her 5 point harness into a high back booster, and our 8 year old has now transitioned into a regular booster seat. 

To make things easier on us and allow all of these car seats to fit, we brought along the new mifold we received so that our son could easily transition from our van to my family’s car up in Washington State when we arrived. mifold is more than 10 times smaller than a regular booster seat and is just as safe. The foam padding technology provides extra comfort and stays cool, even on hot days. And since it was averaging about 80-90 degrees our whole trip, this was a huge relief for my son. 

The mifold is convenient for parents for travel and road trips but it’s also great for carpooling, taxis/ubers, etc because it can literally fit in my son’s back pack. how awesome is that? 

In addition to car seats, check out our Road Trip Safety Kit:

  • first aid – includes bandages, first aid ointment, tweezers, scissors, and an ice pack
  • every day medication – includes indigestion medicine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and allergy medicine
  • flash light
  • jumper cables
  • roadside assistance kit
  • 1 gallon water

What are your best travel tips for surviving a long road trip with kids?

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Tips to Make Potty Training Fun for Kids + A Free Potty Reward Chart Printable

August 1, 2017 by 2 Comments

Check out this FREE printable to help make potty training fun for you AND your child. No more tears, stress, or frustration when you follow these tips and use this potty reward chart printable.

This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups.

Make Potty Training Fun, Potty Reward Chart Printable

When your child has finally shown all of the signs of readiness and is eager to potty train, you may think the journey will be an easy one. But sometimes their interest loses steam. By making potty training fun for kids, you can bypass that disinterest and keep your child engaged! We’re sharing a few ways we’ve had success at making potty training fun for our kids, including a free potty reward chart printable, with the help of our sponsor, Pull-Ups Training Pants.

Make Potty Training Fun

Tips to Make Potty Training Fun for Kids

Make the Potty Accessible and FUN!

When a child is learning how to potty train, access is key. And when a child doesn’t know the path to the potty, you may be providing a block in the road without even realizing it. Make sure that your child’s potty is accessible and you’re sure to make potty training fun. Whether this is a small, portable potty seat, or a toilet cover and stool that is near or on the regular toilet that allows them easy access without having them fall in. Yes… my child has fallen in the toilet before…

Now, access to the potty isn’t just for when you are at home. When you go somewhere new, make sure to talk to your little one and point out to your child where the nearest restrooms are in the area you’re in and assure them that as soon as they feel the urge to go, they can let you know and you will help get them to the potty. Sometimes kids get nervous that they’ll miss something when you’re out and about or if they’re playing. By reassuring them that their toys will be there when they are done or that they’ll return to the same spot they left, they’ll feel better about stopping to go.

Keep Your Child Involved

When your child is first starting to show signs of readiness, get them involved. Allow them to pick out their own pack of Pull-Ups in the theme or style they like, take them to pick out their potty or potty cover, and get them involved when you’re heading out of the house by making sure their potty pack is ready to go when you’re on the go. What I’ve learned through trying to keep my kiddos involved is that Pull-Ups is more than just a training pant – Pull-Ups.com has tons of simple ways to make potty training easy and fun for parents and children to start together, with guidance on how to tailor the journey based on your child’s unique personality. In fact, 3 of 4 moms prefer Pull-Ups©!*

Pull-Ups provide an award-winning design specifically to help teach potty training skills. They look and fit more like underwear, which means they’ll give your child the independence to slide their pants on and off. They also provide consistency for any learning style throughout their potty training journey. What does this mean for you as a parent? Less frustration!

Pro tip: Bring a travel potty pack with you when you’re traveling around with your toddler. Your potty pack should include a few pairs of Pull-Ups, a travel potty seat, some potty seat covers (in case you need to use the big potty), and wipes.

Create a Potty Reward Chart

Who doesn’t love receiving a sticker when they do something they’re supposed to? I know I love them. Your child doesn’t necessarily need a physical reward at first. When your child has success on the potty (because we don’t focus on the failures) let them mark off their successes each day on their own Potty Reward Chart Printable. This allows them to take control and see the marks when they succeed on the potty – how fun!

If your child needs a bit more encouragement, you can use incentives after lots of success too. We’ve had great luck with chocolate candy and lollipops. Not only are they easy to store away, they’re also travel-friendly and are small. Once they’ve had success for a full week, you can start letting them pick out an item from the dollar store or dollar section of your favorite store.

Click to Print Potty Reward Chart Printable

Potty Reward Chart Printable

Share your Big Kid’s Big Moments

Think you might be ready to start potty training? Share your Big Kid’s Big Moments on Instagram or Twitter using #DisneyAndPullUpsSweepstakes for a chance to win a vacation to Walt Disney World with your family! Hurry though – the sweeps ends on August 4 and you don’t want to miss a chance for a FREE trip to Disney!

What do you do to make potty training fun? Do you use a potty reward chart? 

*Pull-Ups offering includes product, packaging and in-pack prizes and activities vs. Pampers© Easy Ups©.

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Potty Training Tips for Parents

June 27, 2017 by 5 Comments



So the time has come. Your child is showing potty training readiness signs, so you think you and your child are ready to start. But where do you start? What do you need? And just how difficult is this going to be? These potty training tips below, sponsored by Pull-Ups, will help outline a few things I’ve come to pick up after seeing my two kids learn to use the potty.

They might work for you, they might not! But I can tell you one thing. Potty training varies from child to child and can be a drastically different experience from one to the next.

Potty Training Tips for Parents

1. Wait until your child is ready

There is no magic number for the perfect time to start potty training. Some kids are ready as early as 18 months and others will be closer to 4 years old. Don’t try and force your child to potty train too early or else it can become more difficult than it needs to be.
My son started showing all of the signs of being ready to potty train at around 18-20 months. He told us when he went pee and poo, loved to sit and play on the potty, and had a great attitude about the potty. Since I was pregnant with my daughter I decided to wait until after she was born to start the potty training process with him.

At age 2 we decided to try potty training but quickly realized after my son regressed that this would only be accomplished if we followed his terms. We tried again to re-attempt potty training with him, but it wasn’t until he was ready at 3 1/2 that we actually had success.
We do still have times where he has accidents on occasion while my second daughter has none. But guess what? It’s all normal. We just deal with it in a calm and caring way and move on.

Want to check and see if your child is ready for this potty training journey (because it’s not a race)? Visit Pull-Ups.com to check out the Readiness Check List and see if your little one might be ready.

And that brings me to my next tip…

2. Don’t get frustrated

I know, easier said than done right? But it’s true. Your child will feed off of your energy throughout the journey and they’ll take your frustration as a leveraging tool against you. They know they have control over you when you react negatively.
I let my emotions get the best of me with my son and sometimes I was not happy with the way I reacted to accidents. I just wanted him to go on the potty and be over it, but it’s not that easy.

Potty training is an incredibly important milestone for toddlers, and it’s also an opportunity for parents to work together with their children. It sounds daunting to so many parents, but why not make it fun?

It’s important to partner with your child every step of the way instead of trying to run the show. But it’s also important to listen and watch for their cues. My first daughter surprised us all when she decided she was ready for the potty at 25 months. She simply asked for big girl underwear and in a few short days was having no accidents at all.

I didn’t get upset or frustrated when she would only go on the little potties, refused to potty in public, and held herself until she got home, or made me run from one side of the zoo to the other to use the small potties in the Children’s Zoo. We went along with it and learned not to question her if she said she didn’t have to go.

Now that my second daughter is starting to show signs of readiness (dry when she wakes up, verbally lets us know when she’s gone potty, shows signs of interest in sitting on the potty), we’ve started slowly introducing the potty to her.

And she is OBSESSED with her Pull-Ups. Motivation is key here. Pull-Ups Learning Designs Training Pants have an underwear-like design and all-around day and night protection. And she is motivated to get to wear her Pull-Ups when we go out of the house. By letting us know when she needs to go, or trying to go before we leave the house she’s on her way to potty training success.

3. Be Prepared

Because my first daughter didn’t give us much time to prepare and react to the fact that she was ready to go and wasn’t looking back, I’m happy that we had a few key things on hand to make the transition easy.

The key items I always keep with us are:

  • Little potty – We have a little potty in the kids’ bathroom as well as in the back of the car just in case
  • Extra Pull-Ups – Once your child shows an interest in the potty, grab a few packs of Pull-Ups to keep in the house. Stash some in the car and in your purse just in case. Pull-Ups Training Pants help your child recognize potty training as a significant milestone in their development by providing independence, teaching physical and cognitive skills, and offering a consistent representation to your child of their potty training journey. So, once you buy those first pack of Pull-Ups, never go back to diapers!
  • Sanitizer – your child will miss the potty sometimes (or all the time) and you’ll need to clean it up
  • Extra clothes – just like when they were babies and had a blow out or two, an extra set of clothes is a must in the diaper bag. With Pull-Ups you won’t have many true accidents but it is still helpful to have on hand.

4. If they regress, don’t stress

As I said before, my son regressed after being potty trained for 6 months. He did eventually hop back on the potty training wagon and was successful the second time around. Sometimes our kids might seem ready but they have other plans.

Pull-Ups has simple ways to make potty training easy and fun for parents and children to start together, with guidance on how to tailor the journey based on your little one’s unique personality. In fact, 3 out of 4 moms prefer the Pull-Ups offering* including packaging, in-pack prizes (like stickers) and activities on Pull-Ups.com.

*vs Pampers Easy Ups

Follow your child’s cues and just go with what they’re telling you. If not, you might make it worse for the second (or third) time around.
Good Luck!

Let’s Get Ready to Potty Contest

You could win $1,000 and be featured in an upcoming issue of Parents Magazine by telling Pull-Ups how you got your kids (and yourself!) excited to start potty training and made the journey fun.

Three runners-up will win a 1-month supply of Pull-Ups Training Pants. The contest will run through June 30 so enter now at parents.com/itstimetopotty!

Have any great potty training tips for parents? I’d love to hear them!

Potty Training Tips for Parents

Potty Training Tips for Parents be prepared

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Things to Do With Toddlers at Great Wolf Lodge

June 26, 2017 by 2 Comments

Is Great Wolf Lodge a good place to stay when you have a toddler? Check out these things to do with toddlers at Great Wolf Lodge! 

The day after the big kids got out of school for the summer we surprised them with a fun staycation to kick off the beginning of summer. Over the 4 day getaway, we spent two days at Great Wolf Lodge Southern California. We’d never stayed at a Great Wolf Lodge and have been dying to try out the closest one to our house. So when I saw the opportunity to purchase a Groupon again (we missed the first opportunity), I jumped on it and booked a night. 

As we did a bit more research on our upcoming stay, one thing was clear: there is a TON to do for all age groups. Including toddlers. And once we got there, we found this to be 100% accurate. Not only were there fun things for the big kids, but for the small kids and adults as well. 

If you’ve planned a night at the Great Wolf Lodge, here’s what you should put on your list to do with your toddler: 

Things to Do With Toddlers at Great Wolf Lodge

1. Grab a puddle jumper or bring your own – 

While there are quite a few places your toddler can go at Great Wolf Lodge, safety is first. Make sure you either bring your own life jacket (or favorite puddle jumper) or use one that’s provided for you at the various life jacket stations. We preferred our own because sometimes they’re out of life jackets at certain times of days or locations and it’s easier to just grab our own. 

2. Park yourself somewhere close to the Cub Paw Pool – 

After enjoying an afternoon at the water park on our first day there (you can enjoy the park starting at 1pm on your check-in day even though check in is at 4pm) and exploring everything for the first time, we knew that as soon as we arrived at the water park on our full day at the park, we needed to snag a spot near our toddler’s favorite area: Cub Paw Pool. 

Now not only does this area have a zero-depth entry that makes it easier for toddlers and infants alike to explore at their own pace, it only goes to 24″ deep in the deepest area. There are age appropriate slides, water funnels, and fun splash areas that are sure to excite any little one. And parents can just relax (as much as one can when they’re in the water with kids) while their littles play around them and have fun. My husband literally sat at the bottom of a small slide as he watched our daughter go up the stairs and down the slide 100s of times as I took the other two to the “big kid” areas of the park. She seriously did not want to leave to go anywhere else once she found Cub Paw Pool. 

3. Enjoy a fun splash area that older siblings can have fun at too at Fort Mackenzie – 

While Cub Paw Pool was perfect for the toddlers and infants, if your toddler is a bit more adventurous, let them splash and explore around Fort Mackenzie. The older kids can enjoy the medium size slides while the younger kids take turns trying to shoot water at passersby or stomp around in the big puddles. But watch out! That bucket on top of Fort Mackenzie does fill with water and tips to empty every few minutes. 

You may be surprised to find that after your toddler tries out the small slides in Cub Paw Pool that they ask to try the medium sized slides over at Fort Mackenzie! Maybe. If they’re daredevil 2-year-olds like mine…

4. With life jackets on, enjoy the waves of Slap Tail Pond’s wave pool.

There are lulls in between the waves (pictured above) but once the wave machine starts going, the littles LOVE trying to jump over the waves closer to the shore as the big kids swim in deeper. This pool also has a zero-depth entry that makes it easy for all to enjoy. And your little one might surprise you by asking to be taken further into the waves. Just make sure to hold on a bit tighter as you go in deeper. 

5. Looking for some sun? Enjoy the rays (with sunscreen lathered on, of course) at Raccoon Lagoon. 

Another zero-depth entry pool that gets to about 4 feet deep, this pool has two entrances on either side that offer fun play areas for toddlers to explore. The big kids will take over the center of the pool where the basketball hoops are but that’s ok, the edge is closer to the restaurant and drinks! 

In between splashing in the water and played with the water funnels, our 2-year-old munched on a delicious corn on the cobb snack from the Grizzly Jack’s Bar and Grill. I couldn’t pull all of the kids out of here but sadly had to as our day was coming to a close. You can stay the full day on the day you check out but we were ready to dry off and head to our next adventure by then. 

6. Staying a second night? Make sure to head down for storytime. 

Some littles may be in bed by the time this starts (I believe it was 8 or 8:15pm) but both of our girls headed down with dad to check out The Forest Friends Show followed by Great Wolf Lodge bedtime stories as told by one of their Ambassadors of Fun. Don’t forget your camera because after Story Time, meeting Wiley, Violet or one of the Great Wolf Kids characters is an unforgettable memory you won’t want to miss – and a pretty cute one too! High paws are always welcome and definitely encouraged.

As you can see, there is plenty to do at Great Wolf Lodge when you have a toddler. And some things we didn’t even get a chance to do! Good thing the whole family was in agreement that we’d have to come back soon! 

A few highlights I didn’t mention above but the toddler loved: Pizza from Hungry Like a Wolf for dinner, Donuts from Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, brownies and fudge at Bear Paw Eats & Sweets, the mini carousel and candy claw at the Northern Lights Arcade, and ending our trip with a souvenir wolf from the Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop. 

Don’t forget to book a Wolf Den room if you have more than one cub! The bunk beds were a huge hit with our kids. While one night may be great for a lot of families, we’ll be booking two nights next time we head up so we can enjoy more of the amenities offered. 

Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge? What was your favorite part? 

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