http://not-your-average-mom.com/did-my-kids-read-for-600-minutes-this-summer-i-dont-really-know-and-i-dont-really-care/
Ugh. This is a pretty good representation of intention vs execution.
http://not-your-average-mom.com/did-my-kids-read-for-600-minutes-this-summer-i-dont-really-know-and-i-dont-really-care/
0 Comments
I'm not looking forward to getting back to homework :/
http://6abc.com/education/kids-have-three-times-the-amount-of-recommended-homework/943658/ We recently went to LEGOLAND Florida, and stayed at the amazing new LEGOLAND Hotel. It was beyond fun-- brickloads of fun, if you will ;) Here's some insider info that you'll want to know before you head there for your vacation (it's mostly good!). Proceed with caution if you'd rather be surprised (although knowing ahead of time can maximize the fun of a few of the features). You may have heard about the 4 different themes-- Pirate, Adventure, Kingdom, and Friends-- you can choose from when booking your room at the new LEGOLAND Hotel. They are amazing. I'm not listing them in my 'insider-info' of special features because there's nothing secret about sleeping in a private room at a hotel. But don't doubt for a second that they're special! I dare to say that this room blew our Disney hotel room out of the water (gasp, gasp! I know, but read on.) If you've never visited LEGOLAND Hotel (and most people haven't since it just opened in May), I bet you didn't know these things: Minifigures: Mini.figures.every.where. And what's better than Minifigures?! You can build your own custom Minifigure in the Minifigure Market, or purchase packets at various locations. BUT, even better than buying a Minifigure is TRADING a Minifigure! You can trade any Minifigure-- a miscellaneous mix that you brought from home, or a newly-purchased figure-- with any Model Citizen (LEGOLAND employee) on-site. They HAVE to trade you, even if it is their most favorite Mini ever! Bonus: Visit the giftshop in the Hotel. The attendant has a whole case of Minifigures to choose from! Small print: You can only trade a complete figure-- body, legs, head, hair/hat. Accessories are 'extra'. Depending on how generous your MC is, they may require you to trade accessory for accessory, or may give you the accessory that's on their Mini. The Pool: The LEGOLAND Hotel has many cool features, including a beach-type entrance so kids can easily and gradually make their way into the water. The deep end is only 3 feet deep, making hesitant kids (and parents) more at ease. Bonus: You can build your own pool toys with foam LEGO bricks IN the pool! Small print: Nothing negative here! Be sure to check pool hours, but I think you'll find it's open past even vacation bedtimes. The Elevator: When is an elevator not just an elevator? When it's a disco dance party! You step in to a seemingly-normal elevator, a little Muzak playing in the background, but when the doors close, you instantly become a dancing queen, full with disco lights and music! Bonus: Um, you need more than a DISCO ELEVATOR?! Small print: This may get slightly annoying after the first, or fifteenth time...if you're a party pooper! Speaking of poopers... The Toilet: I know what you're thinking, who takes a picture of a toilet?! But look closely (don't worry, it's clean). They know that little kids will be staying here, and accommodate for their tiny hineys with a smaller seat that can be lowered over the main seat. Bonus: Your kid can poop in comfort. Small print: It's your responsibility to make sure your own kid doesn't fall in. And wiping. Wiping is all you. The Whoopie Cushion: In the corner of the lobby, there is a whoopie cushion built into the floor. I repeat, there is a whoopie cushion built into the floor. When you step on it, it makes the appropriate (or inappropriate as the case may be) noise! A guy in a hazmat suit, via a quote bubble, asks, "Hey! Was that you?" Bonus: Kids-- and some fart-joke-inclined adults-- find this hilarious! Small print: If you're in a battle to avoid potty-humor, just walk around it. The Prices: The prices of the LEGO sets in the giftshop match the prices at Target. No resort upcharge! Bonus: You don't have to smuggle in sets from home, or say no to a small vacation souvenir set! Small print: I obviously didn't check every package, so buyer beware. The LEGO Club: There's a small (but more than ample) room next to the Skyline Lounge. Your kids can go build, play, read LEGO Club magazine, or watch a movie (The LEGO Movie was on while we were there, duh) while you wait for your food to arrive. Bonus: There are shelves for displaying their masterpieces! So fun! (No guarantee someone else won't take your creation apart, but it's cool in the moment.) Small print: Watch your children, obvi. Our kids are 7.5 and 9, and there's only one entrance/exit to the room-- which we were in direct sight of-- so we felt comfortable. Use your best judgement. The Treasure Hunt: As you explore your room (and there's a lot to explore), you'll find what looks like a safe. In our Pirate-themed room, it looked like a wooden crate, guarded by the most adorable monkey ever (seriously, I wish I could buy a set that built that monkey). Atop the crate will be a clue card. The kids answer the questions treasure-hunt style until they are able to figure out the combination to unlock the crate. It is the coolest thing ever. Bonus: This is completely kid-level mystery-solving here. You can unpack or help yourself to a cup of coffee (in-room Keurig!) while they search. Small print: Unless you don't like a few minutes of unassisted fun, or free stuff, this is perfect. Extra bonus-- Want to see the loot? SPOILER ALERT! Click here to see what we unlocked (items may vary). Pretty awesome right? I can't stop myself from listing more and more! They truly thought of everything. Couple more quick things-- Check out the BRICKS buffet (may or may not be worth it for you), and the Master Builder classes (we missed it because we got back from the park in late afternoon and they fill quickly). Just so that I don't sound like too much of a LEGO cheerleader, one quick negative-- My husband called it 'a capacity problem', and it's likely just due to being a brand new hotel. They ran out of fries at dinner. When we sat down to dinner (about 6:15, so not afterhours by any means), the waitress alerted us that they had run out of fries. LEGO sad face. The next morning during our (complimentary!!) breakfast, they ran out of coffee. Everyone knows: When on vacation, kids need fries with their dinner, and parents need coffee with their breakfast! Hopefully they'll get the hang of the crowds soon (or maybe it was an unlucky isolated incident?). Either way, it wouldn't deter me from going back again. As I said, there is so much more! I could go on and on, but I want to leave some surprises for you! Are you heading to LEGOLAND soon? Use this coupon (or contact me). Have you been to LEGOLAND, FL or LEGOLAND Hotel? Share your experiences! As always, the conversation is much heartier on Facebook. Join us!
All opinions and insights are my own. I am not a LEGO representative. We did not receive anything free in return for the review-- at least nothing that YOU won't also receive as a guest! I hate when I'm trying to adjust the settings on my old-fashioned camera, and my leather pants pop open. Oh, Victoria's Secret, you slay me.
We took a tour of CBP today (super cool, inexpensive, highly recommend it), and this was sitting in one of the press boxes. All I could think was, "Man, they literally sent him packing!" :(
"If you're gonna be a homebody, we're gonna have a houseparty." Doin' it up single-serving style this Friday night.
My best friend hand-delivered some homemade salsa and a margarita. What did yours bring you?;) A friend recently published a calendar/planner, Momma's Little Helper Day Planner, and was nice enough to share a couple with us! (My friends are so talented and generous :) ) I floated a question about pen and paper planners a few weeks ago and, while I certainly got some 'everything is on my phone' responses, it turns out that plenty of us DO still use 'hardcopy' planners (or some combination of digital and print). I don't know why, but the idea of a paper planner gets me super excited (seriously). Physically crossing something off your list is so much more satisfying than clicking a little box on your phone-- even if you add it just to cross it out (Please. You're guilty. Every list-maker is.) The planner is currently set up for an academic year. The designer/publishers are working on the next calendar year, but let's be honest-- if you have school-aged kids, you operate on a school year calendar! BONUS-- this would be awesome if you have a little planner-in-training at your house. They may not be able to use all the cool features (more on that in a moment), but it would be a great assignment book or social calendar. It has taken me forever to post this review-- not because it's not great, but because it's summer and my life schedule changes drastically in the summer (see above school-year-lifestyle...). Also, there's so much to talk about here! There are a bunch of features that add to the organizational-awesomeness of this planner. Let's run through some of them: Cover design-- right now, you have 2 choices of cover design. I love me some damask, but something about the bright graphic cover really appealed to me! You can't go wrong with either. Academic-year calendar-- I think this is cool, but if you prefer a calendar year set up, just move your reminder to buy a new planner up till July, and you'll be all set ;) But really, if you are in school, or have kids in school, I think you'll find it practical. Stay-open spiral-- I'm not even sure this one was intentional, but I noticed it! Ya' know how sometimes spiral notebooks get hung-up on themselves and don't lie flat? This doesn't do that! It rotates smoothly, displaying whatever page you have it open to. At-a-glance yearly calendars-- the full calendar year for each of the years within the school year (follow that?) are printed on the inside of the cover and back cover. You can check on what day a holiday falls, or reference any date without flipping pages. Front and back pockets-- receipts, gift cards, notes, business cards, whatever-- tuck 'em in so they don't flutter out. Address, Emergency Info, and Important Numbers-- I know, I know, it's in your phone. Hang on, let me count how many of you dropped/lost your phone in the past month. It'll take a while because IT'S A LOT! It doesn't hurt to have the most essential info jotted down in old fashioned form. Family Medical Info-- honestly, I'd probably list my son's food allergies here, but not go as far as entering insurance info. Turns out paper is pretty easy to hack in to... ;) At-a-glance Important Monthly Dates-- never miss an anniversary, birthday, or appointment again! Picky Eaters-- this might be my favorite section. I hate that it needs to be in here, but it does. You can list likes, dislikes and meal ideas. Was a certain dinner a big hit? Highlight it, make it again, and hope that everyone likes it a second time ;) Pet Safety-- because pets are family too Food Safety-- refrigeration guides, lunchbox rules, and even when to toss leftovers Then we get into the calendar. Each month has an at-a-glance calendar, a day-by-day calendar, and a notes section. The months are marked on the margin to make it easy to find 'today'. A To Do List and Notes section round out this planner, to make it your bible of family affairs! Sprinkled throughout are adorable-- and really useful!-- tips, tricks, and hacks. They really thought of everything! Jealous yet? One of you can have one all to yourself! Let's make this quick since it starts with August...and August is almost over. Add your name to the FACEBOOK POST to enter. I will choose a winner at random! Nothing reminds me that I hate nature, and ruins sleeping with the windows open, more than chirping birds waking me up too early.
I'M KIDDING! Mostly...but those chirp patterns are really annoying, right? Haha love it!
https://www.facebook.com/hellogiggles/videos/1037161992974871/?pnref=story |
AuthorWith a love of children and a passion for reading and writing, Kelly decided to share her experiences with others through the pages of the Crib Notes book and site. Join me on Influenster: www.influenster.com/r/1290177J
Archives
January 2022
Categories
All
|