Staying Warm

We all come up with ways to keep warm when it's cold outside. Here are some of our favorites.

She ripped the hat off a stuffed bear and realized it fit her head. haha

Yes, both kids are still rear facing in their car seats at 4 years old (they didn't switch till after turning 5). She had just loosened her own straps, that is not how to properly wear them.

Just because it's cold doesn't mean we have any less energy. Bonus: the park isn't crowded!

The best part is just how fast you can go down a wet slide in a snowsuit.

Educents Black Friday - Monday Sale!

 

They're finally here! The two biggest sale days of the year! Educents is having their Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale from November 28 - December 1st. You'll get an EXTRA 10% off + FREE SHIPPING (in the continental US) on top of their already discounted prices! Use code Parenting10Free at checkout to receive the discount. Check out the amazing deals below, categorized by age!

 

FOR MORE PRE-K DEALS, CLICK HERE 

FOR MORE KINDER - 2ND GRADE DEALS, CLICK HERE
FOR MORE 3RD - 5TH GRADE DEALS, CLICK HERE
FOR MORE MIDDLE SCHOOL DEALS, CLICK HERE
FOR MORE HIGH SCHOOL DEALS, CLICK HERE

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so thankful for these two incredible people that I get to parent.

Islands of Adventure (2/2)

More Islands of Adventure! This park started out as something for me, but ended up being a favorite for all of us. After the Dr. Seuss area, we finally got the kids to the intended area.

I'm clearly the only one excited by the Hogwarts Express. One day they will understand.

This was the biggest roller coaster the kids had ever been on. They were a bit scared and almost backed out. Then we rode it 3 times back to back. I love when there are short lines!

This was another one they were a bit scared of at first. They couldn't just reach out and hold us if they got scared. Then they wanted it to go faster and swing more.

We follow directions well.

Two of us love spinning rides. This is when we learned that the other child doesn't.

Cute photo stop outside the park.

Another great photo stop.

 We didn't actually go into Universal Studios, but we did get the classic picture outside.

Islands of Adventure (1/2)

I wanted to see the Harry Potter section of Islands of Adventure, so I was excited to take the family. Luckily there was plenty for them to see and ride.

 The kids are finally catching onto what a theme park really means.

Dr. Seuss carousel is always fun!

One Fish, Two Fish is a favorite book. The lack of lines means I agreed to go on it before realizing we would all get soaked and as the adult I was required to be on the outside.

There was a play ground in this area as well. It only had one entrance/exit which made it very easy to monitor. There was also always a staff member visible and watching.

And to think that we saw this just walking down the street!

Another playground. This one was huge and had many entrances/exits so we were "forced" to play with them. Clearly a difficult task.

 This was our favorite playground.

Another ride with our family and Uncle A.

Come back tomorrow to see our favorite Harry Potter rides as well as a few others.

LegoLand Rides (3/3)

This will be the last LegoLand post, I promise. These are just a few other rides and photos that didn't fit in the other posts.

Did I mention the lack of crowds? I don't like dropping rides so I got out of this one.

 The other consequence of no lines is the rides last extra long.

A Lego train ride.

Wonderful Husband doesn't like spinning rides, but was willing to go with Sweet Son.

Clearly the girls are loving the spinning!

The beginning of the day pic. Yes, this was just as they were opening.

This was as we were leaving.

LegoLand Rides (2/3)

Like many kids, ours love the idea of driving. There are many options for them at LegoLand.

 No parents allowed on the track. They just let the kids drive around and earn their own Lego license.

 He's in the blue car wearing a blue shirt proudly declaring his "right turn" (well, it is a turn). She is in a blue car wearing a purple shirt watching everyone else and not where she is going.

 

Driving through the Lego safari offered more guidance.

This ride looked so exciting. They were so happy when they started.

The horse goes up and down as it travels along the track.

The ride was a bit long. She was ready to get off.

The ride clearly lost a bit of the magic by the end for him as well.

LegoLand Rides (1/3)

There were so many great rides at LegoLand the kids were able to enjoy. We would get in line and wait for the previous ride to end, then get right on. I don't think we waited more than 3 minutes for any ride.

A two-story carousel with Lego horses. 

The boys driving a Lego boat.

The girls driving a Lego boat.

We let the kids take full control.

A couple of times we did have to assist in moving the boat away from the dock.

This is a very deceptive looking ride. The lack of lines means we walked up as other people were exiting so we didn't really know what was about to happen. Our family all got into one firetruck. There were 3 trucks total. Then we were expected to pump as quickly as possible to get the firetruck to move toward the fire. This was quite exhausting when you were expecting to sit down and ride. Once you make it to the other end, you have to get out and spray the water hose at the fire in various windows. Once you knock down enough fire, you jump back in the truck and pump your way back to the beginning. The first team back wins. We have a couple of very competitive members of the family (one big, one little) so we gave it our all. We won! We were also sweating and out of breath by the end of the ride. This was fun, but not nearly as relaxing as the carousel and boat ride.