Local Trampoline Park Review in Mesa, AZWe are always looking for new activities to do with the kids. I have a couple criteria that really make for a good activity:
1) They are affordable. 2) There are convenient times we can go when they aren't crowded (so the littlest kids don't get bowled over). 3) They tire the kids out somewhat. 4) They have some educational value - or they are just plain fun and help us make memories! 5) They are clean. This local trampoline park in Mesa hit quite a few of my options. First of all, if you go with a 2-6 year old then you HAVE to go during TODDLER TIME. It's 10 AM - 2PM, Monday-Thursday and it's WORTH IT. The price is about 50% off. Parents get to "jump" for free, because let's face it, you are chasing after the little ones anyway. There aren't very big kids there and, in fact, when we went there weren't many kids there at all. This means my kids got to do whatever they wanted and we maximized the amount of energy we spent running around. That being said, it was so large inside that even on a busy day, there is still plenty to do! What I liked about this Mesa trampoline park versus some of the others is that it didn't have climbing equipment inside. It was pretty wide-open so I could keep my eyes on the kids at all points in time. It had lots of seating options for parents that are able to watch their kids and sit down. I can't stand having to climb through McDonald's-like playground equipment because my toddler is stuck and lost at the top. It's not my idea of fun and I don't think it's his either. There were LOTS of foam pits here. They did remind me of the old ball pits but comfier. I like to think that they clean these someway, but it didn't appear so. The place got dinged a point or two for not being the cleanest trampoline park I've ever seen. Our favorite thing at the trampoline park was a video screen that tracked your jumping movements and put you in a game-like universe where you completed Wii like games. It was really fun (and very challenging for the littler kids). There was only one of these working at the time, so I can see the line getting very backed up here on the weekends. Overall, we had a lot of fun. They offer memberships which seems like a better deal if you plan to go at peak times more than once. For us, we liked the toddler time and it's a nice option to go once-in-a-while.
0 Comments
![]() My kids and I love to make reels. We didn't always make reels though. This is a relatively new development. Here is how it started... We love music and love to dance to music. In fact, there was a period of time where we had nightly dance parties before we made our way upstairs to bath time. It was our last chance to dance our energy out for the day before we needed to settle down. We had our favorite songs and those songs would sometimes change with the seasons or holidays. They also would change based upon what characters and TV Shows we were loving at the moment. After dance parties, I started recording some of the kids' dance moves. Every now and then, we'd hear a song on Alexa that just made them want to dance. They had some pretty good moves. These started as just quick little videos like shuffling feet to a beat or doing the chicken dance. All of a sudden, I learned the magic of reels. We can record random moments of our dancing and combine them to make a cute "music video." What is a "reel"? It's basically a recorded video set to music. Before, we used to play music on Alexa and record our dancing with her playing in the background. The music was always hard to hear. With a reel, the music just plays over our video - which is perfect. You can still sync the music to your dance moves if you need to, but ours are just so generic that it doesn't matter what section of the song is playing. Why are reels so great and why should you do them with your kids? 1. It gets them moving. My kids get so much energy out running and jumping around to the music. 2. It fosters creativity. My kids love trying to think of new props and costumes to use. 3. You don't have to post them. I used to NEVER post on my personal account, but we can bank a lot of saved "draft" reels which are basically unposted ones and we can re-watch them over and over. 4. They make great memories. My kids love to rewatch reels rather than just videos and pictures of themselves. We even make reels of our videos after visiting different places. It makes our trips more memorable and fun. 5. It's modified screen time. It's like using a screen, but not really. They get to use some technology, but again, not really! We love it! Never made a reel and want to try it? Here are my top tips to getting started with reels and kids: 1. Don't stress too much about getting the perfect shot or perfect content. You can edit all of your clips and sometimes the most unassuming shots are the best! 2. Just get started! We play usually the music we want in the background on Alexa or the TV and dance around, then we add the music to our reel. 3. The more fun the song, the more fun the kids have! We've danced to "Baby Shark" and "Them Bones" so many times! It doesn't have to be a popular song, just a song that gets them smiling and happy! 4. Take multiple different videos of different lengths rather than one really long video. Try to move your camera around and zoom in and out for different shots. This makes the video more fun to watch rather than one really long one. 5. Speed up some of the video. It is tough to sit through a long reel - even for kids watching videos of themselves. It's so nice that you can speed up and slow down certain parts of the video. 6. You don't have to post! This is probably why it took us so long to actually try it out! Also - don't expect the first reel to be the best, but the kids will love it! Whether you've tried a reel before or not, let me know if you give it a shot! What works for you and your family? Any tips I'm missing?? If you aren't crafty, but still want a unique, funny costume for your child, we have some ideas! Why make your own Halloween costume for a toddler? Let's face it, Halloween costumes are an investment? I mean, we can definitely catch a good deal every now and then, but they are a bit pricey for being only worn a handful of times. Even if my kid loves dress up and might wear them more often, he still grows like a weed! The costume may only be good for a finite amount of time! That being said, I was absolutely set on buying a costume this year. I even did a post on the best toddler Halloween costumes at Spirit Halloween as soon as their stores started opening. I saved up all the Spirit Halloween 20% off coupons that we got in the mail. I also kept my eyes peeled for Target Circle deals where costumes went up to 30% off. I shopped early (heck, it's only September 26 so far). I was ready to get a good deal and save myself the headache of making a costume! But sometimes buying a costume can feel cliche. While we have more options now with online shopping, we are still limited by what's currently on the market, what's in stock in the right size, and what that return policy is. Chances are that whatever costume you purchased, you'll see a few duplicates of them on Halloween trick or treating or at the school's Harvest Festival. Depending on the moment, this wouldn't bother my kids too much. They might think it's cool to be in a popular costume. However, I can also seeing it go the other way and them being frustrated to be in the same costume as so many other kids. I mean, they are kids, we never know what we are going to get in the moment, right? Buying a costume for a toddler really has its advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is definitely the ease of use. Sometimes pulling one together on my own ends up being more work and even more expensive to purchase all the individual components. But buying a complete costume can also be a costly undertaking depending on how much you want to spend. And let's be honest, the mass-produced Halloween costumes today are not exactly quality craftsmanship for what you purchase. In fact, I did indeed purchase a Halloween costume already this year with my 20% off coupon. Teddy was dead-set that he wanted to be a skeleton (see what I did there with the play on words). He had to get a boys' size costume...not a toddler sized costume. The costume was a mass produced one from a popular store. It came with skeleton hand gloves. Unfortunately, while the costume fit fine, the gloves were sized for babies. They definitely weren't going to fit his hands or any Size 6-8 boy. At this point, we had paid a bit more than I'd like for this costume already and a component of the costume was cheaply made and didn't fit. What an investment, right? But what if there were some DIY costumes that required literally no effort? I mean, we are talking no cutting, no gluing, no sewing. There are some really great DIY costumes that don't require a huge investment of time or money. You might not even see these ideas on Pinterest if you Googled "unique Halloween costumes" or "unique toddler Halloween costumes." You can gather the items from the closet or purchase some cheap ones if you are missing something. Here are our ideas for unique, easy, DIY Halloween costumes for toddlers: 1. ForRest GumpYou can really be two versions of Forrest Gump. You can be fancy Forrest Gump in a button up and khakis or you can be running Forrest Gump. (The running version may require some more effort to find a beard.) For our version of Forrest Gump, we pulled out an old pair of khakis. They were a little snug, but still fit. We grabbed a collared shirt (white and blue preferred) and a red baseball cap. Now Forrest's hat wasn't Nike branded. His shirt didn't have the same pattern. And his khakis had a bit more room in them. That's not the point. The point is that we are making our easiest, DIY version of Forrest with what we have. And we, the adults, had a blast dressing him up as this. For props, grab a box of chocolates, a ping pong paddle, or a feather to hold! For running version of Forrest, grab red shorts, a yellow shirt, a fake beard, soccer socks and keep that red hat! Everything we had for this costume, we already had in the closet, so it literally cost us nothing. Try these items:
2. Pugsley Addams |
| |
Try these items:
- Striped Shirt ($7 Target)
- Black Shorts ($5 Target)
- Plastic Rat ($1 Dollar Tree - as long as still in stock! We got ours in early September)
- Soccer Socks ($5 Amazon)
3. Risky Business
This one we have yet to try out, but how easy does this sound? You can borrow one of mom or dad's Oxford shirts. Toss on a pair of Dollar Tree kid sunglasses and throw on some long socks.
Don't forget the candlestick for props! I draw the line at the haircut though!
Don't forget the candlestick for props! I draw the line at the haircut though!
Here’s everything you need to know about purchasing Disneyland tickets. How do they work? What can you purchase? Do you need a reservation? Here is a step-by-step guide of all the information you need to know ahead of time when purchasing your tickets. It also includes some FAQs for Disneyland tickets as well.
1. How long are you staying at Disneyland for?
When you visit Disneyland Resort you can purchase tickets for durations of 1 day to 5 days. Disneyland refers to these as single-day tickets our multi-day tickets.
When purchasing a multi-day ticket, know that the days do not have to be used consecutively. For instance, if you are staying at one of their hotels and want to have a pool or nearby beach day in the middle of your visit, you can do that. The multi-day tickets just have to be used within 13 days from the first day of use. For example, if I knew we were going to Disneyland in February and again in August this year, I couldn’t buy a five day ticket at a cheaper price to use on both of these trips. I would have to buy different tickets for each visit since they are more than 13 days apart.
2. What Disneyland park(s) do you want to visit and when?
Once you know how long you are going to stay, then you have the option to decide what parks you are going to visit and on what days. You can decide to visit only Disneyland on certain days, only California Adventure on certain days or both parks every day of your visit. If you want to visit both parks on the same day, you’ll need to purchase a park hopper ticket.
Park hopper pricing is a one-time charge. Right now, it’s $65 per ticket to add on park hopping for one day. It’s a flat $60 per ticket to add on park hopping for more than one day of your visit. What that means is that you only pay the $60 once to park hop for however long your visit is - not every single day of your visit. For instance, if you are visiting for 5 days, you don’t pay $60 every day to park hop, you pay $60 once and can park hop for all 5 days as much as you’d like.
Even if you are park hopping, you still have to select initially which park you’d like to start your day in every day of your visit. You’ll start in that park and then at 11:00 AM on that day, you can begin using your park hopping benefits.
3. How much are Disneyland tickets?
It depends on the time year and day of the week you are visiting. Unfortunately, there’s not a good way to gauge how expensive tickets are going to be on certain dates. You get a price break per day when you commit to a multi-day ticket. Disneyland has recently been running promotions to encourage more visits during off-peak seasons. However, it’s still really hard to determine pricing on certain days vs others unless you are playing around with their ticket calculator.
4. How late is Disneyland open?
It’s really important that you check the park schedules for Disneyland and California Adventure before committing to one park or the other on certain days. California Adventure and Disneyland both can close early on certain days due to special events like the Oogie Boogie Bash. If you aren’t doing a park-hopper ticket, you don’t want to be stuck committed to an early closing park when you could have easily swapped the days.
5. What days are you visiting Disneyland? Do I need to make a reservation?
When you purchase your Disneyland tickets, you have to designate them to a certain individual. You also have to specify which dates you are going to be visiting. This is referred to as a park reservation. Park reservations started when Disneyland began opening back up in 2020 to help limit crowds. The parks have kept the reservation system to ensure guest traveling from longer distances will indeed be able to visit the park on their trip rather than chance it. You can always modify your Disneyland reservation on their website or on the Disneyland app. Either way, when you purchase the tickets you’ll be prompted to create your own Disneyland account. The reservations will always live under the Disneyland account for ease of modifying and accessing them. They are also confirmed via email and tied to your email address. The tickets are not the same as the reservation although they are basically tied completely together.
It’s important that you look to make sure that both Disneyland and California Adventure are not at capacity already the days you are visiting. The reservation ensures that you’ll be able to visit the parks on your specified days and that the parks will not be already at capacity.
6. How far out can you make Disneyland reservations?
You can make reservations 120 days in advance and you can modify them if you need to change the dates you are planning to visit.
7. What rides are open at Disneyland?
You’ll want to check the Disneyland calendar to review what rides are closed for refurbishment. Remember that rides like the Haunted Mansion close at least two times each year to transition to Halloween and back. Disneyland usually announces larger closures well in advanced before they happen. Even if a ride is not a scheduled closure, that does not mean it won’t necessarily be closed on the date of your visit. Rides often break down for unscheduled reasons. However, most times engineers can get these back on track on the same day.
8. Can I share my Disneyland ticket with someone else?
No - you cannot. Disneyland tickets are non-transferable. The park started taking pictures of each ticket holder to verify the correct person is entering the park on the right ticket. You do have to delegate a ticket to each member of your party. Once Disneyland has taken the picture of the ticket holder, you can no longer change ownership of that particular ticket.
9. What’s happening at Disneyland on the day I’m visiting?
Again, the calendar for Disneyland is the best place to check for entertainment opportunities. The calendar will have everything from the Dapper Dans to parades to fireworks listed. Usually fireworks on more on the weekends and nighttime projection shows are during the week. Regardless, the calendar will have everything you need to give you an idea of what’s happening on the days you are visiting.
10. What’s the Disney app?
Literally everything is tied to the Disney app. Because of this, it’s critical that you have enough phone battery on your visit! There aren’t paper tickets anymore (very rare). Instead, all of the tickets are sent electronically on devices. The entrance gates will scan the barcode for every ticket directly on your phone. You can use tickets via email or via the app. In my opinion, the app is easier to navigate and they are all in one place. Even when sometimes I am confused using the app, all the cast members are very well trained on how to navigate the app and can always easily help me find exactly what I need.
Not only can you use the app to carry your tickets, you can also use the app to check entertainment, wait times, and character greetings. This is helpful to give you an idea of how busy the park might be on the day of your visit. It will also give you an idea of other offerings that might be happening that might not be listed on the calendar - mostly character greetings.
11. Does my 2 year old need a ticket?
No! Any guest under the age of 3 does not need their own ticket. We have really taken advantage of this - although it is a bummer that the younger kids won’t remember as much about the vacation.
Children tickets are for guests aged 3-9. Anyone over 10 has to get a general admission ticket.
12. Can I still get in early to Disneyland?
Disneyland used to have magic morning hours and guests could get into the parks early if they were staying for a certain number of days. However, the Resort changed this offering. Instead, now guest have to be staying at one of the designated Disneyland Resort hotels - The Disneyland Hotel, The Grand Californian, or Paradise Pier. Staying at one of these resorts allows guest 30 minute early access to certain sections of the park. Guests will just have to show their hotel reservations at certain rope areas of the park to pass by. The signage and guidance once you are in the park for the morning magic hour is really well laid out and easy to follow!
In short, buying Disneyland tickets is an investment and if you’re like me, you want to make sure you are doing everything correctly before hitting that purchase button. They are not returnable, but like I shared earlier, you can modify the reservations if needed. The ticket process has changed a little bit throughout the years, so it’s best to brush up on the topic before purchasing.
If you've already searched for "Spirit Halloween store near me," or "Spirit Halloween store locator" then you are in good company, because I did too! If your family is like mine, then you might have heard, "But it's only August." Yes, it is only August, but it's really close to the end of August. I also searched for "Open Spirit Halloween stores near me" to narrow down the options even more for those stores that haven't gotten the memo that it's clearly HALLOWEEN time.
It seems like stores are setting out holiday merchandise earlier and earlier, right? If you aren't on the early holiday bandwagon, then you might miss out on the exact costume that your child wants. I learned this the hard way on Teddy's first Halloween. We didn't miss out on the costume, but we missed out on the right size of the costume. Consequently poor Teddy was stuffed into a monkey costume too tight to zip up the back. He stayed in it for a few pictures and then promptly wore just a Halloween onesie for the rest of the night. We had a similar last minute inventory problem last year. I decided I was going to be a Dalmatian dog to accompany Teddy's firefighter costume. I couldn't find Dalmatian anything! I ended up having to velcro black felt onto a white t-shirt to make furry spots.
This year is going to be different. This year I am going to 100% completely conform to when Spirit Halloween says I should start thinking about Halloween. As those Spirit Halloween stores begin popping up in vacant grocery store strip malls, I am going to know exactly what I'm going to buy. My husband can send me all the Spirit Halloween store memes he can find and it won’t stop me from stepping foot into those stores and exploring what I can find.
One word of advice I’ve learned through is that if you purchase something off their website, their return policy is a little dicey. One year, I purchased a blue monster costume for Teddy. He was so adamant that he wanted to be a blue monster. Naturally, I couldn’t find it in the store because most of the inventory had been picked over - and we were still over a month away! (Blue monsters must have been a popular ticket item that year). Anyway, I had to order the blue monster toddler costume from Spirit and their website. First of all, you usually get free shipping with orders over $40. Most of their toddler costumes are conveniently priced below that, so you’ll be splurging for another Halloween item if you’re only needing a toddler costume. Once the blue monster costume came though, Teddy wouldn’t try it on. I’m not sure if he was afraid of it or just was never in the mood (kids, right?), but I held onto the costume in hopes that as Halloween approached, he’d have a change of heart. I didn’t want to know what type of meltdown would greet me if I had decided to get rid of the blue monster costume too quickly. Anyway, we got pretty close to Halloween and Teddy still was having nothing to do with this blue monster costume. My sister-in-law had purchased him a cute little dinosaur costume that he’d wear, so I figured it was time to return the blue furry monster. When I went to return it though, Spirit’s Halloween policy was 30 days from shipping date. Well, this was during a period when there was delay in the mail. The delay ate up about a week and a half of my 30 days. A fickle toddler ate up the rest of the time. Consequently, we were stuck with one furry monster costume for Halloween that year. Resigned to the fact that I had wasted $40+ on this purchase, I threw the blue furry monster costume into the back of Teddy’s closet. When Halloween rolled around and it was time to put on his costume, Teddy’s very first question to me was, “Where’s my monster costume?” I couldn’t believe my eras. The kid who had screamed incoherently any time I showed him the costume was now asking for it - and better yet - asking to wear it! He ended up being the cutest little blue furry monster that year for Halloween. He also ended up doing a wardrobe change and turning into a dinosaur halfway through the night. That was all just fine with me. It meant more cute Halloween pictures for this mom.
What’s the moral of that story? One, look at the return policy for Spirit Halloween (or really any store) when buying items for children. The other moral of the story is that children have their own minds. You don’t need me to tell you that. Children can be some of the most stubborn people on the planet and, to me, that is so admirable because they must really know what they want (or don’t want). Some Halloween costumes are trendy because that’s what is popular in the moment and some are just clever and cute and that’s ok. The important thing to remember when picking a Halloween costume is that it’s a fun holiday. It doesn’t matter what your child is dressed up to be, what matters are the memories that you created together building up to Halloween and on Halloween itself.
I always say that the build-up to the holidays is so much better than the holiday itself. The holiday goes by SO FAST. Think about Halloween, my kids last trick-or-treating maybe an hour and a half at most. Then it’s completely over. However, the build up to Halloween lasts weeks! I like my kids to help me decorate and, of course, visit the costume store like Spirit Halloween to get ideas of what they might like to be. It doesn’t mean we are going to buy that exact costume, I tell them, it just means we are getting some really great ideas and getting excited for the holiday.
I used to never buy costumes. I would always make them or thrift them, but now as a super busy mom, sometimes buying them just is so much easier. Whether you are making them or buying them, we can ALL use the inspiration of some 2023 toddler Halloween costume ideas. Immediately after this, you might just join me in searching for "Spirit Halloween store locator!" (On your WAZE app of course so you can get there the quickest route possible.
It seems like stores are setting out holiday merchandise earlier and earlier, right? If you aren't on the early holiday bandwagon, then you might miss out on the exact costume that your child wants. I learned this the hard way on Teddy's first Halloween. We didn't miss out on the costume, but we missed out on the right size of the costume. Consequently poor Teddy was stuffed into a monkey costume too tight to zip up the back. He stayed in it for a few pictures and then promptly wore just a Halloween onesie for the rest of the night. We had a similar last minute inventory problem last year. I decided I was going to be a Dalmatian dog to accompany Teddy's firefighter costume. I couldn't find Dalmatian anything! I ended up having to velcro black felt onto a white t-shirt to make furry spots.
This year is going to be different. This year I am going to 100% completely conform to when Spirit Halloween says I should start thinking about Halloween. As those Spirit Halloween stores begin popping up in vacant grocery store strip malls, I am going to know exactly what I'm going to buy. My husband can send me all the Spirit Halloween store memes he can find and it won’t stop me from stepping foot into those stores and exploring what I can find.
One word of advice I’ve learned through is that if you purchase something off their website, their return policy is a little dicey. One year, I purchased a blue monster costume for Teddy. He was so adamant that he wanted to be a blue monster. Naturally, I couldn’t find it in the store because most of the inventory had been picked over - and we were still over a month away! (Blue monsters must have been a popular ticket item that year). Anyway, I had to order the blue monster toddler costume from Spirit and their website. First of all, you usually get free shipping with orders over $40. Most of their toddler costumes are conveniently priced below that, so you’ll be splurging for another Halloween item if you’re only needing a toddler costume. Once the blue monster costume came though, Teddy wouldn’t try it on. I’m not sure if he was afraid of it or just was never in the mood (kids, right?), but I held onto the costume in hopes that as Halloween approached, he’d have a change of heart. I didn’t want to know what type of meltdown would greet me if I had decided to get rid of the blue monster costume too quickly. Anyway, we got pretty close to Halloween and Teddy still was having nothing to do with this blue monster costume. My sister-in-law had purchased him a cute little dinosaur costume that he’d wear, so I figured it was time to return the blue furry monster. When I went to return it though, Spirit’s Halloween policy was 30 days from shipping date. Well, this was during a period when there was delay in the mail. The delay ate up about a week and a half of my 30 days. A fickle toddler ate up the rest of the time. Consequently, we were stuck with one furry monster costume for Halloween that year. Resigned to the fact that I had wasted $40+ on this purchase, I threw the blue furry monster costume into the back of Teddy’s closet. When Halloween rolled around and it was time to put on his costume, Teddy’s very first question to me was, “Where’s my monster costume?” I couldn’t believe my eras. The kid who had screamed incoherently any time I showed him the costume was now asking for it - and better yet - asking to wear it! He ended up being the cutest little blue furry monster that year for Halloween. He also ended up doing a wardrobe change and turning into a dinosaur halfway through the night. That was all just fine with me. It meant more cute Halloween pictures for this mom.
What’s the moral of that story? One, look at the return policy for Spirit Halloween (or really any store) when buying items for children. The other moral of the story is that children have their own minds. You don’t need me to tell you that. Children can be some of the most stubborn people on the planet and, to me, that is so admirable because they must really know what they want (or don’t want). Some Halloween costumes are trendy because that’s what is popular in the moment and some are just clever and cute and that’s ok. The important thing to remember when picking a Halloween costume is that it’s a fun holiday. It doesn’t matter what your child is dressed up to be, what matters are the memories that you created together building up to Halloween and on Halloween itself.
I always say that the build-up to the holidays is so much better than the holiday itself. The holiday goes by SO FAST. Think about Halloween, my kids last trick-or-treating maybe an hour and a half at most. Then it’s completely over. However, the build up to Halloween lasts weeks! I like my kids to help me decorate and, of course, visit the costume store like Spirit Halloween to get ideas of what they might like to be. It doesn’t mean we are going to buy that exact costume, I tell them, it just means we are getting some really great ideas and getting excited for the holiday.
I used to never buy costumes. I would always make them or thrift them, but now as a super busy mom, sometimes buying them just is so much easier. Whether you are making them or buying them, we can ALL use the inspiration of some 2023 toddler Halloween costume ideas. Immediately after this, you might just join me in searching for "Spirit Halloween store locator!" (On your WAZE app of course so you can get there the quickest route possible.
1. Bluey and Bingo tODDLER halloween Costumes
We obviously love Bluey in our household. I think the little girl costumes are so cute. I love that they don't have the full character head on their hood and they aren't a full, sweat-inducing furry jumpsuit. Did you know, by the way, that Bluey and Bingo are girl dogs? I had no idea until I googled that question (like apparently most of America.) That being said, neither of my boys would hesitate to dress up as either Bluey or Bingo. Speaking of, do you see the cute matching Bingo shoes they found for the ad? Of course, not included and the costume itself is just under that free shipping deal at $39.99.
2. Ghost Spider Toddler Halloween Costume + Spider Man Toddler Halloween Costume
If I were a girl mom, I would love the addition of Ghost Spider. It's the equivalent to the pink Power Ranger when I was growing up. Finally girls can be super heroes too! Whether you have a girl or a boy, the spider man and ghost spider costumes are a hit. I love the padding on our neighborhood Spidey and the boot covers on both of these.
3. Wednesday Addams Toddler Costume and Pugsley Addams Toddler Costume
Sorry boys, Mom is obsessed with this cute toddler Wednesday Addams costume at Spirit Halloween. It's such a dichotomy from Wednesday to the current Barbie craze. I haven't decided which side I fall on because I just love them both so much! I totally found Wednesday and had her up here by herself only to find Pugsley too! The boys can get in on the Addams Family resurgence. It's such a fun way to be creepy but cute!
4. The Little Mermaid Toddler Costumes
The Little Mermaid is bound to be a popular costume this year with the new movie. Like usual, I am tickled that there are more than one options to get in on the Little Mermaid craze. We LOVE the Little Mermaid here - especially Ursula. Maybe we can get an Ursula costume soon too?
5. Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice (Toddler Halloween Costumes)
Oh my goodness, these costumes are amazing! With the new Beetlejuice movie coming out, I feel a new Beetlejuice mania coming on. Remember when Beetlejuice used to be a huge staple at Universal Studios? He was EVERYWHERE! There was a Beetlejuice show at the park and cartoon on TV.
This is a continuation post of all things Bluey's birthday!
Invitations
What's a Bluey birthday without invitations? I am basically obsessed with this "new" way of doing invitations. This is definitely a trend I am late hearing about. Canva invitations? Here's the deal...Etsy has all sorts of pre-made themed invitations that you can download. You open them on a free Canva account and can edit the details that pertain to you. The ones I did for Teddy aren't on Etsy anymore, but there are so many to choose from. There are even video ones! This was helpful because I could simply send the invite to friends and family. We could also print out the invitations for his friends at school whose contact info I didn't have yet.
Balloons!
If you've ever made a balloon arch, you know they are some serious work. If you've ever made a balloon arch without a balloon machine, congratulations, you're as crazy as me! I didn't even know they made these balloon machines. I got one on a whim on Amazon Prime Day. Oh my goodness, it is AMAZING! My fingers still hurt from tying balloons, but not as badly as they used to!
Next, you really have to commit to the Bluey color scheme. We bought TWO balloon arch packages - one for the balloon number and one for the arch.
Package 1:
Package 1:
My problem with balloon arches is that they always fall from the ceiling when I try to put them up, so I had this really great idea of how to create a balloon arch backdrop for pictures. I got this clothing rack from Ikea for $9.99 and got some zip ties from Dollar Tree and tied my balloon arch on the clothing rack. It worked perfectly!
I made the mistake of making a large Number 1 for Cal's first birthday. Since then, I've forever doomed myself to making large balloon number props for every birthday party. I find some super "easy" templates on Etsy, get some thick poster board from the Dollar Tree and set to work!
More Decorations
Final Result
It's literally impossible to say "Bluey" without singing the theme song, right?
Teddy wanted a Bluey themed birthday this year. We love Bluey in the Smith household.
I love a good themed birthday and some good decorations. This is post 1 of a series on a Bluey birthday. Unfortunately, there isn't A LOT out there for Bluey birthdays at the stores. There is A LOT of different items on Etsy though which is great!
We did see the Bluey and Bingo cut outs. They are about 2 feet tall and retail for around $40 each. I knew we could make it cheaper and have so much fun doing it. Here's what we did!
WHat you Need:
-Poster board
So we started at Michaels. They sell poster board, but it was about $2 - $2.50 a sheet. We walked right next door to Dollar Tree and bought our poster board for $0.50 each! I am not affiliated with Dollar Tree, but I love a good deal so much that I should be! Also - they do have the thicker poster boards at Dollar Tree, but I would go for your standard project poster-board. If you are going to cut out the characters, the thicker poster boards can get a little wonky.
-A projector
I know, this one is kind of a big deal. We were fortunate enough to have a projector at home to use. They do sell some cheap ones for around $25 at Wal-Mart, so if you're going to use it again, maybe it's not a terrible investment. You need it to project the image on the poster board. I'm not sure how else you might be able to do it without one. Ideas?
-Tape (for holding up poster board)
-Pencils (for tracing)
-Paint (color of bluey characters)
-Computer (for projecting bluey images)
-sharpee (for outlining characters)
What To Do:
1. Assemble your poster board and pencils. Hook up your computer to the projector, so that your projector is shining on a blank wall. Tape the poster board to the wall behind the image you are projecting. I found the webpage blueypedia to have some of the best standard images to project. I went ahead and copied them into a Word Document, so I could save the pictures I used for paint matching later on.
2. Trace the outline of the image with pencil. When you take it down, write the characters name on the back (trust me).
3. Repeat for all characters.
4. Then you are ready to paint! I am torn whether I liked outlining the pencil marks in Sharpee before painting. You definitely have to do it after as well. Teddy helped me with some of the painting and it was kind of nice to have a clear division of Sharpee for his painting skills before he started working.
5. Paint the images to match the pictures you saved in a Word Doc for future reference (right now).
6. Once the paint dries, outline the sections in Sharpee again.
7. Cut around the edges! I liked leaving a little outline border rather than cutting right along the character themself.
2. Trace the outline of the image with pencil. When you take it down, write the characters name on the back (trust me).
3. Repeat for all characters.
4. Then you are ready to paint! I am torn whether I liked outlining the pencil marks in Sharpee before painting. You definitely have to do it after as well. Teddy helped me with some of the painting and it was kind of nice to have a clear division of Sharpee for his painting skills before he started working.
5. Paint the images to match the pictures you saved in a Word Doc for future reference (right now).
6. Once the paint dries, outline the sections in Sharpee again.
7. Cut around the edges! I liked leaving a little outline border rather than cutting right along the character themself.
| |
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/2/2/132267491/published/legoland2.jpg?1686087285)
When Teddy said he wanted to go to Legoland, I didn't know where to begin. I had never been. Disney vacations I could plan in my sleep, but Legoland was an entirely different ball game. Here's where I started when planning:
1. Vacation Packages
We knew we wanted to stay at the Legoland hotel. Teddy had seen it on a YouTube video and was basically the driving factor for wanting to visit Legoland. What child doesn't want to stay in a life-sized castle? The downside is that I don't know this was the best deal. It was REALLY hard for me to figure out if I was booking the most economical package for what I wanted. A co-worker told me that I should look at annual passes because sometime you can get a better deal there. That sounded like too much commitment for me. Another friend told me that the neighborhood hotels were nicer than the Legoland hotel. After staying at the Legoland hotel, I bet that's true. However, it's a trade off because my kids LOVED the hotel even if it wasn't the five-star accommodations I would have liked.
Legoland does a nice job advertising their hotel/park packages. A la carte pricing was just too much for me to figure out on their website. We ended up booking the vacation package with the current promo they had - 2 day park hoppers for the price of 1 - but I like to know when I am getting a good deal and I couldn't figure out the savings here. I give the Legoland website minimal stars for a review.
2. What to Pack
I really liked that Legoland let us bring in snacks and drinks. Apparently they even let you bring a small cooler in for kids. This wasn't a huge deal with the kids being bigger, but this would have been a big selling point when they were smaller and on certain types of milk. They also didn't seem to limit the stroller size. One day, I even forgot the baby wipes in the hotel room and we were able to get some at their baby station. As a parent, I appreciated their leniency in letting us bring in snacks and drinks. We still bought our fair share of items.
I also packed the stroller with the same tips I used for Disneyland and they proved just as effective at Legoland. Check out those tips here.
3. Why Legoland?
Listen, everyone that I talked to loved Legoland. The best advice that I read though was don't take kids under 4. I'd almost agree with that. Cal is a small two year old and he could ride about 2 rides and then just get upset that he couldn't ride anything else. Teddy could ride almost everything and loved it. I think kids probably up to 8 would be happy riding the bigger rides there.
Pro's:
Con's:
More to come - but this will help at least plan the initial stages of visiting Legoland!
1. Vacation Packages
We knew we wanted to stay at the Legoland hotel. Teddy had seen it on a YouTube video and was basically the driving factor for wanting to visit Legoland. What child doesn't want to stay in a life-sized castle? The downside is that I don't know this was the best deal. It was REALLY hard for me to figure out if I was booking the most economical package for what I wanted. A co-worker told me that I should look at annual passes because sometime you can get a better deal there. That sounded like too much commitment for me. Another friend told me that the neighborhood hotels were nicer than the Legoland hotel. After staying at the Legoland hotel, I bet that's true. However, it's a trade off because my kids LOVED the hotel even if it wasn't the five-star accommodations I would have liked.
Legoland does a nice job advertising their hotel/park packages. A la carte pricing was just too much for me to figure out on their website. We ended up booking the vacation package with the current promo they had - 2 day park hoppers for the price of 1 - but I like to know when I am getting a good deal and I couldn't figure out the savings here. I give the Legoland website minimal stars for a review.
2. What to Pack
I really liked that Legoland let us bring in snacks and drinks. Apparently they even let you bring a small cooler in for kids. This wasn't a huge deal with the kids being bigger, but this would have been a big selling point when they were smaller and on certain types of milk. They also didn't seem to limit the stroller size. One day, I even forgot the baby wipes in the hotel room and we were able to get some at their baby station. As a parent, I appreciated their leniency in letting us bring in snacks and drinks. We still bought our fair share of items.
I also packed the stroller with the same tips I used for Disneyland and they proved just as effective at Legoland. Check out those tips here.
3. Why Legoland?
Listen, everyone that I talked to loved Legoland. The best advice that I read though was don't take kids under 4. I'd almost agree with that. Cal is a small two year old and he could ride about 2 rides and then just get upset that he couldn't ride anything else. Teddy could ride almost everything and loved it. I think kids probably up to 8 would be happy riding the bigger rides there.
Pro's:
- Everything is geared towards smaller kids (like EVERYTHING) - the highlight of the Legoland was the PLAYGROUND
- Less crowds than Disneyland when we visited - able to get on a lot more rides (visit during the week to do so)
- Smaller than Disneyland, so it's less overwhelming
Con's:
- It didn't feel as "upkept" as Disney although it was still nice and the kids loved it
- We got lucky to do the aquarium on one of the days. I'm not sure we would have needed two full days at just the park. (The aquarium only takes about 1.5 hours)
- No mobile ordering for food, so we did have to stand in some longer lines to eat
More to come - but this will help at least plan the initial stages of visiting Legoland!
A lot of kids have this surgery, so it shouldn't be that bad, right? Pretty routine? Teddy had his tonsils and adenoids removed a few weeks ago. I wouldn't say it was a rough experience, but I would say it wasn't quite how I expected it to be. Cal had an ear infection at the time. I think Teddy must have had an infection going into the surgery or right after the surgery because he needed an antibiotic to kick his high fevers. That definitely complicated our experience and his recovery. I don't think I was prepared for the magnitude of this surgery.
Maybe because of his unique situation, my experience is not common, but there are a few simple things I wish I had known/did beforehand.
1. Stock up on the kids Tylenol and Motrin - We had to alternate these every 3 hours for a few days. Luckily, my mother in law happened to get us some large packs at Sam's Club a few weeks before. Otherwise, I would have been scrambling to find these with the shortages that have been going on. Also - I couldn't leave Teddy and he was in no condition to go anywhere, so that would have been tough! He also had to take the medicine consistently through the night or else his fevers would get high again. The doctors explained to me that the body goes through trauma with the surgery and responds with a fever. I think Teddy's were higher than average because of a competing infection, but any child patient is recommended the alternating dosage of Tylenol and Motrin for a couple days - per my doctor. Of course, always listen to your doctor's advice before administering any medicine and if you have questions make sure to call them!
2. Stock up on the soft foods, popsicles and drinks - Teddy loves his orange juice, but he technically couldn't drink it because the acidity could burn his newly cut throat. I had to find other things he would drink. The first day wasn't bad. I don't think he was in much pain because he was eating popsicles like they were going out of style. That attitude slowly disappeared. I had Robbie running out to get different types of drinks - Pediatlyte, Gatorade, etc - to find something he'd drink. I am thankful I stocked up on the soft foods and got fun things he doesn't usually eat like Spaghetti-Os and character Mac and Cheese so eating could be fun. We tried so many different drinks and eventually let him drink watered down orange juice because it was the only thing he'd take and he needed fluids more than anything. Just make sure you have an arsenal built of these reserves should your child be picky like mine!
3. Track their drinking - This is the NUMBER ONE thing I wish someone told me. The doctor kept saying to make sure he was drinking, but I never knew how much was enough. Eventually, I just had him trying to drink about 1/4 cup of fluids every hour and this really helped me track to make sure he was taking fluids. The number one complication of this surgery is dehydration and was petrified the entire time that Teddy wasn't drinking enough until I started really paying attention to it. One of my husband's friend's just had a child admitted to the hospital for dehydration after removing his tonsils. It happens and I think it's more common than we probably hear.
4. Incentive for drinking and taking medicine - We ended up doing a sticker chart for every time he took a drink and every time he took his medicine. He didn't even earn a prize. He just liked putting on the stickers and tracking his progress. This really helped cut down on the pushback we got. We also tried to think of fun ways to get him to take his medicine - like cute cups. Try to avoid straws. We used straws every now and then and didn't have an issue, but apparently you should try to avoid them.
5. Talk through it with your child - Teddy and I watched a lot of shows and read some books on hospitals and doctors to help prepare him for his visit. He knew he was going to change into a hospital gown. He brought his special doggy toy with him. He knew he was going to have to put on a funny mask and breathe some things in and he would sleep during the surgery. Coming out of the anesthesia was tough for him. He was confused, scared, and didn't know what to expect. That's one part I wish I talked to him more about. Once we got home, he was fine, but it was definitely jarring for him to wake up in a different environment.
6. Relax! Screen time and relaxation is a must. We blew up the air mattress and made a little bed for him in the family room to encourage rest! I didn't realize how much he would need me after this surgery. Making sure I was home and available for a week was crucial. He couldn't go to school for at least a week per his doctor and no big physical activity for 2 weeks. He needed lots of snuggles and he had a hard time when I had to leave the house even for a little bit. I think it was more traumatic on him than I expected. Find some low-key activities that you can do together! Even though he was miserable, I loved every snuggle I got during this period of time.
**PRO TIP** Make sure you can call your doctor 24/7 or a doctor on call. We were SO LUCKY with our doctor's office because of the struggles Teddy had. We utilized this A LOT and they were happy that we called. I didn't think we'd ever need to call the doctor at 3 AM, but WE DID and I was so grateful that we could.
Maybe because of his unique situation, my experience is not common, but there are a few simple things I wish I had known/did beforehand.
1. Stock up on the kids Tylenol and Motrin - We had to alternate these every 3 hours for a few days. Luckily, my mother in law happened to get us some large packs at Sam's Club a few weeks before. Otherwise, I would have been scrambling to find these with the shortages that have been going on. Also - I couldn't leave Teddy and he was in no condition to go anywhere, so that would have been tough! He also had to take the medicine consistently through the night or else his fevers would get high again. The doctors explained to me that the body goes through trauma with the surgery and responds with a fever. I think Teddy's were higher than average because of a competing infection, but any child patient is recommended the alternating dosage of Tylenol and Motrin for a couple days - per my doctor. Of course, always listen to your doctor's advice before administering any medicine and if you have questions make sure to call them!
2. Stock up on the soft foods, popsicles and drinks - Teddy loves his orange juice, but he technically couldn't drink it because the acidity could burn his newly cut throat. I had to find other things he would drink. The first day wasn't bad. I don't think he was in much pain because he was eating popsicles like they were going out of style. That attitude slowly disappeared. I had Robbie running out to get different types of drinks - Pediatlyte, Gatorade, etc - to find something he'd drink. I am thankful I stocked up on the soft foods and got fun things he doesn't usually eat like Spaghetti-Os and character Mac and Cheese so eating could be fun. We tried so many different drinks and eventually let him drink watered down orange juice because it was the only thing he'd take and he needed fluids more than anything. Just make sure you have an arsenal built of these reserves should your child be picky like mine!
3. Track their drinking - This is the NUMBER ONE thing I wish someone told me. The doctor kept saying to make sure he was drinking, but I never knew how much was enough. Eventually, I just had him trying to drink about 1/4 cup of fluids every hour and this really helped me track to make sure he was taking fluids. The number one complication of this surgery is dehydration and was petrified the entire time that Teddy wasn't drinking enough until I started really paying attention to it. One of my husband's friend's just had a child admitted to the hospital for dehydration after removing his tonsils. It happens and I think it's more common than we probably hear.
4. Incentive for drinking and taking medicine - We ended up doing a sticker chart for every time he took a drink and every time he took his medicine. He didn't even earn a prize. He just liked putting on the stickers and tracking his progress. This really helped cut down on the pushback we got. We also tried to think of fun ways to get him to take his medicine - like cute cups. Try to avoid straws. We used straws every now and then and didn't have an issue, but apparently you should try to avoid them.
5. Talk through it with your child - Teddy and I watched a lot of shows and read some books on hospitals and doctors to help prepare him for his visit. He knew he was going to change into a hospital gown. He brought his special doggy toy with him. He knew he was going to have to put on a funny mask and breathe some things in and he would sleep during the surgery. Coming out of the anesthesia was tough for him. He was confused, scared, and didn't know what to expect. That's one part I wish I talked to him more about. Once we got home, he was fine, but it was definitely jarring for him to wake up in a different environment.
6. Relax! Screen time and relaxation is a must. We blew up the air mattress and made a little bed for him in the family room to encourage rest! I didn't realize how much he would need me after this surgery. Making sure I was home and available for a week was crucial. He couldn't go to school for at least a week per his doctor and no big physical activity for 2 weeks. He needed lots of snuggles and he had a hard time when I had to leave the house even for a little bit. I think it was more traumatic on him than I expected. Find some low-key activities that you can do together! Even though he was miserable, I loved every snuggle I got during this period of time.
**PRO TIP** Make sure you can call your doctor 24/7 or a doctor on call. We were SO LUCKY with our doctor's office because of the struggles Teddy had. We utilized this A LOT and they were happy that we called. I didn't think we'd ever need to call the doctor at 3 AM, but WE DID and I was so grateful that we could.
How do you keep your toddler(s) entertained on rainy days? Here are the Smith household's top 5 favorites!
1. Dance in the rAIN - Record a "YouTube" Video
This might only apply because we live in Arizona and see minimal rain, but the kids hardly ever get a chance to actually play in it. If it's not too cold and definitely not storming, the kids LOVE to take their umbrellas out and just experience a little rain. I wish my kids had rain boots to splash around in, but I just can't justify the investment for as little rain as we get. That being said, let them be their own little Peppa Pig and jump in those (muddy) puddles!
My kids also get excited when we pretend we are going to record a YouTube video. Maybe one day I will get around to posting them. Teddy likes to plan out exactly what he is going to do in the video - so maybe singing and dancing in the rain - maybe telling a story using the rain. Rainy days are fun days to use the camera on my phone to record them acting like their fun little selves!
My kids also get excited when we pretend we are going to record a YouTube video. Maybe one day I will get around to posting them. Teddy likes to plan out exactly what he is going to do in the video - so maybe singing and dancing in the rain - maybe telling a story using the rain. Rainy days are fun days to use the camera on my phone to record them acting like their fun little selves!
2. The Forgotten Shopping Mall
I don't know about your town, but our mall is only ever busy around the Christmas season. This last rainy day, the kids and I went to the local mall. They have a climbing designated play area, a train that rides around the mall, stuffed riding animals you can rent, and a carousel! I used to travel around the country for work and visiting shopping malls was always something I loved (shopping addiction). I know every mall is unique and they all have some sort of charm. We had a blast! They even like going to the food court and smelling the smells if we don't want to get a treat!
3. The Library
We LOVE the library. There is always something new to see and do at the library. One of our favorite games to play at the library is to think of an upcoming holiday, a topic that we want to learn more about, or something we recently talked about. Then we go on a hunt to look for books related to these! We can talk about searching for books on the computer. They also love the really organized nonfiction section of our local library to meander through. Our library hosts regular read-alouds and activities for kids, so if it's raining, you might be able to tag onto one of these that you don't regularly attend. Our local events are all free and a great break in the day!
4. Children's Museums
My kids love their museums. For me, museums have to be structured and planned out ahead of time. I get too stressed when I let my kids just run free in a museum and have to corral them both. That being said, rainy days are great days to visit their favorite local museums. While my kids love the children's museums we have here in Arizona, they also love off-beat museums too - Arizona History, Fire History, Aviation. They love looking at new and different things!
5. Run Errands - Target and a Craft? Hair cut?
I love Bullseye's Playground at Target. I am guilty of buying lots there! I also love the little bins near the Michaels checkouts that have fun activities too. Hobby Lobby sometimes has some cheap themed crafts closer to holidays and the beginning of seasons. If we want to get out of the house on a rainy day, sometimes I take the kids to my favorite craft stores (or Target) and we find a cheap activity that will keep us busy. I can also get some shopping done (or at least a curbside pick-up). We avoid the toy aisle because we aren't looking to pack the house with more stuff, just find something different to do!
I am also reeeeally bad at getting haircuts done in a timely manner for my kids. What an easy, quick trip out of the house to get something productive done? My kids love getting their hair cut because they get little dum dum suckers after. They also think they are pretty cool to go to Sports Clips where adults get their hair cut. Let's face it, if it's a week day, it won't be too busy and you can cross something off the to-do list!
I am also reeeeally bad at getting haircuts done in a timely manner for my kids. What an easy, quick trip out of the house to get something productive done? My kids love getting their hair cut because they get little dum dum suckers after. They also think they are pretty cool to go to Sports Clips where adults get their hair cut. Let's face it, if it's a week day, it won't be too busy and you can cross something off the to-do list!
Archives
January 2024
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
June 2023
March 2023
January 2023