Search Results for: blog blues first holiday

Family Travel: Dolls, LEGO and Blues

Could the Mall of America get any better? American Girl fans answered yes and mall officials listened. Come November (just in time for the holidays) American Girl will call the massive shopping center home. Which means your kids have one more location to blow their allowance money on the mega-popular dolls and their mountains of accessories. The new store is making headlines because, according to company execs, American Girl is very selective about where it sells its goods. Company reps say the American Girl store in the Mall of America will span 20,000-square feet, feature two stories and include a … Continue reading →

Affordable Winter Escapes

Don’t wait until after Christmas to jet out of town on a family getaway.  If you are looking to score some serious travel bargains, now is the time to hit the road.  You can take advantage of money-saving offerings in these popular vacation destinations from now until December 26th: New York City:  Believe it or not, you can snag a bargain in the Big Apple in the weeks preceding Christmas.  Take in the amazing holiday light displays, skate at Rockefeller Center, shop on Fifth Avenue and sled in Central Park while saving money on your hotel room.  The Hotel Wolcott … Continue reading →

Surviving a Marathon Car Ride with Kids

With Memorial Day weekend upon us, many families are loading up the van and heading out on the highway for a long weekend at the beach or grandma’s house. According to AAA, nearly 35 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the long holiday weekend. For parents, that means being stuck in a small enclosed space with a bunch of kids whining about how they are stuck in a small enclosed space. While it may be easy to cure the boredom blues by throwing on a portable DVD player or giving your kids extra batteries to … Continue reading →

July 4 Celebrations at Disneyland

With another national holiday just around the corner, it’s time again to look at the special events going on at the Disney Parks. Last year I highlighted what went down in Orlando for July 4. I thought I would switch things up this year and focus on the events in Anaheim. The official Disney parks blog has an overview of what to expect at Disneyland on the 4th, which links to the Disneyland Daily Events calendar for the specifics. One thing you should definitely anticipate: fireworks. But then you probably guessed that already. Because July 4 is a Monday this … Continue reading →

Cures for Cabin Fever

For most parents today is the day they have been looking forward to since before Christmas—the end of winter recess. Millions of kids head back to school today following an extended holiday vacation. However, my daughter isn’t one of them. Actually, there are quite a few states that don’t reopen schools until next week. That means seven extra days of dealing with the “Moooooooom, I’m bored!” blues. If your cabin fever is spiking right about now, then consider the following kid-friendly activities to keep boredom at bay: Aluminum Foil Snowflakes: Stack several sheets of aluminum foil together and fold the … Continue reading →

Cure For Cabin Fever

Or, for a traditional fever. My 5-year-old is currently battling a fever, strep throat and swollen sinuses, and the activity that I’m sharing with you today has proven to be just as effective in cheering her up, as it would for kids suffering from cabin fever. After all, nothing beats the winter blues like a cupcake. And if that cupcake is in the shape of an adorable polar bear, then all the better. The following kid-friendly kitchen project is ideal for housebound children, who are going stir-crazy, and for parents looking to preserve their sanity: POLAR BEAR CUPCAKES Ingredients: Vanilla … Continue reading →

Folk Singer Odetta Holmes Dies at 77

Folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta Holmes, known professionally as Odetta, died this week of heart disease at the age of 77. Odetta influenced a generation of singers such as Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, Janis Ian, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez with her folk, blues, and gospel classics. Dylan was quoted as saying, “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. From Odetta, I went to Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, little by little uncovering more as I went along.” By the way, I missed my change to blog about the October 1, 2008 passing … Continue reading →

A Week’s Worth of Fall Fun

Welcome to autumn. Monday was the first official day of fall and to celebrate we kicked off a slew of simple projects to celebrate the season. Whether you are looking for affordable ways to decorate your home or you simply need kid-friendly art projects to keep your little ones busy as they count down to Halloween the following blogs should come in quite handy: Simple Halloween Crafts: Fun with Paper Plates. Banish the “Mom-I’m-bored” blues by letting your kids turn ordinary paper plates into legitimate Halloween decorations. These craft projects are perfect for cash strapped families looking to get into … Continue reading →

Reasons to Visit Chicago During the Summer Months

So, now that you know why visiting Chicago in the spring is such a great idea let’s turn our attention to what the Windy City has to offer during the rest of the year. In the month of June Grant Park becomes a mecca for blues fans. The hugely popular (and always jam packed) Chicago Blues Festival takes place the first weekend in June and the best part—–it’s free! June is also the month when the most decadent food festival in the country takes place. Taste of Chicago runs for 10 days from late June through the July 4th holiday … Continue reading →

Blue’s Clues

It used to be that Sesame Street was the most beloved children’s television show of all time. It’s certainly still up there in the ratings, but of all the shows that have come around more recently, Blue’s Clues is giving the old classic a run for its money in the popularity department. The premise is simple. A young man named Steve lives in a house with his puppy, Blue, and several talking objects such as a drawer, a clock, a shovel and pail, and a salt and pepper shaker set. Each day, there’s something Blue would like to do or … Continue reading →