Special Savings for Big Apple Circus in NYC

If you'll be in the NYC area with your kids over the holidays, you're probably looking for ways to keep the family busy. From now until January 9, 2011, the Big Apple Circus will be at Lincoln Center with its new show, Dance On! In its big top, under which all seats are no more than 50 feet from the ring, you'll see monocyclists, lasso twirlers, a chorus line of 12 miniature horses and more. When you book your tickets, be sure to use this special discount code for saving up to $25 off of each ticket! 

To purchase discounted tickets to the Big Apple Circus:

•  Online: http://bigapplecircus.org/mommy11LC.aspx and submit the code MOMMY11 in the Promotional Codes box in the lower left of the page

• By Phone: Call 888-541-3750 and mention code MOMMY11 
  

Fun at a Discount: Family Deal Sites

We're always looking for good deals on things to do with the little ones. Lately I've gotten into using various discount sites, and we've found some great deals on food and activities (at least 50% off). For instance, we got half-price tickets to the children's museum (saving those for a cold winter day!). So far, I've come across two sites specifically geared toward families:

Mamapedia Sweet Deal - includes deals for the following cities: Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, L.A., Miami, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and St. Louis. When you make a purchase, 5% of it goes to the school or preschool of your choice.

Famgrab (click at the top to change the city) - includes deals for the following cities (all in the South): Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, San Antonio, St. Louis and Tampa. With Famgrab, 10% of the site's profits go to a different charity each month.

Each site has a different deal each day; if a certain number of deals are not sold (but you buy one), your credit card is not charged but the deal is also defunct. This seems to rarely happen. Usually there's plenty of interest in a deal--especially if it's a good one!

Tips:

• Be sure to check on the expiration dates. Sometimes you know you won't make it to a certain location before your discount expires. 
• Sign up to receive the daily deals in your e-mail. That way, you don't have to remember to check the site.
• If you find a deal you like, buy it! Remember, it won't last past the day and it may not last that long if it sells out first (many of the deals on these sites don't have a maximum number of deals, but it never hurts to be sure you have yours).
• Always carefully read all of the details to a deal. Some may have restrictions you can't work with. (However, generally, they're easy to use.)
• Keep other cities' sites in mind for when you'll be traveling. Then you can buy before you go as they come up and enjoy the discount when you're on vacation!

Know of any other family-deal sites?

Build a Bear...or Not...for Fun

The weather has been unbearably hot, and recently we were looking for something inside to do--but we had to get out of the house. At the time, Build-A-Bear Workshop was having a good sale, so we headed to the mall for a bear-making session. Figured it'd be a treat for A, and with the sale, it wouldn't be too costly.

Once we got there, A was definitely more into the accessories than the actual animals. We looked at each animal option, and while she got excited about a couple for a few seconds, overall she just wanted to check the place out. We even tried to talk her into choosing one (which isn't normal for us!), but she was just enjoying the experience. So we watched a few being made, checked out the clothes, and pretended to talk on a cell phone or two, and off we went. Money still in our pockets. So needless to say, if you, too, have a 2 year old, you might consider heading to Build-A-Bear just for the atmosphere! If the child's any older, you'll probably have to buy something. ;) So if you want to make a purchase, print this $5 off $25 purchase coupon on redplum.com for some savings. Just choose the "gifts" category to access the coupon.

Animal Magazine Made for Little Kids

Most little kids love animals--acting like them (as in my little monkey!) and learning about them. I just discovered a magazine just for little ones on that topic. National Geographic Little Kids is targeted to kids ages 3 to 6. I haven't yet seen an actual copy, so I can't say what the content is like, but they do have a website also for that age group (and with a mag subscription link, of course). It has various animal-themed activities such as interactive games (connect the dots, puzzles, etc.), masks to print out, coloring pages and science experiments (though the experiments aren't animal themed!).

If I have a chance to get to the newsstand and check an issue out, I'll post a review.

Make Your Own Foam Letters for the Tub

As one of the many bath-toy options, you can buy foam letters for sticking to the tub. All it takes is getting them wet. But instead of buying pre-made letters, make your own! Not only can you create exactly the letters you want, but it's a lot cheaper to do yourself. For the record, the wet foam will stick to the fridge too, but of course it will fall off once dry. But, hey, that could be an activity to keep them busy while you make dinner, at least!

To make the letters, just buy some sheets of craft foam (I bought a multi-pack of 4x6 colored sheets at a dollar store) and cut out whatever letters you want. Of course you could also cut out shapes, numbers, or even animals.

$1 Each for Popcorn and Drink at AMC Theatres on Sunday!

If you're taking the kids to the movies this weekend, plan to go on Sunday (July 25, 2010) at an AMC Theatre and you can get popcorn and a drink for $1 each...ANY size! Just provide your e-mail address to print the coupon.

Cheerios Necklace: A Snack and Activity in One

Moms of older babies, toddlers and preschoolers often have plenty of Cheerios around. Turn them into a learning activity (but still a treat). For older kids, use a piece of string or non-flavored dental floss (they're floppy so harder to string); for the younger set, use pipe cleaners, which are stiffer. Tie or loop the first Cheerio to the end of the string so it acts as a stopper and won't allow the rest to fall off. Have your child string the rest of the Cheerios on to create a necklace or bracelet (or just slip them back off once they're tired of the activity. Stringing items will help develop their hand-eye coordination and give them a snack! You can use any o-shaped cereal and any flavor (fruit-flavored would give great color--plus, another color-learning opportunity). Some have larger holes, so see which works best for your child.

And if you'll be needing a new box of Cheerios soon, sign up for $4 in coupons!

Egg Decoration and Play for Easter--Little Monkey-Style

Decorating:
Toddlers and preschoolers can have a blast decorating eggs. And while you can certain go the traditional dyeing route, you might prefer a few less messy options if the kids are going to help. And of course, make sure you hard boil these first. Otherwise, you're in for a MAJOR mess.

Set out a variety of colors of crayons and/or washable markers. You'll want to make sure the eggs aren't wet first; otherwise, the color won't stick. An even "cleaner" option is to put out a pile of stickers or foam stickers (you may need to help them peel to access the adhesive) to stick onto their eggs. Circles, flowers, rabbits or favorite characters will be a hit.

Playing:
Once you have your beautiful eggs, you can always hide them in the yard (keep it simple to keep their interest). Or, especially with dyed eggs and infants, you can put the eggs back into the carton and help your baby sort them by color. Playing a game of "roll the egg" is another activity to try. Instead of rolling a ball, roll the egg. They're a great size for little hands to grab; plus, the little bit off wobbling action the egg has as it rolls will be entertaining!

Bowl Without the Alley...or Buying a Set of Pins

Your toddler or preschooler probably loves knocking things over. And you've probably seen (or maybe even have) one of those toy bowling sets. A bit pricey for what it is (in my opinion). However, you can easily make your own, and I bet your set will end up cuter than any you could buy. Plus, this can be an indoor or outdoor game; a great option for a warm spring day!

To make your own bowling set, start collecting empty 2-liter plastic bottles for the pins (to make a full set, you'll need a total of 10). Rinse them out well once the drink is gone. Then you can do any of several things to make up your set of pins. Here are some ideas:

• Leave the labels on if you like the "ad effect"!
• Remove the labels and have clear pins.
• Remove the labels and then have your child add decorations like stickers or foam shapes with adhesive backing.
• With clear pins, you can even put things inside for added drama (and, if you fill it up enough, an extra challenge for knocking them over). Try colored beads, pom-poms, colored sand, glitter, bells, colored tissue paper (for color and a textured look) and old buttons. Just be sure you the lid is on tightly so you don't have any accidents or give kids access to choking hazards.

Now all you need is a rubber ball to roll at them. Then let the kids have at it!

Homemade Scratch-n-Sniff Paintings -- Plus Learning About Fruits

Remember the water painting I mentioned awhile back? Well, I recently learned you can add a whole new dimension to it! If you mix 1 Tbsp. of Kool-aid in warm water, you can create a "paint" that then turns into a scratch-n-sniff work of art! The kids paint with it (which is obviously no longer clear but whatever color your flavor is), then let it dry for 24 hours. After that, they can scratch and sniff their paintings.

A potentially even better (or at least more educational) idea is to print out coloring sheets of various fruits and have your child paint each their appropriate color and scent! For instance, you could give them a strawberry to paint in the strawberry flavor, an orange with orange, etc. It teaches them about smell and colors.You can find some fruit page to print here (look in the bottom of the left column to additional pages) or here.

And don't discount the fun to be had by your little one when he gets to pour in the tablespoon of mix and then stir it up and watch the water change color!

Edible Fun! Peanut Butter Playdough

Many young kids have lots of fun squishing and molding Play-Doh, but some even want to eat it. To make that a non-issue, create your own edible playdough!
Here's what you need:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup honey (or substitute light corn syrup for kids under 1)
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 cup powdered milk

You may want to play with this base recipe to get it the consistency you prefer. Once the kids are done playing, they can use it as a snack. You can also put any leftovers in a sealed container and store in the fridge for later use.

Finding Gold the Toddler Way

Get your child in the St. Patrick's Day spirit while helping him learn colors and have fun (and a treat) at the same time. Use chocolate gold coins to represent the pot of gold. Get some rainbow-colored bowls or cups, then set a coin under all or just a few of them (when your child's not looking). Then ask your little leprechaun to pick up or find the blue bowl (or whatever color has a coin beneath). When he chooses the right one, he gets a treat!

If you'd rather not give your child chocolate, you could always use a golden cookie like a vanilla wafer as your coin (or even Cheerios for mini-coins). And of course you could hide the coins under anything, but the rainbow containers play on the theme of a pot of gold under the rainbow.

Homemade Bubbles: Easy, Cheap and Fun!

The Little Monkey loves bubbles. Now that the weather's thinking about getting warmer, I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time outside blowing them. I've found several variations for making homemade bubbles (generally one of two recipes). Going homemade is cheaper (mostly because you can make in a large amount from household items), and they work better than other "cheap" bubbles you might find. And of course you could double or half the recipe, depending on how much you want to make. Store the mixture in a jug and pour out into a shallow dish when needed. For best results, combine the ingredients the night before (but don't shake or stir them) and let them sit overnight.

This first recipe uses light corn syrup:

4 cups water

1 cup dishwashing soap 

1/4 cup light corn syrup*

*You might avoid this recipe if your yard is prone to stinging insects as the sweet corn syrup may attract them.

The next recipe uses glycerin, which is said to help make the bubbles work better. I've yet to try it, but when I do, I'll let you know what I find. Have any of you used glycerin to make bubbles? What did you think?

1 gallon water
2/3 cup dishwashing soap
2 to 3 tbsp. glycerin*

*Glycerin can be found at drug stores.

To go along with your bubbles, use objects from around your house as the bubble "wand." Try cookie cutters, pipe cleaners with shapes formed at the end and metal rings. Of course you can also often find bubble wands at discount or dollar stores.

Making Antennaes For Your Little Ladybug

My mom created cute ladybug antennaes for A's first birthday (which was a flower and ladybug theme). A still loves putting them on almost 9 months later. These are great for birthday parties or just for dress-up play. While little ones can't help put them together, they'll have lots of fun with the finished product!

Here's how to create them:
    1. Buy some narrow headbands (those found at a dollar store will work fine), pipe cleaners, pom-poms, and ribbon (mom used grosgrain; sticks well to the glue and doesn't slide on hair as easily. 1/4" is a good width).
    2. Hot glue about an inch worth of the center of one pipe cleaner to the center top of the headband. You'll then have to pieces sticking up acting as antennaes.
    3. Wrap the headband in ribbon, hot gluing small sections as you go. (Either butt the ribbon edges against each other or overlap them slightly so the headband itself doesn't peek through).  Go right over top of the glue-down portion of the pipe cleaners.
    4. Hot glue one pom-pom to the end of each antenna (they disappear a bit in the picture since they're black).

Like I said, this was to represent a ladybug, so mom made some with hot pink pipe cleaners and some with black. But you could certainly do any color you like to create butterfly, bee or other insect antennaes!


If you'd like to see a more up-close image of the antenna, just let me know.

Fun Morning at Monkey Joe's

This morning my daughter and I went to Monkey Joe's with some friends. I hadn't been there before, but knew A would love it. Apparently, we went at a great time--midweek soon after they opened for the day. There were about 10 people there at the beginning; by the time we left (about noon), there were still still only about 25 people.

A and her friend had a blast on the 3 and under bounce houses and slides. Then, because there weren't many people, they also took on the "big kid" options--went down the big slides, bounced in the houses (which are more like obstacle courses). Fun was had by all--and it only cost $5 plus tax (you can stay as long as you want/can stand it! Of course, I was expecting A to take a long nap this afternoon. So far (at 5 p.m.!), no such luck...

What is your favorite play place for your little ones?