5 Tips for Staying Safe this Summer

Summer vacation is in full force. The kids are out of school and many families spend time outdoors enjoying themselves. While you and your family are out and about, make sure you are following these summer safety tips. Summer Safety Tips Prevent Playground Injuries The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that emergency departments in the United States treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. Check to make sure the surfaces under the playground equipment are safe, soft, and well-maintained. Before letting your child run and play, take a minute to make sure the … Continue reading

Frugal Ways to Entertain Your Kids this Summer

Summer vacation is a time that most children excitedly look forward to. It is easy to see why. They get a whole lot of free time! Parents are going to need some frugal ideas for fun activities that will entertain their children. Here are a few ideas to try. Bubbles Little kids cannot get enough of bubbles! You can pick up small bottles of bubbles, complete with bubble wand, from a dollar store. Check the dollar racks at Target, too. Parents can sit down outdoors and blow bubbles that their toddlers will chase. Older kids can blow bubbles on their … Continue reading

Frugal Tips for Summer Activities

Summer vacation is a great time for families to go out and do things together. Visiting amusement parks, dining out, and staying in hotels can end up costing a lot of money. Travel expenses can quickly add up, too. Here are some frugal tips that will help your family enjoy summer vacation without having to go into a lot of debt. Pack some snacks. Make use of your child’s lunchbox this summer. It is the perfect container for easy to eat snacks that your family can bring along on car trips. Instead of stopping the car at the nearest fast … Continue reading

Gas Tank Getaway: Six Flags Great America

Don’t let high gas prices keep you home this summer.  There’s no need to sweat it out in your backyard when extreme family fun is less than a tank of gas away. If you live in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan or Illinois, a mecca of mind-blowing adventure awaits at Six Flags Great America.  The popular theme park is located in Gurnee, Illinois; less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Milwaukee, and a host of other major Midwestern cities. Great America’s convenient location is a major timesaver, but the savings don’t stop there.  In addition to banking gas money, you can continue … Continue reading

Fewer Babies? Blame It on the Economy

Would you let the economy dictate how many children you have, or if you have children at all? For many couples, the poor state of the economy has forced them into remaining childless, even through they have always dreamed of having children, they say. If you’ve noticed fewer babies and young children at the park lately, you aren’t imagining things. According to the Centers of Disease Control, the U.S. fertility rate has dropped sharply since the country went into recession (2007), and it shows no signs of bouncing back any time soon. Experts predict that when the economy does eventually … Continue reading

Exploring the International Disney Parks

Disney World and Disneyland aren’t exactly the same, so why should the other Disney parks abroad be similar?  If you ever get the chance to travel to an international Disney park, perhaps to Tokyo Disneyland for the new D23 convention this fall, you might notice a few differences from the domestic ones.  BBC Travel did a report on some of the unique things that set the international parks apart. One of the most obvious differences is the food.  While you can get some international food at Disney Parks, especially at Epcot at Disney World, it’s still not standard.  Obviously, that’s … Continue reading

Win a Disney World Trip in the Fantasyland Sweepstakes

Now that the new Fantasyland is up and running (though not every single aspect of the park is open yet), it’s time for Disney World to offer fans a chance to win a free trip there.  The Disney Store is currently running a sweepstakes to win a 5-day, 4-night vacation at Disney World. Although the sweepstakes is in honor of the new Fantasyland, the prize doesn’t revolve too much around it.  Guests could win and choose to spend most of their time outside the Magic Kingdom, if they wanted.  Grand prize winners get to spend one night in the Cinderella … Continue reading

A Whale of a Good Time

There’s no better time than now to get up close and personal with some of the most awe-inspiring creatures on planet earth.  Whale watching season is officially underway in California.  Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to view the massive aquatic mammals as they complete their annual migration. From now through early April you can watch as tens of thousands of gray whales come within a few miles of the San Diego coast on their 5,000-mile southern voyage.  The following family-friendly options are available for kids of all ages to witness the peaceful giants of the … Continue reading

Keep Pets Safe from Outdoor Seasonal Dangers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful! People who have one or more pets that primarily live outdoors need to take extra precautions to keep them safe as the weather gets cold and miserable. VPI has created a helpful list of 10 seasonal dangers to outdoor pets. When you go out into the snowy, Winter, weather, you probably bundle up. Most of us wear warm coats, gloves, hats, and scarves if we are expecting to be outside for more than a minute or two. Your pets can’t do that. This could lead to a very serious, and tragic, situation. You might … Continue reading

Ways to Savor Summer Nights

While some parents are busy belting out “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” I am desperately trying to squeeze as much outdoor fun into what’s left of my daughter’s summer break. Classes resume next week and neither one of us is ready to say so long to the season. My family spends a ton of time outside during the summer months, and this year has been no exception, despite the record-breaking heat. Now that the new school year is about to start, we are trying to get in as many outdoor adventures as possible. Since I telecommute, I … Continue reading