5 Lessons I Learned at an Amusement Park

You never know where you'll learn a lesson or two!

We checked off another item on our summer fun bucket list this week - visit Six Flags New England. I went on the day trip expecting blistering sun, oppressive heat, and tired feet. I got that and so much more!

In addition to truly enjoying an amusement park for the first time in my life (I don't do roller coasters!), I learned a few life lessons from our summer day trip.

Joel and Sam (3 yrs) riding a Ferris Wheel type ride.

1. Life is not all about me.

Don't get me wrong. As a mom I am all too familiar with this concept! Life ceased to be all about me 9 years ago.

My husband modeled the idea as he readily climbed into and filled 75% of this little wagon. He then rode around in a giant circle in the oven-like wagon. All for the benefit of a 3 year old boy who was too scared to ride alone or with his siblings.

The ride wasn't fun or exciting for my husband but he did it anyway. 

Life is like that. Sometimes you put your own desires aside to help fulfill someone else's dream.

Ellie (5 yrs) loved riding the swings!

2. Life can improve with a shift in perspective.

Ellie enjoyed her ride on the swings immensely. She leaned into it, let go of the plastic covered chains, and waved her arms as if she were flying.

On the other hand, Sam held the chains in a death grip and didn't turn loose during the whole ride. He sat stiff in his seat and managed a smile when encouraged from the sidelines.

Both children rode the same ride but one experienced a fabulous time while the other only endured the ride.

Life is like that. Your response to circumstances shapes the outcome just as much as the circumstances shape you.

Joel impersonated Beyonce while dancing with Daffy Duck!

3. When life's opportunity calls, say "YES!"

As we sat waiting for the Looney Tunes Dance Off show to begin a staff member approached my husband and asked him to participate in the show. Joel had no idea what he signed up for.

In the middle of the performance my introverted husband walked out on stage wearing a bad blond wig, scarf, and sunglasses pretending to be Beyonce!!! We all laughed as he danced around the stage with Daffy Duck and imitated the superstar.

I don't think my kids fully appreciate what it took for their dad to get up in front of complete strangers and act silly. But what a great memory we all have because of his willingness not to take himself to seriously!

Life is like that. You never know how an opportunity will pan out but, if you take a risk, it might turn into something fun and exciting.

4. Carpe diem! Seize the day!

Ellie embodied carpe diem on this day. She rode every ride she was tall enough to ride. She raised her arms in the air and felt the pull of gravity on her insides as her body bounced along the roller coaster track.

She laughed and entered the amusement park fun with gusto! And enjoyed almost every minute of the day. She did NOT enjoy getting soaked on the water ride. 

Life is like that. You embrace the moment and sometimes you love it, while other times you don't.

My Team about to drive off without me.

5. See the big picture.

Today they are 3, 5, 7, and 9 years old. Today I combed her hair into pig tails. I pulled his hat down from the upper shelf in the closet. I made his sandwich. I cleaned his glasses.

On this day they are children enjoying a ride in a motorized car pulled along a track.

I see all of that in this photograph but I also see the future. I see a day in 7 or 8 years when they all climb into a real car and Will drives them off for a night on the town without me. I see a day when my role as a mom shifts from authority to advisor.

Life is like that. You see the frustrations and failures of today and if you are wise you see the successes and possibilities of the future.


Our day trip to Six Flags was a ton of fun. My kids declared it The Best Day EVER! I think I agree with them; lessons, tired feet, and all!


What lessons have you learned this summer?

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Frugal Vacation Planning with SAVE

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE . All opinions are 100% mine.

The Orca Christmas Show at Sea World San Antonio

My family LOVES traveling, but the cost of a family vacation adds up quick! By the time I pay for transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, and souvenirs for 6 people I've usually spent over $1,500!!

To help lower vacation expenses I always search the internet for discounts and coupons on lodging, entertainment, and food. I bet you do the same thing!

Visit San Antonio knows that moms need a good discount so they've come up with a program called SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience. It's one stop internet research for moms planning frugal vacations to San Antonio!

I wish SAVE had been around in December 2011 when my family flew to San Antonio to visit grandparents! We could have saved money using their exclusive discounts, deals, and limited time offers.

Out of curiosity I looked up the 3 attractions we visited last Christmas to see what discounts are currently available.

• SeaWorld San Antonio -SeaWorld offers several coupons to print. $10 off a single day admission, as well as other discounts.
• San Antonio Children's Museum - SAVE currently has a 20% off a family of 4 coupon.
• The Alamo - The Alamo is always free admission but there is a $5 off adult coupon for a tour that includes The Alamo and several other museums.

Since my in-laws live in San Antonio we don't need lodging but if you need a hotel, I highly recommend staying in downtown San Antonio. Multiple museums and attractions are within walking distance of Riverwalk hotels.

We only scratched the surface of San Antonio attractions on our Christmas vacation. Since my in-laws have retired there, I know we'll be back. So using the SAVE website I started a list of places to visit on our next trip:

• Institute of Texan Cultures - Buy one, get one free!
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! and Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum -$1 off each ticket.
• Natural Bridge Caverns - $2 off adult tickets, $1 off child tickets.

In addition to bookmarking the website, follow @SAVEinSA on Twitter for all the updates on deals, limited time offers and ideas to help plan your next trip to San Antonio!


What attractions and hotels from SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience would you include in your San Antonio vacation?


Disclosure: This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE. All opinions are 100% mine. Links to SeaWorld, Children's Museum, and The Alamo take you to my reviews of these sites based on our visit in December 2011.

Our Visit to Franklin Park Zoo for Free Fun Friday

We are a zoo loving family, but after last week's crowd of people and crazy parking at Stone Zoo, my husband and I questioned if we should attend Free Fun Friday at Franklin Park Zoo.

I researched Franklin Park Zoo online and discovered they possess lions, tigers, and other big cats that "our" zoo does not. Big Cats are a favorite of our family.

The drive looked doable, just an hour from our house to the outskirts of Boston. The parking seemed ample. The Zoo appeared larger than Stone Zoo and therefore better able to handle the mass of people.

So a plan was made: leave home at 1 PM and arrive about the time most zoo goers exited.

It was a GOOD plan. Truly it was! And it would have worked if Boston police hadn't decided to make traffic "better" by altering the traffic pattern on the main street leading to the park entrance.

Think I'm kidding?

Ellie was more than a little tired of sitting in traffic!

Our drive home took 1 hour 15 minutes. Our drive to Franklin Park Zoo took 2 hours 30 minutes. Half of that time was spent within 5 miles of the park.


After parking we had exactly 1 hour to tour the zoo before they closed for the night. So my husband scanned the zoo map, made a plan to visit our must-see animals, and off we went.

One of the big cats we watched at Franklin Park Zoo.

We squeezed our way through the crowd to see the sleeping lion, a white tiger keeping cool in a pool, a few other big cats, and assorted smaller animals. We tried to visit the gorillas but the indoor exhibit closed before we made our way across the park.

Overall it was a terrible, rotten experience.

Let me be quick to add that our experience is not a reflection on the quality of the zoo. It may be a good zoo. We don't really know because time constraints and hordes of people kept us from enjoying our visit.

The Stephanie's Mommy Brain Zoo animals!

We arrived home tired, hungry, and frustrated. But at least we spent the day together and created a memory we'll look back on and laugh at. Maybe.

I suppose we could return to Franklin Park Zoo on a less crowded day and pay the entrance fee. Except that we still feel a little traumatized and don't want to pay $78 for admission for our family of 6. Frankly, $78 is a whole lot of money for our family!

For now we'll stay close to home and find a nice secluded park to hike instead of participating in Free Fun Fridays!


Have you visited Franklin Park Zoo? Is it worth spending the money to go back?

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Big Family Friday, Just For Fun Fridays, The Better Mom, Hip Homeschool Hop, Loving Our Children, Mom's Library. 

Hot dogs are a baseball game must for 9 yr old boys!

Will and Dad at Fenway Park for a Red Sox game!

On Tuesday I mentioned that my husband and oldest son visited Fenway Park last week. There was a little more to the story.

Will is a huge Red Sox fan so we decided his gift for his 9th birthday would be tickets for him and dad to go see a game. His initial response was a little eh... but the closer we got to the game the more excited he got.

Being a blogger I sent them off with orders to take lots and lots of pictures. I specifically asked for photos of Will with the baseball field in the background. My husband took a few of those, though my favorite is the one above. The quality isn't great but you can see they are having fun.

Will eating a Fenway Frank.

What I did not expect was a ton of pictures of Will eating. Well, ton might be an exaggeration, I counted 6, out of 69 total. For some reason this makes me laugh. Maybe because wanting to eat a lot is typical of a nine year old boy?

Swallowing the last of the frank and moving on to cotton candy!

Pizza time!

Yes, he ate a hot dog, cotton candy, and soda before the game started. Then partway through the game ate a giant slice of pizza.

The really funny thing was listening to him complain about spending nearly $5 of HIS money on a hot dog.

A lot of memories were made on that trip to watch the Red Sox play and food definitely has it's place among them. For some reason that makes me laugh. I hope it amuses you, too!

What do you eat at a ballgame?


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Visit San Antonio :: SeaWorld San Antonio

Here's my vacation planning tip for the day: make a list of the vacation sites you want to visit. Then follow their social media accounts and blogs. Occasionally tourist sites will share discount codes through their social media accounts.

That's what happened for us. "Visit SeaWorld San Antonio" held the top spot on my San Antonio vacation wish list. So, I followed the SeaWorld San Antonio Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Around Black Friday I saw a discount code (I think it was 20% off) and emailed my father-in-law who planned to gift the entire family (6 adults and 7 children) with SeaWorld tickets for Christmas. He used the discount and literally saved hundreds of dollars!

Now on to our fabulous SeaWorld experience.

The night before our SeaWorld outing my sister-in-law checked the show schedule on their website. We discussed which shows we wanted to see and then planned our day around the shows.

We managed to see the sea lion Christmas show, the Shamu Christmas show, and the Azul show with Beluga whales and various other animals (links are to current versions of the shows).

Seriously, I could have sat and watched the Shamu show all day long. The music and lighting were well timed but the interaction between animal and trainer was fascinating to watch!

My nephews were VERY excited that we sat in the "splash zone" and that their parents allowed them to sit with us. Rain had already soaked our clothes so I didn't think a little more water would hurt us. Much to the boys' disappointment, none of the splashes came anywhere close to us.

My family also enjoyed feeding the dolphins. The containers of fish cost extra but the experience was worth the money! The dolphins allowed us to pet them and talked to us. I love the picture of Will talking with the dolphin (bottom right)! It shows the excited interaction between boy and animal. 

We had a fantastic experience at SeaWorld and I expect we'll visit the park again when we visit San Antonio.

I highly recommend that YOU visit San Antonio. The warm winter weather makes San Antonio a great February Vacation or Spring Break destination!

Have you visited any of the SeaWorld parks?
 
Disclosure: I have received NO compensation for this post. I had a great time with my family in San Antonio, Texas and think you will too.

Read more San Antonio posts:

• Visit San Antonio :: River Walk and The Alamo
• Visit San Antonio :: San Antonio Children's Museum

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Visit San Antonio :: San Antonio Children's Museum

Ben dressed up like a Cowboy/Fisherman.

It seems that every good-sized city boasts of a children's museum. Some are great, some are mediocre. The San Antonio Children's Museum is AWESOME! It just might be my favorite children's museum.

What makes San Antonio Children's Museum so fantastic?

The Exhibits

The Children's Museum contains three floors of interactive exhibits. THREE floors of pretend play, answering "what happens if I..," and just having fun.

We had several favorite exhibits:

Our faces in Science City.

Connecting the Circuit Center in Science City lit up the sign.

We learned how to direct air pressure in the PowerBall Hall.

We pretended to work in a grocery store in the H.E.B. Kids' Market.

The Location

San Antonio Children's Museum is located in downtown San Antonio. It's within easy walking distance of the River Walk, The Alamo, hotels and restaurants.

We only had one day to spend downtown so we split our time between lunch at Fuddruckers, The Alamo and the Museum. Both grown-ups and children enjoyed a really fun day.

Visit San Antonio

I had a great time visiting San Antonio and can't wait to go back! In addition to our day downtown, we also spent a day at SeaWorld San Antonio. I'll share about our sopping wet day at SeaWorld in another post.

I highly recommend that YOU visit San Antonio. The warm winter weather makes San Antonio a great February Vacation or Spring Break destination!

Where is your favorite children's museum?
 
Disclosure: I have received NO compensation for this post. I had a great time with my family in San Antonio, Texas and think you will too.

Read more San Antonio posts:

• Visit San Antonio ::River Walk and The Alamo
• Visit San Antonio :: SeaWorld San Antonio

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Visit San Antonio :: River Walk & The Alamo

In December I crossed off 2 items from my bucket list: visit The Alamo and the Paseo Del Rio (or the San Antonio River Walk).

My family and I flew into San Antonio, Texas shortly before Christmas in order to visit my in-laws who retired there two years ago. This was my first trip to San Antonio.

After spending a couple of days doing the usual Christmas related activities, we loaded up in my in-laws SUV and drove into downtown San Antonio.

Paseo Del Rio

San Antonio impressed me with its clean streets and tourist friendly layout. We easily found a parking garage (I saw little on-street parking) and set off to explore the city.

We wandered around downtown and crossed over the Paseo Del Rio, or San Antonio River Walk, a couple of times. Unfortunately our agenda for the day didn't allow much time for exploring the River Walk but the parts we saw were beautiful.

Shops, hotels, and restaurants lined the River Walk tempting our appetites and wallets. We finally ended up at Fuddruckers in Alamo Plaza where they claim to make "the World's Greatest Hamburgers." They have good reason to make their claim. The hamburgers were HUGE but my hubby managed to eat all of his burger, and declared it delicious.

The Alamo

After filling our tummies we walked down the street to tour The Alamo. This was the highlight of the day for me!

First we posed for the necessary tourist picture. After all, can you really visit such a famous site and NOT take a picture?!

Picture taking completed, we moved into the Long Barrack Museum where we watched a short video explaining the events of March 6, 1836. The Long Barrack Museum also houses a collection of historic items from this era.

As we strolled from display case to display case, I heard my son, Ben (6 yrs.), cry out "Davy Crockett's rifle!" A beginner reader, he had managed to read the sign on the display. Last year we read a biography of Davy Crockett and watched the old movie of his life so Ben recognized Davy's name.

Sufficiently educated about the siege and battle at The Alamo we entered the Shrine. The building you typically think of as The Alamo, and see in the above picture, is the Shrine.

Inside the Shrine everyone speaks in hushed tones, much like you would at a funeral. There are a few more displays to look at and read but mainly I just thought about the men who wanted freedom enough that they died for it.

It's a sobering thought.

Visit San Antonio

I had a great time walking around downtown San Antonio with my family. In addition to the River Walk and The Alamo, we also visited the San Antonio Children's Museum. I'll share about the awesome Children's Museum in another post.

After a day in San Antonio I checked off two items on my bucket list. But I also added 2 new places to visit: The Buckhorn Museum and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum. I guess I'll have to visit San Antonio again!

I highly recommend that YOU visit San Antonio. The warm winter weather makes San Antonio a great February Vacation or Spring Break destination!

Have you visited San Antonio?

Disclosure: I have received NO compensation for this post. I had a great time with my family in San Antonio, Texas and think you will too.

Read more San Antonio posts:

• Visit San Antonio :: San Antonio Children's Museum
• Visit San Antonio :: SeaWorld San Antonio

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A Visit with Pilgrims at Plimoth Plantation

How do you fare, goodwife? Pull up a chair near the hearth and while you eat your pottage I'll tell you about my visit to Plymouth, Massachusetts last year. Unfortunately, another visit is not in our Thanksgiving plans this year but we will make do with other holiday activities.

Plimoth Plantation is a re-creation of the Pilgrim village. Museum staff that work in the village are costumed interpreters. They are amazing actors who will only relate to you as their character who was a real person in the village in 1627.

The blacksmith fascinated us as he pumped giant bellows to increase his fire. Then he hammered a piece of metal into a nail. I think they really use the nails as they build and make repairs. The Museum tries to be as authentic as possible. Can you imagine doing work like that while in character and answering questions? It's fascinating!

Walking through Plymoth Village brings history to life. We saw and touched the grasses being used to thatch a roof. We smelled the smoke that permeates the homes. And we heard the odd-to-us words spoken by our Pilgrim forefathers.

The best part of Plimoth is definitely the interpreters! They turn historical names into living breathing people. Watching a Pilgrim woman maneuver around a fire with her long and heavy skirt takes all the romanticism out. And listening to the Governor discuss relations with the Indians gave me a sense of the fear Pilgrims initially had of attack.

Well, I'd better say fare thee well. I have breeches to mend and a couple of pillowberes to sew before I start cooking dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

Have you visited Plymoth Plantation? What was your favorite part?

Be sure to like Stephanie's Mommy Brain on Facebook where I'm sharing more Thanksgiving tips and links throughout November.

* More Thanksgiving Kids Activities and Books Posts

My Visit to the Mayflower II

As I stepped aboard the Mayflower II (not to be confused with the SMB Mayflower), I wondered what the Pilgrim women felt when they climbed aboard the first time. Busy corralling children and stowing baggage that must have focused on the tasks before them and ignored their fears and apprehensions of sailing out into the unknown.

The Mayflower II

My children excitedly explored the open-to-us areas on deck. William asked a costumed interpreter a few questions about sailing and the ship. Then curiosity drove us below deck to see the area of the (replica) Mayflower that the Pilgrims called home for months.

Sailors quarters

Once below deck I first noticed the lack of lighting. Plimoth Plantation museum installed electrical lighting in the area (and my camera flash filled in a lot more) so you can see to get around but I wouldn't want to try to read fine print for long. I'm sure the candles and lanterns provided the Pilgrims limited lighting as well.

A bunk in the captain's quarters.

Next I realized cold permeated the large room. (Our visit took place in November so it's different during the summer. Also, I wore a sweater, denim jacket and jeans. And was still cold.) I imagine the Pilgrims also felt cold in their temporary home below the water line. Cold and wet as water leaked in from the deck above during the many storms, how did they do it?!

I admire the Pilgrim women. Their bravery and commitment to their husbands should be commended. I don't think I have what it takes to uproot my family, transform an uncomfortable ship into a temporary home, and journey to an unknown place.

I don't have what it takes but I'm sure glad the Pilgrim women did! Could you do it? Would you want to?

Be sure to like Stephanie's Mommy Brain on Facebook where I'm sharing more Thanksgiving tips and links throughout November.

* More Thanksgiving Kids Activities and Books Posts

Mayflower Kid's Activities :: Day 2 Thanksgiving Plan

"Whatever did not fit in the chest had to be left behind." 

On day 2 of our Thanksgiving kid's activities plan we focused on the Mayflower voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. As we continued reading If You Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern, we discussed travel conditions on board the ship.

The Mayflower II in Plymouth, Massachusetts

We imagined traveling for weeks in a space about the size of our home but crammed with over 100 people and all their belongings. How crowded, cold, wet, and bored the Pilgrim children must have been!

We learned that the cargo ship Mayflower was never meant to carry passengers so the Pilgrims built platforms for beds and storage.

Unfortunately, some people had to sleep on the floor. Not a fun place to be when water came pouring down from the deck above during a storm!

After reading about and discussing the Pilgrim's Mayflower journey we pulled out our kids' Thanksgiving journals. First we drew a picture of the Mayflower using Draw. Write. Now Book 3 for inspiration.

Then finished the writing prompt: If I sailed to a New World I would take with me... My children realized their toys weren't really necessary if taking them meant you had no clothes to wear or tools to build a house. But they also felt one chest just wasn't enough luggage!

As we study the history of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims I am developing a whole new level of respect for the sacrifices they made. And we are all a little more thankful for how easy our lifestyle is!

How would you complete our writing prompt: If I sailed to a New World I would take with me...?

Be sure to like Stephanie's Mommy Brain on Facebook where I'm sharing more Thanksgiving tips and links throughout November.

* More Thanksgiving Kids Activities and Books Posts