Family Fun

Our Fun Disney Kids Preschool Playdate

December 9, 2014 by Sandra 6 Comments

Thanks to Walt Disney World Resort and MomSelect for the fantastic party kit I received to create a truly memorable Disney Kids Preschool Playdate. #DisneyKids #DisneySide

There are two things that I love — getting together with family and talking about Disney World!

So we were incredibly excited to host a little preschool playdate and invite my sister over with her two preschool-aged children. 🙂

Even though Sarah (my sister) and I live close by, we both work from home, have kids that keep us busy, and simply don’t have time to get together as often as we’d like to.

Disney Kids Preschool Playdate

For the playdate, Disney sent us a kit that turned a simple playdate into an amazing day to remember. It was filled with Jake and the Never Land Pirates themed items that made our time together fun and extra-special.

Toys, Snacks, Lunch, and Games

The playdate started with the kids making sure they each had a few small pirate toys to play with. For easy locating, we made sure to put each child’s toys on their plate at the table.

This was followed by delicious, kid-friendly snacks. My kids were elated to have fruit snacks, because they’re a rare treat in our home. They loved the chocolate chip protein bars, too.

The Crunchmaster crackers were gone in sixty seconds. Well, not literally, but they didn’t last long! Seriously, good! 🙂

The kids enjoyed a super simple lunch of popcorn chicken and fries, and at some point, I remember giving them all their very own Disney luggage tags. 😉

The luggage tags were a hit and went along well with the Disney World video we had going during the playdate.

We did a variety of things for fun and games. But I think the favorite activities had to be playing Disney bingo, building a Mega Bloks truck, and creating with Kinetic Sand!

By the way, out of all the different “sands” we’ve tried over the years, Kinetic Sand is my favorite. It’s EASY to clean up and doesn’t make a huge mess like the other ones we’ve used in the past.

While the kids played, it was great to be able to catch up with my sister and talk about my family’s Disney trips.

Sarah has never been to Disney World (my first visit there was when I was 29-years-old), but she wants to take her little ones sometime soon. I shared some of my best tips with her and talked about what an awesome vacation spot Disney is for families.

The preschool playdate turned out ~~to be like five hours long~~ better than I’d expected.

Judging from all the smiles, I think everyone involved had a fabulous time. 🙂

Who would you invite to a Disney Preschool Playdate? What’s your favorite Disney memory?

Thanks again to Disney and MomSelect for the fantastic party kit I received for our #DisneyKids playdate.

Peep and the Big Wide World (Plus a Fun Science Activity!)

November 28, 2014 by Sandra 3 Comments

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with PEEP and Latina Bloggers Connect.

Homeschooling my 5-year-old son, David, is not easy.

He’s always been my strong-willed child and lets me know right away when he doesn’t like something. Whether it’s coloring or working with flashcards, if he’s not interested in it, well, school can turn into the “low part” of his day in a hurry. 😉

As his mother and teacher, I don’t want that for him. I want him to be excited about school and learning. So you can imagine how excited I was to have discovered an entire website full of educational activities that David actually loves!

Peep and the Big Wide World

The website is called Peep and the Big Wide World. It’s named after the series by the same name that appears on public television. Maybe your kids have watched an episode already?

The Peep and the Big Wide World series stars a wide-eyed chicken named Peep, a robin named Chirp, and an endearing duck named Quack. They live in a large urban park — a place of endless wonder, adventure, and mystery – perfect for learning science and math concepts each and every day!

David and my other kids have been getting to know Peep and his friends, and amazingly, David and Isaac, my 7-year-old son, are learning even as they watch.

They learned how to “Mississippi count” the other day. 🙂

They’re learning even more from the Peep and the Big Wide World educational apps that we installed on some of our electronic devices. As a mom, I’m a huge fan of apps that teach my kids rather than simply entertain them.

The mobile-friendly digital hub gets preschoolers engaged using fun activities and helps parents be ready and confident to facilitate the exploration of math and science with their child.

Pour and Squirt Water Activity

One of my favorite parts of the Peep and the Big Wide World website is the educators area where you can find a number of different activities to engage your child and encourage their curiosity.

My three youngest kids loved this pour and squirt water activity that I came across on the website.

We basically filled different sized bowls with water, and then they used a variety of household items to pour, squirt, and play.

Mentos Science Activity

Seeing some of the different activities on the Peep and the Big Wide World website made me think about a science experiment we’ve been wanting to try as a family, but kept putting off for one reason or another.

We’ve been wanting to try a fun and easy science activity that involves dropping a bunch of mentos candies into different kinds of pop.

There’s an incredible chemical reaction that occurs between the pop and the mentos, and you really must see it to believe it!

So, we created a video. 🙂

We finally carved out time, gathered the supplies, put on our jackets, and had a GREAT time experiencing such a crazy experiment first-hand!

Below is the video we created for the mentos science activity. The results might surprise you!

I’m so glad we took the time to finally try the mentos experiment.

It is as fun as it looks. 🙂

But, you know, I’m even happier to know that I have another resource when it comes to teaching and homeschooling my kids. I’m certain that I’ll be going back to the Peep and the Big Wide World website again and again. I love that there’s even a Spanish version of the site available – perfect for when I start introducing my kids to more español!

Are your children familiar with Peep and the Big Wide World? Do your children enjoy doing science activities at home?

Connect with Peep: For the latest updates, you can “like” Peep Latino on Facebook and follow Peep here on Twitter.

Six Flags Great America, a Crazy Funnel Dog, and the Peptocopter

November 8, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to go out on a date with my husband and very attached 2-year-old daughter, Elisabeth.

That’s right.

We’re a party of three on dates at the moment. And while it’s true that Elisabeth is almost 3-years-old, she’s terrified of staying home with anyone except for me or Ruben. So she always comes along whenever Ruben and I get the rare opportunity to go out on a date.

We’ve pretty much always practiced attachment parenting, but we may be taking things to a whole new level these days. 😉

Or maybe, this is just a perk of being the youngest of five. Either way, she enjoys her solo time with mommy and daddy!

Six Flags Great America

I went to Six Flags as a blogger, but only to have a good time and not for anything work related. I’m writing this wrap-up post just to share about our experience. 🙂

And that happened to involve trying a crazy-weird funnel dog and seeing what’s known as the “Peptocopter” in action.

Because Elisabeth was with us, we decided to focus on riding things she’d enjoy (another baby-of-the-family perk!). So we rode the carousel over and over and stuck to going on child-friendly rides. She loved it!

The Frank’N Bacon Funnel Dog

We’ve eaten food at Six Flags in the past and enjoyed the typical amusement park foods offered like chicken tenders, fries, pulled pork sandwiches, and funnel cakes.

But this time was different. WAY different.

This time we tried the Frank’N Bacon Funnel Dog.

And, yes, it looks as crazy as it sounds.

To be completely honest, I knew this particular funnel dog would be one of the most unhealthy foods I’d ever eat in my life. I knew that.

But I still wanted to like it.

Because when you’re indulging in unhealthy food… it usually tastes good! 😉

Um, that was not the case here.

I disliked this funnel dog — a lot.

I think it was the actual hot dog inside that was the unpleasant part of it. It simply didn’t have a good taste to it. Perhaps, if that part of the Frank’N Bacon Funnel Dog had been different, I might have a different opinion.

In case you’re wondering, Ruben felt the same way. An he regretted eating as much of it as he did!

We ended up sharing a funnel cake later that day. And the funnel cake indulgence was much better than the funnel dog. 🙂

The Peptocopter

All this talk of unhealthy food brings me to the Peptocopter: a helicopter that drops off Pepto-Bismol to those who go a little overboard on unhealthy foods and need some quick relief.

And, guys, if you eat an entire Frank’N Bacon Funnel Dog, the Peptocopter might just become your best friend.

If you look closely, you can see the Pepto-Bismol secured to the bottom of the Peptocopter.

Ruben and I watched as the Peptocopter sprang into action and delivered some relief to a waiting Six Flags guest. It was pretty entertaining.

And I think it’s a fun way to tackle overindulgence at an amusement park. 🙂

Our little date turned out great! I even enjoyed the long drive there and back. It gave me and Ruben the chance to have a conversation without constant interruptions.

That was nice. 🙂

Have you been to ever been to Six Flags Great America, tried a Frank’N Bacon Funnel Dog, or had a look at the Peptocopter?

David’s Story: Make-A-Wish Trip Recap

September 25, 2014 by Sandra 9 Comments

Shortly before David was scheduled to go into the hospital for his bone marrow transplant last year, we found out that he was going to be granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish organization.

While we were thankful, at the time, we were incredibly concerned with David’s health and the outcome of his impending transplant. We’d been riding an unpredictable roller coaster every day since his diagnosis in August 2013, and we knew things were going to get much worse for our son before they’d get better.

But knowing that something good (in addition to the AMAZING gift of new bone marrow that a man we don’t yet know would give to David) was coming after all of the heartache and pain, encouraged us to look forward to happier, healthier days.

And as you can tell from the pictures, those days are finally here! 🙂

David’s Wish

As you probably already know, David wished to go to Disney World! We’ve been to Disney in the past, but every time is a new experience. And Make-A-Wish truly went above and beyond to make David’s wish awesome and unforgettable for our entire family.

From the limo ride to and from the airport, to the accommodations at the very special resort for kids with life-threatening illnesses, Give Kids the World Village, there were so many special surprises planned along with David’s wish that we weren’t expecting, but we’re so grateful for!

Give Kids the World Village

The villa we stayed in at Give Kids the World was large enough for eight people, and it had everything we needed. Every meal at the Village was free, and honestly, there were so many fun things to do at Give Kids the World that David and his older brother and buddy, Isaac, would have been content to stay there most days and not visit the parks at all.

But alas, we did leave the Village every day to venture out and pack in a whole lot of fun! 🙂

A favorite ride at Give Kids the World Village was definitely the carousel. The best part is that you don’t have to get off when it’s over. You can simply keep riding it over and over, or until your mother says four times in a row is enough. 🙂

The kids also loved the pool, which happened to be close to our villa.

And Mickey comes to you at Give Kids the World! He visits twice a week (I believe) along with other characters.

It was fun getting family pictures with our favorite mouse and with Scooby Doo. David ended up getting in LOTS of pictures with the minions at Universal Studios, which we were also given free passes to on David’s trip!

You may be able to tell from most of the pictures of David that he’s just a little bit fond of minions. 😉

Side note: David first saw the movie “Despicable Me” during one of his many hospital admissions. The rest is history, and we are now the proud owners of 1,543,798 minion toys.

A Special Star for a Special Boy

One very unique way that Give Kids the World made David’s wish extra special is by giving him a star that he was able to personalize before it was placed in the “sky” at the Castle of Miracles.

David’s star will always be here, and anytime we visit Florida we can come back to visit Give Kids the World and look for David’s star in the sky.

The Ice Cream Palace

We ate a lot of our meals at the Ice Cream Palace in GKTW Village. They offered an express breakfast, which we’d eat before we left for the parks almost every day. We also ordered lunch from the pick-up window at Katie’s Kitchen a couple of times, and enjoyed it in the air conditioning of the Ice Cream Palace versus eating outside or taking lunch back to the villa.

And, of course, one must eat ice cream when visiting the Ice Cream Palace. That happened, too. 🙂

At the Parks

For David’s wish, we received passes to spend three days at Disney World parks and two days at Universal Studios. We also received passes for SeaWorld, but we decided not to use those.

Despite the heat and humidity, we had a BLAST at the parks!

Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

Back in August, as the time for David’s wish trip approached, his Wish Coordinator asked about his favorite Disney character and which character meal they could schedule for us. That was an exciting day!

David ended up deciding on Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, and the reservation was made. That particular day ended up being rainy, but it didn’t matter.

We threw on our ponchos and made our way to the food and fun! During the show portion, David even had the chance to hold Mickey’s hand and make a very special memory that I was able to capture on my camera. 🙂

A Little Extra Disney

We spent a total of ten days in Florida. Seven of those days were at Give Kids the World, and the final three days were spent at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. We’d prearranged with Make-A-Wish to extend our trip by a few days and so enjoyed the extra time at Disney World!

THANK YOU, MAKE-A-WISH!

It’s been a long, tough year for David and our whole family, but we’re thankful for all the people behind Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World who offered us happy, joy-filled days after so many difficult ones.

With so much love…thank you!

And, David, we love you. 🙂

For more pictures and to follow David’s continuing journey, please visit his Facebook page. To read previous posts or watch videos about David’s journey so far, visit here.