The Sensible Mom

Food, DIY, Chicago Mom Blogger

Chicago

Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark Surprise

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Thanks to Great Wolf Lodge for working with me and for the day passes they provided for my family.

In this quick video, I surprise my daughter and let her know that we’re going to be heading to an amazing indoor waterpark for kids called Great Wolf Lodge!

We had a wonderful time, and I’ll will share a vlog soon with more details of our visit! Thanks for watching! πŸ™‚

Please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel as I publish videos there before they make it on the blog. Oh, and I share a lot about food, family, and more in my Instagram Stories, so you may want to follow me there as well.

Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge?


Holiday Fun at Santa HQ

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This is a sponsored collaboration with the folks that work with Santa HQ.

I hope you’re enjoying this holiday season. We’ve been loving all the Christmas lights and holiday decor that seem to be more prevalent this year than in the past. People are really getting into the holiday spirit here in Chicagoland! I like it! πŸ˜€

As a family, we’ve been finding ways to enjoy the holidays together and one way we recently took in some holiday fun was when we visited our localΒ Santa HQ.

In case you’re not familiar with Santa HQ, here’s a quick video that shows you what it’s all about. And best of all, it’s FREE! πŸ™‚

Our kids had fun exploring the different interactive areas of Santa HQ and weΒ made great memories in the process.

Here’s our picture of the kids with Santa. I do wish Santa would’ve put on a better smile. Maybe he was just tired. Oh, well! πŸ™‚

All in all, it was a great night, and we even found some fantastic deals on Star Wars toys for my Star Wars fans and a new Elena of Avalor doll for Elisabeth at the Disney Outlet Store because our Santa HQ happened to be located at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois.

What kind of fun does your family enjoy around the holidays?

See if Santa HQ is visiting a shopping center near you by checking out the Santa HQ website.


Holiday Gift Ideas PLUS My Top 3 Chicago Toy and Game Fair Picks

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This blog post includes Amazon referral links.

We’ve been visitingΒ the Chicago Toy and Game Fair for a few years, and every new year is better than the year before.

This year was by far our best experience yet because in addition to getting to try out fun new toys, we also had the opportunity to enjoy a buffet Star Wars themed lunch! πŸ™‚

In the past, we were always provided a nice breakfast of pastries which you can see in a previous year’s vlog here. I’m glad they switched things up and provided lunch this year. It made the day better and the ChiTAG fair more memorable.

Top 3 ChiTAG Toy Picks

There’s always a lot to take in at the ChiTAG Fair, but we manage to visit all of the booths we want to check out, and this year, I decided that I’m going to share my top 3 ChiTAG toy picks with you and, hopefully, in the process, give you a few gift ideas for the kids in your life.

But first, here’s a peek at our lunch table. And, yes, we got to bring all of the toys on the table home with us. Talk about happy kids! πŸ™‚

Now for the picks!

First up is Playfoam.

I chose Playfoam because my kids loved playing with it both at the fair and at home, and it never dries out! So kids are free to create with it over and over again.

Creating with Play Foam at #ChiTAG2017 πŸ˜ƒ @chitagweek

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My next top pick is Light Stax Illuminated Blocks.

I chose Light Stax because they’re so cool and Elisabeth couldn’t get in enough time with these blocks. We had to tell her it was time to move on or she would have stayed and played even longer. Kids can use their imaginations with Light Stax blocks for hours and they’re one of those toys you know your kids won’t get bored playing with again and again.

So many ways to use your imagination at #ChiTAG2017 πŸ˜€ @chitagweek #toys #fun

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My final top pick is the Soggy Doggy Board Game.


Kids were able play a life size version of this game at the fair, and it looked like a lot of fun! No wonder it was a 2017 Toy of the Year Award Finalist.

That’s one huge #SoggyDoggy at #ChiTAG2017 πŸ˜„ @spinmaster @chitagweek #toys #games #fun

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So those are my top 3 ChiTAG toy picks and a few holiday gift ideas. I hope they’re helpful. πŸ™‚

Do you have any kids gift ideas to share? I’d love to hear them!


Local Readers: Trick or Treat at Boo! At The Zoo

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Thanks to the Ferrara Candy Company and Brookfield Zoo for inviting us to attend Boo! at the Zoo again this year.

Last year, we had the opportunity to attend Brookfield Zoo’s Boo! at the Zoo event for the first-time ever, and we had so much fun! You can take a peek at the video above to get an idea of how our day went. πŸ™‚

Boo! at the Zoo is back again this year, and, once again, it’s presented by the Ferrara Candy Company at the Brookfield Zoo on October 21-22 and 28-29. The activities kick off at 10:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM each day.

Ferrara Candy Company will have four β€œTrick or Treat Stations” where they will be handing out candy and have a spot for your family to take a photo. And trust me, your kids will leave the zoo with PLENTY of candy to share. Our kids filled their buckets last year.

More Details:

Sign-up for Boo! At The Zoo is now open for residents of Hillside, Bellwood, Berkeley, Melrose, Stone Park and Northlake to get free admission and round-trip transportation from Memorial Park in Hillside to the event. Registration is first-come, first-serve as 46 people each day (Oct. 21 & 22 and Oct. 28 & 29) will get complimentary admission.

Residents can register on-site at the Eisenhower Community Center, located at 700 Speechley Blvd, Hillside, IL in the admin building. Registration for the first weekend closes at 8:00 PM on Friday. Regular admission price is $19.85 for adults, $14.50 for children 3-11 and admission is free for children 2 and under.

What are some of your favorite fall activities?

If you need treat buckets for your kids, you can check out these ones on Amazon. (referral link)