Last Minute Mother's Day Gifts to Make for Mom or Mom Mom!

I set my mind to it this year my 2 1/2 year old is going to make something for the mom-mom's for Mother's Day rather than buy some expensive object that has no special meaning. I am not terribly crafty so of course I had to turn to my friends on Pinterest for a little help and I am amazed at what I found. There are some talented ladies out there! 

If you need something to make for your mom or that special mom-mom in your life check these fun and easy crafts out: 

I do have this one super easy craft that I made back in the beginning of the year that may make a nice gift for Mother's Day. You simply decorate a ceramic plate anyway you'd like and then bake it. Maybe it can her special dessert plate or consider putting your art on a mug for her to drink her coffee out of. I decorated with a basic floral theme but the skies the limit. You can put inspirational quotes or a Bible verse. Here's the one I did:

I love this Kids Made Jewelry Dish featured on Inner Child Fun by Valerie. It seems so simple that even I can do it! Made of clay it would be a lot of fun for the kids to roll out with a rolling pin and then put a finishing touch on with a stamp. You then put it in the oven. Seems so perfect since both mom moms have lots and lots of jewelry! 

Here's another fun one from Inner Child Fun. What can I say? She is incredibly talented. I have tons of her things pinned! Make a tea bag tag of your child doing wild and crazy things and then attach it to the string on a tea bag. This is perfect since I bought my mom a really beautiful mug for Mother's Day that says "Moms are gifts from above." Cool. I best get picture snapping!

Here's a fun one from my blogger friend Lauryn, author of The Vintage Mom. She made a Recycled Floral Bouquet that's beautiful! And check out the page she put together of other floral bouquets your kids can easily make. 

These Kid Canvas' from A Day in My Life are cute too! Those featured include a child's footprint and free form art created by a child. It's easy and requires only a few items. The possibilities are endless with this option.

What was the cutest thing you ever made for your mom?

Free for Mother's Day in South Jersey and More

Moms swim for free at Sahara Sam's in Berlin, NJ on Mother's Day. Check out my review at Sahara Sam's.

Also, the Garden State Discovery Museum is allowing free entry for moms. May 12th from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.

And here is a list of zoos across the country featuring free admission for those of you who live elsewhere or are from Jersey and may be traveling. Enjoy!

Free dessert at Pizzeria Unos! No coupon needed. Choice of four scrumptious desserts!

Free breakfast for mom at Ikea. Includes a breakfast plate and a cup of coffee. $1.98 value.

What Mother's Day freebies do you know of? Please share! 

 

National Public Gardens Day is Coming - May 10th, 2013!

Don't forget! National Public Garden Day is coming this Friday, May 10th. This could be a great way to spend time with your mother for Mother's Day! For details and info on our trip to the Tyler Arboretum, visit:  National Public Garden Day.

Sesame Place Review

As part of the Sunny Day Blogger program, I received four tickets, free parking and some pretty tasty Elmo cupcakes and soft pretzels from Sesame Place in exchange for a blog post. I did not receive any monetary compensation. As always, my opinions are honest and my own.

We chased the clouds away on Opening Day at Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA, and had such a great a fun-filled day!  The end of April is the perfect time to go because although it was crowded it wasn't jam packed like it was in July when we went last. This is a great time of year to check out the water park too. The weather was sunny and low 70's so there weren't too many people in the water park. This would have been a great chance to explore it - I can't say I was brave enough though! We stuck to the dry rides. 
 

There were a lot of highlights throughout the day but one of my favorites were the character greetings. The characters were friendly and playful with my little guy and he just ate it up! Plus they were easy to find and around a lot. They could be found mostly in Sesame Neighborhood (along the parade route) and in a building next to Grover's World Twirl ride (you have to pay for these photos). Here's Dante hamming it up with Elmo at the Media reception. Not only did he get the hug he was hoping for but a kiss, a high five and a knuckle bump (his favorite!)

We played around with Bert and Ernie too...

Next we tackled the rides going up and down and up down the big slide and then off to the Merry-Go-Round. Dante loved the whimsical, colorful horses. He was happy to wave to mom mom and pop pop every time we went around. He's a big boy ya know?

Peek-A-Bug was another one of Dante's favorites. Spoiler alert: if you get dizzy easily this isn't the ride for you! It goes up and down a track and the twirls around. A lot. Everyone enjoyed it but I will admit I got a little dizzy on it.

This rope climbing structure looked like fun but I was too hesitant to let Dante go on it. There are areas where it doesn't look like adults can go because the netting is too small and I didn't want to send him on his own since he is only 2 1/2. I think the perfect age would be about 3. In fact, I think the whole park is a great place to take 3-7 year olds. 

Another favorite highlight of the day was the daytime parade which takes place in Sesame Neighborhood. It's about 20-30 minutes of non-stop singing and dancing along with colorful floats and a little bit of audience participation.  Keep in mind that if you want to get a decent view you need to show up to the area at least 15-20 minutes early and I would advise even sooner during peak months. Shoot to stand somewhat in line with the Carousel because the characters stop and dance half way through the parade right around that area. 





Pluses of Sesame Place:

• There is a lot  variety between the water park, the dry rides, the shows and the character greetings.

• It's a great place to take the younger crowd (around 3-7) which can sometimes be hard to find.

• The characters are all over the place making them hard to miss.

• Showers and places to get change are available if you plan on going to the water park.

• They have areas to breastfeed for those with infants. Once you approach the building you have to call on  the phone outside to get permission to enter. This is for your safety and those already inside.

• They have three fun shows plus the daytime and night time parades.

• They have numerous restaurants on the premises some of which are allergy friendly. Learn about allergen info at Sesame Place. 

• They offer numerous events throughout the year including for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and play dates. Check out their 2013 calendar for details.

• They have locker and stroller rentals for your convenience.

• They offer bottle warmers at some of their restaurants.

• You never have to worry about being out of place with your children. It's a kid friendly place for sure!
• They are special needs friendly making special arrangements throughout the park and hosting special needs events on occasion.

• They have some pretty awesome Elmo cupcakes! We enjoyed a few!  

• They have a Starbuck's for sleep deprived parents (and no, this isn't a plug for Starbuck's but I guess the mention isn't hurting them any!)

• The entire place is very clean.

Minuses of Sesame Place:

• It can be a little pricey if you have several children.  Tickets are $59.99 for children two and up. A great alternative is to consider getting a season pass which is $96.99 a person and includes unlimited visits and 30% off all merchandise in their stores. This could make a great gift!

• I think the food was good quality and many choices were provided but I thought it was also a little pricey ($8.99 for a kids meal) and I didn't like how you had to purchase it.  Most of it was presented as a combo which I didn't necessarily want. My little one is only 2 1/2 to a kids meal was a little bit too much. I would have like to have seen maybe a kids meal for the big kids and separate kids meal for the small kids at a cheaper price or more single serving options. I ended up getting a pizza combo ($10.99) with a garden salad ($3.99) and sharing with him. If you would rather avoid the food altogether you can get your hand stamped and leave the park to get a meal from somewhere in the surrounding area and then return.

• I only found 1 changing table in each of the bathrooms but it didn't present any problems while I was there. I would only imagine that that might be a little tough when the park is more crowded. Even it is a problem there are numerous bathrooms throughout the park, before you even enter park and in the shower area.

Free Day at Sesame Place for Children with Disabilities

 

Children with disabilities, their parents and their siblings will enjoy complimentary entrance to Sesame Place on Saturday, April 20th. 

For this event, Sesame Place will make special accommodations for children with autism including:

·        Designated quiet areas

·        Volume adjustments of the public address system and music

·        Characters are instructed not to initiate contact

·        Gluten Free foods

Preregistration is required by going to:

VarietyPhila.org 

Parking will be $25.00 per vehicle, with proceeds supporting Variety – The Children’s Charity.  

Thumbs up to Sesame Place for doing this!

About Variety – The Children’s Charity:
Since 1935, Variety has continued its mission of building independence and self-confidence in children and youth with physical and developmental disabilities throughout the Delaware Valley, New Jersey and Delaware by engaging them in recreational, social and educational enrichment activities, while connecting families to resources. For more information, visit www.varietyphila.org or call (215) 735-0803.

About Sesame Place:
Ideal for families with young children, Sesame Place is the place where parents and children can share in the spirit of imagination and experience Sesame Street together. Sesame Place is located just 30 minutes north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes south of New York City. For more information, visit www.sesameplace.com or call 1.866.GO.4.ELMO.