Kid Friendly Garden

Hi All!
I decided today would be a great day to blog. Are any of you interested in creating a garden? Or have your kids been wanting to help you out in the garden? I figured out a kid friendly way to garden. It won't take a lot of money, time and it won't be messy. If you don't feel like digging a big hole in the middle of your yard this is the garden for you!

1. Buy 2-3 vegetable plants. You can find reasonable priced plants at your local hardware or grocery store. I bought mine at Home Depot. The best types of plants that are easy to grow and yummy to eat are: tomatoes, green peppers and green beans. However, the beans will climb so they need something to attach to.

2. Pick a spot to place them. I have a deck and therefore I placed my plants inside our deck. This will keep the animals away, provide good sun and a place for my bean plant to crawl on. If you don't have a deck place the planets by some flowers. The flowers will keep the animales away too.

3. Water your plants every day. Since they are potted plants they will need a little extra water. So...soak em good! If your leaves start to turn yellow that means you need to cut back on the H2O.

4. If you are not sure on any of the above or have questions just ask your local head Gardner. Each hardware store and grocery store should have a head Gardner on staff to provide you with the answers to your questions.

Growing a garden will teach your kids patients and how to take care of something. It will also get them outside and they will enjoy seeing something grow!

Remember to visit Mypersonalizedprint.com for personalized placemats for meal-time and they make great gifts! You can also follow me on Twitter @Mycreatedprint. I tweet about all things kids, family, and grandparents!

Destination Vegas...Family?

Happy Friday!
I lied...I decided to blog today too. I'm heading on vacation soon to...yep you guessed it VEGAS! Do you want to take a trip to Vegas soon too? I'm here to tell you that you can do it as a couple or take the kids a long. You probably think I'm crazy, right? Take the kids a long? Not at all! Below is how you do a Vegas vacation family style!

There are plenty of things to do in Vegas for the whole family and many things to do that are right outside of Vegas.

1. Hotel vs. rental house?: Some fun hotels for the kiddos would be Excalibur, Circus Circus, & New York New York. If the hotel and strip aren't for you try renting a house. Most rental houses come with your own pool (no fighting for a chair), own rooms, fun games (pool table, fooseball etc) and most come fully stocked (coolers, beach chairs, bikes).

2. Things to do in Vegas: You don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun in Vegas. Take the kids around to all of the cool hotels and explore with them. a. Go to the Mirage and see the Secret Garden and the Volcano. b. Watch the Pirate Show at the Treasure Island Hotel. c. If you want to spend a little money take the kids to see the Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur Hotel.

3. Things to do outside of Vegas: Want to take some small day trips and explore the sites? Nevada is a beautiful state! It depends on how far you want to travel but the following are great things to go do and see. Plus....you will get to wind through the beautiful mountains!
a. The Hoover Damn
b. Red Rock Canyon
c. Rent a boat and go on Lake Mead or just take in the scenery
d. The Grand Canyon, North Rim

See...There is plenty to do in Vegas with the kids. If your not up for bringing them a long take a trip just the two of you. You can do all of the above and add some fun shows in the mix!

Remember to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com this summer for cute personalized placemats. They are the perfect gift idea!

Travel Time with the Kiddos

It's that time of the year again....Family vacation time! Family vacations can sometimes be stressful but don't have to be. If your planning a vacation in the near future try these 5 simple tips when traveling with kids. They can even work for those teenagers in your family.

1. Snacks! Always have snacks with you on trips. This will help turn the crabby kid into a happy kid. Try...fruit snacks, mini candy bars, granola bars, or trail mix.
2. Band Aids! You know the kids are always hurting themselves so it never hurts to have some extra band aids on hand.
3. Sanitary Wipes! If you don't have a bathroom around and need to clean up, a small pack of these is a good idea. Or you can use them to wipe down tables or places to sit if you are out and about.
4. Small Electronics! Down time and boredom are bound to occur during a vacation. Or, one kid is interested in something while the other kid is not. Bring the...Game Boy, Nintendo DS, DVD player or electronic card game player along.
5. Plastic Bag! It is a great idea to have these with when trekking around on a family vacation. If it has rained and you need a place to sit you can use them as a chair cover. Or, if the kiddos have stuff with them they can place it in their bag. It makes it easier for them to carry things and you don't have to lug everything around for them.

Try these 5 ideas the next time you take a family vacation. If you need an alternative, small and inexpensive vacation this summer try the following:
-Wisconsin Dells
-Michigan
-Springfield, IL
-Columbus, OH
-Nashville, TN

Enjoy your travels and don't forget to take a look around Mypersonalizedprint.com for custom and re-usable placemats.

It's time for Mom & Dad to have a date night!

Hi parents!
I bet you guys have been crazy with school ending and getting the kids set up for summer. How about you two take some time for yourselves to have fun and relax. I have the perfect idea for you!

Date: Comedy club and dinner!
Most towns have a local comedy club. Most have an early show around 7 and a later show around 9. Go out to dinner before or after to a restaurant you can't go to with the kids. Then, kick back, have a drink or two and laugh your heads off!

If you are in the Chicago area you can try the following comedy clubs:
1. Zanies, St. Charles IL
2. Schaumburg Comedy Club, Schaumburg IL
3. Second City, Chicago IL

But, if you aren't in the Chicago area Google will be your friend! Remember to make time for the two of you and have some fun every once in a while. It will make your hectic life seem a little less hectic.

Remember....to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com. Get the kiddos a personalized placemat to use during meal-time so the babysitter can relax a little too!

Whoa Baby...Is it hot or what...

I don't know about you...but us Chicagoans have been experiencing some extremely hot and HUMID weather these past few days. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer, but not intense heat. I'm sure there are many of you right a long with me. I have decided that I am going to help you out and give you some advice when taking the kiddos outside. You can't spend all day couped up in the house so if your going to get outside let's protect them!

When going outside remember to:
1. Bring plenty of water with you. You can never have too much.
2. Bring some healthy snacks. Any type of melon is great during the summer because it is refreshing and hydrates you at the same time.
3. Put the sun block on the kiddos before they even go outside. And, re-apply about every hour to hour and a half.
4. If your heading to the pool make sure to place a t-shirt on the kids or a hat on the smaller ones.

A fun outdoor idea would be to plug in the sprinkler and let the kids have fun and stay cool while outside. I found a cute one at Target.com for only $14.99. Or plug in the one you use to water your flowers with.

Have fun outside but remember to be safe! Don't forget to use one of our personalized and re-usable placemats when you come inside for a lunch break. Visit Mypersonalizedprint.com for more details.

Summer Time Reading, yay!

I'm sure the kids cannot wait for summer break to start and I'm sure you will be wanting fall to come as soon as it does. I'm going to help you out....A great way to keep the kids occupied this summer is to keep their learning and curiosity going. An awesome way to do that is to join a summer reading program. Most libraries have summer reading programs. Just Google local libraries in your area. You can also find great reading lists on the Internet.

Participating in activities like summer reading programs keep children learning and engaged in the act of reading. Remember, you can make reading fun! PBS has a great summer reading "community challenge program." Visit www.challenges.ivillage.com/kids-summer-reading. Oprah also has a great reading list for kids. She even sorts it by age level. Visit www.Oprah.com and navigate through her site to find the reading list of choice.

To make this activity exciting you can create a fun challenge within your home. Give out small (cheap) prizes when so many books are read or when a book is finished. Or, give the kids a trip to the library to pick out a fun book or magazine. You can also join in the fun and read a long with your kids. There's nothing like beating your Mom or Dad at reading a book! If you have a lot of time and are home during the summer try creating a small book club with kids in the local neighborhood. Not only will you get the kids reading....but you'll get them thinking too!

Hope your kids enjoy reading and you enjoy reading with them. Now get those kids reading! And...don't forget to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com!

Arrggggg....Pirates!

Time for a movie review!

Loved, loved, loved the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, "On Stranger Tides." In case you all don't know and haven't seen it....

Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

There are some new characters in this movie and some missing that we have grown used to seeing. I think this made for a fresh fourth movie and gave the audience something new to get excited about. The length of the movie was perfect as well. It was about a two hour movie. The audience was full of kids, families, couples, adults. There was something for everyone. Beware though...this may not be the movie for your little tiny ones to go and see. It is fun and full of adventure and you will leave wanting to be a pirate but you will never look at mermaids the same way again and the movie has it's dark moments. (These are nothing like Ariel from Disney's Little Mermaid) If you haven't seen it yet I highly suggest you do though! Enjoy and have a fun night out with the family!

Get the kids a little fun pack before the movie. Purchase one of our pirate placemats from Mypersonalizedprint.com argggg. Make an eye patch with the kiddos (see previous blog) and get some gold chocolate coins for the adventure. Argggg!

Keeping the love alive?

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

Every Friday I am going to talk about fun ways to spice up your date life with your significant other or fun activities to do with the kids. Since it is the weekend you have to unwind a little bit and have some fun!

So today is "date night talk" day. I'm sure most of you are thinking...."Were too busy to go out just the two of us" or "Our kids have way to many activities." Well stop, if you want to keep the love alive, the communication flowing and have your own lives you've got to have those date nights every once in a while. Remember your date nights don't have to be extravagant. Here are some fun ideas that won't break the bank or take up a huge chunk of your schedule.

Ideas from RedBookMag.com
1. Try live entertainment, such as a band at a local bar, instead of a movie.
2. Go out to brunch and a matinee.
3. Pick up a bucket of fried chicken and head to the drive-in. (This one is my fav!)

Give them a try and have some fun.

Remember to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for cute personalized placemats for your kiddos!