Downtown Disney

Having just returned from Orlando, I was thinking that if we lived around there, heading out to Downtown Disney occasionally would be a nice way to spend a family night together. Although it can get expensive down there, we found just walking around and taking in the sights to be rather enjoyable. Since we were on vacation, we did opt (no other real choices!) to eat there. We really enjoyed Wolfgang Puck's express cafe. We all had delicious meals which we enjoyed on the patio in the nice weather. We love walking through the toy store, the sports store, the Disney store and of course, the Lego store. There are some pretty amazing Lego sculptures to view while at Downtown Disney.





At the other end is Planet Hollywood. The food is good, but it is NOISY! I had a real headache by the time we finished there. We walked past the candy shop, drooling over the candied apples there. The kids finished off their meal with an ice cream cone. There is also a movie theater and the Cirque de Soliel if you get the chance.

share your family vacation photos

After a family vacation like we just returned from, we love spending an evening together looking through the many photos we took. It is such great fun to relive the things we experienced together. It helps to build the family bonds, and set the memories more concretely in our minds. We also love sharing our photos with family and friends. Last night when we returned from our four day trip to Disney World, we called my parents and nephews to come over and see our pictures. It is so fun to share the trip with family and friends this way.

But for those who are not as close by, it would be such great fun to take a few of our favorite photos from the trip and turn them into Photo Cards. This is another excellent way to spend an evening together as a family, choosing just which shot is the very best to turn into a card to send to friends and family. And what fun to "brag" about our excellent Disney World trip while everyone else was at work and school! We can even add our own caption to the front and/or inside, just to let everyone know what a wonderful trip we had!

neighborhood party

Last night many of our neighbors got together for a neighborhood party. Everyone met at one house where the kids could swim. Each family brought some food. A couple of the men had gone in and got crawfish and several did some grilling for the main dishes. Everyone sat around and enjoyed the wonderful weather, watching the kids and eating some good food.

hunting for wildflowers

My son has been assigned a project in biology class. He has to locate wild flowers indigenous to our state. It has been a long involved process, one that the whole family has become a part of. I know while out and about, I have been on the look out for wildflowers. We have driven to several different places looking for particular flowers. My young nephew is constantly bringing in "wildflowers" for his cousin. In talking with other families who have the same project, it is indeed a family affair! But it has actually turned out to be a rather pleasant family activity after all. We have gone to parks together, taken walks together, even stopped on the side of the road in search of wildflowers. It has been fun for us to even trade flowers with another family ("I'll give you a wine cup for an Indian paintbrush"!) Making school projects into family activities is a way to pull the family together and keep it bonded, even in the midst of a busy school year.

kite festival

This weekend there is a local two day kite festival. It will take place on Apr. 12-13 at Highland Bayou Park. This park is at Exit 10 off of I45 follow the service rd going south. Park entrance will be on right after Oasis RV Park in La Marque, TX. Activities include a free kite workshop for 50 kids each day, fun flying for everyone, demos and more! This is a nearby event that I hope we can make it out to!

kids and money

Have you ever talked with your kids about money? I know that with my own kids, ever since they were small we have used real life situations to talk about money. How we get it, how we spend it, what checks are, what credit cards are, when, why and how it's good to use them. It is important to start teaching our kids about these issues before they leave home and find themselves in a financial crises. Of course, kids will have to go through their own struggles, but preparing them in advance to avoid the situations of looking for bad credit loans or having to try to struggle out of the hole with bad credit credit cards , it makes sense to start teaching them early on so they will have a better foundation when it comes to spending their own money.

Expelled the Movie

I just learned today about Expelled the Movie . It looks like it could be an important tool for parents to use to talk with their children about science, creation, God, and their beliefs. Because most children spend so much of their time at school listening to what teachers say, and are exposed to so much that the media says, I think it is important that we as parents be sure we take the time to discuss with our children what we value and believe. This movie could be an excellent tool for parents of older children to help initiate some conversation and spark some thought and desire in our children. Let's be active in helping our kids to find the Intelligence that many are not interested in seeking.