Sunday Snapshot: Family fun at Crystal Palace!

The kids each received a Crystal Palace Day Pass for Christmas from Nanny and Pappy this year and had been begging to go ever since.

Crystal Palace is an indoor amusement park with rides and games for those who don't know. We had been putting off going since they got the cards but with Coder going back to school this Tuesday, we couldn't really put if off any longer. After a ten minute struggled to get the car started (It can be tempermental) we were finally on our way. We left around lunch time so we could get there kind of early. The kids wanted a PB & J sammy before we left, a request to which I happily obliged, hoping to save a few bucks not having to feed them lunch at Crystal Palace (who's prices on food are practically criminal! 3$ for one corn dog!! I could run to the Sobey's across the street and grab a box of them for the same price!).

 Nelly had been talking about going on the "Horsey's" (AKA the merry-go-round) for, like, three days so that was the first ride she wanted to go on. "Horsey bite me? Is horsey real?" was the first thing she asked upon seeing the horses on the merry-go-round. After I assured her they we indeed fake horsey's and would not bite her, she was ready to go on it. She absolutely LOVED sitting on the horses while they went up and down. She randomly shouted "Kiddy-Up!" throughout the duration of the ride.

Nelly flying on the airplane!

Nelly with Coder,  the pilot...

Next up were the air planes, which you sit in while they go up and down and spin around. Coder and Nelly went together on one airplane the first time, then Nelly rode solo later on in the day. Nelly also loved this and yelled "Look Daddy! Hi Daddy!" every time she went around. Coder, on the other hand, looked a little bored with that ride. Being a big boy now, he was ready for the big kid rides this time around. He insisted that he wanted to go on the roller coaster. After debating back and forth for a minute, Daddy and I decided to let him go, but Daddy had to go on with him. He tried the Roller Coaster last year with me and almost gave me a stroke by freaking out and basically trying to climb out of a moving ride. I was a bit nervous because this Coaster doesn't have over the shoulder harness just a lap bar. Last year he kept trying to pull his knees out of under the bar and I was sure he was going to fly out and fall to his death. Anyways, he went on with Daddy and did okay the first time around. The only part that scared him a bit was when it goes through a pitch black tunnel, but Daddy told him to close his eyes and he was fine. He loved it though and went on it about five more times with both Mommy and Daddy taking turns. At the end of it he was having a blast and holding his hands up in the air for the whole ride.

On "The Bullet" Coaster with Daddy!

 Nelly and brother went on the Choo-Choo Train together where they sat in the front car and got to toot the horn and ring the bell, which they did to no end.

Choo-Choo!

Coder liked going on the big monster truck ride, where you sit in a monster truck and go around the track. Next they went on the shooting star, which you sit down in a seat and it shoots you straight up about fifteen feet in the air then drops you down bit by bit. Nelly went on too and laughed her butt off on the way up. The drop down freaked her out a bit the very first time but she was shrieking with joy by the end of it.

The "Shooting Star" was a hit!

We all went on the Crazy Submarine (or whatever it's called) as a family, which is like a bus thing you sit in and go in big circles up in the air forward and backwards. Nelly loved looking out the window and laughed every time we went up because you had a view of the whole place. It was actually pretty fun and one of my favourite rides.

We took a break for a bite to eat, the kids didn't really want anything so Mommy and Daddy got something and gave them a few bites. Daddy got a poutine and I got a Nacho with cheese and salsa. It came to almost 12$ just for those two things but they were a decent size and I couldn't even finish my whole nacho. Daddy polished off his poutine and some of my nachos. After we were done eating we went back for another couple rounds on the rides.

There is a big play park built like a tree house that they wanted to go on, but poor Nelly was too small to go in it, so Coder played on that for a bit while Daddy brought Nelly on some more rides. We stopped at the arcade for a few minutes while they kids ran around "playing" the games (They weren't really playing because we didn't have any change on us, plus it is a MAJOR rip-off)." Honestly, it didn't even matter that they weren't actually playing because they still had a blast.

Taking turns "playing" the soccer game.

Daddy brought Coder to play Laser Tag while I brought Nelly to get some candy out of the quarter machine and we walked around for a bit. I kept asking her if she wanted to go back on the horsey but she would simply answer "No" and keep munching on her candy fruit (You know, the mini bananas, oranges, limes, etc). We never got around to playing mini golf this time and there were a few rides that they were both too short to go on, but other than that I would say that the day was a huge success.

Riding the big rigs...

We left around 5pm after Daddy brought Coder for one more round on the roller coaster. At this point Nelly was starting to get a little drowsy so I knew we better head home before a melt-down happened. I thought it was going to be a major tantrum when I said it was time to go but I think that they were so tuckered out that they couldn't be bothered. They left without a fight and both of them passed right out in the car on the drive home. Overall, we had a great day as a family and I can't wait to do it again soon.
 

Nelly ready to go home.,,

What was the last activity the you did as a family? What is your fondest family outing memory?

30 Fabulously Fun and Free Winter Activities...Plus: Get Featured on TTT!

With the shorter days and sub-zero temperatures its easy to understand why your kids may have a case of the winter blues. Shake things up and prevent cabin fever from setting in with these super fun winter activities. All of them are either very cheap or FREE! They are guaranteed to beat the boredom and create lasting memories! 

**Instructions on how to enter to be Featured on this blog are posted at the bottom of this list! You get a post featured, your blog name with a link back to it, your blog button featured on my homepage and an "I Was Featured..." button for your own blog:)**

30 Fabulously Fun & Free Winter Activities

1) Have a camp out in your living room. Spread out your sleeping bags, make s'mores in the microwave (Adult supervision required). Tell spooky stories, play camp games or sing camp fire songs.

2) Make Creamy Hot Cocoa with marshmallows. (Try this Valentine's Day Marshmallow trick by Martha)

3) Build a snow fort and "paint" it with Kool-Aid powder mixed with a bit of water in a spray bottle.

4) Make a Snow Measuring Stick to track the amount of snowfall. Graph the amounts on a chart.

5) Have a talent show. Give each family member a turn to show their talents and then vote for a  winner.

6) Go sledding! Grab your toboggans and have sled races on a nearby hill. Just don't slide near traffic.

7) Visit your local public library and cuddle up for story time. Many library's also have special activity days for different age groups. Call to find out!

8) Snuggle up for family movie night marathon! Pick winter themed flicks such as Jack Frost, Ice Age or Happy Feet!

9) Bake some cookies together! Designate each child a job such as dumping ingredients, mixing,
     spooning onto cookie sheets. Try this great recipe HERE. When they are done dip them in milk and enjoy!

10) Take your kids to try a class such as tumbling. Call around, many places such as My Gym offer a free trial class with no conditions.

11) Have a treasure hunt!! Place clues around these house with each one leading to the next. Clues can range from a simple picture to a riddle they must figure out. Have a small prize at the end such as a treat or new coloring book, it can be anything really...The real fun is in the chase! Smaller children may need a bit of assistance to stay on track.

12) Make a bird feeder from a pine cone. Directions HERE. Hang it up in your yard and bird watch. See how many different species of birds you can spot.

13) Go skating!! Play a game of hockey..Designate kids too small to skate as the "cheerleaders" or score keepers.

14) Make your own snow cones with REAL snow! Here is a great recipe for Snowcone Syrup. Keep it in the fridge in a squirt bottle and poor it over fresh snow or shaved ice whenever you want a treat.

15) Build a snowman together. Or even a whole snow family!!

16) Have an indoor snowball fight with wadded up paper! You could even make paper snowflakes to make it "snow"!

17) Go viral! Make a funny home video. Have the kids put on a skit and then post it on Youtube!

18) Have a family game night! Play classic family board games like monopoly or snakes and ladder. For some real laughs try Twister!

19) Play an interactive video game such as Rock Band or Dance dance Revolution. Have a friendly competition and crown the winner as the "Video Game Champion."

20) Give each other silly makeovers then have a fashion show at the end to show off your new looks. Take "Before" and "After" pictures.

21) Have an indoor picnic. Spread a blanket on the floor and have your lunch there! Don't forget dessert, too!

22) Make homemade valentines with your kids to give out to their classmates. Get some inspiration HERE.

23) Go swimming!! Let the kids put on their bathing suits and go swimming in the bathtub! Washing is optional!

24) Make Edible Play-doh and have fun making (and eating) sculptures.

25) Make a countdown to Spring paper chain and remove one link per day! Have a spring activity planned for when you reach the last link.

26) Get a huge empty box such as one from a refrigerator and transform it into a rocket ship (or whatever you want). Use your imaginations to act out different scenarios like pretending that you have just landed on the moon. (Ask around at local furniture stores to see if they have a box they were going to throw out that you can have...Most will be happy to give you one!)

27) Bundle up and go on a nature walk in a local park. Look for animal tracks, acorns, fallen leaves and whatever other treasures you can find. Bring them home and make a nature collage or scrapbook of your findings!

28) Get active and play some energy burning games indoors (or outdoors if you don't have enough room) such as Hide & Seek, Freeze Tag or Red Light, Green Light.

29) Go outdoors and blow bubbles in the cold. If the temperature is below zero or colder, the bubbles with harden in the air and then shatter when they hit the ground! Make your own Bubble Solution.

Frozen bubbles are SO cool!

30) Try to make a list of 30 MORE fun winter activities!! Post it in the comments her e or email it to me at babygurljrl23@gmail.com. I will  publish my favorite list with the most creative ideas as part two of this blog post! Don't worry you will get the credit for it, a link back to your blog and have your blog button posted on my homepage:) You will also get an "I Was Featured..." button to post on your own blog!So start brainstorming!!