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Large Family Organization – Color Your Kids

June 18, 2013 By MommyOctopus 1 Comment
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We have 4 kids.  I don’t quite consider that a large family, but I know many people do.  We have friends with 9 kids, 6 kids, 5 kids, etc so really we are a small family compared to them.  Nevertheless, we have found some tricks from our friends that help keep us organized.

For our children, we have decided to assign each of our kids a color.  Our oldest is orange, 2nd is blue, 3rd is pink, and 4th is purple.  This works great for us.

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For mealtimes, we have bought 2 of the Munchkin Feeding Sets.  They come with a bowl, cup, and plate in our children’s colors plus the color green.  Green we use for friends that come over or in case we ever have another.  With each kid having their color for plates, it has helped a ton so each kid gets what they need.  For example, my 2 year old needs her meat cut smaller and of course eats smaller portions than my almost 10 year old, and my 6 year old has allergies.  No accidental mixups!

With each kid having a color, we make sure that everything they need is that color such as their toothbrush.  Otherwise I’m sure we would forget which toothbrush belongs to which kid.  It makes keeping 4 toothbrushes separate much easier.  The girls hairbrushes are also in their colors.  This works especially when hairbrushes are left around the house – I know which child did it 🙂

From a very young age, they are taught what their color is and our 2 year old has a firm grasp on her purple color.  Every once in a while, Dad will forget and mix the 2 little girls colors up, and our 2 year old is usually the one that corrects him.

What are your tips for keeping up with multiple kids and keeping their personal items separate?

Being a Yes Mom

June 17, 2013 By MommyOctopus 3 Comments
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Lately I’ve really been bombarded with how fast the kids are growing up.  Waaay too fast.  Lightening fast.  In another month and a half, my oldest will be a 10 year old.  Scary.

As time has been flying and we’ve been crazy busy the past couple of months, I realized I had turned into a No Mom.  What’s a No Mom?

“Mom, Can I paint”
“No, I just cleaned up”
“Mom, Can we go to the park?”
“No, I’m too tired”
“Mom, Can we make cookies?”
“No, I don’t have time.”
“Mom, Can we read a book?”
“No, I have to call the bank”.
“Mom, Can I get a pet Snake?
“NO!!!”

Okay, the last one is justified, but the rest were just a matter of not wanting the hassle.  That’s a No Mom.  And yes, I often times can be a No Mom without even realizing it, especially when things are crazy.

This week, my goal is to be a Yes Mom.  Whatever their little hearts request, within reason, will be a Yes.  Now, it may not be an immediate yes, but I’m going to try my best to just have fun this week.

“Mom can we go get icecream?”
“Sure, right after rest time”
“Mom can we eat pizza for dinner?”
“Yes, that sounds great.  How about you help me make the dough”
“Mom, can I play in the sprinkler?”
“Sure, but we have to limit it to 20 minutes so we don’t waste too much water”
“Mom, can we stay up late to catch fireflies?”
“Sure.  To make sure you won’t be too tired to stay up, I’ll need you to lay down for a bit after lunch to rest”
“Mom, can we go to Disney World?”
“Absolutely!  Now we have to convince Dad and save money for a year”

See what I mean?  Every reasonable request even if you have to agree to do it on another day, time, or have to limit it.  Or make them think about the reason you can’t do it immediately.

Now I’m not one to give in to every little fancy or tantrum, but I also realize that the past couple years have been very stressful, chaotic, and tiresome and I have been saying No far more than Yes.  Right now, I think my kids need a Yes Mom.   So YES, we just painted and made a mess.  And YES, we had carrot cake for breakfast.  And YES, we can go to the store in our mismatched dress up clothes.

Have you ever tried being a Yes Mom?  How did it work out for your family?

Saving for Disney World: When to Go and How to Get There

June 17, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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This post is by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner for Destinations in Florida. When she is not helping plan magical vacations you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.  Get the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package… Guaranteed! Get FREE DINING if you book a Disney Resort Package between 8/25 and 9/27 – click here for a quote!

If you have been following this series, you have already set your budget and decided on your hotel for your Disney World vacation. Today we are going to discuss when to go and how to get there.

Certain times of year are not only busier but also more expensive at Disney World. The busiest and most expensive times of year are during the summer (when most kids are out of school and most families go on vacation) and Christmas. The least crowded and least expensive times of year are usually in February and September. If you have school age children and cannot travel during the school year, consider going during spring or fall break. The weather is milder than it is during the summer, crowds are moderate, and you will not be paying the premium summer prices.

You’re next step will be to determine how you are getting to Disney World. The two most popular choices are flying or driving. If you are flying, sign up for email alerts from JetBlue and Southwest. Watch for discounts and specials. If you are lucky, you might be able to snag a flight for as low as $50! If you do fly, remember that Disney offers a free Magical Express shuttle to and from Orlando International Airport for guests staying on the Disney property. If you do not stay on the Disney property, you will need to make arrangements for either a rental car or shuttle transportation to take you to your hotel. Don’t forget to add baggage fees and hotel parking fees into your budget!

If you are driving, make sure all maintenance on your car is up to date. This includes properly inflated tires, oil change, tires rotates and balanced, etc. If your local grocery stores offer any gas incentives, take advantage of them! I live just south of Nashville, TN. For my family of 5, it was much less expensive for us to make the 12
hour drive than it was to fly to Orlando. Throughout the year, I bought gas gift cards at Publix when they offered $10.00 off a gas gift card when you purchased $50.00 in groceries. Kroger also offered four times fuel points when you purchased select gift cards throughout the year. By combining fuel points and gift cards, we only spend about $150.00 in gas round trip. If you drive, be sure to pack snacks and drinks and to budget for food and toll roads (or map out your trip to avoid the toll roads).

Do you guys have any other tips or tricks for when to go or traveling to Disney World? I would love to hear them!

Happy Father’s Day!

June 16, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!  And to all the moms that work hard at being both Mom and Dad.  Have a great day!

Disney Planes: Free Activity Sheets to do With Dad!

June 12, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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Download Spend the day with dad! Father's Day Activities

 

Father’s Day is this Sunday and Disney PLANES has put together some printable activity sheets and foldable paper airplanes for the kiddos to do with Dad this weekend.  They are pretty cute!  Head on over to print yours, and yes, completely free (except paper and ink of course!)

Saving For Disney World: On-Site Vs. Off-Site

June 6, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.


This post is by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner for Destinations in Florida. When she is not helping plan magical vacations you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package… Guaranteed! Get FREE DINING if you book a Disney Resort Package between 8/25 and 9/27 – click here for a quote!

So far we have discussed the top ten ways to save on a Disney World vacation and how to make a budget and stick with it. This week we will discuss one of the age old debates when it comes to a Disney World vacation is staying on-site vs. off-site. Most people assume that staying off of Disney property will save them more money. I used to be one of those people. My first two Disney vacations I too stayed off site. On our last trip to Disney World we were taking our children for the first time. This is also the first time I really researched the benefits of staying on site. Here are a few things that I discovered:

  • Disney resorts are the only resorts in the Orlando area that offer free transportation to and from the Orlando airport and to and from the Disney parks. Some of the area hotels do have free shuttles to the parks, but you will need to rent a car or pay for a shuttle service to and from the hotel. If you do not stay at a hotel that has transportation to and from the parks, Disney charges $15.00 per day for parking.
  • Most off-site hotels do not offer any discounts. These hotels offer everyday “low, flat rate”. Disney resorts offer different discounts throughout the year such as 30% off your room and free dining. There isn’t ever a reason to pay the rack rate if staying on site at Disney World.
  • Disney offers Extra Magic Hours to their guests staying on-site. Every day one park is open either early or late for guests staying on site. If you stay at an off-site hotel you will only be able to visit the parks during regular hours.
  • Deluxe villas are the most expensive of the Disney resort rooms. If you have a large family or would like a full kitchen, you may save more money by renting a home or a condo nearby.

On our last trip we ended up staying at a value resort on the Disney property. After one trip on-site and two trips off-site, I can honestly say that I would prefer to always stay on-site. I love getting in those few extra hours at the parks and the convenience of Disney transportation. The price of All Stars Movies ended up being about the same price we would have spent if we had stayed at a nearby hotel off-site. We also traveled while Disney was offering their free dining promotion, so all of our meals were free! This saved us a lot of money. If we had stayed at an offsite hotel, we would have had to figure out a dining budget or packed food for the parks every day.

What do you guys think? Are you fans of onsite hotels or offsite at Disney World?

A Trip Back in Time

June 4, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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As many of you know, my grandfather passed away in March after a very short battle with lymphoma.  When going through his stuff, we came across this gem:

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If there is such a thing as an antique coupon, I think this one counts!  No barcade, but a stamped number on it.  And check out this note on the back that still totally applies:

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Far too often do people abuse the system now, so this really made me smile seeing this on an old coupon.  And again, use coupons properly 🙂

Splash Pad in Athens Opens Today!

June 4, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
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The splash pad at East Athens Community Park opened this morning. The fee is $1 per person and operating hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Stay cool this summer and visit the Splash Pad.

Address: 200 Trail Creek Street Athens, GA 30605

I don’t know about ya’ll but I think this is exactly what Athens needed!! Looks like I have something new to add to my Top 20 Places to Visit With Kids Around Athens post!


How To Save For Disney and Make a Budget

June 3, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

Get a quote on your Disney dream vacation at Destinations In Florida
Below is the latest article from our friend Alexia at Destinations in Florida

Last week we discussed the top 10 ways to save on a Disney World vacation.  Over the next few weeks, we will be going over these points in a little more detail. This week we will be discussing making a budget and sticking with it. This seems like a pretty basic thing, especially for those of us who coupon. However, vacations are often a time when many people have a difficult time sticking to their budget, especially somewhere like Disney World when your kids what everything they see in every single gift shop. Most people have a set budget ahead of time and work out the details around their budget. The average family of four spends $3,000.00 on a Disney World vacation. Of course, you and your family may have to adjust your budget based on your family size and needs.

Make sure that your budget covers all aspects of your vacation. This includes transportation (If you are flying this would include your flight, baggage fees, airport parking, etc. If you are driving this could include gas, toll fees, etc.), hotel room, park tickets, food, tips (don’t forget about housekeeping!), and souvenirs. There is no worse feeling than pulling up to a toll booth and realizing that you forgot to budget some cash of the toll roads or getting to your hotel and realizing that you forgot to budget some cash for housekeeping tips!

I think one of the most difficult aspects of sticking with a budget at Disney World is on souvenirs. I know I’m not the only one whose children want at least three things in every gift shop they go in. Here you have a few options. First, you can decide ahead of time not to buy any souvenirs at the parks at all. Stock up on souvenirs before you leave (Think Dollar Tree, Wal-mart, Target, and Disney Store Outlets) and give your children a few small items each morning. This way they will not be as tempted in the parks. Your second option is give your children a budgeted amount in Disney gift cards or Disney Dollars. My girls (ages 11 and 2) were given Disney gift cards for their birthdays from other family members and for doing chores. They each ended up with a total of $100.00 each and were allowed to spend $20 a day. I was really impressed by how much thought they put into each of their purchases. Even my two year old would ask each day if the items she wanted were a “smart choice”. Giving them each gift cards worked perfectly for us!

Hopefully these tips will help you with making your budget and sticking with it.  Next week we will discuss the age old debate of on-site vs. off-site hotels.

Alexia is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner for Destinations in Florida. When she is not helping plan magical vacations you can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Get the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package… Guaranteed! Get FREE DINING if you book a Disney Resort Package between 8/25 and 9/27 – click here for a quote!

What I Did This Weekend…

June 3, 2013 By MommyOctopus Leave a Comment
By clicking my links, I may earn a small commission to support this blog. Please see our Disclosure Policy.

On Saturday, my mom, sister in law, and I went to a Firearms for Females class.  If you’re interested in firearm safety or how to shoot, check with your local county and see if they offer something similar.

Our class was completely free, paid for with drug money.  It was pretty fun learning the laws and they being able to shoot the sheriff’s guns along with my personal one.

I didn’t do half bad 🙂

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Also most counties offer free gun safety locks if you need one and ask them.

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