Hearts pounding, I watched my kids as they held tightly to the handles of the yellow raft that was racing down the water slide.  It had been years since my husband and I had gone to Kings Island.  This was our children’s first taste of the excitement, and we were spending the day together in Soak City waterpark.

This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation.   All opinions are my own.

When it comes to family fun, Kings Island  has something for everyone.  There are over 8 roller coasters to thrill even the most daring member of your family.  Planet Snoopy has rides for the younger crowd.  And then there is Soak City — with over 35 water slides to cool you off on a hot day.

This year Soak City introduces Tropical Plunge, featuring 6 different water slides to choose from, including 3 slides where the floor literally drops out beneath you and sends you careening down 7 stories of twisting water slide.

As my husband was enjoying the twisting Tropical Twister tunnel slide, I took the kids over to Splash Landing to enjoy the kid-friendly water slides.  They were hooked!  Once we conquered the little slides (Mommy rode a couple of the kiddie slides, too), we grabbed inner tubes and raced down Thunder Falls.  Then it was time for Zoom Flume, a water slide with a raft big enough for the whole family.

If you live in Ohio, or you’re traveling this way, make sure Kings Island and Soak City waterpark are on your list of stops.  If you don’t have season passes, buy your tickets online and save a whopping $21 (because every dollar counts when visiting an amusement park).

Somewhere between floating on tubes along Splash River and jumping the waves of Breaker’s Bay, my son tugged on my hand and whispered, “Mommy, this is like a vacation.”   I’d say that’s a great way to start summer break off right.

The post Kings Island Soak City: Something for Everyone first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Kids were jumping back and forth between the beds.  We had met my sister’s family for spring break, and I was alone with three energetic kids in a small hotel room, with no car to take them anywhere.  It was time to pull out my tricks for surviving a hotel trip with kids.

Whether it’s spring break with the kids or a trip to visit family across the country, if you’re staying in a hotel with kids, these tips will help you keep your sanity.

• Set up Stations  One of the first things I like to do when we get to a hotel room is set up stations.  Find a place for everyone to put their shoes.  No more hunting under the beds for that lost shoe when you’re trying to get the kids out the door for breakfast.   If you have a baby, set aside a spot for diaper changing.  A coffee table is a great place to set up an area for kids to color, look at books, and play with their toys.  Having those little toys on the table also means you won’t be stepping on Hot Wheels in the middle of the night.
• Free Breakfast  We always find a hotel with a free breakfast included.   This means not having to get everyone up and dressed and out the door first thing in the morning just to eat.  When fruit is offered I try to bring a piece or two back to our hotel room as a healthy snack option for the kids later.
• Hotel Swimming Pool  When booking your hotel try to find one with an indoor swimming pool.  Swimming is a great way to get some energy out of the kids.  And having an indoor pool means your child can swim no matter what the weather is like.
• Explore the Hotel   This is another simple way to get some energy out of the kids.  Have them put on their shoes and take a walk all around the hotel.  Go up the stairs.  Travel down all the hallways.  Check out what’s in the vending machine.  How many ice dispensers can you find?
• Travel Games  Hotel stays are perfect for family game time.  Tuck a couple travel games into your suitcase and have game hour.  We love our travel versions of  Connect 4 and Battleship.
• Play Dough  Play dough is great for sensory input after a long car trip.  Plus, it can be used on its own or it can be used to give a new dimension to some favorite toys.
• Build a Fort  Everything you need for a great fort is in your hotel room.   Stretch a blanket between two beds and put some pillows underneath on the floor.  Or drape a sheet over a table.
• Take a Bath  This is a great one for toddlers.  Run some water in the tub, give them a couple of the plastic cups from the hotel room, and let them spend some time splashing in the water.
• DVD’s   Sometimes you just need a few minutes to reset yourself.  Letting the kids watch a bit of t.v. can give you that time.  Unfortunately there aren’t always the best shows on the hotel television channels.  If you’re bringing a laptop with you, or if you have a travel DVD player, bringing a couple DVD’s from home means you always have something your child can watch.
•  Book Light   Having the whole family in one room often means the adults have to go to sleep when the kids do.  A book light allows you to read once the kids are asleep without waking them up.  You can also use that book light to see enough to play a game of cards if you’re traveling with your spouse.

*To make the trip to the hotel go smoothly, be sure to check out our tips for screen free traveling with kids.*

With a little planning and these helpful tips, staying in a hotel room with the kids doesn’t have to be stressful. 

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The post How to Survive a Hotel Stay with Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Sometimes when we are driving in the car the kids start to pick on each other.  (Shocking, I know!)  The other day, as they continued to torment each other, I decided to try something new, a simple verbal memory game that quickly became a hit.

I told them both we were going to play a listening game, so they had to be quiet so they could hear.

Then I listed three animals (cow, dog, horse) and asked the 5 year-old to repeat them to me in the same order.

I made a HUGE deal when he got them right, and then I gave the 6 year-old a turn, naming off three different animals (cat, pig, chicken).

Pretty soon they were hooked!

To make it more interesting I varied the lists, giving them lists of animals, numbers, shapes, colors, letters, vehicles…whatever came to mind as I drove.

After a few rounds I increased the list to include four items.  The 5 year-old was super proud of himself each time he got them right.

And the best part?  They were no longer fighting!  In fact, they were helping each other!

This game is easily modified for kids of different ages and abilities.

For younger children you may want to start off by just listing two animals.  For older children you could make lists of five or more items.  You could also ask them to give each other a list to repeat!

For a few rounds I had my 5 year-old repeat the numbers of our street address.  (You could also use parts of your phone number to help little ones start to learn it!)

Have a game you do to help keep the peace in the car?  I’d love to hear about it!  After all, we could all use a new trick!

The post Verbal Memory Game first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Summer vacation is upon us, and if you are like most families, you will probably be taking a trip at some point over the next few months.  Are you looking for a few screen-free ways travel ideas to keep the kids entertained in the car?

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.)

Art Supplies —  When I’m packing for a car trip with kids, the first thing I make sure I bring to help keep the kids busy in the car is art supplies.  I’m talking basic stuff here:  spiral notebook (or a clipboard with computer paper), stickers, and crayons.  When it comes to crayons in the car, I always pack these twist up crayons, that way if they get lost in the hot car, there is less chance of melting issues.  As for stickers, I put some in a baggie and then tons of extras in another bag.  This way I can restock the sticker supply as needed when we stop for bathroom breaks, etc.   Another hint when it comes to stickers:  if your little one has trouble peeling them off on his/her own, peel off the background sticky stuff, leaving just the stickers on the sheet.

Books — We always have books in the car, but when we are traveling I make sure to add a few of their favorites and their LeapFrog TAG books, too.   I also add a couple hidden picture books.  They have these in a wide variety of topics and for all ages.  For younger kids, look for ones that show you a picture of what your are searching for on each page.

Magnets and Cookie Sheet — And, that brings me to the next thing I always take while traveling:  cookie sheets and magnets!   (Word of advice:  make sure the magnets stick to the cookie sheet ahead of time.  One year I grabbed a cookie sheet that wouldn’t work with magnets, and I had one unhappy child!)  To decrease the chance of fighting over magnets, I divvy them out ahead of time in baggies.  I have 2 complete sets of ABC and number magnets.  I also have a new magnetic dress up doll I got for a dollar at the dollar store and some car magnets.  Want to take it a step further?  Make a few simple backgrounds on some paper for them to use.  Better yet, bring some plain paper and they can make their own backgrounds while traveling!

Cookie trays also make great inexpensive drawing boards or play surfaces.  They are perfect to drive small toys cars on while traveling.  (Got to have a few small cars or my son won’t be a happy traveler!)

Water Books — Just about every kid loves to play with water.  And most kids like painting, too.  Why not combine the two in a fairly mess-free activity for car travel?  I originally found a couple Water Wow books at Big Lots for a few dollars each.  They were such a hit that I picked up a few more by Imagine Ink (I think they were $6 each) at the book store.  Definitely worth it!  I just fill the water pens up ahead of time and put them in a ziplock bag, ready to go.  When the kids finish “painting” a book, I take and set them on the floorboards to dry, and they are ready to paint again in no time!  Since it’s just water, the biggest mess you’ll have is the amount of water in the small water pens — if they just squeeze it everywhere instead of painting with it.  (Aquadoodle is also a great way to paint with water in the car!)

Still don’t like the idea of water pens in the car?  There are a variety of other books that allow you to color with special markers that don’t mark on anything except the pages in the book.  (We love this Suprize Ink one.)

Doodle Boards — Small Magna Doodle boards and Etch-a-Sketch boards are also a big hit while traveling.

Odds and Ends — Then there are the “odds and ends” I’m bringing on vacation this year.  I have Post-It Notes, ready to be drawn on and then displayed on windows, the ceiling, or the kids themselves.  There are small cans of Play-Doh, which they can mold into a variety of shapes using those cookie sheets as a table.  Pipe cleaners can also be fun for kids to bend and create their own people/animals.  Finally,  tangrams are always fun.  The kids can use these on the cookie sheets to build a variety of houses, cars, animals…whatever they think of!

Snacks —  Make sure to have plenty of dry snacks on hand:  dry cereal, goldfish crackers, pretzel sticks, raisins. Snacks like this don’t make a huge mess and are easy to vacuum up later.  And, as long as you are giving out snacks, why not make an activity of it?   Stick a few pipe cleaners and dry cereal in a baggie and they can string their own snack bracelets!

Now you’ve got over 10 screen-free ways to entertain kids while traveling.   

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The post Screen-Free Tips for Traveling with Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Hello, all the way from Peoria, Illinois, where our family has met up with my sister’s family — at the half-way point between our homes.

An hour and half into our trip, when we stopped at our first rest area with the kids, I wasn’t real sure we would all make it.  OneDaddy and I saw a Fed-X truck and were REAL tempted to ship the kids back home…

But a quick chat with our oldest about how many hours the trip was going to take, and how, “Are we there yet?” wasn’t getting us there any faster, and then letting the kids run off some energy, helped.

We also ate lunch there and watched this big buck out in the field — he stayed there the entire time we were at the rest area. 

I’m happy to say things got A LOT better when we got back in the car!

Crayons, stickers (definitely stickers!) and paper were a huge hit, so were the water pen books I had packed.  Those 2 items alone kept them busy for an hour.  (Want some other ways to keep kids busy while traveling, check out this previous post.)

We were going to stop after a couple more hours of travel, but the rest area we were going to stop in was closed.  Turns out it was a blessing — the next one had an awesome playground at it!

The kids got to play, and so did Mommy and Daddy.  Yes, that’s my husband, climbing on the playground equipment with his little girl.  Just another reason I love my husband!

At that point we were supposed to only be an hour from our destination….  I won’t go into details, but I will say we drove up and down the street the hotel is on at least 4 times before we stopped and called for directions.  It’s one of those crazy streets where the numbers go down and then they go back up… So we thought we had driven past it, but actually hadn’t gotten there yet.

Make any sense?  Nope, not to me, either, but the hotel staff gave us great directions and we did finally make it.

My sister has been keeping the kids busy with crafts this morning (bless her!)… But I think we will be hitting the pool soon.

Have a terrific Saturday!

The post Hello from Peoria! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Well, you’re in luck!

Today I am guest posting over at the awesome Ginny Marie’s Lemon Drop PIe – and the topic?  A list of sure-fire ways to keep the kids entertained without having them turn into video-zombies while traveling.

So hop on over to Lemon Drop Pie, get a few ideas, and leave a comment.  After all, it’s the dollop of whip cream that gives extra sweetness to the pie!

And for other traveling with kids ideas, check out my previous post of ideas that really kept the toddler busy.

The post Traveling Tips at Lemon Drop Pie first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.