Thanksgiving Traditions

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! That's nuts. I am trying to think of some fun things to do to celebrate with the kids. And I wanted to pick your brains again for ideas. Each year we celebrate at my sister's house. They came up with a really fun idea about 5 years ago to do a Turkey Shoot. All the dads dress up like Turkeys and all the kids shoot them with paintball guns. It is a really funny tradition, that we love. We've been doing that for a while now and I was wondering if there is something new we could try. Does anyone have some fun crafts, traditions, or ideas to share?

Christmas Advent

A few years ago my friend, Laura, shared a really cute Christmas advent idea with me and we've been doing it for the past few years as well. It is really fun and I wanted to share and ask some ideas. For every day, instead of a chocolate or a little gift, we do an advent of activities, so that we are doing something to celebrate Christmas each day.
Some ideas are:
Decorating the tree
Making a gingerbread house
Making Christmas decorations for the tree
Watching a favorite Christmas movie with hot cocoa
Delivering gifts to our neighbors
Getting pictures with Santa Claus
The Nativity (reading, acting out, setting up, etc.)
Ward Christmas party
Going to look at Christmas lights
Riding the pink pig

So I wanted to share the idea, as well as see what other ideas people have of fun activities to do. Any ideas?

DeKalb Police Trick-or-Treat

The DeKalb Police Department is sponsoring a Trick-or-Treat event at the DeKalb Police Headquarters which are located in Tucker.

Click here for a look at the flyer.

Bat Craft

My friend sent me this and I thought it was really cute and worth passing along...

Bat Craft

Halloween Activities...

Not surprisingly, it looks like there are a lot of fun Halloween activities the next two weekends. So, if the weather is wet maybe one of these will help keep everyone busy and happy!

Boo at the Zoo
Zoo Atlanta
Oct. 24, 25 and 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Explore the zoo's magical paths as you meet costume-clad characters and enjoy sweet treats. Make sure to wear your costumes!

Click here for more information.
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Bugs, Bats and Bones Day
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Oct. 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hands-on activities will teach kids the basics of bugs, bats and bones. Costumes are encouraged. Click here for more information.
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Halloween Fair
Bass Pro Shops
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Oct. 24-25, noon-4 p.m.
FREE

Kids can decorate foam pumpkins, roast marshmallows and sample Dutch-Oven baked apple cobbler, all for free at Bass Pro Shops this weekend.
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Kids Halloween Spooktacular
Borders, click here for locations
Oct. 24, 2 p.m.

Dress in costumes to attend this spooky spectacular. Enjoy games and create Halloween crafts at all Borders locations this weekend. Free. Children younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

Slippery Slime

Ava made this fun slime in preschool today and is having a blast playing with it. The recipe looks super easy. The Halloween season especially lends itself to playing in some spooky green slime. Have fun!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 C water
• 1 C white glue
• 1/2 tsp borax
• food coloring
• 2 glass bowls
• spoons

STEPS:

1. Mix 1/2 c of water with the glue in one bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture.
2. In the second bow, stir the borax and 1/2 c of water until the borax is dissolved.
2. Slowly add the borax mixture to the glue mixture. Stir until it feels slimy. To make the mixture more slimy, add a bit more water.

Parent Tips: To keep the slime slimy, store it in an air-tight container when your kids are not playing with it.

Georgia A-Scarium

Join the Georgia A-SCARY-UM on Oct. 30 and 31, 2009 for Halloween and fa-BOO-lous
family fun, costumes and safe trick-or-treating for all ghouls and boys!

FREE ADMISSION! Kids 12 and under in costumes will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult. Offer valid for up to two children in costume per one paid adult or Annual Pass member on Oct. 30-31.

Not only will the Aquarium be decked out with Halloween-themed decorations, but there will be music, Trick-or-Treat candy stations
throughout the Aquarium, Halloween craft tables and costume contests for guests throughout the day!

Trick-or-treating isn't just for the kids! This year, we will have special candy just for the adults! Thanks to M&M Mars, adults will be able to stop by the trick-or-treat stations and pick up M&M's new M&M's Premium flavors.

So join the spider crabs, batfish and "ghost jellies" for a screaming good time! Click Here for more details.

Anna Ruby Falls

I'm trying to pick some places in Georgia we've visited to share with everyone. A couple of years ago, we drove through Helen on our way to a beautiful camp spot some miles north of Helen. It was in October and Oktoberfest was in full swing. Main Street was crawling and there were people everywhere. The town's architecture was quaint and inviting and looked like a fun place to walk around. So, if any of you are interested in Helen, GA, I thought I'd post some other things to do in the area as well.

Anna Ruby Falls is about 4 miles north of Helen. Anna Ruby Falls is a continuous, easy to moderate paved climb with bridged crossings of Smith Creek. Towards the end, there are well-placed observation decks which afford an excellent view of both waterfalls.

Click here or here for more details.

Jaemor Farms

The season for apples and corn mazes is quickly approaching and I know there are a many different farms that have corn mazes. We stopped at Jaemor Farm a couple of years ago on our way home from a camping trip. The apples were FANTASTIC and although we didn't pay for the corn maze, it looked like fun. We did wander around the farm and paid to let Kai ride a pony.

MAIZE QUEST CORNFIELD MAZE AT JAEMOR FARM MARKET

Find your way out of the maze while you expand your knowledge of the Wild West. Guests can bring picnics, try the apple slingshot or pick pumpkins.

Oct. and Nov. hours; Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 1-6 p.m.

5340 Cornelia Hwy., Alto. 770-869-3999.

Adults, $8; children 4-7, $7; younger than 3, free.

Jumpin Jamboree

For those of you living near Tucker, this place is a fantastic place to play. It's hidden in the industrial area of Tucker and is rarely busy. The last time we played, we stayed for 5 hours! The staff is always pleasant and friendly and the facility is clean. There are picnic tables for snacks/lunch.

Before you go, check out there website and signup for the newsletter. They'll email you a coupon to use on your first visit which reduces the price to $5.

Jumpin Jamboree
2534 Royal Place, Suite E
Tucker, GA 30084
770-496-1200

Imaginations at Play

I recently read a review of this play place and found it very interesting. Here's some of the review:

"This place is a child’s dream! We were greeted by a vibrant, open set-up in a 4,000-square-foot facility with hands-on attractions for children ranging in age from 6 months to 10 years. With a number of play areas to accommodate every child’s interest, my kids had a field day! My boys immediately gravitated toward the sea of bubbles floating through the air in the “Rub-a-Dub Tub” area. The larger-than-life bathtub is filled with water and bath toys, along with a large pretend dog for the children to “bathe.” ...

I was pleased to learn that all of the toys in the facility are sanitized throughout the day to minimize the spread of germs.

Imaginations at Play also houses an art studio with plenty of easels and smocks. My children also made music in the “Musical Tree,” where they tickled the ivories of a mini piano and strummed a pint-sized guitar. Older kids seemed most attracted to the “Studio on the Backlot,” a stage with a green screen and TV monitors that allowed them to instantly become movie stars alongside their favorite characters. Not to be outdone, my 3-year-old jumped on stage and was starstruck every time he caught a glimpse of himself on TV with Big Bird."

– Felicia Barman

Imaginations at Play
33 Buford Village Way, Suite 329
Buford, GA 30518;
678-482-9156

Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Rich discovered this place through his involvement with scouting and I thought I'd pass it along to you. It's a great place to camp, but if you are not a camping lover there are plenty of other activities that you can participate in without having to 'rough it'. Plus, since it is only 50 miles away (I20 East) a day trip is feasible. Camping is free as are most of the activities. The website can provide you with all the details.

Here's a link to the website. Be sure to check out the calendar which gives you pages of activities. This weekend (September 26) is free fishing day and there are a few other activities planned for kids. We're planning on signing up for one of the upcoming night hikes which includes a kids craft, a guided night hike and a live owl show. I'll let you know what we think!

Boston Market Deal

Since there are Boston Market restaurant's in our area, I thought I'd post this great deal...

Wow! Boston Market has a pretty sweet promotion available thru October 31st! The new promotion is called, "Two Kids Eat FREE" dining program. Two children, ages 14 and younger, can receive a FREE kids’ meal all day, every day with only one adult purchase of just $6 or more! Wahoo! The best part--there is NO coupon needed to snag the FREE kids meal. This means that you'll also be able to use a Boston Market coupon to save even more on any Adult meals purchased! Sweeet! You can currently print a $2 off any $10 Boston Market purchase coupon here, valid thru October 21st. (courtesy of www.hip2save.com)

Savannah/Tybee Island

So our final stop was Savannah. We planned to spend a day at Tybee Island and then the final day in historic Savannah. Tybee was great! The beaches were nice and sandy and although it was pretty windy we stayed and played for most of the afternoon. It was more commercialized than St. Simons, but still enjoyable. There were lots of people on bikes which I think always makes it look like a safe family-friendly place.

We stayed our final night in Savannah and then toured the Historic area the next day. When I found out we were moving to GA 4 years ago I thought it would look like historic Savannah. You know, the Forest Gump landscapes. Anyway, we walked around along the Savannah River and then packed up for home.

It's sometimes hard to travel with kids and see the sights. Our kids didn't care for historic Savannah and although they didn't complain too much, they would have been much happier at the beach.

Brunswick/St. Simons Island

The next stop on our road trip was Brunswick, GA. Our plan was to see some alligators and then head to the beach. We drove across a beautiful bridge (can bridges be beautiful?), stopped for a quick break then upon a local's recommendation headed to St. Simons Island.

We drove to the town square where there happened to be a free concert on the lawn later that evening. We played at the park then ventured down to the beach. The tide was coming in so there wasn't as much beach as I envisioned (remember I'm used to the west coast beaches), but it didn't stop our boys from shedding their clothes and playing in the water.

I really liked St. Simons - it just had this fun small friendly feel to it. The shops and restaurants were local and everyone was very friendly. We were planning to stay the night in Brunswick (the lodging is much cheaper there) and then come back to the beach in the morning, but I unknowingly booked a room in Savannah that evening. It's a long story but it involved a Blackberry, not the best service and of course priceline.