Way, way back when my oldest was born, going out was a snap. Dinner? Movie? Dinner and a movie? No worries. I’d pack her and her diaper bag. I wouldn’t pack my daughter in the diaper bag, of course(!), but I’d pack practically every other baby gadget, gizmo, you name it. With everything packed, I’d hustle my husband to the car. And, that was it.

Grandma and Grandad were always willing and able to babysit. We would drop our daughter off with food and diapers, leave a list of instructions about what her routine was, and hightail it off to dinner with friends, to watch a movie, or even a date night. At the end of the evening, we’d return to my parent’s house. My husband would carry our sleeping (and happy) daughter out to the car. And that was it.

Many years later with a Teen, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Kid, going out is exponentially more complicated. We have to sync my work calendar to my husband’s work schedule cross referenced to the sports/school/activity schedule of the three kids and then if the stars are aligned and no one gets sick we can go out. Are you exhausted? Do you think we go out a lot? If you answered “No,” you are correct!

Two Saturdays ago, the stars as they say aligned for us. One kid went to bed early. One kid stayed home to babysit the sleeping kid. One kid was at a friend’s house. And so my husband and I ventured out on a sleety, icy Saturday night around 9ish. We eat late, but never that late. Actually, and I know this sounds a little pathetic, but I was actually quite excited to go on an impromptu date night even though it was late and we would have to be home by 11 p.m. at the latest. But, excited I was!

I was last at Red Lobster in the late 80/early 90s. Today’s Red Lobster is very, very different from what I recall. The restaurant we visited on Saturday night was in Frederick, Maryland. My first impression was wood. The wood paneling is dark…reminded me of a the galley of an old sailing ship. I loved all the wood paneling and decorative accents. The nautical theme was subtle but not overpowering. We were shown promptly to a booth in a quiet part of the dining room. There was a small bar area as we walked in that was also nautically themed.

The service was impeccable. Our waitperson seated us. A few moments later a second person stopped by to let us know that our waitperson would be with us momentarily. She appeared a few minutes later. Good service!

While we both wanted to try Red lobster’s new Four Course Seafood Feast, with the lateness of the hour and the fact that both of us had had snacks earlier in the evening, we chose to share two appetizers instead. We will definitely return with the kids. In fact, the next day the “sleeping” kid asked if he could try the Seafood Feast the next time we go. I said “Yes!” This kid has a bigger appetite at 8 than his sisters combined when they were 8.

We shared two appetizers: Shrimp Nachos and Lobster-Crab-and-Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms. I washed my meal down with a yummy Sangria drink. By the way, there are variations between the menus at each Red Lobster restaurant. Each restaurant offers a fresh catch of the day. Our server announced that Atlantic salmon, tilapia, rainbow trout, and North Atlantic haddock were available that night. To find out what is available go to the Red Lobster Restaurant Locator page, find the location nearest you, and take a peek at the offerings at that location. I know your mouth will start watering as you read the dishes.

As our meal wound down, our waitperson returned to see how we were doing. We told her we were definitely coming back with our children.

For more information about Red Lobster…

• Follow @RedLobster on Twitter.
• Like Red Lobster on Facebook.
• Don’t forget the Four Course Seafood Feast! Four yummy courses AND Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Only $15. Limited time only!
• Find a location near you and find out more about menu offerings.

I was given a gift card to Red Lobster to facilitate my review. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Some tips for getting the most out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

FASTPASS

• FASTPASS is the key to getting the most out of your Disney experience. My husband is somewhat of a pro about the FASTPASS.
• FASTPASS can be used on the following attractions at Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit’s Car Too Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours.
• Use FASTPASS on these California Adventure rides: California Screamin’ (well worth it even though I was terrified!), Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Soarin’ Over California (our family’s favorite ride at both EPCOT and California Adventure), The Twilight Zone of Terror (I couldn’t get anyone to ride this ride with me!), and World of Color.
• When you enter a Disney park, check the bulletin board at the park entrance. The board shows wait time for rides and which rides are FASTPASS. You will also see which rides are closed for the day.
• Look for FASTPASS distribution kiosks near the entrance to each ride.
• Check the FASTPASS return time to know when you can ride the attraction. Don’t use a FASTPASS if you will not be available to ride the ride. Save your FASTPASS for another ride.
• A tip about World of Color at California Adventure… World of Color is a spectacular light, water, color, and movie show. You will want to use your FASTPASS to get a good viewing spot. Go early to the Grizzly River Run to get your FASTPASS for World of Color. You can hold a World of Color FASTPASS and a FASTPASS for a ride, so go get one as soon as you arrive in California Adventure.

Season

• We have visited Walt Disney World twice in the fall. While the parks have shorter hours in the fall than in the peak seasons, we loved walking on rides and waiting for just a few minutes to get on a ride.
• In addition, to short wait times, you’ll also find that flights in off-peak season are cheaper as well as hotels.
• On this trip we visited in August. Because it was the height of a peak season, we planned our days with FASTPASS, wait times, and our stamina in mind. If we were all up for waiting in a long line, we did.

Technology

• Our two-day stay at Disneyland Resort would have been far less fun had my husband not had an app on his phone. He kept us apprised of wait times. With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, we had the flexibility to race from one ride to another. Families with younger kids will want to pace themselves due to weather, crowds, and wait times.
• Here’s an app for Disney World Wait Times.
• Visiting Disneyland? Here’s an app for wait times.
• And of course, charge those batteries. Bring all chargers on your trip. Charge digital, video, and phones at the hotel each night.
• We had a couple of Flip Video Cameras which we let our kids carry.

Safety

• Stay connected with cell phones.
• Our Teen and Preteen-now-Teen did not carry their phones as they were worried about losing them or getting them wet. Because of this we stayed in a group of 5 or we split in to a group of 2 and a group of 3. My husband and I coordinated a meeting spot if we split up to ride different attractions.
• Let each family member carry his Disney ticket in a lanyard. You can bring a lanyard from home or buy a colorful lanyard from any of the Disney stores. Each lanyard comes with a clear plastic case for holding the Disney ticket and money. We found it helpful for each child to carry his own lanyard and ticket so that it was easier to get FASTPASS.
• My older two know their name, address, home and all our cell phones, but I wrote down all our details on a piece of paper for my youngest child to carry with him. If he got separated from us, I wanted him to know how to reach us.

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a child, we traveled a great deal. I lived in three countries. Attended three preschools. Three elementary schools. Two middle schools. And one high school. Lived in seven homes, including one hotel. Yikes that’s a lot of moving!

As well as moving, we vacationed all the time. When we first moved to the U.S., my parents weren’t sure how long we would stay. Consequently in a 6- to 7-year period we visited Niagara falls, Williamsburg (VA), Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns (VA), West Point (NY), Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Jersey shore, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

One memorable trip was a quickie visit to Disney World. It was 1974. I was about 8. My parents knew that a return to England was in the near future. We stayed off site at a motel in Kissimmee (FL). March can be chilly even in Florida, so I recall wearing a sweatshirt while we were there. It was back in the day where you bought tickets for each ride. We had a handful of “A,” “B,” and “C.” As near as I can recall, you needed 2 A tickets to ride one ride, but only a C ticket to ride something else. While we didn’t ride every single ride, I have vivid memories of Captain Nemo’s 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Hall of Presidents, the Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer’s Island, the magic Tea Cups, and the Polynesian Resort.

Disney IS the most magical place on earth. While we had taken the kids twice to Disney World, none of us had visited Disneyland. I was anxious to experience a Southern Californian Disney with my husband and kids. After a stay in San Diego, a visit to LegoLand, and a brush with celebrities in Hollywood, we were ready to do Disneyland.

On Day 6 of our trip to Southern California, we hit Disneyland. Our experience was magical from start to finish. Our day began at the park bright and early after a buffet breakfast at our hotel.

We took a spin on Buzz Lightwear’s Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland. Everyone loves to laugh about Mom’s low score. I guess I have a little hand-eye coordination problem! While we were in Tomorrowland, we also rode Autopia, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Space Mountain, and Star Tours the Adventure Continues.

This is not my score!

Heading to Tom Sawyer’s Island. I was the most excited to explore the island. The kids were meh about it. Disneyland’s version of Mark Twain’s classic story of growing up in America is very different to Walt Disney World. We spent close to 45 minutes running through caves, climbing ladders, hopping on swing bridges, and generally having a boatload of fun (pun intended!). This part of Adventureland is actually called Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island.

Autopia otherwise known as “Who let that 8-year-old get behind the wheel?!” Actually everyone was a better driver than mom. I needed the hefty bumpers!

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, finding something fun for all of us to do is a challenge. You wouldn’t think so, but it is. Years ago, we could pop in a DVD. Go to a museum. Go out for ice cream. But, then school intervened. And homework. And weekends packed with birthday parties, sports, and play dates.

I struggle and stress and fret about the amount of time I have left before my oldest heads to college. She is one of those kids who never gave me a backward glance when stepping on the elementary school bus. Who was already planning what AP classes to take in high school when she was in 6th grade. Who now as a 10th grader is loving the envelopes that have started to arrive post-PSAT. She’s ready for college. I’m not ready to let go of her.

So, I have made it my goal to find fun things to do both at home, in our neighboring towns and cities, and in the places we visit for vacation. We’re not a family that travels to far away places every year. We have had years where we grabbed a quick week at the beach with the grandparents. Other years we have visited Niagara Falls–the Canadian side; Colonial Williamsburg, VA; Pennsylvania Dutch Country; and of course, the beach. Two summers ago we took a long-awaited, yet hastily planned trip to my home country…England. We had a fabulous time. I wish we could do a big trip each year, but we can’t.

Last summer, the chips fell in to place. I purchased a BlogHer ticket at the early bird rate. I planned to find a roommate and fly to San Diego by myself. The more I thought about going to SD and BlogHer, the more I wanted to involve my family.  How could I think of visiting California without them? But, how would I bring them?

A quick check of Southwest.com showed that we could get reasonably priced flights for all 5 of us. Not bargains, but not out-of-sight prices. I had a room at the Marriott Marquis and Marina, which would do. It was a relief not to look for a roommate. Although going to a conference with a roommate in tow is super fun, especially if it is your first blogging conference. With a hotel and flights, all I needed was an itinerary.

Within days of booking flights we had our itinerary planned. While I gallivanted about at BlogHer meeting people, making connections with brands, and of course, having fun, my husband and the kids toured San Diego. Post-BlogHer, the plan was for me to join the family and tour L.A. and Anaheim. Obviously our family works well under stress and tight deadlines…in fact we thrive on it.

Our itinerary went something like this:

• Wednesday — Travel Day. Arrived in San Diego. Kids and husband relaxed in the room, while I met up with some bloggers at a wine party hosted by @guavalicious. What can I say…BlogHer is part work and part play!
• Thursday — Day One — Sea World. While I attended one of the pre-conference sessions hosted by Procter & Gamble, my husband took the kids to Sea World. While I was very sad to miss out on the amazing-ness of the San Diego Sea World, my son and I got to experience the Orlando Sea World.
• Friday — Day Two — San Diego Zoo. I was very sad to miss out on a zoo I have heard so much about, but obviously I had obligations at BlogHer. Don’t worry, I had my husband text photos and tweet while he was there with the kids.
• Saturday — Day Three — Hotel pool. Bus to the airport. Pick up of rental car. Drive to beach. Husband and kids accomplished all this while I was hauling myself and sundry swag bags from the San Diego Convention Center Expo Hall  to my hotel room to meetings to sessions back to the Convention Center Expo Hall back to the hotel room, with a quick pitstop before the evening events and parties began. I was exhausted. I’m not a beach or pool lover, so I wasn’t upset about missing the beach and pool day. Highlight for my kids and their dad was catching a beach volleyball game. We’re East Coast volleyball players. They weren’t able to play, but loved experiencing a bit of Southern California.
• Sunday — Day 4 — Legoland. With BlogHer over and bags packed and swag exchanged at the Swag Room, we hit the road to drive to LegoLand.
• Monday — Day 5 — Starline Tour of L.A. and Hollywood. I was so glad to experience Southern California with my family!
• Tuesday — Day 6 — Disneyland. Our first experience of Disneyland was a success. Yes, it was crowded, packed, and we missed out on a couple of rides towards the end of the day when Fast Passes ran out, but we had an awesome day. Probably our best day as a family on our trip..
  
• Wednesday — Day 7 — California Adventure. Second day of Disney…we hit our stride. Figured out how to maximize the Fast Pass. Got prime “seats” at the World of Color. And, I may have been persuaded by a certain Kid to ride California Screamin’. Whoa that was an experience!
• Thursday — Travel Day. Sadly, we had to say farewell to Anaheim and Southern California. And say hello to our lives back home.

I was given passes to the attractions in this post. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a little kid living in New Jersey, I recall seeing a couple of movies at the drive in movie theater. The movies were loud and I think one was a James Bond film, Goldfinger(?). Not all that appropriate for kids, really. I have very strong recollections of falling asleep while watching the movie.

As a big kid living in Manchester, England, I saw a scant few movies. Our local movie theater (The Rex in Wilmslow, Cheshire) would show the same movie on the sole screen for weeks and weeks and well, you get the idea…weeks. I saw the original Star Wars a few years after its release in the U.S. In a interesting turn of events, I saw the uncut Rocky Horror Picture Show on British TV when I was about 16…I was very shocked by the movie, but didn’t stop watching!

As a college student living in PA, I saw many, many movies through the college’s movie program. I very much made up for my movie-light childhood by watching everything from The Godfather to the Gods Aren’t Crazy. I watched whatever movie was showing, no matter what the movie was.

As a young dating person, then engaged person, then married person, I watched movies 2 or 3 times a month. While I still watched many, many movies, I began to look closely at my “movie spending” dollars. As the price of movie tickets increased, not to mention the sky-rocketing cost of movie snacks, so did my need to ensure that the movie I planned to see was “worth” it. Out when any comedies. Back in my dating days, I watched movies based on who was in the movie. As I became more budget conscious, I began to read reviews. If the movie received a so-so, lackluster review, there was no way I was spending my hard-earned cash.

To this day, I want to take my family to movies that are well acted, produced, directed, and most importantly have a storyline that is uplifting and positive. We would much rather take our kids to see a film with a good message than one with cheap laughs and jokes. And that is why I am very happy to tell you Big Miracle.

The Big Miracle is inspired by a true story. You may remember the story from a few years back of the small town news reporter, played by John Krasinski, and an animal-loving volunteer, played by Drew Barrymore, who band together with others to save a family of whales trapped by ice in the Arctic Circle. I don’t recall the news story, but apparently a coalition of people — Inuit natives, oil companies, the Russian and American military — joined together to free this family of whales from the ice cap.

We’ll be catching this movie shortly after it is released. I hope you will too. Read on as I have a giveaway for Big Miracle goodies for you. To learn more about Big Miracle:

• Print out this handy activity page about whales. Fun games!
• Like Big Miracle on Facebook.
• Go to the Big Miracle site to learn more, including watching videos.

Now, here’s what you have been waiting for…the giveaway! I have one Big Miracle prize pack for one lucky reader of this blog. The Big Miracle prize pack includes:

• a $25 Fandango Gift Card
• Whale Plush
• a Big MiracleT-shirt 

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me by reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away a Fandango $25 GC to promote #BigMiracle movie! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/zRCzaz #giveaway
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• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
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I was given a Fandango Gift Card to facilitate my review. Prizing is provided by Universal Pictures. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends February 1, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only.

I’m in a race, of sorts. But, I’m not sure where I am going. Every feel like every day you are really simply racing from Point A to Point B with a pit stop at Point C before heading back home at some point? A rat race, of sorts.

Mornings start later than usual. You know how it is. After getting three kids on three buses to three schools with three backpacks, three lunchboxes, three permission slips…I am exhausted. Even weekends are busy with swim meets, volleyball tournaments, school projects, and household stuff. So, a busy day followed by a late night of working is a recipe for a sleepy me once the kids are off to school. I’ve been known to catch a quick or not so quick catnap.

But, back to today. No napping for me. Lots to do. I feel mostly rested. We’ll see how I feel at the 3 p.m. slump! Before sleep catches up to me, here are the winners of my Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways. Congrats to all! I’m so pleased that so many of you visited and commented and entered my giveaways. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

• Kerfuffle! Dicecapades! — Congrats, Kristin!
• Lego Duplo My First Fire Station — @rsgrandinetti. Congrats, Renee!
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean — @dagmarbleasdale. Congrats, Dagmar!
• Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters — @WiCProject. Congrats to Miriam!
• KRE-O Transformers Sentinel Prime — @italiaangel80. Congrats, Brooke!
• HTC Status Phone — @ddx155. Congrats, Douglas!
• HTC Wildfire S — @chrisdeglen. Congrats, Debbie!
• Sam’s Club Gift Card — Congrats, Deanna!

Many congratulations to all my winners. And a huge thank you to the companies that helped make my Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway a rip-roaring success!

Stay tuned for my week of DVD giveaways! Now what should I call my week of giveaways? Any ideas?

As a little kid, we traveled five or more times a year. Some trips were short to moderate car rides. Other trips were transatlantic flights. There was one constant on all our family trips. My mother’s tartan holdall.

The bag was dark blue with a green and black checkered pattern. Tartan. Does anyone use the word tartan? Except when describing a kilt. The holdall was probably two feet long and one foot deep. No carrying strap just two short handles.

My mother's bag was not nearly so stylish as this bag

The bag must have weighed a ton. Think about it…it was the 70s…way before little kids carried all their stuff in backpacks. My mother was the designated hauler of all items needed on the trip. She dragged that tartan holdall across the Atlantic close to 15 times.

On a transatlantic, my mother’s tartan holdall contained:

• my dad’s book
• my mother’s book
• coloring books for my sister and I and of course, crayons…n0t the 64-pack, not even the 24-pack, but probably a pack of 8 crayons that we shared.
• a sleeping bag…invariably during a long flight one or both of us would lie across a row of seats…it was the days where flights were never full…especially transatlantic flights.
• a change of clothes for my sister and I…it was also the days of rough flights, rocky landings, hair-raising take offs. You know the air sickness bags? We always filled a bag or two on take and landing.
• and probably a bunch of other things.

I have no idea what happened to the tartan holdall. My kids have always carried their own backpacks. We never flew with any child under the age of three, but we did fly to Disney twice with a three-year-old. I let my kids carry anything they wanted in their backpacks as long as they could carry it. For the three-year-old’s, I packed a couple of board books, a sticker book, coloring book/crayons, and a stuffed animal or two.

I’d like to thank aerospace engineers everywhere for making passenger airline travel blissfully air-sickness bag free.

My son is a giant. O.K. not quite. But he is very tall for his age. At 3 he was mistaken for a 5-year-old. At 5, people assumed he was 8. Lately, people have asked if my 8-year-old is 10 or 11. What?!

Being mistaken for an older kid can be onerous. Especially if your 3-year-old is acting like…well…a 3-year-old and not say like a 5-year-old. I got used to the looks of concern. There is a one bright spot to having a taller-than-average kid. Your child is tall enough to ride rides at Disney! That’s right my 3-year-old was about 40 inches tall when we visited Walt Disney World. I was surprised to learn that he was able to ride Soarin’ at EPCOT. I was amazed that I was able to take him on this ride. I thought that I would have to do the Rider Swap, which is when one parent rides a ride while the other parent stays back with the young child. He rode that ride like a seasoned veteran of amusement park rides.

Of Interest to Parents… At Disneyland, a child who is 40 inches and above may ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours — The Adventure Continues. At Disney’s California Adventure, a child who is 40 inches or move may ride: Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Silly Symphony Swings, Soarin’ Over California, and The Twilight Zone of Terror.

Our Kid, Preteen-now-Teen, and Teen loved California Adventure. So did we! We arrived at California Adventure determined to have the best last day of vacation ever…and we did!

Warning To Those Who Like to Stay Dry: You will get wet on Grizzly River Run! We couldn’t persuade the older two to come along for this adventure, but our youngest was game. Did I mention we got wet? A poncho would have been a good idea. Except that my son probably wouldn’t have worn one.

Musings from Me advice: Go on Grizzly River Run early in the day. We climbed aboard as soon as we arrived at California Adventure. We were able to ride twice. It was August so we all dried off quickly.

Grizzly River Run and Soarin’ Over California are in the Golden State Area of the park. Another attraction in this area is the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar. You can get a preview of soon-to-be-opened attractions, while also perusing plans and blueprints for existing attractions. If I had any artistic skill at all, I would train to be an architect. The attractions at all Disney parks are designed to give the visitor the best possible experience. Nothing is left to chance. Why even Spaceship Earth is designed with channels and special gutters to allow rain not to fall on visitors. Disney Imagineers think of everything!

Thanks to FASTPASS we rode Soarin’ Over California twice, maybe three times. You feel as though you are literally handgliding over California.

The kids were anxious to do as many rides as possible at California Adventure as it was our last day of vacation in Southern California. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to do as much as possible, but I wanted to see Blue Sky Cellar.

Once we were inside Blue Sky Cellar the kids were intrigued by the designs for new and old rides. Of special interest to us was the soon-to-be-opened Cars Land. Scheduled to open in 2012, Cars Land will feature the sleepy town of Radiator Springs off Route 66. Rides in Cars Land will include:

• Luigi’s Flying Tires
• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
• Radiator Springs Racers

The 6-acre Cars Land will be the largest attraction at Disneyland Resort. You can even dine at the Cozy Cone Motel, Flo;s V8 Cafe, and Fillmore’s Taste-in! I wonder if there will be a statue to Stanley!

While my son had his pic taken with Lightning and mater, I took a peak over the wall surrounding the construction site for Cars Land. It looks very fun!! I can’t wait til it opens!

We ended our day with several visits to California Adventure stores so my Preteen-now-Teen could swap her Vinylmations. She started a collection of these quirky and oh-so cute figurines about a year before our trip. Each one has the body of Mickey Mouse but each is decorated to resemble the characters from Toy story, the Muppets, Disney villains, or other more off-the-wall creations. One of hers is a Mickey decorated to look like a S’more.

She was anxious to trade the Vinylmations she had for different ones. I volunteered to carry her Vinylmations in the PlumDistrict bag I got at BlogHer. After saving the Vinylmations from getting wet, getting crushed, and getting mangled in the crowds, I was ever so happy for my daughter to do her trades. You can trade at over 90 locations in Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Disneyland Resort Paris.

We ate a very delicious dinner from two walk-up, quick service places: Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill. My son and I are the more adventurous eaters…we loved the Mediterranean dishes from the Paradise Garden Grill. After dinner, it was a final ride on Goofy’s Sky School before heading to World of Color to use the FASTPASS that we picked up at Grizzly River Run at the start of our day.

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Give me any puzzle. From 500 pieces to 1500 pieces. 3D puzzles. Even those mystery puzzles where you don’t know what the image will be until you start putting the pieces together. You name the puzzle and I will do it. Now there is one puzzle which is befuddles me. This puzzle makes me wonder if I will ever get the hang of it. When I see my daughter clicking through and easily finishing the puzzle, I know I will never be able to do it. What puzzle am I talking about?

Rubik’s Cube. Just call this puzzle my nemesis. Try as I might this puzzle has continued to outfox me. Now, my Preteen-now-Teen tackled the Rubik’s Cube a few years ago. She clicked. She clacked. And hey presto she finished the Cube. Leaving me awestruck. Even as a kid I was never able to do the Rubik’s Cube. Can you do the Cube? How many tries did it take you? How long did it take to finish? Did you ask your son or daughter to complete it for you? Come on, fess up!

The Rubik’s Cube is the perfect birthday gift. Kid, Tween, Teen, Even adults will love playing with Rubik’s Cube. Many adults will remember the original Rubik’s Cube from their childhood.

• You can purchase Rubik’s Cube for $9.99 from the Hasbro site.
• Rubik’s Cube is recommended for 8 and up.
• Comes with a stand.
• Already have one, take a gander at the Rubik’s Cube 360 edition or Rubik’s Magic!

I was asked by Hasbro to challenge my readers. Do you have what it takes? Are you ready to take on a challenge? Is the Rubik’s Cube within your grasp? Yes! Hasbro wants me to give away a Rubik’s Cube to one lucky reader. Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

What was your favorite Christmas or holiday gift as a child?

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
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• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away a Rubik’s Cube! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/wszaz7
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Keep your eye on this blog for more giveaways. Posting reviews and giveaways through the end of January. Coming soon: Another fun toy from Best Pals and a Giveaway!

Other giveaways ending soon:

• Need a smartphone? And who doesn’t?! I’m giving away an HTC Status (ends 1/5/2012) and an HTC Wildfire (ends 1/6/2012)!

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Source: Kid's Birthday Parties

One of the pluses of having children at different preschools is the variety. For a myriad of reasons, my three children attended four different preschools. Each preschool adhered to the preschool calendar of projects tied in to holiday traditions and celebrations. Even though all three preschools celebrated seasonal events, each had different lesson plans for the children to do. I was always surprised when I peaked in my preschooler’s bag around holiday time. In the words of Forrest Gump, I never knew what I was gonna get.

My oldest attended a private preschool for 2s before transferring to another private preschool for 3s and 4s. She was taught about celebrations near and far. Her preschool was not church-based so the staf were careful to include all celebrations. She already knew about Hanukkah, but learned about Kwanzaa and other festivals.

My favorite craft from my oldest’s preschool years was the Halloween skeleton craft. I don’t have a pic of it…no digital cameras back then. I’ll scan it when I get a moment. But, picture if you will a sheet of black construction paper and Q-tips. The Q-tips were loosely arranged on the paper to approximate a skeleton. I could tell that my daughter had drizzled the glue on the paper all by her self. On one side there was hardly any glue, the other side was caked with glue. The head and legs of the skeleton were obvious, but the body and arms were just a jumble of cut up Q-tips arranged willy-nilly on the paper.

I absolutely loved that the teachers let the kids do the skeleton craft themselves. In stark contrast is the same craft from my Preteen-now-Teen’s preschool. Same idea of a skeleton made with Q-tips stuck to a piece of black construction paper. While my Teen’s skeleton was haphazard arrangement on paper, my Preteen-now-Teen’s skeleton was arranged with precise lines and angles. The teacher must have held each of the children’s hands as they were placing the Q-tips on the black construction paper. Not a Q-tip was out of place. Every Q-tip was arranged to look like a skeleton.

I love both crafts. My daughters both poured their little selves in to all crafts that came home from preschool. Both girls and their younger brother LOVED showing me the day’s preschool craft project. My son was a little less eager to do the project as there were cars and blocks to play with, but once he got in to it he enjoyed creating crafts. My son’s school was a preschool based in a large Methodist church nearby. Many of his crafts from school were inspired from the Bible verse of the day.

This past Halloween I displayed a number of the kids crafts in the kitchen. I taped the projects on to the kitchen window frame. We had many dinner table conversations about who did what craft.

What was the preschool craft project you loved the most?

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