Sunny Days Chasing the Clouds Away...

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

So we finally took Leah to Sesame Place, which is in Langhorne, PA about an hour and a half from our house. The plan was for my husband and I to take both kids with my sister-in-law and niece who is almost two. At the last minute, I decided to leave baby Keith(BB) with my mother-in-law after a disastrous night at my husband's softball game. The deciding factors? I wasn't sure where I would be able to sit and nurse without distractions, how accessible this place was, and how hot it would be (BB turns into a cranky baby when it's hot). I am SOOO glad we didn't bring him, and we ended up having a great time, but definitely exhausting as I am writing about this now two days later.

Buy the Elmo Pass.
For $53 per person, you can go once or you can get the Elmo pass and go twice. Even if you end up hating it, you would have still paid the same price. Children under two are free, which is perfect for my SIL because my niece isn't two yet, but old enough to enjoy the park.

Bring your own stroller.
We were going to rent the double strollers they offer, but weren't able to reserve one online so we brought one. They weren't anything special, and if you need a stroller you probably have one anyway so just save yourself some $$$ and bring your own.

Lockers...
I haven't decided whether or not this is a good purchase at $15 for the locker plus a $5 deposit I got back at the end of the day. If you have a stroller, you can store stuff in the stroller (depending on the kind of stroller). I don't think I could get away without a locker, I always pack so much stuff. They are fairly large... we shoved my beach bag with three beach towels, a backpack, and a lunch box.

What's the deal with lunch?
Since I mentioned the lunch box... I need to mention that there was no lunch inside. Normally, I would be all for the bag lunch, but they are not allowed (even though we saw lots of people picnicking). There are requirements on cooler sizes as well if you are planning on packing beverages. Only baby food allowed (CRAZY!). I didn't get to see all of the food choices, but I'm assuming it's the typical kid favorites... mac 'n cheese, chicken fingers, pizza, fries, although my SIL did get a wrap and fruit salad, and we got an Elmo plate though to keep, so Leah was happy.

Wear your suits.
If you are planning to get wet, wear your suits to the park because the dry rides and wet rides are all mixed together. As soon as Leah saw the water rides she wanted to go on and we still had to change.

To wait or not to wait.
We only waited in line for two rides... the merry-go-round and the rambling river, both times Leah attempted to/succeeded at having a meltdown. There were plenty of things to do that didn't have lines. There were two long slides, a playground, Big Bird's "nest" for little kids, and bunch of connecting pools with fountains and such. However, if it's the rides you are going for, they have Abby's Magic Que, which when you pay $20-30 to skip to the front of the line, although we would have loved it on the rambling river because you can stay on without getting out.

And more waiting...
You also have to wait to talk to or have your picture taken with the characters. Lines would form immediately and would become really long. We skipped it and had the girls wave to the characters as we walked by instead.

Parking.
There are three different types of lots, depending on how close you want to park; basic, premium, or VIP. We got to the park about an hour after it opened, parked near the front of the basic lot, and walked maybe a city block. Not too bad.

Remember that it's not about you..
You took your kids so they can have a good time, don't spend the whole day yelling at them. We didn't do rides for a reason. I knew I wouldn't have the patience to listen to that many meltdowns, and Leah doesn't know how to wait yet and would undoubtedly meltdown. So many people were yelling at their kids. Let them decide how the day goes (or if more than one take turns). IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. My husband made the point at lunch that if he wanted to yell at his kids all day he could have "done that from my couch for free."

Overall, a really good day and I can't wait to take Leah back. She keeps asking us to take her back to Sesame Street. Even if we were really exhausted the next day... we just had some good quality family nap time.

Free Family Film Festival

Fun day today! I took my kids to the Free Family Film Festival at the movie theaters with my girlfriends and their kids (ranging in ages from 8 weeks to 4 years!) then came back to my house for lunch and to let the mobile children be mobile.

So what's the deal? Regal Cinemas and I guess any theater with the Regal Entertainment Group offers free movies during the summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that start at 10am. Absolutely free! No catch... unless of course your kids sucker you into popcorn, soda & candy (Leah usually suckers me in). Today I was smart and packed some baggies of Goldfish, juice boxes and some blankets (I'm always freezing in the movies!). Usually they offer a G-rated and PG-rated movie, although it looks like my theater is only offering PG for the rest of the summer.

Never taken your little one to the movies?? I have to say the first time I took Leah (last summer) I kept shushing her and was embarrassed she was making so much noise, but really... who's kid wasn't? This was actually baby Keith's second movie, not bad for an 8 week old. I think knowing that my kid isn't the only one squirming in the seat and talking much too loudly for a movie definitely puts me at ease now and I can enjoy it much more. I crack up at the things she says now or when she starts laughing hysterically. Even if I decide that her behavior is out of control... I didn't pay anything to see the movie so it isn't a big deal to get up and leave in the middle of the movie (which we did today).

Show up early... especially if you are picky about your seat. I always forget, and the theater is always packed and there is always a line for food and we end up sitting in the front row. I inevitably leave with a neck cramp.

Don't sit in the middle of the row. I am much more tolerant of people climbing over me when I sit in the aisle, than me dragging my toddler over everyone else for the quick potty run. If you feel the other way, than do the opposite... someone has to sit in the middle.

Grab a booster. Our theater has these awesome booster seats. Leah definitely won't sit on my lap anymore, and now that I have two it just wouldn't work. The boosters have two settings depending on which side you sit on (like boosters in some restaurants) and a cup holder on one side. They are even light enough that I make Leah carry it. The best thing about it... she doesn't get trapped in the seat because she doesn't weigh enough and it snaps up on her (this happened to my sister when we were little... I thoroughly enjoyed it at the time.)

So I might try to take my kids next week by myself, although it was definitely reassuring to know my girlfriends were there if I needed to leave with the baby. However, we did successfully get a feeding in during the movie without any issues. If you're interested, I attached the link to the title or you can check out the Regal Entertainment Website for more information and to find a theater near you.

*Image from Regal Entertainment Group.