Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Gold Pass at Dollywood: How Much Money Do People Save?

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This post originally appeared on the Dollywood Insiders page, as I’m a proud Dollywood Insider! 

 

Have you ever thought about “going for the gold” at Dollywood? The Gold Season Pass offers quite a few additional benefits, but it does cost $50 more than a regular Season Pass. Today, I want to showcase how much money my family saves by having just one Gold Pass in our family (one is all you need if you typically all go to the park together!).

Parking

Parking is free with a Gold Pass and that equals a $15 savings every single time you come to Dollywood. Three days of parking alone will almost pay for your upgrade, friends.

Still need more convincing? No problem!

Food

You will save 20% on your food purchases in the parks (including sit down restaurants!). My family ate at Front Porch Cafe (Insider tip: the servings are not only delicious, but also generous, so consider splitting your meals for additional savings). Our bill shrank from $30 to $24 all thanks to showing my server my Gold Pass!

Shopping

We all know that the shops inside both the theme park and water park have some truly irresistible merchandise. Your Gold Season Pass gets you 20% off those purchases, as well! On our most recent visit, we picked up a sparkly mermaid pillow, a Christmas ornament for my sister, a mega bath bomb for the girls and some locally made shaving soap for my husband. Thanks to the Gold Pass, we saved a total of $9 on our purchases throughout the park.

So for my family, a typical day at Dollywood as a Gold Season Passholder provided us with $30 in savings. We will most likely visit the parks five more times before the end of the year, and we’ll be parking and eating each time we visit, and I usually can’t leave the park without an extra purchase or two. Over the course of the season, a Gold Season Pass will not only make up for its cost, but it will also save you in the long run! Therefore, it’s quite a bargain, don’t you think?

Pardon the Mess! Under Construction!

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Hello lovely readers! Just wanted to alert all of you (and especially those of you who subscribe) that we are undergoing a few changes on the back end of the blog, and it is causing some content to have to be re-uploaded, which may result in an unusually lengthy email update from the site. I apologize for this and hope to have the site back to normal by Sunday. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Is Your Medicine Cabinet Fully Stocked? My Story of Not Being Prepared and How I’ve Fixed It

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Food Lion. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last week I had one of those parenting moments that most of us have to go through at one time or another: my kid fell while playing and got one heck of a gash above her eyebrow. Head wounds, as it turns out, bleed something fierce, so that they look much scarier than they might actually be. But it’s hard to make that determination as you see your kid with blood all over her face.

You guys, I’d like to tell you that my “calm, cool and collected” version of myself took over at this point, but no. My “completely freak out” version of self stepped forward. Fortunately, my husband had only left for work moments before and I was able to call him to get him to turn around and come back. I applied pressure and cried and as soon as he got home, I headed to our medicine cabinet to get bandages so that we could get her cut covered up while we waited to see her pediatrician for stitches (oh yes, she needed stitches…7 of them!).

And it was as I was rummaging through our medicine cabinet that I realized that it was long overdue for some restocking. We only had tiny bandages that wouldn’t be helpful for this particular wound. Furthermore, I had no pain relief to offer Layah (we evidently ran out during cold/flu season!) and I didn’t even have antacids for my quickly developing heartburn in the midst of all this stress.

Great. I started to beat myself up, mentally, for this total parenting fail, but then I set it aside and vowed to take a trip to Food Lion ASAP to stock up on everything. 

That very afternoon, I loaded up the kids and went to Food Lion, as I had recently heard about their private label of over-the-counter healthcare and personal care products. It’s called CareOne and it’s a conversion from the original Healthy Accents private label that you may already know. For More Information about Food Lion’s Private Brand labels click here. I was excited to peruse the options because I knew I’d be buying several items, so cost savings would be much appreciated!

We quickly found some tie-dye bandages that Layah loved, as well as an assortment of other bandaging needs (I really appreciated that the packages showed me the order of use for the items so I could be sure I was buying everything needed for wound care). I also scooped up my antacids and some pain relief for Layah, who had been such a trooper at the doctor’s office, but was now starting to feel the effects of her fall. food lion care one products stock up

I loaded up my cart and headed to checkout, and was honestly delighted with the total: $18, including tax, for a pretty hefty medicine cabinet restock! We’ve already used several of the products and have found them to work just the same as the national brands we’ve purchased in the past. I love knowing that I can just head over to Food Lion to get whatever we need for our our healthcare and personal care needs, and find something that works great for less.

In addition to being affordable, CareOne products are also endorsed by pharmacists. Furthermore, Food Lion is so confident that they are offering quality products in the CareOne line that the products with a double your money back guarantee, as well. If that’s not a good reason to go give this line a try, I don’t know what is, friends!



In light of the great experience I’ve had with CareOne products so far, I’m doing a complete inventory of my medicine cabinet later today to see what else might be missing. I’ll take my list of needed products straight over to Food Lion and will shop the CareOne brand for replacements. If you haven’t restocked your healthcare and personal care products in a while and want to learn more, now’s a great time to do it, and Food Lion’s a great place to shop!

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The Process of Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests in Your Home (Ants!)

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Here in eastern Tennessee we have been getting absolutely pummeled with rain. It has rained off and on for at least the past month, if not longer. We had a drought two summers ago, so I try not to get too upset about seeing how green everything is right now, all thanks to the rain. But there is one thing that is really upsetting me, and that’s ALL THESE DANG ANTS that have decided to take up residence in my house.

Did you know that rain is one of the big reasons that colonies of ants decide to move into your house? It’s true! They want a nice, dry place to live and if you get a lot of rain, like we are getting right now, then be on the lookout for the ants to go marching right into your home, where they can build their nests right inside your walls.

This is the stuff of my nightmares, and also my current reality, friends. I’m putting this out there just in case my tips can be of any help to others who are sick and tired of finding ants all over the place, even after upping your housecleaning game and getting super good about keeping food from being left on tables and counters.

We are customers of Arrow Exterminators, and we purchased a pest control contract with them. They are scheduled to come out once a quarter to do some inside and outside pest control and prevention, but they also are available any time I see a pest-related problem in my house that I’d like them to come out and address.

We had our initial service call about a month ago, but I called them again last week because the ant problem, which had become virtually non-existent since their last visit had suddenly exploded again. All thanks to that rain, as it turns out! The gentleman who came out to help me was very quick and efficient and explained exactly what he was doing in the areas where I saw problems. He did some contact extermination (spraying of ants to kill them on sight) and some baiting so that living ants would carry poison back to the nests. He also inspected the outside of my house again without being asked to and found a few new trails that he sprayed and baited.

He then gave me his card which has his work cell phone on it, and told me to call  him directly when (not if) I saw a trail of ants again. He said it’s an even faster way to get service because he might be able to squeeze me in on the same day, just depending on where else he is making service calls in the area that day. That’s great customer service! Honestly, how often do you meet someone who volunteers to go above and beyond, and squeeze in extra service calls, beyond what is on the schedule for the day, whenever possible? I would tell you that I’m surprised, but having been a customer of Arrow Exterminators for the past 4 years, it wasn’t surprising at all. This is why I am loyal to this company; they are loyal to their customers!

While it would be so wonderful if Arrow Exterminators could promise me that the ants would be eradicated with just one visit, I really appreciate their honesty: getting rid of odorous house ants is a process. It takes time and consistency. But it will get better. These ants move their nests about every 28 days, so just because they stop showing up in one part of your house, that doesn’t mean they won’t pop up next week in a totally different place!

So that’s something I want you all to understand about ants: it just takes time, and so you need to work with a pest control company (like Arrow Exterminators) that is willing to put the time and effort into truly making progress, as opposed to a place that charges a set amount for 1 treatment per month/quarter/whatever, and then charges extra for anything beyond that. If ants are your problem, you will likely not be happy with that kind of set up. I am so happy knowing that I can call any time I see a new trail of ants and that help will be on the way!

Anybody else dealing with house ants like me? Other tips to help give them the boot?

And if you are working on increasing curb appeal by reducing pests in your yard, here are some great tips.

Our Summer Rhythm as a Homeschooling Family

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I turned in all of my reporting paperwork due to our county department of education a few weeks ago, which means that we are officially having summer break in the house right now. But unofficially, we are continuing to do work that looks very similar to the work we’ve been doing for several months, now. I’ve kept going because we have had a rather peaceful, laid-back approach to our schooling, which has been wonderful, but does require consistency in order to not get too far behind with some of our core skills, such as math and handwriting.

After 9 months of giving homeschooling a shake, it turns out that we are more naturally an unschooling family, so summer looks much the same as the school year, only with a noticeable drop in travel. We are traveling less this summer for two key reasons. First, we purchased a house a few months ago, and that has caused our monthly housing expenses to increase significantly. That means less money for travel, plain and simple. But the second reason is because summer is when everyone else fits in their vacations, and we learned this past year that going on vacation when everyone else is at work/school is AWESOME (such as spending the day at LEGOLAND and never once waiting in line!). We will do some quick stints up to Dollywood this summer since we are season pass holders, but we are saving up to take larger trips later in the fall.

We are, however, encouraging our friends and family who are taking their vacations now to come and see us. Summer is a great opportunity for us to host folks, show off our great city a bit, and spend quality time together with people we love. Our new house is much more spacious than our last one, which makes playing host more of a joy and less of a hassle, as well.

homeschooling during the summer

homeschooling during the summer

So on a typical day, what sorts of structured activities are my girls (ages 6 and 8) doing? Here’s a glimpse at what we did just yesterday (affiliate links included at no cost to you):

  • 2 chapters from My First Bible, along with discussion (my master’s degree is in theology, so this is great fun for me!)
  • 2 chapters reading aloud from a larger novel (currently reading Rump and very highly recommend it)
  • 1 page each of math worksheets from Daily Math Warm Ups (my oldest strongly prefers worksheets to online math work, as it turns out, and my youngest is fine either way)
  • 1 page each of handwriting practice (both children were taught cursive handwriting first in Montessori school, so my oldest practices print writing since she never learned it, and my youngest practices cursive writing).
  • Older child reads independently for 20 minutes (currently graphic novels are her jam)
  • Younger child reads 1-2 books out loud to me (currently anything by Mo Willems is her jam)
  • Older child reads a shorter book out loud to younger sister
  • 1 educational DVD from the library (recent example: What is Hinduism? from the Understanding World Religions DVD series )
  • History lesson of some sort (currently working through Usborne Encyclopedia of World History and Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History)
  • Younger child completes 2 mazes
  • Older child does one page of Building Thinking Skills
  • Older child completes one word ladder
  • Work on memorizing multiplication tables through songs. My oldest is a rising fourth grader, and is a bit behind in math due to anxiety, so I backed off of the pressure for a bit this year, and she has finally asked to learn her multiplication tables, which is an exciting step forward! I highly recommend this teacher on Youtube, who uses popular songs to help kids learn. My rising first grader, who at this point is a full year ahead in math, is learning them at the same time.
  • We also head to the library to get a pile of books at least once a week (sometimes twice!). I typically  have about 50 books and DVDs checked out at any given time. This is a great opportunity for me to do some “strewing,” which means to put some interesting  books out there for the kids and to see what resonates with them.
  • It’s also my job to pay attention to what the girls are asking questions about, and to become a reference librarian for them. We might watch any number of educational/informative videos on Youtube (I do pay for the commercial-free subscription service so that watching videos is a joy and not annoying) just based on what they are asking questions about at the time.

When I look at this all laid out, I can’t help but think that it might sound like a lot of worksheets (which is heading in the opposite direction of unschooling!), a lot of structure and a whole lot of time. But it might surprise you to hear that all of this can be finished in 2-3 hours (a little longer if we are watching an educational DVD). It honestly just doesn’t take that long, friends! We work on it in bits and pieces throughout the day so that it never gets too overwhelming. And as for it being too structured to be called unschooling, my view on that is that there are as many ways to school children as there are to parent them, and for now, I’m simply following the lead of what my kids want to learn about and want to do, all while making sure that we don’t get too far behind in a few very key skills. Even with those skills, I’m much more lax than what you might encounter in a more traditional school setting. I’ve found a rhythm that keeps me from totally freaking about whether or not my kids are learning what matters most (ok, I do still freak out about that from time to time, but I’m working on it), and my kids are not too overwhelmed by it at all and seem happy with the pace and with the work. Perhaps we are atypical unschoolers, but when it comes to unschooling, I’m not too sure that “typical” is really a thing!

So what are my kids doing the rest of the day? I’d love to tell you that they are doing self-directed art projects, or heading into the kitchen and whipping up fun things like muffins and cakes, or building forts outside for hours. Sometimes those cool creative things happen, sure. But the truth of the matter is that more often than not, they are playing Minecraft and Roblox like it’s their job. They love these games to no end, and they bond with their cousins who don’t live nearby by playing together at the same time while chatting with each other through Alexa. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by how much the girls are actually learning playing these games, so I don’t stress out too much about them. And I just (as in last night) learned about the educational resources available. I’m going to look into that this week to see how I can leverage something they love so much to help teach some important concepts.

I missed the boat on summer camp opportunities, which I do feel quite bad about, because they are great socialization opportunities, if nothing else. But around here they fill up very quickly as parents who are working full time need to find child care for their kiddos. I did, however, get us all signed up for an online opportunity that includes a treasure hunt component (there’s a real buried treasure out there worth $10,000, friends, and someone is going to find it!). It’s called Brain Chase, and it gets going in a few weeks. I’ll be posting more on it as I learn more about how it works! So far I know that our whole family will be involved in some weekly activities together (you have several options, but I chose community service, reading and cooking challenges). Want to join? Just code SPN10 to snag 10% off the cost. Yay for saving money, and double yay for the possibility of finding buried treasure!

Feel free to leave me a comment with any questions you might have about our daily rhythm, and feel free to share your own, if you like! I hope getting a peek into our day is helpful to you in some way.

When Bugs Dig Your Digs: What’s Working for Us

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Guys I know I’ve already gushed about our new house a few times on the blog, but I just adore it. It’s the perfect place for me and my crew to make ourselves right at home.

Spiders and ants seem to feel just the same way, unfortunately, and we have found ourselves engaged in a bit of a war with these pests. The ants are particularly impressive, finding the tiniest crumbs from (seemingly) miles away and forming a massive line from the tiny cracks on the other side of the house until they reach their treasure. And the spiders just think our basement rocks hard and they have no desire to budge. This, of course, means that my kids now officially hate the basement.
The bugs have GOT TO GO, but we also have 3 cats in the house, so we need to be really careful about what we are spraying around the house. Our curious kitties are likely to go over to something sprayed along the walls and give it a little taste.
So what to do? Well, I haven’t yet figured out a more permanent solution, but for quick fixes when we spy intruders, I’m really enjoying these products sent to us from Aunt Fannie’s. This company has an entire line of products for the home, but it’s the pest control products that have really gotten my attention.
natural pest repellent
I’ve used the All-Purpose Pest Remedy no less than 10 times and it will break up an ant conga line quicker than anything! We’ve found trails all along our front steps and used this product to discourage them from coming on in the front door (it worked!). And we’ve used it most any time we’ve found an ant party getting started. It doesn’t have any strong odor and my cats don’t seem the least bit interested in it, and I wouldn’t worry if they did because it’s pet friendly (and baby/toddler friendly, too!).
When I head out on a Saturday or Sunday morning to do a little gardening, I use one of these mosquito wipes. They help tremendously, and I find that just one wipe can provide protection for two people (just a little tip to get more bang for your buck!). I also appreciate not putting any sort of toxic bug repellent on me, and I love the ease of use of a wipe. I am a total mosquito magnet, so trust me when I say this stuff really helps! It’s another great product that I highly recommend!
I haven’t yet had to try the fruit fly trap, but I’m hanging on to it for the day when I’ll need it (it’s not a question of if, but when!).
So that’s a quick note on something that’s working for us. What’s working for you to keep bugs away without polluting or putting humans and pets at risk? I’d love to hear!

4 Games We Will Be Playing All Summer

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Thanks to Nintendo and YULU Toys for providing product samples. All other products mentioned have been purchased by me, and all opinions, as always, are my own. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Over the last few weeks I’ve been hearing my mom friends talking strategy to each other about how to prepare for the ending of the school year and the beginning of the simultaneously awesome and awful summer. I remember this feeling all too well: it’s so fun to get to have special time with the kiddos, but it’s also really hard to plan for 12 weeks in a row of it!

One of the things that I always liked to introduce during the summer was new games to play, and since I homeschool now, I’ve got the inside scoop for you on what’s really fun to play right now. We incorporate game playing into our daily routine more days than not, so I’m not stranger to the game aisle of the stores!

So here are 4 things we are currently really enjoying playing. Maybe it will give you some new ideas for ways to keep summer boredom at bay!

  1. Watermelon Smash

watermelon smash review

We broke this game out for the first time this week as the temperatures started to hit the mid-80s, and it was a massive hit. Darah and her best friend played the game 10 times in a row! The basic premise is that you spin a wheel, follow the instructions for how many times you have to “smash” the watermelon over your own head (or over someone else’s head!) and eventually the watermelon will break open letting out about 1/3 cup of water and giving the person holding the watermelon a nice little cool off! The last person dry is declared the winner. There’s also bright blue and yellow plastic watermelon seeds that can be released instead of water just in case kids want to play the game inside.

2. Loot

I picked this up used at our local favorite used book and game shop, McKay’s (but you can easily find your own copy on Amazon). It’s a pirate-themed card game that young and old alike with enjoy. It moves quickly and is great fun! My girls love quirky card games (such as Sleeping Queens) and this fits the bill quite nicely.

3. Nintendo Selects Games for 3DS

Fellow children of the ’80s, listen up! Nintendo 3DS has some of our childhood favorites (like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario (3D Land)) available on Nintendo DS. Yes, it’s more spiffy than it was on our original consoles, but what a great way to have some quality bonding time with your kid and to tell tales of the days when you used to play a more vintage version of these exact games. Also? They have them VALUE priced at $20 each (this is in comparison to the typical $39.99 for 3DS games). The only problem we seem to be having with these games, for now, is prying them out of Tim’s hands so that the girls can actually play. He’s totally hogging them, for now.

4. Ravensburger Puzzles

I think I’ve mentioned this brand before, but I’ll say it again: Ravensburger puzzles have a quality that is second to none. The pieces fit together well and don’t bend as easily as other brands. They also tend to have some really cool/interesting scenes to put together! We especially love the ones that have a fun border around the outside. After the girls put their puzzles together they usually spend quite a bit of time checking out the puzzle, itself, especially if we have one that has a whole lot going on like this one or this one.

If you have another great game or puzzle idea to share, please leave a comment below so we can all help crowd-source some great new ideas! Best of luck as we march forward into summer!

3 Meaningful Gift Ideas for Special Occasions

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Friends today’s collaborative post brings to mind a few of my most treasured possessions. I happen to own an example of each of the gifts listed below and they are each among my very, very favorite things. Check out this list to get some really special ideas for your next gift giving occasion.

Keepsake gift ideas for that special occasion

Choosing the right gift for birthdays and Christmas is one of those things that we all have to do. It is fair to say that while some people have the knack of coming up with great ideas for even the most difficult recipient, for many, it often turns into a case of trawling the stores, either physically or online, in an ever-increasing state of desperation to find something that “will do.”

For routine events, that sometimes has to suffice. But what about those extra special occasions? Perhaps a loved one is celebrating a landmark birthday, or a close family member is getting married. Or maybe there is a new addition to the family and you want to buy them something that they can literally treasure for their entire life.

Here are a few ideas for special gifts that will leave a lasting impression.

A personalized sketch

There are some great artists out there, and they will create a unique, hand-drawn sketch of anything. All they need is a photo to work from – send it to them electronically, and they do the rest. How about a picture of the house where your parents lived when they first got married – or what better picture for a newborn baby’s wall that a sketch of Mummy, Daddy and Baby all together for the first time?

Gold

Gold holds a unique place in human history. Quite simply, it has always been the most important and valuable commodity on Earth – and some say its value is equally important in other worlds! You can buy gold from Golden Eagle coinsin a variety of types, from traditional coins to one ounce gold bars. It is hard to think of any gift that could be more special – and it will always hold its value, so is also a useful investment.

A keepsake box

Newborns in particular will receive a host of special gifts. So how about thinking a little laterally and presenting them with something in which they can keep their treasured possessions? Of course, the same applies to people at any age. There are no hard and fast rules as to what someone might keep in their keepsake box, but there is no denying that it is something every single one of us will find a use for.

Best of all, whenever they go to open the box and look through their treasures, the first thing they will see is the box itself, which will forever be associated with the love and thought with which it was given.

A locket

Finally, a gift that in some respects is a combination of all three of the above. A locket can be made of gold, and can contain the most important keepsake of all, a personalized picture, photograph or hand-written message. You could even include a curl of hair from baby’s first haircut on one side and a photo of Baby on the other. It’s enough to melt the heart of any Mom on Mother’s Day!

When a Pest is a Pollinator: What to Do About Carpenter Bees?

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Our new home has a yard filled to the brim with flowering plants, which means that we are able to provide a happy home for lots of different pollinators in our community. That’s a great thing, overall, because as you may already know, North America’s bee population is in serious decline. Keeping our pollinating insects alive ensures that we all get to stay alive, because it means that the crops will continue to grow. So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal!

But what do you do when the pollinator is also a pest to your actual house? Carpenter bees are a specific threat we have encountered in the last month. Spring is the time when these bees emerge, and while they do pollinate flowers, they also love to drill holes in wood, as that is where they like to lay their eggs. This can cause structural damage to your home, for sure.

I spoke with the experts at Arrow Exterminators, my preferred place of business for all my pest control needs. I explained that I was reluctant to have any sort of chemicals sprayed anywhere near our gardens as I felt that we needed to keep the bees around. I wondered if they might have any alternative suggestions, and I was surprised and delighted when they offered a suggestion that was in the best interest of the bees and that wouldn’t even require a visit from their company to my house. Just one more reason I really trust Arrow Exterminators: they are committed to responsible and ethical pest control management, and not simply dedicated to the pursuit of spraying chemicals as an answer to every problem. Go Arrow Exterminators!

how to get rid of carpenter bees

So what was the advice? Well, it was simple: carpenter bees strongly prefer bare wood, so to keep these insects from inflicting damage on your property, keep a thick layer of paint on wood. It’s much harder for them to chew through the paint and more often than not, it will deter them. Staining wood can also help, but it isn’t as reliable of a method as painting. Additionally, it was suggested to be sure to keep garage doors and shed doors closed as much as possible during the spring, as this is the nesting season and you don’t want to find a nest in your garage!

We have some unpainted wooden outdoor furniture that the carpenter bees seem to LOVE, so an upcoming weekend project will be to get that all painted in the hopes that we’ll send the message to those bees that they can hang out in the garden, but nest building is prohibited!

Have you ever had to deal with pollinating pests around your home? Do you have any other tips for how to keep your property AND the bees safe? I’d love to hear in the comments.