Search Results for: blog making car rides work for your family

Gas Tank Getaway: Six Flags Great America

Don’t let high gas prices keep you home this summer.  There’s no need to sweat it out in your backyard when extreme family fun is less than a tank of gas away. If you live in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan or Illinois, a mecca of mind-blowing adventure awaits at Six Flags Great America.  The popular theme park is located in Gurnee, Illinois; less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Milwaukee, and a host of other major Midwestern cities. Great America’s convenient location is a major timesaver, but the savings don’t stop there.  In addition to banking gas money, you can continue … Continue reading →

Make Money from Mom’s Taxi

Just when you thought you couldn’t wear another hat, your kid decides to join the school’s soccer team and now you are spending yet another afternoon carting him to and from practice, in addition to driving him to piano lessons, Scouts, and karate. Mom’s taxi is constantly on the move, so why not make money from your driving skills? While it’s not a traditional home business, running an independent taxi service is not a far-fetched idea for an ambitious mom; especially one who practically lives in her vehicle. If you are worried about the type of people you’d be driving … Continue reading →

Decorate with Words

Spring is right around the corner, which means wedding season is about to begin. There are a number of wedding shows scheduled in my neck of the woods this weekend. No doubt there will be at least a few scrapbook vendors hawking their wares in an attempt to show brides-to-be how they can showcase their wedding photos in elaborate memory albums. My wedding scrapbook is quite fancy, thanks in large part to my aunt and cousin. They worked tirelessly to craft the entire book. While the photos speak for themselves, one of the most touching parts of the album are … Continue reading →

Disney at E3 and Other Video Games Update

A Kinect demo booth at this year’s E3 The E3 Video Game exhibition might be over now, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop talking about all we learned about upcoming video games. Put E3 up there for me with other conventions, like Comic Con and the D23 Expo, that I’d love to attend one day. Disney didn’t dominate E3, as the company isn’t really known for putting out much more than thrown-together movie tie-in games. Titles like “Epic Mickey” and “Kingdom Hearts” are the exceptions to the rule, though the latter doesn’t quite count because it was a … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on a Six Flags Staycation

It’s never a good day when travelers are actually excited to see gas prices hovering near $4. Three dollars and 89 cents for a gallon of unleaded–SCORE!! While the cost of gas has fallen slightly in the last couple weeks, from its highest levels since July 2008, Americans are still paying nearly a dollar more per gallon than a year ago. As a result, families from coast-to-coast continue to restructure their summer vacation plans in order to preserve their household budgets, and still have fun in the sun. That goes double for clans living in and around Chicago. According to … Continue reading →

Gender Challenges

And I thought I had a parenting dilemma. On many occasions I have written about my 6-year-old daughter’s repugnance for princesses, the color pink and anything that could be construed as being even the least bit girly girl. As a parent I pick my battles very carefully and my daughter’s desire to dress like a boy is not something I make an issue of… at least not out loud. I do get slightly annoyed when she places her hands on her throat and makes loud gagging noises when we enter the girls clothing section at Macy’s. And I do find … Continue reading →

Six Flags Minus the Scares

Bloody appendages, stabbed rats, decapitated creatures, knife-wielding, pig-faced butchers and intestine-covered caskets don’t make for sweet dreams, especially if you’re a six-year-old looking to meet Bugs Bunny for the first time. Thankfully, the folks at Six Flags Great America realize this. Hence the decision to keep certain portions of the theme park scare-free for its youngest guests during its annual Fright Fest extravaganza, which runs weekends throughout October. If the popular Gurnee, Illinois, attraction didn’t offer thrills without chills, then there would be no way that I could have spent last Saturday making magical memories with my daughter at Six … Continue reading →

Inside the Disney Limbo

After previewing “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” last week, I began wondering about the status of many other upcoming Disney films. While researching the movies Disney’s got on its production line, I discovered many promising titles (and some not so promising) that are currently in a state of limbo. A number of interesting projects are in various stages of halted production over at Disney right now. For today’s blog I thought I’d highlight some of these projects. “Enchanted 2” – All right, I’m cheating some here. The House of Mouse just announced that they plan to make a … Continue reading →

Holiday Fun with the Family

After surviving yet another snow day with a house full of kids (most not mine), I definitely see why some parents take advantage of all the outdoor holiday-related activities offered this time of year. Whether it’s a horse-drawn carriage ride down Main Street or a walking tour of Christmas lights at the zoo, tis the season to let your kids burn off steam while enjoying festive events. Here’s a look at some kid-friendly holiday activities going on around the country right now: MAINE In Portland, Maine, families can tour the inside and outside of the legendary Victoria Mansion, which has … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: October

As I sit here looking out my window at the backyard, the birds are hovering in the pine tree against a strong wind and steady rain. The temperature is chilly today, and the calendar reminds me that we have left October behind. October 1st Buy a Home for $1.75 It seems that the housing crisis has made some interesting news lately. Home Month in Review: September 2008 Has the weather turned cooler now that September has passed? Pretty soon, it will be time to get that heat turned back on! Meanwhile, check out all of the articles that were posted … Continue reading →