Tampa Mom

I’m so excited about having an Usborne Book Party this month for some of my friends and thought you might like to consider having one of your own! These books are really beautiful and durable. Many of my friends in the homeschooling community especially love the internet-linked books. They are awesome!

Whether you are a homeschooler or not, or just need to do a little Christmas shopping for the reader in your family, Usborne books will have something for you!

Come to my online party!

The Rays’ Bartlett stole a base, so we’re on for free tacos next Tuesday! Unfortunately, no free donuts today. Lets get it done tonight, Rays!

Celebrate the 6th annual TECO Line Streetcar Fest with 5-cent streetcar rides all day, October 11, 9am-midnight! Ride historic and open-air streetcars, streetcar car barn tours, free kids’ activities outside The Florida Aquarium, $7 Yacht Starship bay tours & Ybor City Saturday Market.

Visit TECO Line Streetcar for more information.

Lowry Park’s ZooBoo is open on Thursdays-Sundays through Nov. 1. Admission is $17/Adults (ages 12+), $14/Kids (ages 3-11). ZooPass holders pay $12/$10. Open 7-10pm on Thursdays and Sundays, 7-11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Important information: For the safety of guests, adults (ages 12 and older) are not permitted to wear masks, wigs, face paint or costumes of any kind. Little boys and “ghouls” (ages 11 and under) are invited to come in their most spooktacular attire. Toy weapons of any sort will not be allowed into the Zoo.

Guavaween Family FunFest will be held Saturday, October 25, 2008 (10am-3pm) in historic Ybor City. This is a totally free event with a daytime crowd estimated at around 20,000. Safe trick-or-treating, costume contest and parade, and pumpkin contests are among the fabulous family activities.

The Florida Aquarium is holding Guppyween 2008, a safe, fun, and supervised children’s trick or treating on Sunday, October 26 from 4 to 9 p.m. Bring your ghosts and goblins in costume for a deliciously fun time! Candy stations will be set up throughout the facility with plenty of kids’ activities in between. Kids in costume are free, while adults (12 and over) pay $12. It’s a safe, fun party with spooky creatures and loads of tasty treats.  * Limit four children per adult. Aquarium members get in free to this event.

MOSI presents their 3rd annual Hall-O-Boo! Family Halloween Event on October 24 & 25, 5-9pm. Admission for members is only $8, and non-members is $10. Activities include hayrides, monster mash ball, mad scientist demonstrations, and much more!

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom is a fun Disney event especially geared to the under-10 crowd. Tickets vary in price depending on the date. Expect to spend up to $56 for an adult ticket. October 31st is sold out. Event takes place 7pm-midnight, though October 31st.

If you know of another family friendly Halloween event, please post your info in a comment! Thanks! Happy Halloween!

It’s baseball fever in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area! The Rays have made it to the playoffs. Amazing!

Today is the first of these post-season games, and maybe you are at work or running errands and you want to listen to the game. I’ve just discovered that I can listen to the game for free on my computer and smartphone. Check Streaming Sports for all of the details!

The little ball player in your family will want a Tampa Bay Rays Toddler-Youth Jr Neo Flex Fit Hat. You could also get a Tampa Bay Devil Rays MLB Car Magnet to show your support. Go Rays!

Evan Longoria #3 Rays Youth Home Jersey
Scott Kazmir #26 Tampa Bay Rays Home Youth Jersey
Tampa Bay Rays 2008 Home White Women’s MLB Replica Jersey
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Stack T-Shirt by Majestic (this is a steal for $5.95!)

You have a few days left to take advantage of Swaptember! If you have an annual pass to Lowry Park Zoo, MOSI, or the Florida Aquarium, that pass can get you in to all three for the month of September! So, this weekend, get out and visit the Zoo, MOSI, or Aquarium. The weather’s going to be great!

• Lowry Park Zoo
• MOSI
• Florida Aquarium

What are you having for dinner Monday night?

From 2003 to 2008 research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that children who have frequent family dinners are less likely to use marijuana, tobacco and drink alcohol.

CASA research reveals that compared to children who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), children who have infrequent family dinners (less than three per week) are two and a half times likelier to have used marijuana and tobacco, and one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol.

Monday, September 22nd will mark CASA’s eighth annual Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM celebration. Family Day is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s children substance free and reminds parents that “Dinner Makes A Difference!”

“If you asked me based on CASA’s 16 years of intensive examination of substance abuse and addiction in our nation what’s the most effective thing we can do to curb this scourge and protect our children, I would say parental engagement. And there is no more effective example of this than frequent family dinners,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. “Years of surveying teens have consistently shown that the more often they have dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink and use drugs.”

This information was excerpted from a press release from CASA this week. How many more reasons do we need to have dinner together? Health? Money? Those are some very good reasons, but the relationship building and accountability to one another in love is another great reason. My favorite web celebrity in this area is Leanne Ely, author of Saving Dinner. She finds great solutions when it comes to family eating situations. I came across Leanne Ely and her fantastic work on Marla Cilley’s popular website FlyLady.net. I’m a huge fan of her menus and eating ideas. She also has a great book about Nutrition and a companion Unit Study.

Hot news! Disney just announced today that you can get a free ticket to Disneyland or any Disneyworld park on your birthday in 2009. You can read all about it in their article here. This is reflective of the trend in “celebration vacations.” More families are choosing to make their vacations or celebrations serve double duty as both. When you are shopping for a vacation like this, the highest priority is finding something for everyone, and Disney has it in spades!

Start planning now to celebrate your birthday at Disney in 2009!

UPDATE: “FREE On Your Birthday” link

I saw in the paper today that Syd Entel Galleries in beautiful downtown Safety Harbor is hosting an exhibition of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s unique artwork. It will run through Oct. 2. I plan on taking the kids over to check it out and will update this post with a followup and review. If you decide to go, please leave a note in the comments and tell us what you thought!

The 2008 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival runs from September 26 through November 9. Florida residents are eligible for a lot of great deals during this time of year. If you live close to Orlando, consider the Epcot After 4PM Annual Pass, a fantastic deal, and will get you into Epcot all year without blackout dates after 4pm. This is great if you just want to dine, go to an Eat to the Beat concert, or visit France for pastries and fireworks at the end of an evening.

Kids can experience all the fun of the festival by traveling to over 14 Kidcot activity stops around the theme park. Our kids really enjoy this and it keeps them motivated during the day. It also provides an opportunity to rest inside, out of the sun or rain. This year, USA Pears sponsors The Pearville Fair, a learning center about pears! Our kids love Epcot!

A note about food allergies: In our experience, Disney is very accommodating, especially in the more formal dining experiences. Even the takeaway food stands are pretty knowledgeable about what they are serving. If you have food allergies, notify your server, and they will typically introduce you and your allergic child to the chef. We’ve met numerous Disney chefs and had just as many conversations with them about our food needs. Once, a chef at Boma (my personal favorite Disney restaurant) made a special dessert for Elizabeth since she couldn’t eat a single thing from their dessert offerings. As with any food activity with allergies, don’t forget your Epi-pens, Benadryl, Albuterol, and whatever else you typically need to deal with an incident. Also, don’t forget to pack some safe snacks. We always pack plenty of safe snacks wherever we go.

One last money-saving tip: You can get a large cup of ice water for free at any fountain drink vendor at Disney. I get a 32-ounce cup of ice water and sometimes mix in a Crystal Light To Go packet. Don’t let your budget prevent you from staying hydrated! Pack a water bottle. Water fountains are abundant throughout the parks, and single-serving drink packets can make it more palatable.

Tasting menus from some of the 2007 international food vendors.