Monster Mini Golf!

Today we had planned to take our annual trip to Westminster to pick apples at Baugher's Farm. Mother Nature had different plans though! So as to not disappoint my sons and niece, we had to come up with a plan b. I've had coupons to Monster Mini Golf in Jessup sitting in my car for just this rainy day occasion!

Located in Jessup (30 minutes from Baltimore), just outside of Columbia, Monster Mini Golf is a great place for kids and adults alike! We are huge Halloween fans any time of year, and the entire place was decorated for Halloween! The props, paintings, and moving pieces far exceeded my expectations!

The kids had an absolute blast playing mini golf. The boys had only played twice before and for my niece it was her first time. The course was a little tricky, but we didn't exactly follow the rules and certainly didn't keep score!

 The entire place is filled with black lights and glows in the dark! Our favorite painting was a zombie ninja turtle riding his zombie horse!

 Many of the props moved and made noise... which was wild! Our kids weren't scared one bit though as it wasn't too over the top on the fear factor.

They are extremely child friendly and even have "contests" while you are there giving away prizes if you have a certain color golf ball or are at a certain hole when they call it. The kids won twice and were quite thrilled! We will be back and are considering throwing the boys' joint birthday party there in February!

TIPS:
-Admission is $8 for kids and $9 for adults. However, there are plenty of coupons out there! We used buy one get one coupons from an Entertainment book, but I have also seen groupons and coupons in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
-They allowed us to only pay for the kids. My husband and I were still on the course but didn't have a club/ball (and were completely content with that).
-There is an arcade. We chose not to participate because we are on a budget. If this is something you would rather not do, it helps to tell your kids in advance.
-We arrived right after they opened at noon on a Saturday. There were only a few people there and we never had to wait for a hole or rush because we were slowing another group down. From reading various reviews they can get busy at night, especially on the weekend, making the experience less enjoyable. We didn't have any issues at all though!

For more detailed information visit their website:
http://www.monsterminigolf.com/fran-md-columbia/

Home Depot Kids Workshop!

It's no secret that my favorite price is FREE, but some times I am skeptical when I hear the word! For a long time I have been hearing about the free monthly kids project at Home Depot and after seeing a friend's Facebook post this morning, we headed to our local Home Depot. Well, it wasn't too good to be true! It really is free and more importantly it was very nice!

This month's Kids Workshop was a Wizard of Oz Birdhouse (in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the movie). When we arrived to Home Depot we simply signed in, they provided us with a prepackaged kit to make the birdhouse, an apron to keep paint of clothing, and then give you the space and tools needed to complete the project.

Both boys were overjoyed that I "actually" let them touch a hammer. We found it easier to build our birdhouses on the floor than the tables as they were bouncy. 

I'm not sure if every Home Depot goes as far as our local store, but they even had Wizard of Oz cut outs and decorations! I loved the inflatable ruby red slippers that looked like they were on the witches legs after the house fell on her! (That sentence sounds really morbid... not my intention!)

At the end of the project they even go so far as to give the kids a certificate and special button specific to the day's craft! 

I was beyond impressed with how generous Home Depot was and we definitely be going back! They have a Kids Workshop on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Next month's craft is an ambulance! For more details please visit: 

http://workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/kids-workshops

Chesapeake Beach Water Park

After seeing Livingsocial/Groupon deals several times we decided to visit Chesapeake Beach Waterpark finally this summer! The kids really wanted to head to an amusement park, and this was a much more affordable option. With the Livingsocial deal and promo code (always search for promo codes before you finalize a deal with them) I got the tickets down to an extremely reasonable $11! To be honest though, even if there are no "deals" like this in the future, we enjoyed ourselves so much that I would be willing to pay full price to go back!

Located in Chesapeake Beach, MD (south of Bowie), the Chesapeake Beach Water Park is a reasonable 80 minute drive from the Baltimore area. The park boasts two large water slides, a large pool area with multiple smaller slides/waterfall/animals for kids to climb on, a smaller and separate toddler pool, and a lazy river! As an adult the lazy river was my favorite and I could have spent all day floating around it! The park was big enough for my kids to stay busy and happy all day, but small enough to let my 8-year old go to the slides on his own (we had strict rules about checking in and I could see him in line from anywhere in the park). I was also pleased with the abundance of attentive lifeguards that went above and beyond the entire day. 

Blake (5) enjoyed the toddler area the most, and I was okay with that as it gave me the chance to sit back and relax a little. Caleb went crazy through the entire park. He didn't want to stop even for lunch, which if you know him is a pretty big deal! Which leads me to the topic of lunch...

You are not allowed to bring outside food into the park. At first I was a bit frazzled by this at first, but as I thought more about it all amusement parks are like this. I also know that this probably how they make their money as many people had the livingsocial deal (and businesses do not make much money if any from those vouchers). Their snack bar prices are very reasonable and the food was high quality and tasty! (See prices/items above) Caleb's personal pizza was easily enough for two people and he could only finish half. The burgers come fresh off of a gas grill and were fantastic!

Best yet, I got to hang out with a friend I don't see as much as I like to! (And I recommend going with friends and family as its always better to bring a village!) I can't wait to go back again next summer!

TIPS:
-Arrive 30 minutes before opening. There are not many beach chairs it's first come, first serve. You can bring a chair of your own as a back up. If you have toddler aged children go right for the toddler water park at the front. If you have slightly older children go over the bridge to the right to the middle of the park.
-You can't bring food/beverages, BUT you can bring an empty water bottle to fill at their fountains.
-There is not much shade and I got one of the worst burns of my life, despite applying twice. I recommend wearing a tee shirt/hat and using the highest SPF you can find if you have sun sensitivity (or are a vampire like myself).
-Again, keep an eye out for livingsocial/groupons.
-Later in the day the park empties and is more enjoyable.
-There are several mandatory breaks during the day for safety (everyone must leave the water). No when these breaks are (they post them on their website) and make sure to go to the bathroom/get food before they happen.
-If you have older children there is bookshelf of books from the local library to enjoy reading if you forget to bring your own. This is located right outside of the store.
-Be careful in the lazy river if you decide to walk/swim without a tube. Stay to the left or right as there are filtration domes that you can easily bust your toe/foot on.
-For more details visit their website at: http://www.chesapeakebeachwaterpark.com/