Family Fun at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort

Picture this... You're sitting in front of a campfire next to your significant other, gazing at the flames dancing in the dark, while your children sleep soundly in their tent, worn out by the whirlwind of fun activities from the day.  Ahhhh...

The morning is just as relaxing... With the quiet hours enforced until 8 a.m., you can sit back and listen to the birds chirping while your children groggily - but quietly -  lounge in their chairs or in the tent, waiting for breakfast to be grilled.  They're eager to comply with your wishes, because they know there's so many things they want to do today.  Ahh, so peaceful...


Yes, it's possible! 


I know, because this is how my weekend played out! 


Well, almost.  It wasn't peaceful the entire time; my children are not perfect little angels.  Nor do I expect them to be.  But, even with the occasional grumpiness and meltdown, we still had a "beary" fun and memorable time.

 

Jellystone Park Camp Resort in Caledonia, Wisconsin is a fun, family-friendly place! 

 

I overheard a lady say to one of the rangers this morning that out of all the Jellystone Park campgrounds she's been to with her family, this one was the best.  She said she likes how the staff here is so friendly and really caters to families and especially to children.


Now my family and I have never been to any other Jellystone Park campground, so we can't compare.  But we have been to other campsites and this one is, by far, our favorite!

 

One year, we visited Jellystone park about a month after visiting Disneyworld.  And guess what?!
Yep, my girls all agreed that they had more fun at Jellystone!  Seriously!


Maybe it's because our family really enjoys camping!  Yes, even roughin' it and sleeping in a tent! Well, personally, I prefer sleeping in a hotel or a cabin... But my girls really do enjoy sleeping in a tent.

 

The nice thing about Jellystone is that you're not completely roughin' it here.  This is the part where my Army brother-in-law shakes his head.  When he camps, it's out in the deep woods - with no outhouses, much less bathrooms or showers.


At Jellystone, there are bathrooms and showers!  Hallelujah!!!

 
They keep 'em clean, too! Yay!


They also have cabins with bathrooms for those of you who really do not care for any kind of "roughin' it".

 

Besides giving you and your family a healthy dose of the outdoors, Jellystone Park also provides a multitude of activities to keep your children entertained.


If you have little ones, they will enjoy waking Yogi Bear up.  My youngest, who is now 7, still enjoys this.  At 9:05, the children gather around Yogi Bear's cave (which is really more of a little house) and then they all yell as loudly as they can to rouse the bear.  Once he's awake, a staff member helps Yogi read his mail and then the kids get to take photos with him.

 

 

At night, the children can tuck him into bed and read him a bedtime story.

If you have older kids, those two activities might generate some eye-rolls.  My 11-year-old and 13-year-old are now too cool for the wake-up and bedtime fun.  But they are absolutely not too old for Candy Bar Bingo!!!

 
A regular-sized candy bar buys you a Bingo card.  And a Bingo wins you a stack of candy bars!  Woo hoo!  What makes it even more fun is the different versions that they play like Loser Bingo, Yogi Bingo, and Black-out.


My 7-year-old was lucky enough to be a "Loser!"  During Loser Bingo, the staff member calls out a number and if you have that number on your Bingo card, you have to sit down.  The last one to stay standing wins. 

 

(We later used my daughter's Bingo winnings at Georgie Porgie's in Oak Creek which is a less-than-ten minutes drive from the campsite.  We bought a quart of vanilla custard and then each of us chose a chocolate bar to use as topping for our custard.  Yummm!)

 

Another activity my girls unanimously agree on is jumping on the jumping pillow.  They could jump on it for hours!  I guess it's the same appeal as jumping on a bed.  Simply fun.

 

There's also the pool with water slides and a water balloon fight area.

 

There's a game room, mini-golf, archery, laser tag, giant chess, playgrounds... Like I said, a multitude of activities!

I almost forgot to mention the hay rides!  This weekend, there were two - a "Wet & Wild" one and a glow-in-the-dark one.  For the wet & wild hay ride, a select few rode around the campsite spraying campers.  We were told to feel free to "fight back" and luckily, my youngest happened to have her squirt gun in the car!

The other hay ride was after dark, but the kids wore glow sticks or brought their flashlights which was pretty cool.  Oh and Boo Boo the Bear rode with us.  Yay!


Cindy Bear also made appearances throughout the weekend.  My girls noticed that Cindy Bear usually was the one that showed up when there were sweets involved.  Cindy Bear was the one who delivered milk and cookies to the campers that signed up for them.  And she was the one who was there for the decorating of doughnuts and for the ice cream social. 


Speaking of food, there is a snack shack onsite as well as an ice cream shop. There's also a coffee shop for those of you who need that caffeine nudge in the morning.

 

 

There are also a bunch of restaurants in Oak Creek. (Less than 10 minutes away,  remember?) There's a Noodles & Company, Subway, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera, Papa John's, and also a Starbucks.


Now if you're like me, you'd want to point out that part of the camping experience is grilling your own food.  True.  But hey, if you get tired of grilling, there's no law saying you can't leave the campsite to get some food!


If you decide you want to stick with grilling though but then run out of food to grill, no worries!  There is a full-service supermarket called Woodman's nearby.  They've got meat, veggies, fruits, candy bars for Bingo, and liquor...  Everything you need to get your camping party going!

 

Oh, while you're at Woodman's, might as well pick up some laundry detergent.  I don't know about you, but I hate re-using wet towels! I know, I know, we can hang our towels to dry on a make-shift clothesline tied to the trees, but Jellystone has washers and dryers!  Might as well use them, right?

Besides, those towels and blankets are starting to smell like wet dog.  Which reminds me...


Jellystone is a pet-friendly camp resort.  They even have a little doggie park where you can let your canine companions run around. 

 

What did I tell you?!  Fun for the whole family!!!

Jellystone Park is a wonderful place for families, because it mixes the right amount of camping/outdoor experience with modern amenities and enjoyable activities.  It may not be for die-hard, true-blue campers, but for those of us with little ones (and not-so-little ones), this is the ultimate place for family fun!

Life is short; enjoy it, enjoy your family, be a happy camper! :)

 
 

Our 1st Ever Metra Train Ride Takes Us To Highland Park

My girls and I have never ridden the Metra train ever.  Until today.

 

I don't know why it has taken us this long, but we have finally tried it.  Yay for 1sts!


Today was one of those spontaneous days.  We didn't have anything planned and we wanted to explore.


So explore we did - me, my three daughters, and my middle daughter's friend Josie.


We decided to ride the Metra train to wherever.  We randomly picked a city (Highland Park) from the list of stops on the train station's wall and then off we went. 

No expectations, no plans. 


My daughters didn't even want me to ask Siri about places nearby or look things up on my iPhone.  They wanted to just see what was around and discover things ourselves.


We lucked out.  The train station was right next to downtown Highland Park so we didn't have to walk too far. 


One of our first discoveries was a toy store.  How about that?!

It was a fun place called Beanstalk with beautiful dollhouses and playhouses and trains and all sorts of cool stuff.  My youngest daughter enjoyed the boathouse/ball pit and the different toys.  My middle daughter and her friend were immediately drawn to the giant stuffed animals.  And the oldest was content with lounging in a comfy bean bag while the other girls played. 

I, too, was content with lounging - especially since I needed to sit near an outlet and charge my phone!  But then I got called over for a tea party, so I had to abandon my nice cushy spot!


After we wore out our welcome at the toy store, we decided to explore some more.  We soon found ourselves in front of a shop called Highland Pop.  It's a popcorn shop with a slew of different flavored popcorn.  But what actually got our attention was the sign for Italian ice.  Today was a pretty hot and humid day; the perfect day for Italian ice!  Although, my two younger ones opted for frozen bananas instead.

 
After we finished our tasty treats, we kept on walking.  We passed by a gelato shop which my girls wanted to go into, but since we had already feasted on Italian ice and frozen bananas, we regretfully had to forego the gelato.  Maybe next time.

The girls' disappointment didn't last long though, because a shop had caught their eye and piqued their interest.  It was a store called Paper Source and this turned out to be my girls' favorite place for the day.

 
My girls are artists, so this was right up their alley.  I think we ended up staying in this store for a couple of hours.  The staff there was very accommodating and friendly.  A sweet lady named Kim taught them how to use an embossing heat tool and made sure they had enough materials to work with.  Later, another lady named Donna also helped the girls.


My youngest daughter told me that this was her favorite of all the places we visited in Highland Park.  Yes, she enjoyed this place even more than the toy store!


My middle daughter now wants to have part of her birthday celebration here.  And that's not even until spring!


Well, I'm just glad that our 1st Metra Train adventure turned out well.  Despite our lack of plans or even knowledge of our destination. 


Today's adventure reminds me of Life.  Sometimes we don't have a clue where we're heading, but we just have to enjoy the ride and when we get to our destination we just have to explore and try to find the things that give us joy.


Life is short; enjoy it!

 

Your Children Can Help Feed Starving Children!

Are you a parent that wants to expose your children to valuable lessons?  Do you want them to help others?  Are you looking for meaningful activities that they can be engaged in?

Well, look no further!  I've got just the experience for you and your family...

My own family just recently tried this for the first time and it was such a hit.  All three of my girls (ages 13, 11, and 7) raved and raved about it afterwards!  Do you know how rare that is to have all three actually agree that the same activity is fun?!  Even I, my husband, and father-in-law enjoyed this experience!

So what is this awesome and meaningful activity that your entire family can engage in?


Have you heard of the organization Feed My Starving Children?

It is a non-profit Christian organization that is trying to eradicate hunger all over the world.  They send meals to about 70 different countries.  The meals are sent to orphanages, schools, clinics, and feeding programs to specifically help malnourished children. 


They are able to do this with the help of volunteers.  Volunteers of various ages, from as young as five to senior citizens like my father-in-law, can participate.

You can sign up to volunteer at one of their permanent sites (in Illinois, Minnesota, or Arizona) or sometimes they will have MobilePack events which they schedule throughout the country on certain dates.  You can sign up on their website www.fmsc.org and there is no minimum number for your group, so it could be just your immediate family.  But it would more fun if you invited some of your friends and/or your children's friends.  The more, the merrier!

The site my family visited was in Schaumburg.  A friend from high school generously invited us to join her group.  We had six children all together, ranging from six years old to thirteen. 

The minimum age to volunteer is five years old which is wonderful.  In previous years, I wanted to sign my family up to help at soup kitchens but the places I looked up would not allow young children which was a big disappointment. I'm glad FMSC allows children five and up to volunteer.

Let me tell you... My family had sooooo much fun!

The girls' job was to scoop specific ingredients into a funnel while I was in charge of the bags - getting them ready for the funnel and holding each bag under the funnel so the ingredients wouldn't spill.  My father-in-law was in charge of weighing; making sure that each bag met weight requirements and adjusting them by either adding or subtracting scoops out of the bags.  Dawn's sister-in-law sealed the bags, while Dawn's husband counted and packed our boxes.  Dawn, her girls and their friend had similar jobs to mine & my girls'.  My husband and Dawn's brother volunteered for warehouse duty - doing more of the heavy lifting and packing.

It was work.  But, for some reason, it was a lot of fun!

Maybe it was because we knew that what we were doing was going to help others that are less fortunate.
Maybe it was because of the loud and upbeat music that they played.
Maybe it was all the vitamin powders we were inadvertently sniffing as we packed.
Whatever the reason, the time just flew by and we truly enjoyed ourselves.

After about an hour and a half, a FMSC staff member stopped us and instructed us on how to clean up our stations.  The children eagerly and diligently cleaned up.  (No complaints or whining here, so unlike when it's time to put toys away at home!)

Then after all the cleaning was done, we were invited to join a group prayer.  We were also told anyone who did not want to join the prayer could wait in another section of the room.

A FMSC staff member led the prayer.  First she started with expressing gratitude for the opportunity for all of us to participate in this experience of helping the less fortunate.  Then she prayed for the 77 boxes that we packed to reach their designated destination safely (which for this night was Swaziland in Africa).  She also prayed that the children who received the boxes would feel our love and God's love and that they would be nourished in body, mind, and spirit.  Finally, she prayed for all the volunteers, that we would feel touched and that we would all go home and share the love with others.

I have to say that yes, I was definitely touched by this experience and so were my children, my husband, and father-in-law.  We unanimously agreed that we want to do this again.  And my children want to bring their friends next time.  So do I!

I am so grateful to my friend Dawn for inviting us to become a part of this valuable experience.

I strongly urge you to try this with your family and friends.  It is not only a fun, family-bonding and/or friend-bonding moment, but it feels so rewarding to know that we are making a difference in someone's life.

I also ask that you please share this post with others. 

Feed My Starving Children does not advertise, so they depend on volunteers to tell family and friends about their organization.

It is such an important work that they do, feeding children and giving them a chance in Life; let's all help!

Life is short; let's do all we can to help others!

An Afternoon of Family Fun in Evanston

If you have never tasted bibimbap (pronounced BEE-beem-bop), you've got to try it at least once.  

I know just the place for you to go...  Then after lunch, you can browse at these two special shops nearby.

Well, first, in case you didn't know, bibimbap is a delicious rice dish which consists of steamed rice, vegetables like carrots & bean sprouts, egg, and tasty strips of bulgogi (BULL-go-ghee) which is marinated grilled meat. Yummmmmm!!!

The place I am recommending is an unassuming little place, a family-owned restaurant called Evanston Grill located on 1047 Chicago Ave.  It doesn't look like much on the outside, but their food is delicious (especially their bibimbap) and their prices are affordable.

What's more, the owners, who sometimes serve and cook, are a hoot!  They are an elderly Korean couple who seem very passionate about their food.   One of the first times we were there, the elderly woman insisted (in a friendly way) that my daughter (who was 12 at the time) put some hot sauce in her bibimbap.  She then proceeded to pour some on and then spoon-fed my daughter.  We had a good laugh about it in the car later on.


Today, when we were there for lunch, the elderly man excitedly asked us if we wanted some kimchi (seasoned vegetables) with our bibimbap.  When we agreed to try some, a huge smile lit up his face.  And then, of course, it made us feel all happy, too!

If for some reason you are not willing try the bibimbap or just not craving Korean food, they also serve other foods like hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.  I know this is especially important to point out to families with young children.  I know!  We've been through a phase of "I only want mac and cheese!"


After lunch, you can head over to Main Street.  They have some cool shops over there that can entertain people of all ages.


One of my girls' favorites is Dave's Rock Shop (located on 711 Main St.).  This place was a big favorite when my children were younger and very much into dinosaurs and rocks, but even now that they're a little older the place still holds their interest.  My older daughters who are now 11 and 13 still enjoy looking at the different rocks and gems. 

My youngest, too, enjoys this place.  She's into wizardry right now and she excitedly pointed out a 'stick' of aquamarine which she says would make a cool wand.  Too bad it costs $8,500! Yikes!

Dinosaur aficionados would appreciate this place.  They have a mini museum in in their basement that features some dino bones and other animals' skulls and skeletons.

After you've had your fill of rocks and skeletons, I suggest going a couple doors down to this place called Ten Thousand Villages.  They sell fair-trade crafts and housewares from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  Lots of cool stuff!

My little one was fascinated by their puzzle boxes.  They're wooden boxes carved to look like animals.  In order to open them, you have to take them apart and figure out which way to slide compartments.

All three of my girls were also fascinated by the singing bowls.  They are metal bowls that you can hold on the palm of your hand (without your fingers touching them) and then with a wooden mallet you can make music by running the mallet all around the bowl.  It sounds really cool!


In Buddhist tradition, they are used to signal the beginning and end of meditation time, but thinking like a teacher/mom, children could use them to calm themselves down or even just for fun and, of course, for making music. 


I myself was intrigued by their Ellie Pooh Paper.  They are paper products (journals, note pads, stationery) made out of elephant dung! Yes, you heard right, elephant dung!!!

It's actually a great way to help elephants.  Years ago, farmers started to shoot elephants, because they were encroaching upon their agriculture.  But then a group of people educated the farmers about the benefits of harvesting the elephants' dung to make paper.  And thus, the farmers began to appreciate elephants.

I wish I had known about this when I was a teacher! 

There are lots more arts and crafts in this store and we could have spent hours in here, but my husband needed to go back home and rest for work.  But if you have little children and more time to kill, there's also a toy store across the street...

Finally, if you are interested in free activities for your children and are free this Sunday, there will be a street fair in Evanston on Main Street on Sunday, August 14th from 1 pm until 6 pm.  There will be a climbing wall, acrobats, music, art, games, food, and much more...


And remember, Life is short... Enjoy it and enjoy your family!

Navy Pier Family Fun For Under 30 Bucks!!!

If you're a parent like me who's on a budget but whose kids want to do fun things, then you just might shake your head at the suggestion of Navy Pier.  Parking alone can cost an arm and a leg.

But what if I told you that you can go to Navy Pier and have some fun for under $30?

Yes, you can!  I just did so with my 3 girls today.  We were able to ride the new Ferris wheel twice (for FREE both times) and we also got to do some other fun stuff.

All I spent was $28 for parking.  I know that's an outrageous price, but everything else was free.

You could do it for even less.  My husband was supposed to drop us off, so we didn't have to pay for parking.  But I overslept.  By the time I woke up, he was already snoring away (he works nights).  I didn't have the heart to wake him up.

So yeah, if you can ask someone to drop you off, you can save on parking.  Or you can take public transportation.

If you want to ride the new Ferris Wheel - aka the Centennial Wheel - you have to be there just before 10 a.m., though.  So if you're planning on taking public transportation, leave early.

Navy Pier is giving out FREE Ferris wheel rides for one more day - on Tuesday, August 23rd, but only from 10 a.m. until noon.

And don't worry, the lines are nothing like Jollibee's lines!

If you or your kids have not ridden the new Ferris Wheel yet, this is the perfect opportunity.  Normally, adults have to pay $15 and children cost $12.  But hey, hey, hey, this time it will be FREE!
You gotta love that!

And the view...  Absolutely gorgeous! 

From the top, at 196 feet, you can admire Chicago's, beautiful skyline as well as the seemingly-endless Lake Michigan.

After the Ferris wheel ride, do not leave yet!  There's lots to see and the parking fee is for ALL-DAY, so enjoy the rest of the day at Navy Pier!

You might want to check out the Crystal Gardens, just a few steps from the Centennial Wheel.  My girls enjoy the dancing leapfrog fountains.  I like the tropical atmosphere with the palm trees and tropical plants like the beautiful hibiscus flowers. 

This would be a good place to eat your packed lunch.  Yes, pack a lunch, because the food here is pretty pricey.  But if you're willing to spend a few more bucks, there are many choices for food in the food court downstairs at the 1st level.

And they even have ICE CREAM!!!

After feeding your hungry children, you can start walking around.  

My girls wanted to go to the Chicago Children's Museum gift shop first.  Lots of cool stuff there.  Hopefully, your kids are like mine - content to browse and play with the toys without asking to buy anything.

I myself really wanted this shirt. But I was "good" and didn't ask anyone to buy it for me.  

I didn't ask for this half pen holder, either.

Another one of my girls' favorite shops there is the Build-A-Bear Workshop.  They love to check out the new stuffies.

There are other shops and stands that feature other interesting things.  My girls had fun with the emoji pillows.  

If you get sick of being indoors, you can head outside and walk around on the outer deck of Navy Pier.  The view is gorgeous.  And walking around with the breeze from the lake is quite relaxing.

Or if we're being realistic, the kids would probably be running around.  But hey, you could still walk leisurely and enjoy the view.

Life is short; enjoy it and enjoy your family.