I’m one of those Moms who hates in-car DVD players.

I’d be lying if I said we didn’t own one, and that I haven’t thanked GOD for it on more than one occassion, but really…do we need TVs EVERYWHERE?

Think about your childhood - most people have at least ONE great road trip memory. What memories will our kids have? “Remember that time we watched Cars all the way to North Dakota?” (Oh dear Lord I cringe at the thought!)

My new favorite road trip toy is Leap Frog’s Tag Reader.

I wasn’t originally going to buy it - my Mom actually bought it for my oldest boy this past Christmas. It was $50 I wasn’t willing to spend after already having purchased their Little Touch Leap Pad and My First Leap Pad.

But the advantage the Tag Reader has over other book/cartridge systems is that there IS no cartridge and no base unit for a book to fit into. (And therefore all out of, or not fit quite right into…you get the idea.) Stories are downloaded onto the pen itself (their newest model holds 10), and through the magic of whatever technology is in the pen, it knows which book is being touched at any time.

We quickly found the Tag Reader to be an awesome learning guide. Not only can the user have the story read one page at a time, he can touch individual words or pictures to hear the words or other noises as well. My son had just turned four when he got his Tag and was immediately spending 20-30 minutes at a time by himself reading and identifying words.

Leap Frog also sells a Tag Junior, aimed at one- to three-year-olds, but my two-year-old does pretty well with the regular Tag. I’m not sure that a bigger “pen” would really help him all that much considering his short attention span, and I’m sure he wouldn’t want anything different than what his big brother has. But Leap Frog does offer what look to be board books that work with the Tag Junior in case your little one is a “page ripper”.

Leap Frog is offering coupons on their site for $10 off the Tag Reader or $5 off the Tag Junior to be used in stores. Companion books sell for around $13, though I’ve found coupons in my weekly Sunday paper for those as well.

If you are familiar with any of Leap Frog’s other learning toys, this one won’t disappoint.

Right now, LeapFrog.com is offering FREE SHIPPING on orders of $39.99 or more (through 9/3/09). Because there’s no promo code needed, you can also take advantage of their buy three books get the fourth free offer by using TAGBOOK4 at checkout.
UPDATE! I got an e-mail from LeapFrog with a promo code for $10 off any order of $49.99 or more. Use AUG9EEC at checkout. Code is good through August 31.

This past weekend, my family and I were invited to be guests at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Dells. They recently opened a new interactive game called MagiQuest, and we were more than happy to attend and try it out!

What is it? Well, its kinda like Harry Potter goes on a scavenger hunt.

You start by choosing (and purchasing) your wand, then heading to this big tree (that’s actually a computer center) and choosing your first quest (therefore loading it onto your wand). Don’t worry - they also give you a booklet that includes the clues rattled off by the tree so that you have some hope of finding the items you need to collect to complete each quest.

Oh, and the items you need to collect just may be spread over four different levels.

And you can’t start a new quest without coming all the way down to the first level and loading the new quest on your wand.

Sound confusing? It was.

Granted, my family has two very young children and we were there on a day when excitement was high and the exhibit was teeming full of very anxious children (and teen-aged workers dressed as princesses and wizards), but we didn’t get directions even half as clear as those I just wrote out above.

I completely understand that they were trying to keep a certain ambiance about the experience. Its supposed to be mystical and adventurous and…fun.

I think that if your kids are a bit older (maybe 6-10 years old?), are into the Harry Potter thing and can read the clues on their own, they might think its pretty darned great. But while they claim its fun for the entire family, I speak from experience when I tell you its not quite as fun when your two-year-old gets run-down by overzealous pre-teens (let’s face it, they’ll exist any place like this) and your four-year-old is crying because you somehow failed to load the right darned quest onto his wand.

In my honest opinion, next time we’ll just stick with the water park.

That’s always a winner.

My son, Nick, at Great Wolf Lodge, 2006

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To be clear - if your kids are old enough to run around by themselves, they might really have a great time with MagiQuest. But its also a bit pricey. Wands start at $14.95, and in addition, you need to pay to play the game which is $9.95 for hotel guests. Public pricing is $9.95 for two hours of play, $19.95 for all day play and $9.95 for replay.

Have you taken your kids to the local library to sign up for the summer reading program yet?

You should!

From what I’m told, most suburban libraries are running the ‘Be Creative’ campaign. The number of minutes of reading required to qualify for prizes varies based on the library, but readers who complete their goals can win tickets for free admission to fun local activities, such as Discovery World, the Wisconsin State Fair, the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and more. (My kids each got at least five admission vouchers when turning in the slip showing their first 10 books read. Or in their cases, that I read to them.)

Libraries in the city of Milwaukee are running a campaign called Super Readers, but from what I understand the prizes are very similar.

Most libraries run their summer reading program through August 31, so there’s still plenty of time to earn fun prizes and give Mom & Dad a bit of quiet time!

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Links to local libraries:
Milwaukee Public Library
Greenfield Public Library
Wauwatosa Public Library
West Allis Public Library

Find your local library:
Milwaukee County
Waukesha County
Ozaukee County (Eastern Shores)

Waukesha Public Library is doing a different campaign that raises money for families in need. You can get more details on their program on their site.

I had reason to be in Madison on Monday of this week, and on my way home decided to see if I could find any good deals at the outlet stores in Johnson Creek.

Now, I must first say that I went shopping for some shorts last week (cuz, ahem, I seem to require a larger size lately - what’s THAT about?!?) and my trip to a local Old Navy made me downright ANGRY. Here it was early July, and their summer clothes were picked over, the shelves they formerly occupied being restocked with BACK TO SCHOOL CLOTHES.

Wha??? We have two months of summer weather left, school or no. The 15-year-old gal folding boys’ pants explained that they have a big blow-out sale around the Fourth of July and after that they don’t restock summer clothes. [This is where you picture me, my jaw hanging open. I should have known better.]

So anyway…I’m driving home from a day of work in Mad-town and decide to see if there are any good deals to pack away for next summer.

I started at The Children’s Place outlet and found more than a dozen racks chock full (double tiered) of clearance summer items. Exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t go too wild - but the items I did get were CHEAP.

Two pairs of cargo shorts, two polo shirts and a pair of shoes - $24. I should have bought a whole lot more.

I’ve spent more than $24 on a single PAIR of shoes for my son.

I was happy with my deals, so on I went, to Gymboree, Carter’s, Oshkosh B’gosh and Old Navy.

I should have just quit while I was ahead.

Now, I did pick up a few new tanks and a skirt for myself at the Old Navy outlet, but with the exception of having a good selection of kids’ flip flops, there wasn’t much more there than what I found in the local Old Navy store.

Carter’s didn’t have but one or two clearance racks, and most were very small baby clothes (mostly for girls). Oshkosh B’gosh didn’t have much that was priced any better than you could find in a local store, and Gymboree? Well, I might as well have gone to their store at the mall. I can’t say I’ve ever found very good deals at their outlet store.

So…if you go, I’d say start with The Children’s Place and move on as you see fit. You can get to the outlet malls in about an hour, depending on which part of Milwaukee you’re coming from, and the kids’ stores are all across the parking lot from one another in case you want to leave your car and stop back just to drop packages. (The only kid’s store I didn’t visit was the Gap Kids outlet, simply because I don’t regularly shop there and haven’t had much luck with good prices there, either.)

There is a restaurant in the mall, 2 Loons Cafe, which has pretty good sandwiches, and Premium Outlets offers VIP coupon books for groups of 15 or more. (Though I couldn’t guess what would be in them, its probably a good enough reason to set up a shopping trip with your friends, right?)

Oh, and maybe shop a little for yourself while you’re there, hey?

Who doesn’t love Baker’s Square pie?

I have two very good friends and we like to joke that when we’re little wrinkled old ladies we’ll still be going to Baker’s Square and griping about our husbands over piiiieeeee. (That’s how good it is - it needs all of those i’s and e’s.)

My husband and I like to take our boys on Tuesdays, when kids eat free, and found that the rest of their food is pretty good, too. (I mean, check out these salads…though my fave is still the stir fry pita.) Wednesdays are “Pie Rush” days, when each adult entree comes with a free slice of pie.

I recently found out that Baker’s Square also does fundraiser nights. In fact, next Monday, July 13, 10% of all sales made at the Greenfield location will go to benefit the St. Ann Center. A list of all fundraiser nights is listed below, so make sure you stop by.

I mean…do you really need another reason to NOT cook and go eat pie?

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7/13       St. Ann Center (Greenfield location only)
7/20      YMCA Strong Kids (All Milwaukee locations)
8/31       Maple Grove, Pack #579 (Greenfield location only)
9/14       Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (All Milwaukee locations)
9/17       Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (All Milwaukee locations)
9/21       Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (All Milwaukee locations)
9/28       Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (All Milwaukee locations)

*I didn’t see any information on their Web site regarding fund raising, or who to contact should your group want to try and schedule a fund raising effort of your own. I would suggest talking with a store manager the next time you’re visiting a Baker’s Square.

I stopped in a Cousins the other day for lunch, and with my receipt, was handed a green magnet that asked “DO YOU MOO?”

“Well, of course, who doesn’t moo?” I thought as I hopped over to their Web site to find out more.

It turns out Cousins Subs is currently doing a “MOO TOUR” to find contestants for their “MOO-LA-PALOOZA” mooing contest. Its all for a good cause - while Moo Tour contestants can win free subs, State Fair tickets and other prizes, Cousins is donating $1 to Wisconsin 4-H clubs for every “moo”. (Check the tour map to see if the tour will be in your area.)

Those that qualify will go on to participate in the Moo-la-palooza at the Wisconsin State Fair on Saturday, August 15. The Grand Prize winner of Moo-la-palooza wins $1000 and free subs for a year. Wisconsin 4-H wins again as Cousins will donate another $20 for each contestant.

Moo-la-palooza (I just love typing that) participation is free, but contestants must be five years old or older. Hop on over to their site and scroll down to view last year’s winner and runner up. Are they not the cutest things ever?!?

But I’ll bet your kids can beat ‘em!

I have many fond memories of attending the Great Circus Parade with my Grandmother as a kid. We’d stake our claim on a city street corner (one of the few yet exciting downtown visits we’d make every year) e-a-r-l-y in the morning and feed ourselves from a well-stocked cooler until the parade started in the afternoon.

Budgetary reasons have kept Milwaukee from having a parade throughout the past six years, so you can imagine how quickly I emailed my Mom (next in line in the family tree since dear Grams has passed away) when I heard it was “on” for this year.

And it sounds like it won’t be back in 2010.

You may want to stop by the festival, which runs before the parade, from Wednesday, July 8 through Saturday, July 11 at Veterans Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. There will be performances by the Kelly Miller Circus, food vendors, a petting zoo, circus wagon displays, a kiddy circus train and much more. Admission to the park is free, but check out the Circus Parade Web site for ride prices and show times, and for a full details.

So here are the details you’ll need to plan your trip to The Great Circus Parade.

WHEN:
Sunday, July 12
1:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Downtown Milwaukee (click for route map)

COST:
FREE

HOWEVER:
Downtown streets will close at 11 am, so you’ll need to plan accordingly! (I have not yet found any source as to which streets will be closed…its best to prepare for the worst.)

ALSO:
If the thought of spending hours downtown sitting in the sun with small kids makes your eyes want to roll out of your head, there are tickets available starting for bleacher seating with nearby bathroom access. Milwaukee County Parks is offering tickets starting at $30 for seating near O’Donnell Park plaza (near that weird orange sculpture thing). Ticketmaster has tickets for $32 for seating on Kilbourn outside the US Cellular Arena.

MilwaukeeConsumer.com also has a great article detailing bus routes for that Sunday. That might be a great way to avoid road closure and parking headache. The fare for adults is $3, senior citizens and kids 6-11 are $1.50.

And if all else fails? You can watch it on Channel 10!

Other sites with info on the Great Circus Parade:

• The Great Circus Parade site
• JSOnline - includes a showground schedule and interactive history (see left column)
• JSOnline’s Animal Magnetism blog - will be regularly updated with more parade info
  
• MilwaukeeConsumer
  

I’m a party plannin’ Mama.

I think a lot of times, we parents go a bit overboard with birthday party themes and goodie bags and games, when all our kids really want to do is to open gifts, eat some cake and play with their buddies. But I do like to make birthdays special for my kids, and that invariably means that I’ll spend some pretty hefty dough to get the character of the moment emblazoned on a banner, the thank you cards and even the cake.

Thankfully, there are a few places I’ve come to know well and love for their cheap party goods, one of them being the Factory Card Outlet.

Now, not having been inside every Milwaukee area store (there are seven in southeastern Wisconsin) I will say I find their stores usually tend to be a bit on the unorganized side. I highly recommend that if you go to a store in-person you not take your kids if possible. (Scoring cheap party goods is one thing, but trying to distract your kids from wanting one of the hundreds of balloons on display or any of the ton and a half of candy out at small-child-eye-level is another.)

Be very wary around Halloween, especially.

They sell oodles of costumes during the bewitching season, and at really great prices. But we all know what the holiday aisle at Wal-Mart looks like after a mob has been through it, and well, imagine half a store looking that way.

I suggest you shop online, people. Shop online.

Hop on over to their Web site and scroll all the way to the bottom. See the “sign up to receive special offers” box? Put your email address in there. They regularly mail out coupons for 20% your entire purchase, and will email you regarding other specials as well. Right now, you can get free shipping on orders over $50 with use of code FCFREESHIP50 at checkout. They’re also holding an online-only sale of 50% off select tableware. (This site also lists current discounts for you.)

In addition to birthday party goods, you’ll find themed supplies for just about any party you can think of with matching piñatas, balloons and a large selection of greeting cards starting at $.49.

• Summerfest is offering a surprise free admission today between 3 - 8:00 p.m. Its also Children’s Day until 3, though I took my boys last year and felt it was a bit too crowded to really enjoy the day. Admission discounts for the remainder of the fest can be found on their Web site.

 

• Today and tomorrow are your last chances to get $5 tickets for the Wisconsin State Fair. Regular admission for adults is $9. The line-up for the main stage and tickets for those concerts can be purchased via this page.

 

• Have you made plans for the 4th yet? The best list I’ve found so far of local Fourth of July Celebrations is on the TMJ4 Web site. My family often frequents the Greenfield Parade, which runs down Layton Ave. Afterward, you’ll find a small festival at Konkel Park, 51st & Layton. Fireworks commence at dusk.

We live in a small house. Our two boys share a bedroom and we have no other den or playroom for their toys. Everything is crammed into that single 10′x12′ space.

As soon as our youngest was old enough to be out of his crib, we began to look for bunk beds. This was last fall, just when stores like American and Colders were beginning to offer those ‘half back’ deals - if you spent $1000, you’d get $500 back to put toward another store purchase.

When it comes to buying furniture for our kids, we like them to have nice things…but we’re realistic. We know that they very well might draw on the face of a drawer with a permanent marker, or gouge the nice shiny finish with a screwdriver. (That actually happened with the screen of our LCD-TV. When it was two days old.) So we don’t buy the most expensive items and we don’t buy the cheapest, just something that looks nice and matches.

So we did the ‘tour of stores’. Visited every furniture store in the area over the course of a few days - American, Colders, Steinhafels, Bilt Rite - and sought out possible contenders. Bilt Rite on 59th and Layton was the last place we visited. What a dump that place is -  they barely looked our way as they waved us over to the three sets of bunk beds they had. When we asked if they had any others, they suggested that we try Bunks and Beds, a few blocks down on Layton.

I was skeptical, and I was tired. My first thought was that a family-owned, smaller store was going to be far more expensive than a chain store. I mean, if they’re bigger, they have more inventory, and can sell that inventory for a smaller profit. Right?

I was ready to go with the $1400 bunk bed from Colders and call it a day. With the 50% cash back, that would cover the cost of the mattresses. I hadn’t wanted to spend that much, but that seemed to be the going rate for (lower end) bunk beds.

But my hubby persisted. Down the block we went, to the Bunks and Beds store on 61st and Layton, with two little kids in tow who were stir crazy and had been mentally done shopping hours before.

I normally don’t let my kids run around in stores, but it had been a long day. They had a big display of two different bunk beds, one a castle, the other with a tent and a slide, set up facing each other. I let them have at ‘er.

The salespeople didn’t look twice, simply asked if we needed any help. Sheer genius, setting those up to keep the kids occupied while the parents shopped…

We found the perfect bunk bed…for hundreds of dollars less than the one we’d been ready to buy.

For just over $1100, we got the bunk bed, two mattresses AND a trundle drawer for their toys. The salespeople, who were brothers and who’s family owned the store, were helpful, courteous, and extremely patient with our rambunctious boys. We made the purchase that day.

In addition to bunk beds, they offer single beds, dresser sets and even specialty beds like lofts and triple bunks. (Two bunk beds, one with nothing under it forming an “L”.) There also offer lots of cute decorative items for kids’ rooms - lamps, wall-hangings, chairs - you name it, they have it! (We may just have to get that basketball lamp for our two-year-old.)

I highly recommend Bunks and Beds if you’re in the market for kids’ bedroom furniture!