Find your Inner Animal

I am not usually one to be big on these quiz type things, but I have to admit, this one was spot on! It is from he World Wildlife Fund and in 8 quick questions they give you an answer as to your Inner Animal. I was a tiger and the description fit me to a T. So have a little fun and see if the WWF quiz knows your Inner Animal.

Free, fun and almost forgotten

When I was a kid, summers meant the local park. We would spend all day playing with the neighborhood kids. We knew to be home when it was dinner time. Today's kids live in a different time when most parents wouldn't think of letting their children play at the park all day unsupervised, but that doesn't mean parks are to missed.

Pack a picnic and head out for and hour or two of fun with your kids! Many parks are a cut above what we had as kids, with climbing walls and themed equipment. Plus, when was the last time you swung on a swing? Find your inner child and hit a park today!!

Neat trips in your state for kids and ADULTS!!!

I don't know about your kids, but our son is always asking where things come from and how they are made. Lucky for me, we have found a few factory tours to take him on to help explain. I recently found an amazing website that can help you find awesome factory tours in your area!

A few summers ago we stumbled on an odd but interesting factory tour at the Hoegh Pet Casket Company  when we were on vacation. And guess what? Yup, it is on the list for my state on this site!! And I am now aware of a few more we can take, like the JIFFY mix company, a candy maker, and a teddy bear manufacturer. How neat.

So check you state and see what fun and interesting factory tours are in your area.

Dora helps little ones get ready for school

I know for our house, September 6th is going to be a big day, the first day of kindergarten!!! Our son knows his numbers and letters, but as a little review and to give him some confidence that he is ready, I found a few work sheets he can do.

Dora the Explorer offers a ton of printable, like these two....Dora's Counting book and Dora's ABC connect the dots. Each pack has multiple pages of learning and fun. So get printing, your kiddos will love them.

Discovering Dinos

I found this super fun and educational website based on PBS's show Dinosaur Train. The print offs are wonderful. They have everything from coloring pages and matching games to a whole chart on dino names from A-Z and how to pronounce them, which is great because some of them are amazingly hard to say!

There is also a field guide section you can check out that not only has images but you can x-ray the dinos, compare size, find out what they eat, and learn some interesting facts. So why not check it out, have some fun, and maybe learn a thing or two!!!

Friday is National Dog Day

Friday (8/26) is National Dog Day!!!!  In honour of National Dog Day I thought it would be fun to share our photos and stories of our four legged friends.

Here is our old man, Mazzie, in his younger days. His snout is going grey and he spends most of his time sleeping and passing gas, but we still love his old butt. He is going on 14 and I would so love another 14 years with him. He is a very special dog.

Now post a photo and share your dog!

Wanna watch something new?

If you do, then join Blockbuster's Camp Wannawatchamovie. For $4.99 you get a 4 week movie pass to rent as many videos as you want. It is good for everything in the kids and family section! So why not check it out!

Fun freebie from Flyer

Every kid wants to be just like mom and dad. And now they can be, well sort of. On the Radio Flyer website you can upload a photo and make your child their very own driver's license! Super cute and makes those little ones on bikes feel so grown! Print it off and cover the license in some contact paper and it was be something they enjoy for a while.

Give your kid paints and walk away

I know what you thinking "are you crazy?" Maybe! But they make washable paints just for kids. If you don't want a big mess, go to a dollar store and pick up a shower curtain to lay down before you turn the little ones loose with paint.

Why do I say walk away...well because children want to impress. If you stand over their shoulder they are going to be nervous about "getting it right." If you do it with them, more then likely they will try to copy your painting. When you walk away they can experiment and let their creativity flow.

I know it is a scary idea to turn little ones loose with paint but I promise you will be surprised by the results!

Poodle being chased by a tornado

Dawn Junior Wildlife Champions

I found this wonderful page on Facebook called Everyday Wildlife Champions. The page is from Dawn dish soap, who has an active involvement is saving wildlife. Once I liked the page I went to the "Help us educate 1,000,000 students" section which has some really neat ideas and activities for children.

Now here is the really neat part, and I had no clue this would happen. I got an large envelope yesterday with no return address. When I opened it, look what they sent us......

A thank you for joining and a FREE Seals, Sea Lions & Walruses ZooBook!!!! How cool is that! Now I don't know how we got the book, but the activities on their page are neat, so why not get your kiddos into being Dawn Junior Wildlife Champions and see if you get a surprise in the mail!

MANcation 2011

What is a MANcation you might ask? Well around here it is Daddy and son going on a mini vacation ALONE!!! No mommy on this trip. So it is kind of a momcation in a way too!

For three days and 2 very rainy night, my men folk went camping at the beach and played tourist in Holland, MI. It was hubby's idea (and I am so proud of him.) Despite the rain they had a great time bonding and I got a break from being the cruise director.

Now it doesn't just have to be a MANcation, you could call it a DADcation in your house. But the idea is that daddy gets to plan and spend some real quality time with his kiddos, even if it is just over night!

I know my hubby and son had a wonderful time hanging out together. So, why not encourage the man in your life to take a MANcation!

Reptiles are fun, really

Every year around this time our local zoo, Binder Park Zoo, hold it's Reptile Weekend. Maybe you don't like snakes, but children are born without the fear and judgement we adults have. Reptile Weekend is a great chance to not only see some very neat critters, but allows children to learn to appreciate these reptiles in a fear free setting.

We had to the chance to meet and touch many different critters. And while we were there I over heard a mom say "I hate snakes." When asked by one of the booths if she wanted to touch a snake she said no, but told here child if she wanted to she could. Good MOM!!! Don't put your fears on your kid! My hubby HATES spiders but check this out...

The boy and I took turns holding a tarantula. (Not sure why there was a spider at a reptile event but hey.) Instead of telling our son how icky the spider is, my hubby just walked away and let our son make up his own mind about the experience.

So go outside YOUR comfort zone once in a while and give you children experiences that allow them to not only learn about the world, but to develop their own opinions on things!

It's Offical

Life at MAD Family Fun has been a roller coaster lately. As I have posted before, we got a surprise positive pregnancy test a while back. Well this past week I was having cramping and back pain and was positive we had taken a turn for the worse. I went to the doctor and they ordered an ultrasound. When the tech FINALLY said “and there is the heart beat” I was in shock. The baby is fine and growing. Two little arms and two little legs and much to my son’s joy the tech showed him a tiny little butt!

So, it is official, MAD Family Fun is growing. So I promise to get back to business. Forgive me for my absents and prepare for some fun!