Ninja Mommy Hacks: Life with 2 Minions and lots of wine!

TARGET Embark Backpack!  I have last years version and my husband and I love it.   He just bought this years version (on sale now $32), I noticed they are all one solid color this year.  Mine below has bright inside green lining. The reason we love this bag: 1) Quality built, it does not feel cheap. 2) EVERY zipper pocket has LOOP zippers and DOUBLE zippers.  Each pocket is easy to access 3) Lots of pockets 4) water bottle outside pocket (or umbrella)  OR A BOTTLE OF WINE! 5) Laptop pocket in the VERY back.  Separate from the main large compartment Head out to your local Target to pick it up-- school section aisle.    Bonus point for 5% off w/Red Card :) ** this bag can be HUGE if you fill every pocket (which I do not recommend).  It would be a great baby bag and we use it for family day trips.  Even a picnic w/ the hubs-- w/wine & beer of course.  Laptop compartment below  ID and place for cards. ...

BEST Thing:   This place gives complimentary (2) glasses of Wine or Mimosa's!   SCORE!!! My husband and I have frequented spa's together and find it to be a great relaxing time together.  I booked Muses in Fresno to spend the afternoon there together on our last day of summer vacation without the kids.   And.... Epic Fail!!!!  ...  the mens and woman's lounges are all separate, so basically we spent the afternoon apart, alone, and texting one another about the amenities.  This is what we found: Are you a gentleman looking for a day spa?  Read below.  Ladies, skip this section I have lots to tell you (all good news for you). Guys: 1) The lounge area for men is SMALL!  No chase, only 1 sofa and 1 chair, not a place you want to share w/other men to lounge and relax in.   2) Only women seem to work there, so they are hard to find to get any help (probably feel uncomfortable to walk in every 5 minutes to check on things like they...

Reviewed July 7, 2015 OK- do you have an active preschooler? well-- this may be disappointing.  1) you need to do this. It's an amazing aquarium.  2) my minion was done in 3 hours. So I felt I paid $100 for all of us for only a little bit of time. We were on his schedule, honestly he would have been miserable if we made him stay.  3) go on a day where you can come back after nap/lunch. We went on a Sunday and they closed at 4 (or was it 5pm)? We are from the Monterey CA area and this is so different from the Monterey Aquarium.  4) No strollers allowed, you need to "check it" so bring the baby carrier. Lots of escalators which my minion loved the most.  5) Is your little afraid of the dark places... well this place is pretty dim. 6) bring refillable water bottles- they have amazing stations to fill up your bottles. way cool! 7) Jellyfish station was my fav. You can touch the jellies! Visited July 2015 https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...

Reviewed July 9, 2013 Overview: Spend your day at the waterpark THEN around 4pm, head into Legoland- all the ride are empty! If you want to keep reading...here is all my advice: I have a 37 inch 2 year old (he will be 3 in 1 month)- this was our 2nd trip to Legoland. My 1st review when he was 2- "take your toddler to the waterpark instead", and I still think that is true for 2 year olds. Now that my son is 3, we have entered the world of 34 and 36 inch rides..WAY more than last year! Here are my tidbits: -Get there at 10 am, head straight for waterpark. Find an umbrella and chairs, park it there all day. Lock up valubles, prepare to leave your stuff there while your 3 year old plays in the water. There are a couple great slides and play areas for your pre-schooler (PS). -nap at the waterpark. this is where you parents get to go on the big rides (alone of course) -around 4pm, head out to Legoland. Everyone leaves from 4-5pm. This means all the rides open up. We...

Yes, you want to go to Legoland!  -We did a ton of "Divide and Conquer" - the little one can't do much in Legoland. WE love the WATERPARK! -Parking is $15 OUCH! But... You get a free Shutterfly Book coupon! -Get there at 9am. The park opens in waves, so be there at 8:45am to get the best parking spots and NO line to pay for parking. You can get through the turnstiles right at 9am. Head right and there is one small land and one ride open (Ninjango). No lines that early. Take the little one to the Duplo build room across the way. -Then at 9:30 the Duplo side opens and you can walk through there. BUT YOU NEED A PHOTO... come back outside (exit gates with stamp) to the family picture in front of the Legoland sign. That's the photo you want! So come back outside find the photographer and They will give you a wristband to scan for all of your photos that day. We went ahead and paid $50 dollars for the digital package. We got all of our photos in my email. 66 photos to...

Ok Ninja moms, it's time to be real... your soon to be 2 year old will NOT remember this birthday! Sorry I am being so real...  harsh, I know.   Go ask the older siblings right now "Where did you go for your 2nd birthday?"     So why are you willing to slave over the Cricut and spend tons of money on goodie bags, decorations, food, and entertainment??  My husband and I did this last week for Sebastian's 2nd birthday and it was so cheap & easy we committed to doing again for his 3rd Birthday! **They are 2 years old-- they only should invite 2 buddies to this event.    We invited 1 friend from daycare who has 2 other siblings, the 2 cousins, and my best friends 2 kids.   Total of 9 kids! 1) You work the local area kids places to your advantage--   hello TODDLER (6 yr UNDER) TIME!            -Find the nearest Pump it up, Skywalk, Trampoline Park, bounce house fun arena place.         ...

We just went today for the 1st time, and for Visalia, this is a GREAT place for the kiddos if you live in the area.   Here are my tidbits: 1) it is pricey and bad for the budget.   $8 a person, kids/adults/over 2-- So a family of 4 is looking at $32.  The yearly membership is a good deal @ $150 and you get to add 2 alternate adults to your membership (hello grandma). **Disclaimer:  We were lucky to be on deployment last year in Maryland and got to play at one of the top 10 kids museums in the country, so please keep in mind that I am comparing ImagineU to a top ranked exhibit. 2) ImagineU is really geared for the 3-4 year old.  My 2 year old was a tad bored, and my 6 year old was only fascinated with the ball/orange fruit exhibit (which is pretty cool, I will talk more about this later).     My 2 year old liked playing with this craft playdoh stuff they had out (they rotate the craft items), but really he could do this at home. 3) Best e...