Legoland California - Thoughts & Tips

So I noticed there wasn't many things out there when we were researching to surprise our little one for a "Holiday Snow Day" trip to Legoland. Also during Riley and I's first trip there we missed like half of my to do list just getting confused. It's not like Disneyland where everything is linked so it's easy to miss things, so here's some things we have learned during our recent visit.

First & foremost: NEVER pay full price for a ticket! There seems to always be a special. May need to search online, hunt down a cereal box, or a can of soda but there are always cheaper ways in.

Next, as mentioned above, this is not Disneyland! Even on it's busiest days it's nothing like the craziness of that theme park or even Sea World's. It is totally possible to do everything within a day during off season, which seems to be any time that isn't summer. This park has shorter hours and during off season and are even closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so plan around that. We almost tried for a week day to avoid crowds which later seemed pointless in our worries and also not really possible since they weren't even open, lol. Instead we arrived just a few minutes before opening and were done and out of there about 2 hours before the park was to close (5pm that day). All was accomplished even a few repeats, park play times and a buffet lunch with time to spare. *Though I may mention we skipped a few things that were for the older crowd and one ride was closed for refurbishment.

Seems like most of the real Holiday fun was going down in "Fun Town." Here's a link of the activities and where to peak at: Snow Days Entertainment Guide. One item in the center of the town is what is being said to be the "World's Largest Lego Christmas Tree." When it came to the snow fun I was happy with how organized the park was. They allowed 10 mins to each group and they raked the snow in-between so it wasn't like the next group was stuck on hard block of slippery ice but some snow to pick up and throw. They had some really cute accessories for their snowman and some fun big Legos for the little ones not quite to the tossing age. I loved that because they did break up into sessions it allowed for sled sliding time if the kid wished. There also was a separate station for snow innertubbing and was pretty fun for the little one, but a pain for me, cause I was the one dragging the tube cause the rolling wasn't agreeing with me and my husband got left behind. Our Riley was much too small to roll it on her own, though seeing her smile and laugh made it beyond worth it. Also a fun little "snow flurry" hits the town, cute even if it's just bubbles. :)

The layout is best to imagine as a big circle with Lego Mini-Town & Star Wars Lego Scenes set up in the middle front. To the front left of entrance is Hopper entrance to their aquarium, Sea Life and beyond that is the toddler friendly zone. If you go right after entering you go to the Lego play areas and on to bigger kid thrill rides up to Adventure Zones. We didn't go far enough to the left or right last time so missed all the fun towards the back of the park, don't do what we did, make sure to see it all. We were much happier this time around. Also don't worry to much about devoting time to Sea Life Aquarium, it's cool but it really doesn't take to long unless you want to sit and stare at each fish for awhile, I would say it only takes about an hour.

There are things for the young and old, but the target audience seems to be 5-12 years. If there's a huge Lego fan or a inner nerd dying for a day of play this is perfect! But the "thrill rides" are on the not so crazy scale and there really is only 1 or 2. "The Dragon" ride is perfect for the little ones that are just starting to want to join in on roller-coasters and very easy on the stomach of those that typically can't handle such things.

Make sure to relax and let your kids run crazy on the playgrounds, it definitely takes a lot of the theme park stress away.

Just in case you haven't looked yet there are a few official Legoland resources and the honestly best one is the desktop Legoland page! By far the most helpful! But, because I was trying to be sneaky about it was trying on the mobile version and for some reason only wanted to list last years info. :/ An as for their app, well it was cool to have the map but it was also a little bit of lack. It lets you "plan your day" but I didn't really get it. While at the park I didn't even bother with it, but was totally over joyed when Instagram worked with no problems! Sounds dorky, but seriously one of my biggest annoyances when at Disneyland when I can't share our fun with family and friends.

As for money, there are cheaper souvenirs available so that is always a plus. You can get $6 or less little Lego packs for example. Some parents have said no Legos that can be found in stores or plan a budget. We stuck to end of the day pick, but if you want they offer kind of like "Pin Trading" a little Lego character trading. There is a store to the left or right when you first enter if you wanna get one and keep trading with employees as your day goes. They keep there's on their name badges so it's just something extra fun if your little one is into Lego characters, I believe they call them "Lego Mini figures" to be exact. Parking for a car is the typical theme park $15. Food wasn't crazy, but it wasn't exactly cheap.

When researching I keep coming across the "MUST HAVE" treat/snack of the park, Apple Fries found at "Granny's Apple Fries." Well, the husband and I were was sadly let down do to the hype. Riley really didn't care that much either. The funny thing is we had went to get it and the snack stand was still closed and actually went back. They kind of reminded us of a cross between apple chips and funnel cake fries. They're like apple pieces cut into fry chunks and fried then covered in sugar and cinnamon with a side of vanilla whip cream deal. They were good, but to say a must have is a little far fetched.

As for food, I'm sure there is a way to bring in snacks and such, but the site says no outside food allowed so we planned on shelling out for lunch in the park. (Though you can get a hand-stamp leave to eat and come back.) The first time I went there with our kiddo we ate at a sports bar kind of place, loved it, loved the food and the price wasn't to bad, but this time that place had been converted to a "Pizza & Pasta Buffet." It was about the price you would guess for  park, but I think it was the best bang for the buck. $15 Adult & $10 per kid. Employees were super friendly and helpful. Pizza was constantly being made so I couldn't really complain. :) It wasn't extravagant and the salad bar wasn't the most amazing, but it definitely meet our needs. The only thing my husband said was missing was like a soft serve ice cream or some kind desert offered like most buffets.

Here's one of the BEST things about Legoland, I felt like they actually cared! For those of you with physical problems or about to do the day with a child with special needs they actually offer assistance. They have what is called an "Access Card." It actually helps and they don't grill you or be little you for it. I feel like this is one spot Disneyland can take notes from. I believe if you have a hearing requirement their site requires a 2 week heads up, but they are really easy to call and talk to. Employees through out the park were not a let down.

It's fun and definitely worth it, but don't stress about not getting a membership, even with our 5 year old I don't see this being a must repeat through out the year, unless we lived closer to it. seasonal stuff may be fun to check out but I don't feel like the park changes that much or holds that much to make it a must on a regular basis. The only thing we didn't get to do that I really wish to check out is the Water Park, one day we're gonna have to try that. ;)

*Thoughts and photographs were completely our own. We were not given anything to visit the park or to write anything about it.

It's Been A Long Time...

Hello!

           How I have missed you all!!! It has been almost a year! And my updates or blog posts in that past year had been sporadic to say the least. It has been nuts...though that's not a good excuse. That last year was a big transitional year for us. We spent exactly a year living with my mother and grandmother planning our next move and getting ahead of finances. We are very fortunate to have family that we were able to do such a thing. While being there we were lucky to get Riley into a Preschool that allowed us to make some great friends. One set of those friends pointed us to a Language Immersion School that was another city over. Awesome news, our Riley got into that school and because we were in transition we were able to move to be closer to the school. God has a plan, sometimes it just takes awhile for us to figure out what it is. :)

        Now that I finally have our stuff, mostly in place and items on the walls I don't feel as guilty about returning to my blog. All the pinteresting in the world and I still feel like this move took the most time to recover...and I really don't remember having that much stuff! I swear we donated like half of it when moving to our temporary location and another twenty-five percent upon leaving there...JEEZE! 

Well we're back and I hope to not only get some new ideas up here, but also get around to responding to those wonderful folks that left us some questions and comments on previous blog posts.

THANK YOU! Thank you for still following and being all so patient with us during all this chaos.

Love,
Felicia Nykaza
Head Blogger of DIY for Mommies

Boston

Normally my blog isn't intended to deal with many world issues or force anyone to beliefs, mine or in anyone else's way. I may mention something in the news and focus in on a micro level, but mostly we're a project based blog, but this post is is a little different and it's because of Riley.

We all are reeling from the tragedy that happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday. Typically our way of handling catastrophes like yesterday's is best to avoid having our daughter hear the news or at least minimization to the point she doesn't hear all the grossome details and casualty reports. I don't mind her knowing something terrible has happened, but I don't want her bogged down with images of horror and voices of panic. We have tiny basic level conversations that something has happened and some were hurt and try to give a "police and firemen are helping those now." But, with what happened yesterday I heard a difference in how my daughter responded, opening up a whole new world of thought for me.

We were caught off guard to a sudden news report so our almost five year old caught a eye and ear full of the explosion and talk of the injured. We didn't have a chance at switching the channel or bracing for a conversation instead instantly Riley said, "That's bad, at least I know Jesus will be there for those hurt and are dying." WOW! That seriously just came out of my not even five year old child's mouth! But not wanting to force her to hear or talk in more detail we just agreed and changed the channel. But I was still impressed at her gut reaction to the horrible event. Of course this morning as we start to prepare for the day she hears even more. In fact she hears that a little boy was lost. She didn't ask me questions or stare at the television, she bowed her head and said a little prayer for him. Immediately bringing tears to my eyes.

As I thought more and more about her reaction I felt more compelled to share. I sat down with my coffee. One window typing away my thoughts of Riley and all of Boston just to get it out before all of it was lost. Another tab I open to my Facebook. Within seconds I closed that. It was just too much. I appreciate that I was able to get a update on some of my friends in the area, one was only 2 blocks away from the event yesterday and I was happy to hear that though she was shaken, she was well, but today's feed was just filled with images of horror. Later I had some push to reopen the tab and this was posted by another friend of mine:


2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Another WOW moment! It couldn't be any closer to how my child was looking at this event and how I needed to turn my focus. Sometimes faith is just more then I could explain.

I wish I could say that I had the same responses as her that I was lead by faith without thought. Instead when I heard what happened it took me many moments of reflection before I could get to that point. An in the visions of the bomb explosion I didn't think of the other side, beyond the here and now, but just the maliciousness of the situation. It just makes me think how some times our children are really the wisest among us and also warms my heart for the direction of her growth. Maybe we're doing something right.

Even if you don't have these beliefs or a faith in something outside of us I hope you get a chance to chat with your child about the situation. Work for open dialogue. You never know what you will hear, also it gives them a extra sense of comfort at home. Not saying to go to them and force them into hearing about this, but let them know you are there for them if they have any thoughts on the event.

Boston our prayers are with you!



*Image from this site not taken by me, I don't own it. I just photo edited it.

Washcloth Roses

Not too hard, and it gets easier with each one you do. So may require a little repetition/practice, so be patient and don't stress.

What you need: Your call, but I used a mixture of toddler spoon and forks, but baby spoons are just as good and of course, washcloths! 

If you aren't adding to a cake and want to make a bouquet  get a baby bottle. After this project I found a great Youtube video if you want to peak. She does this pretty similar to me, so don't worry if it's easier to copy that way then going photo to photo, step by step way with me. She also includes the last of the bouquet steps.

This is for a 2 tone rose. Fold each washcloth in half and lay like image above, grab your fork or spoon and start rolling.

It should be looking something like this, a tube of washcloth.

Grab your mid section an pull it's way up and over the top half. The little flap end will end up tucked in and you should be tight, no tape required. 

Now push back the tops of each layer, giving it a petal like look.

End result should be something like this. If your spoons/forks are like mine there's a slight bend to it. If you are adding it to a diaper cake you may want to adjust the rose to the bend. It's easy just grab, close fist tight, and turn the fork/spoon to desired way.

My end product, if you need help with the diaper cake step see this blog post: Diaper Cake. I ended up doing 3 of each color on it's own and 2 duo tone. Used the leftovers to stuff the beanie topper.

Here's the steps condensed if it helps:

Books to Make

As some of you know from my previous post (Family Photos), I'm a big
fan of Shutterfly! Lots of times they give out free codes for books or have
a Groupn deal. Use them up! Here's some ideas to make the most out of
them! Yes, the usual baby's belly-birth, all the big firsts, and birthdays are
great books. All and any idea you have will be cute and amazing, but this
is our new age of scrap-booking, so I have a few ideas that go beyond the
obvious.

Learning is key in our house and this custom ABC book just for our Riley
was a great tool to grab her attention and be a little more to the Alphabet
then just a typical book could do. Even if you think you don't have a picture
for all 26 letters I bet there's at least something in your child's life that you
can take a quick snap shot and add in. The funny thing is when I was
searching through all our random pictures I almost wanted to give myself a
pat on the back when the image fit the letter in multiple ways, like A. A for
Art & Alligator. Hehe, sometimes it's the small things!

Click here to view this photo book larger 

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Another book I made especially for our little one was a family book. If your family is anything like ours more often then not the family is all over the continent if not the whole globe. It can make it really confusing, especially when she was younger and sadly we all don't get nearly as much Skype time as we all would like. This was just our little way to help reminder of who all loves her and that there is more beyond just Mom and Dad. We also had lost a love one from our book and this will always keep his place in her memory and heart.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

One last idea! GIFTS! Books make GREAT GIFTS! Very sentimental and can hold more meaning on that random holiday then any flowers or a card could even begin. We've made a couple in this train of thought, but I'll just share the "Grammy & Me" book just to give you an idea.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Shutterfly has templates and more examples if you get stuck, but I hope this helps you cherish memories in a new fun way!