Sunny day! It’s a Sesame Place family vacation!

Not too long ago, I told you all how I was hoping to plan a family vacation soon. It’s been one looong year, and some time away as a family is sorely needed. Like, NOW.

The only hitch? My husband is heading back to school next month and our budget is tight. Big, expensive vacations are out until next year.

Luckily, I live in the best state in the entire US – Pennsylvania! (Ok, so maybe you like your state, too. I get it. But PA is pretty incredible.) Within a short trip, we have big destinations like New York City and Baltimore, which means easy access to theater, sports, art, food…anything you could want. And within our state, we have even more great cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, each chock full of things to explore.

But there is ONE attraction above all that has us SO STOKED right now, and we’ll be heading there in a matter of days…

It’s SESAME PLACE!

Sesame Street comes to life at Sesame Place through whirling rides, water slides, exciting shows, and endless giggles. Dance and sing-a-long with everyone’s favorite furry friends in the amazing parade, Neighborhood Street Party. Learn about letters, numbers & friendship in 3 street-stopping performances that include 11 larger-than-life floats and a night parade that lights up the sky. Join the fun and celebrate being a kid – or being a kid again! www.sesameplace.com

I grew up with the Sesame Street characters (pre-Elmo, of course) and now my son is, too. He has loved Elmo since before he was a year old, and now he knows every one of his friends by name. I try to watch closely and limit what he sees on TV, but Sesame Street is one of the few things I can let him watch without a second thought. The lessons taught on the show go way beyond numbers and letters. He learns about diversity, friendship, acceptance, and so much more.

And now he’ll get to see it all, up close and personal, during our family vacation to Sesame Place!

…and we get the added bonus of knowing that our dollars are staying right here in good ol’ PA. :) I can’t wait to tell you all about it when we get back! (And if he loves it as much as I suspect he will, we just might spring for season passes next year!)

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We’re headed to where the air is sweet! Interested in sweeping the clouds away with us? Use the easy Rafflecopter form below to enter for your chance to win a FAMILY 4-PACK OF TICKETS TO SESAME PLACE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Breastfeeding: If there’s one thing I know for sure…

Welcome to the Carnival of Weaning: Weaning – Your Stories

This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Weaning hosted by Code Name: Mama and Aha! Parenting. Our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles about the end of the breastfeeding relationship.

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Right from day one, I set goals for my breastfeeding journey. First, I just wanted to do it. Then, six months. Then I set my sights on a year. After that, my vision for the road ahead got kind of blurry. I figured I’d keep going as long as he wanted to. As the months went by, I continued to swell with pride and milk as my baby continued to nurse…and thrive. I looked at each day as a gift, and continued to nurse my baby.

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Wordless Wednesday: an exercise in self-restraint

A big lesson for such a little boy.

I’ll give you one guess what happened next…

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I will not bash a fellow mother today.

Yesterday.

Sigh.

Yesterday, I had a crappy day at work. But that’s not why yesterday made me tired.

Yesterday was the day Time Magazine released their Attachment Parenting article. You know, the one with The Cover.

The cover depicted a quite lovely young woman nursing a quite mature-looking toddler, under the headline, “Are you mom enough?” You can see it here.

At first glance, the cover just pissed me off. I found it to be so obviously shocktastic, which, of course, sells magazines and creates a buzz (cha-ching!) But for those of us who fight the good fight every day in the face of people telling us how “disgusting” or “inappropriate” we are, it’s a buzz we don’t need.

So I spent my afternoon thinking about it. Continue reading

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Taking Care of Tiny Toddler Teeth

Tomorrow morning, I’m taking my 2 1/2 year old son to the dentist.

I’m so excited.

And by “so excited”, I mean “I’d rather stick a hot fork in my eye.”

The brushing of the teeth has been an on/off struggle ever since the first few pearly whites poked through at about 4 months. My son got all of his teeth really early, and I’ve been vigilant about caring for them, but it’s really, really hard to take care of anything inside someone else’s mouth if they just refuse to let you. Oral care for toddler is no easy task. Continue reading

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