If you can’t make it tomorrow (and even if you can), consider joining us for one of our future outings.  We are in the process of planning trips to some of our other favorite places; Seattle Children’s Museum, Seattle Aquarium, Museum of Flight, and other local venues.  Stay tuned for the next outing!

The hubs, Kid and I spent the weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA.  And what a great time we had.  In case you hadn’t heard, the west coast now has one of these lodge/indoor waterpark destinations.  Four Seattle Mom Bloggers wrote about its grand opening this spring, so check out their photos and opinions, too.

After a long summer with lots of work trips for my husband, our family really needed a getaway, and this one magically managed to make everyone happy.  Since we’ve been home, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends about this lodge.  If you’re wondering if this place would work for you, here’s the lowdown:

Getting there took three hours in Friday afternoon traffic from Bainbridge Island, driving across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (”extortion bridge” as the hubs says now that there’s a toll), but the same route took only two hours coming back on Sunday afternoon.

The indoor waterpark has attractions for all ages, from a little toddler pool (6″ deep or less) to two giant slides that yours truly chickened out on and never saw the insides of.  But the hubs liked them.  Maybe if they make an elevator to the top, rather than five flights of stairs, I’ll think about it. That and a liquid frozen strawberry Xanax beverage….  I heard they’re adding an outdoor pool area for next summer, too.

They have lots of inner tubes for all to use and lots of life vests in three sizes for the littler swimmers, so don’t bring your own water wings.  We thoroughly enjoyed the wave pool which reminded me never to fall overboard in the ocean.  I’d never make it.

We enjoyed getting hit by the water, and I mean “HIT”, when a giant bucket three stories up dumped I don’t know how many gallons down.  Everyone was lying down on the floor and getting pelted, so naturally, Kid and I did, too.  (see the photo below)  Let’s just say, remember to plug your nose.

If we got a little chilly, which we did a few times, we just headed over to the indoor/outdoor hot tub.  Sweet.

The room we had was quite spacious.  Each room or suite has a small fridge, microwave, coffee maker and hair dryer.  And a TV with on-demand games, movies and tv shows.  Each room does not have its own swimsuit spinner, so use the one downstairs at the park.  And do what we did: bring two suits per person, so when you head back to the water later that same day, you have a dry suit to wear.

The food from the two restaurants was good, and boy, talk about complete kids menus!  All the basics were covered:  hot dogs, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, spaghetti and meatballs, carrots and dip, and applesauce.  One restaurant was an all-you-can-eat buffet style, and the other a sit-down restaurant with menu (which made more sense if you’re not going to eat a lot).  They lost money at the buffet the night the hubs found the mussels and crayfish.  They even surprised us by having an Erath pinot noir.  Yum.  Given the fridges in the rooms, you can bring a lot of your own food and/or drinks to keep in your room, too, and spend your money on more fun things….

This brings me to the other activities.  Oh, sure you go for the waterpark, but you will be thoroughly entertained by the other games.  These GWL people know what they’re doing, in a Disneyland kind of way.  Not only is there an arcade with all those Chuck E. Cheese type games, and ticket, and toys.  There’s also a “cubs club” room for crafts for littler kids, and a teens room with I don’t even know what.  They even have a nightly “musical show” in the lobby with singing animals and storytime afterwards.  If all that is just too much for mom or dad, you can purchase a giant beer or margarita and stroll the property with your glass.  Like a college dorm party, only some of the partygoers happen to be kindergarteners.

In case the swimming scene isn’t your thing, the lodge offers a spa with massages, facials, pedicures, all the fun stuff, for the biggest kids.

But most fun of all, in a totally addictive way, was the Magi Quest.  This game involved us buying a magic wand which activated tons of magical treasure chests, paintings, and crystals throughout the hotel.  You pick a quest to earn a rune and have a 21st century scavenger hunt.  Over and over again.  On five floors of the hotel.  Everywhere you went kids, big and small, were waving these wands.  (The lodge also provides “birthday packages” if your kids need some way to blow everyone else’s birthday parties out of the water, so to speak.)

Of course, you could buy additional decorations for your wands.  I think Kid’s wand now has a street value of $50, easy.  And when we go back, the wand will remember where we left off on the adventures.  Cool, eh? Let’s hope the dog doesn’t enjoy the wand in the meantime….

All in all, we had a blast.  This lodge is a great addition to our area of the country, especially for this Northwest climate.  Move over Mouse; here comes the Wolf!

Thanks, GWL!!

Wendy can be found drying off at Let the dog in!  You can reach her at wendy(at)letthedogin(dot)com.

October classes include ballerina tutus and sparkly crowns for your little princess, classy Scrabble tile pendants that are all the rage, and luxurious aromatherapy bath bombs for an amazing spa-like experience in your own tub. Share your creativity with those you love—Little Birdie Secrets crafts make perfect from-the-heart Christmas gifts!

Classes are $32 per person and include child care, all supplies, and instruction from our experienced teachers. There is a $10 cancellation fee for all classes. Classes are limited to 15 students per session.

Class projects can be seen on display at Tot Spot Café, or on our blog at littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com. Sign up at Tot Spot (17802 134th Ave NE, Suite 6 Woodinville, WA 98072) or by e-mailing us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com. Please include your name, e-mail address, phone number (in case of class changes or cancellation), and which class you’ll attend. We will confirm your registration by sending a PayPal invoice that must be paid within two days of receipt to hold your spot.

The best tip I can give are to not go on the weekends. Here are a few others:

1. Avoid the long lines at the parking lots by parking at the South
Hill Mall and taking the Pierce Transit Shuttle. Ride Pierce Transit’s
“Fair Express Bus” for just $1.50 each way or $3 round-trip. Plus, up
to four children, 13 and under, ride free with a “fare-paying”
passenger. Express buses run often and conveniently drop off and pick
up at the Fair’s Blue Gate
http://www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair/visitor-info/getting-here.php

2. Mark out the entire day. This is a huge event and it takes no less
than 5 hours with children in tow.

3. Kids 5 & under are free.

4. Pack snacks. Fair food is expensive! I feed my kids before we leave
an then plan on one meal and one treat. Which still amounts to about $40.

5. Next year, buy a ticket pack from Fred Meyer. It was $31.95 for 2
admissions, 6 ride coupons (1 coupon per ride instead of buy all those
little funtastic tickets for $1 each and giving up 5 tickets per ride)
and $12 in food vouchers.

4. Consider the Dizzy Pass: The Dizzy Pass ($25) is valid Tue-Thu
(Sept. 9-11) and Mon-Thu (Sept. 15-18). Includes unlimited Funtastic
rides and $3 worth of game coupons. *Great for the school-aged*
crowd. Excludes Extreme Scream.

6. Plan your day before you arrive. Read the schedule and make a plan
of what shows you or the kids want to see (the draft horses, Let’s
Pretend Circus, Pig Races, Trout fishing, etc) then you can prevent
walking back and forth around the ginormous fairgrounds.

7. Give your kids their money when you get there. I have found this
limits the gimmes when they know their allowance right away.

8. Wear walking shoes and bring jackets. The Fair is in the Puyallup
Valley which can be windy in the fall.

Mamikaze can usually be found writing at Life On the Run.

Besides being surrounded by gorgeous mountains and evergreens year-round, we are also surrounded by tons of bodies of water and these places are sure to fill up fast on this, the first hot weekend of summer ’08.  Yes, it is a blast to hang out at Alki, Golden Gardens, and on the shores of Lake Washington, but these beaches often become over-crowded on weekends. Frankly, I’d rather spend time organizing my sock drawer than try to fight for a patch of sand (gravel) at one of our local beaches.

Instead of flocking with the masses, we’re staying home.  Yup, you heard it.  H-O-M-E.

There are so many things you can do with your kids to stay cool in your own backyard that I just can’t justify the stress of packing, hauling, driving (have you seen prices at the pump lately?), unpacking, hydrating, etc. that is involved with heading to the beach.  Instead, we are setting up our umbrellas and pretending that the beach came to us this weekend.

Here’s how you can too:

• Turn on your hose.  This may seem simple, but the mere sight of cool, running water is known to reduce my internal body temperature by at least 10 degrees.
• Find your sprinklers.  They don’t need to be fancy, simple garden-type will do. If you do want to get fancy, head to your local store (if you haven’t already) and pick up one of those sprinkler balls (ALL of my kids are in love w/this), a slip-n-slide, or one of the other hundred types of sprinklers before they run out (go fast, you only have until tomorrow before the rest of the Puget Sound figures out that the beaches will be crowded and rush to buy their own sprinklers!).  Kudos if you managed not to break the one from last year!
• Don’t underestimate the power of the kiddie pool.  A well-placed kiddie pool, a beach umbrella and a good book will keep you happy and cool while the kids get soaked in the sprinkler.  Optional items include a)  a strawberry daiquiri  b)  an icy cold lemonade  and c)  a stylish hat (think Samantha in the Sex and the City movie).
• Sunscreen!  Remember this important item or you will spend the rest of the weekend applying aloe vera to crabby children instead of frolicking on your backyard beach.
• Have a picnic.  Make it fun.  Cut the crusts off the bread, live a little!  Set up a blanket, towels, or a portable table if you don’t want the ants joining you and have at it.  Serve all the food with toothpicks (I find that my kids will eat anything attached to a toothpick), or make them eat with their hands tied behind their backs.  Don’t forget the popsicles.  Whatever you do, make it fun!
• Water games, squirt guns, water balloon tosses, running from one side of the oscillating sprinkler to the other trying not to let it get them, are some of my kids’ favorite keep it cool activities.
• Bring the inside out.  Grab your portable radio (er, iPod docking station, I guess this is 2008) and crank the tunes.  Find an extension cord and set up a TV on the picnic table for a little late night, mock drive-in movie (pop the popcorn).   Use you imagination.
• In the evening, drag out an old tent and set it up for storytime (or ghost stories if they are a little older) under the stars.  Although it doesn’t get completely dark until nearly 10 o’clock, staying up late to stargaze with your children in the summer is an experience you both will benefit from.
• Relax.  Remain calm and keep your eye on the prize.  Creating fun summer memories doesn’t have to be hard.  Keep it simple and just enjoy being together.

Hopefully there will be many more beautiful weekends ahead.  I’m not suggesting that we all stay home for each and every one of them -  but if beating the crowds, reducing your vehicle use and stress are important to you, remember that you can have just as much fun in your own backyard!

Oh, and if you have a neighbor with one of those elaborate water slide contraptions, might I suggest whipping up a batch of cookies STAT and becoming her new best friend?  Just a little nugget of helpful advice, from me to you.

Carrie Blankenship is the mother of three (four, if you count her goofy puppy). She writes her way through motherhood at Stop Screaming I’m Driving! She accepts bribes of lattes (especially Starbucks) and offers of free babysitting. If you’re really lucky, she may even do your laundry. She can be contacted at carrieb-at-seattlemomblogs-dot-com.

Subscribe to ‘Kids and The City’ | Subscribe to Seattle Mom Blogs
  

***

Looking for the perfect busy mom getaway?

Escape to Seabrook, where life is simple and the best methods of transportation are bikes and flip flops. Only 2 ½ hours from Seattle, Seabrook is a cherished beach town near Olympic National Park, with pristine beaches, charming cottages and a true small town feel.

One of our lucky readers will win a free two night stay in a comfy Seabrook cottage (up to $350.00 value). The winner will stay at the Eleanor cottage in the magical Seabrook setting, with easy beach access, nearby parks, playgrounds, shuffleboard, horseshoes, fire pits and Seabrook’s new cafe.

Don’t have a bike? Don’t worry. They’ll be waiting for you at the cottage!

For your chance to win, visit SeabrookCottageRentals.com. Take a peek at all of the unique cottages and pick your favorite for a family vacation. Post a comment here with your dream cottage and why you love it. You can also post this contest on your own blog, directing your readers back to this post and we’ll enter your name twice. The contest will end on at midnight (PST) on June 3rd 6th.   

We know that all moms need a vacation, and even though there’s only one winner, Seabrook is offering a special from now through June 19^th for Seattle Mom Blogs readers! Book a stay at Seabrook for travel before June 19^th and get two nights for the price of one (excludes weekends, holidays and not applicable to previously made reservations). Call (877) 779-9990 to reserve your cottage!

If you’re interested in more than just a weekend escape, Seabrook has great homes for sale! View them and learn more at look at SeabrookWA.com.

Click here for details on this event.  It’s the last one until September!

Have you seen all the advertising for the Great Wolf Lodge lately? They sure talk that place up and make it look cool. Well, four Seattle mom bloggers were invited to come try it out and we headed down there last weekend with our families to get the real scoop and we’d like to present our findings.

Kathryn Thompson: “The Great Wolf Lodge is located in Grand Mound, Washington, a town so small it’s not even listed in the database on my GPS. I drove through HORRIBLE traffic, a drive that was supposed to be 2 hours but turned into 4, and out into the middle of nowhere and then suddenly arrived at this GIGANTIC resort. Everything there is huge and every detail has been taken care of to make for a really enjoyable family getaway.

Our room was adorable and meticulously clean complete with a fireplace, balcony and a separate sleeping area for the kids with bunk beds and their own TV. Everything was clean and beautiful and all around us people were having a blast. The staff members were helpful and enthusiastic. Even the cleaning staff made eye contact as we walked by, smiled and wished us a good day. I hope they stay that enthusiastic and the resort stays that clean as the summer wears on.

Magoo, who sounds really cute saying “Wudder-Pork”, fell in love with the trash cans. He ran around petting them tenderly.

The water park was super fun with activities for every age. My kids had the most ridiculous permagrins on their faces and were pulling us in ten different directions at once because there was just TOO MUCH fun to be had.

People are out in the halls, in the arcade, at the teen club and filling the common areas until quiet time at 11pm, many of them in their pajamas. It has a really friendly atmosphere and is just somewhere you want to hang out in and never go to bed. Although if you’re like me, you never want to go to bed no matter where you are. The food is delicious and uber-fun for kids, although they’d probably die of sugar overload if you stayed there for any extended period of time. Pop tarts, Rice Krispie squares, blue Jell-O, pudding and PB&J in the kid-sized breakfast buffet nearly made their little heads explode.

We didn’t even get a chance to try out the adult or children’s spa options or the craft and activity classes they have available. There really are 2000 ways to have fun and spend money and they make it very easy with RFID bracelets that serve as water park passes, room keys and are also tied to your credit card to swipe and pay for any incidentals or activities you care to purchase.

For crazy silly family fun, this is really a great option. They keep the temperature warm inside the park so I look forward to running away to the Great Wolf Lodge when the weather’s nasty next winter.”

Hola Isabel: “I had seen the commercials for Great Wolf and had checked out the website like crazy. And yet, I had no idea what to expect. That’s not true, I think I thought it would be just a hotel with a water park attached to it. I was SO NOT PREPARED for what it really was. I had no idea it was more of a “resort” then just a “hotel”. I was amazed, when Babboo and I first walked in, at the sheer size of the place.
That lobby area is huge and being able to look through the windows into the water area only got me more excited. Of course it was all overwhelming to Babboo who kept saying “scared”. Poor kid, he clearly doesn’t get out enough!

I totally admit to being overwhelmed during the check-in process. After having just spent way too many hours in the car, and again, not really knowing what to expect-I didn’t know what or where to start. The cute teenage boy who helped us check-in told us to forgo taking our bags to the room and to go directly to the dinner. Whatever…we needed to go to the room to freshen up, and change Babboo’s diaper.

And I’m glad we did. Seeing our awesome KidsKamp Suite just got us more excited for what was in store for us. Baboo and The King played in the bunk beds and I checked out the tray of goodies left for us on the counter. (YUMMY!) The King commented more than once about how nice the room was. Of course it was brand new…but still, nice.

The Opening Ceremony dinner was a lot of fun. All the bright colors, fun foods on the table, and balloons helped add to the excitement that we were already feeling. Nothing says “you’re going to have a fun time here” like cotton candy center pieces! Babboo and The King dug into all the food options, while I lamented on what I could eat that would go along with my current Weight Watchers diet. Um yeah, nothing. I’m not even sure the sand buckets of fruit on the table were that healthy (I think they were covered in sugar). I LOVED the grapefruit and I loved that the fruit was in a sand bucket. So clever. I opted for salmon (which, by the way, was heaven) and tried to ignore all the yummy looking breads and mini corn dogs that my husband and toddler were chowing down on.

We high-tailed it out of there before dessert was presented. I knew I couldn’t pass it up, so it was better to just leave. We ran up to our room and got our swimming suits on.

Babboo was anxious to swim. We have a pool at our apartment and he and I usually spends the summer weekends down in the water. But, I think the grandness of the water park at Great Wolf was, again, just too much for the poor kid. Whatever, it wasn’t too much for The King and I. After carrying Babboo around the kids section and hearing “scared, scared’ over and over, grabbing some towels, and securing a few chairs, we decided to just take turns holding him while we went down the rides along.

I’m not sure what happened between the time I was 25 and now, but I got scared of the slides. I suck, I know. After The King pretty much forced me, I went down one of the tube slides. Of course, I loved it!! After that, we handed Babboo off to DYM and her husband so The King and I were able to go down the Howlin’ Tornado together. I admit I was scared!! But I figured if the little 8 year old girl in line in front of us could go down…then I could go down. I’ve given birth, darn it. I should be able to go down some silly little water slide.

(HAAAA! I am a wimp.)

As the life guard loaded The King and I into our tube, I asked her for some assurance that we would not, in fact, die on the ride. She just laughed and said she’d never actually been down the slide, but that she’d heard it was fun.

What?! She’s never actually been down the slide!?

This made me more nervous. But I didn’t have time to think about it as we began our descent d-o-w-n!

I cursed. I laughed. I got wet.

I loved it.

It was so much fun that I was shaking with adrenaline by the time we were at the bottom.

Too bad poor little Babboo was practically falling asleep in DYMs arms.

We packed up our gear and headed back to our awesome room. We then realized that Babboo would need a portable crib, so we called the front desk and had them bring one up. When the employee came up to set up the crib, we started asking him questions about Great Wolf. Again, we were told that he hadn’t actually been able to take part in any of the water park yet. My heart broke for him. He did assure us that he could, on his day off, come in and play. Phew.

He also informed us that you had to be staying in the hotel to use the facilities. We weren’t aware of this, but we liked knowing that the resort wasn’t just letting anyone come in. This meant it wasn’t going to get too busy. We liked knowing this for future trips.

We weren’t able to stay and play on Saturday (The King is building us our new house, so he must work!), but we did enjoy the breakfast buffet (and meeting up with the rest of the bloggers). Again, the food at the buffet was awesome. My eyes went ga-ga over the pop tart bar. Gummy bears and chocolate? For breakfast?! My heart is in love. Alas, I ate fruit and plain oatmeal and cursed my decision to be doing Weight Watchers right now.

We got back home and back to reality. As soon as we got home, Babboo began drinking water out of the cool Great Wolf water bottle we got at the dinner, and put on the Great Wold Lodge t-shirt we got in the gift shop (thanks to the $5 coupons we were given in our “Welcome” backpacks that were left in our room). I didn’t even cut off my admission bracelet until this morning. I didn’t want to forget the fun time we had.

Yesterday my coworker booked a room for her and her family this summer at Great Wolf. And I’m trying to get my aunt to go, and take us with her, this summer also. I can’t stop talking about it!

What will I do differently next time? Maybe not take my kid (gasp!), better yet, take someone to help us watch him so we can all ride the rides. We’ll probably also bring more of our own food and treats. I demand healthy food. (Of course The King and my Sweet Babboo don’t.) And next time, well, we’ll definitely stay longer!

Thanks to Great Wolf for inviting us to try out their new resort.”

Jenny Blackburn: “Is it just me, or has this been the longest, rainiest, cloudiest, most depressingest winter ever? I am ready to come unglued. I dread the weekends. I long for sun. I desperately yearn for something to do that isn’t sitting around the house moping (no, I did NOT say mopping).

Well, at least there’s hope for the last point. As we pulled into The Great Wolf Lodge (which is GINORMOUS, by the way), Jay pointed out that this place just makes sense as a Seattle family destination. Mainly because… it’s inside. It doesn’t matter if it rains or snows or hails or drizzles… at Great Wolf you know you can throw on a swimming suit and have a rip-roaring good time on waterslides and wave pools and did I mention the waterslides?

So let’s talk about the waterslides, for just a minute. Of course there are small ones perfect for the wee tots that run our lives. But there are also these enormous CRAZY ones that made me wet myself just by looking at them. There’s this one, in particular, where you get on this yellow round floaty raft with three of your dearest friends or strangers, and shoot STRAIGHT DOWN a tube into this crazy funnel and then zip around and around and down and… holy smokes, it looks terrifying.

On the list of things that I think would be fun to do, that ride fell somewhere below spraying myself with a skunk. Yes, I’ve turned into a wimp in my old age. I admit it.

So when Kathryn threatened to blog about it if I wimped out, I pointed out that I could reciprocate by posting a picture of her with her raccoon eyes. (Two words, Kathryn: WATERPROOF MASCARA!) But I digress. The truth is I totally wimped out and am now completely disgusted with myself. We have to go back, if only to prove that I can do it.

My takeaway based on our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge? Completely family friendly. Perfect for Seattle weather. A true destination resort (there’s a lot more to do than just the water park). Sure it’s sort of campy and a little bit Las Vegas (is it day or night? who can say?) But it’s also really fun.

Will we go back? Absolutely.

But if you go, I have to warn you, it would be really, really easy to spend a lot of money here.”

Carrie Blankenship: “We loved it! Katie hasn’t taken her writsband off yet (it’s Thursday), the boys have been bragging to all their friends about their numerous bumps and scrapes and I am still using the yummy, bubble gum-scented kids shower gel!

I think my kids were the perfect age for the waterslides and the arcade. They partied till they could party no more and if we had paid for this ourselves, I’d definitely be feeling like we got our money’s worth! There are so many little touches throughout the place that it’s hard to list them all, but things like the kiddie spa, the Build-a-Wolf stand, the warm cookies, the lodgey atmosphere . . .
it is all there, and more!

The events we attended were so much fun and my only complaint is that we Seattle Mom Bloggers didn’t get to spend more time with each other!

The Lodge receives five thumbs up from us and we can’t wait to go back and slide down the Howlin’ Tornado, get dumped on by the gigantic bucket-o-water and be sloshed around in the wave pool. Fun! Fun! Fun!”

According to the website, Playmatters offers children age five and under a place to play in a fun, clean, and safe environment, while adults can chat and network with other adults.

And, this Saturday as part of their Grand Opening event, they’re offering free admission all day (10:30am to 6pm).

For more details check out the website at www.playmattersseattle.com. And, if you go, be sure to come back here and leave a comment with thumbs up/thumbs down.