Helpful Mom

Don’t miss out on this enormous garage sale!  It only comes around once a year and it’s not to be missed!  I was able to go this evening to the preview sale for donors, and the new location is HUGE!  In fact it was so huge I felt lost sometimes just trying to figure out where I wanted to go.  The nice thing about it being so huge is that even though there were 1100 people there this evening they were spread out more than in past years so it wasn’t such a crush of bodies.  So if you have something you are looking for this is the place to go.

Rochester Tech Park
370 Initiative Drive
Rochester, NY   14624

Elmgrove Road Exit Off Route 531
Or
Exit 7B Off Route 490 to NY 33 West/Buffalo Road

We are always looking for something new and different to do as a family.  This time we ended up in Dansville, NY for the 30th annual Hot Air Balloon Festival.  It runs this entire weekend thru Labor Day.  It started on Thursday night with their balloon glow event.  We went this evening for the 6pm balloon launch.  Good thing we left to get there early because the traffic thru town was crazy!  Not at all what I expected, but we made it there with plenty of time to spare. Parking is free but it costs $5 per person for 13yrs and older, under 12 are free.

Since we were early we took our time walking around and checking out all the tents.  There are quite a few with beautiful jewelry, crafts, kids toys, Tshirts, and of course loads of food.  Look out for the guy with the tent selling lollipops for $0.40 each or 4 for $1, that one made our kids really happy.  But then our kids saw the inflatables, why is it kids are so attracted to inflatables?  Well we told them we weren’t sure because although we were there early we weren’t sure if the balloons were going to be able to launch.  Turns out even though it was a beautiful evening it was rather windy so they weren’t sure if the balloons were going to be able to launch.  The inflatables are $2 a turn per kid or you can buy each kid an all you can play bracelet for $10 each.  Since we were thinking the balloons might not fly we might just go home instead, or it would be cheaper to just go to Jump Club or Bounce It Out.

Fortunately they decided that even though they couldn’t launch the balloons they would inflate and float the fun shaped balloons for everyone to see.  So after watching those for quite a while the girls still had inflatables on the mind, so we allowed them to each play on one turn each.  On our way out to head for home we noticed this one balloon off by itself that never got up in the air, as we got closer we were able to read the signs advertising that you could go inside the balloon for only $1, and they didn’t charge us for me to go in with the kids!  Inside they had inflatable balls tossing from kid to kid and your kids could stay in indefinitely.  My girls loved it and if we had realized how long it would take to get out of the parking lot we would have let them play longer.

All in all we had a great time, even if the balloons didn’t launch this time.  There are 5 more chances to see that happen.  Saturday morning at 6am, and again in the evening at 6pm, Sunday morning at 6am, and 6pm, and Monday morning at 6am.  In addition to the balloons there will be free entertainment throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.  No dogs or pets are allowed.  Enjoy!

Once again there is a great deal on admission to the Jump Club in Henrietta.  Check out Groupon for this great deal, only two more days to buy it.  This is 50% off normal admission.  There is a limit of one person, but you may one extra as a gift.  And they are good until Sept 30, 2011.  It may be used for more than one trip to Jump Club.  Enjoy!  Maybe we’ll see you there.

My mother in law just alerted me to yet another group coupon site!  This one is offering a 4 pack of admissions to the Jump Club in Henrietta, NY.  That is 50% off the regular admission rate.  You are allowed to buy 2 deals for yourself and up to 2 more as gifts.  They expire Nov. 30, 2011 and can be used over multiple trips.  For info click here.

IHOP®, one of America’s favorite restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, today announced it has joined Kids LiveWell as an inaugural leader in the restaurant industry’s efforts to provide more healthful menu choices for children and families. Kids LiveWell is a new, nationwide initiative created by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with HealthyDiningFinder.com to provide parents and children with a growing selection of healthful menu options when dining out.

In celebration of the partnership, IHOP also announced that its popular “Kids Eat Free” promotion will return to restaurants nationwide beginning August 1. Every day in August from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at participating locations, families with kids under 12 can receive one free kids meal from the “Just for Kids” menu with the purchase of each adult entrée.

Every item on IHOP’s “Just for Kids” menu is SIMPLE & FIT and under 600 calories. Families can choose from four options on IHOP’s kids menu that meet the guidelines required to be included in the Kids LiveWell program. Those items include:

Just for Kids Baby Cakes with a Jr. Fresh Fruit Dish: Scrambled egg substitute served with one turkey bacon strip and five silver dollar buttermilk pancakes and paired with a refreshing dish of seasonal fruit.
Just for Kids Jr. Scrambled Egg & Pancakes with a Jr. Fresh Fruit Dish: Scrambled egg substitute served with one buttermilk pancake and paired with a refreshing dish of seasonal fruit.
Just for Kids Jr. Fish: Tilapia lightly seasoned, grilled to perfection and served with broccoli.
Just for Kids Jr. Fresh Fruit Dish: A refreshing dish of seasonal fruit.

My kids love the Jump Club and I love when there is a discount offer!  For the month of August they are offering 50% off admission if you show them proof that you follow them on Facebook.  So just print out a screen shot and bring it in for your discount admission.

Monday

10am-2pm

Tuesday

10am-2pm

Wednesday

10am-7pm

Thursday

10am-7pm

Friday

10am-8pm

Saturday

10am-8pm

Sunday

10am-7pm

3450 Winton Place, Rochester, NY 14623 — (585) 730-8900

Have you been to the Seneca Park Zoo yet this summer?  Well if you’ve been putting it off   here  is an incentive to go before summer ends.  With this coupon you get one free child’s admission when you buy one adult’s admission.  Coupon is good through Sept. 5, 2011.

If you haven’t been before you are missing out!  We are members and we go a couple times a month.  I admit that our zoo is not the biggest, although it is bigger than Buffalo’s and Syracuse’s, but it is beautiful and offers some great fun for the little ones.  My girls absolute favorite is the creekbed where they can play in the water, so make sure you either bring clothes they don’t mind getting wet or a change of clothes.  (We bring swimsuits and aquasocks) Yep they are that into it.  Of course their other favorite is the Zot Zone building where they get to pretend to be vets and take care of stuffed animals.  And then there are all the animals to see of course!

Take 590 North to 104 West (Keeler Expressway) at exit 10A. Take the Seneca/Clinton exit from 104. Following the zoo signs, turn right on Clinton Ave, turn left on East Ridge Road to Saint Paul Street. Turn right on Saint Paul Street and then the first left into the Zoo.

Regular Rates-Adults 12-62   $10       Seniors 63+ $9           Kids 3-11  $7     2 and younger free            Members free

Open 10am-5pm, gates close at 4pm.

Regal is offering kids movies again this summer, although this year they are charging $1 a person.  Movies are run on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10am.  Check their website for your local listings.  They have already begun and will continue on til August 24.  All the movies are either G or PG rated.  I have always found the film festival to be awesome with little kids because they don’t turn the lights down all the way and you are welcome to bring in your own drinks and food.  Enjoy!

If you go to the “Be a Healthy Hero” website they have a few coupon links on the left side of the page.  One of those coupons is for half off admission to Kango Play.    It’s a printable coupon, which means you should be able to print it out in multiples to use a few times if you like.  The coupon doesn’t expire til 8/31/2011.

There is also a $5 off coupon for Bay Creek Paddling, and a coupon for one free game of bowling at Clover Lanes.

Here is another 50% off discount offer for Jump Club!  This one is offered by Living Social, it’s a four pack of admissions for only $17.  It can be used for multiple trips and you can buy two, four packs, and extras as gifts if you want.  This time you have 6 more days to get in on the deal, so if you missed out last time, get in quick!  And these certificates are good til Nov 18, 2011.

If you’ve never used LivingSocial click here to sign up and you’ll get $5 to use towards your purchase.  Then find the deal by looking for coupons under Family.