“Fun family holiday can be child's play - StarPhoenix” plus 2 more |
- Fun family holiday can be child's play - StarPhoenix
- ESI Announces the Principal Financial Group Family Fun ... - PRWeb
- My Gym Children's Fitness Center Kicks off National ... - Market Wire
| Fun family holiday can be child's play - StarPhoenix Posted: 24 Apr 2010 09:20 AM PDT Jane Soneff has strolled white sand beaches in Kauai, shot down ski hills in Banff and camped among wolves in Panorama, B.C. Now for the crazy part: the 28-year-old did all these things with two-year-old Julie and five-year-old Ben in tow. "It's been pretty good," Soneff says gamely of her family's globe-trotting adventures. Most parents might take Soneff's upbeat attitude as a sign of parenting genius or really good luck. Vacations can turn quickly into nightmares when something goes wrong with the kids -- even if the problem is as minor as a left-behind blankie. But as Soneff can attest, a postcard-worthy dream vacation with the kids is as attainable as a Hawaiian T-shirt in Honolulu. The key, she says, is being prepared and willing to go with the flow. "What I've realized is that the holiday isn't really about rest and relaxation; it's much more of an adventure. You can never really count on anything, you have to have an open mind." Here are a few things experts suggest for making your travels with the kids a pleasant experience: BEFORE YOU GO - Plan the holiday with your kids and make them feel involved -- that way there will be no room for complaints later. "The more you involve the kids, the more they take it seriously," explains Andrew Hopkyns, director of business development at AMA Travel Services. "Plan their agenda with them. When you do that, they'll stick to that itinerary." - Talk to your kids about how to behave in new environments. "I talk to my five-year-old about it, and he knows to keep an eye on me and we always keep them close to us," says Soneff. - If you're travelling to a foreign country, check in with your doctor and see if hepatitis shots are recommended. Children are especially at risk of contracting viruses, Hopkyns warns, because "kids stick everything into their mouths." - Contact your local Child Find office and ask for a free All About Me ID booklet. In B.C., e-mail childvicbc@shaw.ca or go to www.childfindbc.com). The professionally prepared package includes a recent photograph and ink fingerprints, both invaluable in case your child disappears. WHAT TO BRING - There's the obvious -- passports and official documents, divided in your luggage so that they're difficult to lose. And then there are the ingenious items, such as walkie-talkies to stay in touch when cellphones don't work (perfect for cruise ships). - Soneff's clever must-have is a car seat. "Even on the plane, it's good to bring your own car seats," says Soneff. "It's more comfortable for the child, unless they're really tiny and they're going to be on your lap." They're even more important when you arrive at your destination. "You don't know if a taxi is going to be picking you up or if the person picking you up will have one," she says. - Add children's favourites to your checklist -- favourite foods and toys are most effective when children are bored and squirmy. "Let them take their favourite toy or a bunny rabbit, especially if they're young," says Hopkyns. "They're going to need that." WHEN YOU'RE THERE - Be just as cautious with your kids while on vacation as you would be at home. No matter where she is, Soneff makes sure to always hold hands with her children. "My eyes and mind may wander but at least I have physical contact with my kids," she explains. "It would just be a very basic way of keeping track of them." - Make sure adults know who's taking care of whom, especially when travelling with extended family. Just because Grandma is a metre away, doesn't mean she's keeping an eye on the kids. "As a parent, once in a while you need that mental break," says Soneff, and that's fair. Just make sure that when you go take a dip in the pool, your relatives know to stay alert. CLEVER BUYS Parents with forgetful children will benefit from customized rubber wristbands engraved with emergency cellphone numbers, available online from Pennsylvania's Hope Paige Designs. The same kind of customization can be done with temporary tattoos, an innovative idea cooked up by Vancouver mom Heather Clark. Much more waterproof than a piece of paper pinned inside a jacket, "They're great when you take your kids to the beach," Clark says. And fun. FAMILY FRIENDLY If your child is a bigger fan of Elmo than Mickey, Disneyland isn't your only option. In Turks and Caicos, families share the Beaches resort with a cast of Sesame Street characters. In Mexico, Azul Hotels by Karisma offers a children's program sponsored by Fisher-Price. Other all-inclusives are backed by Nintendo. "Over the last few years, you're starting to see Sesame Street and Fisher-Price toys will partner up with certain companies," says Rick MacSwain, leisure marketing manager at Uniglobe Travel. Tropical all-inclusives are especially popular among parents with young children, he says, and resorts are doing what they can to cater to this market. "At the Azul resorts they give you toys. They give you baby monitors. They have a gym created just for kids. They have a special pool with shooting water," MacSwain says. "It's unbelievable the things that they'll do." Kids clubs, where children are looked after by certified child-care providers, are common at larger chain resorts, he adds. "In these all-inclusive resorts, they have painting, pottery. They have TVs and video games and just a wide range of activities." While kids play, parents can enjoy some peace of mind. "They're free of charge and the benefit, too, is you can drop the kids off and know that they're safe and leave them there for a couple of hours and not worry about them." MacSwain's list of top tropical all-inclusive destinations includes Breezes, Riu, Pardisus, Barcelo and Melia resorts. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||
| ESI Announces the Principal Financial Group Family Fun ... - PRWeb Posted: 17 Apr 2010 09:42 AM PDT | World's largest and longest-running traveling baseball celebration enters seventh season offering free family entertainment to minor league baseball fans in communities across the country. Glen Ridge, NJ (PRWEB) April 17, 2010 -- The Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest will visit more than 40 minor league baseball ballparks, including 10 Triple-A stadiums and the Eastern League All-Star Game, as announced today by tour creators and producers, Entertainment and Sports International (ESI). The tour will launch May 13 at the home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks when they host the Lynchburg Hillcats. -- A minor league baseball museum featuring memorabilia from more than 100 years of baseball history; Baseball fans also have a chance to win $5,000, or free nights at Travelodge and a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat, by entering The Principal 401-K Challenge. It's a fun and exciting sweepstakes recognizing the first participating team on the tour to register 401 home strikeouts (K's). Last year's winning team and the reigning champs are the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The online entry form and complete rules are available at www.principal.com/funfest. About the Principal Financial Group About Entertainment & Sports International 2010 Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest Tour Stops 5/13 Wilmington Blue Rocks (Delaware) (A+) ### Post Comment: Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| My Gym Children's Fitness Center Kicks off National ... - Market Wire Posted: 19 Apr 2010 11:20 AM PDT SOURCE: My Gym SHERMAN OAKS, CA--(Marketwire - April 19, 2010) - My Gym Children's Fitness Center will participate in the annual National Fitness Month fitness awareness campaign with its own Family Fun & Fitness Day, a day designated for kids and their families. Scheduled to take place Saturday, May 1, My Gym's Family Fun & Fitness Day is part of its national awareness program to help combat the rising epidemic of childhood obesity. My Gym locations nationwide will participate in National Family Fitness Day with specially-designed, age-appropriate fitness activities, interactive materials, enrollment discounts and special offers throughout the Open House event. (Participation, offers and specific hours may vary -- please visit www.mygym.com and check local My Gym for details). "My Gym's Family Fun & Fitness Day reflects My Gym's commitment to bringing children a world of fun, fitness and good health," said Matt Hendison, chief marketing & entertainment officer for My Gym. "We also applaud the First Lady's high profile campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic. It takes awareness and a proactive commitment to make it happen, and we hope this year's event will serve as a positive beginning for families across the country." According to the latest childhood obesity statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, "an estimated 16 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are overweight" -- and even more are at risk of becoming overweight. It is clear from reviewing childhood obesity statistics that childhood obesity has been increasing the last 30 years, Hendison said. This is why so many health experts talk about the childhood obesity epidemic. Joining My Gym as a primary sponsor of My Gym Family Fun & Fitness Day is Azul Hotels, by Karisma (http://www.karismahotels.com), a 5-star family friendly Gourmet Inclusive hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico that will be offering one family a chance to win a 4-day, 3-night stay. Families can enter the day of the event only by filling out entry forms at participating My Gym locations. In addition to serving as a fitness awareness initiative, Family Fun & Fitness Day is also a fundraising event benefiting The My Gym Challenged America Foundation (www.challengedamerica.com). For more information, visit www.mygym.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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