Fall Giveaway Time

Time for one lucky person to win a $25 Amazon Gift Code.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***This post and giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Amazon.  The winner will be randomly selected through Rafflecopter and has 1 week to claim their prize.  Winners actions will be verified to legitimize eligibility.

Land Before Time Party

My boy who is turning 4 requested a Land Before Time Party.  Now for those of you who aren't aware Land Before Time hasn't been a popular movie in a long time.  This fact alone makes the party super challenging.  What resulted is a mixture of lots of Dinosaur items along with a score of 2 Land Before time party packs that I scored on eBay and spent far too much on.

I also was lucky enough to find some Jurrassic World party hats and noise makers on clearance.  At the dollar store I was able to find some dinosaurs large and small for the party. The smaller ones I decided to use in our Dino Dig

I found a Dino themed pool at Walmart for $10 and no I did not blow it up.  Not to say I didn't try.  My husband hooked it up to our car pump and a few minutes later it was ready.  Then I purchased a bag of play sand for $2.50.  We used some beach shovels and tools for the digging.  All together the activity cost about $20 and kids had a great time.

At the entrance of the door I cut out some Dino footprints

For the goody bags I used plain white bags and with a free hand drawling and green card stock I cut out dinosaurs and glued them on the loot bags.

Overall, it was a pretty easy party to piece together and my boy was very happy with the result.

1st Day of School

This year I am sending 2 kids off to school.  My oldest is going into 2nd grade and overall is generally looking forward to it minus the homework. My 3 year old is starting preschool and I am feeling a mixture of emotions. I am a tad concerned for him since he is so young starting.  My oldest was 4 almost 5 when he started preschool and my 3 year old just seems so young.  I am hopeful everything will be ok.  He was also a little slower with his speech development but let me tell you he has made huge improvements in this area in a relatively short time-so thankful.  I am emotional because at one point I was feeling pretty hopeless about my boy talking and after therapy evaluations with no suggestions for help.    So when I drop in off to school for the first time although I will try not to cry but I probably will.  Not because I am sad but because I am in awe of all the progress he has accomplished and so happy that he overcame all the problems he had.

So the first day of school despite some apprehension on my 2nd grader's part went well for him.  I was a little teary eyed when my preschooler was dropped off but so excited for him and the adventure he is going to have.  Hopefully the excitement for school will last awhile and make it easier to get through the school year.

Back to School Giveaway

A winner has been chosen for the $25 Amazon Giveaway through Rafflecopter.

Congratulations to






















Lidiya B.  Please contact me at peeingwithdooropenmommies@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Mini Legoland Getaway

My husband has been really busy with work so we aren't able to take a vacation right now.  Fortunately, we live in Orlando where there are so many fun touristy things to do.  We currently have Legoland annual passes so we would thought we would brave the Florida heat and have so fun.  It was an overcast day when we got to Legoland with some lightening in the area which meant they couldn't run some of the rides.  We had really bad luck and would get in line for a ride and right before it was our turn they would close the ride.  In the afternoon the showers and lightening disappeared and so did a lot of the crowd so we were able to do a lot of rides in a short period of time.

Anticipating the possibility of rain we decided to stay overnight at the Legoland hotel.  At the hotel it was all about the kids.  There were so many cool activities and fun details.  When you book a room, you choice which kind of themed room you want... Pirates, Adventurers, Lego Friends, and Kingdom.
We chose Pirates and the room was great with a kids themed area with a bunk bed and an adult themed area.  There was a treasure chest that we had to figure out the combination to and when we did there were all manner of Lego surprises inside.  The elevator in the hotel was essentially a dance elevator with a disco ball.  Everything my boys when inside they would bust a move.  At the hotel, they had lots of kid activities.  My 7 year old did the Master Builder's Class which you can sign up for at a Kiosk in the lobby.  At 8 pm there was a Pajama Dance Party which my kids had so much fun at.  There were also in the daytime so Lego characters to see and take pictures with. For dinner we are at the Bricks restaurant which is a buffet with lots of different options.  It was $19.99 for adult, 7 and up tween $10.99, and 3-6 $5.99.  The breakfast is complimentary and had everything you can possibly imagine for breakfast.  We had such a great getaway at Legoland Hotel and I know you will enjoy it too.
https://www.legoland.com
***This review post is not affiliated with Legoland or Legoland Hotel.  The opinions shared in this post are completely my own.

Back to School

Is it really August already??  The summer has seriously flown by.  I will have a 2nd grader and a preschooler this year.  I can barely believe either one of these.  Back to schedules and earlier bedtimes to prepare for early morning wake ups.  Completing supply lists, clothing shopping, and new haircuts.  I just found out about my children's meet the teacher events before school starts and was surprised to discover that my future 2nd graders' meet the teacher is at 8:30 am.  My preschooler's is 10 am which is reasonable but 8:30 am that is crazy.  It is going to be a busy morning.    The first day back to school is going to emotional for me since my 3 year old (soon to be 4) will be starting preschool.  If you have been following the blog you will know the concerns I have had about his speech development.  He has come a long way and I am so proud of the progress he has had.  A year ago I was not feeling confident about his ability to start school this year but happily and surprisingly he has proved us all wrong.  Both of my boys are ready and able to excel in school and I am more than thankful for this.

Once my boys are in school, it is just going to be my little girl and I which is going to be a huge adjustment. Especially with a busy summer keeping all 3 of my kids busy and entertained.  I am sure we will get used to it but initially it is going to feel a little sad.  I know a lot of parents are more than ready for the school year to start but I am going to miss the extra time with all my kids.  But I am excited for them because I know that the school year will bring new friends and new experiences that I couldn't provide for them.  In the past I have toyed with the idea of home schooling but we ultimately discovered that going to school is the best decision for my boys.  We are fortunate to live in an area with a wonderful school and my kids are super social kids.  They flourish is a busy social environment.  Just love how school and learning opens up the world to kids and expands the way they relate to the world and others.