Hotel: My husband and I both hate to waste money on an expensive hotel that we never end up spending much time in. We usually spend no more than $40 a night tops on a reputable, clean hotel by taking advantage of online discount sites. This past weekend, however, we “splurged” and stayed at Disney’s All-Star Movie Resort. For about $70 a night (prices vary depending on dates), we were able to enjoy the amazing amenities at the hotel: two beautiful pools, huge statues of famous Disney characters like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story and Pongo from 101 Dalmations, a poolside movie under the stars and ongoing children’s activities like a scavenger hunt.

Food: We always make sure to bring a cooler and pack enough food for breakfast and lunch. The girls loved eating donuts down by the pool, and we didn’t have to waste money eating a $5 hot dog in a theme park. By packing food and snacks, we were able to splurge on one dinner at the T-Rex Café at Downtown Disney. And because the servings were actually pretty big, splitting a meal was definitely an option.

Theme Parks: Right now there are a ton of great deals being offered on tickets for the Orlando Theme Parks. Children 5 and under can visit Sea World (and Busch Gardens) for free all year with a PreSchool Pass. Teachers can also get a free pass into Sea World for the year! That left us just having to buy a ticket for me, for which there were two options. An adult Fun Pass, good until the end of the year, costs $81.99. Instead, we purchased the annual pass for $119.99, which includes parking. (The cost to park is $14 per car per day!) Monthly payment options are available, too!

Disney is also offering a great deal on tickets! Florida residents can enjoy three days at the Disney parks for only $99. A fourth day can be added for $30 more.

Goodies: It’s almost impossible to take kids to Orlando without buying a few goodies here and there. Luckily, we didn’t have to spend any cash on ice cream treats and souvenirs. Instead, we used Disney reward dollars that we earned from our Disney credit card. We use the card pretty frequently, pay off the balance right away, and earn 1 percent back in rewards to spend at any Disney location, restaurant or store.

Do you have any tips for enjoying Orlando on a dime? How do you save money?

As I sat in the middle of my 5-year-old’s floor, looking at all the toys that I somehow had to fit in her closet, under her bed or on her toy shelf, I knew something had to give. So I called in my save-everything daughter, who can’t even bear the thought of parting with just about anything (hence her “special ribbon collection”), and sat her down for a heart-to-heart talk.

I told her to look around her room. I explained to her that there was simply no way for me to unpack all of her wonderful new toys unless she could make some room by showing me which toys she felt she was ready to either get rid of or put in storage for her little sister.

And then, a miracle happened. It was almost like a little light bulb turned on over my daughter’s head. Aubrey started getting rid of TONS! She said she no longer played with her vanity. She was too big for her kitchen. She tossed out stuffed animals, sorted through her puzzles and picked through her toys.

Once I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I told Aubrey we should make donate, sell and save piles. Again, she went through all her things like a champ.

I don’t know if it was the overwhelming amount of gifts she got for Christmas, or if she finally realized that her room was bursting at the seams, but together, Aubrey and I were able to neatly organize her room and make her toys even more accessible then they had been pre-Christmas.

Did you help your child downsize his or her toy collection to prepare for the holidays? Do you ever feel like you simply can’t fit one more toy in your house? How do you help your child to part with toys?

After much thought, we decided to give Aubrey a sibling. And I can say with confidence that it was the best decision we, as parents, have ever made.

When I watch the way Aubrey plays peek-a-boo with Riley or runs to her rescue when her sippy cup hits the deck, I know we made the right decision. When I see the way Riley’s face lights up with excitement and hear her yell “Aubey! Aubey! Aubey!”  when Aubrey enters the room, I know we made the right decision. When I sit back and watch the girls play side-by-side in the sandbox or sing and dance together to Ring Around the Rosie, I know we made the right decision.

Aubrey and Riley were meant to be sisters. Nothing makes me any happier than to see the immeasurable bond my two precious little girls share. But don’t let this story of sisterly love fool you. Aubrey certainly gets annoyed when Riley fusses during car rides, colors on her picture or messes with whatever project she is working on at the time. And Riley definitely gets frustrated when Aubrey won’t share her Leapster, give up a bite of her snack or let her into her room.

Aubrey and Riley are still figuring each other out, still learning what does and doesn’t push each other’s buttons, and how they can get away with certain things. Nonetheless, I know my two girls will forever share a bond that can only be shared by siblings. I’m just crossing my fingers that the day doesn’t come when the two team up and use their bond against their parents!

Do your children share a special bond with each other?

When I began showing my 5-year-old how to crawl on the floor, test the doorknob and get outside to the neighbor’s mailbox, her eyes swelled with tears. She kept trying to cover her ears and repeatedly asked me to “please stop talking about it.” Regardless of how lighthearted I tried to keep the conversation, she simply did not want to continue talking about fire safety.

Luckily, I was able to squeeze in the most important bits of information during our little lesson, and I am confident that while Aubrey doesn’t want to talk about fire safety, she has listened to what I’ve said and knows how to keep herself as safe as possible. And every once in a while, out of the blue, I sneak in a quiz question or two to refresh her memory.

Me: “Aubrey, where do we meet in case of a fire?”

Aubrey: “At the plastic mailbox across the street. Now can we please stop talking about it?”

Me: “Aubrey, should you walk or crawl out of the house?”

Aubrey: “I don’t want to talk about this!” Then she pauses and very begrudgingly says, “Crawl.”

I think the thought of a fire happening in your home, where you normally feel the utmost level of safety and security, is scary for everyone. And while Aubrey, Adam nor I wanted to talk about safety, I am so glad we did.

Have you talked to your children about fire safety? Does your family have a plan? How do your children handle talking about fires?

It’s easy for moms to get stuck in a rut full of work, work, work. We are constantly in a balancing act, trying to make sure nothing slips off our already too-full plate as we continue to say “yes” to more request, demands and responsibilities. And then, when we feel we aren’t 1,000,000 percent successful at everything, guilt hits and we try pushing even harder.

I realized the other night that just as I schedule appointments, I need to schedule play time. I need to make time to sit down with my 5-year-old to play Littlest Pet Shop and color with my 1-year-old. Sure, I often take my girls to community events and fun local spots, but there is something to be said about simply playing with puzzles or enjoying a good book together.

So my husband and I sat down and made a schedule. Of course there are still certain times of the day devoted to getting work done and cleaning the house; we don’t want to start living like pigs. But there are also certain times set aside for nothing else but enjoying being a mommy to my two beautiful little girls who will be two beautiful teenagers and then two beautiful grown women before I know it.

And I will have to give credit to my amazing husband, who typed up my schedule and offered to take on some of the daily tasks. I can’t wait to start my new schedule, but there is one time of day I admit I am NOT looking forward to: a 6 a.m. wake-up time. But as my husband always reminds me, I have to “start my day, not let my day start.”

Can any fellow parents relate to the never-ending demands of parenthood? How do you balance everything?

“You can absolutely have friends that are boys and friends that are girls,” I told her, still wondering where she got the idea of having a boyfriend. (Must have been those darn “High School Musical” movies she likes to watch!) “But you are too young to be boyfriend-girlfriend or to have a relationship.”

“Mom! We are just pretending!” Aubrey said, with a giggle.

“Well it is not appropriate for you to have a boyfriend or to pretend to have one,” I told her. And that was the end of the discussion – or so I thought.

A few days later, Aubrey came home and informed the family that she had told her little friend that “my mom said it was inappropriate for me to have a boyfriend.” And now, the class says she and her friend “broke up.”

I was thrilled to hear Aubrey’s status update since it was clear that she had taken my words to heart. But just hearing my little girl talking about a “boyfriend” and “breaking up” still makes me shiver. Is this my welcome to the world of elementary school, where children have older siblings and perceptive little ears? Is it too late to put my daughter in a bubble and never let her out into the real world?

All I know is that this little incident certainly strengthened my belief that parents can never be too involved in their children’s lives. Aubrey better be prepared for the Who? What? When? Where? run-down, because mommy and daddy want to know it all.

Thankfully, my husband and I did get to breathe a sigh of relief yesterday while Aubrey watched “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.” Toward the end of the movie, Sharpay and her boyfriend share a little kiss.

“Mommy, why are they kissing?” Aubrey asked me. “They aren’t even married!”

“That’s right Aubrey,” I said “No kissing until you’re married.”

About a month ago, we prepared an area in our backyard and planted several butterfly-attracting plants, like Milkweed and Penta. While I had hopes of Aubrey seeing a few butterflies flittering around her garden, my real focus was simply on keeping the plants alive seeing as we were planting a garden at the worst possible time, right in the middle of summer.

For the next several days, we watched handfuls of butterflies visit our garden, along with a couple of hummingbirds. The butterfly garden was a success, but it was only about to get better. A couple weeks after planting the garden, I spotted at least 15 Monarch caterpillars (the only kind I know) munching away on the leaves of our plants.

“I’m too excited to even breathe!” Aubrey said when she came over and inspected the leaves. She quickly got out her ruler and began measuring the caterpillars and drawing pictures of them in her notebook.

There was one caterpillar in particular who looked like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” AFTER he had eaten everything in sight. So we decided to catch the big guy and put him in a butterfly cage in hopes that he would go into a chrysalis. Another success! We now have a chrysalis hanging in our home along with two other chrysalises that we found on our fence outside.

Now, I am hoping and praying that Aubrey will have the opportunity to watch a butterfly break free from a chrysalis. If spotting the caterpillars made her excited beyond belief, I can’t even imagine how thrilled she will be to see a Monarch butterfly emerge from a chrysalis.

Wish us luck! I don’t want to have to explain the circle of life to my little girl if our luck takes a turn.

A neighbor was coming home and saw two younger boys walking down our street. At some point, the boys approached our car, and when our neighbors saw our dome light turn on, they called the police and then chased the two kids away.
Luckily nothing was stolen from our car despite my mistake of leaving the doors unlocked. A mistake I will NEVER make again. Apparently, nine other car owners weren’t so fortunate this weekend, according to an article in The Gainesville Sun.  Officers from the Gainesville Police Department discovered nine burglarized cars when they were called to a car alarm sounding early Monday.

When my husband and I searched for our recently purchased home, location was extremely important to us. We settled on a home in the Northwest side of Gainesville because of the area’s wonderful reputation. But burglaries happen everywhere. People try to break into cars everywhere. And my reminder to ALWAYS lock my car came to me loud and clear as I stood in my driveway, meeting my neighbor for the first time in my nightgown.

As a mom, my hands are often full when I get out of the car. There are groceries, or a backpack, or bags or toys to grab. But I will never forget to lock my car again. Ever. Has anyone ever had a bad experience with a car burglary?

Anyone 13 and older can make a reservation for free breakfast during the week of Sept. 6 – Sept. 10. (I called the local restaurant on Archer Road and was told parents can make reservations for their younger children.) So on Thursday morning, Riley and I will be trying the Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis at no cost. Score! To make your reservation, visit http://www.chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com/Start.

For some free fun to go with your free food, check out the activities taking place at the Morningside Nature Center at 3540 E. University Ave.  You can stay up-to-date on the Nature Operations Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cityofgainesvillenature

•    Feed farm animals at Barnyard Buddies every Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Living History Farm.
•    Feed frogs at Feed-A-Frog Fridays held the first Friday of every month at 2 p.m. in the Educational Building.
•    See Living History Days every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Living History Farm.

Do you know of any great deals around town? Please share!

We arrived at her new elementary school, and Daddy, Mommy and Riley walked our big girl to her class. And I’ll have to add that I was very thankful for the opportunity to do so seeing as my 5- going on 15-year-old voiced her concern with being walked to class just a few days prior at Meet the Teacher. When I was explaining to her that we would be walking her in the first couple days, she quickly told me that she didn’t need my help and could get to class on her own. After a bit of begging on my part, she agreed to let me take her in the first day and snap a few photos.

Aubrey proudly marched into her classroom with a smile on her face. She hung up her backpack, put her lunchbox in her cubby and sat down at her seat to color as though this had been her routine for months. She was already a kindergarten pro.

After I snapped a few photos, my husband gently pushed me out the door because it was quite obvious that Aubrey was too busy coloring her worksheet and socializing with her friends to worry about flashing me any more smiles.
The monumental “first day” has come and gone. And while Aubrey was excited for her second day as a kindergartener, I can say that she didn’t hop out of bed quite as fast this morning. I guess 6:30 a.m. just comes too fast, even for a big kindergartener.