Can You Beat Our Pinball Scores?
We had a chance to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas after reading a previous blog by Jace, Read it here! It was definitely worth the visit and we had a challenge among our family to see who could get the highest score on some pinball machines, can you beat our scores?
Family Guy High Score: 10,404,810
The Simpsons Pinball Party High Score: 2,320,230
The Simpsons High Score: 1,134,340
Have Fun!
Parent’s Night Out: Giada Vegas
On a recent trip to Las Vegas, had a chance to have a babysitter watch the kids at the hotel while the parents were able to get a night out. We went to Giada Vegas restaurant located at the Cromwell hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The presentation of the decor and the food was excellent.
The pricing is steep for the amount of food, the taste is simple and light focusing on fresh and healthy ingredients. The dinner is definitely an experience as opposed to just a meal. Enjoy the decor and view of the Strip, and best of all a night of freedom from kids.
Tip: This place can get really busy so recommend making reservations which are available through OpenTable app.
More info about Giada Vegas
Bonelli Park and Puddingstone Lake
As a child my parents had taken me to Bonelli park and Puddingstone lake a couple of times. I had a chance to take my kids there recently and there was some good and some bad. First we went there to see how the fishing would be, though they had fishing docks it wasn’t a good sign when we noticed signs posted that said do not eat the fish as they are not safe to eat…ewww.
However, we were able to spend the rest of the morning exploring the wonderful hikes they have in the hills alongside and within the park territories. We took a short hike up the top of the hill with a gorgeous view of Puddingstone lake. Horseriding rentals are also nearby for longer trails around the surrounding mountainside.
For the kids, the playgrounds were impressive, they had a variety of them for different age levels and interaction. An interesting one was a playground that featured rope bridges that kids can traverse across or climb with playground-like bouldering.
There is a $10 entrance fee at the gates. They no longer offer boat or jet skis rentals on site, but they do allow you to bring your own watercraft for a launching fee. In the summer, a part of the lake is open for beach swimming but it can get extremely crowded.
Tip: Go early and avoid the crowds during the summer times. Even if you choose not to walk the mountain trails, the park is huge and offer nice walking/jogging along the lake that is flat and easily accessible.
More info: http://www.bonellipark.org/
Kid’s Blog: The Awesome Pinball Hall of Fame
The Pinball Hall of Fame is a great place to play pinball and arcade games in Las Vegas – View Map. There you will be able to play old, classic arcade games like Qbert, Mario Bros., and Ms. Pacman. You will also be able to play old and new pinball machines including Shrek, the Simpsons, and Family Guy.
If your parents are wondering if there is an admission fee, then tell them there is NO fee! However, you will need money to play. The amount of money that I would recommend you should bring is around $20 for a family of 4. My mom, sister, and I got $20 in quarters and had $5 leftover after playing for over an hour before it closed. We played the games together as a family and competed against each other.
When you get to the Pinball Hall of Fame arcade, you should first change your bills for quarters. You will then want to look for games that are good to play with your family. First of all, I would recommend looking for good pinball deals like 50 cents for 5 balls. Also, some pinball machines have extra value deals like $1.50 or $2 for 3 credits. These machines aren’t cheap and are a good deal.
There are also classic arcade games like Qbert, Ms. Pacman, Asteroids, etc. for only 25₵. We tried Qbert and Ms. Pacman which was difficult but extremely fun. My mom did the best. I also played air hockey against my mom and sister and beat them both! The best pinball machine that I would recommend for you and your family to play is The Simpsons and Family Guy.
For the most fun, I would recommend coming to the Pinball Hall of Fame in the evening with your family. It is great for all ages and especially, if you make a friendly competition among you and your family members. It is a terrific way to bond and make memories.
Directions to Pinball Hall of Fame
Relax with this nature music video: Ever-present
After I drop off the kids at school in the morning, I was walking around the neighborhood and saw all the beautiful colors of nature. I used my iPhone and started taking pictures and created a simple music video to share with some words of inspiration.
Enjoy and relax while you can and forget your worries.
Kid’s Video Blog: Minecraft Survival mode with Halo texture pack
Here is another Minecraft video blog from Sonic, here he survives the first night while using his Halo texture pack.
Creativity with Thomas the Tank Engine
My sister’s kids had out grown there Thomas the Tank Engine wooden train set and have passed it on to me for my kids. I never had a chance to play with these growing up, but my youngest son at the age of 2-3 at the time was immediately drawn to it. Initially he would build simple configurations, but as we began to add more pieces he would build more interesting formations.
It was great to see him develop, everyday I would come home from work and he would have a new layout with some creative solutions. I can clearly see his problem solving and even engineering skills develop. This was at an age when Lego pieces were too small for him as he did get a piece stuck up his nose once before. So one way to stimulate your young child’s mind can be with Thomas the Tank engine wooden train sets.
Tip: Definitely get the wooden sets for your kid. They cost more but the quality and compatibility will get more uses out of it. Many of the Thomas plastic set toys utilize smaller trains/tracks and are not always compatible with different sets.
Pancake Panda
Weekend mornings are a great time to cook with the family. For breakfast you can cook and decorate your own pancakes which can be creative and fun with the kids. Simply get a couple of bottles with nozzle tips that can be found in most bakery or cooking department.
Make your pancake mix and fill 1 bottle with normal pancake mix. The 2nd bottle I like to mix in hot chocolate powder and this will become a darker batter that you can use to outline your drawing. Use the lighter/normal pancake mix to fill in your design. You’ll find that your kids will enjoy both making and eating their breakfast, but make sure there is always an adult supervising when cooking with hot food.
It’s a great way to start the day and please share pictures of your pancake designs.
Kid’s Blog: The Love of Hermit Crabs
I love that my Hermit Crabs are great pets. They are really nice to look at and study. Hermit Crabs are found to be really active at night. This information is gathered from my 3 hermit crab helpers Jaws, Rosie, and Newbie. This is dedicated to Jaws who just recently passed away, he was a loving pet and my favorite hermit crab.
Hermit Crabs may not be active if they are new. Try to get Hermit Crabs that are about the same size so they don’t bully each other. There is one thing that you have to beware of is when they change shells they may fight for the same shell. So try to get shells that are similar so they can each have a new home.
Hermit Crabs are great climbers when they get active. I recommend buying plastic plants and sticks for your hermit crabs to climb. You need plastic plants because they may eat the real ones and you don’t want that. I don’t recommend rocks that are smooth because they won’t be able to climb it but you can put some smooth rocks in to stop them from digging a certain area.
Even though the hermit crabs have shells, they still need shelter to hide. I recommend getting a small cave or a dome shape home that can fit a hermit crab. You can even make them a homemade home with Legos or any building blocks. Remember they can also climb on top of their homes for more climbing space.
Taking care of a hermit crab teaches me responsibility and how to care for others. For instance on normal weekends, it is easy because all I have to do is change the food, change the water, give my hermit crabs a bath and then I’m done. On other weekends, it gets hard when we have to change the dirt and sand in the tank. I recommend changing the water when it gets very sandy as well. The reason it is sandy is because when the hermit crabs go into the water to drink it brings sand with them.
Tip: If the Hermit Crabs are shedding their skin leave them alone. Unless another hermit crab is attacking it then move the hermit crab away from the shedding hermit crab as they are vulnerable.
