Please welcome Crissy Page and her family from Chillicothe, Ohio!

Tell us about your family.

My husband Zach and I are 30-year-old first time parents to a happy baby boy, Evan, who turned 1 on August 3rd. I am a professional lifestyle portrait photographer and freelance writer, working from home, and my husband works for a popular battery distributor.

What are some of your family’s favorite activities to do away from home?

We love taking Evan to visit family and friends, and as he grows and matures, he really enjoys rides in the stroller more and more.

Do you have trouble getting out of the house? Do you have a routine that makes getting out easier?

Sometimes it is difficult to get out of the house when just staying home is so much easier, but, Evan and I visit my parents home several times a week, and we have a family dinner every Sunday at my husband’s grandmother’s house, which is always nice.

When out and about, what items do you carry that keep the family sane?

If I have learned one thing as a mother so far, it is to pack the diaper bag in advance! I adore my Holly Aiken diaper tote, and keep it chock full of Evan’s essentials, which besides the diapering essentials includes a container of puffs, a sippy cup, and a few small toys and teethers in case he requires a distraction. As far as strollers, we actually have three, but the one that Evan prefers is the Jeep Liberty Limited Urban Terrain Stroller. He loves the steering wheel and compartments up front for his toys and beverage!

Do you have any parenting words of wisdom? What is your family mantra?

My advice to parents would be to try to view and experience the world as your child does, to appreciate the wonder and magic of everyday things, and to express your enthusiasm to your kids.

Featured Families are automatically entered to win a stroller valued at $250! Would you like to be interviewed for our Featured Families series? Send us an email!

Planning a trip with your young ones to the Magical Kingdom?  Many of the attractions have height requirements.  Nothing is worse than hiking your way through the park to that attraction you cannot wait to enjoy and then finding one of your family members cannot ride.  So in the interest of avoiding tears and tantrums, the following list provides those rides with height requirements…

Disneyland

Autopia – must be at least 32 inches (81 cm) and accompanied by another rider OR 54 inches (137 cm) to drive alone.

Must be at least 35 inches (89 cm)…

• Gadget’s Go Coaster (Mickey’s Toontown)
• Matterhorn Bobsleds (Fantasyland)

Must be at least 40 inches (102 cm)…

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Frontierland)
• Space Mountain (Tomorrowland)
• Star Tours (Tomorrowland)
• Splash Mountain (Critter Country)

Must be at least 46 inches (117 cm)…

• Indiana Jones Adventure (Adventureland)

California Adventure

Must be at least 36 inches (91 cm)…

• Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies (“a bug’s land”)

Must be at least 40 inches (102 cm)…

• Jumpin’ Jellyfish (Paradise Pier)
• Silly Symphony Swings – tandem swing (Paradise Pier)
• Soarin’ Over California (Condor Flats)
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Hollywood Pictures Backlot)

Must be at least 42 inches (107 cm)…

• Grizzly River Run (Condor Flats)
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail – certain challenges only (Condor Flats)

Must be at least 48 inches (122 cm)…

• California Screamin’ (Paradise Pier)
• Silly Symphony Swings – single swing (Paradise Pier)

Must be at least 50 inches (132 cm)…

• Maliboomer (Paradise Pier)

Can anyone say “platform shoes”?

By the way, Magic Mornings (early park entrance days) are Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

I admit there was a time in my life when I just didn’t get Disneyland.  Crowds, long walks and long lines drowned out the fun.  The “magic” returned, however, when we took our oldest daughter for her first visit a number of years ago.  Seeing all of it through her eyes brought back memories of my visits as a child.  Since then we have returned several times with our four daughters.

We recently returned again and I learned an even greater lesson.  Disneyland is truly for everyone!  We spent the first couple of days as a family experiencing both Disneyland and California Adventure.  Later in the week we were joined by a delightful friend of the family.  Stacey has some physical disabilities that require her to enjoy the park in a scooter.  Disneyland is one of her favorite places and she visits as often as she can.

As it turned out, our day with Stacey was our favorite day of the week.  We all love Stacey and our kids love being with her so this was not a surprise.  What was a surprise to me was that my faith in people and a big business (The Disney Corporation) took a positive step forward.  I spent the day marveling at the compassion, professionalism and kindness of the Disneyland employees as they helped us on and off the rides.  I had, as anyone who has visited the park, passed by those in wheelchairs as I exited rides.  But I had really never noticed the staff helping those with mobility disabilities on or off the rides.  The employees help in a way that keeps the line moving and in a way that does not draw attention to those with special needs. 

We never waited in line at an attraction for more than 10 minutes.  We received a smile from nearly every Disneyland employee that assisted us.  While there were a few attractions where we waited in line with everyone else, most attractions allowed for those in wheelchairs and scooters to come through the exit or another special entrance.  You can find more information on guests with mobility disabilities on the Disneyland website.

So today I give a big shout out to Disney.  Kudos!  You earned it.  Thanks for allowing everyone to visit in a way that does not compromise dignity.  Yes, it is a magical place!

With the weather all nice and toasty, families are keeping windows open throughout the house to take advantage of breezy summer days. This can certainly pose a serious safety risk for young children. I witnessed a child no more than my son’s age poking his head out of the window of his two-story home. He obviously had climbed something, such as a bed to get up there. And I’ve got a feeling, this wasn’t the first time he had done this. I just hope that his parents prevent him from doing it again.

Dr. Tony Woodward, chief of emergency medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, recorded a safety video which offers parents helpful tips to prevent kids from falling out of open windows. He also shares that almost 5,000 children nationwide fall out of windows each year and children ages 2-5 are at the highest risk. Those are some very scary statistics. Here are some of the tips that he mentioned, but please check out the video for a better visual and additional tips.

• Move furniture and anything your child can climb on away from windows.
• Use window stops or window guards.
• If you must open a window that does not have a stop or guard, open it only 4 inches or less.
• Remember that screens on windows keep bugs out but don’t keep kids in.
• Plant bushes or install soft edging under windows to lessen impact in case of a fall.

Shynea H., blogger and mom of four boys gave birth to her precious baby girl July 7th at 2:54am! She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long! She has dark eyes and a head full of dark hair. Head on over to Penny Penching Diva and show her some love!