Conferences Archives - Because Babies Grow Up

Mom It Forward Moms’ Weekend at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort

May 20, 2014 by ajpassey Leave a Comment

“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.” ~Maya Angelou

After almost 8 years of motherhood I traveled alone. ALONE! No spouse, no newborn, no air-sick 2 year old. It was crazy. Crazy fun! I attended a blogging retreat hosted by my fave, Mom It Forward, who also hosted our fabulous family retreat at Universal Studios last summer. We are still talking about that adventure and all the superhero powers our family has that we learned from the workshops.

We walked away from that event with two roundtrip airline tickets from Southwest Airlines. Since our family needs five tickets to travel together, we didn’t know exactly how we would use those tickets that Southwest Airlines gave away, that we won. Turns out, Brent’s sister got married in Utah and Brent used one ticket to attend her wedding. I was very excited to use the other ticket to attend the Moms Weekend retreat at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort a few weeks ago. So a BIG thank you to Southwest for helping us get to these amazing events!

We stayed at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort and had fabulous accommodations, staff, and activities. I went canyoneering–rappelling of cliffs–for the first time. An activity that i have wanted to do since my days backpacking in Europe. It was scary, empowering and emotional all at once.

I also go to go horseback riding. My horse’s name was Daisy and she was a perfect fit for me. The lady who ran the horse riding activity sat back and watched our group chat with each other and interact with the horses. Then when it was time to saddle up, she assigned us each a horse. Everyone got horses that matched their skill level and personality. That’s amazing talent!

We were privileged to hear from Rachel Coleman of Signing Time (whose Kickstarter campaign was just funded!!) and her amazing husband Aaron taught our video workshops. The weekend was so inspiring and empowering! It was hard to come home and pack a house, move, and unpack a house instead of working on all the cool ideas I had from what I learned.

If you EVER have a chance to attend a Mom It Forward function, say yes! Sign up and work out the details later. You won’t regret it. I promise! In fact, they are hosting a family retreat at Zion Ponderosa in October. Seriously, you should take your family. Here’s the spiel:

Looking for an awesome and AFFORDABLE family adventure retreat that includes your whole family (Yes! For kids of all ages!)? Then check out Family Forward: Mountain Adventure, which takes place October 9-12, 2014 on the border of Zion National Park in Southern, Utah. All-inclusive pricing for a family of 5 ranges from $350 to $699, depending on the type of lodging you choose (tent, RV, cabins on up to luxury homes). Yes! You heard me right. Passes include 3 nights of lodging, three meals a day and snacks for your entire family, and vouchers for adventure activities, good for miniature golfing, zip lining, ATV riding, paint balling, and more. Enjoy a $50 discount through June 29 when you register with the code: “SCHOOLSOUTFORSUMMER”!

National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Animals

September 3, 2013 by ajpassey Leave a Comment

During the Family Forward conference at Universal Orlando, we had a great day of workshops. One of my favorites was presented by National Geographic Kids. We each received a book about animals. We could choose from either the Animal Encyclopedia or the First Big Book of Animals. This was a hard decision for our family.

Photo courtesy of Mom It Forward

The kids have all loved animals from the beginning. They have mastered a lot of the basics about animals so we were leaning toward the Encyclopedia. But then again, the First Big Book has such great page layouts and is right at a level where Sammi can read it to her siblings. This we know because we have the First Big Book of Space that we bought this summer and she loves to read it to Scott and Elli. Yes, our family’s obsession with space rivals our obsession with animals!

Photo courtesy of Mom It Forward

We ended up choosing the Encyclopedia because the content is more in depth. Our children are so eager to know every little thing they can about every animal there is. Elli is particularly enamored with Humpback Whales. We can thank Diego for that! I know they are still her favorite because the pages about the Humpback whale are sticky from her pouring over them while snacking.

During the workshop, we received a worksheet to help us connect as a super hero family. We looked through the books we received to find out about animals and their superpowers then decide which animal superpower each family member has and how that helps our whole family be stronger. Then we also discussed how we can plug in and unplug together to learn more about our family’s superpowers.

I discovered that Ben is basically a baby sea otter. He loves to be wrapped up to sleep just like a baby sea otter. From the book,”When the mother dives for food, her baby naps wrapped in seaweed so it won’t float away.” How cute is that! Other cool fact about sea otters: groups of sea otters that float together are called rafts. I’m so in love with these playful water animals!

National Geographic Kids is currently trying to set a Guinness World Record for the largest online photo album of animals. We were able to participate in this project during the conference by finding and photographing animals around the resort and theme parks then posting them on Twitter, Instagram or NG Kids My Shot. Just use the hashtags #animal and #GreatNature when you share the photo. NG Kids My Shot is a moderated photo community where kids can upload their favorite photos, get photo tips, rate photos, and comment on other members’ pictures. It’s a place to share a love of photography and inspire other kids to care about the planet. Kids must have parental permission in order to participate. Everyone is invited to participate in their attempt to set the Guinness World Record.

You can connect with National Geographic Kids on Facebook or Twitter and on their website, where you’ll find a link to My Shot for your child’s photography. Also, if you are looking to watch National Geographic Kids programming, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel for $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

National Geographic Kids First Big Book of Animals is available on Amazon. So is the First Big Book of Space.

Photos of the National Geographic Kids books and sleeping Ben are courtesy of Mom It Forward.

What animal’s superpower does your kid have?

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

August 27, 2013 by ajpassey 3 Comments

Our final day of the Family Forward conference was spent at Islands of Adventure. We started the day by splitting up. Brent and the boys stayed at the hotel to keep Ben cooled off so the girls and I could head over to the park and ride some of the rides Scott’s not big enough for.

We rode Spider-Man, Bluto’s Barges and Rip Saw Falls before we met up with the boys for lunch. Elli absolutely did not love simulator rides and was rather terrified of all the villains in Spider-Man. She made me promise her that she would never have to ride that ride again. Which was rather disappointing to Sammi who would have loved to have ridden it multiple times.

We got thoroughly soaked on Bluto’s Barge ride but left with smiles and pleas to ride again. I didn’t bring a bag or anything to protect my phone and I was worried it wouldn’t survive another trip. Instead we decided to follow it up with Rip Saw Falls, a log ride where, you guessed it, we got wet. But not so soaking wet on my pocket. Elli loved this ride, which has a lot of turns and drops but more comic strip cartoony and much more her style. We road this one twice and they wanted to go again but it was time to meet up for lunch.

Side note, the only reason we were able to ride so many rides in less about an hour and a half is because we were gifted Express Passes. So totally worth it. I don’t think I will ever do a theme park again without them. Our young children would not have survived the heat or the length of lines had we not had those passes. They even meant that Brent and I both got to ride the Hulk and it took us less than 20 minutes each to wait in line, ride it, and meet up again. Simply a blessing when you’ve got 4 kids to contend with in a hot amusement park.

We decided to try out the meal deal the park offers. It’s a one time price ($25 for adults, $13 for kids 9 and under) for unlimited trips through the cafeteria style food courts in the parks. It was definitely a good deal for the kids, especially since we didn’t have to buy a pass for Scott because he’s only 2. Brent and I ate more than we probably needed to just so we felt like we got our money’s worth. The Comic Strip Cafe was our favorite.

After lunch we headed through Jurassic Park on our way to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Brent to the girls on the Jurassic River ride while I took the boys to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center where we played with Dinosaur eggs, watched a baby dinosaur hatch, and got out of the sun and heat. Scott loved it! Sammi and Elli also enjoyed exploring when they returned from their ride. Sammi even got to name the baby dinosaur she saw hatch. Of course she named her Rosie. That’s the name she had picked out for Ben if he had been a girl.

We got to Hogsmeade and rode the Flight of the Hippogriff taking turns so all three kids could ride it. After that the rain started. And it rained and rained. And rained and rained. It was a light to medium sprinkle so we bucked up and headed over to Seuss Landing. By the time we got there the medium sprinkle turned into buckets and buckets. We dug out our complimentary ponchos–so glad Brent put those back in the stroller basket–and made our way to the Caro-Seuss-al. It was one of the few rides still operating in the rain. We were so sad that we finally made it to the area with lots of rides for all our kids and it was all closed down because of the rain. But the carousel started to make up for it. While I nursed the baby Brent took the other three to the Cat in the Hat ride. They all loved it and rode a couple times while Ben ate.

After they came back we decided to eat one last thing and call it a day. We were kinda sad about the rain and all the closed rides, but also full of happy memories of all the rides we had been on. As we were eating, the One Fish Two Fish ride started going again. We got over there and were able to ride it a whole bunch of times. Then the girls and I went on the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train ride. After that Brent left us at Mr McGrew’s Zoo so he could ride the Hulk. The kids were disappointed that Brent was finished sooner than they wanted to be done. But we packed up to go meet him and that’s when I snuck away to ride the Hulk.

Okay, to this point I had ridden every ride with at least one child. Sammi and I did Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, both of which I was sure would terrify her but they didn’t. She loved them and wanted to go on them again, just not right away. So there I was on the second row of the Hulk and we’re propelling toward the top of the first fall and I was terrified. Then I remembered I didn’t have to worry about if a child was doing okay and enjoying the ride. I was able to just enjoy it for me. And I LOVED IT! I literally shouted “I love this!” at least four times during the ride. The rest of the time I was screaming or laughing. I’m sure those around me were thinking,”Man, this girls doesn’t get out much!” And I don’t, at least not all by myself. Man, I love roller coasters! I was on such a rush I had to call Brent and my mom to tell them how much I loved it.

We ate one more time and bid farewell to the park. Our last ride was the water taxi back to our car at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. We ended up staying four hours longer than we planned and didn’t get as far on our drive home as we had hoped. But it was worth it. Scott has been asking all morning if I would drive him back to the Cat in the Hat. He’s been telling me everything he remembers about the rides and the water taxi and the pool and anything else that comes to mind. He’s quite the storyteller and this trip definitely gave him lots of stories to tell.

Getting Out the Door

August 20, 2013 by ajpassey 2 Comments

Leaving is always the hardest part for me. Either, we’re running behind and there’s always that one last thing I need to grab or we’re somewhere and the kids don’t want to leave and have huge meltdowns while my hands are full of baby and shoes the kids won’t put on. Today is no different! We’re running behind big time!

We leave today for our big trip to Universal Orlando for the Family Forward conference. I was supposed to take the van yesterday to get the brakes changed and new tires. But I spent all day looking for my wallet. Which led to a lot of cleaning, but I didn’t find it. Brent did when he got home which was too late to take it over. So we took it in this morning and it’s still not finished. We’re supposed to leave in about an hour. I’ve almost packed all the suitcases. I’ve almost packed all the food. I’ve almost finished the dishes. We’ve almost decided where we’re stopping tonight. We’ve almost thought about finding a hotel for tonight. And all I can think about is how the van isn’t here so I can start loading it.

We’ll probably miss my departure time. I hope by not too much. We’ve put together little present bags for the kids for the trip. I hope it makes the drive more exciting for them! Scott got a Jake and the Neverland Pirates sword and gold doubloons. I can’t wait to see him light up with that! Elli got a coloring book and a few extra presents since her birthday is Sunday. Sammi got a new shirt to wear on her date with Dad to the Blue Man Group performance Thursday night. I’m also letting her borrow my necklace. I can’t believe she’s that grown up! They all got goggles and Camelbak kid-sized water bottles. It almost feels like Christmas! Hmmm, does that mean I’m off the hook for Christmas?

Now to finish the list of “almosts.” Wish me luck!

Family Forward Conference

August 15, 2013 by ajpassey 3 Comments

This is crunch month at our house. Brent takes his second level of board exams for medical school on Monday. I will be so glad when this week is over! I’ve been impressed with myself and the kids for how well we have done bedtime without Brent. We are rockin’ the teamwork for getting ready and into bed at a reasonable hour.

Another reason I’ll be glad when this week is over: we are celebrating Brent taking his test with a trip to Universal Orlando Resort! We are over the moon about this opportunity. We are going to attend the Family Forward conference organized by Mom It Forward. Then we get two days at the parks at Universal Orlando. This trip wouldn’t be possible without the help of some fabulous sponsors for the conference. I’m amazed at the generosity of these companies to bring all of these resources and fabulous experiences together for us to learn more about being a super hero family.

There will be a full day of workshops all about working together as a family to creatively solve problems and create memories. We’ll be learning about family traditions sponsored by Cricut and Duck Tape! We’ll learn about being a family in the digital age sponsored by National Geographic for Kids. (This is a magazine I’ve been considering ordering for the kids so I’m excited to connect with them here!) In the afternoon we’ll have a family team building tournament followed by ideas on creativity in life. These workshops are sponsored by Universal Orlando and we’ll get to hear from some of their top creative team members. This is the day I’m most excited about and I’m glad it’s first so we’ll be at our peak for gleaning these family strengthening skills right off the bat.

We’ll be staying at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort. I’m so grateful for the chance to stay at a resort on site so we can stay connected to other conference attending families and make the most of our time at the parks. It will also allow us to run back to our room for quick breaks during the long days of playing, a critical component of traveling with young children.

We are excited to explore the Universal Orlando theme parks and look forward to sharing our experiences with you. We’ll be sure to drink an extra butterbeer for you and eat a few churros!