WZZM13 Reports that Brian Simmons of Romance Horse Carriage is offering passengers free rides.

"Simmons and his horse and carriage are at the corner of Pearl and Monroe Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. His phone number is 616-581-2557."

For more information, go to their article

I know this isn't a kid topic, exactly, but it's one I think is relevant to anyone who needs to save money and has kids, so I'm going to go for it.

I have developed a coupon system that is similar to the Savings Angel program but it is free.  It does take a bit of work but you can save significant amounts of money if you stick with the program.

This receipt shows that I spent $38.99 and saved $23.57.  I consider that a pretty good trip, where the amount spent and the amount saved approach each other. 

Here's my basic strategy:
-only buy things that I will use
-shop from a list
-combine coupons and sales...strategically
-shop multiple stores
-get multiple copies of sale flyers
-print coupons from the internet...strategically
-only clip coupons after I know I will use them

Every week when the Sunday paper comes I collect the coupon inserts and look through them.  If there are a lot of coupons for things our family uses then I will go out and buy one (or two) more newspapers to get the coupons.  I also have some family members that periodically give me their coupons.  It all helps.

The next thing I do is enter the coupons into an excel spreadsheet.  I only type in the coupons that my family will potentially use.  Since we don't have a cat, I never type in info about kitty litter or cat food.

The coupons are sorted into colored file folders and labeled:  Folder #1, Folder #2, etc.

I list the title of the item in the first column, the amount of the coupon in the second column, and the expiration date in the third.

Entering the data is the most time-consuming part of the process.

The next step is to look at the store circulars and see what is on sale.  Read them carefully with your spreadsheet open.  Whenever I see an item that my family does or could use, I search my Excel spreadsheet with the find tool. (Control +F).  Let's say I found Crest toothpaste on sale for $1.99.

When Find and Explore reveals a match, I know which folder the coupon is in from the spreadsheet.  When I pull out the folder I can quickly leaf through the insert and clip the coupon.  If I have more than one copy of that insert, I will be able to clip more than one coupon.  If I find 3- $1 coupons for Crest, I will then be able to buy 3 tubes of Crest at $1 each (I've actually walked out of Meijer with 9 tubes of Crest for free in the past!)

While I'm clipping these coupons I'm also making a detailed shopping list with the name of the item, size, and quantity.  I'm also checking to see that my coupons haven't expired.

As you've probably figured out, it takes a good stock of coupons to have this work best, so give yourself at least a month to build up your stockpile before you expect to start seeing great savings.  Even then, some weeks are better than others.

Other ways to increase your coupon success:
-Shop at more than one store...they often have different specials.  (Target, Meijer, and Family Fare are a good combination)
-Go to Aldi.  They have great basics that are just as good as name brand, sometimes better.
-Go to Horrocks.  They have great produce for a fraction of the other stores.  Call ahead if you want to know a specific price, since they don't have circulars.
-Always shop from your list...planning is the key to saving.  As soon as you impulse buy, the store wins (I play it like a game...)
-Don't buy things your family will never use just because you have a coupon
-Just because you have a coupon and it is on sale still doesn't mean it's a good deal...Could you get it at Aldi or Horrocks for less?

Well, if you read this far, you're probably one brave person.  Give it a try and let me know what you think, and what good deals you score.  Good luck!

Last weekend my family drove up North to Traverse City to take part in WinterFest.  It's in it's third year, and it was worth the trip.

Here's what we found:

Adults buy a $10 button that is good for the 3 days and 3 locations of the festival. Little kids are free.

Events were held at the Grand Traverse Resort, downtown Traverse City, and a local ski resort.  Events included snow-shoe races, a polar plunge, outdoor amusement rides, pony rides, fireworks, giant indoor inflatables, a frozen fish toss, free paraffin dips at the spa, ice sculptures, and more!

Organizers timed the festival to coincide with President's Day weekend and the Nordic Ski Vasa Event, so there were a good number of people in town.  (It wasn't overly crowded, though.)

We will definitely be doing this again in the future.  All of the fun for our family...for only $20 in tickets!

I'm ashamed to admit that I did not step foot into the GR Public Museum until a week ago, even though I have lived here since 1995!

I always thought it would be too, well, nerdy.  And take kids there?  Never!

Imagine my surprise when I went with my kids and husband and had a great time!

The place is quite large.  In the center of it all is a huge whale skeleton.  The bottom floor is an old-fashioned town replica where you can interact with "Old-fashioned folks."  My son had a blast making pretend medicine in the drugstore with the "clerk."

As you go up the levels you will find many more exhibits.  One of our favorites were the rooms filled with animals in their habitats.  It didn't matter that they weren't alive...they certainly looked like it.

The dinosaur exhibit hadn't opened yet, but I'm sure that is spectacular.

We ate in the cafe, which was pricey, but the food was good...especially the fruit.

We didn't get to go into the planetarium because it was naptime, but I would love to hear about people who have visited.

I almost forgot to mention the old-fashioned carousel.  It has been fully restored and provides a panoramic view of the Grand River.  My son loved it so much that he rode it twice. 

Anything else people should know about the GR Public Museum?  Please post them in the GRKIDS comments below.

Thanks!

Here's your chance to tell others about the Mom's Groups or Dad's groups that you belong to.

Some of the sites that I'm aware of are:
 
La Leche League of Grand Rapids : Offers support and help for nursing mothers.

Grand Rapids Dads: A group for stay-at-home dads and their kids in Grand Rapids.

MOPS- Mothers of Preschoolers: Offers bi-monthly meetings for mothers of children who are not yet in school.

Mom's Club of Grand Rapids- North

Grand Rapids Mothers & More: an organization that cares for care-givers.

Let others know what it is like, why you joined, if you recommend it, how someone else could get in on the action, anything else other parents would like to know.

It would also be great to post a website address so others could check you out!

Also, I know that there is an parent networking site called West Michigan's Parent network that helps parents organize playgroups and has a discussion forum.  it's a great resource that I use myself.

One recent adventure my family and friends went on was to PlayWorld in Grandville.

It is located in an old renovated mall.  It shares space with Mars Bible Church and the Visser Family YMCA.

Inflatables, tunnels, preschool toys, ball pits, and concession stands fill up this large space.  Your kids will have a great time running all over for hours at this place. 

They have 2 main sections, one for younger kids and one for older children.  We went with kids ages 1-6, but I saw a lot of older kids having a good time there, too.

The restrooms are kid-friendly.  They also have birthday party rooms.  Nothing fancy, but they are a private space.

The only drawbacks that I noticed is that there is not a good place to nurse if you have a baby, and it is difficult to see your kids or find them once they are up in a tunnel.  You may not bring in any outside food unless it is a baby bottle.

Probably for security reasons, each child's hand is stamped with a number that matches one stamped on the adult that brought him/her.  The kids shoes are also taken at check-in and put in a bin with a matching number.  When you check out you get your shoes back and they check the number on your hand.

Admission.......$5.95 per child
Children 12-24 months.......$3.95
Parents and infants under 12mo. never charged. 
Socks are required for all play participants.

For more information or to reserve a party room call: 616-530-9222
Mon-Thur. 10am-9pm
Fri.-Sat. 10am-10pm
Sunday 11am-8pm

They accept Visa and Master Card.

On a budget?  Here's an idea that won't cost much but will make a big impression.

My kids have been thrilled with the silly book, We Eat Dinner in the Bathtub as of late.  It's not only funny, it can open the door to discussions about doing things differently and people that are not like us.

After reading the book for a few days straight, I decided to surprise my kids and actually feed them lunch in our blue-jay colored bathtub.  Ethan was surprised, hesitant, and awestruck all at the same time.  21-month old Norah was all for it from the get-go.

It was a great place to eat a messy lunch!  Here's a picture from our adventure.

I took my two kids to the Rivertown Mall last week with an eye out for kid-friendly spaces and activities.  I went on a Monday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised at how empty the mall was.

We arrived after an early lunch.  I knew I was pushing it with my 21-month old's nap, but I thought it was worth it to get out of the house.

We entered through the lower level doors under the movie theater, which meant I didn't have to push the stroller through mountains of snow.  That entrance sports a great restroom area with family restrooms, a nursing lounge,  and an open area with baby-changing tables & sinks.

We found the obvious carousel in the food court area on the upper level.  The fee is $1 a ride, but it was closed when we were there.  The website advertises that the carousel is open during mall hours, but that does not seem to be true.  I'd call guest services at (616) 257-5000 to double check if that is on your itinerary.

One surprise I found as we walked the mall was that Younker's Club Libby Lou has been closed.  It was in liquidation as we passed by.

Another stop we made was at the Treehouse for the kids to play.  I've visited the play area during the evening and late afternoon on previous trips and I was never thrilled with the setup.  The treehouse blocks your view of a lot of the play area, making it hard to keep an eye on your kids.  At peak hours big kids play tag and make it a dangerous place for the littler ones.

During this visit, however, the bigger kids were in school.  The oldest kids there were kindergarten age.  It also was getting close to naptime, so the place just wasn't that busy.  We enjoyed our time and managed to leave just before the cleaning crew came through around 2:30 pm.  It is closed daily from 2:30-3:00 pm for cleaning.

We also stopped in Barnes and Noble to visit the children's section.  I was impressed with how well it was set up and how spacious it was.  They have a marvelous stage for story & craft time, which they host every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  They also have a train table and do special events every month...you can search for these on my our event calendar.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is also located in this mall.

Do you have tips to share on Rivertown Crossings Mall?  have you found great places to eat or activities to do while you are there?  Please share them here!