Get all the fun of Great Wolf Lodge without the cost

Are your kids jonesing for a day at the waterpark? Did you know that you can visit one of the many Great Wolf Lodge locations across the US without staying the night? The Great Wolf Lodge day pass is a great way to get the fun of the water park, restaurants, activities, and more.

Purchase your day pass online before you head over. Kids 2 and under do not require a pass but all other guests entering the facility will need a pass (even those not planning on swimming). Pick up your passes at the front desk when you arrive.

family at Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge

Here are some other tips for your visit:

  • Guests are strongly encouraged to bring their own towels.
  • Coolers and outside food are not permitted in the water park.
  • Lockers are available at a nominal fee on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • You are welcome to bring your own life jacket. Great Wolf provides Coast Guard-approved life jackets on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Parking fees apply at our Southern California location.

Dry-land attractions and dining outlets are available at an additional cost. You are not able to add on a dining package to your day pass.

For those worried that day pass might cause crowds and wait times for the pools and slides, Great Wolf Lodge promises to maintain capacity restraints. “Families love knowing that when they come to the waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge, they won’t need to wait in long lines for their favorite slides, struggle to find a deck chair, or swim shoulder to shoulder in our pools,” Murray Hennessy, chief executive officer for Great Wolf Resorts said in a press release. “By managing capacity levels at our waterparks we will continue to offer a stress-free waterpark experience, just as we have from the onset of Great Wolf Lodge.”

You’re pregnant—congratulations! With all the excitement that comes with the anticipation of meeting your new baby, there are so many things to think about, from your registry to names and beyond! Deciding where to have your baby is one of the most important choices you can make. Frequently moms think about comfort factors like private rooms and amenities and skip one colossal detail: Is the hospital equipped to care for you and your baby if something doesn’t go as planned during the birthing process? For all of these reasons, we love MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital because of their maternity and pediatric sub-specialists available 24/7. With everything you and your baby need under one roof, you can rest assured that no matter the circumstance, you will have the absolute best care at all times. Read on for five reasons why you need this hospital on your radar now.

Learn more about MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach.

1. From High-Risk Pregnancy To Unexpected Complications, They Have Your Back

MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach is the only regional hospital that delivers comprehensive maternity and pediatric care under one roof. Miller Children’s & Women’s has maternal-fetal medicine specialists and neonatologists on-site 24/7. The Cherese Mari Laulhere BirthCare Center is equipped to handle routine to high-risk pregnancies, so if delivery isn’t routine, your baby is moved just down the hall to the level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive specialized care.

At other hospitals without these capabilities, your baby would need to be transported—separating you from your newborn. Miller Children’s & Women’s is home to the largest Small Baby Program in the region and cares for the tiniest premature infants, often weighing less than 2 lbs., in a serene environment that mimics a mother’s womb. If you do give birth to a premie at another hospital, Miller Children’s & Women’s Access & Transport Center is available 24/7 to bring expecting mothers and premature infants to Miller Children’s & Women’s from surrounding area hospitals.

2. All-In-One Comprehensive Care

Miller Children’s & Women’s has sub-specialty physicians who underwent additional training to handle the complexities of high-risk pregnancies, prematurity and neonatal care, including maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists and OB hospitalists, that are available 24/7. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that you and your baby will get the best possible care, no matter the situation, takes all the "what-if's" out of the equation so you can enjoy your pregnancy and newborn! In addition, Miller Children's & Women's has been recognized by the California Health & Human Services Agency, Hospital Quality Institute and Cal Hospital Compare with the 2020 Honor Roll Award for Maternity Care for achieving the statewide cesarean section rate of 23.9% or lower for low-risk, first-birth deliveries.

3. For Postpartum: A One-of-a-Kind Children’s Care Center

Miller Children's & Women's care extends beyond babies to kids of all ages, including NICU graduates. The High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Program at the Stramski Children's Developmental Center provides extensive follow-up care to infants discharged from the NICU. This program allows parents to learn more about their baby and ways to help their baby develop. Earlier this year, Miller Children's & Women's opened the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village, which is the only building of its kind in Los Angeles and Orange Counties with a one-stop-shop approach to outpatient specialty care for kids. In one kid-friendly location, families have access to 30 different types of specialty physicians, a pharmacy, laboratory, imaging services, rehabilitation gyms, family resource center, education center and more.

Learn more about MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach.

4. Highly Specialized Care—With a Proven Track Record of Success

MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach provides specialized pediatric care for children and young adults, as well as maternity care for expectant mothers. Miller Children’s & Women’s is one of only eight free-standing children’s hospitals in California—treating more than 14,000 children each year—and has become a regional pediatric destination for more than 65,000 children who need specialized care in outpatient specialty and satellite centers. The BirthCare Center helps more than 5,500 families welcome babies into the world each year and cares for more than 1,200 babies in the NICU.

5. All of the Birthing Amenities You Could Want

Not only is Miller Children's & Women's hospital top-notch care for your newborn, but they make sure parents feel supported in a family-centered care environment—which is so important. They offer all private rooms for the entire birthing experience and other comfort amenities, like allowing your partner to stay the night, to make your hospital stay welcoming your new baby the absolute best experience. The private rooms are spacious with large windows bringing in natural light, bringing quality and comfort under one roof. Not to mention, they have expert physicians and comprehensive lactation support. 

Learn more about MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach.

 

—Jamie Aderski

 

What are kids reading? Now you don’t have to wonder what types of titles are the most popular with different age groups around the country.

Renaissance recently released the 2021 What Kids Are Reading Report—and it has plenty of awesome info for educators and parents to access. The free downloadable report is a comprehensive, national report of student reading habits.

Photo: Julia Cameron via Pexels

If you’re not sure how to help your child become a reader, what books can fuel their literary appetite, or are just on the hunt for more information on children’s books, this report is a must-download. Some of the study’s highlights include tools such as popular book maps for each grade band and state and popular book lists for each grade level.

The popular book lists tool is broken down into categories, such as popular topics, top print books, top digital books, popular Spanish titles, “New and Now” books and more.

Along with the tools and lists, the report also includes snapshots and spotlights from the past year. Look for topics such as “How Are Kids Reading During COVID-19?” and “How Are Teachers Keeping Kids Reading During COVID-19?”.

To download your free copy of the report, visit Renaissance’s website here.

—Erica Loop

 

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My son was 17 months old when my twins were born. Like many moms of multiples, I had complications giving birth to the girls and was sent home on bedrest after a long stay in the hospital. My husband is self-employed which basically means if you don’t go, you don’t make money so paternity leave wasn’t on the table for us.  My mom was a great help, but caring for twins who eat every 2 hours (24 feeds in 24 hours!) and a young toddler was wearing on her to say the least.

Because of my long recovery time and basically feeling shit-scared most days, I sort of felt robbed of the joyful parts of bringing our babies home for the first time. I thought it was just my family that had this kind of experience.  I started Let Mommy Sleep to help new parents like us and since the first day we opened 7 years ago, our phones haven’t stopped ringing. Turns out it’s not just me. It’s a LOT of us, maybe even most of us.

For this reason, In Home Postpartum Visits by a Registered Nurse should be a national healthcare standard for US families. They’re a standard in many other countries and the benefits to families  include better safety, lowered readmissions and evidence based education for new parents.  Lactation Consultations are already covered by most plans so it makes sense that a less expensive, more comprehensive service can be available.

In Home Postpartum Visits might not be needed by everyone. But for moms on the cusp of postpartum depression, parents who are drowning in the sea of misinformation and families who don’t have help of friends or family, the care of a nurse might be the difference between sickness and health.

With twin girls and a boy born 17 months apart, I'm the owner of the world's most ironically named business, Let Mommy Sleep. Let Mommy Sleep provides nurturing postpartum care to newborns and evidence based education to parents by Registered Nurses and Newborn Care Providers.  

Valentine’s Day is the most loving of all holidays. In celebration of the mass amounts of amore on this special day, Cold Stone Creamery is releasing its top 10 list of most-loved ice cream flavors in 2020.

Using online ordering data, Cold Stone Creamery put together a comprehensive list of the top 10 single flavor picks, the most popular signature Creations, the most ordered Mix-Ins and the top ice cream cakes. The list ranges from traditional faves to candy-like concoctions.

photo courtesy of PR Newsfoto/ Cold Stone Creamery 

Cold Stone Creamery’s top 10 flavors ice cream enthusiasts loved in 2020 include (in order of popularity):

  1. Cake Batter
  2. Chocolate
  3. French Vanilla
  4. Sweet Cream
  5. Cheesecake
  6. Coffee
  7. Strawberry
  8. Mint
  9. Classic Cookie Dough
  10. Cotton Candy

The most popular Cold Stone Creamery signature Creations include Birthday Cake Remix, Chocolate Devotion, Peanut Butter Cup Perfection, Founder’s Favorite, and Coffee Lovers Only. Brownies were the number one Mix-In. The other winning picks include OREO cookies, cookie dough, caramel and fudge. Cookies & Creamery and Tall, Dark & Delicious were the two top ice cream cakes.

Sara Schmillen, vice president of marketing at Kahala Brands, parent company of Cold Stone Creamery, said in a press release, “We know there are all kinds of love—familial, friendship, romantic, self-love… And to celebrate all that love, we’re sharing a list of most-loved ice cream flavors with our guests this Valentine’s Day.” Schmillen added, “No matter what type of love you’re celebrating this Valentine’s Day, we hope to continue bringing people together over our sweet treats.”

Visit Cold Stone Creamery’s website here for online ordering info.

—Erica Loop

 

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Common Sense Networks has announced a brand new project for 2021: the launch of Sensical. The free streaming platform will offer age-appropriate, short-form videos for kids 2-12 with thousands of options.

Sensical will be divided into three categories: Preschoolers (ages 2-4), Little kids (ages 5-7) and Big kids (ages 8-12), each with filters that will provide parents with peace of mind when it comes to providing content.

photo: Common Sense Media

The platform’s interface will give kids the opportunity to select from hundreds of topics, and parents have the option to select a specific age range on behalf of their children. Every frame of the videos found on Sensical have been “viewed, vetted and rated by individuals trained in child development and Sensical’s rubric” to ensure that all content meets the standards of Common Sense Media’s 15 years of research and advocacy.

Common Sense Networks CEO Eric Berger says “Sensical’s mission is to ignite kids’ passions, fuel curiosity, build bridges between children and their parents and make everyone part of the learning journey. As a free platform offering only age-appropriate fare, we remove every obstacle to accessing a comprehensive, trusted resource for entertaining short-form video from the best possible content creators.  Every family can afford to add Sensical to their personal bundle and we couldn’t be more excited to create a distinctive alternative for parents and partner with them in their goal to raise good humans.”

Sensical is partnering with tons of brands and franchises to bring content to kids. Some of these include Cosmic Kids Yoga, ABC Commercial (The Wiggles), Awesome Forces (The Aquabats), Big Big Holdings LLC (It’s A Big Big World),  CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, 9 Story Distribution International (Ruby’s Studio, Zerby Derby), Sesame Workshop (Pinky Dinky Doo, Sesame Studios),  Studio 100 (Maya the Bee, Small Potatoes), and more.

Parents will be able to access the Sensical Parent Zone, a dashboard tool that enables them to review and manage all viewing activity, in addition to reports on what and how long their kids watch as well as the unique social, emotional and cognitive skills they are learning from the videos they are viewing.

Sensical launches in early 2021 on an array of streaming devices, smart TVs and mobile devices (iOS and Android) as a free, branded ad-supported app and live-streaming channels on all major OTT (over the top) platforms.

You can read even more about Sensical here.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Pixabay

 

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Walmart is launching a new membership program that brings together in-store and online benefits to save customers money and time. Walmart+ will make life easier for busy families. Members will receive unlimited free delivery from stores, fuel discounts and access to tools that make shopping faster for families. 

Walmart+

Membership will be available to all customers on Sept. 15 and  will cost $98 a year or $12.95 a month and includes a 15-day free trial period.

“We are a company committed to meeting our customers’ needs,” said Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer, Walmart. “Customers know they can trust us and depend on us, and we’ve designed this program as the ultimate life hack for them. Walmart+ will bring together a comprehensive set of benefits where we see the greatest needs from our customers and where our scale can bring solutions at an unprecedented value.”

The initial list of Walmart+ benefits are below. The list of benefits will continue to grow over time.

  • Unlimited free delivery: In-store prices as fast as same-day on more than 160,000 items from tech and toys to household essentials and groceries. This service was previously known as Delivery Unlimited – a subscription service that allows customers to place an unlimited number of deliveries for a low, flat yearly or monthly fee. Current subscribers will automatically become Walmart+ members.
  • Scan & Go: Unlock Scan & Go in the Walmart app — a fast way to shop in-store. Using the Walmart app, customers can scan their items as they shop and pay using Walmart Pay for a quick, easy, touch-free payment experience.
  • Fuel discounts: Fill up and save up to 5 cents a gallon at nearly 2,000 Walmart, Murphy USA and Murphy Express fuel stations. Sam’s Club fuel stations will soon be added to this lineup.

These benefits come in addition to the retailer’s existing customer offerings like Walmart’s free curbside pickup, NextDay delivery and two-day delivery. Walmart will continue to have delivery options with a per-delivery transaction fee so customers can choose the service that’s best for them. 

“Life feels more complicated than ever. Walmart+ is designed to make it easier – giving customers an option to not have to sacrifice on cost or convenience,” added Whiteside. “We know shopping should fit customers’ needs, not the other way around. We have always been a champion for the right item at the right price, but now it’s more than that. We have the right shopping solutions at the right time, too.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Walmart

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