Reusable Water Bottles: SIGG's Alternative to Plastic

What can we say about the lowly disposable plastic water bottle that hasn't already been said? You know the adverse affect it has on our environment (millions of water bottles get thrown away each year), you know the quality of water usually isn't any higher than tap, you know the cost is prohibitive. But thankfully, there are alternatives.

SIGG has been in the business since 1908 so they know what consumers want and have delivered. Their bottles are 100% pure aluminum which is virtually unbreakable and also recyclable. Also, the SIGG bottle does not leach BPAs!

Their product line features bottles in many sizes with over 100 designs so every member of your family can stay hydrated in style. The best thing about these bottles is that they they're "taste neutral" meaning you can have lemonade one day and coffee the next and there won't be any lingering taste or odor. And of course there's the celebrity factor: these bottles have seen toted around by everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Jennifer Garner. Prices start at $17.99.

This review provided by FamilyCorner.com staff member, Josefin O'Brien.

Be sure to check out our Earth Day section full of crafts and recipes!

World’s Largest Water SlideAThon

I wanted to share with you this super fun event that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters. On March 26-27, 2010 all 11 Great Wolf Lodge locations will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest distance traveled on waterslides over a 24-hour period.

Great Wolf will accept donations to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters - and the company will match the amount collected up to $50,000. The King’s Island, Pocono Mountains, and Kansas City Lodges will host Grand Opening Celebrations (including the Guinness attempt), where the winning families of the recent First Families Sweepstakes will be the first to count toward the Guinness record at these properties.

FamilyCorner.com had the pleasure of visiting a Great Wolf Lodge location this past summer and it was a fabulous experience! We'll be sharing more info about that at a later date. Meanwhile, here's the press release for anyone who is interested in attending!

Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island Unveils World’s First

Triple-Funnel Waterslide

Guinness Book of World Records Attempt in Late March to Celebrate New Slides at

Great Wolf Lodge Locations at Kings Island, Kansas City, and Pocono Mountains

MADISON, Wis. (March 4, 2010) -- Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.^® (NASDAQ: WOLF), North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, unveiled its first of three new waterslides this year. The Triple Twist^™, which opened today at Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island, is a first-of-its-kind-in-the-world slide. New slides at two other resort locations will open by the end of March.

The Triple Twist is a five-story waterslide featuring a high speed drop into a huge funnel, followed by twists and turns, and two more funnels. Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City is scheduled to open its version of The Triple Twist on March 12, with Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains scheduled to open Double Barrel Drop^™ on March 26. The new Pocono Mountains attraction, which will be the first indoor waterslide of its kind in the world, is a six-story adventure that starts with a high speed drop into a huge funnel, a 450 degree turn into a dark vortex tunnel, and then a second funnel. All three new waterslides will include lighting and special effects to enhance the rider experience.

“We’re proud to continue leading the waterpark industry in new ride innovations, like being the first in the world to have The Triple Twist,” said Tim Black, executive vice president of operations. “This is only the start of a really big year for Great Wolf Lodge, and we’re excited to unveil these first pieces of the puzzle just in time for spring break,”

To celebrate these three new attractions, all 11 Great Wolf Lodge locations will participate in an attempt to break a world’s record on March 26-27. The Great Wolf Lodge “World’s Largest Waterslide-athon” will take place over 24 consecutive hours with one designated slide per resort. Every slider who descends the designated slide will count toward breaking the record for longest distance traveled on waterslides over a 24 hour period. The current Guinness World Record for this attempt was set in Germany in 2007 with a total distance of 843 miles.

Participants in the Great Wolf Lodge “World’s Largest Waterslide-athon” will be asked to donate $1, with proceeds from the company’s U.S. locations going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the company’s charity of choice. Great Wolf Resorts will be matching each donation, up to $50,000.

The grand opening celebration and Guinness Record attempt at the end of March will include the three “First Families,” winners of a sweepstakes held earlier this year to promote the new attractions. The First Families of Great Wolf at King’s Island, Kansas City, and Pocono Mountains will be the first to have their rides down the slides count toward the Guinness World Record attempt at those locations.

For more information, visit www.greatwolf.com/worldrecord.

St. Patrick's Day Crafts & Recipes

St. Patrick's Day doesn't get the attention that many other holidays do, but that doesn't stop the creation of cute crafts and tasty recipes you and your kids will love! We have a variety of printables, crafts and recipes available in our St. Patrick's Day section.

Some ideas include:

Felt Leprechaun Hats

Pot of Gold Treat Holders

Simple St. Patrick's Day Wreath

Rainbow and Shamrock Cookies

St. Patty's Chocolate Covered Pretzels

To see all of our fun St. Patrick's Day ideas, visit FamilyCorner.com!

Top 10 of 2009

2009 was a great year here at FamilyCorner.com. Today we'll share the top 10 most visited from the entire year. It's quite obvious our craft and recipe sections are most popular, so we've included the top 5 categories here as well:

#1 - Kid's Crafts
#2 - Father's Day Crafts
#3 - Crafting for Grown Ups
#4 - Kid's Recipes
#5 - Halloween Crafts

Now on with the countdown of the top 10 most visited pages on FamilyCorner.com for 2009:




#10 - Fireworks Flowers
Dressed in the red, white and blue, these pretty coffee filter flowers look like patriotic fireworks. Make a bunch of these easy but beautiful flowers for your 4th of July barbecue or picnic.



#9 - Clothespin Magnets
Children love to display their artwork on the refrigerator. Dad is always hanging up phone numbers and slips of paper. And Mom, of course, has her own little notes, lists, and reminders. With the help of the kids, why not personalize a magnet clip for everyone in the family?





#8 - Halloween Costume Ideas for Couples
Finding Halloween costumes for couples has always been a challenge! Over the last few years I have seen many different ones at Halloween parties. Here are 80 ideas to get you started!



#7 - CD Crafts
Seems like everyone is saving CDs and using them for crafts. We had 100's of responses -- many for suncatcher, mobiles and ornaments. Our favorite suggestion for this disco ball submitted by Kellie of Fayetteville AR. We also have posted several other ideas including an ornament and a picture frame. Here they are!





#6 - Creative Valentine Mailboxes
Every Valentine's Day, in classrooms across the land, children collect happy little greeting cards with their favorite singer or cartoon character from their fellow classmates. But what are they collecting those cards in?



#5 - Frankenmallows
These adorable Frankenstein treats are easy for kids to make and are frightfully fun to eat! Make a whole bunch of them and wrap them in cellophane for a fun party favor or classroom treat.





#4 - Coffee Filter Flowers
Make a beautiful flower bouquet. These flowers are quick, easy, inexpensive and fun for all ages. Use your imagination to come up with your own varieties



#3 - 10 Edible Play Dough Crafts for Busy Little Kids
If your children are at the age of preferring to eat their art supplies while you are trying to teach them to expand their creative skills, you'll enjoy these perfect projects!



#2 - 9 Easy to Make Musical Instruments
Children love music as much as they enjoy making kid's crafts. Why not join these two creative forces and make one or all of these fun and easy musical instruments to encourage play and creativity.

#1 - Gross Halloween Party Food
Need some fun and disgusting recipes for this year's Halloween party? Kids will scream in delight at these gross ideas.




Thank you for making 2009 such fun, we look forward to sharing with you in 2010 as well!


The Staff at FamilyCorner.com

Responsible Pet Giving During the Holidays

A perfect Christmas morning: little children diving into a big pile of packages. It is ultimate chaos. What could possibly make it better? A new Christmas pet?

Each year, begging children, and commercials showing a new puppy in a box under the tree, inspire people to give pets as gifts. Why not?

Although the magic moment with the camera might happen, what happens right after that? The new animal has just been brought into ultimate chaos, which is a terrifying experience for the animal. Not only that, but the physical environment is extremely dangerous, and it is a day when all the people are going to be distracted most of the time. The new animal is very likely to eat something that could make it sick. Scarfed tinsel, ribbon, or packing material may require emergency surgery, or even cause death. A bite into a light cord can cause electrocution. You might even step on a pet playing under wrapping paper. Because the people are distracted, it is likely that the new pet will soil a carpet, which is going to make somebody mad.

Read the rest of this article on FamilyCorner.com

12 Days of Holiday Organizing

It's that wonderful time of year again: the holidays are almost upon us. We know it arrives at the same time every year, and yet it continues to sneak up on us. Your holiday preparations can be less stressful if you create a holiday countdown to halt the holiday madness.

Day 12 - BE PREPARED
Create a budget for your gift purchases and stick with it. This will determine who is on your gift list, and how what you will purchase. Then make a detailed gift list and keep it with you in your purse, briefcase, or planner for quick reference. Write down a few ideas for presents, based on the preferences of those on the list and hints they have given you throughout the year.

Day 11 - SLOW DOWN
Utilize slow times to run your errands so that you won't burn out. Shop for groceries in early mornings or late evenings (not during lunch hour or after work), visit the malls during your lunchbreak while others are at work or in the classroom, and try to avoid standing in line if at all possible. Take bottled water and a snack for quick energy.

Day 10 - TAKE STOCK
Start stocking the freezer for quick meals. Just double a recipe every day this week and you'll have instant leftovers. You'll thank yourself in the busy days to come.


Day 9 - LIMIT INTERRUPTIONS
Learn how to screen incoming interruptions to eliminate stress at work and at home. Use voicemail, caller i.d., and email filters to avoid chaos creators.

Day 8 - HELPING HANDS
Hire a babysitter or mother's helper to watch the kids while you shop, wrap gifts, or visit your favorite day spa.

Day 7 - DELEGATE
Delegate simple decorating and gift-wrapping tasks to others. Small children love to help by adding bows or gift tags to presents, while visiting grandparents can polish silver or press linens.


Day 6 - MULTI-TASKING
Multi-task whenever possible so that you can play and work at the same time. Watch tv while polishing silver, or listen to classical music while ironing table linens. Try to avoid isolating yourself from the rest of the fun while you're working on your to do's.

Day 5 - GAME PLAN?
Create a game plan for your holiday meal. Cook rolls, stuffing, desserts, and meats in smaller portions for easy heat&serve dinners on the big day. Focus your efforts on family time not kitchen duty.

Day 4 - CHECK IT OUT
Take an inventory of the linen closet so that there are no surprises as you serve the turkey. Is your best tablecloth stained, or did Uncle Bert's cigar burn a hole in one of your damask napkins? Maybe it's time to assemble paper and plastic ware for the big day instead. (Sometimes it's better to lower your expectations of a perfect tablescape than to spend all your time washing dishes in the kitchen. I doubt anyone will call the Entertainment Police!)

Day 3 - OPEN HEART, OPEN HOME
Consider having an open house rather than trying to squeeze in several parties. Invite everyone to visit one home at staggered times for some good cheer. This can work on the "big day", too, especially if all the in-laws live in town. It sure beats driving around all day from house to house to see those you love!

Day 2 - SPEEDY DELIVERY
Order take-out or pull a prepared meal from the freezer for a stress-free meal today. Let the oven rest for tomorrow's big feast.

Day 1 - THE MAIN EVENT
Start the morning with easy preparations in the kitchen, leaving other items for the last minute. Chop vegetables, mix dips, then assemble snack trays for munching. Put the turkey in the oven, set the table, and bake pies. Leave candles, music, and last minute preparations for later. Leave the house to take a stroll around the block, enjoy a bubblebath, or listen to some relaxing music before your family or friends arrive. Enjoy yourself-- you've earned it!

And the day AFTER Christmas, make next year's "to do" so that you won't have to work so hard again! Shop yearround for gifts, decorations, and cards for those you love. Keep a running list of things you need, should not do again, and tips for making things easier on you and your household. Getting organized for the holidays is truly a process, not a product, but with some effective planning you can enjoy the journey. Happy Holidays!

When School-age Children Are Sick

It never fails. One of your children gets sick when your spouse is away on business and you have a full schedule. To complicate matters, it can be difficult deciding when to keep a child home and when to forge ahead business as usual.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the typical child has 6 to 12 illnesses a year ranging from mild to severe. Illness can occur throughout the year, but tends to cluster in the winter due to flu season. These illnesses can seem to spread like wild fire affecting other students, teachers, and family members. Sometimes even minor illnesses require the child to stay home just to prevent the further spread of a contagious disease.

In addition to consulting your pediatrician and school nurse, these tips can help you decide whether to keep your child at home for some of the most common sick symptoms:

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