It's VEGAS baby! Er... I mean, kids.

Vegas in December, with an 18 month old and a 4 year old? You're probably thinking 'She's nuts, Vegas is NOT for families' but, have I got news for you! Vegas IS such a fun place for families and a great place for families on a BUDGET! So what do you do? Lets see... well, you don't gamble, you don't drink, and partying is out of the question. Stay with me, I'll tell you about the fun and FREE places I found in Las Vegas, Nevada.

First, here is my cute family, in LAS VEGAS 2012!

Henlines- Vegas style!

Our friends, The Draughons!

 

Ok, so to start, I like to take vacations while everyone else is doing something else. I don't like the crowds and I'm not interested in full price ANYTHING. Casinos tend to offer better deals when things slow down. Try to be flexible with your dates and try to stay OFF of the strip. There are grundles of nice hotel/casinos, and even condos, that are super cheap and near the strip. You will still enjoy the amenities (plenty of FREE ones!) of the strip with out the dirty card flippers and the "Mommy how come that lady isn't wearing any...?" comments from the little ones. If you're looking for a last minute hotel deal I suggest using travel sites like www.lasvegas.com and your mobile apps like hotelstonight. Once I scored a $7 hotel room in Primm Nevada using www.Lasvegas.com and another time a $19 room at the stratosphere. When you sign up for the FREE app for Hotel Tonight you automatically get a credit to use for a last minute stay. The deals are out there, it's worth the research.

This trip we stayed in a Condo at the Diamond Resorts just off of Decatur (West of Las Vegas Blvd/ "the strip"). I scored a free week when I signed up for a 3 year membership with our time share exchange company, Interval International. So to start off this super-duper-cheap trip we got our 7 day condo, with a full kitchen, for FREE! After checking in, we talked to the concierge people who gave me a local visitors guide (Vegas 2 Go), a stack of coupons (mmmmm!), and a list of local events going on during our stay. When you arrive at your hotel I would recommend talking to these folks at the front desk first, they have the most up-to-date information.


First thing next morning we headed to The Silverton Casino for some mermaid fun! Unfortunately we were too early so we came back on the last day of our trip. Worth the wait!

We were able to see the sting rays eat and also watch the mermaids swim. Both my 4 year old and my 18 month old were mesmerized! You could easily spend an hour or two here. I also scored some fun mermaid prints for Ellas bedroom 3 for $25! What a deal!

The Silverton casino also has Bass Pro Shops connected to it for the guys and a live prehistoric fish that you can watch swim in the fountains of the store. Check the website for special events. Santa was there taking wish lists, although Ella decided to pass as she had already talked to him at another casino.

My cute friend Cristy and I

Next we headed to South Point Casino. After walking for what seemed like forever, we found a craft and gift fair. I was super ticked when I realized we had to pay $5 per adult to get in, but hey, we walked all that way, right?  I found a couple of cute things to purchase, made by the local crafting folks. The BEST part of this particular outing was that I got to meet 2 of the "Sister Wives" from the popular TLC show!   I tell Ryan- "Ryan, why do I know those girls?  Hurry help me figure out who they are!?"  Duh.

 

You're jealous, admit it! :)

Remember, it's a long walk through most of these casinos so be sure to pack an extra bottled water (especially in the warmer months) and a couple snacks to keep the kids with the program. I highly suggest a stroller if you have kids under 3. One last thing I noticed was that most of the casinos don't have changing tables located in the restrooms so be sure to pack a changing mat or a receiving blanket- something you can lay them down on the floor if you have to.

Lana posed for me here, she's so sweet :)

Circus Circus is an older casino with a bunch of fun and clean entertainment for the whole family.  I appreciate the old school feel this place has.  It's sort of... vintage.  I love vintage :) 

 

They have daily FREE live circus acts from 11am-midnight. You can also get some 2 for 1 coupons, I'm guessing at the front desk, and let the kids play games. Ella was thrilled to win a stuffed turtle!

 

 

We moseyed out side to catch a glimpse of the Las Vegas Marathon and 1/2 Marathon- so cool! We cheered the runners on for a good 20 minutes and they just kept coming, as far as you could see in both directions!



Freemont street: not for the kids. The sky light show is neat but you'll have to pass by at least 2 half naked dancers and half a dozen junkies to get to a safe spot to do so. It's full of panhandlers and transients. Our kids here looking ultra thrilled with that "Seriously?" look on their faces.  Despite what you might hear or read, this place is a dive.
 

 

5 years ago we took a drunken taxi from the strip to Freemont street. At the time it seemed awesome... Take my word for it- do something else like...

Bellagio fountains! WONDERFUL and FREE!
 

 

The Botanical gardens are also free and located just inside the Casino lobby. When you get here drive all the way to the top of the parking garage. Take the elevator straight down to the lobby- much easier and less chaos.

Ethel M Chocolate Factory- Take a Tour of the chocolate factory and sample the delectable chocolate! Then you can take a tour of the cactus gardens.

We did this during Christmas time and everything was decked out with Christmas lights.  It was magical!
They had an M and M store but I would skip it and head for the MGM Grand to see the M and M store on the strip.

The M and M Store is located on the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd) just in front of MGM Grand. Free parking is located behind the casino then walk through to the strip. Warning: while this is so much fun for the kids to see, it's not cheap. This is one of those items that we felt would be worth the $15 in "special colored" M and M's. We had fun, glad we did it!

 

That's all we were able to fit in our 7 day stay. You could still choose from a long list of items we never got around to checking out...
Caesars Palace- Forum Shops, Fall of Atlantis- Show times every hour.  Flamingo- Wildlife Habitat open 8am-dusk.  Mirage- Volcano- Hourly Dusk to 11pm.  Treasure Island Sirens- Evenings. Venetian has street performers daily from 10am-10pm.

Our family had a really great time not only getting to see Las Vegas but to see if we could truly enjoy ourselves on a dime. In almost every case, we had more fun doing the things that were the least expensive or free all together.

Our next challenge- San Diego for FREE! Until then, Safe Travels from our little Henline Zoo! xoxo

The Passionate Mom - Book Review!

Normally I don't make it through a whole book.  The problem I have is that typically they don't follow along with how I feel and what I think will work with both my parenting and my childrens personalities.  I have recently been given the opportunity to participate in pre-screening a to-be-released book.  I figure, I'll participate and in exchange I'll get a free e-book!  (You know me and anything FREE! :)  What I did not expect was to actually want to keep reading and learning.  I did not want to skim the pages, I actually wanted to savor each word!  The book is called "The Passionate Mom: Dare To Parent In Today's World" by Susan Merrill

Passionate Mom Blog

What an amazing journey this book has been able to take me on! I constantly struggle with guilt and how I make mistakes in my parenting. I mean, who doesn't want to be the perfect parent right? I read, and read, and READ every parenting book I can get my hands on, and before I know it I am more confused and more frustrated about what I am actually supposed to do, or NOT do. My children are miserable, my husband is miserable, I am beyond miserable and this downward spiral just keeps happening. Then I read The Passionate Mom- this is real folks. Real life. It's a gentle, forgiving and uplifting guide that will help you to be the very best parent you can be! Simply put, raw emotion and real-life expierence from the author reminds us that we are not alone in this parenting journey and that we all have struggles. Although I am not a religious person, Susan has taken simple religious teachings to give us a easy reminder of how to get back to the simple basics. She talks mostly about being passionate but there is such a much bigger lesson to be learned here. Inside of each of us is THE passionate mom we want so badly to be!  Each chapter made me want to go back and read it again, just in case I missed something. It's that good, get this book. You won't be disappointed!

Check out her Blog here:
 - See more at: http://www.susanme.com/passionatemom/#sthash.QnF7lFje.dpuf 

Oh boy, I've got some catchin' up to do!  Here goes!!!