Planning Your Kid's First Visit to a Sports Game

Callie and Mom at the Kansas City Royals game April 30, 2017. Sam got two tickets to Scout Day at the K for selling Scout popcorn and we bought 5 more for a super fun day!

Planning Your Kid’s First Visit to a Sports Game

If your children love the sport, then it will be easy to know that they will love seeing the sport in action. Although you might get the best view on the television, there is something about going to the venue and seeing it live that makes it extra special. For their first event, they are going to want to see everything and know what’s going on. Preparing you and them is essential to having a great day and hopefully inspiring them to see more.

Choosing the Right Event

Although you know what types of sports your kids like, it is important to choose an event that you think they will enjoy when seeing it in person. Some sports have long breaks or periods of inaction, so you don’t want them to get bored. You will know what sports get their attention, so pick one that has a faster pace to it so that they can get caught up in the atmosphere. It is also a good idea to choose a venue close to home on the first occasion, just in case they don’t like it and you want to return home.

Getting the Tickets

You may be considering giving the tickets as a birthday present. It is a good idea to save it for a special event, though you should make sure you get the tickets in advance in case it sells out. Buy your tickets from a trusted seller such as www.ticketsales.com so that you know the seat will be there. If you choose to buy them outside the arena, then you could have problems. In their first game, you want to try and get the best view possible so that they can see everything. It will be great for their memories and also their camera so that they can get good shots of the action.

Try and Answer Their Questions

It will be a new and exciting experience for your children, and they will no doubt be curious about what goes on at the game. Even though it might be distracting for you, try to answer all their questions if you can. Although you probably know a lot about the game you are watching, don’t be worried to say you don’t know something. There may be someone nearby who will know the answer, and if not, you can try searching it on the internet and finding out the answer together.

Safety

One of the most important parts of visiting any event is safety. Sporting events traditionally pull a big crowd, so you need to be on guard and prevent your children from getting lost. Try to teach them what to do if you should become separated, such as go to the nearest help point or staff member. That will make things easier if you lose each other because you can both head to the meeting point.

Enjoying sports events and outdoor activities are key to developing your children’s tastes and experiences. Don’t be worried if they fall asleep halfway through; they will still have had a great time. 

Swagbucks Swagbuster Deals on Your Favorite Stores, Offers, Gift Cards

Running now through December 3rd, the cashback shopping site Swagbucks is running a series of exclusive "Swagbuster" deals that offer increased cash back (in the form of SB points) at stores, when buying gifts cards, and big SB payouts when you discover offers from different companies. You can take all of the points you earn from these deals and redeem them for gift cards from places like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, or PayPal cash, helping you extend your holiday budget further! 

The deals change every few hours, and you can keep track of what's available by clicking here. You need a Swagbucks account to take advantage - fortunately, it's free and takes less than 30 seconds to sign up. PLUS, if you sign up through me you'll get a bonus 300 SB ($3) if you earn 300 SB before December 1st!

I have been with Swagbucks for years and earned almost $1,000! I just got 70 SB yesterday when I ordered Callie some leggings on OldNavy.com. I also get SB when I order things from Target for Christmas shopping and Eva's birthday! Christmastime is really a great time to join Swagbucks and start earning cash back!

Swagbucks Pre-Black Friday Holiday Sale!

As a pre-Black Friday warm up, Swagbucks is offering big cash back for shopping online at several of your favorite retailers right now! Just go to this page to see all of the deals available and get the jump on your holiday shopping.

How about 3,000 Swagbucks for signing up with Hulu, our go-to movie and TV show site?!

Ebay 2% cash back!

Amazon 6% cash back!

You're going to make purchases for the holidays anyway, so why not get cash back for them?!

In order to take advantage of the cash back, just create your Swagbucks account when prompted (it takes less than 30 seconds) and then you're all set! Your cash back comes in the form of SB points, which you can redeem for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, or get PayPal cash! 

As a special bonus, if you sign up through me you get a 300 SB ($3) bonus when you earn your first 300 SB before December 1st! This site's a great way to extend your shopping budget, especially around the holidays!

An Exquisite Touch of Silver

Forget the classic black-and-white style. New trends have long redefined classiness and elegance and they’ve moved away from a monochromatic world to bring new nuances of black and white.

Style is all about gray now, whether you make it part of your wardrobe or your interior decor. There is no clear explanation as to why gray has become such a popular choice for fashionistas and interior designers, but there are several options.

Firstly, gray, as it appears, is a natural derivative of the timeless black and white combination, and consequently can be used as a subtle complement without losing the natural and neutral feelings associated with black and white.

Secondly, gray comes in a variety of hues, which means that you can easily coordinate it with other colors and even patterns without risking a fashion or design faux pas.

Image by LEEROY Agency from Pixabay

And finally, gray brings a sense of preciosity to your style, as it is both the color of wisdom – gray-haired ladies always know better – and the color of a precious metal. In a word: What’s not to like about gray?

Your wardrobe

If you’re wondering how to surf on the precious gray trend, the best place to start is your wardrobe.

Weight Loss When You're Traveling and Over the Holidays

With the holidays coming up, you might be on the go more than usual. You might even be traveling out of town for some festivities, and you might be wondering how that will affect your healthy lifestyle change. 

(I don't like to say diet because that sounds temporary and like you're depriving yourself for a period of time so you can go back to eating like your old self once you lose a certain amount of weight.)

 Here are some things that helped me when we'd visit family over a weekend in Hays, Kansas or go to any holiday parties at all:

1. If you're on a plan like Weight Watchers, it's easy to figure out how to eat well when you have no clue how many points a meal may have. They have an online program called eTools that is helpful for figuring out the points value of foods. Also, I they have a Dining Out Companion pocket guide for certain popular restaurants. Otherwise, just look for things like chicken and seafood, items that are baked and steamed and not fried. Hit the salad and veggies hard and avoid the bread basket. Watch out for those salad dressings ... I like to bring my own in packets when traveling. (update: now that I have a smartphone, life is super easy because almost every restaurant and food is online and I can track it quickly and choose what I want to eat more quickly and easily)
   
   
2. If you're staying with friends, it's hard to say NO all the time to what they are cooking. I like to make sure I have something in my bag that I can say YES to after I've said NO to something yummy and decadent that might blow my healthy lifestyle change. I love these double chocolate protein bars, and they are like dessert to me (Aldi, but everyone carries them). It's not chocolate truffle cupcakes, but it does the trick. And I also love Weight Watchers smoked string cheese, and it's only 1 point per piece. It's a nice protein boost with a lot of flavor to keep me away from other cheese and cracker options!
   
   
3. Keep non-perishables in the car or in your bag. Baby carrots don't have to be refrigerated constantly. Apples are amazing. Bananas are perfect. Other things you know the concrete points value of are good to have around (100-calorie cookie packs or chip packs) also.
   
   
4. Don't worry about people who tell you things like, "You are already so skinny, just have one piece of cake!" or "You don't need to lose weight, you are fine." Or "Oh, you can't have this piece of cake." They are not you. They have their own issues, TRUST ME. Just continue to live your healthy plan and don't let PEOPLE derail you, no matter how well-meaning they may be or what they mean to you or what kind of history you have with them.
   
   
5. Continue to track what you put in your mouth. You would not believe how quickly the points add up when you are taking a bite here and there at a gathering and you are still hungry.
   
   
6. Save up points and calories for things you love. Of COURSE you can have things you love!
   
   
7. Attempt to get in some exercise by walking a little bit, hitting a hotel gym, or chasing kids around more than usual (keeps you away from the banquet table!).

You might also like to read:

Stop Saying you Can't Have a Certain Food. You are a Grown-up and It Is Annoying

Your Weight Loss Environment and Where to Hide Your Food

Originally posted 12/6/12