On our most recent trip to the Dells, we stayed at the Polynesian Resort. This is a nice hotel and very reasonably priced, especially during the week where you can get a room for under $100 per night. There are both indoor and outdoor water parks, pools & hot tubs. The water parks are oriented more toward little ones, as opposed to Kalahari or Wolf Lodge which have something for all ages. That said, Kalahari & Wolf Lodge are considerably more expensive, so if all you have are little kids, you can save a significant amount of money staying at the Polynesian. One nice feature is following check-out at 11 a.m., you are still welcome to use the water parks for the rest of the day.
The rooms are decent-sized, clean and all have a microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. The fridge comes in handy for storing juice boxes, cold snacks & restaurant leftovers. Room service is pretty good. We ordered a pizza, fries & mini corn dogs for the kids. It arrived quickly.
The front desk service and food service at this hotel were excellent. The water parks were clean and fun, but if I have one criticism, it would be of the lifeguards. I understand they have a job to do, but they were extremely unfriendly to the point of hostility towards children and definitely need an attitude adjustment.
A tradition for breakfast (or dinner) is Paul Bunyan’s. This place has been around since my childhood. Get there early, the line is long, although it moves very quickly. They’ve been doing this for a long time and the crowd is managed efficiently. The menu is family style. First you are given a plate of yummy homemade donuts. Breakfast consists of eggs, sausage, ham, potatoes, pancakes, biscuits and gravy.
The “Original Wisconsin Ducks” tour is my favorite boat tour for this area. The scenery is beautiful. Check with the front desk at your hotel, as there are often discount coupons available up to 25% off for various local attractions. On that note, I would avoid “Passport to Savings.” I received a 25% coupon from our hotel, but every Passport to Savings kiosk I went to was unfortunately unattended. There are also jet boat tours, dinner cruises and sunset champagne cruises.
The Tanger Outlet Mall is worth a visit. I’ve gotten great deals at Banana Republic, Sketchers, Adidas, Bali and many more.
We had dinner at Buffalo Phil’s which is adjacent to the mall. The restaurant is slightly upscale while still being family friendly. I had the blackened catfish which was a little salty (and I’m a saltaholic), but still tasty. They have a decent wine list, reasonably priced, and good beer on tap, i.e., Stella Artois. Buffalo Phil’s is in the same building as Knucklehead’s, a place I can’t wait to go to when my kids are older. There’s a bowling alley, go carts, video games and more, plus this place is open year-round.
There are so many things to see and do in the Dells. It’s just over 3 hours by car from Chicago and a perfect short trip for those who live in the Midwest.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Craig's List Babysitters
Something off-topic from what I usually write about on this blog.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a good babysitter. Word of mouth, if you’re lucky, a friend of the family – these resources are few and far between.
Usually if you call your church, they will have someone you can talk to. Some parishes even have a print-out they can fax to you. Unfortunately, very often the women on these lists are booked solid.
Through the recommendation of a friend from work, I utilized Craig’s List to find daycare. I was spoiled the first time around. I found a great babysitter who was loving and wonderful to my kids. Due to logistical problems related to school, I had to find someone else. Since I had a good experience with Craig’s List the first time around, I placed an ad again. Long story short, this time around, it was a complete nightmare.
I was really shook up. It dawned on me that it’s hard to see a person’s true character in an interview. It’s an interview – they’re on their best behavior and they want the job and they want the money. This is serious, because obviously, your child’s welfare is at stake.
That said, aside from the one bad apple, I have found other back-up sitters on Craig’s List who are truly devoted moms or non-moms who love kids and give your child the care you would give them if you were at home.
Lately there have been a few incidents on Craig’s where people were offended by certain ads. It was interesting reading the various posts and I came to realize that there really should be a forum of some sort for the moms and babysitters to communicate with each other. It makes it less likely for us to be misunderstood.
I broached the subject on Craig’s and got many positive responses from both moms and sitters who were interested in writing something for this blog to help both moms and sitters make the whole daycare experience better for everyone.
More to come.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find a good babysitter. Word of mouth, if you’re lucky, a friend of the family – these resources are few and far between.
Usually if you call your church, they will have someone you can talk to. Some parishes even have a print-out they can fax to you. Unfortunately, very often the women on these lists are booked solid.
Through the recommendation of a friend from work, I utilized Craig’s List to find daycare. I was spoiled the first time around. I found a great babysitter who was loving and wonderful to my kids. Due to logistical problems related to school, I had to find someone else. Since I had a good experience with Craig’s List the first time around, I placed an ad again. Long story short, this time around, it was a complete nightmare.
I was really shook up. It dawned on me that it’s hard to see a person’s true character in an interview. It’s an interview – they’re on their best behavior and they want the job and they want the money. This is serious, because obviously, your child’s welfare is at stake.
That said, aside from the one bad apple, I have found other back-up sitters on Craig’s List who are truly devoted moms or non-moms who love kids and give your child the care you would give them if you were at home.
Lately there have been a few incidents on Craig’s where people were offended by certain ads. It was interesting reading the various posts and I came to realize that there really should be a forum of some sort for the moms and babysitters to communicate with each other. It makes it less likely for us to be misunderstood.
I broached the subject on Craig’s and got many positive responses from both moms and sitters who were interested in writing something for this blog to help both moms and sitters make the whole daycare experience better for everyone.
More to come.
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