Winter Trend: Mall Walking

Mall walking. Ever heard of it? Well, it may not be the most popular thing, but it is something that may interest you. If your a mom like myself who enjoys taking your baby on walks, what do you do when the winter weather hits? Mall walking is the answer.

Stay Warm People

Winter season brings icy roads and sidewalks, cold rain, bone-chilling winds, sleet and snow. This doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy very much, especially when taking my 7-month-old on our daily walks outside. One of the worst feelings for a parent is when their child is sick. You wish you could take their pain away.

 So, I decided that we will continue our daily walks, but on the really cold days in our future we will be visiting our local mall. 

I recently explored this idea of mine. This past week, my husband and I visited our local mall to see when it's the busiest and the slowest. We discovered that the morning is the best time to go by far. No crowds what so ever and had plenty of room to walk laps around the mall without having to swerve around fellow shoppers.

Photo by: Leesha Hickman

This photo to the left will be on a blooper reel. I'm pretty sure a baby shouldn't be sitting side-saddled on a carousel horse. Good job hubby. I'm very proud.

New Trend

Before looking into mall walking, I didn't know this was actually a "thing". The Parks Mall at Arlington even has a program for it that you can find by clicking here. The program allows people to meet up and walk in groups instead of alone. Interesting right?

You can even find mall walking tips online.

Questions?

Any questions? Have any interest in this? How about tips? Let me know!

Don't forget to check out my Twitter for more Super Mom Ideas.

The Ultimate Santa Experience: Family Photo

It's that time of year again. Christmas music playing in every store, smells of pumpkin spice and pine trees, and the colors red and green literally everywhere. It's the holidays! Now that Halloween has passed, it's time to start shopping for those Thanksgiving dinner items and ingredients. Don't forget, it's also time to start preparing for Christmas!

 Yes, I know, Thanksgiving is technically the next holiday coming up, but Christmas requires so much more preparations. In my case, it is my son's first Christmas so I may be a little biased. A child's first Christmas is always memorable and full of so much love and joy. You want to make the best of it so it remains one of the most cherished memories you have with your little one while they are still little.

First Christmas Card

Making a Christmas card is part of many family's traditions. Everyone gets dressed up in red, green and white and poses with one another for that perfect holiday photo. Many families take their own photos at home, smart and cheap. Others choose to go and get professional shots done. 

This year, for my son's first Christmas, I wanted to have a photo with the one and only Santa Claus.

Adventure With Santa

Earlier this afternoon, my family and I went to our local mall, The Parks Mall at Arlington. A few days prior, I had made a reservation online to lock us in for an appointment for Adventure With Santa: The Ultimate Santa Experience. Glad I did because it was rather busy for it being it's first day open. The staff was shocked as well.

This wasn't just sitting with Santa and taking a photo, this was so much more.

 How it starts, you line up with another family or two outside the entrance to the attraction. One of "Santa's helpers" leads the way as you go inside of the Christmas themed building. You go room to room watching interactive videos, even take a sleigh ride while watching a video in an omni-like theater with fans and misters (for the fake snow feel). It was incredible. Kids absolutely loved this.

Towards the end, families individually went in to finally meet Santa Claus. This is when we took our family photo.

We also had extra in the moment photos taken.

The Experience

This experience was unforgettable. To see videos from the experience, check out my Twitter or search #holidays2014. 

I know it's still early, but now my family has our first Christmas photo taken for our first Christmas card. If you plan on sending cards this year, be like me, do it early. Less stress for the busy mom.

Questions?

Have any questions? Comments? Maybe even another Christmas card idea? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you!

Also, don't forget to follow my Twitter where you'll be able to read all about my busy mom experiences and tips.