Southwest Airlines Mommy Blogger - Flying with Baby

by: Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

Who knew...even Southwest Airlines has their own mommy blogger. Jessica Turner is the resident Mommy Blogger for the airlines. Her guest blog posts and video blogs focus on traveling with her baby, tips she discovers and family-friendly activities to experience around the country. When she isn't traveling, she enjoys spending time with her family, working, blogging and scrapbooking. She and her husband, Matthew, live in Nashville, Tenn., with their 10-month-old peanut, Elias, who is currently into everything!

Among Jessica's posts is, 'How Not to Go Nuts When Flying with a Peanut'. 'Peanut' is Jessica's Southwest-friendly term for kids. Get it? In this article, and the accompanying video below, Jessica outlines truly helpful hints for parents flying with babies. Every parent has struggled with this process; most of us learned how to do it 'the hard way'. Thanks to Jessica, moms today don't need to muddle their way through.

Famplosion offers thousands of current family activities for families. Many of the cities serviced by Southwest are included among the cities covered by Famplosion. Here are some examples: Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Columbus, OH, Dallas, TX, Detroit, MI, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Jacksonville, FL, Los Angeles, CA, Nashville, TN, New York City, NY, Oakland, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, Sacramento, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, San Antonio, TX, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, Reno/Tahoe.

Treasure Blogger - Sac Treasure Hunt

by: Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

In Sacramento, a fun group of marketers have found a new and super-interactive way to blog and engage families in a treasure hunt. January was the launch of the first Sac Treasure Hunt. March will mark the beginning of the second treasure hunt. Here's how the treasure hunt works:

1. Beginning on March 15, 2010 Sac Treasure Hunt will release daily treasure hunt clues, via their Twitter page.



2. As the treasure hunt progresses, updates will be posted on the groups blog.



3. There are two ways you can win and receive prizes: being one of the first 100 people to find the secret location of the treasure chest and or by retweeting the clues on a daily basis.



4. The Grand Prize Winner (the one who's key opens the treasure chest!) will receive the prizes. (See video below to see the January prizes.)



5. Retweeting the daily clues: Every night at 9 PM, Monday thru Friday of the STH week, someone will be randomly selected who has retweeted the daily morning clue that same day. Only 1 retweet is necessary to be eligible for the daily prize (note: numerous retweets will not help your chances of winning and may offend your followers!) Daily prizes for retweeting will be announced each day.

Happy Hunting

The Secret-Get Polar Express Train Tickets This Year

by: Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

This past Christmas season in Sacramento, California, many families that wanted to ride on the The Polar Express Train at the California State Railroad Museum were unable to get tickets. This article unveils the secret to making sure you have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the 2010 Polar Express Train, before these tickets are even available to the general public.

During the Christmas season, the California State Railroad Museum offers a magical ride on the Polar Express Train. This event is patterned after the classic childrensstory, The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg.

This past year, tickets for this special holiday event went on sale October 1st. By the end of the day, all 15,000 tickets were sold out. Here's the secret to making sure you and your family secure a ticket for next year.

Museum members are afforded the priviledge of purchasing Polar Express tickets before they are offered for sale to the general public. Museum members purchased a staggering 9,000 tickets during the 2009 presale offering. A museum official stated that many people became members solely to be allowed to purchase Polar Express Tickets early.

In 2009, a family did not need to purchase a museum membership for each member of their family in order to purchase tickets in advance of the general public. If a family purchased a $20 children's membership to the museum this year, they then had the opportunity to purchase, in advance of the general public, an unlimited number of Polar Express tickets.

Membership to the musem offers much more, however, than the mere chance to purchase these tickets early. All memberships include:

Free Admission at the California State Railroad Museum
Free Excursion Train Rides on the Sacramento Southern Railroad*
10% Discount at the Museum Store in Old Sacramento+
15% Discount on Photographic Reproduction Orders from the California State Railroad Museum Library.
Invitations to Members-Only Events
Subscription to the Museum's publication, On Track!
Annual Membership Pin
Donor Book Recognition

*During the regular operating season April through September and excluding special ticketed events and train rides

Get your California Railroad Museum Member now and enjoy an entire year of membership benefits, including a chance to pre-purchase the coveted Polar Express Train tickets.

Best Birthday Party Locations in Old Sacramento

by:  Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

Finding a fun, unique and affordadle place to host a child's birthday party is always a challenge. Old Sacramento offers a variety of locations for birthday party fun.

Old Sacramento holds a special place in history.  It once was  the western terminus of the Pony Express postal system,  the first transcontinental railroad, and the transcontinental telegraph.  The history and ambiance of Old Sacramento make it an extra-special place to have a birthday party.  Three locations, in particular, within Old Sacramento offer unique birthday party venues.

At the California Railroad Museum, kids can enjoy a Union Pacific Caboose Birthday Party.  Imagine a birthday party in a real, honest-to-goodness railroad caboose.  The Union Pacific Caboose is located next to the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station at the museum. The caboose is available only for stationary (non-moving) rental, and is perfect for children’s birthday parties. Capacity of the caboose itself is only 25, but nearby picnic tables are available to assure that larger groups have ample room to celebrate. Take the kids on a train ride, for an added treat.

The Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is a quaint, affordable and well-located Old Sacramento birthday party venue.  It is a replica of one-room schools found throughout the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills during the latter half of the 19th century. It is ideally located on the Sacramento River, near Interstate 5, with ample public parking across the street to accommodate a family, youth group or club planning a special event. The Schoolhouse can seat up to 50 people and has a fenced yard for outdoor events. The museum is run by volunteers, so you might have to call more than once to reach them.  The schoolhouse rents for $25, you supply the party and the kids.  If you want to add an activity, take the kids to the California Railroad Museum, on a Train Ride, or to the Gold Rush History Center.  Each activity is located within walking distance of the schoolhouse.

The Gold Rush History Center also offers a special birtday party spot.  Formerly the Discovery Museum History Center, the Sacramento History Museum is a true celebration of all aspects of life in Sacramento over the past 200 years. The Gold Rush History Center and the Science & Space Center offers unique and fun environments for your child's birthday. The museum provides the room and the museum experience, and you bring the cake and the kids! The cost is $125.00 for members and $150.00 for non-members (total of 24 guests) and includes museum admission for all participants, birthday room rental and clean-up.

To add your own activity or event to Famplosion.com, click here.

Haunted Houses in Sacramento

by: Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

This Halloween, the Sacramento area offers a chilling assortment of haunted house attractions. Each of these attractions is specially prepared for the Halloween season. Click on the highlighted links below for all event details.

In Roseville, at the Placer County Fair & Events Center, families have a wide array of spooky choices. 'Heartstoppers Haunted House' be joining forces with the great Callson Manor, to create, what they consider to be, the area's largest Halloween Haunted Event. This year event organizers promise visitors will experience more than in previous years, as they walk the expanded decaying town where Hex had to fight off the incoming hordes. These events are probably not for younger kids; parents are urge to exercise their discretion.
Also not for the the younger members of the family is the Fear Overload Haunted House, located downtown at the Westfield Downtown Plaza. For some 12 years this group has been honing its haunting skills. The head haunt-makers at this 'house' boast:

With over 25 years of combined haunting experience, our lead design team is highly distinguished for their realism and intricacy to make our attractions deathly terrifying. We take pride in each haunted attraction we create.

In Citrus Heights, at the Marketplace at Birdcage, thrill-seekers can enjoy the 'Fright Planet World of Fear' Haunted House. Since Fright Planet organizers state, with pride, that they have '...made grown men leave in tears...', this event is also not for the young or easily disturbed. Those under 13 are required to be accompanied by an adult. To maneuver through this attraction, it will likely take 30 to 45 minutes, probably longer on weekends.


For kids under 10 years old, there's the 'Boo at the Zoo' event at the Sacramento Zoo. While this is not exactly a haunted house, it does provide a fun and safe environment for younger kids to enjoy Halloween. Kids are invited to 'trick or treat' around Lake Victoria, all dressed up in their Halloween finery. Other activities include magic shows, kid's haunted house, food, music, spooky train, creepy carousel and lots of family fun!


To add your own activity or event to Famplosion.com, free of charge, click here

All Aboard - Kids Love Trains

by: Elizabeth Sedway, Famplosion.com

There's something magic about a train. Kids light up at the mere sight of them. Historic trains are celebrated throughout America, and available for families to enjoy together.

The New York Train Museum features the Long Island Railroad, reputed to be the oldest railroad in the United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the state of New York points out,

Initially built as a shortcut to Boston, it has adapted to the
ever-changing needs of its customers and survived competition, takeovers, hard times, and bankruptcy. Today it is the busiest commuter railroad in the country. Historic photographs, maps, illustrations, and objects tell the fascinating story of the railroad's influence on the development of Long Island.

A visit to this train museum is a delightfully affordable excursion for families.

Chicago, long regarded as America's crossroads, where trains crossing the country would intersect, bringing with them the tales of travelers from far and wide. The Chicago History Museum highlights these tales in its Great Chicago Stories exibit. Just an online visit gives families access to the wonderful story of 'Joseph's Railroad Dreams'. Click on the 'Listen to the full story' button and hear these stories read aloud, as the text streams by.

Further west, visit the Heber Valley Railroad, near Park City, Utah. Completed in 1899, this railroad first served new settlers to this area. Today, vintage coaches are pulled by two 1907 Baldwin steam locomotives, and three vintage diesel electric locomotives. Themed excursions are available throughout the year, sure to delight kids and adults alike.

In Sacramento, California families enjoy the California State Railroad Museum. Completed in 1869, the Sacramento Southern Railroad was borne out of the gold rush and the need to transport the rich grains, and fresh produce of the the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area, across the continent. Today, train rides are offered at the museum weekends, through September. The Polar Express Train rides are a holiday season treat.

Tours are sweet!

Jelly Belly, long a family favorite candy, is actually headquartered just North of San Francisco. They have a really cool tour I discovered in Famplosion thanks to our awesome Bay Area Editor, Laura McConnell!

So, yesterday, we picked up our preschooler and drove North about an hour to the Jelly Belly factory to take the tour! It's a 40 minute tour with several stops along the way. The tour guide gives some background information and they also have TVs set up to play video segments about the history, production and shipping processes. All of this is done on a catwalk of sorts suspended above the actual factory floor where you have a great view of bin after bin filled to the brim with brightly colored jelly belly jelly beans! For my milk allergy son, who has never even tasted chocolate, this is pretty much what he expects Heaven to be like someday!

Unfortunately, there's no photography allowed on the tour...they need to protect their trade secrets, and the pronouncement at the beginning of the tour made me feel like we were entering Willy Wonka's factory! But in any case, this is the best I could do with the sign out front and the family. I highly recommend this tour!