Summer In The City

Let’s Go To The Pool!

May 22, 2012 By Big Binder 3 Comments

MLK Pool Photo Source: MLive

The Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Pools will be open this summer from July 2 through August 17 {excluding the 4th of July}. The pools at Briggs (Lafayette/Knapp NE), Martin Luther King Jr. (Fuller/Franklin SE), and Richmond Park (Richmond/Tamarack NW) are the ones that will be open this summer.

At one time, in the good old days, kids were free. Now there is an admission fee but the good news is that they are still are pretty inexpensive. There are different prices for Residents (R) Nonresidents (N).

Youth (under 1) Free
Youth (ages 1-17) $1.00 (R) $4.00 (N)
Adult (ages 18 & up) $2.00 (R) $4.00 (N)

They also have a new punchcard system. One punch equals one open swim for kids, two punches equals one open swim for adults. It’s the government, people. They have to make things a little complicated or they don’t feel like they are doing their jobs.

5 punches $4.00 (R) $16.00 (N)
10 punches $8.00 (R) $32.00 (N)
15 punches $12.00 (R) $48.00 (N)
20 punches $16.00 (R) $64.00 (N)
25 punches $20.00 (R) $80.00 (N)
30 punches $24.00 (R) $94.00 (N)

The open swim hours are:

Briggs Park Pool

Monday – Wednesday: 12:30̶5:00 pm

Thursday – Saturday: 12:30̶7:00 pm

Richmond Park Pool

Monday: 12:30̶5:00 pm

Tuesday – Saturday: 12:30̶7:00 pm

Martin Luther King Park Pool

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday: 12:30-7:00 pm

Tuesday & Thursday: 12:30̶5:00 pm

I am proud to have been chosen as a Coppertone Water Mom, so I’ll be at the pools this summer handing out samples and coupons! Come and find me. I’ll give you two if you say the secret phrase, which is, “Wow, have you lost weight? You look amazing in that bathing suit!”

As a member of the Coppertone Water MOMS Group, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

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Filed Under: Calendar, Connecting As A Family, Explore, Summer In The City Tagged With: children, families, Grand Rapids, kids, pools, Summer

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

June 29, 2011 By Big Binder 2 Comments

Country Day Homeschool

One of the reasons I love summer is because I really get to pretend I am a homeschooler. As you can see on the chalkboard {it IS a classroom, after all. When it’s not being our dining room}, last week included a field trip to Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park. It was a sneak peek with some of our blogger friends because it’s not open yet, but they plan to be open by July 30. You can like them on Facebook if you want to get updates from them, or chat with Rick The Reptile Guy {and trust me, you want to chat with Rick The Reptile Guy!}.

Actually, Boulder Ridge has been open for 20 years. They supply animals to zoos all over the country, including Binder Park Zoo. In fact, there are more animals at Boulder Ridge than at Binder Park. They have added a Reptile House, picnic area, park tour, aviary, petting zoo, gift shop and playground to make it a fun destination for the public.

And fun destination it is. We got to see ostrich eggs in an incubator the size of a washing machine,

incubator 150x150 Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

Ostrich Egg Incubator

A whole bunch of pregnant zebra,

zebra

water buffalo,

Water Buffalo

and bunnies.

bunny 150x150 Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

Bunnies

We also saw crocodiles, javelinas, ostrich, wildebeests, lemurs, and the craziest porcupines ever. This place is outstanding.

It’s also self sustaining. They grow the hay the need to feed the animals, and it’s a nice little Lion King/Circle of Life lesson for the kids. The kids get to find eggs and take them to the incubators.

Except they’re kids, and sometimes they drop things. So the broken egg? No problem; that’s someone’s dinner.

Want to see more pictures and hear about what the other bloggers had to say? Their links are below!

What do you think – will you visit Boulder Ridge?

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Filed Under: Enjoy, Explore, Fun, Summer In The City

Library Love

May 13, 2011 By Big Binder 2 Comments

Earlier this week I dropped A.P. off at church for his last CCD class for the year. There is a library nearby and Maybelle and I usually pass the time there. She wasn’t with me though, so instead of hanging out in the kids’ section I went upstairs to the Please Be Quiet area; where the grown up books live. It’s my happy place.

My senses took over and quickly ushered out the plans I had for researching some topic. My eyes, accustomed to the “Search for title. Select pick up location” screen on the libraries’ online database, got bigger when they saw the rows and rows and rows of books.
Books I could touch. With my hands. Not read a publisher-selected excerpt but instead judge entirely by it’s cover. I picked them from the shelves and felt the weight and the corners and the oldness or newness and wondered, “how many people have read this very book? The one I am holding in my hands”? The library was just built last year so the carpet still smells new but the books smell old. It’s delicious. There ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby.

My God, I love the library.

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the:

BIG BINDER’S SUMMER 2011 READING PROGRAM GUIDE!

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Filed Under: Explore, Summer In The City

All Signed Up!

June 21, 2010 By Big Binder 3 Comments

We finally got out to sign up for the Summer Reading Clubs. Click on the link if you need more information or if you haven’t in a while; I’ve updated it.

Don’t worry if you haven’t started signing up for the programs yet; there is still plenty of time! Look how easy it is. Our first stop was Schuler Books.

Looking for new reads at Schuler Books

Then we headed over to Baker Books, which has a great children’s section my kids love. Once I can actually get them inside the store, that is. There was an inexplicable fascination with the tree outside.

If this isn't the perfect spot to plop down and read, I don't know what is.

Then we cruised over to Barnes and Noble. It isn’t really a sign up, you can even print the form from their website but it’s fun to go anyway.

The easiest sign up ever.

And I want that, and that, and that, and...

There are other programs, these are just the ones I got pictures of. Summer is officially here. How are you going to enjoy it? Check out Summer In The City for more ideas!

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Filed Under: Summer In The City

Fun City

June 16, 2010 By Big Binder 1 Comment

Hmmmm… my calendar seems to have a mind of its own, so how about a nice little post of fun stuff for the weekend? It’s summer, so let’s go ahead and start that weekend today with free fishing at Verslius lake today. Personally, I am going to avoid driving anywhere I don’t have to. We just got back from an amazingtrip up to the Upper Peninsula. Do you have any idea how far away the Upper Peninsula is? Hours and hours and hours. I’m not the best car traveler anyway, and this about pushed me over the edge. Or, in my husband’s case, days and days and days. He rode 350 miles on a bike – not motorcycle, a road bike.

He’s a stud.

We are going to take it easy for a few days, then get back to roaming around. Here are some fun things I’ve found:

June 16, 23, 20 and July 7 Free Fishing at Versluis Lake (go to page 7 for details)

June 16 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Summer Spectacular Carnival. Games, lunch, prizes, inflatables. Berkley Hills Wesleyan Church, 1670 Ball Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. For children 2-13 years. Free Admission. 364-9505.

June 17 Pick Strawberries with West MI Parents at Krupp Farms

June 19 2:00-3:00PM What’s the Buzz? Blandford Nature Center. Don Rewa will talk about the source of a tasty natural sugar, honey. Using a live observation hive as a teaching tool, he’ll talk about honeybee biology, pollination, honeycombs and why all bees are not created equal. $3/person.

June 19 10:00AM-5:00PM 2nd Annual Master Grilling Cook-Off. Grilling competition, music, entertainment, and fun for the whole family at Modern Hardware, 1500 Kalamazoo Ave., Grand Rapids. Free Admission for spectators. Special guest: the big red truck from the Grand Rapids Fire Department. 241-2655.

June 19 1:00PM-5:00PM Grand Rapids World Refugee Day 2010. Activities honoring the courage, resilience, and strength of refugees, including music, dance, children’s games, testimonials from refugees, crafts and international foods at Rosa Parks Circle. Free Admission.

June 19 6:30P-11:00PM Summer Kickoff Party & Movie in the Park . A family event in Pinery Park including “county fair” style games and end with a movie in the park. Free Admission. Fee for games. Free movie. 530-3164.

Don’t worry – I’ll be back with pictures and stories from our trip. Right now, I just need to focus on the mundane – groceries. And laundry. Oh my goodness… so… much…laundry…

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Filed Under: Summer In The City

Whatever You Do; Do NOT Call It A Frisbee

June 15, 2010 By Big Binder 4 Comments

A few years ago, our friends Greg and Jen came to visit. They brought their dog, Sparky. So we had four adults, two kids, and two dogs. I should mention that Greg and Jen also rode their bikes to our house once. From Seattle.

These were very active people. Even their dog was kind of making our dog tired. There was just too much energy in our tiny house, so we followed Greg to a park near our house. He had noticed a disc golf course when they drove by.

We snickered a little. “Like, frisbee golf? Dude! Should we try and find our old Phish T-shirts?” Energetic Greg slowed down, just long enough to let us know that hippie attire was not necessary, and only dorks call it frisbee golf.

Gotcha.

He put a frisbee disc in my hand, and showed me where the first hole was. To everyone’s surprise – including mine – I nailed it. I am horribly, horribly un-athletic. It was weird. I just looked at where I wanted it to go, tossed it, and there it went. Needless to say, any sport for which I have a natural aptitude immediately hooks me. Thus began my disc golf career.

I cashed in some Amazon gift cards I had been saving for – something, I can’t remember what now because what was more important than getting a driver of my very own? I ordered several, and when it starts getting warm I have to resist the urge to add more to my collection. These discs do not mingle with the lowly frisbees, lest they accidentally be flung into a neighbor’s yard or left out in the rain.

It’s the ultimate family sport, really. You are in a park. You are walking around. Your dog can come along. If your dog is awesome, they can even play. My dog is not awesome, so she just hangs out and smells stuff, but that’s OK too. It’s inexpensive, and if I can get a disc to go where I want it to – you can too.

In Grand Rapids, we have quite a few courses to choose from. Garfield Park is within walking distance to our house, so that’s where we typically go. According to Rapid Growth, the other parks with courses are:

Riverside Park
Earl W. Brewer Park
Johnson Park
Cascade Township Park
Jaycee Park
Old Farm Park
Fallasburg Park

Have you ever played? It’s just one more way to get out and have fun this summer!

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Filed Under: Summer In The City Tagged With: courses, disc golf, family activities, frisbee golf, Garfield Park, Grand Rapids, Rapid Growth

Wanna See the Whitecaps?

June 8, 2010 By Big Binder 2 Comments

I know I already went on and on about ways to see the West Michigan Whitecaps for less. If you are planning on taking advantage of the most awesome deal available, do it quickly! The offer to see the ‘Caps for $4.50 on June 26 is amazing. It includes a voucher for a hot dog and a pop, AND you get to see Lew Chamberlin talk about the importance of Early Childhood. I’ve seen him speak about this before, and he’s really passionate and super nice to your kids when they can’t sit still and listen to a speech.

This would make an awesome Father’s Day gift, but you need to order before this Thursday to get the deal. Go to the Great Start Parent Coalition website for all the details.

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Filed Under: Summer In The City Tagged With: Baseball, Father's Day, Great Start Parent Coalition, Whitecaps

Make a joyful noise

June 7, 2010 By bigbinder 2 Comments

As part of my “Summer In The City” series, I wanted to highlight some more activites you can do with your kids for very little, if any, money. We have a ton of opportunities to see live music in a casual, outdoor setting.

Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and grab the bug spray. Jazz, blues, doo-wop, or rock – we’re jammin’!

Updated June 11th: **Don’t forget to check out the Coopersville Concerts in the Park, Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM. Bring a blanket/chair, picnic basket, the folks, and the kids for a fun evening in Coopersville’s Veteran’s Park, 254 W. Randall Street, Coopersville. Looks like some darn fine pickin’ is going to happen!

June 14 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 15 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

June 17 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Bronk Bros Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

June 21 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 24 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Kathy Lamar & the Bob Van Stee Trio. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

June 28 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

June 29 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

June 29 Music on the Lawn~Tony Reynolds, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 1 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Boogie Woogie Babies. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 5 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 6 7:00PM Music on the Lawn~Tiki O’Riley, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 8 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Madcat, Kane & Maxwell Street. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 12 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 13 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

July 15 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Alive & Well. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 19 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 20 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. Voices of Freedom, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

July 22 Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. River City Jazz Ensemble. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 26 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

July 27 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

July 29 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. The Lynn Thompson Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

July 30 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. The Nowhere Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 2 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 3 7:00PM Music on the Lawn. Red Tailights, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 5 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. The Eyde Evans Hyde. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

August 9 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 10 7:00 PM Summer Concert Series, John Collins Park, 650 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids. Bring a chair or blanket. Free Admission. 940-4800 ext. 300, 949-1750.

August 10:00PM Music on the Lawn. Adams Family Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346.

August 16 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 17 PM Music on the Lawn. Crossroads Country Band, Averill Historical Museum, 7144 Headley St., Ada. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Free Admission. Donations accepted. 676-9346

August 19 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Dewsouth. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

August 23 6:30-8:30PM Jazz at the Zoo John Ball Park Band Shell, 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission. Donations accepted.

August 26 7:00-9:00PM Lowell Sizzlin’ Summer Concert. Argentucky Blues Band. Live music along the Flat River at the Riverwalk Plaza in downtown Lowell. Bleacher seating available or bring a blanket or chair. Free Admission and parking. 897-8545, 897-9161.

*******************

There are some other live-music events, but you’ll have to take a look at them and see if you feel like they are family events, or more just for grown ups. For the record – we take our kids sometimes, but I know some people aren’t comfortable taking their kids where alcohol is available.

Blues on the Mall starts this Wednesday. I love love love Blues on the Mall, it brings out every last bit of weirdness Grand Rapids has to offer and the crowd watching is excellent. The music is fantastic, and the setting is perfect.

Celadon at New Town has a summer concert series. I don’t know much about this; but Grand Rapids Tightwad mentioned it, so I’ll pass it along for anyone who wants to check it out.

Another one Grand Rapids Tightwad mentioned was GRAM on the Green, music at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

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Filed Under: Summer In The City Tagged With: Coopersvile

Summer Reading Programs

May 26, 2010 By bigbinder 17 Comments

Have you seen the Vacation Bible School listing? It’s HUGE – and growing daily! Thank you so much for sending your church’s information in; we are going to have the holiest kids in the country. I’ve added a few races to Active Kids, too, and somehow managed to leave off the entire city of Grandville from the Parks & Rec post. Oops. Sorry, G’ville. You’re on there now.

This next part in Big Binder’s “Summer In The City” series is probably my favorite.

Probably schmobably. It straight up is my favorite. I am wholly consumed with summer reading programs. There are good reasons, too. There are a bunch of studies that say kids lose ground over the summer, and have to make up for lost time when the start school. But really, we are good about reading to or with our kids, and I know you are too. I mean, usually. Unless it’s kind of a bad day. Or sometimes a bad couple of days. But mostly; your kids would read or be read to without these programs. So why do we do it? Swag, baby.

Most of these programs don’t start for a few weeks, but you need time to develop your strategy. First, make sure you get the reading logs or forms early so as to obtain maximum program completion prizes. For example, if reading 15 books = a coupon somewhere, start early so you can get lots of coupons. I mean, your child. So your child can get lots of coupons. Kids love coupons.

Second, have a centralized location for the logs and forms. Big shocker, I have a folder next to the refrigerator for each kid.

Third, put all the completion dates on your calendar. You don’t want to miss turning in the forms after you have worked so hard filling them out. Reading is its own reward, yeah yeah, but still. Get the goodies.

Fourth, count any stories read to your children (if they are pre-readers) on the logs. Story time TOTALLY counts. It doesn’t have to be books that you personally read to them.

Fifth, and this is the biggest time saver; each night write down the books on all the logs. You will never, ever remember and you will feel guilty if you just make it up later. Since you have followed step two and put the forms in one place, just knock it all out at once.

Ok, ready? Not all of them are Grand Rapids exclusives. I’m nice like that. If you are one of “The Others”, check your local library. In order of start date, the summer reading programs are:

May 3 to September 30: TD Bank Summer Reading Program. Yes, I know this isn’t a local bank. But I have a friend who goes to Lake George during the summer, and so I’m tossing it in for her. It pays to be friends with me. $10, as a matter of fact.
May 4 to August 26: Borders Double Dog Dare Reading Program – kids under 12 read 10 books, bring this form in (Waldenbooks is part of Borders too), and get a book for free.
May 24 to August 30: VERY cool on-line summer reading program from No Time For Flash Cards; with weekly chances to win.
May 24 to “the end of August”: New York Times Student Challenge, something something, made my head hurt just reading the directions.
May 25 to September 7: Barnes And Noble Summer Reading - kids from 1st to 6th grade read 8 books, bring this form in, and get a free book.
June 1 to July 31: Half Price Books Feed Your Brain Challenge. Kids get a $3 gift card each week when they read 15 minutes a day. There isn’t even one of these stores in Michigan. But, maybe if you travel out of town you could cash in.
June 5 to August 21: Schuler Books Summer Reading Club. The clear directions and specific instructions of the program, along with cookies at Saturday storytime make this my personal favorite. Kids can earn up to 3 $5 gift certificates for reading an age-appropriate number of books.
June 14 to August 7: Kent District Library Summer Reading Program. Keep checking back; more to come.
June 14 to August 7: Grand Rapids Public Library Summer Reading Program. It sounds like the kids decide how much they want to read? That can’t be right. What I can tell you is that the swag-bag contains a t-shirt, Whitecaps, andGriffins tickets. SCORE!
June 14 to ? Pooh’s Corner bookstore. Keep checking back.
Baker Book House has an awesome program! For every five books kids read, they get an entry into a drawing. There are double points for certain books, and they get a 10% off coupon right off the bat.

I’ll update this post as the details become available, or as new places add the information. For now, get ready to rock the Summer Reading Programs. You know I love them. For more Things I Love Thursday, go to The Diaper Diaries.

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Filed Under: Summer In The City, Things to do Thursday Tagged With: Summer Reading Programs

Forget peanuts and Cracker Jacks, just get me a 5/3 Burger

May 21, 2010 By bigbinder 3 Comments

imagleek Forget peanuts and Cracker Jacks, just get me a 5/3 Burger I am looking outside at this rainy day and feeling both sorry AND thankful for my husband. I wanted to go to Gleek Retreat, a blogging conference. Big Binder has been around for a few years, but I have only recently wanted to learn how to do a few cool and snazzy things I see on other blogs. I also want to meet other bloggers, and then drive them crazy asking questions about how they do cool and snazzy things.

I bring you frugal kid stuff for a reason; I have to live frugally, or work full time. I am not just trying to save a few bucks here or there; I don’t have the money to spend. So although Gleek Retreat was exactly what I wanted, we weren’t sure if we could afford it. Less than a week later, my husband sold one of his bikes (this brings him down to four…) and gave me the money so I could “go do that blog thing”.

I am so thankful.

In a cruel, ironic twist, I don’t have a lot to suggest for him to do with the kids this weekend while I’m gone. He could either head over to Grand Haven for the Great Lakes Kite Festival, or to Lowell for Trolls & Treats for Kids. I was hoping that there would be a Whitecaps baseball game, but no such luck. We’ll have to wait and go as a family.

That’s fine, because as usual, I have found some less expensive ways to enjoy the game.

If you act quickly, you can get two free lawn seats when you donate a baseball glove. Drop off sites at 5/3 Bank, other drop off sites, and more information is here.
Monday games are the JQ99 All Faiths Night, and you can get 1/2 off box or reserved seats when you show a church or community bulletin.
Tuesdays are Bob Evans Senior Night. The games start at 4:45, so you have enough time for supper first. Just kidding… The actual promotion is that people 50 years or over get half off box or reserved seats.
If you are not 50, but you eat Kraft Cheese Singles, you can bring the wrapper in for a buy one get one free ticket on Tuesdays.
If you are a Priority Health member, show your card on Wednesday for $2 off reserved seats.
A fantastic opportunity to see the ‘Caps at a discounted rate is brought to you June 26 by the awesome Great Start Parent Coalition. You get a ticket, plus a pop and hotdog for $4.50!! You have to get your tickets through Great Start ahead of time.
July 6 is Kids Day. The tickets are all the same prices, but there will be extra kid-stuff going on. Hopefully, there will be some beer specials that day too.

Here is some other information that may enhance your Whitecaps experience:

You have to have cash to pay for parking. The Parking Lot Guy With The Orange Vest is wrong. You don’t have to go into the park, use the ATM, then exit the park and walk all over the parking lot find PLGWTOV who has since moved, and give him the money. You can just go to the Customer Service desk inside the stadium. You’re welcome.
Those light-saber things are $5 and they work as an amazing discipline tool when you promise to buy one next time if your child earns enough money between now and then by doing chores. My compost is taken out to the pile daily, and the returnable bottles and cans are bagged up, all for a very low rate.
If you go on a Saturday, stay for the fireworks. They do not start “immediately after the game” though. It’s a good 20 minutes, so just be prepared to Walk Like a Dinosaur. Boom boom, acka lacka lacka lacka boom.

There are a lot of promotions (bobbleheads and stuff) too, so check the Whitecaps Promo link to make sure you go on a day that something fun is being given away. There are several other discounts, but most of them are on food. Sadly, none are for the 5/3 Burger which made national news last year due to it’s – disgustingness.

Unfortunately, my husband is still determined to eat one. And after his generosity and understanding about Gleek Retreat, I’ll be happy to let him. I will just make sure to pack the Rolaids.