High Roller is a fun, frugal adventure

A version of this was originally posted at What's On magazine.

A Guide To Vegas For Kids

Take two kids, a reluctant husband and a mommy afraid of heights and slowly spin them 550 feet in the air for 30 minutes. You’ll get one of the best family deals in Las Vegas and a lifetime of lovely memories.

We were so excited to finally be able to ride the High Roller at The Linq. Well, by ‘we’ I mean the shorter half of our family of four. I’ve been to most of the family-friendly attractions in Las Vegas with my 4-year-old twins in tow, but the towering High Roller gave me a bit of trepidation. I’m not one for heights. But my twins are fearless, so up we went. (I used to be fearless, and then I had kids!)

The High Roller at The Linq takes you 550 feet off the ground in a comfortable, spacious bubble for a 360 degree view of the Las Vegas valley, the mountains and exciting Strip action below. And the High Roller’s Family Hour Package offers serious bang for your entertainment buck at $49.95 for two adult and three child tickets, a steal for this frugal mom.

The Family Hour Package includes:
2 adult tickets
3 child tickets
3 High Roller binoculars for guests to keep
3 Juice drinks from the Sky Lounge

At that price, we had to give the glittering ride a whirl. My husband is reluctant to traverse the Strip, which can be difficult with children. But this ride is a breeze to get to either from walking on the Strip or by car or taxi. Once we were handed our tickets from the easy access window at the back of The Linq promenade, we were on the ride in less than a few minutes as we made our way to the platform accompanied by lively music and friendly attendants.

The ride is smooth and the view is fascinating. The twins called out landmarks they knew and asked about new ones they viewed through their sturdy new binoculars. These will come in handy for years! Music and trivia play on flat-screen TVs during your ascent, with a bubbly video host supplying information as you climb to the pinnacle of 550 feet. There is much to talk about as curious little minds take in all of the interesting things they can see, from the airport to Red Rock. This is one of the only places in the country to get this type of experience, and at $10 a person for a family of five, it’s a phenomenal deal.

If you go early in your Vegas stay, you can check out all the places you’re considering going to while you rise over the Strip. It gives you a sense of how much there is to do and see in Las Vegas. And if you decide to make this a cap to end your vacation, it’s a nice way to reminisce about where you’ve been and make plans for your return visit to the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Pinterest worthy: To get the kids to be part of the experience, I quickly drew up “passports” on hotel stationery that had our confirmation number written on it. They tucked them into their pockets and felt they were a big part of the day’s adventure. They carried their passports carefully until we got to the window and handed them off to me, the official ticket-taker for the family.  It will be a nice addition to the scrapbook!

A Study In Contrasts, Twin Style

They are the yin yang twins. Always have been. Even before they were born. She was Mighty Miss, dipping and twirling and punching, while he was Mellow Man, nestled comfortably under my ribs, tucked as far as possible from his sister’s busy body.

She was born kicking and screaming, he asleep. She’s the gas and he’s the brakes.

The surprise is not that they are so different, but how their differences play well together. 

She is always running wherever we are going, clambering onto the jungle gym or into the arms of whoever we are visiting. He takes his time, his head swiveling to take in the tiny mushrooms in the park grass, the construction truck at the stop light, the rippling plastic bag caught high in the tree branches. She runs with the pack, gathering friends with her charm and momentum. He sits back and observes, happy to create his own games, selecting friends prudently. She started talking almost immediately, words and sounds jumbled together but no mistaking her pressing need to communicate with the world around her. He didn’t utter much more than a well-rehearsed raspberry until he was well past the age of 2, each word enunciated the best he could and chosen judiciously.

As a parent, as a new mom, as an observer (which us new moms tend to be), I wondered if they would be friends, if their opposites would conflict fundamentally with what it means to be family.

But it works.

They take turns being vulnerable, shoring up their own feelings to offer strength to the other in times of crisis, such as a doctor visit or class. They comfort each other in tense moments. They sense the other’s discomfort or uncertainty and quietly reach out to comfort them, no words needed. 

On a recent morning on the way to the High Roller, a giant Ferris wheel of Plexiglass cars that fit 40, they were thrilled about the day's adventure, if not a bit pensive. As the giant structure loomed overhead Jack said something quietly in the backseat. Morgan offered to hold hands on the ride. He said he would sit next to her, too, if she got scared. They reached across the car seats and held hands, satisfied that they would be safe. They had each other to lean on.

Is it a duck or a goose? Home School at the Lake

Today we took our little home school outside for a field trip before the deluge.

We took a short trip to the man-made leisure lake a few miles from the little house to discuss webbed feet and the many types of fowl that pop in for a rest while on their way to places south and north, depending on the time of year. 

From our discussions: "It's not a duck, mom, because it has a long neck."

"It could be a fat penguin. But it's just a duck." 

We also saw turtles and fish, which led to a discussion on if fish can swim faster than ducks or geese. Morgan would prefer webbed feet over fins. Jack wants to see a turtle swim up close because they have legs like an elephant. They also decided Graham crackers are better than any other square crackers, but that circle crackers are the best. Quite the educational morning!

We're enjoying home schooling with a mix of unschooling while the little ones are still not eligible for Kindergarten until next year. And then, Kindergarten is only half-day in our state, otherwise you need to pay for full day. So we'll be doing the home school at least through the next two years, and maybe beyond that depending on our situation.

I am loving home school, and the twins seem to be taking to it particularly well. I'll admit it's a little harder than I expected, and we're all learning patience, however each morning they rise the first questions they ask pertain to school and when we can start. 

We have yet to crack open the Clifford the Big Red Dog Science Kit or The Magic School Bus: World of Germs (we're all excited about that one!). There's been too much else to do that has drawn our attention. The weather has been particularly interesting, which played nicely into our unschooling (it really needs a better name, although I believe it was chosen for the shock factor). We are in monsoon season. It can be bright blue skies in the morning and a deluge by noon, halting traffic around the valley and sending the house into sudden darkness as the skies open up and pour ice-cold rain. That started a discussion about summer turning to fall, how hail is formed (and the introduction of a new word they can't get enough of, "sleet") and the dangers of a flash flood.

Home School By Design

Since the twins aren't eligible for Kindergarten for another year, and then only 2.5 hours a day, we've decided to home school. At least for now. It's been an exciting research opportunity for this reporter, and an eye opener for this research-happy mom.

There are so many educational kits to choose from! And do I have it in me to be a good teacher to these very individual twins?

We decided on Clifford the Big Red Dog Science series as well as the Magic School Bus. The twins are into math and science over spelling and letter tracing any day.

Our first day went off without a hitch, aside from the fact that I was so bored. I thought I'd be all over the Schofield Kiddie University. Nah. I'm with them on the science and math. Much more exciting, although my report cards I keepsaked (what was I thinking?) will tell a different story to my curious chillins, one day. We all struggled through the letters and spelling, which we've done many times before so I was frustrated that we didn't seem to be moving forward. It occurs to me, slow as I can be, that we've sucked the fun out of writing our names and objets of current obsession by doing it over and over. I'll be ogling Pinterest and home school blogs for new ways to learn to spell that excite all of us. Being there while we struggle together, watching their whole self light up when they master a letter or problem, it's the biggest charge of my life, and assuming there's up to that one moment. And we move on. So much to learn! It's exciting. Hope I'm up for this challenge. They certainly come prepared daily for anything, I mean anything.

No uniforms (they were too excited to start school to get dressed!) or sack lunches, just math, magnets and spelling. Lots of fun. They love science, sputter through spelling and totally dig math.


We used markers, chocolate for Morgan, bits of fruit candy for Jack, to add and subtract. They did it on their own a few times. No eating until we've made a full 10 from two fives at the end. I think I'm learning patience more than them!

We are doing a couple of kits this semester and practicing our handwriting and spelling so we can write a letter to Santa, their final exam! Jack asked how 5-2 = a letter to Santa. Uh oh. He's on to me.
 
Jack has yet to choose a writing hand, although if he gets flustered he tends to switch over to his left and go for it. He can spell his name, but the C is always backward. Always. He says it looks just fine to him, let's move on, Mom! 

We'll post pictures of our Clifford  and Magic School Bus educational kits, but for now let's just get them past the number 10 with bits of chocolate and fruit candy, and 5-2 = wonder.

Mommy Needs Two Minutes: A Moment With Depression, Yours, Mine and Ours

Mommy Needs Two Minutes: A Moment With Depression, Yours, Mine and Ours: Robin Williams, we'll miss you. He was a rare gem in a comic-lovers library, a mom's go-to DVD rescue and a journalist's ide...

A Moment With Depression, Yours, Mine and Ours

Robin Williams, we'll miss you. He was a rare gem in a comic-lovers library, a mom's go-to DVD rescue and a journalist's ideal interview.

I ran into him after a press conference for an Agassi event years ago. He was on the dais, as in truly "on." A reporter's dream for those often dreary press conferences. After the lengthy press conference about all the future funds, buildings and events info, I ran into him, standing alone by a room service cart full of refreshments, in the cavernous MGM hallways that run under the hotel/casino.

He was quiet, arms crossed at his stomach, head down, small, sad, polite smile. I thought he had just received some bad news. He looked deflated, like he could use a hug. So I did. I don't know who was more shocked. I couldn't help it. He thanked me, bark laughed, patted my shoulder and I walked away, cringing that I had crossed into his personal space like that. He just seemed like such a nice, sad man standing alone in that dark hallway.

Hope this sad event sparks more, much needed, talk about mental health and depression.

The Magic of Banality When Crazy Hits

I'm going in for a procedure tomorrow. Nothing big, pretty routine, but anesthesia will be needed and I am a coward when it comes to anesthesia. I'm always worried it's going to go badly.

So I've been a bit short with the twins, and the hubby, and, oh, everyone. Everything is getting on my nerves. I'm clenching my teeth and biting my lip while cleaning and sorting and crafting and stepping over non-compliant children who refuse to be the angels I know they can be. It's exhausting trying to take my mind off this uncomfortable 36-hour ordeal that is really only an hour of actual medical stuffs.

I'm up in the middle of the night, wandering around, feeling so silly for the niggling worry at the back of my thoughts. The twins have been checked, double checked and tucked in more times than they can count to, my attempts not to wake them up and cuddle on the couch. Then in the morning I'm crabby because they are asking for certain breakfast favorites and frowning at the fruit and the hubby is still asleep! The gall at 6 a.m. on a Saturday!

Anyway. Everybody went to their respective Sunday doings this morning, and I was left alone on a rainy morning. I started cleaning the kids room,getting into that stuff you know you have to do every time you walk in, but happily leave for another day. I waded into the toy box and took out the broken bits and then tackled the layer of crayon marks on their bunk beds. Swiping back and forth, the clean spot growing, the sun popped out from behind the thick rain clouds and lit up the room. I felt so calm for the first time in days. I was cleaning my twins' room, the babies I'd longed for, and my husband's kiss still lingered after he held me tight and told me it would be alright before he jumped in the car to go run some errands, including picking up chicken broth and ice cream. What a lovely gift.

I'm hoping to hold onto that clear moment. It's all good. I can't wait for them to get home and create chaos, take my mind off the worry and make me focus on the banality of my life that makes it so magical.