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Tips for waiting in lines with kids
Now that we are in the heart of theme park season, we also are in the throes of keeping kids entertained as they wait in those long snaking lines to get on a roller coaster or have creepy animatronic animals or dolls sing and swing overhead.
We polled our Whoa, Momma! bloggers for their tips on passing the time, and not all of these require advance planning:
• When the kids get antsy, pull out a couple of those battery powered mini fans with the soft foam blades that you can pick up for a $1. They cool us off, and for some reason kids find these endlessly entertaining. It helps that they make a fart sound when you stop the soft blade on your cheek. (Why are all body sounds hilarious at any age?) Just be careful around long hair. Little girls have been known to get their hair caught in the motor.
• Pack little bags of trail mix or other treats in your bag to keep them occupied. Longer lasting treats like lollipops or bubble gum do well in lines.
• Break out a little notebook and pens so that they can draw, write, play Hangman or Tic Tac Toe.
• Give the kids a disposable camera and let them snap silly pictures of one another or of mom and dad. That will keep them occupied for a while.
• Play games like I Spy or Simon Says.
• Those ubiquitous Silly Bandz come in handy in a long line. Most kids have an armload of them these days. Take them off and started talking about them and you may soon spark a round of trading and comparing among others waiting around you.
~ Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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Raising children isn't easy. Whoa, Momma! is here to help you with parenting tips and discussion of all parenting issues. We think there's no such thing as TMI, so our blogging moms aren't shy about the hot topics and won't back away from a good debate. Bottle or breastfeed? Public, private or homeschool? And sex -- it's all open for comment. Don't sit on the sidelines -- pull up a bouncy seat and join the chat.
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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