National Napping Day is Mar. 9––yep, it’s a thing. In honor of the one universal truth for all parents that we will never sleep the same again, we’ve rounded up six ways we imagine life would be different if we got enough sleep. We don’t actually know, though, because we haven’t slept in seven years. Still, we can dream, right?
1. Exercise
Fantasy: After eight hours of rest, you’re ready to take on the world. Perhaps, a marathon!
Fantasy: You are alert and productive, full of snappy ideas and witty retort. And you look amazing (i.e. your clothing doesn’t have stains and you brushed your hair). Because you are well-rested.
Reality: Oh, look what happened while you were napping (by napping we mean answering work emails, vacuuming the living room and making a snack). See, that’s why you can’t nap.
Husband and wife design duo, the Novogratz, just launched a stylish new baby collection on Amazon and you’re going to want it all.
The Novgratz Kids and Baby Collection for Amazon features mid-century modern style with fun pops of color and designs kids will love even as they grow. The line includes cribs, storage, rugs, lamps and artwork and everything is under $400.
Novogratz Harper Crib
This sleek 3-in-1 crib transitions from baby to full toddler bed in style.
Congrats go out to Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan. The couple recently welcomed twin boys—and the birth story is one you can’t miss!
The couple, who already have four children (and tragically lost daughter Emmy to drowning in 2018) reveled their baby boy joy on Today, via a phone interview, saying, “They finally arrived. They had us waiting and waiting and waiting.”
Bode went on to add, “The birth story was actually one of the more crazy things that I’ve ever experienced, and you guys know that I’ve seen a thing or two in my life.” As it turns out, the babies were quicker to arrive than the couple’s midwives. This left the Miller fam to fend for themselves during the delivery process. The Olympic skier continued, “By the time they [the midwives] got there, me and my mom were both holding the babies.”
When Today co-anchor Craig Melvin asked Bode if he delivered his own children, the new dad responded, “Yeah. Luckily my mom was a midwife, but she hadn’t delivered babies in 20 plus years, and she’d never delivered twins.”
Even though the birth didn’t go exactly as planned, both identical twins were healthy and both parents are certainly happy! Morgan also chimed in on the birth, saying, “I’m doing really well. We’re still floating from the whole experience. It was so amazing.”
As of now the Millers haven’t chosen names for the boys, with Bode noting, “We’ll come up with something. They have such different personalities right now, it’s going to be cool to kind of let them be for a little bit.”
The couple started making interior changes on Frogmore Cottage (a five-bedroom abode on Windsor Castle’s grounds) before Archie’s birth, and now that he’s here, it looks like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have completed the exterior too. So what kinds of changes did the new parents make to their family’s home?
According to Buckingham Palace, the renovations came in at a $3 million price tag—thanks to British taxpayers via the Queen’s Annual Sovereign Grant (which helps to maintain and conserve royal palaces). A source close to the royal family told PEOPLE, “The heating systems were outdated and inefficient and were not to the environmental standards that we would expect today.” The source also added that the older electrical system, gas lines and water mains also required replacement.
Even though taxpayers footed the majority of the permanent reno bill (after all, it is a historic building), Prince Harry and Markle paid for fixtures, fittings and furnishings themselves. Reports have also surfaced noting that the couple also paid for some of the pricier projects, such as a kitchen upgrade and flooring.
Even though the couple hasn’t released specifics, rumors of a mother-and-baby yoga room with a floating floor are reportedly false.
Of the renovations and restorations, Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, told reporters, “The property had not been the subject of work for some years and had already been earmarked for renovation in line with our responsibility to maintain the condition of the occupied Royal Palaces Estate.” Stevens went on to add, “The Sovereign Grant covered the work undertaken to turn the building into the official residence and home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their new family. The building was returned to a single residence and outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property.”
Have you ever wanted to enjoy a snack without leaving the lake? Or maybe even play a round of UNO in the pool? Thanks to a floating picnic table from Sam’s Club the possibilities are endless.
The floating table is 8 feet by 6 feet with a 600 pound capacity and can hold up to five adults. It features four cup holders and eye hooks so that you can attach a cooler and really never need to leave the water.
One reviewer wrote, “This table is a great hanging out spot on the water! My kids played their (waterproof) cards and had snacks, and we all used it as a fun resting & playing spot while swimming around.”
The Floating Picnic Table is available online only at Sam’s Club for $598.
Have you always wanted to dine like a wizard? A magical Harry Potter-themed brunch is coming to the United States for the first time.
The Wizards Brunch, which has already made the best meal of the day magical in Canada and Australia, is finally heading stateside where the delicious experience is landing in several cities across the country including New York City, Houston, Texas and Denver, Colorado. Guests are invited to dine in Hogwarts Great Hall complete with floating candles.
The special events are set for a single date per location and take place in a secret location. The experience features a three-course meal, live music and fortune tellers to entertain guests as they dine.
Muggles and wizards alike can reserve a spot for brunch or dinner in the Great Hall for one of two times. The first is family-friendly brunch midday and the second is a 21-and-over dinner. Tickets are already on sale for a few locations and the New York City experience will go on sale on Apr. 29. Tickets start at $45.
Looking for a magical getaway? Look no further than this amazing Harry Potter-themed Airbnb! Here’s the scoop on how to book it for you and your fellow Muggle fam.
If a regular Muggle vacation just isn’t cutting it, why not make things a little more interesting with a trip to the wizarding world? The best part is, you don’t even have to cross the Pond—just make your way to Atlanta, Georgia. It’s just five minutes from downtown Atlanta where you’ll find a Harry Potter-themed Airbnb that you’ll want to apparate to ASAP.
The creation of co-owners JR Rich and DJ Bellerose, the two-bedroom apartment sleeps up to eight guests and is the perfect destination for wizards of all ages. There’s a full kitchen completing with floating candles and the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, just in case you want to whip up some butterbeer on your vaycay.
Besides being full-decorated in Harry Potter-themed furnishings, the apartment is also stocked with all of the books and movies on DVD. Rich and Bellerose have also hidden seven horcruxes throughout the apartment and will give a special prize to guests who find them all.
“We decided maybe we should try out an Airbnb,” Rich said. “Everybody has talked about it so we figured we’d give it a shot. But we wanted to do something that was more interesting and more fun, a little bit of a draw on its own for people to enjoy while they stay.”
A night in the apartment starts at $85 and you can book it through Airbnb here.
Your kiddo has built some of the tallest darn LEGO structures you’ve ever seen. Those towering plastic bricks seemed to reach from the playroom’s floor all the way up to its ceiling. But alas, your child’s totally tall tower is not the biggest one in the world. And probably not by far. The tallest plastic brick tower was just built — in Tel Aviv.
In recent years there have been LEGO tower building attempts made in Milan and Budapest. Even though these plastic brick super-structures were tall, the Tel Aviv version takes the cake. The joint effort between Tel Aviv City Hall and Young Engineers (a learning-based organization that helps young builders through the use of toy plastic bricks) is more than just a totally rad tower.
The Tel Aviv toy brick building was created to memorialize 8-year-old Omer Sayag. The little boy, who died from cancer in 2015, had a passion for building with blocks. And that’s what this record-breaking structure honors.
In all, the tower is made from half a million plastic bricks. And you thought that you had a lot of those little bricks floating around your house. The tower itself took thousands of people from over two dozen community organizations to build. From Dec. 12-24, the dedicated builders assembled the tower in the separate sections. The sections were then taken to Rabin Square, where they were pieced into one tall tower.
And just how tall is this tower? It measures 117 feet, 11 inches. That’s 35 inches taller than Milan’s plastic brick structure. Whoa!
What’s your child’s favorite thing to build with plastic bricks? Tell us in the comments below.
Floating in the pool is fun, but sometimes you have to kick it up a notch and go for a tricked-out water slide. Whether you’re a waterpark daredevil or more of a lazy river type, you can appreciate these off-the-wall water slides. Click through the slideshow below to see our favorite extreme water rides across the country. Who knows—you just might find your next splash-worthy vacation destination.
Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides, Universal Orlando Volcano Bay
Climb up a volcano, then take a ride on a thrilling body slide. Trap doors will open and send you whooshing downhill in intertwining tubes—what a rush! After you've conquered this ride, check out the rest of the awesome family-friendly slides at Dolphin Bay. The park just opened in May, making it a perfect choice for your next sunny vacation.
It’s no secret that dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on land and sea. The dolphin (Cetacea) family—which includes more than six families and 41 species of dolphins and porpoises—has astounded the human race with the ability to communicate with complex language and follow complicated instructions, including identifying colors and remembering strings of numbers. Not surprisingly, the relationship between these amazing animals and humans dates back hundreds of years, where fisherman across generations and cultures have attested to dolphin rescues. In honor of National Dolphin Day, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite stories to share with your kiddos. Read on for more info.
For more than 20 years Dean Bernal has had an unconventional bestie: the dolphin he calls JoJo. They first “met” in 1981 when JoJo began following Dean on his daily swims in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Over the years the duo have played, explored and protected one another. Dean lobbied to help make JoJo a National Treasure and avoid capture, and JoJo once protected Dean from a hammerhead shark. Read more about their relationship and see video here.
Dick Van Dyke Saved on Porpoise
In 2010, The Telegraph published a story about actor Dick Van Dyke being saved by porpoises. Van Dyke, who had dozed off while floating on a surfboard, woke up and found himself out of sight of land. He began to paddle but still could not see land, and instead saw fins around him. Lucky for Van Dyke those fins belonged to porpoises and according to Van Dyke they actually pushed him toward the shore!
Mind If We Swim Here for a Bit?
In 2014, pro swimmer Adam Walker set out on a 8 1/2 hour swim across the Cook Strait (New Zealand). When a nearly-six foot long shark appeared underneath him, Walker feared for his life. But no sooner had the shark appeared than a pod of dolphins arrived on the scene and swam alongside the swimmer for an hour as he crossed the strait.
Guided by Dolphins
In 2006 a scuba diver in the Channel Islands was knocked unconscious by a boat and reports of his amazing rescue stunned the public. Although the diver had been reported missing and an extensive search was underway, it wasn’t mankind who saved him: it was more than 100 dolphins. After being gone for more than two days, he was spotted in the water surrounded by dolphins.
Like dolphin facts? Click here to learn 10 amazing ones about these intelligent creatures. And be sure and check visit wildolphin.org to find out simple ways you and the kids can help dolphins every day.
Have you ever met a dolphin? Tell us your story in the comments below.
