Great Wolf Lodge Loves Police

I recently came across a great deal for law enforcement families.  Great Wolf Lodge, which has locations all over the country, offers a "Howling Heroes" discount that takes around 10% off the price of a room when you book using offer code "HEROES."

Here's the verbiage from the Great Wolf web site:

Promotional Rate:  Howling Heroes - Rate for Armed Forces, Police, Fire, & EMS Workers. Must present valid ID at check-in. Limit 2 rooms per ID. Limited number of rooms available for each date. May not be valid during holiday and blackout periods. Multiple night minimum stay may apply.

What a great offer!  And from the reviews I've read, what a great place to get away - can't wait until my own kids are old enough so we can go enjoy our local Great Wolf Lodge!

Advice: take advantage of your police office spouse's quirky schedule and stay midweek.  Check a bunch of dates before you decide; prices can differ drastically over time.  Potentially save money by splitting a suite with another family.  And remember that this price includes tickets for four to their indoor waterpark.  And if the discount doesn't work online or you're having trouble with the site, pick up the phone and call - these people are wolfpack friendly!

Scheduling for Success

We all know that police officers work some of the toughest and most-oddly scheduled shifts, compared to nearly any other profession.  And we all know how optimistic we can be, as police spouses, about things magically "falling into place" around our other half's shifts.

*Snort*

Hey, I got it out with a straight face!

Dealing successfully with the realities of being a police family can often depend on how well you can schedule your time.  I've found and started using a FABULOUS tool I want to share with you all.

The Cozi internet calendar has it all.  You can set up schedules for limitless numbers of household members, schedule with all of the rigidity of Outlook but all of the flexibility of a more user-friendly format, and sync with other calendars on the web, desktop and phone.  Plus, you can keep task lists there and access "been there done that" advice from their calendaring geniuses.

I started using it back in August of 2010.  Cozi lets me put appointments on the calendar in a different color for everyone in my house - plus I can set up an additional "person" to represent the house and schedule our chores!  (There's an interface for FlyLady if you're into that routine.)  It keeps my shopping list...and then I can have it texted to me while I'm in the store.  And task list items can have a due date set and go right on the calendar.

Another nifty part of Cozi is that you can sync it with multiple other calendars.  For instance, if you and your husband maintain separate Outlook programs, you can download *just* your appointments to yours, and *just* your husband's to his.  You can also take advantage of the recurring calendar function, which allows far more flexibility in choosing multiple days and patterns.  I have my husband's entire year plotted out so I can figure out the best weekends for us to go visit family...and the best weekends to stay home and do work around the house.

Highly recommend.  You'd think they were paying me, I'm so enthusiastic.  (They're not.  But, uh, they could.  Email me!  Mwah!)  Go check it out and let me know what you think!

Police Pets in DFW

If you are a police family and live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, check out this excellent resource:

Vaccination Station, presenting Operation Vaccination, provides lower-cost veterinary services to the public on set dates at set non-clinic locations.  But what's of interest to law enforcement families is this:

"Free rabies vaccinations for the pets of firemen, teachers & law enforcement officers with picture ID."

What a nice thing to do!  Hurry over to Vaccination Station to check out where they'll be next so you can go get your pets vaccinated.

And as always when participating in offers meant for law enforcement families, remember to say thank you!