I forgot about a couple of simple yet cool things I noticed while in San Diego. Many parents may already know about these bits but they were new to me, so here goes:

1. There was a group of kids at Lego Land that were all part of a birthday party. They were all wearing custom yellow (read: easy to spot) shirts with the birthday info on them. One could easily get a head count and if one of the kids got lost, the park employees would know exactly which group they belonged to. Of course, "yellow" may become the favorite for parents and too many of them would defeat the purpose. But the custom info on the shirt was a really good idea. We write our cell phone numbers on our kids' arms or shoes so if they get lost an adult will know how to reach us. But we also dressed Ben in camouflage shorts so finding him might not be as easy. I've said it many times: I'm much more of a butter knife than a steak knife, if you know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean, you're a butter knife too.

You can go to CafePress.com and create your own shirts and have them delivered in mere days. And no, I do not get a cut of your purchase price... they're just easy. There are surely other services out there too but this one rolled off my tiny little brain.

2. Baggies: If you have a cell phone or a camera or some other electronic device, it might be smart to carry a little plastic baggie to protect those devices, *if* you plan on going on any of the water rides or sitting in the "soak zone" at Sea World. You WILL get wet so the only question is, to what degree. Be prepared (yes, I was a scout) and save yourself time and money by protecting your investment(s) with an inexpensive protective bag. I have a couple hundred in the house and would be happy to mail you one if needed (if you take me up on this offer, you're one cheap bastard!).

I'm sure I noticed other things but these two obvious bits stood out to me and might be useful to you. That'll be a nickel.