It is so hard to get back to school, work and a routine after being on vacation! We were lucky to be able to stay with friends and visit with friends while we were in Miami!
We also spent time in Fort Lauderdale, Naples and Marco Island. I had never been to the “other side of Florida” and it was just wonderful. Check out the west coast the next time you are in Florida and especially check out the Marco Marriott. We were also lucky in that we had a few days and the weekend to relax at home before the kids went back to school and I went back to work. We tried to do the usual – get to bed early a few days before and eat at a normal time – what ways do you get back into a routine after a vacation?
The Great Wolf Lodge is a fun, close get-a-way this holiday season with lots to do for kids of all ages. We stayed onsite to enjoy a dinner at the Lodge Wood Fired Grill and it was great. I got the buffet which was mostly a Mexican theme and it was really good. Kids loved their meals as well, but there are so many food options to choose from. There is also a Dunkin Donuts onsite. As my kids are on the older side the two best slides, according to both of them, are the wolf’s tale and howlin tornado. The wolf tale is super fast and daring! You step into this launch pod – according to the description on the web site – and the floor drops out from under you, and you’re hurled into a nearly vertical, 20-foot free fall, followed immediately by a 360-degree, high-speed loop! Everyone in my family did it. I did not this visit but have in the past and I cannot believe I did it! It is unlike any water ride I have been on. And the howlin tornado, well this ride is built for four and has lots of tilting twists and turns! We went on this together several times and the drop was unbelievable.
We also received paw passes which allowed us to receive free games, tattoos, create your own stuffed animal and more. There is also lots of gift shops too! Check out the web site for their latest deals and fun!
Disclosure: I was able to stay overnight at a discounted media rate and received complementary paw passes. All opinions are my own in this post.
Thanksgiving is almost here, time for good fun and cheer! This year we are cooking a turkey which in years past we usually buy our turkey pies from my favorite place growing up – Raymond’s Turkey Farm. My kids love their turkey pie and fixings and it’s funny as I loved it as a child too. I just was so busy that I did not have time to get there. I do love this time of year for celebrating traditions. I am trying to make fun memories for my kids and continuing on with my goal of doing something fun and different, (and to travel more – whether it’s a day trip, weekend away or vacation) we are headed to a couple fun events this coming weekend including The Boston Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker and a visit toGreat Wolf Lodge! More on those fun events later.
The girls asked me if they could do the Turkey Trot in our town this year and wanted me to do it with them. Well, I am not a runner – AT ALL – but thought this would be a fun event to do with my kids and it’s for charity (proceeds go to our local food pantry) I have been trying to run every other day but I am only up to 1.5 miles LOL. Believe me this is the most I have ever run – it’s just not my thing- I am trying though….I hope I can make it the 3 miles! So we shall see how this Thanksgiving morning tradition will go. I will not complain though as I am lucky enough to be able to run, my kids are active, my family is here for Thanksgiving so lots to be thankful for!!
Summertime is not over yet! If you are looking for a quick day trip and are planning to be in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area check out Water Country! We had a great time and here are trendymommies tips to surviving the day at Water Country!
Plan ahead and make sure you pick a sunny, warm day – We did have a great sunny day but toward the end of the day we were cold! I know that sounds funny as it was 72 degrees but many of the slides had umbrellas – for good reason – as if it’s very hot they provide a nice area for shade. It’s just we just would not want to be there in the cold!
Buy the locker. We wanted to take photos but didn’t want to carry around our phones all day and thankfully they had lockers to store our stuff. It was pricier than I thought – $12 – but so worth it.
You can walk with you flip flops and towels – or just store them in your locker but I liked to have my flip flops handy – especially if you had to run to the bathroom.
Enjoy the wave pool – what I like about Water Country is that there are lots of places to lounge if you wanted to watch the kids and the wave pool is the perfect place to do this. Plus you can enjoy an ice cream or treat while lounging!
Lots of place to eat – enjoy the food – You can certainly pack some snacks and water and store them in the locker but they do have a variety of places to eat there so enjoy and don’t worry about packing a lunch if you don’t want to.
As with any travel destination – early or later is the best time – anytime is fun at Water Country but we did notice at the end of the day the lines were shorter and that is when the girls went up and down multiple times on their favorite slides.
Well it has been a few weeks since we visited the Red Jacket in South Yarmouth and I miss it! Summer has been so busy but I will never forget our quick adventure to this must see beach resort! As part of the Red Sox Moms the kids and I were invited to stay at this lovely beach resort and we loved it! It is not too late to enjoy a night or more at this fun beach resort so check out the specials they are offering here.
The Red Jacket Beach Resort is on a beautiful beach on Nantucket sound. If you have been to Cape Cod you know there can be a lot of running around and many things to see. What I like about the resort is how quiet it is yet there are so many things to do right on the property.  They have an indoor pool and an outdoor pool that is very close to the beach. Some of the adventures of staying here include yoga on the beach, a great restaurant right on the property, a complete spa and children’s activities each day! Here are some of our photos from the trip. If you want to explore some more around the cape and for more information go to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce web site. Click here for the site.
Disclosure: I was treated to a two night stay to the property as part of the Red Sox Moms initiative. All opinions in this blog post are my own.
Lots to do @rjresortsIndoor pool at night #RedJacketResorts #CapeCod
The Red Jacket beach resort in South Yarmouth has the best sunsets I have ever seen!
Well it has been a few weeks since we visited the Red Jacket in South Yarmouth and I miss it! Summer has been so busy but I will never forget our quick adventure to this must see beach resort! As part of the Red Sox Moms the kids and I were invited to stay at this lovely beach resort and we loved it! It is not too late to enjoy a night or more at this fun beach resort so check out the specials they are offering here.
The Red Jacket Beach Resort is on a beautiful beach on Nantucket sound. If you have been to Cape Cod you know there can be a lot of running around and many things to see. What I like about the resort is how quiet it is yet there are so many things to do right on the property.  They have an indoor pool and an outdoor pool that is very close to the beach. Some of the adventures of staying here include yoga on the beach, a great restaurant right on the property, a complete spa and children’s activities each day! Here are some of our photos from the trip. If you want to explore some more around the cape and for more information go to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce web site. Click here for the site.
Disclosure: I was treated to a two night stay to the property as part of the Red Sox Moms initiative. All opinions in this blog post are my own.
Lots to do @rjresortsIndoor pool at night #RedJacketResorts #CapeCod
The Red Jacket beach resort in South Yarmouth has the best sunsets I have ever seen!
Well, we are back from our Disney vacation and we miss it already. So much has changed since the last time we were there 5 years ago. I will NOT wait that long to visit again. Everyone has their tips and strategies for navigating through the parks so here are my top 5 tips/favs from The Walt Disney World Parks.
1. It makes sense for us to stay at a Disney resort as you can take advantage of the magic hours and those magic bands are great as that is really all you need to carry with you. Who wants to lug around a bag with stuff all day especially if you have older kids.
2. Early in, rest afternoon, late night, back at it – Here is our strategy as our kids are a bit older (10 and 13) – Get to the park early, get your favorite rides in first thing and schedule fast passes for either late morning or later in the evening. My kids like to go on multiple times but with long lines that is not possible. We took a break each day at around 2 and we enjoyed the rides early in the morning with no lines, some days had the fast pass mid-morning and when we got back in the evening we enjoyed the sites and did not stress about the long lines. (at Magic Kingdom there were no lines at 11:00 pm lol)
3. Eat where you like and it doesn’t have to be a big sit down meal each day – we did not do the meal plan. We had one lunch reservation (so we could have a Fantasmic show pass) and of course the most coveted meal -a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest). The other meals we just went with what we liked – dinner at Epcot in Italy and Germany. We also like Downtown Disney as our favorite restaurant is Wolfgang Puck Express. It’s casual, the food is great and you do not need a reservation.
4. Treats! Get the Dole Whip treat at Aloha Isle in Adventureland which is the popular frozen treat blended in pineapple, orange, vanilla or swirled flavors. I kept seeing that frozen banana on a stick everywhere! It was so good! The kids loved the Coke slushie in Animal Kingdom as they never drink it so that was a special treat.  Another favorite in Downtown Disney is Ghiradelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop. LOVE the one scoop sundaes.
5. Disney is not a relaxing vacation -it is very fun but it’s non-stop and tiring. We were lucky as it was 85 and sunny each day so relaxing by the pool each afternoon was a real treat. That is one recommendation – to take a break and relax each day. There can be so much shuttling back and forth on those buses and waiting in line and running to the ride you want. TRY to relax each day if you can. We also spent our last day by the pool and got a ride to the airport at 3:30 (yes my kids were in the pool at 3:05….didn’t want to leave the 85 temps for 25 degrees back home!) so at least we got to have a bit of a wind down period. As I kept saying to my family, “you can rest when we get home!”
Happy New Year! ok I am a bit late to welcome in the new year on the blog given that is is mid-January. lol! It sure was a busy holiday season and the new year is off to a great start for work and play. What is on your agenda for the new year? I don’t like to say resolutions but I did put it out there that this is the year my kids and I will travel more and in general have fun trips scheduled every month. So whether it’s a day of skiing or a trip to Great Wolf Lodge there will be something on the schedule!
Looking for a quick trip overnight someplace close with adventure, water and relaxation? We recommend the newest indoor waterpark resort @GreatWolfLodge. We were invited to the grand opening celebration last week in Fitchburg, Mass and what an adventure. I surprised my kids by not telling them their secret destination for the day. When we pulled up to the parking lot they were screaming! This really is a family fun destination as not only does it have 68,000 square feet of waterpark but 300,000 gallons of water and it’s more than a waterpark with interactive games, activities, a kiddie spa and more.
There is a waterslide for all ages from the kiddie Whooping Hallow and Tadpole Pond to the Howling Tornado and the exclusive Wolf Tale, you will not be bored at all. The girls and I loved the Slap Tail Pond which is the gigantic wave pool. I tested ALL the waterslides and I do mean ALL of them including the Wolf Tale, in which you step into a clear enclosed tunnel and then the clear floor drops right out from underneath you. The younger kids would love the Fort Mackenzie which is like a treehouse in water!
We were so impressed with the waterpark that we didn’t even venture back to the Howlin Timbers Play Park (next time!) There is a 9-hole mini golf course, family bowling and a 30 feet adventure climbing attraction! There is also the Howly Wood® XD Theater which is a motion thrill ride that transports you directly into the movie action! We will have to check this out for sure next time we visit!
My girls also loved the Scooops Kids Spa which has ice cream-themed manicures, facials and more. There are three different gift shops and six restaurants/snack bars (which includes a Dunkin Donuts). Ok so where does the relaxation come in? I like how the lounge chairs are close by the pool so if mom and dad want to take a bit of a break they can. However, I was going non-stop with my kids! There is also the arcade and a restaurant close by in the arcade so parents can relax there too. My girls are all about a good arcade experience!
Admission is exclusive to resort guests. Head over to Great Wolf Lodge onlineand you can save 30 percent on your stay.
Disclosure: My kids and I were invited to the grand opening celebration for the day and got to enjoy the adventure. All opinions are my own.
All smiles @GreatWolfLodgeWave Pool!The kids and the slides…quite an adventure
Looking for a new make-up bag or storage for your kids Legos? Try the Lay-n-Go! Lay-n-go is a 5 foot diameter activity mat that coverts to a satchel allowing for quick and easy clean up of toys. There is a smaller Lay-n-Go Lite which is a smaller, personal activity mat and a Lay-n-Go “cosmo” cosmetics bag. It is great for storing small items and for on the go activities where you need a mat too. They call it their activity mat, cleanup, carryall and storage solution in one (yeah, finally!)Â This was a great solution for me as most days I am dumping the contents of my make-up case on the bed, counter or wherever I am to do my make-up. It wipes clean and is a much more functional cosmetics bag. Plus, perfect for those annoying little toys like polly pockets!
New and improved make-up bag!
Disclosure: the company sent me the Lay-n-Go cosmo for review. All opinions are my own.
