#FeedtheFamily with Target

A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend Targetโ€™s Feed the Family event in New York City. Target showcased all different ways to feed your family with products you can buy right at your local Target. From soup to nuts- well, from the recipes, to ingredients, to cooking utensils, accessories, and back to school products, it really covered everything.

As a Target shopper, it gave me some good ideas. Target is one of the least expensive stores I know of to shop at, and I got some good ideas to try. I’m not that creative- so it was awesome to be poked a bit, LOL.

I thought this was a cute take on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich- just for a little variety. Take a variety of crackers, some peanut butter, jelly, and cranberries for good measure- and there you go! ๐Ÿ™‚

And of course- every child’s favorite, mac and cheese!

They also have some cute lunchboxes and food-on-the-go containers to get ready for back to school.

Target created the expanded food layout in response to research and feedback from guests who requested more fresh food selection in the convenience of their local Target store. The new and enhanced store redesign allows Target stores to further serve as a one-stop shopping destination for busy guests who can now complete their grocery list or pick up tonightโ€™s [Read more…]

Couponalicious! $2.00 off Friends with Kids DVD or Blu-ray

$2.00 off Friends with Kids DVD or Blu-ray

Active Date: July 17, 2012

Expiration Date: July 17, 2013

Kings Island- Now With Dinosaurs Alive!

Where else can you go on one of ten roller coasters while your kids play on one of eighteen Peanuts themed attractions (ok, while mom takes the kids and dad rides the coasters, in our case)? King’s Island is one of those places that make you realize what an amusement park should be. It is clean, family friendly, the lines are manageable, and they have a waterpark that is included in the price of the theme park- what??? Yep- that is what makes Kings Island my favorite theme park of all time. Mark it down. I have been all over the world, to 29 countries, and all up and down the coast and to about half the 50 states- and if you have only 1 theme park to go to- I’d make it Kings Island, for sure. And it just got even better!

Right now there is also a really neat exhibit called Dinosaurs Alive!, only $5 with park admission, which is a recreation of a half dozen dinosaur scenes. These scenes vary from carnivores setting up a mud pit trap to long necked sauropods. These scenes are astoundingly accurate and kind of surreal when you get down to it. They are on motion sensors, so they move and roar as you walk by. Eerily, you can pass by a recreation flash flood scene from a dinosaur era. Then a second scene showing the deceased dinos and a third showing the fossilized remains of said dinos- sort of strange- not scary, though. Very interesting and mesmerizing. Not only for adults but also for kids. The dinosaurs are realistic but not overly scary for kids.

“Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Island features more than 60 life-sized dinosaurs in a 12.5 acre Jurassic forest setting, including 56 animatronic models.
Highlights of Dinosaurs Alive! include the vicious-looking Irritator and its cousins the Baryonyx and the Spinosaurus, the lizard-like Stegosaurus, the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex, the three-horned Triceratops and the flying Pteranodon.

Four [Read more…]

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party- a Special Event at Magic Kingdom

Nothing compares to Disney- one of the greatest of all American Icons, and one of the most recognizable faces in all the world. This year for Christmas, celebrate with Mickey and all his friends at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a special event at Magic Kindom Park at Disney World.

We had the pleasure of attending last week, and the kids had an amazing time- they had more fun at the Christmas Party then they did during the day if you can believe that!
The park closes early for this event, but don’t worry- if you have tickets, you can go right back in! As soon as you get there, Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade begins- complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself. While he comes up the rear- I can’t say that he was the main attraction for many- it was still Micky and Minnie!

It was magic! The dancers and Disney characters never fell out of step or character- they were the person who they were stepping into! Real magic for your child- and you too. So many adults just love Disney- there were as many adults as children online to see the Princesses and characters for photos!

There were so many grown-ups, Disney Magic is for everyone! Some of the other wonderful attractions for the Very Merry Christmas Party include-

  • The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
  • Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
  • An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza โ€” Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of [Read more…]

Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kalahari

Have a Howling Good Time at @GreatWolfLodge

This was perhaps my favorite spot that we visited, and I will tell you why. Everything was in one place- you didn’t have to go anywhere else once you got to your hotel- because your hotel was also your waterpark, restaurant, activity center (even a computer area for kids) and and more. And all I had to do was park the car!
Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio(Ohio’s first Great Wolf Lodge) is a great place to spend time with family, and would be a fantastic spot for a family reunion. Their huge indoor waterpark is reserved for guests only, thus guaranteeing that you will never have to wait on a long line. There is also an outdoor pool and waterpark area, open seasonally.

Once you arrive, you are greeted and checked in by friendly staff, and you make your way to your room. We stayed in one of the “themed” rooms, the “Wolf Den”. My children loved it, and I have to say so did dad and myself. It was really adorable, with a sectioned off “kid cave”, complete with bunk beds inside. There is a video came console and TV set in there as well, which you can pay to have access to.
The kids loved to play in there, and that it made them feel like they had their “own room”. I loved that it gave me some privacy, and that I could have some small degree of separation from them, while not really being separate from them at all. (Come on, we have all been on family vacations- the kids go wild, and sometimes it’s nice to be able to have a little “grown up space”. How many times can one really hear Mom? Mom? Mom! Mom?) I can still see them and hear them- there is no door- but they can go into the “cave” and play, and I can re-pack a suitcase or find a missing toothbrush in relative peace, LOL. The room was very large, very clean, had an excellent view of the outdoor waterpark- and even a little balcony you can sit on, or dry your wet bathing suits ๐Ÿ™‚

I love the whole “Lodge” look and feel of the hotel- like place in the woods, but modern and with technology and conveniences and comforts, LOL. There were multiple restaurants, as well as a little snack/dessert shop, where you can grab ice cream, fudge, pastries- you know, all the “good” vacation foods! ๐Ÿ™‚
Little Man and I deserted daddy and Kamikaze one morning (we were awake, they were not! hehe) and went to Lumber Jack’s Cook Shanty, where they served a family style breakfast at our table. This means that they brought food to our table- pre-fix food, not food that we choose or order- and you can have as much as you’d like. The food was very good, I have to say! It was very pricey, though- for an adult? 12$ plus tax and if you order a beverage, that is additional as well. For Little Man, since he was only 3, I only had to pay $3.49 for his cup of chocolate milk. (Nope, that was not a typo!) I was kind of shocked at the bill. But, it is what it is. At least the food was good- and Little Man can really pack away his breakfast! (I’m sure you have seen my posts on his love of breakfast, LOL- the boy is addicted! No cereal for him, no sir!) He ate more then his body weight in bacon and french toast sticks, I think. I was allowed to have ONE french toast stick- it was better then the ones I make ๐Ÿ™
Poor me! It was crunchy, but soft inside. I can never get mine crunchy, unless I burn it, LOL. Everything was very [Read more…]