Fun At Adventure Landing! #AdventureLanding @AdventureLandin

December 8, 2015 By Marijean

I am always looking for fun places to take my children. Now that we have moved to Florida, there are so many fun places to take them! However, some are 2 hours + away, and when we are just looking for a fun morning or afternoon out, we want to stay close to home. When I heard about Adventure Landing, and how one of the locations was about 15 minutes away, I was excited to take my family to check it out!

Adventure Landing has locations in the following States:

Florida: Jacksonville Beach, Jacksonville Blanding and St. Augustine
New York: Buffalo, Greece and Wheatfield
North Carolina: Raleigh, Gastonia, Winston-Salem and Charlotte
Texas: Dallas

My family and I received tickets, tokens and meal vouchers to the St. Augustine location, which isn’t far away from home. We went twice, first time we went it started raining, so we played in the Arcade and had lunch. The second day we went on the go-carts and played mini-golf.

As you can see, Adventure Landing has many ticket and family options you can choose from. Each day they have a new special going on. We went on a Saturday and received that special of the day. We received the Super Saturday package which includes Unlimited Golf, 2 Go Kart Rides and 40 Arcade Tokens. The cost of this is $9.99 per person and is valid 10am-12pm. So, if you come in the morning before noon you get the best deal. We also received Family food special that they serve daily. We had 1 Large Cheese Pizza, 4 Sodas and 40 Arcade Tokens.

The arcade is huge!!! There are so many games to play. My kids were having fun playing the games and receiving tickets to get a toy. They have all kinds of games and even crane machines to win stuffed animals, tickets and candy!

Once the rainy weather was behind us, we went back to Adventure Landing a few days later. The attractions that this location has are: Mini Golf (outside), Batting Cages (outside), Speedway Go-Carts(outside), Max flight Simulator(inside) and Arcade. First, we played 18 holes of Mini-golf. My kids had fun and loved it. Then, we went on Go-carts. They have single/double adult carts, and a separate track for kiddie carts. My 7 year old and 4 year old LOVED the kiddie carts. They had such a big smile on while driving. My husband and I took the kids on the Adult carts, we each got double rider tickets. It was a lot of fun!!! The whole staff is very friendly also, and answer any questions you may have. They are very helpful and always asking if we are doing ok!

Adventure Landing is a fun place to take the family! So much to do, whether it is a rainy day and you just want to enjoy pizza and the arcade, or a sunny day and enjoy everything, your whole family is sure to have a great time.

Connect with Adventure Landing: Website, Facebook, Twitter

***I was given tickets in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with Adventure Landing. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Christmas Town™ Upgrades Bring More Holiday Cheer To Busch Gardens Tampa

December 1, 2015 By Marijean

CHRISTMAS TOWN UPGRADES
BRING EVEN MORE HOLIDAY CHEER

Christmas Town™ transforms Busch Gardens® into a holiday wonderland of Christmastime entertainment, and the best way to unwrap the cheer is with all-new exclusive experiences that you and your family will treasure forever.

NEW! Holly Jolly Christmas Party

‘Tis the season for a Holly Jolly Christmas Party where spectacular Yuletide celebrations await. Mrs. Claus and her elves join you for dinner with a delicious all-you-care-to-eat pizza and salad buffet at the Garden Gate Café. The party keeps going with fun holiday activities, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.

NEW! Christmas Town™ VIP Experience

Unwrap all the magic of the holidays during the Christmas Town VIP Experience, a three-hour-long guided tour that is sure to make your Christmastime memories even more merry and bright.

This ultimate experience is complete with:

· Front-of-the-line access to Santa’s House presented by Coca-Cola®, where the Claus family invites you into their North Pole home as the elves prepare for Christmas. There, Santa will take a break from his busy holiday schedule to meet and take photos with in his private study.

· An exclusive up-close encounter with Busch Gardens’ African penguins.

· Fun holiday activities at the Holly Jolly Christmas Party, including writing a letter to Santa, decorating decadent cupcakes and singing classic Christmas carols.

· Delicious pizza and salad buffet hosted by Mrs. Claus and her elves at Garden Gate Café, or a holiday feast at the Crown Colony Restaurant for an additional fee.

· VIP seating to Christmas On Ice, where Yuletide melodies, deadline-driven elves and the big man himself come together to celebrate the many wonders of Christmas during this holiday spectacular.

· Commemorative photo with Santa Claus and refillable hot chocolate mug.

For more information about these exclusive experiences, visit ChristmasTown.com for pricing and reservations. Christmas Town is included with any annual pass, Fun Card or daily admission to the park. The 2016 Fun Card is available for purchase now. With the 2016 Fun Card, guests pay for one day and get all of 2016 free. Plus, guests who purchase their 2016 Fun Card now can also visit Busch Gardens for the remainder of 2015 for no additional cost, including the popular Christmas Town™ event.

Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at BuschGardensTampaBlog.com, or “Like” the Busch Gardens Tampa FB Page and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram .

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Real Kids Shades Review and Giveaway @RealKidsShades

November 25, 2015 By Marijean

Protecting your eyes and your child’s eyes is so important. I live in sunny Florida, so sunglasses are a MUST all year round. I always make sure my children (and myself) always have a pair of sunglasses with them when they are outside. It can be tricky though finding a good pair, and a pair that you know has the right protection. I was contacted by Real Kids Shades to do a review on a pair of Sunglasses.

Sunglasses with cases that were included.

The sunglasses I reviewed are the Breeze – Youth P2 Polarized Lens for ages 7+. My daughter is 7 years old and she picked the Purple/Navy color. When my package arrived I opened the box and the sunglasses were in a really nice plastic case that came with a hook that you can attach to your purse, backpack or even belt loop on you pants. Also, a really nice soft case came with the sunglasses and also included a clip. For me, a protective case is a must so the sunglasses don’t get damaged.

Front of sunglasses

Side of sunglasses

The sunglasses are nice and light. Nice flexible arms that don’t hurt my daughter’s ears, and flex with her. Pretty awesome design! These sunglasses have 100% UVA/UVB Protection. I like how the rubber-like material bends and twists, but will not lose its shape. The lenses are also shatterproof polycarbonate, huge plus in case my daughter drops them. My daughter wore them outside in bright sun and said the sun didn’t hurt her eyes at all! I even looked through them myself towards the sun and I must say, they really do keep your eyes protected. She has also been wearing them for car rides and says they are “Super comfy”.

My 7 year old daughter in her new shades!

Here is more information on Real Kids Shades:

Real Kids Shades Polarized Sunglasses

Children’s vision experts say the sooner parents start protecting their kids eyes from the sun, the lower the risk of developing future eye problems. Kids need to take extra care to wear sunglasses as they can’t filter UV light as effectively as adults.

Real Kids is the leading innovator of children’s 100% UVA/UVB eye protection

We now provide the most extensive product line in children’s quality sun glasses offered in four sizes specific to kids’ ages and stages that focus on style, performance and fit.

We take fit and performance by age very seriously, and created styles that kids will love to wear at a price point that parents can afford. Real Kids offers custom sized products for
Baby (0+), Toddler (2+), Kid (4+), and Youth (7+).

Flex Fit

Building on our successful flexible technology, Real Kids now offers TPEE Flex-Fit frames for all age/stages and all Real Kids products use polycarbonate lenses. In addition to the expanded line of sunglasses for children, Real Kids has taken their award-winning product design to a new level.

P2 Lens Technology

We are excited to introduce our new P2 Lens Technology which combines our lightweight, impact resistant polycarbonate lenses with glare-reduction polarization at an outstanding price point.

These are a great choice for your children with a price that won’t break the bank! I love that they have all of the protection I desire for keeping my daughter’s eyes safe from the sun. Definitely check out their site and check out the great deal below!

They also have a Young Adult line, so the whole family can keep be stylish together!

To celebrate the holidays, Real Kids is offering a 20% off coupon and free shipping on orders over $25. Use the HOLIDAY15 coupon code when checking out from November 18 through January 3, 2016.

Connect with Real Kids Shades:

****GIVEAWAY****

Real Kids Shades is giving away 1 pair of sunglasses to a lucky reader! Please go to their site here and then to enter please answer the following question: “What style and color choice would you pick if you win?” Winner will be chosen on 12/9!!

CONGRATULATIONS Jennai you win the giveaway!

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Unforgettable Thanksgiving Surprises at Walt Disney World

November 24, 2015 By Marijean

I just wanted to make you aware of two heartwarming Thanksgiving stories filled with unforgettable surprises at Walt Disney World involving members of our military from the United States Air Force and United States Navy. As part of their special Thanksgiving week programming, these stories will air on “Good Morning America” on Thanksgiving morning and on “Good Morning America Weekend” on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Find out how this Oklahoma family celebrated a real “circle of life” moment at Disney’s Animal KingdomÕs Festival of the Lion King show with “Good Morning America Weekend” meteorologist Rob Marciano on “Good Morning America Weekend” Saturday morning, Nov. 28.

You’ve seen many stories with the U.S. military surprising their own members and their families. But this week, we will share two military stories with a surprising twist featuring “Dancing With The Stars” former celebrity participant and current “Good Morning America” correspondent Melissa Rycroft and “Good Morning America Weekend” meteorologist Rob Marciano. These are heartwarming Thanksgiving stories that your viewers, readers and followers will remember this holiday season. We hope sharing them with you will help you with meaningful content during the slower holiday news days ahead.

Find out why these two families from Lemoore, Calif. and Roanoke, Va. are enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with “Good Morning America” correspondent Melissa Mycroft.

In addition to watching these segments, please go to http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/ and wdwnews throughout the week for special behind-the-scenes footage, photos and more details on these poignant stories filled with gratitude.

SPECIAL NOTE: These families are from the following markets: Roanoke, Va., Bonaire, Ga., Lemoore, Calif. and Edmund, Okla.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

So Much Fun at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2015 #MVMCP

November 17, 2015 By Marijean

We were given tickets to MVMCP Media Night. All of these opinions are my own.

I love everything about Disney World. My family and I used to make the long 17 hour drive from New Jersey each year until we moved 2 hours away from Disney a year ago. Now we enjoy going very frequently. We have been to Disney World every season, but we never made it out to the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I had the chance to go this past Friday night with Anne from “Mommy Has To Work” for a Ladies night and we had a blast!!

Cinderella Castle is transformed into an Icy palace that changes color!

You can enter the party as early as 4pm. When we arrived, we were given special wrist bands. These wrist bands you must wear so the cast members know that you paid to come to the Christmas Party. Guests who do not have these bands on will be asked to leave. The park is absolutely amazing with all of the Christmas decorations. From wreaths to snowflakes shining, it really is a site to see! I love how all night there is Christmas music playing. So many people come dressed up in their Christmas shirts, jewelry, and Disney Christmas gear! I didn’t unfortunately, but next year I will!! One favorite part is that it “snows” on Main Street! It was amazing and really did seem like it was snowing real snow!!

Main Street! Beautiful Christmas decorations and it is snowing!

The park has special stations set up for complimentary hot chocolate, sugar cookies & apple slices. They are easily identified by the big inflatable candy canes. I had many cookies and they were so good! The hot chocolate was very chocolatey and yummy. The Disney Characters were all dressed up for Christmas and they all looked so cute.

The parade, called Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, happens twice each night, at 8.15 and 10.30p. We went to the 10:30pm parade. So many characters!! My favorite were the Frozen characters, and of course Santa!!!

Just breathtaking!

At 9:30 we viewed the amazing firework show called Holiday Wishes. Disney always does a great job on their fireworks, this time lots of them were Green & Red for Christmas. There are some special shows that occur as well, Celebrate the Season and Frozen Holiday Wish. Both are great and kids would surely love!

Anne and I with “Sandy Claws!”

I ate dinner at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland, and there was a dance party going on with Phineas and Ferb! Kids and adults were having a blast with them dancing! There are also characters that walk around and dance with the kids, and of course plenty to have your picture taken with. “Sandy Claws” (Jack Skeleton from Nightmare Before Christmas) was my favorite.

The park also has special souvenirs sold only at the Christmas Party, and also special yummy treats.

Amazing Tree!

Here is some more Information:

This after-hours party is a special – ticket event offered select nights between Nov. 8 and Dec. 18, 2015, and features a sleigh full of merriment:

Queen Elsa’s transformation of Cinderella Castle into a glittering ice palace
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus
An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — “Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
Live entertainment featuring Disney characters, including the “Celebrate the Season” musical stage show
Meet and greet opportunities with favorite Disney characters throughout Magic Kingdom
Complimentary cookies, apple slices and hot cocoa
A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
Holiday performances by the acclaimed contemporary a capella group VoicePlay in Tomorrowland
Many popular Magic Kingdom attractions open for family – friendly fun

Click here to purchase your tickets!!