Mommy Has to Work

Seaworld’s Christmas Celebration Begins This Friday, November 25th! #Seaworld

November 22, 2016 By Marijean

SEAWORLD’S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION STARTS THIS FRIDAY

Brighten up this year’s holiday season during SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration, where guests experience the joys of Christmas complete with all-new festivities and returning favorites sure to inspire traditions for years to come. Holiday events take place Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays November 25 through December 11 and then run daily December 16 through 31.

During SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration guests of all ages can delight over scrumptious food, stunning live shows, joyful entertainment inspired by the natural world and much more.

All-New Holiday Festivities

Rudolph’s ChristmasTown –New this year is the Rudolph’s ChristmasTown where guests can meet Rudolph, Clarice, Bumble and Yukon Cornelius from the classic family Christmas television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Plus, guests can stroll past life-size story book vignettes showcasing the classic Rudolph story.

Santa’s Workshop presented by Coca-Cola –Meet Santa Claus in an all-new Christmas experience. Guests can make timeless memories to treasure as they embrace the joy of the holiday season at Santa’s Workshop, presented by Coca-Cola.

Returning Holiday Favorites

Clyde & Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas –A returning classic, Sea Lion & Otter Stadium celebrates the season with a hilarious Christmas comedy show. Clyde and Seamore, along with a few mischievous otters, a comical elf, and even a jolly walrus, invite guests to their fun-filled holiday celebration.

Shamu Christmas Miracles –Shamu Stadium once again brightens the night with dazzling lights and glowing candles, while Christmas carols abound and Shamu splashes to celebrate the holiday season.

O Wondrous Night –Experience a live nativity only SeaWorld can bring to life, complete with more than 30 carols, life-sized puppets, and animals in a spectacular Christmas favorite based on The Christmas Story. Told through the eyes of the animals that were there, O Wondrous Night is a touching, light-hearted, and glorious celebration with a host of angels, animals, and the true glory of Christmas.

Sesame Street’s Elmo’s Christmas Wish– The holidays have arrived, and everybody’s Sesame Street^® friends have come to SeaWorld Orlando for a festive and fun musical celebration! Elmo’s Christmas Wish will soon become every child’s favorite show. Join Rosita, Grover, Zoe and Cookie Monster as they work together to help Elmo find his Christmas wish!

Winter Wonderland on Ice –Christmas comes to life on a stage of ice, jewels and light as skaters dazzle and delight in this show-stopping, ice skating extravaganza.

Sea of Trees – Families will stroll through a wintery, watery wonderland as they are immersed in a sea of glistening holiday trees that sparkle to music as they light up the water. New this year is a glistening Christmas tree towering 70-feet above the water.

The Christmas Market –Nestled along the park’s Bayside Pathway, The Christmas Market features festive entertainment and delicious culinary delights. Complete with playful elves, a charming model train village, and the comedic antics of the Christmas Council, the Market is the centerpiece of SeaWorld’s Christmas event. Guests can also relax near the warm glow of the fire pit a holiday cocktail while experiencing a wonderful view of the vibrant Sea of Trees.

Holiday Cuisine

For those looking for unique holiday cuisine, The Christmas Market is filled with fresh-popped kettle corn, waffle cone S’mores, grilled slider sandwiches, short-rib brisket mac & cheese and SeaWorld’s very own apple pie with a unique and delicious twist. Guests can also sip on flavorful hoppy craft brews and specialty flavored hot cocoa located near the stage at Bayside Pathway. Live music under the Gazebo completes the entire experience as guests enjoy the craft brew.

Guests can now indulge their senses with more than 60 delectable bites and craft brews served on tap with two all-new Tasting & Brew Sampler packages.

Guests can also enjoy a memorable holiday meal, along with a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Santa’s Fireside Feast. The exclusive dinner features an all-you-care-to-eat menu of holiday favorites and delicious desserts.

Ring In The New Year at SeaWorld Orlando

On December 31, guests can ring in the New Year at SeaWorld Orlando. Vibrant fireworks will fill the night sky and festive entertainment will take place throughout the park, including interactive DJ stations, craft beers and delectable bites.

Best Way To Enjoy Holiday Cheer

The best way to experience SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration and New Year’s with family and friends is with an Annual Pass. By purchasing a Pass now, guests can get three additional months free. Also available now is the brand new Transferrable Pass allowing Pass Members to bring a different guest each time they visit SeaWorld Orlando or Aquatica Orlando dependent on the type of Transferable Pass purchased. Pass Members receive exclusive park benefits and rewards, priority access to new attractions and concert seating pre-sales, free tickets and give-a-ways, in-park discounts, access to the Pass Member lounge and much more.

To really sweeten the holidays, SeaWorld Pass Members can enjoy a delicious meal with each visit by purchasing an Annual Dining plan for just $79. The dining plan can be used at many of the park’s restaurants and includes one entrée, one dessert or side and one non-alcoholic beverage per day through December 31, 2017.

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration voted in the Top 10 Best Theme Park Holiday Event by USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards in 2015.

For more information, park hours and to purchase tickets, visit SeaWorldOrlando.com.

Follow SeaWorld on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration details and information.

###

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is a leading theme park and entertainment company providing experiences that matter and inspiring guests to protect animals and the wild wonders of our world. The company is one of the world’s foremost zoological organizations and a global leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry and veterinary care. The company collectively cares for what it believes is one of the largest zoological collections in the world and has helped lead advances in the care of animals. The company also rescues and rehabilitates marine and terrestrial animals that are ill, injured, orphaned or abandoned, with the goal of returning them to the wild. The SeaWorld^® rescue team has helped more than 28,000 animals in need over the last 50 years.

The company owns or licenses a portfolio of recognized brands including SeaWorld, Busch Gardens^® and Sea Rescue^®. Over its more than 50-year history, the company has built a diversified portfolio of 12 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States, many of which showcase its one-of-a-kind zoological collection of over 800 species of animals. The company’s theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company.

Marijean

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

Give Beautiful and Unique Gifts This Holiday Season from Diamonds in Ice (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 22, 2016 By Heather Little

With the holidays right around the corner, we all have those people on our list that are just so hard to shop for. For me, it’s my in-laws, so I’m always on the look out for unique, personalized gifts. I never seem to go wrong with photographs of the grandkids, so I was excited to find a product that offered a way to have beautiful pictures in something other than a traditional print in a frame. Diamonds In Ice uses state of the art technology to embed your photographs right into glass. This incredible process fuses your picture permanently into the glass to capture natural backlight, which enhances the colors and vibrancy of each image perfectly.

Transforming your pictures is a very easy process. Once on the website, www.diamondsinice.com, browse through the products to find what you like. Glass prices start at just over $30 and go up to $85 depending on the size and glass type used. The glass designs come in beveled, flat, and curved. You can purchase coasters and ornaments as well.

I selected the curved glass in the 7″ x 10″ size – I liked that it was free-standing and just the right size for the photo I wanted to use. I uploaded the photograph, easily edited it to make it fit just as I wanted, and even had the option of adding text, like a name or date. I added it to the cart, checked out, and within a couple weeks, a beautiful piece of glass with my photograph fused right into it! Customer service was very helpful and responded to my questions in a timely manner, which is always a plus when ordering items online.

If you’re looking for a unique way to bring new life to a photograph, definitely check out Diamonds in Ice and all the beautiful, personalized items they have to offer. They make great gifts for the holiday and something to enjoy all year long.

Connect with Diamonds in Ice: Website Facebook Pinterest Instagram

*I received the mentioned curved glass in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

Heather Little

My name is Heather Little and my husband and I have two sweet girls and one crazy dog. We moved to Florida 6 years ago and have loved every minute of it! I enjoy crafting, good food, shopping, and of course travel!

PlayMonster Steps up STEM Offerings and the Play Experience This Holiday (Review) (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 20, 2016 By Marijean

My 8 year old daughter loves anything to do with learning. She is a very hands on child, and loves to build and create. She is very interested in STEM activities (Science Technology Engineering and Math). I was asked to review two popular STEM play sets from PlayMonster.

PlayMonster is a toy and game company that believes in the power of play to make a positive difference in people’s lives. This holiday, they bring increased motor power and play-friendly dolls to the award-winning Roominate line of building sets, while the My Fairy Garden line brings children imaginative, fantasy, open-ended play with garden play sets that allow the nurturing of real plants.

Roominate is an award-winning line of complete building sets that are designed for girls in order to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Named as one of The Toy Insider’s STEM toys of 2016, the line was started with one simple mission: open up possibilities for girls by showing them that creativity and engineering are fun.

PlayMonster improved upon the highly successful Roominate line by increasing motor power and creating unique building pieces and more play-friendly dolls! With all sets, girls can build the creations shown, or use their imagination to create their dream project! It’s fun for them to “Think it, Build it and Switch it on!”

Emma’s Townhouse—Build a tall townhouse, or a wide one, either way you can design a colorfully modern home! Use the included motor to build a ceiling fan, or anything you can think of! Includes Emma doll and her pet pig Hodgkin. Ages 6+. SRP $29.99; Available at Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Barnes & Noble.

What’s cool about the Townhouse?

Design your townhouse vertically or horizontally
Arrange the food, tools and toiletries, along with the stickers, or add your own accessories and artwork!
Bring your creations to life with the circuits and a motor!

5 Panels and 10 Columns
72 Building Pieces
2 Discs
2 Roof Pieces
2 Shutters
1 Flower Box
Axle
Motor
Battery Box
27 Food and Home Accessories
Sticker Sheet
Wallpaper Sheet
Emma Doll
Hodgkin the Pig
Guide

Review:

Alison was super excited to receive this! She loves dolls, and loves doll houses. She took this right out of the box and started building immediately. The really cool thing about this play set is you don’t have to just make a town house. You can make so many other things such as different type houses and rooms! She used the motor to make a really cool fan in one of the rooms! I love how this play set gets her thinking and using her imagination to build.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Freya’s Magical Cottage™ — An adorable flower pot that’s a welcoming fairy home where Freya entertains friends and tends to her garden! The set includes the flowerpot cottage with opening doors and terrace, tray, cottage furniture, toadstool, Freya the fairy, her friend, and gardening accessories and tools. SRP $24.99; Available at Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Outset.

Grow Your Own Magical Garden!

My Fairy Garden™ is the first of its kind: a toy that’s also a real, live garden! Children love kits that allow them to grow plants at home; it gives them a connection to nature and a sense of satisfaction at having nurtured a living thing. My Fairy Garden takes it to a new, exciting level by allowing children to interact with it as part of an enchanting play set! Children plant the quick-germinating seeds, and care for their garden, all while setting up and playing with adorable fairies, woodland friends and accessories! It’s a great collectible line for children ages 4 and up!

An adorable flower pot that’s a welcoming fairy home where Freya entertains friends and tends to her garden! The set includes everything needed to set up a play area: flowerpot cottage with opening doors and terrace, tray, cottage furniture, rooftop trim, toadstool, Freya the fairy, her chipmunk friend Hazel, and gardening accessories and tools. Also included are soil and quick-germinating seeds to get your garden started! Children can add other flowers or plants if they want, too! It’s a fun growing and play set!

Ages 4 and Up
Contents: 2-Piece Flowerpot, Tray, Toadstool, Umbrella Table, 2 Chairs, Seed Packet, Soil, Watering Can, 3 Gardening Tools, Freya the Fairy, Hazel the Chipmunk, Leaflet

Review:

Gardening is fun for all ages, so this would make a great gift for a birthday or as a holiday gift. Making this garden was fun and easy, and it even comes with cute furniture to put inside or outside of the garden. I even enjoyed helping my daughter put it all together. The cool things about this is you can even add your own flower seeds. This will last for years and years to come.

Each of these items would make great gifts for the holiday season. Any young girl would love them!

*I received complimentary samples of the above play sets in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

Marijean

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

Stretch & Sniff Scen-Ties Hair Ties Review (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 19, 2016 By Marijean

My 8 year old daughter is really getting to be the fashionista. She loves fashion and style, and that includes hair accessories. She always wears the cutest headbands and hair bows. She loves to wear her hair in pony tails or braids. I was contacted by a company that makes really cute scented hair ties, and I knew that Alison would love to try them out.

WHAT ARE SCEN-TIES?

SCENTIES are a fun twist on a very common existing product – elastic hair ties. The twist is that we have fragranced ours with fun, attractive scents for girls like bubblegum, strawberry and cotton candy. We’ve also added a tiny fabric tag to each elastic. When the wearer tugs the adorable little tag the scent is emitted from the elastic. This makes our SCENTIES the first in a category for children we like to call TOYCESSORIES – an accessory that is also a fun, interactive toy. Go ahead and give Scenties a try – Stretch ‘em, Sniff ‘em, Wear ‘em, Share ‘em.

SNIFF ‘EM

Scent is one of the most powerful of our five senses. Smelling a fragrance can evoke a wide range of emotions in people. We use innovative technology called microencapsulation to add fun, savory scents to our SCENTIES. We’ve started our collection with kid favorite scents like Strawberry, Cotton Candy and Bubblegum. All of our fragrances have been created to comply with The International Fragrance Association Standards.

SHARE ‘EM

After conducting some focus group research last summer it became apparent that SCENTIES are both a collectible and tradable item. Girls were willing to share their SCENTIES with each other and equally interested in holding onto certain special scents to keep just for themselves.

Scen-Ties are available in 3 different scents. Bubblegum, Cotton Candy and Strawberry. Each pack is $5.99 and includes 6 hair ties in each pack. When I took them out of the box I immediately could smell the scents. They smell so good! My daughter was super excited to take them out of packaging and try them out.

She loves all of the scents. They smell so sweet and yummy. Alison loves to wear them as bracelets or in her hair, she loves to wear a couple at one time and combine scents. These hold her hair all day, and are made to not break. I have very thick hair and these hold my hair in a pony tail fine. She is very excited to take some to school and let her friends try them out.

These Scen-Ties would make awesome stocking stuffers for the little girl (or grown girl) in your life. These would be very cute also tied to a birthday present. The possibilities are endless.

You can purchase Scen-Ties by clicking here.

Connect with Scen-Ties: Facebook and Instagram

*I received the mentioned Scent-Ties in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Marijean

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

3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights Make the Perfect Holiday Gift!

November 19, 2016 By Marijean

3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the perfect gift this holiday season. They have a full range of comic book, super hero, Disney Princess, sports and car lights that look as though they are popping right out of the wall! They are cordless battery operated and cool to the touch so you can place them any where in the room! Your kids will loves having these in their rooms and they’re also the perfect editions to a den, family room, man’s cave or office! It includes a crack sticker so it looks like it really is breaking through the wall! Find all of these amazing products here: Target and Target.com .