Summer's Not Over Yet! Make The Most Our Of Summer With Embassy Suites

It's now August and many kids are back in school or starting within the next 2 weeks. I want to let you know that summer is NOT over! It's still officially summer and you need to enjoy every minute of the beautiful warm weather because, before you know it, the air will be chilly and snow will fall. I get cold just thinking about it. We definitely made the most out of the summer vacation time as a family and had such a wonderful time!

Playing Putt-Putt at the beach!

This summer we took several trips to many places near and far. We went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for our beach vacation with Granny and Pop. Liam loves the beach and could play in the sand all day with Ry! We stayed for an entire week, which was so great for Papa to be off of work the whole time and ready to play with the kids. We also took a weekend trip to Buckhead, a part of Atlanta, Georgia, with the kiddos for a visit to LegoLand Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza. Josiah is a huge Lego fan, so imagine his face when we walked into a place filled with Legos! As a bonus part of our weekend trip, we were able to stay at Embassy Suites, which just made this trip awesome because the room was huge and had more than enough room for 2 kids and 2 adults! The boys didn't know what to think when they walked into our room.

Our gorgeous bedroom at Embassy Suites (only half of the suite)!

How are you making the most out of your summer vacation? Speaking of Embassy Suites, they teamed up with Dr. Biali, who encourages vacationing and suggests some great ways to get the most out of your summer vacation time! She has some amazing tips that I completely agree with, including to actually relax during your vacation. I remember when I was younger my mom had to plan out every little detail. Instead, it's best to have some down time, relax and actually enjoy your vacation time. Don't overdo it or you will go home even more exhausted than before and that just totally defeats the purpose, right?

Josiah relaxing by the pool at Embassy Suites in Buckhead

Summer may be winding down, but there is still time to plan a vacation! You could even plan a special end-of-summer mini-vacation or back-to-school vacation to get the kids excited about returning to school. Dr. Biali also suggests turning a family obligation into a mini-vacation, which is something we often do. With this tip in mind, I decided to plan a mini-vacation with my oldest son, Josiah, next weekend! A high school friend is having a baby shower in Athens, Georgia and I am taking Josiah along for an overnight trip! Instead of just going to the baby shower, I am going to take him to the University of Georgia campus (my Alma Mater) and show him where I went to school, go eat at my favorite restaurants, and go to the Botanical Gardens for a hike. We are also going to stay with my friends and visit his Great Grandmother! He is so excited about this trip and now so am I. This will be the perfect trip before school begins and I think he'll be ready.

On the Road! Summer is definitely not over for us!

Are you going to plan a trip before the end of summer? I suggest checking to see if there is an Embassy Suites in the area because this hotel is an amazing family-friendly hotel that really helps you get more out of your vacation time. The Embassy Suites we stayed at in Atlanta had 2 pools, a hot tub, and a beautiful lobby. Plus, they have Manager's Receptions every night with free drinks/appetizers and we were able to get room service from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We took advantage of that and the kids loved it!

Want to Win a Vacation?

There is still a great deal of time to enter the "366 Days of More" Sweepstakes on the Embassy Suites Facebook Page to win 2 free nights, one for yourself and one for a friend! Enter from now until February 28th, 2013! Also, be sure to follow Embassy Suites on Twitter to keep up with all the latest news!


Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me the taking the time to participate.

Making The Most Out of Our Weekend Vacation At Embassy Suites In Buckhead Atlanta

A few weekends ago we packed up the car and headed to Atlanta for the weekend. We often take mini weekend vacations with the kids and we thought this was the perfect time for a trip! We've wanted to visit the new LegoLand Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza since it opened and took this opportunity to get on the road! Our first stop was the Embassy Suites Buckhead Atlanta location, our hotel for the night, to check in and get settled. For those of you who are not familiar with the Atlanta area, Buckhead is one of the nicest parts of the city, with many shops, malls, activities and delicious restaurants! Staying in Buckhead means we are right in the middle of all the fun, so we were excited for the trip.

The beautiful view from our room!

We followed our GPS straight to the Embassy Suites Buckhead location and pulled in to automatically be greeted by the valet who offered to park our car and take up our luggage. We usually just opt for self-parking, but the valet parking was only a few dollars more, so we went for it and what a nice change that was- not having to haul all of our bags up stairs, elevators and across the world. As we walked into the hotel, Josiah let out a gasp because it truly was breathtaking! The glass ceiling let a glow of natural light into the atrium and there was a pond all the way through the area filled with Koi fish. This entertained the boys, including my husband, while I checked us in.

The kids loved looking at the fish!

If I remember correctly, we were on the 23rd floor and what a view we had from the elevator! The boys loved going up and down. I'm pretty sure they could have done this all night if I let them.

Coming into our room, we were immediately surprised at just how big the room was, or should I say rooms? There was a living area separate from the bedroom, both very spacious and inviting. The boys immediately went off to explore. The view of Buckhead was great, as we could see the skyline of Atlanta as well as the nearby attractions! Both rooms had 32 inch flat-screen TVs and I love that the living area had a desk where I could work as well as a pull-out couch for extra people! They even asked if they could provide a crib for Liam, which was so nice and thoughtful.

At check-in, we were told about the nightly manager's reception, which featured a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic as well as delicious snacks! Josiah and I decided to head down to the atrium for some beverages during the reception! We got there a little late, so all the snacks were gone, but there were two bartenders there to make any drinks we'd like! I decided on a Peach Bellini, got a glass of Merlot for Cory and Josiah was excited to get a Shirley Temple with cherries on top.

The manager's reception was hopping with guests!

One of the first things I realized was that not only is a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse attached to the Embassy Suites, but they offered room service! We had never eaten there before, but had heard it was delicious, so we took this opportunity to enjoy a great meal in the comfort of our own room. Dinner arrived about 30 minutes after ordering and it looked amazing!

Doesn't this make your mouth water?

My husband opted for steak with their famous Potatoes Au Gratin and the kids shared a cheeseburger meal off the kid's menu. I wasn't as hungry, so I got a salad and the French Onion Soup. Paired with our free drinks from the reception and some iced tea, we were ready to eat!

We were stuffed by the end and needed something to do to work it off. What to do? There was no need to even leave the hotel, honestly, because they had two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. Since it was so nice outside, we went outdoors. I usually just stick my feet in the edge or sit on the stairs with Liam because the water is chilly, but the water was actually heated and warm.

This was definitely the kids' favorite part of the stay at Embassy Suites. They had a blast and we stayed outdoors until the boys were obviously sleepy and ready to go back to the room!

The view from our room at sunset!

I gave the boys a nice bath and we got into bed to watch TV. About this time I realized we didn't bring any milk for Liam, so my husband ran down to the gift shop and purchase some milk and was back in no time! We laid in bed watching cartoons until the boys couldn't keep their eyes open any longer. My husband, on the other hand, stayed in the living room watching sports until the wee hours of the morning, enjoying the peace and quiet!

We had such a great time and the bed was so comfortable. Once I fell asleep, I was completely out until late the next day. I unfortunately missed the made to order breakfast and was so sad, but my husband, the early bird, was up at the crack of dawn and made it a point to get his delicious breakfast. He raved about it, saying how amazing his omelet was. He travels for business quite often and usually complains that breakfast at the hotel is not very appetizing, but not this time. He was very pleased. Since he got there so early, there was no line either and he really enjoyed sitting in the lobby reading a paper and people-watching.

As someone who worked in customer service for many, many years, it is very important to me that staff is caring and helpful. The staff was unbelievably helpful every time we needed something, from the moment we checked in to the time we checked out. We even forgot our deodorant and they had complementary deodorant for us, which saved us from having to purchase at the gift shop. Plus, when I travel, it is usually with kids, so it's nice to finally have a very kid-friendly hotel in mind for us to visit the next time. When we checked out, my husband turned in our valet ticket and our car was brought up to the front door for us. Once it was there, they even helped us load our luggage!

Going to the gift shop with Papa!

I am honestly not used to so many great amenities and features in our hotels. Even the 4-star hotels in the area we've stayed in have not been as nice as this Embassy Suites, so I was extremely impressed with the entire visit. We planned on going out that evening for dinner and for some sort of activity for the kids, but with a restaurant on-site, we were able to stay in to eat and since they had two pools, we had more than enough to do without even leaving the building!

Building a castle for Liam at LegoLand Discovery Center!

We actually planned on visiting LegoLand after checking into the hotel, but since we were so happy we ended up extending the trip and going to LegoLand the next afternoon! Believe me, I took about 200 pictures during the trip and the boys have really enjoyed looking at them over and over again!We had such a great time, I honestly cannot wait for our next visit. The boys are already asking when they can go back to the hotel with the fish! I have a feeling we'll be visiting again before the end of the summer. This was a perfect weekend trip for our family!

Be sure to Follow Embassy Suites on Twitter and Like them on Facebook keep up with all the latest news and promotions!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me the taking the time to participate.

Make The Most Out of Your Vacation With Embassy Suites Hotels & Sweepstakes

Vacations are rare occasions for our little family, so we do our best to make the most of each and every one! With kids, I have found it is best to research and plan ahead of time for the vacation so you can have a schedule to make sure the kids are always having fun and there is never a dull moment! This way we have a great time during the trip and they are talking about it for months afterwards. This keeps them excited for the next vacation, too! We are so excited to be working with Mom Central as an Embassy Suites Ambassador this summer and will be taking a weekend vacation to the Buckhead Embassy Suites in Atlanta, Georgia very soon!

The beautiful atrium at the Buckhead Embassy Suites

Embassy Suites recently surveyed parents about their vacationing habits and found that 56% of families consider themselves "vacation dabblers", which means they take a few days here and there throughout the year to vacation and 13% consider themselves "vacation extenders", making use of holidays and other days off of school/work to take vacation without taking time off.  I can definitely relate to this, especially because there are always hurdles to jump through to make traveling as a family possible. As the survey found, 22% of parents said work definitely interferes with vacation planning , 22% say school and other activities for the kids makes it difficult to plan and another 22% say that they may be able to plan dates, but it's hard to coordinate with spouses/partners. This is always something we have to take into account and work, more than not, is what gets in our way because my husband's job is pretty much 24/7.

During the year we definitely dabble with our vacations, taking a day or two here and there, when work and school permits. Holidays and teacher's work days make it so much easier to coordinate and actually gives us a chance to visit places nearby that we otherwise wouldn't. We've visited Chattanooga during 3-day weekends several times so we can see the aquarium and children's museum, which makes for a perfect short vacation with the kids. We've also visited Atlanta so we could see the aquarium, children's museum, LegoLand and more. There are so many things to do nearby that we can always find a fun place to visit without driving all day. These shorter trips are easier to plan, which ends up being less stressful for us and enjoyable for everyone.

As I mentioned, we try to make the most out of every trip we take! This is very important for us as a family, so we try to plan fun activities that are also educational, so that they kids can not only enjoy the experience, but take something away from it. Embassy Suites has partnered with Dr. Biali, a health and happiness expert, to help families make the most out of every vacation or "more-imize" their vacation! Dr. Biali wants your vacation to bring happiness, fun and relaxation. I agree with all of her recommendations and had to share a few with you!

Tips to More-imize your Vacation!

Our last beach vacation view!

1. Vacation isn't just about the time you are away. Looking forward to an impending vacation improves attitude and makes it easier to get through work. I always look forward to our trips because it gives all of us something to look forward to as a family. By the time the big day comes for us to leave, we are all excited about getting on the road, even if that means spending a few hours in the car!

2. Use your vacation days to "relax and do something fun - not to run around and do errands all day"! Do something to actually enjoy the vacation. Don't just stay on the computer or worry about work. Have fun and don't overdo it. Even if you plan activities, don't plan too many. You don't want the vacation to become stressful. Enjoy it!

3. Make your vacation  budget go further by staying at a hotel like Embassy Suites! You get more for your money (more space in your suite, breakfast, complimentary drinks/snacks, etc.) and can either save money or use the extra money saved for other activities!

The reason we vacation every year-- to see these beautiful smiles!

My own tip would be to plan ahead, schedule some fun activities, but to also plan relaxation time as Dr. Biali suggests. In addition, take time after the vacation to talk with the kids. Find out what they found more enjoyable, what they didn't like and what they would love to do again. This will help them remember their trip and look forward to an even better trip next time!

Want to Win a Vacation?

Be sure to enter the "366 Days of More" Sweepstakes on the Embassy Suites Facebook Page to win 2 free nights, one for yourself and one for a friend! Then enter the "Get More Vacation Sweepstakes" from now until July 20th! Just "like" the Facebook page and upload a picture of your family's "vacation face" for a chance to win not only a week-long vacation at Embassy Suites Hotels, but $10,000 cash! Wouldn't that be awesome?!

We will be taking our vacation at Embassy Suites very soon and I can't wait to tell you all about it! So, stay tuned for more info about Embassy Suites and what their amazing hotel offers guests year-round. Be sure to follow Embassy Suites on Twitter to keep up with all the latest news.


Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me the taking the time to participate.