Showing posts with label summer activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer activities. Show all posts

27.7.13

Visit Your Local Park this July For National Park and Recreation Month #ParkRecLuv

Did you know July is national Park and Recreation Month? We love our local parks and, since we live up in the mountains, we visit them often for day and weekend trips with the kids. We can go biking, hiking or even just stay at one of the cabins. There are 9 state parks within 50 miles of our house and the one we visit most often is the Amicalola Falls park, which is absolutely beautiful and has an amazing lodge or you can even hike to an inn that is only reachable by foot! This area is perfect for families and makes for such a great day or weekend trip.
We also have several local parks that the kids love and, in fact, Josiah just had his birthday at one nearby. It has a playground and splash pad, so we could cool off afterwards.

We've spent so much time at local parks as a family and have made some wonderful memories together. Looking at all of our pictures has been a great trip down memory lane and I am sure there will be many more in the future. Here is a picture of Liam's first visit to Amicalola Falls at only a few weeks old, all wrapped up in a baby sling as we hiked around trails!
As part of Park and Recreation Month, the National Recreation and Park Association has one important question for everyone to answer:

"I Love my Parks and Recreation Because..."

You can visit the NPRA website for more information on their initiatives, free resources, a calendar of fun events nationwide and about their month-long weekly photo contest!

Yes, I said contest! 

We love our giveaways and contests here, so we are excited to share this one with you. Get out and about this month as a family and explore your local park or recreation area. Then, share your experience with them via social media. Easy, right? Go to the NPRA Facebook page, click on the Show UR Love Contest and enter for a chance to win a $500 gift card and more! Go and show some love for your local parks by snapping some great family photos.

I try to make summer vacation as fun as possible and this means we spend a great deal of time at our local parks. The boys just love running around and going down slides. I love that we get some great exercise and it gives them a way to get out some of their energy. We just recently packed a turkey sandwich picnic lunch and headed to a park, which the boys liked very much.

There is still time this month and during summer vacation to visit your local parks! Believe me, your kids will really enjoy the experience. Be sure to snap pictures for the contest, too. So, what do you like most about your local parks and recreation?

10.7.13

Summer Fun at Six Flags Over Georgia with Mom Central and #WetOnes

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Wet Ones. I received free admission to Six Flags, attended an informational and complimentary luncheon, and received a gift bag and promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Wet Ones Wipes
Just recently we had the opportunity to visit Six Flags Over Georgia with some other amazing Atlanta bloggers, Stacy DeBroff, the CEO of Mom Central, and Wet Ones, our favorite antibacterial wipes!  Josiah, my 6 year-old and I decided to make a mother-son weekend out of the trip and he was so excited, especially because this was his very first time at Six Flags. He really had no idea what to expect and I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

We parked and met up with everyone right inside the front gates to begin our day. From there, Josiah spotted roller coasters, a candy shop and much more. He was ready to explore, but first we met the president of Six Flags (pictured below with Tweety) and learned about the vast history of Six Flags, which was amazing in itself.
We took a few great group pictures...
Do you see Josiah? His head is between Tweety and Sylvester. :) 

Then, we followed our guide to the next stop, a train tour, which circled completely around the park, giving us moment to cool down and rest our legs. Afterwards, we were on our way to the Monster Mansion, which has been one of my favorites since I was Josiah's age. I remember coming to Six Flags for the first time when I was only 5 years old (many, many years ago) and now it's Josiah's turn! 

Josiah thought Monster Mansion was a little scary, but he's already asking when we can go back and ride it again. The great thing is that we had our Wet Ones. While touring the park, just imagine everything we have to touch (the rides, gates for the rides, etc.). Wet Ones helped us clean off the germs and have an amazing time. Not to mention, the day was a typical Georgia summer day- hot and humid. Luckily, the kids spotted a spray station where we could cool off while walking around and I think we could have stayed there all day. 
We made a quick stop for a surprise gift... super hero capes for everyone! Josiah said he was going to give his to his brother, Liam, since he could not be there with us. Liam has worn that cape almost every day since we gave it to him. Before lunch, we were able to walk around Bugs Bunny World, an area with rides specifically for little ones. Josiah was in heaven and wanted to ride everything. Here's a collage of all the fun he had:
He absolutely loved the swings and said that was his favorite ride. After about 30 minutes, we met up for lunch at Bugs Bunny's Carrot Patch for pizza and chicken fingers.  That's also when we got our Wet Ones goody bags full of all kinds of great gifts, including Wet Ones, our drink cups and bracelets for unlimited refills. We immediately used the Wet Ones to clean our hands before eating food and were so excited to have the unlimited drink bracelets! On such a hot day, those were really a lifesaver and we refilled our cups many times over the course of the day. 

Josiah read a book recently about bears riding bumper cars at an amusement park, so that's where he wanted to go next. We waited patiently in line until our turn and he had a blast! He wanted to get in line and do it again, but that was one loooong line! In our Wet Ones bag, we also got one exit pass to be used to cut the line on any ride of our choice. When he saw the old timey Hansons cars, he had to drive them, but the line was the longest we'd seen yet, so we went through the exit, got in our car and we were riding away in no time. 

Near the bumper cars, Josiah spotted fair games, including the one where you spray water and race your horse to the finish line for a prize. We actually ended up winning a few prizes to our surprise, which made the games even more fun. We wanted to meet up with the group for a cotton candy break, but got lost somehow! I was all turned around, so we eventually gave up, but I made sure to buy some for Josiah before leaving, along with a caramel apple for myself. Yummy! Believe me, we really needed some Wet Ones after this deliciously sticky situation. For our last ride, we got on the Sky Buckets to head back to the front gate. Here's a picture of Josiah saying goodbye to Six Flags one last time. After a long day of fun and games, we were ready to rest up, but weeks later he is still talking about what a great time he had and continues to ask when we can all go back.
As I mentioned earlier, Wet Ones were perfect for our Six Flags trip. Why? Because the travel-sized packs  and singles easily fit in a diaper bag, purse or bookbag. The singles can even fit in your pocket with ease. We were able to pull them out in between rides to wipe up and keep the germs at bay. Since Liam is still in the middle of his chemo treatments, we do what we can to stay healthy and keep the germs away, so Wet Ones have really helped out when being out in public. Kids don't often think about what their hands touch and can easily put those dirty hands into mouths! Eck! That's why it's important to keep Wet Ones nearby. You never know when they will be of use. Liam's doctor has the antibacterial gel instead, but this is NOT a great option for kids. First of all, if they have any cracks or boo boos on their skin, the gel burns like nobody's business. Plus, it smells like alcohol. Wet Ones smell great and are lightly fresh scented. They also don't cause rashes on Liam's extremely sensitive skin, so that really tells me a lot about the product. 

I don't think I had been to Six Flags since I was a teenager, so it was great to see how much the park has changed over the years. After having such a fun time with Josiah, I have a feeling we will be back in the near future with both boys, but I think we will wait until October for Fright Fest since the weather will be much cooler! 

What's your favorite ride at Six Flags? If you are going this summer, don't forget to pack your Wet Ones for the trip. Believe me, you will end up using them quite often and will be happy you brought them along!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Wet Ones. I received free admission to Six Flags, attended an informational and complimentary luncheon, and received a gift bag and promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

17.6.12

HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE Fun With Family #CampBondfire #smores

When I was growing up, summer was the time when I went traveling with my Grandma to visit our relatives across Georgia. I loved seeing my aunts and especially playing with all of my cousins. We often had bonfires, cookouts and played outside until the sun was completely set. Now that I have a little family of my own, I want to share these experiences and traditions with them. Our family loves any excuse to have a get-together, especially during the nice summer months! We basically live outdoors, enjoying every minute of summer vacation and time together as a family. This past week we visited my parents and though my Mama was sick, she made sure to make the trip a fun bonding experience for everyone. That's why we decided to build a bonfire on the first night it didn't rain!

Hershey's has a great campaign going on right now to help celebrate summer and family bonding with their new Facebook App -HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE! Each week two camp counselors will be featured, along with their great suggestions for making fireside memories all summer! You can also join in on the fun and register as a camper like we did. To make it even more exciting, there are giveaways involved, so campers can win a variety of great prize packages, including an outdoor fire pit! This week's theme for the campaign is FIRE IT UP DAD and that is exactly what we did!

To help kick off this summer right, Hershey's sent an awesome s'mores Kit from Hershey's for the bonfire, but the kids had no idea. They were simply excited about making a bonfire, walking around the yard collecting limbs, leaves and other items to help us start the fire. They are great little helpers when motivated!
My niece, Ry, along with my son, Josiah at the fire pit. This is all of the wood they collected for the bonfire, which was a great starter. Liam was still driving around the yard picking up limbs in his truck:

Once everything was collected, Granny and Pop lit the fire! It took a little time for it to get started, but she blew the fire until it was really burning!

The kiddos were very excited when the "BONDFIRE" was lit, as they sat together laughing, talking and waiting for hot dogs and S'mores!
Yay! The fire started!
 Finally it was time for the food! While some of the kiddos decided to skip straight to S'mores before the meal, others opted for hot dogs first and dessert last.
So proud of his s'mores creation!




Granny & Pop cooking their hotdogs and s'mores!

Thanks to the HERSHEY'S CAMP BONDFIRE, my children were able to bond with their cousin, Granny and Pop during the visit and enjoy a good old-fashioned bonfire! No batteries required for this great day in the outdoors. Everyone had such a great time that we hated for the night to end. In fact, we stayed outdoors until the lightning bugs were flying around and the moon was high in the sky!This was the perfect activity for our family this Father's Day weekend and something the kids won't soon forget.
What do you look forward to doing each summer with your own family? What traditions do you want to continue with your own children?


This post is part of my participation in the HERSHEY’S CAMP BONDFIRE campaign. All opinions expressed are mine.