Betty Crocker cookie time!

I am not usually a big baker but this year my daughter has to bring in 4 dozen homemade treats for school-eek! So I began the search for something wonderfully simple that would make me look like I spend hours in the kitchen. Here is what I found:

The recipe can be found at Better Crocker here.  It is such a delightfully simple treat that looks beyond adorable! I cannot wait to show up with my two dozen brownies!

Now I also need two dozen cookies and found this little gem at Betty Crocker once again!

This one does not look as simple as a quick cut but we are going to try our best! What cookie recipes are your go to for the holiday season?

Perfect End to Black Friday Shopping

Have you ever tried Not Your Father's Root Beer? We stumbled across them at a local brewery show last year in Cleveland, Ohio. We were not lucky enough to have them in our area until I came across in our local Meijer! To make an end to a long Friday of shopping we decided to celebrate with root beer floats with a twist!

If you have not tried it is beyond delicious- a little vanilla ice cream and Root beer make the perfect grown up ice cream float!

Thanksgiving Table idea

As we approach the holiday I am always on the look out for easy ideas that make it look like I have it together! This year we are doing a "I am thankful" white paper table cover instead of the traditional table cloth. If you also are going this route look at the amazing crayon/marker holder ideas I have found!

Enjoy the holiday season!

Great Thanksgiving teacher gift idea!

As many of you know I love the holidays! My favorite part is trying to match the best gift with each person. This year my daughter has three teachers so we were looking for something affordable and unique for Thanksgiving.

Look what I came across: An entire site full of great affordable ideas!
http://thanksgivingcrafts.net/thanksgiving-arts-and-crafts-projects.html

I personally like the jar filled with candy-although I think we will do a mason jar and I will have my daughter write why she is thankful for her teacher on feathers.


Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving season!

Brick or treat Legoland Adventures!

It's my favorite holiday-Halloween! This year my little fashionista decided to Chesire Kitty from Ever After High.

We decided to visit Legoland this year for their annual brick or treat bash! It was a great time filled with dancing, music, candy, and awesome Halloween legos! Look at this amazing guy made from Legos:

My daughter's favorite part was Wanda's dance party in the sea life aquarium which is included in the admission price:

Overall the event was  a nice time. It was a bit crowded so if you are traveling far for this event I highly suggest getting all of the park done in the morning and just focusing on the Halloween events in the evening. The Lego Friends are even out at night for more one on one dance party fun!

It was a great trip for the memory books-a must see for all the lego fans big and small :)

Legoland Adventures

We are onto our next state California! Of course while we were in Anaheim we had to visit Legoland! My daughter absolutely loves Lego Friends and could not wait to get to Heart Lake city!  Upon arrival we were greeted by in her words "the most amazing thing on the planet!"

After that we made our way around the park and played a few games-I love how easy it was for her to win and did not feel it was a "money maker" like most parks. At the duck pond she picked up this adorable new friend:

You even have the option to trade in for a larger prize but we thought he was just right :)
 We then made our way to the race track where you can earn your very own drivers license and of course had the famous Granny's Apples! Finally after a day of adventures we arrived in Heart Lake City just in time for the live concert!

What a wonderful show-the girls even came down to dance with the kids and really make them feel special. We ended our time in Heart Lake city with a meet and greet- of course they made my daughter feel so special and even took time to help her name her new cat :)
 

  While at Legoland don't forget to grab some figurines to trade with staff members and at stations in the park-such a wonderful time! Stay tuned for my Brick or Treat coverage!

Disneyland Day 2

As we wrap up our Disneyland adventure I would like to share a bit from the main park. We were lucky enough to visit during Halloween and the 60th diamond celebration!

The park is full of so many wonderful things and was a great closing to our daughter's "princess phase". I loved watching her light up as we explored the castle and learn more about sleeping beauty-can you believe you get to go inside!

We were also lucky enough to be there for the Halloween party and experience the villains-what a rare treat for any Disney fan!

Between the parades, characters, and rides we were able to see that little magic spark inside come back in our daughter's eyes. She went from "Is that a costume" to "Oh my there is Maleficent".  Even if we only got to live in the moment for one day I am forever grateful to Disney and this experience for allowing her to be little if only for the day.  We did not check our phones, we did not play on any electronics, we did not read "big girl magazines" instead we both picked out a perfect set of ears and frolicked around the park looking for adventure. For one day we got the chance to believe in fairies and magical pixie dust and I would not trade a second. Until next time-enjoy your little ones they will never be as small as they are today!

Disneyland Travels-California Adventure Park

California here we come! Of course a stop on our list has to be Disneyland-more specifically Radiator Springs!

I am not sure who was more excited to visit my daughter or my husband and I! We absolutely love cars and Cars Land is a must do in my opinion!  The detail and time put into each area was amazing. We even had lunch at Flo's!

I think the highlight was seeing Mcqueen and Mater switch places and actually drive down the streets of radiator springs while pulling into the cozy cone!

We also had the chance to visit during the 60th anniversary which was amazing. The world of color show is incredible-hard to imagine it is water and lights-look at this amazing image from the show:

Overall the park was perfect. We had a short wait for all the characters and rides. Each section of the park offered just the right amount to do without being overwhelming. To end a perfect visit we even had a "sink" of ice cream-yours to keep!

Hotel Translvania 2- Opening September 25, 2015!

 

 

 

It's my favorite time of year-Halloween and fall which means great new movies and everything "scary". At our house we love all things Halloween and one of my daughter's favorite movies is Hotel Transylvania-she has actually dressed our dog up as Wayne Warewolf every year! 

I am so excited to see the second movie as it is a favorite in our house-here is a bit more of what to expect:

About the Movie: 

Drac’s pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!

 

 

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 has been rated PG by the MPAA for the following reasons: SOME SCARY IMAGES, ACTION AND RUDE HUMOR.

Staring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade

Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky

 

 Do you love the movie as much as we do? One lucky reader will receive the following-

 - 1 Cape, 1 Stationary Set, 1 Vampire Fangs, 1 Blobby Putty and 1 Activity Book

Enter below telling me your favorite things about Halloween/Fall!

Visit all the Hotel Transylvania 2 Sites: #HotelT2

Follow @HotelT2 on Twitter

Like ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ on Facebook

Visit the Hotel Transylvania 2 Official Website

#HotelT2

Brick of Treat is coming soon!

Get your tickets now for brick or treat at legoland! We will be covering the event later in October!

Cedar Point

Summer is in full swing-have you visited Cedar Point? 

We will be visiting the last week of July-be on the lookout for  a follow up on our great adventure!

Door County Brewing Compnay

Looking for a fun family afternoon? We decided to go to the Door County Brewing Company which was one of the highlights of the afternoon. It is a family friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy a few drinks and your children can munch on snacks and enjoy their very own root beer. 

The brewery actually wants you to bring in snacks to enjoy with your beverages-what an amazing unique experience! While we were there we saw families enjoying board games, babies crawling on the stage, and groups of adults enjoying a lazy afternoon. We also had a chance to sample a wide variety of flavors. 

My personal favorite was it had a light after taste and was not overwhelming. We also had a chance to try a few of the darker beers. I should begin my saying I am not a dark beer fan but there was something different about the Polka Ring. It was smoother and lighter than American porter and actually targets those of us that don't care for darker beer. Overall the winner was Little Sister-we liked it so much we ended up with a growler.  Little Sister was the second beer for the brewery.
Door County Brewing Company is a home body brewery that actually brews downstairs! We had a chance to see the great facility: 

One our tour we learned that all the names come from door county and they strive to get all key ingredients from the peninsula. Next year the brewery plans to get all the lavender for the "little sister" locally.  The company is also planning to rent space in 2017 to bring all operations to Door County. I highly recommend visiting on a Friday/Saturday as they have live music and a great atmosphere.  The company is family owned and it really shows! 

Wilson's Restuarant & Ice Cream Parlor- Door County

Let's move to food on the peninsula- Wilson's is a must do in my opinion! It has that old time feel with great food and service.  The restaurant has been in the heart of Ephraim since 1906.  The pride and love of the restaurant really oozes through on all levels-from the enthusiastic welcome to the welcoming wait staff.

My daughter loved that it was right across from the park with easy access to the water and boat rentals. My favorite was the one of a kind rootbeer. Wilson's makes their own recipe and it is the perfect balance. I am not a huge soda drinker and I found it just right without to much carbination or overwhelmingly sweet. It also came in a perfectly chilled glass then kept my drink cool the entire meal.

 

 For our meals we had a blt and hamburger-both were cooked to order and came out perfectly! The blt was cooked to perfection with the just the right amount of crunch. I liked that I had a variety of sides including chips and coleslaw. The coleslaw was beyond fresh and creamy-perfect for a summer day.

 My daughter loved her meal and that she had choices other than fries.

 We ended our meal of course with dessert. The ice cream was so cool and fresh on the palate it was a perfect end to a great meal. It was also very creamy and the sundae was made with love. I always love when ice cream dishes are brought clean especially to children! 

 My husband who is not a huge ice cream fan found the flavors perfectly mixed with a cool refreshing after taste. We enjoyed each portion of the meal and it was very affordable. Whether you are stopping in for an entire meal or a scoop of ice cream you will not be disappointed! 

Door County Kayak Tours

Wisconsin would not be complete without an outdoor adventure. We decided to go kayaking with  Door County Kayak Tours.  The company offers so many great tours including a cave tour, bluff tour, wetlands tour, shipwreck tour, sunset tour, and private tours. We decided to go for the cave tour but

the weather was not cooperative during our stay. They do their best to go out when conditions are safe but our amazing guide decided it best to take us up a river and out on a lake. 

 The pre-instruction was spot on and really helped those of us who have never kayaked in our lives. My daughter had a blast going through “lily pad village” leading up to the lake and we had a chance to see some ducks enjoying the sunshine.  My favorite was that the guide will also takes photos of you on the tour which was a huge plus-no need to take your phone and possibly drop it in the lake! The tour was the perfect size group of many different talents. We were by far the least experienced and never felt left behind or like we were not included in the experience. Our guide was also easily acceptable whenever you were in trouble or paddling the wrong direction. As a bonus she also gave us a quick tour on our way to the lake and took us to the caves even though we were not able to go through. Overall a great first kayaking experience to bring out a little bit of outdoor adventure. 

You can book online here or call to schedule.

Door County- Chicago Fireboat

The Chicago Fire boat is one of the must do boat tours on the island. The atmosphere is so fun and relaxed I recommend the tour for anyone with children or just looking for an entertaining tour. We began with a quick introduction of the area and then went under the bridge-this was the start to a wonderful almost two hour tour! 

 The boat also has a restroom and  is full of great snacks and drinks including adult beverages. We enjoyed mimosa's while watching the seagulls float on the buoys. 

We loved all the great surprises including a chance to spray the working firehouse! My daughter loved that she could be a pretend firefighter and help just like the boat did in the past. 

After her grand adventure we also had a visit by the fire dog-so much fun! I don't think there was a dull moment on the boat...you truly stay entertained while enjoying all of the sights.

 The boat also of course took us past the lighthouse which was a gorgeous view. I don't think we had as much fun or saw our daughter laugh as much as she did on the “cruise”. 

The crowd size was perfect on our afternoon adventure.  The boat is the perfect size to have a perfect spot no matter if you pick the benches up front or the tables in the back. You can get tickets here or call to schedule a cruise. This was by far our favorite family outing while in Door County!

And we are off on our next adventure...

It's summer time which means it is time for us to travel and explore more of our great country! Next of the list is Door County, Wisconsin.

We are very excited to sample local cuisine and just relax by the lake-stay tuned for highlights from some of our favorite places!