Happy Halloween 2016!

A fireman, a cake, and a police officer

 We've been partying, carving pumpkins, and eating candy like it's nobody's business for the last couple of weeks. We're looking forward to a great night trick or treating with friends tonight, too. Man it's a good time to be a kid (or mom)!

Travel down Memory Lane with these Halloween posts from the past:

Ghosts and Goblins Make Me Mushy (2012)

Halloween 2015

Halloween 2014

Halloween 2013 

Boston Ballet Presents The Nutcracker

Boston Ballet is delighted to present the timeless holiday classic The Nutcracker— a favorite Boston holiday tradition that brings family and friends together to cherish the season and special moments with one another. Delighting audiences of all ages with a sense of youthful imagination, The Nutcracker will run November 27–December 31, 2015 at the Boston Opera House.

Since its world premiere in 2012, Mikko Nissinen and Robert Perdziola’s re-envisioned production has gained record-breaking popularity. With more than 350 handmade costumes and a series of elaborate sets featuring extensive amounts of moving scenery, the production has transformed into a uniquely magical experience for audiences of all ages.

The Nutcracker includes the full company of 57 dancers, 11 Boston Ballet II dancers, and 217 Boston Ballet School students. The 42-performance run will feature many never-before-seen casts, showcasing the vast talent within the Company, and providing many opportunities for dancers to shine in Soloist and Principal roles. Each performance will be accompanied by Tchaikovsky's renowned score, performed by the Boston Ballet Orchestra, led by Principal Conductor Jonathan McPhee.

All performances of The Nutcracker (approx 2 hours with one intermission) will take place at the Boston Opera House (539 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111). Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased online HERE. For more information, visit www.bostonballet.org or call 617-695-6955. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary pair of tickets to The Nutcracker that I'll be using later in December. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Happy Halloween 2015!

Happy (early)  Halloween  from Henry the wolf, 

Batman Daniel, and Isabelle the slice of pizza!

Our 4th Recap: Chips and Dip (recipe), 10K, and Fireworks!

On July 3rd, the kids and I were going to head out to watch my husband run a 10K and follow that up with a good old fashioned parking lot tailgate while we waited for fireworks. I figured this was a great opportunity to try out a new dip recipe. I am a die hard sour cream and onion dip fan. It is one of my (many) weaknesses. So when I saw THIS recipe for a healthier version I decided to tweak it a bit based on ingredients I had on hand. Here is the dip I made...

Ingredients:

2 Individual Size (5.3oz) Stonyfield Greek 0% Fat Plain Yogurt Containers

2 Teaspoons Fresh Dill

1/2 Teaspoon of Buttermilk Powder

1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

Super Simple Steps:

(1) Add all ingredients to one bowl

 

(2) Find a helper to stir it for you (or do it yourself)

 

(3) Refrigerate. You can pretty much serve it immediately but the longer it sits the more the flavors blend.

And that's IT. So easy to make!

Our additional steps from that day:

(4) Cheer on husband as he runs.

(5) Set up tailgate.

(6) Enjoy!

So the dip got 4 out 5 votes of approval from our house. Henry doesn't like sour cream and onion dips so it was not surprising that he didn't like this dip. This was the first time I had used greek yogurt in place of sour cream in cooking though and I will definitely do it again. I honestly wouldn't have known the difference if I hadn't made it myself. It also made me feel so much better about eating way too much of it!

We were also provided with a bag of Late July chips which we enjoyed with the dip. Although I actually enjoyed the chips more just on their own. I think I'd stick with a plain old potato chip (or veggies if that's your thing) with this dip going forward and eat the Late July chips directly from the bag! We ate their standard Sea Salt chip but they have a Bacon Habanero flavor that I want to try. How could anything with the word bacon in it be bad?

As for the Patriot Place fireworks, they received 5 out of 5 votes of approval from our household. Man, were those some good fireworks. They definitely put a lot of time and energy (and money!) into making it a great display. This was our first time watching them and we will definitely head back again next year. Such a fun night!

*Disclosure: This post was written in partnership with Stonyfield. As a YoGetter Ambassador, at times I receive free product and/or compensation. As always, all opinions are my own.

The Enchanted Village and Ice Skating at Jordan's Furniture

On Tuesday, Daniel and I headed to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture in Avon, MA for some holiday fun. Daniel enjoyed checking out the vintage store displays and particularly loved when they made it snow (aka bubble). Since the displays are free, I figured we could do one fun thing that costs money there after we were done. Of course, Daniel made a beeline for the indoor ice skating rink.

Now please note that Daniel has never been ice skating before and I've only been once as an adult. We decided to throw caution to the wind though and go for it.

Watch out!

He was a MANIAC on the ice - a complete maniac. He had no fear and just bombed around on the ice. He would completely wipe out (sometimes I think on purpose) and then hop back up and go for it again. He had a BLAST. It was so great to see him having so much fun.

Loving life

After ice skating and grabbing a snack from the concession stand, we headed out to find Good Old St. Nick with no lines, no waiting so Daniel snagged a quick picture with him.

He wouldn't sit on his lap but he would stand next to him!

So all in all it was a super great day for Daniel. It totally pays to be the youngest who isn't in full day school yet!

If you're looking for something fun to do this holiday season you might want to check Jordan's out. I would imagine that it's packed on a weekend so just be prepared for lines/waits if you go then. We waited in a short, fast moving line for the Village but no other lines. The Enchanted Village itself is rather small so you might want to consider doing one of the cost activities as well. Ice skating was $5/person which included skate rentals so not too bad. It said it was a half hour of ice time but we were on it longer. I imagine if it was busy they might ask people to stick to the time schedule. We were the only ones on the ice at some points though so I don't think it mattered. They also have a 4D Polar Express Movie Ride ($6/person - 40 inch height requirement) as well as a holiday laser light show ($5/person, all ages) that cost additional money. You can also purchase professional pictures with Santa for additional costs as well (or just snap a pic with your phone like I did!).

*No compensation/discounts were provided for this post. It was simply a fun outing that I wanted to share with you. As always, all opinions are my own.*

Great Wolf Lodge #GWLHowlidays Preview!

This past weekend, my family was invited back to the Great Wolf Lodge for a preview of their upcoming holiday events - or "Howlidays," if you will! This was our second trip there since we also attended their grand opening in June (I know - We're like the luckiest people ever!). You can check out my post HERE for all the awesomeness that our previous trip included.

As for this trip, we started off with a preview of their Spooktacular Howl-O-Ween activities. From October 9-31, bring along your costumes to enjoy some spooky fun including trick or treating, costume parades, story time, and dance parties!

Daniel harassed this poor witch for most of the night

The kids got to color their own trick or treat bag (which can be purchased onsite) before filling it with candy

After all the Halloween fun and a visit from Wiley the Wolf, we got to enjoy a fabulous Thanksgiving feast.

The ice sculptures were amazing! This was eventually filled with fresh seafood.

They had the "normal" holiday food as well as some unique twists that were all so good. Oh, and don't worry, if you have picky eaters like mine, they also whip up some delicious mac and cheese and chicken tenders!

So we did Halloween, Thanksgiving, and next came...snow! Snowland runs November 29 - January 4, 2015 where you can enjoy an indoor winter wonderland with your family including indoor snow!

Catching snowflakes!

Children can also decorate cookies, enjoy hot chocolate, and write letters to Santa!

One can never have too many sprinkles

After the kids ingested about 50 pounds of sugar between candy, decorated cookies, and hot chocolate, we headed down to the lobby for the nightly Story Time Show. At the bar, you can get beverages "to walk" so I was sure to pick up a glass of wine on the way to the show :)

The next day we headed down to the Lodge restaurant for a large breakfast buffet. After properly stuffing myself with french toast and bacon, we hit the Howlers Peak Ropes Course (which is included with the price of your overnight stay - just make sure to bring sneakers). Last time we were there Henry did the little kids rope course but that was all we had time for. This trip all the kids were able to enjoy the fun!

Daniel loving the little kid course

Isabelle dominating the course 30 feet off the ground!

Children under 48 inches tall can do the big course but they need to be accompanied by an adult so I bring you...

Spider Men!

After tackling the ropes course, we spent the rest of the day at the water park (price included in hotel stay). Even though check out is at 11am, you are welcome to use the facilities up until closing time. We wear our bathing suits down and then leave a separate bag easily accessible in the car to change into at the end of the day before we head home. They have showers, lockers, changing stalls, and the works located right by the water parks. Or if you're like us and exhausted by the end of the day, you might even just change the kids in the parking lot (shhh!).

I think that we might have even had more fun this time than on our last trip which I didn't think was even possible. It is seriously an amazing time.

Thank you, Great Wolf Lodge!

Check out my previous post for more info (including pics of water fun!) HERE. You can also check out Great Wolf Lodge New England's web site HERE. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on activities and deals!

*My family received a complimentary stay at the hotel and was part of a private Howlidays preview event. As always, all opinions are my own.

Giving Up and Giving Back for Lent

With Ash Wednesday upon us, I decided that I should give up something for Lent. Since I've been working hard on giving up diet soda (sadness) I've found that I drink more iced coffee (I don't drink hot coffee). I also never make it at home which means I'm spending money at Dunkin Donuts on it. So I decided to give up iced coffee for the next forty days. In order to keep up with my promise I immediately told Isabelle about it this morning. That girl is nothing more than a little police officer disguised in a six year old's body and I will never hear the end of it from her if I give in and get a coffee.

I also briefly described the concept of Lent to her. I think the whole Easter season is tough to explain to kids. I mean Christmas is all "It's Jesus' birthday - yippee!" and Easter is all "He was killed on a cross for everyone to see." It just doesn't have the same kid friendly vibe to it, ya know? Anyway, she said that she wanted to give something up which I think is great. Although, I also think it's difficult for a child to be able to fully understand and give up something that they love for that long. So instead, we decided that she would do a good deed each day during Lent. She's very excited about it and when I told her she could keep a list she was ecstatic.

So today was day one and her first deed is done and documented. I'm looking forward to seeing all the great things she does over the next six weeks. And really I think the concept of GIVING is way more cool than just giving up something. Leave it to Isabelle to outshine my season without iced coffee!

Thank God Jack dropped all the colored pencils today :)

Big Tree in a Little House

When we were a newlywed couple and looked at our house we thought it was perfect. Six years and three kids later we are busting at the seams. We have no plans to move and we remind ourselves that when the kids move out this will once again be the perfect size house for us. Until then we will keep it full of love (and dust bunnies). 

This year we are in charge of my husband's side of the family's Christmas party. We like to entertain and we love to see family so we are looking forward to it. However, it leads to the problem of not only where will we put the people but where will we put the Christmas tree? Our living room is tight just with couches never mind a tree. And even when we pick the smallest tree in the lot, it's still big in our house. So this year we went for something new - we moved our table and put our tree up in the dining room. We figure that will give more room for people to mingle in the living room and people generally don't hang out in the dining room anyway. 

Once I got over the fact that it's kind of ridiculous to have it there I actually kind of like it. The kids and I spend a lot of time in there since that's where we eat, color, do crafts, etc so it's nice to see it sparkling. Henry also said he's going to leave arrows from the fireplace to the dining room so Santa knows where to leave the presents. So we've got that covered.

Happy Halloween!

Skeleton Daniel, Rainbow Butterfly Isabelle, and Wolverine Henry!

Happy Halloween from my family to yours!

My 12 Favorite Pics of 2012!

With the ending of another year, I went through and picked my favorite picture for each month in 2012!

January 2012: Isabelle and her beloved Dolly taking a ride to visit their new cousin, Scarlett.

February 2012: Annie and I had the time of our lives at Blissdom and got to meet Rascal Flatts!

March 2012: Best bunny picture ever.

April 2012: Daniel loves Sour Cream and Onion Dip as much as I do.

May 2012: My Three Monkeys

June 2012:  The kids enjoying our (then) newly completed swingset!

July 2012: Summer ice cream at its finest!

August 2012: Henry having some beach fun!

September 2012: This year we were able to celebrate my husband's great aunt's 100th birthday!

October 2012: Happy Halloween!

November 2012: This is Henry and his favorite cousin, Sammy. Both are notorious bad picture takers and in this one they appear drunk on juice boxes. I love it!

December 2012: Does the Henry hug get any cuter?

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

2012: The Christmas That Wasn't

In case you somehow missed my Facebook posts or my shouts from the rooftop - I'm sick. I've been sick for what seems like an eternity now but really is just since Friday. I had a lingering cough for weeks which started getting worse on Friday. I thought it had just festered in to something, I'd get some quick antibiotics and I'd be good to go, right? WRONG. I had no idea it was actually the start of a new bug which I have named "The Death Bug." It starts off with a little cough, slight headache, some nose action, a few aches, you feel a little warm, and then BAM - you think you're going to die. I haven't been this sick for this long in years and years. As if that's not bad enough, poor Isabelle and Daniel also got The Death Bug. Then you know once three out of the five people in the house get it you just sit around staring at the other two waiting for them to fall. So far hubs and Henry are still going strong and I pray it stays that way!

So needless to say, we had to cancel all our Christmas plans. No family parties. No holiday meals. No yummy desserts. No endless wine (just whines). When all was said and done though the kids still had an amazing Christmas morning and for that I am truly thankful. I will be EXTRA thankful though when this horrid bug finally leaves our house.

Santa was VERY glad that "he" had wrapped everything last week!

Henry

Daniel

Isabelle

Did Santa deliver The Death Bug to anyone else this Christmas?

Helpful Wrapping Paper Idea

The toys are purchased, the batteries are inserted, the Leap Frogs are set up, and as of tonight all the wrapping is officially done. In order to make it easier on Christmas morning to know which gifts belong to which child I bought three different kinds of wrapping paper. Isabelle's gifts are wrapped in Tinkerbell. Henry gets Toy Story while Daniel will be opening Sesame Street. I also made up a quick note from Santa with a small piece of their paper next to their name so they know which wrapping paper belongs to them. None of the kids can read yet but the big kids can recognize/spell their own names so I thought they would enjoy this.

Oh, and while I wrapped tonight, I remembered how my mother never wrapped our presents from Santa. They were simply under the tree Christmas morning. She was a genius...

Teaching Generosity to Children

Each month at Pre-K Isabelle works towards earning a badge that goes on her backpack. So far they have had: I am a Friend, I am Kind, and I am Thankful. This month they are working towards I am Generous and had specific instructions on how to earn it. Each child has to do something around the house to earn money. They then need to take that money and purchase hats and/or mittens for children in need.

Isabelle was excited about the idea of earning money so she would volunteer to do things whenever she saw the opportunity. One day she even went to the curb and grabbed the recycling bins (one of my least favorite chores – score!). She also helped do prep work for a gathering of friends that I had coming over in addition to picking up toys, etc. So after her hard work, she had earned enough money that we headed to the store for her to pick out some hats and gloves. She loved picking out the items and then proudly paid the cashier with her own money. 

I thought it was such a great way to get the kids involved with the spirit of giving. She worked hard at home to earn the money and then was excited to use it to buy for someone less fortunate. She’ll be heading to school today with her hats and gloves to hang on the “Giving Tree” that they have set up in the classroom. I’m so glad that Isabelle’s school focuses on not just academic teaching but also teaching them how to be good and caring people. It’s such an important lesson!  

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Yesterday, my friend had a Christmas party and they hired a Santa to come sing songs and visit with the kids. Seriously, how cool are my friends?!

Isabelle told Santa she wanted a new Barbie doll and Henry told him he wanted more race cars. The best part? I'm done with my kid shopping and there weren't any Barbies or race cars purchased!

Daniel wouldn't go anywhere near Santa so at least one kid won't be disappointed with his gifts Christmas morning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours! 

Preschool Thanksgiving outfits!

They got to pick their own names - Fast T-Rex and Yellow Hopping Ladybug

Daniel got in on the action by wearing Isabelle's outfit from last year

Ghosts and Goblins Make Me Mushy

Growing up, I lived in a household and a neighborhood that loved Halloween. I’m talking about graveyards set up in front yards, fog machines, parties, decorations, and candy galore. I didn’t realize until I moved away that that kind of stuff is not the norm. I didn’t realize that not everyone’s parents dressed in costumes, not everyone had 100 trick or treaters come to the door, and not everyone went “all out” for the occasion.

When my husband was first introduced to our Halloween festivities he thought we were crazy. He came from a house where you decorated for fall (not necessarily Halloween) with indian corn and mums. We decorated with skulls and fake blood -to each their own I guess. Now as a grown up myself (umm...when did that happen?) I find myself teetering in between the two worlds. We have mums on our doorstep and our house is not decorated like crazy (in my opinion). Although my husband recently said, “I’ve never seen so many Halloween decorations.” Of course, I had just been thinking maybe we need more so maybe I am crazy (like my mom), after all.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that they don’t like Halloween which is fine. Not everyone has to love everything and to be honest I wouldn’t say that I LOVE Halloween. What I love are the memories that I have of it. The memories of happy times with my mom who is no longer here to celebrate. So when you’re schlepping your kid from party to party, or parade to parade, or house to house, keep in mind that these might just be the times that your child looks back on and remembers fondly. These could be some of the times that mattered the most to them when you’re gone.

Happy Halloween from my crew to yours!