Buttonwood Park Zoo – New Bedford, MA

Tim had the day off on Monday so we decided to head out for some family fun. The problem? Family fun is expensive! Our kids are 4, 3, and 2 years old so their attention span is limited and our timeframe is limited (with lunch/naps) so I hate to spend a lot of money going places. Oh, and I’m cheap, too. That’s why I was pretty pumped when I found the Buttonwood Zoo in New Bedford, MA. It was PERFECT for us!

It is small enough that the kids can walk around pretty easily but still has great animals in large displays. There were bears, mountain lions, elephants, bison, lots of amphibian/reptiles, a large farm area, and more! On top of that they have a small train that you can ride around the zoo, a carousel, and pony rides. We also went on a Monday so they had the Toe Jam Puppet Band performing at 10:30am and 12:30pm. Although there are small additional charges for the rides and concert, it is still reasonably priced. Our family of five did the zoo admission, train ride, and concert and we still spent $20 less than general admission alone at neighboring, larger zoos.

The Buttonwood Zoo also has lots of tables and shady open spaces for you to have a picnic. I LOVE places that let you bring your own food and don’t force you to purchase their food. That being said, if purchasing food is more your thing, they have the Bear’s Den Café that you can buy whatever you may need. There is also a large playground next door to the zoo if you want to check that out after your trip. We were wiped out so we didn’t get a chance to but maybe next time. We’ll definitely be heading back!

Me and the kiddos checking out the bison

Isabelle and the elephants

Henry loving the train ride!

*I received no compensation from the zoo. We enjoyed our trip so I'm simply sharing with you!

Find Edible Arrangements’ ‘Summer Strawberry!’

The scavenger hunt is on to decipher the clues and determine which Edible Arrangements store ‘Summer Strawberry’ is visiting and I'm excited to be part of the game! The scavenger hunt will only be taking place in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire stores*. There will be four consecutive Wednesdays, from August 15-September 5, where ‘Summer Strawberry’ will be making an appearance during a pre-selected 2-hour time period.

Free Fruit and Fun!
Anyone who correctly deciphers the clues and finds ‘Summer Strawberry’ at the Edible Arrangements location within the designated 2-hour time period will receive free samples of smoothies, dipped fruit or fresh fruit salad. Want to win prizes? Commenting on this blog post with the correct address/ store location where you found ‘Summer Strawberry’  OR emailing a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ to jkaye@carltonprmarketing.com will enter you to win the grand prize, a $200 Amazon gift card, or one of four arrangements!** Doing both will get you two entries! If you are on Twitter and follow @DoFruitNE, tweeting a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ with a caption that includes the hashtag #ILoveFruit and will get you an additional entry. That is 3 chances to win!

Live too far from the selected store?
If you correctly decipher the clues but cannot make it to the selected location, you can still enter the contest by commenting the address/store location of ‘Summer Strawberry’ on this blog post. Better yet, you can visit YOUR local Edible Arrangements during the pre-selected 2-hour time period and mention that you are there because of the scavenger hunt and you will receive a 6-piece box of dipped fruit!

And now without further ado here are this week's clues...

Clues: Wednesday, August 15 from 11 A.M.- 1 P.M.

- ‘Summer Strawberry’ will be stopping by the easternmost portion of Massachusetts which is a huge New England tourist destination, especially during the summer months!
- This town has the initials ‘SY’ and is located between West Yarmouth and Dennis Port.
- The first traffic rotary in the United States is in this village at the intersection of River Street and Pleasant Street.
- This village is home to the Red Sox, no not the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox that play in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
- ‘Summer Strawberry’ will be at the Edible Arrangements store located in a plaza near a popular pizza chain that shares its name with a classic game (if you get this answer, you’re spot on!) and songs by Van Morrison and most recently, Jessie J. 

Not sure where the locations are? Click here to find a store location!

Ready...set...hunt!

* The scavenger hunt and its affiliated promotions will only be taking place in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire stores. **Edible Arrangements and its public relations agency will not retain any email addresses during this promotion, other than to notify winners of the prizes awarded.

Text Bands Review and GIVEAWAY!

**Contest is closed: Congratulations to Cathy C. and Paula G. on winning!**

Have you heard of Hallmark’s Text Bands? They are a new way for kids to have fun and share messages with each other!

You type a message up to ten characters long and then fist bump, high five, or shake hands and the message is shared on your friend’s text band. They come in lots of cool colors and have interchangeable fashion bands. 

Although my kids are younger we still had a lot of fun playing with them. They are simple and very easy to use. Isabelle enjoyed using her band to simply type letters, practice her words, and have the messages display across her own screen.

Isabelle Text Banding away

Cookie Monster makes a fashion statement with his Text Band around his neck!

Sound cool? Great, because two lucky Dollops readers will each receive a pair of Text Bands (valued at $30 for each pack). To enter, simply leave a comment below letting me know you’d like to win. It’s THAT easy!

*Contest ends on 8/26/12 at 8:00pm EST. Contest is open to US Residents only. Be sure to provide a valid way for me to contact you if you are the winner. Winner will be chosen at random and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chose. I was provided a pair of Text Bands for review. All opinions are my own.
 

A Boy Room and a Girl Room - But When?

Isabelle and Henry have been sharing a room since they were babies. Once the third kid came along we were going to wait to see the sex and then make a boy room and a girl room. The lucky duck who was born the only boy or girl would then get their own room while the other two permanently shared. The problem? Lucky duck Isabelle has no desire to have a room of her own. When Daniel was first born we offered Isabelle her own room and she promptly declined. At the time we kept the “big kids" (aged 2 and 1 at the time!) in their room and newborn Daniel got his own room which worked well for nighttime feedings, naps, etc. Fast forward two years later and I thought for sure she would want her own room full of pinkness, butterflies, chokable Barbie accessories, and glitter but no dice. Maybe that’s just my dream? She insists that she stay in Henry’s room “forever” (her words). Now I can see that a move to a room alone after always having someone with you could be a bit scary. She asks things like, “What if I have to tell Henry something from my bed?” I then tell her she can just get up and go in his room and tell him. Of course, when the time comes, if she does leave her room I will totally yell at her about it (sshhh…don’t tell her that).

Now really there is no rush for the kids to switch rooms but it just feels like unfinished business. In case you don’t know, I’m a planner. A big time planner. It’s driving me nutty to not know when the rooms will be switched – to not know when things will officially be settled. In an effort to make her see the awesomeness of a new room, I’ve been pointing out cute things in stores and telling her how when she has her own room she could get them and decorate the room however she wants. She is intrigued but still stands firm on her current room status.

On the flip side, Henry has now become very excited about his room being switched to a “boy” room. He talks constantly about, “When Isabelle moves out.” I love that he talks about it as if she’s leaving the house and not just moving in the room next door. I now find him flipping through catalogs picking out all the things he’s going to have in his new room. So far he’s picked a red couch, a truck rug, Spiderman decals, and an owl statue. He’s also requested more windows in the room. I think he might have a future in interior design. Now if only we could get his sister to move out. 

With a bed like this imagine how she would decorate a room of her own?

Backpacks Are Purchased!

For the first time this fall, I’ll have two kids in school. Isabelle will be in Pre-K and Henry will be starting Pre-School. Today, we conquered the most important task before starting school – the big backpack purchase! Henry picked his out in 3 seconds flat while Isabelle hemmed and hawed even though it was clear that she would end up with princesses in the end. She’ll also be bringing lunch to school this year so she was psyched to pick out a lunchbox, too. 

What backpacks will your kids be sporting to school this year?

Best Maid of Honor Speech

As a child, I had a love/hate relationship with my cousin Janet. As a VERY small child I told my mother that our family would be better if she wasn’t in it. We fought about board games ALL the time. Since our birthdays were close together we were forced to have joint family parties when everyone else got their own parties. The list of atrocities goes on and on. 

This picture is the epitome of how I remember my childhood – She’s the one striking a pose and blocking out half of my face.

Luckily, we were able to get past it and become the best of friends. She was the maid of honor at my wedding in 2006 which was especially huge since we only had a MOH/best man (no bridesmaids/groomsmen). She wrote a totally kick ass speech that I have framed in my living room. Today for no reason in particular I’ve decided to share it with you…

Born in November just two years apart

First Tim, then Diane, two halves of one heart.

It would be years before the two finally met,

They had lots of living & learning to do yet.

Raised safe & sound on Brenda Ave. with Froggy in her bed,

Audacious from the start was our beautiful red head.

She looked up to her Big Brother, turned to her Mom for advice,

And thought, “If the Lambs didn’t have a Janny, wouldn’t it be nice.”

Luckily for me, her sentiments were swayed,

And we were friends in time to lead the Disney World Parade.

With roots to grow and wings to fly,

She was off to Assumption in the blink of an eye.

Great minds think alike so Tim was nearby,

Working hard to become an engineer at WPI.

Although each was living just down the street,

Fate was not ready for these two to meet.

A new job at Sun Life & lots of new friends,

The party invites were endless, but Di could always attend.

Sprite & Stoli Razz were on the menu, that is why,

The duo finally met that Momentous July.

At first Di wasn’t sure if Tim was a bore,

But giving her number was the exit toll at the door.

Tim called for a date, like any smart guy,

And didn’t even waiver when she came down with pink eye!

It didn’t take long for these two to see,

Timothy Patrick and Diane Elaine were just meant to be.

They have come a long way since those Watertown days,

Teaching each other in so many ways.

Diane has begun to recycle, reduce, and reuse,

While Tim knows pink is ALWAYS the color to choose.

A perfect match from the moment they met;

There is no doubt that their happy future is set.

Join me in a toast to my favorite cousin & her best friend,

May the love you share for one & other have no end,

And may it grow stronger with each day you spend.

 

Awesome, right?

 

 

Latest Mommy Bear Media Review and a Giveaway!

With the busy summer months in full effect, we haven’t had time for a “real” movie night here at the Dollops’ household. Instead, we chose to watch our latest family friendly flick, The Land Before Time, over a few nights before bed time. Once you get past the harshness of poor Littlefoot’s mother who is taken out by a T-Rex (think Bambi or Lion King) and the whole earthquake/drought thing, the film is adorable. I mean after all what great hit doesn’t have a few hurdles for the star to overcome? The kids weren’t fazed at all by the storyline anyway and totally enjoyed it. In the end it’s a great tale of friendship, teamwork, courage, and tenacity.  Plus, hello…it’s got DINOSAURS in it. That’s an immediate win in our house!

Now if watching dinosaurs fight to the death isn’t your cup of tea, how about watching kids do it? Sorry, that’s the best transition I could come up with to talk about Hunger Games! Did you know it’s being released on DVD/Blue Ray on August 18^th? In celebration, Mommy Bear Media is giving away a copy to a lucky winner. Wouldn’t it be great if it was you? Head on over to Mommy Bear and follow the instructions to enter. Contest ends 8/18/12. Good luck! While you're there make sure to browse through their DVDs, they've got some great ones and they ship for free!

*As a Premiere Blogger for Mommy Bear Media, I received a coupon for a free movie. All opinions are my own*