Spring Giveaway

Spring has sprung!!!  It is time for a giveaway.  Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Code.

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***Giveaway open to US Residents only.  Winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter.  This prize is not sponsored or affiliated with Amazon.  Winner has one week to claim their prize.  

Legoland

One of our adventures this Spring Break was to Legoland Florida.  Before this we have only been to Legoland once before when I had one child and he was 3.  The experience I had over Spring Break and when my son was 3 was totally different.  For one, the park was super crowded to be expected for Spring Break.  To even enter the parking area there was a huge line which took quite some time to get through.  Once we parked we had our 1st injury of the day when walking towards the front gate.  My boys of course were clowning around while we were walking and they were hugging and both went down on the concrete.  They both skinned their knees with my youngest boy taking the brunt of the injury.  Crying of course ensued and did I mention this was a Florida cold morning in the 50s?  Running noses for everyone and I know this weather is nothing for the snowbirds but for Floridians it was cold.  We were meeting some family members at the park so we were victims of the massive parking line.  Which wait time had increased to an hour or more.  So both of my inpatient boys were having a hard time waiting.

We opted to buy the Awesomer pass which is $149 that includes admission, parking, some Orlando attractions (Orlando eye, Madame Tussauds, and Sea life Aquarium), and some other benefits.  There is a $99 annual pass but it doesn't include parking.  http://www.legoland.com/florida/buy-tickets/admission-tickets/1-day/

When we got the park it was pretty obvious that is was packed.  I even overheard an employee say they were over capacity for the day.  The lines were an average of at least an hour wait many times more than that.  We were able to do about 5 rides.  Definitely looking forward to returning on a less busy day.

One of the many great things about Legoland is the range of rides and activities for all ages.  The sheer amount of rides in the park is pretty impressive.  There are tons of play areas throughout the park which really salvaged the day for the kids.  There are shows, cypress gardens, and mini land ( built lego replicas of cities and attractions). There is also a water park but it was closed this day because of the colder weather.

Before I mentioned 1st injury the 2nd injury my cousin was getting into the boats with my boys in the boat and she fell in the boat and broke her arm.  I feel horrible because she was taking care of the kids when it happened.

***This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Legoland.  The opinions of my experience are completely my own.  no compensation was received in exchange for this review

5 Months

My little girl has turned 5 months and there are lots of new accomplishments.  She began solid foods once a day and she has had rice cereal, carrots, sweet peas, and sweet potatoes.  She has not been crazy about any of them.  She has a lot more control in her hands so she has been able to play with toys and enjoys the noisier the better.  She rolls over all over the place but get frustrated when she tries to move forward on her tummy.  I am sure that is coming soon.  She is a very happy baby very smiling and loves to squeal still.  She loves to play with her big brothers.  She gets the biggest smile on her face when they talk to her.  It is really adorable to watch.  She so far in 5 months has only slept through the night once.  Hopefully it will become more consistent.

Fred's Market

Fred's Market Restaurant is a buffet style restaurant with Southern themed foods.  There are ribs, chicken, tilapia, pulled meats, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, and many other foods.  There are 2 soup choices, a salad bar, and desert options as well.  I got the opportunity to experience the Riverview, Fl location.   I was informed that on the weekends and busy times a day that you can be waiting an hour or more.  We were lucky enough to only wait 15 minutes for our table.

The mac and cheese is really good.  There are so many excellent choices and options available.  You have the option to eat ala carte,  1 visit to the buffet, no meat, or the shebang.   There are currently 4 locations: Riverview, Plant City, Lakeland, and Lake Mary.  If you are interested in learning more and pricing as well go to http://www.fredsmarket.com

*This post and review is not sponsored or affiliated with Fred's Market Restaurant.  No compensation was received in exchange for this review.  The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.

Day Out with Thomas

My boys have always been big Thomas fans.  In fact my 3 year old has until recently been obsessed with Thomas and Friends.  For the third and final year (I'll explain this statement) we attended the Florida Railroad Museum in Parish, Florida to take a ride on Thomas.  This year on the Ready, Set, Go tour some locations have Percy to ride as well.  The Florida Railroad Museum only had Thomas.

When you arrive at the event parking is challenging; my advice is to wait for the people who run the parking to guide you to a space.  On the way in there are lots of cars lining the side of the road but be patient and you will get a guided space with help to navigate the traffic.  There are police officers to guide the traffic so it really is safer.  Now there are a lot of Thomas fans so be prepared for a crowd at this event.
 
Upon entering the event you are given a map for each child.  This year you needed to collect 4 stamps at various locations throughout the event.  When you complete the requirements for your map you turn it in for a little Thomas surprise (this year it was a Thomas clapper).  The event is full of lots of fun themed activities.  There is a storybook/storytime area that is covered with seating which is good for a break.  There is also a huge covered tented area called Imagination station which is full of Thomas toys, coloring, and activities.  This is the most popular area and they have trains for the kids to play with.  I have learned to bring my own trains to play with because like most children sharing isn't abundant and that way I normally  avoid the average meltdown.  There is a meet and greet with Sir Topham Hatt which is a stamped activity.  The 4th and final stamp is at the gift shop.  Be prepared to wait in a really long line for any purchases.  Last year I waited an hour in line to purchase t-shirts.  This year we bypassed this not without my boys disappointment.  Also at the event there is a mini train ride for little ones.  There are also bounce houses and fair food galore.

You have a ticket to ride Thomas which has the time of your ride.  Standing in line to ride Thomas was excruciating for me.  We are in an uncovered line awaiting our turn to get on the train and it is HOT the sun is beating down on you.  I had my little 4 1/2 month old which I was holding and trying to shade from the sun.  Both of my boys were whining and complaining as well as everyone else in line for the ride.  Once you get on the train there are fans and wind from the movement of the train.  When the train is in-between rides you can line up to get a picture with Thomas there is a photographer on hand and they can take your photo which you can purchase or you can take your own photo for free.  They also will take your photo on the train as well.

My reason that this is going to be our last year.  The event every year we have attended is super hot.  If you are curious as to how hot look at the people leaving and the children.  Meltdown city and bright red cheeks.  My boy who was crazy about Thomas wasn't as into the train ride this year.  He has recently taken an interest in Dinosaurs.  We have a train station closer to my home that does train rides so I think we will just stick to that from now on.  But if you have a big Thomas fan it is worth it.


***This review is not sponsored or affiliated with Day out with Thomas or the Florida Railroad Museum.  The opinions and review is completely my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review.

Sleepless Nights

I am sitting holding my sleeping 4 1/2 month old after a rough night.  Until this point we had been up together since 5 am and she woke up 2 times in between the rest of the night.  I have been so desperately tired for the past week due to her newborn sleep schedule and I am totally exhausted.  I am throughout the day hoping to nap when she naps but unfortunately my 3 year old does not like when mommy sleeps.  When you are in the midst of this it seems unfathomable that you will make it another night like this.  Especially due to the fact that I am no spring chicken...I am 38 and feeling like I am too old for all this.  This stage as I remember was not fun with my 2 boys but I rebounded a little better or at least I think I did.  Then in the delirium of not getting sleep I remind myself of my 2 fiercely independent boys and how I wish they wanted to cuddle and spend time with me.  I know one day I am going to miss her needing me and believe it or not one day yearn for the sleepless nights just to have special time with her.  Time seems to go by so quickly and I try to live in the moment as much as possible.

The Berenstain Bears Storybook Bible for Little Ones Review

This hard cover and easy to clean Storybook Bible is an excellent edition to your young child's library.   The easy to understand and illustrated book comes with 10 kid friendly stories for little ones who are just learning about the bible.  Of course no Berenstain book is complete without the bear characters included in the story.  This book is part of the Living Light section of the legacy that mostly covers christain and morally positive stories.  My boy was interested in the stories and they were a great length to do one each night before bedtime.  This book was a perfect compliment to our bedtime routine.  Happy to have a book that helps me to explain and tell many of the popular stories from the bible.

***This book was provided through Booklook Bloggers in exchange for a review.  No further compensation was provided in exchange for this review.   All opinions and review is completely my own.

Cub Scouts

One of the things my boy was really looking forward to in 1st grade was being able to join Cub Scouts.  At our first meeting there were 10 boys in his grade level.  Unfortunately, this has dwindled down to just my boy remaining.  I feel so bad for him but he is still interested in continuing.  It has turned into just us doing the requirements at home.  I am really hoping it doesn't deter him from continuing.  We are kind of now on a mad race to get him his requirements. I hope we are able to accomplish it.
I also feel horrible that we haven't been able to do any of the camp outs.  It has just been hard/impossible to fathom camping out with me, a 7 year old, 3 year old, and a 4 month old.  I know the boys desperately want to camp out but with the baby it makes it challenging.  Hopefully next year I will be in a better position to take part in the camping fun.

February Amazon Code Winner

Thank you everyone for your participation in our latest giveaway.  A winner has been randomly selected by Rafflecopter.  Congratulations to....

Laurie M.  Please contact me at peeingwithdooropenmommies@gmail.com to claim your prize.