Events
30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival
Last weekend we made a trip to Georgia to attend the 30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival. We’ve never gone to the festival before so the kids were very excited when we told them what we were doing. We arrived just a few minutes after they opened and were surprised to see the amount of people that were at the festival. The only traffic we ran into was the last two miles before the festival because traffic was backed up a little as everyone was trying to get in and park. They had plenty of parking and attendants helping get the cars in as efficiently as possible. It had rained the day before so it was a little muddy in a few places, but it wasn’t bad.
We had a great time watching all the neat shows and going through the various shops. The kids thought it was fascinating and were even chosen to participate in one of the shows which was fun. The people performing were very interactive with the audiences. There were a few “adult humor” jokes in some of the performances, but nothing that the kids picked up on. It was Roman and bring your pet weekend so there were lots of dogs which the girls loved. We only saw one cat though!
They had a lot of different food options as well from giant turkey legs, key lime pie on a stick, funnel cakes, and more. The kids thought the funnel cake was delicious! There was alcohol available for purchase, however, with it being a day event most people were drinking casually so that wasn’t a problem. They do allow smoking so occasionally you would have to walk around a group of people who were smoking usually around the picnic areas. Overall it was a great experience, entertaining, fun, and a good family activity.
We got to see almost all the performances throughout the day. Usually each show performs several times during the day so if you don’t catch one time you get another one. We were there close to 6 hours and were able to watch at least part of every show that was performing that weekend. It was neat to see a lot of tricks and talent.
Here are some of the pictures from the shows we attended and really enjoyed:
King announcing the jousting tournament!
The warrior princess to be won in the knights competition
One of the warriors
Karlie and Brina on stage being lassoed by Cirque du Todd on Fools’s Knoll stage
He got a bunch of kids inside the lasso
Having fun in the performance!
Juggling a large knife, garden spike, and jalapeno spam
Cirque du Todd balancing on a board while juggling fire sticks and fire spinning around his head and feet.
Sirena Dog Show at the Garden Cottage Stage
She had a lot of different dogs doing various tricks
Huge poodle that could jump high!
Birds of Prey show, this guy flew over our heads!
The owl is ready!
We had an empty seat next to us and one of the workers would call the birds so they would land right next to us.
He’s got his little helmet on to keep him calm during the performance.
Petting the animals
Wheel of Death act at the Marrakech Mews area
He was walking and doing the jump rope while this huge wheel was spinning way up in the air. Amazing!
Barely Balanced was entertaining on the Halfwit Harbour Stage
Juggling knives over his friend
Now that’s a way to stretch.
He is balancing on a board while she’s on his shoulders juggling the knives. Barely Balance is a husband, wife, and friend who perform together.
She is standing on a large ball while they are juggling the knives around her.
It started the weekend of April 18th and goes through June 7, 2015. There were many more performances we saw while at the festival. Hope this gives you a taste of what you will see while you are there!
If you are looking to go to the Georgia Renaissance Festival you can use this promo code for another few days! Also, next weekend, the first weekend in May kids under 12 years old get in free!
Georgia Renaissance Festival Promo Code Discount:
- Get $4 off Adult and $3 off Child (6-12) tickets! Use Promo Code: “castle” when purchasing discount tickets on our secure website at www.garenfest.com. Tickets are good any day of the 2015 Season (Weekends and Memorial Day Apr 18-June 7). Online discount only. Not good with any other offers.
A special thanks to U.S. Family Guide and Georgia Renaissance Festival for offering a special discount to our readers. Any specific product information was provided by Georgia Renaissance Festival and U.S. Family Guide, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own. We did receive tickets so our family could visit the festival and share our experience.
Insta-Snow Powder for Fun Indoor Snow Activities!
Super cool fake snow!
Our friends Mike, Ashley, and Bradley gave the girls Insta-Snow Powder for their birthdays! It is AMAZING! The girls have spent hours playing with it. Ok, I will admit it I have been playing with it too. It’s just so cool to play with inside!
It is super simple to make (just add water to a measured amount of powder). The canister we have makes 2 gallons of snow. We have only made a few batches and still have the snow we made from the last several weeks. It lasts a really long time if you put it in a ziplock bag. It is fascinating, not cold, and funky to play with.
The girls were wanting to go somewhere with snow for their birthday so our friend sent “snow” to them. They had the snow out almost immediately and within a couple of days of playing with the Insta-Snow we got real snow outside in SC. The kids are convinced our friends are good luck because every time they played with the Insta-Snow they sent them it would snow again in SC (which means no school too).
It is a fun activity for the kids. If any of the snow particles do get on the counter or floors they are easy to wipe up or if you miss them they will dry back up into the powder which is easy to sweep or vacuum up off the floor. We are gearing up to do a science project and the girls are convinced that whatever they decide to do they will need to add some of the Insta-Snow powder to give their science projects an extra WOW factor, ha!
I think the next thing we are going to try is to dye the snow different colors to see how it handles that and what it looks like when you mix various ones together. Thankful for thoughtful friends who know how to brighten the lives of the little ones (and big ones) in our home! THANK YOU Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life for providing hours of entertainment at our house!!!
They thought it was neat being able to write messages in the snow!
The Insta-Snow Powder came in this canister and it makes 2 gallons. The snow expands rapidly to 100 times its original size. It goes from being a dry granule to fluffy white snow-like substance in a matter of seconds.
Inside the canister there is a scoop for easy measuring!
First we measured the insta-snow powder into a red cup than poured the water into it.
Mixing up the snow and water. It literally grew in her hands. Super cool!
Playing with it!
So fascinating they wouldn’t even look up for the camera
Pile of fake snow to play with inside.
Felt really neat!
Loved looking at all the little pieces and playing with it.
Building a volcano!
Look it’s snowing inside!
You could play with it for hours with your bare hands because it is not cold like actually snow plus it doesn’t melt and it’s easy to clean up!
Brina playing with the snow!
Creating a replica of the Great Wall of China which we were just talking about the other day!
If you are looking for a fun and indoor activity you can find Insta-Snow Powder and other Snow like items on Amazon.
Travel & Vacation: DIY Disney World Autograph and Passport Book
Kids Autograph & Passport Books!
Before going to Walt Disney World we put together these two autograph and passport books for the kids to use while at the parks. If they met a character or wanted to get Epcot’s World Showcase stamps from around the world they could put it all in their autograph and passport books. They turned out really well! It is super easy, lightweight, and they worked really well! At the end of their trip they had a neat autograph and passport book full of neat memories. If we go back again we can just grab the book and fill in more of the pages!
Make Your Own Disney World Autograph & Passport Book
Passport Size Moleskin Books with Blank Pages: We picked up at set of two passport size Moleskin Notebooks with blank pages for their autograph and passport books. One was orange and the other one was a bright yellow. You can purchase them in several locations Amazon or Moleskin’s Website or Barnes & Noble!
Decorative Disney Tape: We picked up decorative Disney craft tape at our local Hobby Lobby (any craft store or even Walmart should have some options). We kept the autograph and passport books simple with just one piece of tape on the top and another on the bottom to make nice borders.
Disney Stickers: We picked up a pack of Disney stickers and had the girls pick out which stickers they wanted to put on their autograph and passport books. They picked one sticker for the front and a different one for the back.
Alphabet Stickers for Personalization: We found alphabet stickers at home and put the kids names on the autograph and passport books. When we first put the stickers on we thought that they may fall off during our explorations. The kids pulled them in and out of their back packs several times every day and the stickers stayed on perfectly. Although it is a good idea to make sure you get quality stickers just in case.
You can put an index card between the pages I you want. We did it, but it wasn’t necessary since none of the ink bled through the pages (and we used permanent markers). The kids kept a some click-able permanent markers in their back packs so they could pull them out whenever they ran into a character. We have included a few of the autographs and the some of the World Showcase Stamps (they visited all the countries) that they gathered on our last trip to Disney! They loved meeting several characters and getting stamps as well as messages from all the World Showcase Countries at Epcot!
Daisy Duck
Happy Birthday from Canada!
They were really excited about the books!
Chip and Dale. Probably their favorite Disney Characters they met while at the parks.
Morocco – it says “Karlie”
The back of the orange one and front of the yellow book.
Rafiki’s signature!
These make great souvenirs for the kids!
Mexico – the kids liked that all the countries in the World Showcase at Epcot wrote different messages in their passports in their own languages. Fun and educational for the kids. It means – “Hello my friend! Welcome to Mexico!”
The backs of the autograph and passport books
Norway’s message – “Welcome to Norway! Happy Birthday!”
Karlie’s autograph book and passport
Happy Birthday message from China!
Brina Bee
Germany’s message – “Welcome to the kingdom of Rapunzel and Snow White!”
Ready to fill out the next page in the book
Welcome to Italy!
Travel & Vacation: Walt Disney World’s Trading Pins
Ready to trade!
When we went to Disney recently we decided to add a fun event to the girls days while in the parks. I was looking online for neat activities and inexpensive souvenirs when I discovered the Disney Trading Pin idea. None of us had ever done this before, but it intrigue me so I researched it more.
Get a Disney Trading Pin Starter Pack. We decided to buy a starter pack of Walt Disney World Trading Pins for the girls and see how it goes. You can find a lot of sets for sell on Amazon or EBay. If you do purchase from Amazon OR EBay, please check the seller’s feedback and verify that the trading pins you are purchasing are truly official Disney Trading Pins. The official Disney Trading Pins will all be made of metal and contain the mickey mouse head printed on the the backs. If they are not “official Disney Trading Pins” you will not be able to trade them at the parks. We purchased a set of 50 Disney Trading Pins for less than $0.50 per pin including shipping. The only catch with the pins we got was that we couldn’t “pick” which pins came in our package. We really didn’t have any preference on the pins we wanted to get starting and didn’t have any specific sets we were trying to collect any way so it made sense to get started with a decent number of pins by getting them online prior to going to Disney. You can also pick up various themed starter packs at any of the Disney stores.
Make it a game and prepare the kids before leaving home. A couple days before we left for Disney we put all the trading pins into a bowl and had the girls choose one out at a time so it was random. We explained what the pins were for, how to use them, and that they were theirs to keep, trade, and do as they please with them. They were really excited by this new fun game! After they drew all the trading pins that we had been sent they practiced their trading abilities by trading a couple among themselves.
Decide which ones you want to keep and which ones to trade. They sorted them by categories – ones they wanted to keep, ones they wanted to trade with others because they didn’t want them, and ones that they hadn’t decided whether or not they wanted to keep into their “maybe” stack. We used 4 lanyards that Jake had collected through the various conferences he has attended to attached their pins.
Make sure to get a lanyard or hat to store them on. Separate out the ones you want to keep from the ones you want to trade. They had one lanyard that they wore or kept readily available so they could trade with any cast member or other guest while at the Disney parks, on the transportation systems, hotel, standing in line, and various other places throughout our travels. The other lanyard they kept separate and that contained all the trading pins they really wanted to keep or try to collect. We kept the lanyard with the pieces they wanted to save in their back packs so they didn’t accidentally trade the wrong ones. Also, we discovered that occasionally the back would come off of a trading pin and at times the pin itself would fall off. If they lost one they were already trading it would not be as disappointing as losing one that they really wanted to keep.
Meet a lot of neat people and enjoy a variety of fun conversations. We weren’t entirely sure how well it would work, if the kids would like it, or if it would be fun for them, but we gave it a try. They LOVED it!!! It was so neat to see them talking, interacting, and trading not only with various cast members, but other guests as well. They had to be okay if someone didn’t want to trade and learn how to interact politely with both kids and adults. It was a great learning experience for both of the kids. They had a grand time and had so many interesting conversations with people we met throughout the week that we probably would have never talked with had they not been trading.
Educational souvenir and perfect for older kids. Let the kids handle as much as the interaction on their own. It was educational, fun, and for the most part inexpensive souvenir. The new trading pins in the stores sell for $6 and more per trading pin! This activity is particularly good for older children, probably 6 and up. The younger ones can do it too, but it takes more parent supervision. Most of the time I would step back and let the kids do all the conversations and interactions on their own. They got really good at it and had a blast at the same time. If your looking for a fun activities that can be done no matter where you are at in the Disney vicinity this is a wonderful activity. Once the girls knew what they wanted to collect it became like a scavenger hunt game for them.
Manners Matter. It is probably obvious, but like anything else in life it is important to be polite and use your manners when you are interacting with cast members and other guests. There are some people that absolutely do not want to trade and you have to be okay with that too! The girls ended up getting some pretty neat pins and even a couple extra ones when trading. I believe a large part of them getting a few extra pins was that they were polite and respectful when interacting with people during the trading process (plus wearing their birthday celebration buttons helped with that as well).
How to trade pins with cast members and guests. Any cast member will trade up to 2 pins with you as long as you do not give them one that they already have. Other guests do not have to trade with you, but there is no limit on the number of trades you can do with other guests. We had many opportunities to trade throughout the entire week! The kids were very excited by the pins they were able to collect during the week. They even collected a full set or two. They can back with only a handful of the 25 pins they began the week with before heading to Disney It was interesting to see how they choose to handle their sets and how their different personalities shown through in this activity.
Brina’s starter set. The top row was her want to keep and “maybe” sets.
At the end of the week Brina’s “keep” set on the left and “trade later” set on the right.
Brina made up her mind almost immediately what she wanted to collect, never changed her mind, and consistently only looked for those specific items. She managed to complete one full set and is only 1 away from completing her 2nd set. Brina especially enjoyed talking and trading with the kids (both the little ones and older ones). She would trade any of her stash of trading buttons with them just for fun even if they didn’t have something she wanted in return. It was a great social activity and she really enjoyed it!
Karlie’s Disney Trading Pins starter set. She separated hers out into to save, trade, and “maybe” trade categories.
Karlie’s two sets by the end of the week. On the left are her “keep” pins and on the right are her “still can be traded at a later day” pins. As you can see she has some of the same pins and a variety of new ones.
Karlie was fun to watch trade. She would trade with anyone and everyone. It was a great adventure for her to go up to workers, other guests, and just start up a conversation. She was always excited about a variety of pins. Although she originally only had one or two sets she was collecting by the end of the week she had several different sets she was collecting because she kept adding more ones she wanted to keep. She didn’t complete any of her sets, but she did get some very “Karlie” type pins which was cool!
If you want some more information about how to get started with the Disney Trading Pins you can go to Disney or Disney Blog or other individuals who have shared great advice with a lot of information for those who are looking at beginning to trade the Disney pins:
These should help you get off to a great start in your Disney Trading Pin adventure! Happy Trading!!!
Flashback Friday: Exhausting Day
Must have been an exhausting day!
Our Flashback Friday goes back to April 2005 when the girls were almost 2 months old. Jake and the girls were playing while I was making dinner. When I came back to check on them this is what I discovered. Everyone was napping peacefully. Must have been a busy day for the crew. Maybe it is all those middle of the night feedings interrupting our sleep.
Thankful for my family and the blessings in my life. They look so peaceful when they are sleeping. Those first few months were especially tiring for Jake and I. I am not sure how he did everything. He got up every night to help me with feeding the girls and then go work a full day. There weren’t a lot of parties and late night fun activities other than taking care of babies during this season of our life.
Travel & Vacation: Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort (Orlando, FL)
Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
Our “Home Away from Home” during our stay in Orlando was at the Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort. We didn’t spend a large amount of time actually in our room, although it was nice to crash some place comfortable every night after a busy day of exploring. Our room (I think each room had the same) had a mini-refrigerator and plenty of space to put food and snacks.
We did all our breakfasts and dinners (except one) in our hotel room. For our lunches we packed sandwiches to take with us in our backpacks so we wouldn’t have to stop and eat. I shared a few tidbits about earlier resort and the neat pools they have on the resort. The only thing that really bothered the girls about the resort was that the fish on the signs and around the hotel did not actually look like a dolphin (something they pointed out to me on multiple occasions). They still loved it though!
Fun jungle gym. Great place to vent out any extra energy the kids may have had.
The ducks were very friendly. We were walking on the sidewalk when this duck decided to take a stroll with us.
Waiting with smiles for the bus to arrive. Sometimes we didn’t wait very long and other days it took longer before the bus arrived.
I had fun hanging out with the girls while Jake was in his conference!
Wild crew. Not sure how the girls sustained all their energy throughout the days and late into the evenings. We had a blast!
The girls were standing in the walkway for our hotel. It was really beautiful at night.
Our Mickey and Minnie Mouse in front of the fountain after a very long day at the park.
Our balcony overlooked this walkway outside of our hotel.
It was mesmerizing watching all the lights change colors.
It was very relaxing to sit out on the balcony at night, listen to the music from below, and watch the different lights fade in and out.
Pretty trees….
Several nights the kids would eat there dinner on the balcony so they could watch the lights.
You could even smell some of the great food from the restaurants nearby as you relaxed on the balcony.
I don’t know if it was the pretty lights, music, smell of good food, or the fact we were sitting down after walking around all day, but we spent a good bit of time hanging out on our balcony every night as everyone relaxed for the evening and got showers done before hitting the bed.
Goodbye Orlando….until next time! We had a great trip! Many fun activities happened and memories were made. Now it’s time to head on home!
Travel & Vacation: Disney’s Boardwalk (Orlando, FL)
Boardwalk during the day!
Disney’s Boardwalk was only a short walking distance away from our resort, basically you had to cross a bridge to get there from where we were staying at the Swan & Dolphin Resort. It was a neat place to walk to day or night. You could see the Epcot fireworks from Disney’s Boardwalk every night. You couldn’t see all the fireworks, but you got to see all the big ones for about 15 to 20 minutes. In the evenings on the Boardwalk you can regularly see magicians, a Children’s outdoor video playing, and more activities. They have stores, restaurants, and a lot more places to explore in the area too.
It looks like a bunch of twinkling stars over the edge of Boardwalk.
We definitely enjoyed the fireworks going off all around us every night!
Cool blue ones!
So pretty per the girls!
One of the entry ways to Boardwalk lit up at night.
I wanted to snap a picture of them with the Boardwalk sign in the back ground. Brina couldn’t look at the camera she was so worried someone was going to run over them since they were standing on the side of the road in the dark (there wasn’t any cars coming at that moment, but she was convince one would sneak up on them). Guess I would rather her be extra cautious than not care at all.
Travel & Vacation: Character Breakfast at the Garden Grove (Orlando, FL)
Meeting Goofy at Breakfast!
We were able to go to the Saturday morning Character Breakfast at Garden Grove Cafe while we were in Orlando. It is located on the Swan and Dolphin Resort, but anyone can come and eat there if they want. They had great food and we got to meet a couple of the Disney Characters during our meal. The girls thought it was pretty neat too. If you do want to eat at a character to meal make sure you work that into your budget while in the planning stages because they are a little higher priced than some of the other options. Also, if you have a choice choose the breakfast over the dinner Character meal because it is a little less expensive. If you have older kids any kid 10 years and up is charged the adult prices (both for the meal as well as to get into the Disney parks).
The kids did amazing the entire week. We were going full throttle this entire week, they didn’t miss a beat, and had great attitudes. We were going from sun up to way past sun down every night too. They did crash as soon as the hit the pillows every night, but still popped up as soon as the first ray of sunlight hit our room!
Delicious food complete with a Mickey Mouse Waffle! The fresh fruit and fresh fruit smoothies were amazing!!!
Having fun even at breakfast!
Hanging out with Pluto!
Love spending time with my man!
Travel & Vacation: Disney Epcot at Night (Orlando, FL)
Hanging out at Epcot
Walt Disney World’s Epcot looks beautiful during the day, however, at night with all the lights it looks amazing! Thankful for a full and fun day exploring Epcot with the family. We were there when they opened and stayed until they closed the gates. The second day we left about 30 minutes early since we were driving home that night and wanted to get ahead of the crowds and traffic. Even with leaving early it still took us almost an hour to get from the hotel parking lot to the interstate. The kids were out cold and snoozing before we even left the hotel parking lot.
Our little Minnie and Mickey at Epcot
The Epcot ball and water fountain looked super cool.
Epcot’s World Showcase lit up from across the water
Epcot’s huge globe during the fireworks. The kids loved seeing this globe and watching it move as well as open up!
It was hard to get a clear picture of the moving Earth in the dark during the fireworks, but here is the North and South America side of the globe!
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot!
Fireworks are always a hit with our kids!
They had a lot of different fireworks and music during their firework show!
So neat!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
Last week was a whirlwind of activities as we got back into the regular school and work routine! It was a busy week, but I am thankful for time together with the family too. There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday – Thankful for my Mom and the opportunity to celebrate her birthday! Wish I could be there to celebrate with her. Also, grateful for the nurses and Doctors looking after my Grandma in the hospital. We had a scare today, but thankfully everything is okay.
Tuesday – Thankful for two kids who work hard at school even when it isn’t always easy. We received their report cards today and I am very proud of them.
Wednesday – Thankful for those people who help keep me accountable.
Thursday – Thankful for Jake and he’s willingness to pitch in and help anywhere I need it from homework to meals and around the house. He is very thoughtful and considerate, I am blessed.
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to go to the Zoo with the family and for a Date Night with my sweet Brina Bee.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
