Most of the time life goes on pretty normal for us. We have a busy schedule and for the most part it all seems to flow somehow. This week really seemed like a bit of a test. Waking up to our family dog breathless on the bedroom floor was just about as devastating as it gets for our family. We lost our one dog in July and now his sister. For the first time in 24 years our family is dog free. It’s a very weird feeling. There were way too many tears flowing in this house that should be filled with smiles days before Christmas. The whole concept of death and relaying it to a seven year old is not easy. Both Adam and Emily were younger than the dogs, so they have never been a day without them.

Things seemed to snowball from there. A few days later Emily woke up at 2am throwing up..and up and up and up and up. It went from her, to hubby to Adam. Somehow Louie and I escaped the wrath. Then the snow hit! Adam went into the hallway barefoot and caught his foot on the shovel. He is still recovering from the gash, not a pretty sight at all, but at least no infection or stitches.

Just when the weekend hit, I thought we could all just relax. No! While hanging out in the living room all the lights went out only to look outside and see the street filled with firetrucks, PSEG trucks, police and yellow tape. First we were told everything was okay and that things were under control.

PSEG claimed that there was an underground wire fire. Never even heard of that until that very day.

It kind of made my nerves shake at the thought of things. Next thing I know the knock is at the door to get out. We were evacuated by the fire department and being shown to a Red Cross truck that was called in. We opted to go to a hotel in lieu of a make shift shelter that was pretty scary for the kids. Plus, if the house burned down I really did not want to stand there and witness it. We have already been through fires next door and 2 doors away. Living on a main street where everything is connected does

 NOT have its perks at all. 

So WHAT do you grab when you have 5 minutes? Just about nothing! The concern is to get out. We threw some clothes into a bag, grabbed the checkbook, special teddy, and out we went. Kind of hard to grasp unless you have ever been in the situation. Then of course there was the issue with my Dad who is almost 88. He really did not want to leave..although you really don’t have an option when it’s a fire situation. 

Anyway, flash forward 48 hours…we were allowed back into our house. The house is fine, a little bit of damage, nothing major. All the power was off. The food that I had been fixing and freezing for the past two weeks had to be tossed. All that work in the garbage. I know it could have been worse, but it was worse to me, to us. The frightening situation of the entire thing was not easy. The waiting was not easy. The cleanup is not easy and the rebuying of foods and recooking is kinda not happening the way it was before. We are a family of five and there is just not a surplus of extra money sitting in a jar somewhere. Some of the Santa gifts are gone, but we will make due. 

I’m not going the insurance route because of the ultimate screw we got after Hurricane Sandy.

 Just could not be worth it in any way. 

I’m thankful for my many blessings and really did realize what was important when the knock on the door came….my family…could have been a lot worse… I cannot even begin to thank all of the people who reached out to help us..with food..and shelter..and help..and just concern..with friendship…or comments on facebook…it meant so much to us… 

You are just amazing and I will never forget your kindness and understanding…I also found out about others…sadly…

Hoping that this week is just a normal boring week…

Disclosure: This is a personal post. Not every post is a giveaway…some are just life as it happens.

Contact Diane Sullivan at ELGeorgia@aol.com or on twitter at .@3decades3kids.

Snow? Gingerbread? Candycanes? Bathing Suits? 

You can only be at one place, Great Wolf Lodge!

Times go by way too fast. It seems like you blink and your children have gone from throwing their binky to 

driving you around the town. So, with saying that, our family takes every single opportunity we can to be together and enjoy quality time together. Great Wolf Lodge seems to have become a favorite memory making resort for us. Located less than two hours from NYC, in the Pocono Mountains, it makes the location very easy to get to without very much hassle.

 During Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge there are winter based activities throughout the lodge and it even snows in the lobby two times a day! It’s amazing to see the smiles that are all around when the snow starts to fall. Of course Santa is also on hand during select dates, but you can mail him a letter in the North Pole mailbox at any time. 

The fireplace top is created with hundreds of reindeer Peeps, while there are Peeps wreaths inside and Violet’s clothing is make of pink Peeps! It’s very hard to resist eating the gingerbread house! Yum!

Of course along with all of the special activities that go on at Snowland, there is still all the regular fun going on, too! You can swim from morning until night in the 84 degree waterpark, play mini golf at Howl At The Moon Glow Golf, bowl with your friends, and play Magi Quest or the new Shadow Quest. There is something for everyone at Great Wolf Lodge, Poconos.

See you there! To check out more about Great Wolf Lodge, Poconos 

and their current promotions click here.

Disclosure: Special thanks to Great Wolf Lodge for you family hospitality.

Special thanks to Bill Colavito, Michael De Juila, and Nadine Jahn for always making our current stay more than special. Your kindness is very appreciated. It’s people/staff like you that keep us coming back over and over again. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan. Contact me at ELGeorgia@aol.com or on Twitter at .@3decades3kids.

Every year for the past six years our family has kept the tradition of enjoying Breakfast with Santa and ChaCha at Rainforest Cafe- Menlo Park Mall, NJ. We love Rainforest Cafe and usually dine at the restaurant every year when we vacation in Florida. But during the year when December comes around we know where we will be for Breakfast with Santa and ChaCha. 

Our family has tried many many many Breakfast with Santa throughout the years, but this is the only one we have ever made sure we have a reservation for when mid November rolls around.

The morning does start early, 8am sharp! It’s a tough wake up call, but worth every yawn.

From the moment you arrive the scent of French Toast, sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes and more will greet you at the door of Rainforest Cafe. Of course your family will also be welcomed by ChaCha.

Reservations are required in advance for this amazing event, but the prices are very reasonable.

 If you have never visited the Rainforest Cafe before, it’s a rainforest themed restaurant that is filled with animals including elephants, gorillas, gigantic butterflies and more. There are greens all over. You will feel like you have been transported into a real rainforest!

 Along with breakfast there is plenty of fun to be had. There is a coloring contest for the children, an adorable sing-along, and of course Santa! Nearing the end of the breakfast you will hear a jingling of bells. That would be Santa. Whenever your family is ready you can line up to visit and chat with Santa!

Breakfast with Santa and ChaCha at Rainforest Cafe is amazing!  Our family is already looking forward to next year.

Disclosure: There was no compensation for this post. This is a personal post and written because of our happy memories of attending the Santa breakfast every year. Contact Diane Sullivan at ELGeorgia@aol.com or on Twitter at .@3decades3kids.