Warm Up This Winter At Great Wolf Lodge @greatwolflodge

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Winter At Great Wolf Lodge- A Perfect Place To Warm Up

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The winter freeze is definitely upon us. Although we do enjoy the snowy outdoor activities, we are also always in search of a cozy winter retreat. Luckily for us, Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos- less than two hours away from NYC is always there for us. Imagine enjoying an indoor water park with a view of the snowy mountains. It’s yours for the taking. One of our favorite family fun resorts is definitely Great Wolf. No matter that age of your children, from infants to adults, even the grandparents will have a blast. If you do visit, make sure you pack your swimsuit. Well, if you do forget, there is always one available at one of the shoppes.

 

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Ten Things Our Family Loves About Great Wolf Lodge

1. You can choose your own activity level from reading a book in front of the fireplace in the Grand Lobby to swimming and water slides. It’s your call.

2. Magiquest and Shadowquest: What a fun game for all ages. The kids will love solving quests and moving on to different levels. Good Luck at the end if you go up against the dragon. He’s a tough one to beat, but there is always someone on hand from the Magiquest team to help you out, so don’t worry.

3. The Water park! Okay, so this one is definitely is my family’s favorite. We all love the wave pool, water slides and whirlpools. 84 degrees. Yes, please!

4. There are plenty of places to dine at the lodge. You do not have to leave to fill up the bellies. There are choices from buffets, Wolf It Down pizza, and more. Did I mention there is a Starbucks?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5. Story Hour is my daughter’s favorite. She loves watching the Clock Tower show followed by story time and then a character meet and greet. It is simply adorable. If you visit, don’t miss it.

6. The rooms are a world onto themselves. There is a huge variety of room styles to choose from. We love the loft with two floors of fun, and an in room fireplace and balcony. There are also rooms that tout bunk beds and their own kids’ cabin within the room.

7. There is a SPA within the lodge. One for adults and one for kids- Scooops Kids Spa. Enough said?

8. The Northern Lights arcade is a family fun spot for all of us. Everyone in our family has a blast between air hockey, skee ball, Deal or No Deal, and so many more choices.

 

9. The Staff! They are amazing. We visit the Poconos location and they are just top notch. No matter where you are in the lodge you can find a smiling face and someone to help or just brighten up your day. They are knowledgeable and willing to lend an extra hand.

10. Family time! With everyone on a different schedule it’s nice to get away, even for one night and just be together. The laughs are many and the memories we are making will last forever. Great Wolf Lodge cannot be beat for close to home family fun!


If your family is ready to warm up this winter, you should definitely check out Great Wolf Lodge.

See you there! Great Wolf Lodge

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this post. A greatly reduced media rate is provided in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan. This post is part of our #Roadtrip2fun Series. Contact me at 3decades3kid@gmail.com and everywhere else as @3decades3kids.

SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out Of Water Premiere and New SpongeBob Toys!

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SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out Of Water Premiere and New SpongeBob Toys!

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SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out Of Water is now in theaters! Three words: Go See It! If you are a SpongeBob fan you are going to laugh your face off. Recently readers were able to download passes to the New York City premiere. We were invited, too! The premiere touted a yellow carpet and stars galore. As fate would have it, Emily woke up with a high fever, thankfully MommysMingle was able to walk the carpet for us. Mr. Krabs, Clancy Brown, himself was on hand with others to sign autographs and give handshakes! You can check out the movie here: http://www.spongebobmovie.com/

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My daughter should have been wearing this awesome girls’ Super tee and carrying Super Patrick to the premiere. Those darn germs! Well, good news, she’ll be wearing it tomorrow when we see it at our favorite Times Square theater! I’m sure the SpongeBob fans in the audience will love it!

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A few days before the movie premiere we were thrilled to be invited to see a sneak peek of all the new SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out of Water from Nickelodeon. There are some very awesome products that any SpongeBob fan will go crazy for. We loved the app and now have it an play it all the time. This is one of those apps where the moms are taking turns with the kids, know what I mean? Okay, so I’m totally addicted! Mega Bloks sets are awesome! There was so much to see, one product more incredible than the next. There is definitely something for everyone.

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 Disclosure: Media invite provided by Nickelodeon Consumer Products and The SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out of Water. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else at @3decades3kids.

Let’s Chat With Carl Van Horn- Monster Truck Driver of Grave Digger

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Let’s Chat With Carl Van Horn- Monster Truck Driver of Grave Digger

Interview Between Carl Van Horn(Grave Digger) and Diane Sullivan

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Monster Jam is one of our absolute family fun favs. It’s a bunch of fun for the entire family, all ages. Monster Jam is at Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ January 30th and 31st. There is still time to buy tickets and enjoy the fun! Check out more about Monster Jam here and purchase tickets if you’d like to: http://www.monsterjam.com/ In the meantime, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite drivers- Carl Van Horn- Grave Digger driver. Yes, please! For years I have been sitting in the stands and thinking up questions I would love to have asked him. Now I finally had the chance. Total Awesomeness!

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My boys taking a ride in Grave Digger during the summer Monster Jam.

Diane: Tell me about driving Grave Digger. It’s a definite fan favorite.

Carl Van Horn:Grave Digger is the most popular truck in the world! The fans push me to drive has hard as I can every weekend.

 

Diane: How do you get motivated before a Monster Jam event?

Carl: It seems like when I first started I had two or three things, but now it’s more that I just strap in and go. I mean, I set all the belts up loose in a certain way because we get in and out of the Monster Jam trucks so fast that I can just jump in, tighten the belts and go. I don’t like to be rushed because it feels like I’ve forgotten something. My biggest thing is just having everything set up prior to a run, so that I can belt in a lot faster and be ready to go.

 

Diane: What’s your scariest moment?

Carl: I’m pretty fearless in my Monster Jam truck. There isn’t anything I haven’t tried.

 

Diane: Besides driving Grave Digger, what do you for fun?

Carl: Spend time with my family as much as possible. And I like to play electric and acoustic guitar. I also enjoy writing my own country music as well.

 

Diane: What’s your future goal in driving Monster trucks?

Carl: Everyone’s goal is to get to the Monster Jam World Finals every March!

 

Diane: What’s your personal favorite- freestyle? Or technique?

Carl: Definitely freestyle – it’s when I can pull out all my tricks!

 

Thanks Carl, I can speak for our family. We definitely cheer for you every time! You are my son’s favorite and mine, too! You certainly have given us some awesome Monster Jam moments! Drive On! We will be there cheering you into the future and hoping to see you in the Monster Jam World Finals!

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Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is a Feld Entertainment Ambassador Blogger. Interview opp provided by Monster Jam. Special thanks to Carl Van Horn for taking out time from his busy schedule to interview with me. It was very appreciated. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else at @3decades3kids.

Jenga Giant! So Much Family Fun! #KidsUnplugged #Jenga #JengaGiant

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Jenga Giant For The Ultimate In Family Fun!

jengaIf you are like my family, someone is always connected to some available device. Although I personally think that there are is a lot of fun waiting in the virtual world, it disconnects us from each other in the house. With saying that, I am always in search of ideas and games that will unite us as a family. Sometimes it’s quite a challenge to find a game that will appeal to all ages of my children and keep the parents happy, too. Jenga Giant was a huge hit with our family.

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First of all, the game is enormous! We loved it immediately and the set up can involve everyone young and not so young. Jenga Giant comes boxed with the pieces bagged. The instructions are easy to follow. You simply build the tower as a whole, then the fun begins! Turn by turn, we started with youngest goes first, takes out a piece of the Jenga Giant without toppling the tower. Will gravity be your friend? Our family has a million laughs every time we play. Jenga Giant stacks to over 3 feet tall. It’s quite big especially since most times we play it on top of the kitchen table. Personally, I have never won the game yet, but believe I am still trying!

The best part of Jenga Giant is that it will unite your family and friends and keep the kids unplugged and focused on the family and the fun they are having. The reaction to Jenga Giant was incredible! Be prepared though, your kids will want to play again and again and again. Usually I set the two or three game limit at the beginning so there are no issues. Good Luck if you play. You can find out more about all Jenga games right here: http://www.jenga.com/ Enjoy!

Disclosure: Jenga Giant was provided to Diane Sullivan in order to create this review. No compensation was given for this post. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan/ 3decades3kids and part of our #KidsUnplugged Series. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else at @3decades3kids. Happy Game Time!

The Berenstain Bears in Family Matters the Musical!

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The Berenstain Bears Live!

Recently my family was invited to The Berenstain Bears Live in NYC. We could not have been more delighted. Since I have three children 20,12,and 4, The Berenstain Bears have been a part of our family for a very long time. I have also read The Berenstain Bears book series for years in my classroom.
The Berenstain Bears Family Matters The Musical was just delightful. We really enjoyed watching this production bring three of our family’s favorite stories to life! The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food, The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble at School, and The Berenstain Bears Learn about Strangers could not have been better choices to see LIVE! Of course it was filled with all of our Bear County favorites including Mama, Papa, Sister, Brother, Grandma, Grandpa and even Cousin Bear was there! Many lessons were learned as Sister found out about strangers, Brother learned about getting better grades, Papa learned about eating healthy and they all learned a little bit more about being honest! Mama seems to be quite busy keeping her Bear family in line!


It was so energizing to sing and dance along with The Berenstain Bears. They brought the audience to their feet with the song Too Much Fluff on Your Tummy! The Berenstain Bears were quite audience friendly. When the show ends, the fun doesn’t! In the lobby after the show the children (and adults) can get their own bear nose painted on by Grandpa Bear, with the help of Gran of course! Then hold up your own pot of honey and stand with the rest of the Bear family for a great family picture!
The Berenstain Bears Family Matters The Musical will absolutely delight your family! It’s great for children of all ages or adults that have treasured The Berenstain Bears throughout their lives. I suggest you grab a Bear fan and head over to this show for some Bear County fun!

For more info on The Berenstain Bears Live please visit:
http://www.berenstainbearslive.com/?gclid=CIX6kbTMjaoCFQjf4AodSShwzA

Disclosure:  All opinions are that of 3decades3kids.