Walkers Shortbread and Valentine’s Day Perfect Together

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Walkers Shortbread and Valentine’s Day Go Perfect Together

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February is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s the month that Valentine’s Day fall in, the month in which I got engaged, and the month when I had my very first baby. Tic Tac Toe, it will always be a month that signifies love to me. With saying that I am always on the hunt for some yummy Valentine treats. Hubby is a total fan of Walkers Shortbread. This year I saw an awesome idea of taking the round and fingers and creating x’s and o’s. How adorable! To be honest with you, my samples arrived and were not tagged by me, “Do not eat”. One guess what happened, right? G-O-N-E! Well, I was going to give them to hubby anyway, but I would have liked to make the x’s and o’s for him first! Anyway, it only goes to show you just how delicious Walkers Shortbread really is.

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You can win a bag of both the rounds and fingers for yourself. Maybe you will even get to try one before someone gobbles them up! Happy Valentine’s Day. Giveaway: Win two bags of Walkers Shortbread. To enter just comment below who you would share your shortbread with on Valentine’s Day. USA/18+. Giveaway ends noon on Feb. 11th. Good Luck. Winner must be an email subscriber to 3decades3kids.net. You can subscribe to us on the right hand side bar. If you don’t see it, scroll all the way down to the bottom right.

http://us.walkersshortbread.com/

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan was provided review/giveaway product. No compensation was given for this post. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else at @3decades3kids.

Wordless Wednesday- Mountain Creek #NJ #SkiNJ #GetOutAndPlay

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Wordless Wednesday- Mountain Creek

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Last year this time we were skiing New Jersey, Mountain Creek Style.  There is still plenty of time left to hit the slopes and we are hoping to get there while the snow is falling. Fingers crossed everyone will be back to feeling great and we can get there the end of February. See you at MountainCreek New Jersey.

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Disclosure: We were invited to Mountain Creek to ski, dine and stay over. What an awesome weekend. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else as @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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Carl Van Horn

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.

Ten Tips On Hosting Your Disney Side Home Celebration

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Ten Tips On Hosting Your Disney Side Home Celebration

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This year our family was chosen to host a Disney Side Home Celebration for the second year. Such an exciting moment when that pixie dusted email arrives telling you that you have been chosen by Disney Parks to be a part of the fun. Now, you don’t have to be chosen in order to host a Disney Side Home Celebration. Honestly, we have been hosting them for years without the official name. A Disney Side Home Celebration is just inviting friends over and hosting a Disney themed party. Everyone has a Disney Side, what’s yours?

This year we are still trying to come up with a theme. We have it narrowed down and will announce it very soon when are invitations are ready. In the meantime, if you are looking for some tips on hosting a Disney Side Home Celebration we are here for you. We came up with ten tips on hosting your own party.

Tip 1: Choose a theme for your party. Some people were given a theme, others were not. If you do not have a preselected theme, it’s up to your family to come up with one. You can always choose one of the preselected ones for yourself or think of something original. Last year our theme was Hidden Mickey. It was a great theme and easy to feature at the party. You are welcome to try it if you still haven’t chosen.

Tip 2: Choose a date and send out invitations. Set the size of your party according to what is comfortable for you. Although it says home celebration, some people last year chose to have their party at a school, bowling alley, scout meetup, etc. We will be hosting ours at home again this year. By the way, your invites can be online or hard copy. It’s all up to you.

Tip 3: Do the Disney Side Happy Dance! You were chosen. Don’t stress about what was in your celebration package. There is no comparing if you are showing your true Disney Side. It’s about having fun and being happy. So just accept and enjoy!

Tip 4: Don’t forget about the music! What’s a Disney Side Home Celebration without music? Last year we created a play list on Spotify.com for free with over 200 Disney songs. It was awesome and kept the party going with tunes that everyone knew and some that they have not heard in a long time. Of course you can use your own music. I’m sure you already have some playlists created since your love Disney!

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Tip 5: Decide if you will play games at your party. If you decide on games be sure you have the room and all your ducks in order. Check that all the game pieces are there. Check that the directions are clear. Check that everyone will have fun with the games you have chosen. http://family.disney.com/activities

Tip 6: Photo Booths are awesome and easy to make. Be sure to do them in advance. Any box can easy be cut up into a photo booth. Check out some awesome Photo Booth ideas on my Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/3decades3kids/disney-photo-booth/

Tip 7: Decide what treats will be served at your party. Check with party guests ahead of time for any special dietary concerns. Create some Disney themed names for the foods depending on your party theme. Example: Snow White’s Non-poisonous apples, Tink’s Pixie Dusted Cookies.

Tip 8: Decorate your party area with home made decorations. Kids love to decorate and really get into it. Last year we made Mickey paper chains, paper flowers , hidden Mickey’s for around the house and more. The decorating is part of the fun!

Tip 9: Decide if you will have goodie bags. We found a ton of fun toys, pens, puzzles all in Target’s dollar zone. They always have Disney themed goodies. If you google Disney low cost favors, you will come up with a zillion places to purchase any theme surprises.

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Tip 10: Don’t forget to take lots of pics and video. On party day it may be a good idea to put a friend in charge of pics and video. Sometimes the host can get pretty busy making sure that everything is going as planned and not have time to zone in on pics, let alone video. This year I am passing the torch on this job so I don’t have to worry about it.

We are so looking forward to seeing everyone’s Disney Side Home Celebrations. Big or Small each party will have its own unique Disney magic. It’s all about fun, friends and family….and sharing our love for Disney! What’s your Disney Side? Do you have another tip? Please leave it in the comments section. We are always looking for more tips!

http://www.disneysidecelebrations.com/

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this post. We will be hosting a Disney Side Home Celebration in February and just thought if we could help one person to plan, we have done our job. Contact Diane Sullivan at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else at @3decades3kids We were provided with a Disney Side Celebration Kit by Disney Parks and BSM media. 

 

My Valentine Just May Be Skylanders’ Newest Guy, Love Potion Pop Fizz

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My Valentine Just May Be Skylanders’ Newest Guy, Love Potion Pop Fizz and Skylanders Valentine Cards

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Valentine’s Day is creeping up fast. We’ll definitely be celebrating the big love day around here by playing one of our favorite games! You will not want to miss out on this awesome addition to the crew. Skylanders’ newest stud, Love Potion Pop Fizz!!!!! When his latest attempt to concoct the ultimate raspberry soda totally backfired, Love Potion Pop Fizz was caught in a blast that turned him pink and gave him an alluring aroma.  At least that’s how he tells it.  But with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the Skylanders are all wondering if Pop Fizz is telling the truth – or if there is a special someone that he’s trying to impress! This character is available for a limited time at major retailers for $14.99. Run!!!!!  Your family will definitely fall in love with  Love Potion Pop Fizz! We did! 

Love Potion Pop Fizz, will you be my Valentine? Shhhhh…Don’t tell hubby!!

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When it comes to Valentine Day card for the kids to exchange, you will definitely want to check out what Skylanders has up their sleeve! As a Skylanders fan you can show your love for friends and family with signature Valentine cards! These cards are available at major retailers, including K-Mart and Walmart, for $2.99. Nothing says “You Are Special” like a Skylanders Valentine card!

Check out everything Skylanders here; http://www.skylanders.com/

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan/3decades3kids is a Gamer Family! This post is part of our Skylanders Series. No compensation was given for this post. Sample product provided by Skylanders. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan. We love gaming and love sharing everything Skylanders with you. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com and everywhere else as @3decades3kids.