Essex County’s Codey Arena- Ice Skating Fun!

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Essex County
 Codey Arena
Ice Skating Fun
Next to Turtle Back Zoo

Recently my family and I were invited to test out our ice skating skills at Essex County Codey Arena. 
The skating rink is located at 450 Northfield Avenue-West Orange, NJ right next to Turtle Back Zoo.
Being I had never been inside Codey Arena, I did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the huge lobby and all the arena offered.
There are three party or meeting rooms, concession stands that offer an array of delicious foods and drinks, pro shop, arcade and much more.
There are also two different skating rinks with surrounding stands that hold 500+ people.
My oldest son has his own skates so he was ready to go. He laced up while the rest of us got our rental skates. My daughter loved the thought of being able to just put on skates and go! She was ready to perform  a Figure 8, even though she had never been on ice skates in her life. Surprising, she did a wonderful job and did end up skating without holding hands a few times. I guess all her practice on the kitchen floor paid off!
As for the skating rink, it was wonderful. There were plenty of people on hand to help out the beginners and keep the skaters flowing in the same direction. 
We all loved the upbeat music. It was perfect to skate to and kept everyone smiling!
The rink was also very family friendly. There were all ages represented from little children just learning to skate to families and people skating solo. 
There was also plenty of seating for the watchers. I loved how you could walk around the entire rink along side the skaters. There were also many step off doors where you could exit the ice if needed. 
The entire experience was wonderful and the kids are already begging to go back!
I think we will be hitting the ice during this week off of school and also during winter break in February! Click here for the Codey Arena skating schedule!
If you are looking for somewhere family friendly to take the kids, don’t miss out on Essex County Codey Arena Ice Skating Rink. It’s indoors so you don’t have to worry about the weather!
For more information click here! 973-731-3828
See you on the ice!
Disclosure: Special thanks to Codey Arena for our fun day of ice skating and winter treats!
All opinions are that of 3decades3kids/Diane Sullivan.



Great Wolf Lodge Win One of TEN $250 Gift Cards! Good Luck!

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Great Wolf Lodge 
Win One Of TEN
$250 Gift Cards 
In A Fabulous Face Book Party!
Just Sign Up With Your Name and Email!
Follow My Trip This Weekend
Dec. 17th & 18th to GWL Poconos 
on Twitter and Facebook!
Our family is planning a big trip to Great Wolf Lodge Poconos this weekend and we are all getting very excited about it already! The bathing suits are out, the robes are packed and the flip-flops are by the door. The kids have their Magi Quest wands ready and I even noticed that stuffed Wiley snuck into the suitcase.
I am thrilled to tell you that I will be tweeting LIVE from Great Wolf Lodge Poconos on Saturday and Sunday!
Our family cannot wait to check out Snowland complete with snow, story time and Santa in the grand lobby. 
We are also ecstatic to see how the ground floor has been transformed! The last time we were there in May, everything was in a transitional stage. 

I have already heard so many great things about the Ten Paw Ally (the new bowling center), Story Explorers(an interactive story zone) and the new location of our family favorite-MagiQuest! 
I can’t wait to share it all with you! You can follow me LIVE on Twitter at @3decades3kids!
If you are a Facebook fan don’t worry, you won’t be left out! I will be posting pictures on 3decades3kids and Great Wolf Lodge  Facebook pages , too!
I also have some really GREAT NEWS to share with you about Facebook! Great Wolf Lodge is hosting an outrageous contest giving away TEN $250 gift cards! The sign up is quick and easy and takes UNDER 10 seconds! How can you resist? You can enter right HERE! 
Good Luck with the contest! Let me know if you win-so I can go back to GWL with you! (kidding) lol.
You can check out our last trip here and here!
The kids loved their Paw Passes!(I believe The Paw Pass has changed since our last visit: I will update on this trip if possible.)
Going to the lodge…The Great Wolf Lodge…Hoooowwwwlll!
PS: You can check out some great deals at GreatWolfLodge.com!
An additional post will follow this one after the completion of our weekend trip to Great Wolf Lodge!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Great Wolf Lodge.
All opinions are that of 3decades3kids/Diane Sullivan.




3decades3kids Rainforest Cafe Breakfast With Santa and ChaCha

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3decades3kids
 Rainforest Cafe 
Breakfast With Santa and ChaCha

December 17th and 18th

Menlo Park Mall -NJ
732-452-0011

Every year when December is within reach there is always something I can never resist. I have been to many, many breakfast with Santa throughout the years, but this one is one of the best around. Breakfast with Santa and ChaCha at the Rainforest Cafe in  Menlo Park Mall-New Jersey is wonderful. We have been going for   many years, since before Emily was born!
We already love the Rainforest Cafe, but combine that with Santa and Cha Cha and you can’t miss. 
You won’t find a better value around, with just $12.99 for adults and $9.99 for children you won’t be able to resist! The buffet breakfast is so delicious: sausage, eggs, pancakes, bacon, french toast, hash browns, donuts, fresh fruit and much more. You will not leave hungry, that’s for sure. There is also a drink bar with coffee, tea, milk and juice. 
Breakfast is delish!
One of the things I love about this breakfast is something unique that is done upon entering Rainforest Cafe. I guarantee you will not see this at just any Santa breakfast. Don’t look for Santa walking around- No way- You will find Santa swimming with the fish right in the fish tank! Believe or not, it’s really true!
Santa is magical!
But, don’t worry, Santa will magically disappear from the tank while you are busy dining and he will reappear later on to hear everything that is on your child’s list…and even yours, if you’d like!
The elves are there, too. They tell stories and even have a sing along with all of your favorite Christmas songs!
We adore the fish at Rainforest Cafe!
Your child may even be lucky enough to win the coloring contest! Adam and Emily have both won in the past and the prizes are very special! But, that’s to the wonderful direction of the General Manager, Sanjay Gupta, no one will leave empty handed. Every child there leaves with a Rainforest Cafe goodie bag! The parents get their own treat with a one time use 25% off coupon at the gift shoppe! Rainforest Cafe really knows how to make Breakfast with Santa and Cha Cha a huge success. 
Em had a l-o-n-g list! 
If this sounds like something you’d like to do, you are in luck! There are still two days of Breakfast with Santa fun left- December 17th and 18th. The breakfast starts at 8am sharp. Believe me when I tell you it is worth waking up early for. You won’t be disappointed!
Merry Christmas! There is no better place to celebrate than Rainforest Cafe!
If you do not live in the Menlo Park Mall -NJ area, you can check here for a Rainforest Cafe in your area.


Special thanks to Rainforest Cafe and Sanjay Gupta for making sure that we always leave with smiles on our faces. All opinions are that of 3decades3kids/Diane Sullivan.


Wordless Wednesday: 77Kids RockStar!

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Wordless Wednesday:
 77Kids by American Eagle
My Rock Star
77Kids by American Eagle. Emily rocked out today at the
Times Square Store during a private Christmas Party and Shopping Spree.

There were a lot of holiday smiles at 77Kids today!

Adam had a blast at the photo machine!
3decades3kids.blogspot.com/Diane Sullivan

ABBA You Can Dance 3decades3kids House Party!

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ABBA You Can Dance
House Party
ABBA You Can Dance
For Nintendo Wii
(UbiSoft)

Anyone that knows me, knows that my family and friends are always looking for a reason to celebrate and have fun, so when I was invited to host the 
ABBA You Can Dance House Party for Wii 
 I jumped at the idea.
The holidays are already a great reason to party and with 
ABBA in the house things just got better. 
So, disco ball-check! 
Delicious snacks and drinks-check!
Dim the lights-check!
Guests piling in-check!
ABBA You Can Dance ready to roll-check!
Let the FUN begin-check!

I am a party person, I am not much of a video game person, but the new dancing games and ABBA You Can Dance have even gotten me hooked!
If you are an ABBA fan(or even if you’re not), you will love this dance game.
The music is energetic and ANYONE can do it! I know because I did it and I am NOT good at any kind of video game! My 5 year old daughter even tried it and loved it! The music is fun and the dance patterns are easy to follow. You can dance alone or with a friend, or up to four people. My two friends tried it together and had the entire house rolling 
with laughter watching them do the moves in sync(well, almost in sync).

Fun Snacks including my very own ABBA  treats!
This game is so much fun to play and would be hit if you played it alone, with a friend and it’s even extra fun to play at a party!
My favorite feature of the game was the fun factor and not being embarrassed because I could not do the moves. Most of the people at the party gave the game a try and they all agreed that it was a pure delight to play. You could not help but have a good time and laugh as friends came more and more out of their shells to the tunes of Dancing Queen, Fernando, Mama Mia, Does Your Mother Know and more! You can choose from twenty six ABBA songs that have been digitally remastered for your game system. There is even a karaoke mode for your singing friends!
 We partied around the Christmas tree with fun that lasted for hours. If you are looking for a great gift for someone young or not so young, this is perfect! The ABBA You Can Dance was absolutely titled perfectly! You really can dance with this one and it will create memories your family will be talking about for days or weeks to come. Our family has already played  it a few times since the house party and I think it’s going to get a lot of wear and tear over the holidays and at our New Year’s Eve party! 
You can check out more about ABBA You Can Dance here!

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.