8/4/13: Fun at the Roger Williams Zoo

We love going to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI.  They have such cool animals and a really cool play area.  We always have a blast when we go there and make sure to go every year.

 We love the Giraffes there.  This guy was so cool to watch.

 He was adorable trying to reach trees to get some leaves.

Here they all are together.

 The Zebras were really cool too.

 Our other favorite animals are the elephants.  We got to see them getting a bath.

 So cute.

 Getting hosed down.

 This is my favorite animal there, a Red Kangaroo.

The Anteater is so cool too.

 We had a fun time watching the tortoises too.  This guy was on top of the food, it was really cute.

 Lauren posing for me.

 Camel.

A really cool area is the Hasbro’s Our Big Backyard with the CVS Caremark All Kids Can Treehouse.

The beyond the fence area had a whole new play area from the last time we went there.

Here is Lauren playing some music.

Evan playing with color.

Climbing the wall in the play area.

Lauren having fun swinging.

The Treehouse is so pretty.

If you want to cool off there is a water play area.

Last but not least is our favorite bird.  This Crane is so interactive and loves to play with the kids.

Here he is turning his head around.

It really is a beautiful Zoo and I highly suggest going there this summer or fall.  Don't forget to check out the awesome Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in October.  It is a must see!

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RWPZoo

Twitter: @RWPZoo

Disclosure:  I received 4 tickets to the Roger Williams Park Zoo for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

8/2/13: Family Day at PTC

I have been working for PTC for 15 years.  PTC is a software company that started out making Computer Aided Design software called Pro/ENGINEER but has grown in to enterprise software over the years. I work there as a Project Manager.  I was lucky to be able to bring my kids and parents in for Family Day for them to get to check out where I work and have some fun.

 Here is a picture of one of the buildings in our campus.  We have three buildings with a pond behind which is lovely to go running or walking around.

First, we headed over to the area that had all of the FIRST robots.  I judge FTC competitions so it was nice for the kids to see some of the robots that are built for competitions.

 I have been judging for the last three years and I can't wait until my kids can get involved in FLL FIRST Lego League.

 I couldn't get Evan to leave this area.  He must have got the engineering gene from my husband and I as I went to WPI for Aerospace Engineering and John went to WPI for software engineering.

 Checking out Jr. FLL.

 John Deere also had a tractor there that was designed using our software for the kids to climb in.  So many companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, car companies and more use our products to design and control their data.

 John Deere is a huge supporter of PTC and have used our software for years.  There was a super cool demo in our 3D theater which showed virtual reality working with a tractor assembly.

 Here you can see the full tractor.

A highlight of the day was that the kids got to get a badge of their own.  Here is Lauren getting ready to get her picture taken for hers.

 Then we walked around the office and the kids got to see where I spend my time when I am at work.

 They got to draw on my white board and check out all the pictures I have of them in my office.

They even got to pose for silly pictures.

 Lauren liked the boa.

 Oh no Lauren is in jail.  A little cardboard jail.

 Evan too!

 They did an excellent job providing lots of fun for the kids including a scavenger hunt, balloon animals, lunch provided by the Outback, and interactive exhibits.  Of course now my kids think I ride around on a tractor and drive robots around at work and can't wait to come back.  Here is a picture from up in the building of our campus.

 What a wonderful day.  I am so glad I was able to share it with my family!  Thanks PTC for 15 years and hope to see another 15.  You have already given me lots of great memories.

I miss my Pro/INTRALINK Support Team.  We rocked!

8/1/13: Mystic Aquarium Fun and Kidsploration Concert

Recently we went back to the Mystic Aquarium.  What I love about this aquarium is that it has so much more than just an aquarium.  There was a Kidsploration concert, a Sponge Bob 4-D Movie, Titanic Exhibit, and of course animals.  My favorite part of the Aquarium was the Beluga Whales.  There is one named Juno that is super interactive with guests.  I loved watching him and was impressed to find that he even has his own Twitter handle @JunoBeluga.

 We started with the Beluga Whales outside as they are so cool and come right up to the glass.  Lauren got a stuffed Beluga Whale in the gift shop and I think the wale thought it was his brother.

He loved checking him out. 

So cool!

I so love this guy.

We were excited to see our buddy Sponge Bob Square Pants.  They had a model of him because of his 4-D movie in the theater which we went to see.  The kids really enjoyed it.  It is only 7 minutes but has 4-D effects including sprays of water, bubbles, moving chairs and 3-D glasses.

We just happened to be walking by when they were feeding the Sea Lions and were able to be up close with one of them that was being fed.

The kids loved this guy.  He even did some tricks. 

 Evan was very excited to go to the Titanic exhibit.

Evan loves the Titanic so he absolutely loved this area.

A replica of the boat.

 
This exhibit is right next to the 4-D theater.

Plus they have a Sea Lion Show.

 This was the first time we have tried to feed the Rays.  You can purchase fish for $3.  They give you 4 fish and you hold them in your hand like you are holding an ice cream cone and put your arm in the water up to you elbow.

 The Rays swim by and get the fish.  Before you buy too many fish make sure your kids aren't weirded out by doing it.  My kids tried but I ended up feeding the Rays the fish as they would get scared when the Ray would come by.

 There was also a Kidsploration Concert with a theme of Music, Discovery and Fun!  The concert series has Steve Elci and Friends who come out first.  It is really cool as this is in the same Foxwoods Marine Theater where the Sea Lion show is and they were swimming around in the background during the show.  The show was at 2:30 and included with your admission price.

They were really good.  I personally liked their Super Girl song!  Everyone really got in to it.   

 We saw Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band who were fabulous and high energy.  

They were also excellent and got the kids up and dancing.  There are more concerts coming up on August 14th and 28th so check out the schedule here. 

Back to the animals.  A cool octopus! 

 The kids being silly.

Lauren getting up close and personal with the lobsters.

Evan even wanted to pose with this bird who was looking for lunch left overs.

 
Lauren with her turtle friend.

 The kids checking out the Sea Lions from below in their tank.

Hi there Mr. Sea Lion! 

 A cute Sea Lion outside.

It really is a beautiful Aquarium and I highly suggest you add it to your summer list of places to go.  While you are there you can explore Mystic Seaport and we went to the Mystic Drawbridge and even got to see it go up for the boats to go under.  A really beautiful area.

 Follow Mystic Aquarium on Twitter: @mysticaquarium

Like the Mystic Aquarium on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mysticaquarium

Disclosure:  I was provided tickets for my family and I to go to Mystic Aquarium, Ray food, and tickets for the 4-D Experience.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.