6/24/15: Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course Fun

I am always looking for fun places to take the kids.  Especially when summer vacation starts.  Weather can be unprdictable and it is always nice to have an indoor option.  That is where the Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course in Jordan's Furniture Reading MA comes in.

This is such a fun activity for a family outing, or you can even have your birthday there!

The Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course is a 32-foot tall, 2 level ropes course complete with 30 exciting elements including zig-zag beams, cargo nets, angled rope ladders, crisscross walks and more. 

The nice thing is that you can chose your own path and go at your own pace.  The ropes course is also equipped with a Sky Rail zip line connection measuring 69' long.  Participants soar down the length of the ropes course on a self guided zipping experience and are able to enjoy it's thrills over and over. 

For young adventurers, there's Bean Sprout, a specially designed ropes course for kids ages 2-7. 

You can also SAVE with this COUPON - #SkyTrail

Your adventure awaits!

Disclosure:  I was provided tickets for my family from the USFamilyGuide in exchange for review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

6/21/15: Fellowes Saturn Laminator From Shoplet

There are so many items that I want to protect like art that the kids make, pictures, newspaper articles and more.  Recently I was lucky enough to receive the Fellowes Saturn 3i 95 Laminator from Shoplet and it works great and is so easy to use. 

Here is the laminator out of the package.  I was worried it would be difficult to setup, but it was super easy.  Basically I had one metal piece to hook on the back for output, then plug it in and turn it on.  That was it!

Once turned on the lights all cycled through and then about a minute later it beeped and the 3 mil stayed lit up.  Now you know it is ready to use.  It also comes with some laminator pouches so I was already to go.  My kids art had just come home from school so I thought they would be some great items to start with.

First I put in an art piece my son made.  All I had to do was put the art piece in to the lamination pouch.  Then line it up with the feed for the paper size with the sealed portion going in first.

The paper feeds itself through and is done laminating within under a minute.

Here is our first finished product.  This will come in handy for school also as I am the President of the PTO.  One of our coordinators for the holiday fair recently went to a local copy store and paid $50 for laminating volunteer tags. We can use this for many events at school.  I know next year I will be using it for the Art Show I run for the grade labels that I end up reprinting every year.

Then Lauren decided she wanted to laminate one of her art pieces.

It was so easy she could do it.

Shoplet has awesome office supplies and office stationary but they also sell promotional products.  They even sell medical supplies.

Here is the laminator as packaged.  It is a great tool and we will be using it for many items.

Disclosure:  I received the Fellowes Laminator for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

6/17/25: Jenny Craig New Food

I have been on Jenny Craig and received a couple surprise packages from them recently.  They were nice enough to send me some of their new foods and some great tools to help in my weight loss journey.

 We all know how important water is and they gave me a wonderful water bottle and container for salads and more.  The container with the fork is great for me to take fruit with me.  I can cut up some different fruit and put it in the container.

They also sent me a box of all of their new foods.  This is one of my favorite things about Jenny Craig.  You can never get sick of the food as they are always adding and changing options.  Plus I got to see how food is packaged when you do the mail order.  They pack the food very well and include dry ice in the container to keep the frozen food cold.

  Here you can see as I unpack the cooler.

Here is a sampling of new foods.  The Chicken Pesto Pasta shown in the left hand corner is really good.  It is a wonderful combination of vegetables, pasta and chicken.  The breakfast chocolate muffin is awesome too.  It really tastes like a dessert more than a breakfast.  I also like the Vanilla Buttercream Cupcake as both of my kids had their birthdays recently and I got to eat that as my cake.  There is also Lemon Garlic Shrimp.

Recently it has been difficult to stay on track with the end of year activities for the kids but I am still trying to make time for myself and keep on track.  Jenny Craig makes there program easy to follow.

There are several Membership Options that you can check out on their website.  There is even a monthly option.

I will let you follow me along on my journey to a new more confident Gilda.

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jennycraig

Follow them on Twitter:  @jennycraig

Follow them on Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/jennycraiginc/

Disclosure:  I was sent Jenny Craig new food and a gift box, plu given a 50% discount on my food for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

*Note:  Members following the Jenny Craig program, on average, lose 1-2 lbs per week

6/16/15: TouchTomorrow Technology Festival at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

I love encouraging children to explore math and science.  I always loved math and science and graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) with an Aerospace Degree.  When I heard they were having an event for kids called TouchTomorrow I was excited to take the kids.  We went this past weekend and it was amazing and free!

This event drew more than 10,000 people!  We had so much fun, plus we got to see Gompei the Goat who is our school's mascot!

There was so much going on for families to experience.  We started on the Quad.  When I was at WPI I did my Major Qualifying Project (Senior Project) in Aerospace engineering at NASA.  It was so cool to get to pose in as a NASA astronaut.

Both of the kids posed for me.

There was so much fun and excitement every where.

 iRobot was there with one of their military robots.

 There were also robots there from the Centennial Challenges which is a NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Challenge.

The NASA Sample Return Robot Challenge program has three objectives: 1 - Discover innovative new technologies to advance robot navigation and sample collection without human control. 

2 - Demonstrate robotic transportation over varied terrain without the aid of GPS or other Earth-based systems. 

3 - Empower educators and people of all ages, by introducing robotics and how they work, where they work, and real-world applications of how robots will be used the future. 

Lauren also got “rolled over” by the Roll-Over-Rover.

We also went to a presentation by Astronaut Cady Coleman who has logged more than 4,330 hours in Space and is from MA!

 She filled the room.

We even went to my old stomping ground in Higgins Laboratories and saw a presentation on Aerospace Engineering at WPI.

 They did a short demo of the Wind Tunnel.

I remember doing wind tunnel tests back when I was at WPI.

 NASA had some really cool exhibits.

The kids found my brick.  When I graduated my parents bought a brick that has my name and graduation year on it.  It is on the Quad.

 I love this new statue of Gompei.

There were so many interactive activities for families that we could not possibly see it all.  My recommendation is to look at the schedule online and decide what you really want to go to.  There were many food options, ample parking and by using the campus map you were able to figure out where you wanted to go.  The other nice thing was that outside each building there was a sign telling you what was inside.

For more information on TouchTomorrow visit them online:
www.touchtomorrow.wpi.edu
@touchtomorrowpi #touchtomorrow
https://www.facebook.com/TouchTomorrowWPI
https://instagram.com/wpi_touchtomorrow/

We can't wait for it to come back next year!

Disclosure:  I was provided compensation for this post.  As always all opinions are my own.

6/11/15: Edaville USA Pirates Weekend Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS GILLIANE FOR WINNING!

I have loved going to Edaville USA in Carver MA since I was a kid and now they are even better than ever!  Not only have they been expanding including the opening of Thomas Land in August but they have many cool events coming up.  I have been working with them for many years and I am now an official Family Ambassador for Edaville USA.  I am sharing the family fun with you by giving away two tickets to go to Edaville USA on either June 20th or 21st for their Pirates Weekend.

Argh Matey!  The train has been taken over by Pirates.  No matter where you look there's sure to be Pirates and Scallywags around every corner.  Come dressed in costume and enjoy all the fun including Costume Parades, Costume Contests and Stolen Treasure.

Plus there is a VIP Option for an upgrade cost of $10.  Make a pirate hat with their famous pirates, take part in sing alongs, get a Pirate Tattoo and pick a prize from the VIP Treasure Chest.  Parents are not required to pay, as they will be viewing from the observation area.  One parent must be present at all times.  This is a 1/2 hour long experience.

There are many great events coming up.  You can see the full schedule here.  

 Hello Kitty will be there on July 11th and 12th.  We saw her last year and my daughter was so excited as she loves Hello Kitty.

Curious George will be there on July 18th and 19th.

There are Holiday Events

Plus much more!

There is also the new DINOLAND which is included with park admission.

This area is right at the back of the park right near the train.

Thomas Land will be opening in August and looks fantastic.  You can vote now for Edaville USA and Thomas Land as the Best New Attraction of 2015!  Click here to vote!

Plus while you are there ride all the rides and enjoy the park.  

Of course you need to take a train ride.

Enter below to win 2 tickets to go to Pirate Weekend on June 20th or 21st!

Disclosure:  I received family passes to Edaville USA for my family and tickets to giveaway.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway