7/31/15: Red Sox Kids Press Conference with Brock Holt and Family Fun at Fenway #RedSoxParents

As a part of the Red Sox Parents I get some pretty awesome opportunities.  I think I landed Mother of the Year with the experience at Fenway Park that I was able to offer the kids this week.  We started our day meeting Wally the Green Monster, a Kids Press Conference with Brock Holt and NESN's Gary Striewski, then got to try some Fenway cuisine, watched batting practice, went up to the Monster seats, checked out the Kid's Concourse, and then of course watched the game with a special ceremony for Pedro Martinez!  What an amazing day and any Red Sox Fans dream!

We did not know which player the Kids would get to interview but Evan was very excited when he saw it was Brock Holt who was in the 2015 All Star Game!

Here is a close up where you can see Brock, Gary, Evan (right below Gary) and Lauren (on the right).

Before we left for the Kids Press Conference the kids spent some time coming up with questions.  Lauren was very organized writing her questions down on a piece of paper.  They made sure to prepare a few questions just in case someone else asked what they wanted to ask.  Evan went first asking Brock what he liked to do aside from baseball.

Brock was very down to earth.  In fact he told Evan he is a very chill guy and likes to hang out and watch TV, hang out with his wife and likes relaxing.  Kids asked some good questions about what other sports he played, what sports figures he looked up to, what is his favorite position and more.

 Then Lauren asked a question.  She asked how long their practices are.

 Parts of the Press Conference will air on Sunday, August 2nd on NESN on NESN Clubhouse. 

Here is the one picture I got with his hat off.

 The kids took a group picture at the end of their Press Conference.

 Then we got to try out some of Fenway Park's cuisine.  Believe it or not they sell 10,000 hot dogs per game!  But that is not all they sell.  They have lots of great food options in the park that you would not expect.  They even have my favorite Clam Chowder.

They have also expanded their kids options to include chicken tenders and fries in a cool take home plate, Mac and Cheese bites, peanut butter and jelly, popcorn in a helmet, and even cotton candy with a light up bat!

We got to enjoy our food with a beautiful view of the field.

 Gorgeous!

 Then we headed down on to the field for batting practice.

 This is such an awesome experience to be on the field watching the players warm up.

 Awesome!

 We brought my Dad with us who had a blast.  He had never been on the field.

 Then we headed up to the seats on the Monster.

 These seats are very limited in number but have an awesome view of the game.

The best part about these seats is that a lot of balls get hit in to this area and Evan got one!!!

From there we headed over to the Kids Concourse to check things out.  There are lots of cool photo opportunities for kids.

 The Kids Concourse is a great addition to Fenway Park.

I think this could be one of my favorite pictures!!!!

 Kids can also see how fast they can throw.

 See how they compare in size to players.

 Mickey Mouse is even there!

Plus don't forget to check out Wally's Clubhouse which opens in the 3rd inning.  This area is a great place to come and cool off and entertain the kids.  There are games to play, coloring sheets and more for kids.  You can read more here.  Make sure to head there early in the 3rd inning if you want to see Wally and take a picture with him.

While we were there they had a ceremony for Pedro Martinez who was just inducted in to the Hall of Fame.

Before the game they had Pedro's plaque in the Gift Shop on Yawkey Way and the kids got to take a picture with it.

Despite the loss it was a great night for a game.  Beautiful weather and a wonderful day at Fenway Park!

A huge thank you to the Red Sox Organization for hosting us and to Brock Holt and NESN's Gary Striewski for the Kids Press Conference.

Disclosure:  I was provided with the Kids Press Conference, food, parking, batting practice access and Red Sox Game tickets for promotional purposes as part of the Red Sox Parents.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

7/27/15: Awesome Disney Costumes From Costume SuperCenter

We have a trip planned to go to Walt Disney World.  When we travel there we take the kids to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the kids always dress up.  Of course Lauren has to be one of her favorite Princesses every time.  This year she is really in to Cinderella with the new movie that came out.  There are some awesome costumes at Costume SuperCenter and Lauren got to try out one from the new Cinderella movie.

This officially licensed Cinderella dress is beautiful and only $38.24 with a 15% off code on their website.  The detail is gorgeous with lots of iridescent glitter.  There is even a separate piece that is worn as an underskirt so that the costume is not itchy and makes it a bit more full.  Of course Cinderella needs a puffy dress for her ball gown.

This Cinderella Costume is so gorgeous and there are other options on the website.  This is the Girls Cinderella Movie Deluxe Costume in size Large.  It fit really well on Lauren who is 8 years old.

She loved modeling the costume for me and doing some dance moves in it.  The detail is really well done with butterflies at the top.

 It arrived very quickly and in great condition.  They have costumes that are perfect for Halloween, Disney World or just playing dress up around the house.  They even sell party supplies.  Plus their prices are really affordable.

 So go ahead check out their site:

http://www.costumesupercenter.com/
and like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/costumesupercenter

Disclosure:  I received this costume in exchange for my review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

7/13/15: White Mountains New Hampshire Family Fun Itinerary

We love travelling to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  I have already posted individually about all the places we visited but I wanted to put together an itinerary post of the highlights with links to each of the more in depth reviews.

While we were in North Conway we stayed at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort which was amazing.  Great accommodations in a Family Alcove Room, kids activities, fabulous location, plus Kahuna Laguna Waterpark!  To read more on any attraction or hotel just click on the name which is a link to my review.

We visited Story Land in Glen, NH.  We have been going here since the kids were one years old.  This is a super fun amusement park great for all ages.  Travel in to a story book world and visit with Humpty Dumpty, Cinderella and many other story book friends.  Experience lots of fun rides and shows.  Enter 3 hours prior to closing on one day and come back for another full day with the price of one daily admission.

The Conway Scenic Railroad is a lovely way to experience the area and see some gorgeous views on a beautiful train.  We take this train ride every year.  There are options for shorter and longer rides to Conway, Bartlett or Crawford Notch.  We have taken all three options and love them all.

If you want to cool off Diana's Baths is a great place to do that.  It is a short .6 mile walk from the parking on flat paths.  Once you arrive there are several levels of rocks to climb on and enjoy the fresh cool water.

We then stayed at The Beacon Resort in Lincoln, NH.  This resort is undergoing renovations and we had a lovely newly renovated room.  The indoor and outdoor pools were also very nice.

A visit to Clark's Trading Post in Lincoln, NH is a unique experience.  There is a Bear Show, Acrobats, a train ride, Water Spraying Boats, museums, and much more.  We really enjoyed our visit and I highly recommend it.

Santa's Village in Jefferson, NH is a quaint, wonderful Holiday themed amusement park for families.  You can visit Santa, play the Elfabet game, feed reindeer and ride the awesome rides.  Plus there is a water park.  Enter 3 hours prior to closing on one day and come back for another full day with the price of one daily admission.

The Polar Caves in Rumney, NH is a lot of fun to visit and allows you access to 9 caves ranging in difficulty level.  All of the caves are nice and cool on a hot summer day.  Plus there are animals to feed and other nature trails.

That is a quick roundup of great attractions in New Hampshire.

Disclosure:  I was provided with admission and lodging in New Hampshire for everything listed in this itinerary.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

7/22/15: Bonefish Grill Hooked on Tuesday Menu

We love trying out new restaurants.  There is a Bonefish Grill in Wayside Commons in Burlington, MA which we had never tried.  When I learned about their Hooked on Tuesday menu and with our 15 year wedding anniversary we decided to check them out.  We were not disappointed!

Here is a lovely view of the outside of the restaurant.  We had a reservation and I would suggest making one.

We were seated in a lovely booth like this one.  The ambiance inside is very nice and casual.

The Hooked on Tuesday menu features three course meals starting at $14.90.  This is a great value for the amount of food we got.  You can see their Hooked on Tuesday menu here, or check out their full menu here.

I started out with the Blackberry Red Sangria.  It was excellent.  So refreshing and the fruit in it was wonderful.  I had never tried a blackberry sangria and I loved it.  It was a unique twist on a traditional sangria.  I also learned from our waitress that all of their Martini's are made with fresh squeezed juices.  There were many wonderful drink options.

Back to the food though.  With the Hooked on Tuesday menu you can order the "Bang Bang Shrimp" for a discounted price of $6.  My husband ordered it.  Here is the surprise, I never, I mean never eat Shrimp.   I actually ate these shrimp!!!  They were so good.  Now I am craving them again.  Our waitress said she ate them for the first three months she worked there.  Now I can see why.  It is one of their signature dishes.  They are also $6 on Wednesday nights.

Here is the bread which had a wonderful pesto dipping sauce.  Plus the bread was warm.  It was really good and the kids ate it up very quickly.  I had to be quick with my camera as they were grabbing for it the second it hit the table.

There are two options for salad.  You can order the Classic Caesar or the Bonefish House Salad.  My husband and I both ordered the Caesar and it was really good.  The lettuce was still crisp and it was not drowning in dressing which happens all to often with Caesar Salad.

On to my meal.  I ordered the Fontina Pork Chop.  This meal was excellent and so much food.

You can see the thickness of the pork chop here.  I got a side of Au gratin Potatoes and fresh vegetables.  This meal is as good as it looks with garlic, mushrooms, prosciutto, fontina cheese and Marsala wine sauce.

John ordered the Spicy Tuna Bowl and said it was also excellent.

There is also a kids menu.  I called to make sure they had one as I didn't see it on their website.  The menu consisted of Chicken Fingers, Grilled Chicken, Fish Sticks, and Macaroni and Cheese for about $7.50 each.  My daughter ate all of her Chicken Fingers and thought they were really good.  By mistake she was brought broccoli but this was quickly remedied by our server and even asked if she wanted a replacement plate.

Then of course there is dessert.  There are three options Macadamia Nut Brownie, Classic Cheesecake and Jen's Jamaican Coconut Pie.  We ordered the brownie and the cheesecake.  Here is the brownie which the kids dug right in to.  They especially liked the warm brownie and vanilla ice cream.  There is also fresh whipped cream and a raspberry sauce that were really good.

The cheesecake was just as expected.  Creamy and rich and so good with a chocolate and sea salt caramel drizzle.

There is also an outdoor seating area to eat at that looked lovely.

Here is a view of the bar area.

Here is the full Hooked on Tuesday menu.

Atlantic Salmon — 6 oz., grilled to perfection + topped with your choice of a signature sauce, fresh side + seasonal vegetable 

Spicy Tuna Bowl — Premium sushi grade, sesame-seared rare, avocado, sweet chile sauce, jasmine rice + passion fruit salsa 

The Angler’s Sirloin Steak — 6 oz. center cut sirloin Ahi Tuna Steak — Grilled to perfection + topped with your choice of a signature sauce, fresh side + seasonal vegetable 

Cold Water Lobster Tail — 5-6 oz. lobster tail, seasoned and steamed, served with warm drawn butter + crispy Yukon gold potatoes 

Fontina Pork Chop — Boneless pork chop, fontina cheese, garlic, prosciutto, mushroom Marsala wine sauce 

Shrimp + Scallops — Jumbo shrimp and scallops + topped with your choice of a signature sauce, fresh side + seasonal vegetable 

Pecan Parmesan Crusted Rainbow Trout — Artichoke hearts, fresh basil + lemon butter 

Filet Mignon — USDA center cut 6 oz.

Definitely check them out!

Find them online:  https://www.bonefishgrill.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bonefishgrill

@BonefishGrill

Disclosure:  I was hosted at Bonefish Grill for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.