Santa's Village Christmas in July

What is better than Christmas in July? Beautiful weather, listening to Christmas carols and visiting Santa at his Village in summer sounds like a great idea to me! Our family has an annual tradition to visit Santa's Village and have been going since 2008.  The kids are older but we still have fun there!

My kids always take advantage of getting their list in early with the big man himself! Evan opted to ask for a hover board and Lauren asked for some art supplies.

 I got a bit nostalgic and decided to make a collage of pictures since 2008.  Amazing how much the kids change through the years.

The kids still enjoy many of the rides. In fact the Bumper Cars there are their favorite.

 They ride these at least 10 times!

They still love the Himalaya and laugh the whole time as Lauren is squishing Evan.

They also love riding Rudy's Rapid Transit Coaster.

Evan has loved the Antique Cars since he was little. Both kids always look to see if they will get their favorite color car.

The kids also love tubing and always have a blast on You Tubing.

 Rudy's Red Hot Racers are a hit too!

The Skyway Sleigh is like a sky ride in a sleigh! You can feel just like Santa but make sure to say "Up up and away" to get on your way. Also this is a great way to get an overview of the park from above.

  You can see the whole list of rides here.

There is also a water park but we didn't go in the water.

 This is a food area and changing rooms.

The kids love to take annual pictures in the same spot. The Snow Man has changed a bit over the years but here he is now.

They always take a picture with the big bunny.

Back in the day they would play the Elfabet game and when they got their diploma we would take a picture in front of the Santa's Village sign. Now no diplomas but same picture.

 The kids still see how tall they are, and some times the adults do too.

 Happy that Lauren is still shorter than me even though Evan towers over me now.

I don't think that Lauren believes this is the Mayor!

My favorite thing to do is visit the reindeer.

 You can buy little cups of snacks for the reindeer for $2 a piece. When we were there it was carrots.

 It looks like Lauren is having a conversation with Dasher.

 I love the reindeer.

The kids no longer play the Elfabet Game.This is a search throughout the park for 26 Elves with a little punch card and get a prize and diploma at the end.  They did take pictures with their Elf though.

  Too cute!

The kids still love making gingerbread girls and boys. Sometimes Lauren gets carried away though thinking the house is edible. LOL!

There are shows but my kids didn't want to watch them.  There is a 3D movie, light show and animatronic show plus live performers.  

I love the entrance area.

 It is so pretty outside. 

 At any age I promise will have a ton of fun at Santa's Village!

Find them online:  http://www.santasvillage.com/

Disclosure:  I was provided with tickets for my family to go to Santa's Village for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

British Soccer Camps Learning Great Skills

Evan loves soccer! It is his favorite sport lately and he is getting psyched up for the Fall Season of Travel Soccer. He just finished a week at Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp camps and learned a bunch of new skills.

He feels his dribbling and traveling have improved over the course of the week. His team even won the Camp World Cup!

They also did a theme day with crazy clothes and crazy socks days. On the crazy clothes day they could bring in something and make one of the coaches wear it too. I heard one of the male coaches saying I particularly like wearing tutus.

More information:
Each day, the coaches will take the players through a progressive series of skill building practices from unopposed, to opposed, game related and finally into a game. Soccer ABC – Players will improve their Agility, Balance and Coordination. Dribbling – improve the ability to change direction and move at speed. Moves – master more than 20 different ways to turn and fake opponents. Passing – improve accuracy, pace and 1st touch control. Shooting – improve power and placement with each foot. Heading – learn how to safely and confidently head the ball (approved age groups only) Tackling/Defending – improve your tackling skills and learn how to defend. Freestyle – daily program of juggling, lifts and balances by John Farnworth. Camp World Cup – enjoy daily competitive games with an international flavor.

Enroll you child in a British Soccer Camp today!

REGISTER FOR CAMP AND GET A JERSEY, BALL, T SHIRT AND NEW SKILLS APP AND 20 FREE VIDEOS! Enroll in the most popular soccer camp in North America! British Soccer Camps have programs for all ages and abilities and feature an innovative curriculum full of skills, drills, and thrills! Register now and you will not only get your free British Soccer game jersey (value $34.95) shipped to you for free immediately, but you will also get our brand new skill development App and 20 videos to help your child practice at home. Your soccer ball, T-shirt & poster will be given out at camp. 
USE CODE BSC18 at check out to get free shipping.
 https://www.challengersports.com/british-soccer/

  Challenger Sports Camps has many options including Fall and Spring Academies.

Disclosure:  I received a free week of Soccer Camp for my son thanks to the USFamilyGuide.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Story Land Our Family Tradition

For the 13th year in a row we visited the place where fantasy comes to life, Story Land in Glen, NH. It is such a great place for family fun!

One of our first stops is to see Humpty Dumpty. 

Lauren decided to mimic him with his eyes going back and forth.

I was getting a little nostalgic last year and I made this collage of the kids with Humpty since 2009.

Story Land is so unique and has lots of fun things to see. You really feel like you enter a storybook land.

 It was such a beautiful day. 

 It is a lovely park with 25 acres of rides.

 The park is so wonderful for little ones but my bigger kids were having a blast too. They love riding the Polar Coaster.  It is one of their favorites.

One of the most fun rides is the new roller coaster called Roar-O-Saurus. 

We loved it. It is a great transition coaster between a kiddie coaster and a more adult full size coaster.

 There is also a Character Cove but unfortunately none of the characters came out when we were there. Maybe it was too hot. Here is a picture from last year.  It is right near the Oceans of Fun water play area. I personally love Humpty there and was sad not to see him this year. He is so adorable!

Another bonus is that you can enter on one day 3 hours before closing and then come back another full day. What a great deal!!!

There are also some adorable shows including a Magic Show, Fun Times At Fairy Tale High and a new Daniel Tiger Show. You can see the schedule here.

The Bamboo Shoots is another favorite or ours, especially on a hot day. I got the most wet coming around the corner near this guy.

Ready for the drop!

And off we go!

Another cool ride to cool off on is Splash Battle: Pharaoh's Reign.

Even if you don't want to ride you can spray people from the sides but watch out you will likely get wet!

The kids also like the Flying Fish.

kids Don't forget to ride the Tractors. I have such fond memories as this was the first ride Evan could go in the front and "drive". Now he can't even fit in the front seat.

Check out the animals too. 

There are plenty of places to take fun pictures.

If the kids are bad just lock them up in Los Bravos Jail. Just kidding, but it is a cute photo opp.

Last year we saw some carvings being done of Duke the Dragon and Rory. Here is what Duke looked like last year.

And now this year! It looks awesome!

Rory!

I know you will have a blast at Story Land no matter what age your kids are!

You will have so much fun with the whole family!

See you next year Story Land for year number 14!

Disclosure:  I was provided with four tickets for my family to go to Story Land for promotional purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Red Sox Family Fun and a Giveaway for a Xando Calrissian Star Wars Bobblehead

CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS JOE FOR WINNING!
We absolutely love going to see the Boston Red Sox play. Not only is Fenway hosting great games but there is so much else going on inside the park and outside the park. Plus read on and I have a giveaway for a Xando Calrissian Star Wars Bobblehead.

With the Kids Concourse and Wally's Clubhouse there is so much to do for kids. You can read more in my previous posts here and here. We had a great time at the game recently and the Red Sox won!

I wanted to give you some highlight of some upcoming events:
August 12th: Out of the Park Event at the Boston Common. L.L.Bean and the Boston Red Sox will host the fifth annual “Out of the Park” at the Boston Common. “Out of the Park” is a free, family-oriented event that brings the Fenway Park experience to the community. “Out of the Park” will feature a live viewing of the 1:05 p.m. Red Sox-Orioles game, complementary food and kids and family activities. www.highlandstreet.org/programs/community-events/out-park

August 14th: Movie Night at Fenway Park A screening of the original Jurassic Park in celebration of the movie's 25th anniversary on. Tickets for "Movie Night at Fenway Park," presented by Fandango, are available now. Movie Night attendees will be invited to walk the warning track from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., weather and field permitting. Concessions will be available. redsox.com/movienight 

August 18th and 19th - The Fenway Rooftop Sessions, presented by vineyard vines is a new and unique way to enjoy the game. With dates throughout the season, tickets include a pregame performance from a local Boston band, and a ticket to the game. Saturday, August 18, will include a performance by City Rivals. Dalton & The Sheriffs will perform on Sunday, August 19. www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/events/fenway-rooftop-sessions
August 20th - Peanuts Night The Red Sox will celebrate one of the most popular comic strips of all-time, "Peanuts," with the annual Peanuts Night on August 20. Peanuts Night tickets include a limited edition bobblehead of Snoopy in a Red Sox uniform! Be sure to add this to your collection. redsox.com/peanuts

August 21st - Game of Thrones Night The Red Sox will celebrate the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning series, Game of Thrones® on August 21. Game of Thrones Night tickets include a Red Sox 'K' Slayer Chris Sale bobblehead, a chance to sit on the Dragonstone Throne, and the opportunity to see the Map Table of Westeros. redsox.com/got 
Kids fun!
August 23rd: Fenway Park Kids in attendance 14 and under will receive a pair of Wally and Tessie Headphones, and after the game, kids will have the opportunity to run the bases at Fenway Park! redsox.com/promos

For a complete list of all the game-day events, and for more information on purchasing tickets for the special events below visit https://www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/promotions/themes

Stay tuned to my blog for more family fun at Fenway Park throughout the season.

GO RED SOX!

Would you like to win this Xando Calrissian bobblehead?

Enter below!

Disclosure:  As part of the #RedSoxParents program I was provided with tickets to multiple Red Sox Games, access to Little League Opening Day at Fenway Park and the Xando bobblehead for promotional purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. a Rafflecopter giveaway