Great Wolf Lodge New England for the Holidays

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Last weekend my family and I were asked to attend a Howliday sneak peek at Great Wolf Lodge New England!   We got to experience Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one sitting!

First we started with Howl-o-ween. The kids decorated treat bags and got some candy from the witch. During the month of October kids will get in their costumes and participate in Spooktacular family activities such as the Trick-or-Treat Trail or Monster Bash Dance Party. It’ll be a howling good time! (Get it? Wolf. Howl?)

We had a Thanksgiving feast fit for KINGS I tell you. Every bit of it was delicious (between my husband and I we tried most of it ;-). And as a bonus it was all nut free!

Then they made it SNOW! Inside. The kids thought it was so cool. It was part of what will be called  Snowland – From snow showers and twinkling lights in the Grand Lobby to gingerbread houses and enormous snowflakes. We had hot chocolate with handmade marshmallows, and the kids decorated Holiday cookies and basically got all hopped up on sugar. There was also a storytime and then a dance party. I suppose to account for the different levels of sugar intake ;-)

Dollops of Diane’s kids. Mine would not stand still for a second here.

That was all just our blogger preview of the holidays! Everything else at Great Wolf Lodge was equally as awesome.

The Dunkin Donuts and a bar for adults -that’s the way to begin and end the day ;-) The buffet breakfast for everyone. And of course, of course the WATER PARK and everything in between our room and the water!

There are shops, a salon, arcades, indoor mini golf, a ropes course and so much more. Be sure to look them up on Facebook for deals!

We had so much fun and would definitely go back! Among the water parks around these parts it’s most certainly the leader of the pack (sorry I couldn’t help myself.)

This post (and my sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a program by Great WOlf Lodge. I have been given aComplimentary stay at the resort. Image used with permission. All opinions are my own.

Great Wolf Lodge freak out!

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I surprised my kids the other day with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge New England. I’ll have more about the trip this week!

Before we headed out I updated my Facebook status, as you do…

Let’s just say, I was right ;-)

Enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday – Money Problems

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We don’t have money problems, per se. My problem with money is that I’m terrible with it. I don’t spend a lot of it, but I don’t like to manage it. I hate figuring it all out. HATE IT!

We deferred our taxes in April and I put off doing the work until it was due. Like, NOW.

Right NOW. I need to do the taxes.

It’s not even the heavy lifting. There is an accountant and a book keeper. But there is still other STUFF. And for some reason the person that doesn’t like to manage money has to um, manage it.

So that’s where I’ll be instead of the lovely post I was planning for today.

Also, Mint is saving my ass right now! I big puff heart you Mint!

Are you “good” with money? Who handles in it your house?

Is he still allergic? Retesting for Food Allergies

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Some allergists recommend retesting for food allergies every two years. Some say you should retest every year. Some, because their allergies are always changing, do it every six months. At this point in his young life we are on the one year plan for my son. He had a reaction when he was two. Followed up by a positive blood test. Then a skin test a year later.

He starts preschool again in a few days and I needed a new allergy action plan for the school so I called and scheduled a new test as well.

Here’s the thing, I know my kid has a nut allergy. His epinephrine shots in my purse are a constant reminder.

I have known since he was two years old. I knew the day that I almost killed him (but not really) with honey nut o’s. I know it every time I need to purchase special snacks for him for preschool. I know when I send him in to that same not peanut free school for lunch, and hold my breath for the hour that I know he’s eating with the other kids.

I KNOW he has a life threatening nut allergy.

Yet when I took him to get retested last week, there was a small (ok big) part of me that was hoping it was all a mistake. That my memory of his allergic reaction to four little peanuts had somehow become exaggerated in my head. That the blood test was wrong. That the subsequent scratch test was a fluke.

My poor little love.

As I sat there on the exam table holding my precious 4year old son against my body as he writhed in pain from how much it itched. I saw the reaction take place before my eyes growing bigger, and bigger still. The entire set that was peanuts and tree nuts became just a giant inflamed blob on his back. And I cried. My tears falling on his little head as he struggled to hear the Cars movie playing on the iPad over his own itch induced shrieks.

The medical assistant came in and looked shocked at the size of his reaction. Then a nurse came in to check his breathing. Then finally the doctor. Each one surprised. They do this every day, I thought. This shouldn’t be so shocking? Is it that bad? The tears again.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

My son has a life threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. There is no doubt.

I walked into that appointment hoping that perhaps he grew out of it. That’s the hope and the dream right? They’ll grow out of it. People say that to me all the time when I tell them he has a nut allergy. “But he can grow out of it right?” Right. In theory. Maybe. Someday.

So I took all those hopes and good wishes into that room last week.

I just want him to be safe. I want him to not have to run across the room at a party and say “Mommy can I eat this?” And have to say “No, Baby I’m sorry.” I want him to be able to eat with his friends. I want to send him on a playdate without the fear that those in charge will fail him. I also hate that I have to put friends in that position. I want him to not think that some foods could kill him. He’s too young to even comprehend what that means. He just knows he’ll get sick. But I know. I know he could die. (And now the tears again.)

So I move ahead with a renewed vigilance to keep my boy safe.

But there’s something else that I can’t quite place. A sadness perhaps. Yes, just a desperate sadness. Life is so fragile. So tenuous. One little thing, the size of a peanut or a pistachio or an almond, could change everything.

I knew it before, but for some reason this time, it sank in. Deep.

When I left the office the doctor said, “Well we won’t have to test him for nuts for a while. Be sure you always have enough epi pens.” Sigh. Now I kinda wish we were on the yearly plan. It might mean that glimmer of hope was still there.

Does anyone you love have a food allergy. How are you feeling about it?

Wordless Wednesday – Week 10 of Summer in pics

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Yeeeeeeha the kids are back at school!

But that means that summer is ovah – OVER.

We had such a lovely, fun, idyllic, wonderful summer. Truly we did.

We spent lazy days at the pool and the lake in the beginning learning to swim and being with friends.We were so fortunate to be able to spend most of August away. And then come back to our little purple house and love it even more!

The last official week of summer we were supposed to go to Storyland but opted to move that to a nice fall weekend and spend some time at home getting reading for school to start.

So this was the highlight of week 10…

My husband and I get some well deserved kid free time. I don’t think I had been without the kids in 7 or 8 weeks. Like 24/7 Mom, mooom, mommy, mom, mama, mom, mama MOOOOOOOOOOOM 24/7.

So there you have it Summer 2014 in the books.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9

My messy house.

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My messy house happened fast and it’s going to take a long time to pick up this I know for sure.

School starts on Tuesday that that stuff needs to be done before the picking up of the mess.

OR maybe I need to pick up first so I’m more organized. I don’t know.

All I know is I need help and I’m clearly not going to get any!

I recorded this on Wednesday which in my post vacation stupor I thought was Monday. So now it’s Friday and the house is not clean “by the end of the week” like I said it would be because DUH my brain thinks it’s now Wednesday.

Follow? No?

It’s okay I’ll have it clean soon :-) Just keepin’ it real for the internet y’all.

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