Download the entire 32 page Christmas Activity & Coloring Pages today. Available year-round in my Etsy shop. SHOP NOW I have been dreaming of this project for several years and I finally made time for myself to create a fun activity book and coloring pages for Christmas. I designed all of the artwork and pages on my iPad using an Apple Pencil (think digital sketchbook and pencil). Who this was designed for: Parents to keep their kids entertained over the holiday break or while quarantining at home. Teachers to use in their classrooms for holiday parties.Scouts & clubs to use with their students around the holidays.Adults to use to unwind from a busy day. Some of the pages are simple designs. There are a few "finish this" style designs where you or your child and finish drawing the character, decorate the Christmas tree, or design the perfect gingerbread person. Others are a little more time consuming collages of different design elements that will take longer to ... [ Read More ]
Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town 2020
Yes, we did our first theme park during the pandemic and it was safe and enjoyable. Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town is a beautiful experience running through January 3, 2021. Safety first. Let's chat about the safety of the park and how they are helping their guests and staff stay healthy. Advance tickets: You'll need to grab your tickets in advance because they are limiting their park capacity this year. Parking & Tram: I would recommend walking into the park instead of taking the tram. That was the only part of the day that didn't feel socially distanced. Temp check & masks! Before you can enter the park everyone walks through a thermal tent that checks for temperatures. Don't forget your mask because they are required throughout the entire park at all times (unless you're eating). It was nice that the employees monitored the masks and kindly requested guests to keep them over their mouth and nose. Animals! Walking through the park felt open and ... [ Read More ]
10 Reasons to Shop at Westfield Mall’s this Holiday
It's starting to feel like Christmas (finally)!!!! This post is sponsored by Westfield Malls; all opinions are my own and may not reflect those of Westfield Mall. It always take me awhile to get in the holiday spirit; mostly because I'm in the retail world and Black Friday drains all of the life out of me. To be completely honest....it turns me into a bit of a grinch! I spend several weeks getting ready for the Black Friday weekend planning cool promotions and sales for work. It's exhausting and there are several days with scattered sleep which just makes me a big lump of grump! It usually takes me a good 1-2 weeks to get out of my grinchy mood and back into the spirit of Christmas. Usually about a week after Black Friday I start finding my way online window shopping and planning out a few gift ideas for the kids. As easy as online shopping has become, I still enjoy a good trip to the mall and stores to do my Christmas shopping. There's just something about it that puts ... [ Read More ]
Thank You Stonyfield Yogurt from an Unknown Family at Publix
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt. Dear Stonyfield Yogurt, Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to teach my teenager how to Pay it Forward. I have been blessed to be a Stonyfield YoGetter Blogger for several years and you've given me so much more than delicious organic yogurt. This month you gave me a $50 Visa Gift Card to use any way that I like to "Pay it Forward." There were no rules and no restrictions on how or when we used the gift card. Tonight my son and I made a quick trip to the local Publix store to pick up dinner for the night. On the way to the store I asked him if he knew what it meant to Pay it Forward. He hadn't really ever heard the term before but loved my plan and was excited to help me out. We walked into Publix and purchased a $50 Gift Certificate. I was hoping the store would be busier than it was, but it was a very quiet night in the store. We didn't need much for dinner so we had time to walk through the store. I was ... [ Read More ]
Special Santa Fun at Westfield Malls #HowDoYouHoliday
This post is sponsored by Westfield Mall. Do you need to add a little magic to your holiday season? Santa has arrived at Westfield Malls all around Tampa and he's ready to meet your family. Regular Santa Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10am-9pm with reindeer breaks 1-2pm & 5-6pm Sunday: 12pm-6pm with a reindeer break between 2-3pm Thanksgiving: Santa heads home to spend time with Mrs Claus and the elves Christmas Eve: 8am-5pm with a reindeer breaks between 1-2pm Know someone special who would love to meet Santa but maybe a little nervous? Or maybe they don't do well standing in lines? Or maybe crowds scare them? Or maybe you really want to take your pet? Westfield Malls have a few special events and opportunities to make your trip to see Santa a little more fun. Hounds for the Holidays: Let's start with our 4 legged friends. November 27th and Dec 11th between 6:30-8:30pm, your well-behaved leashed pets can visit Santa and get their pictures taken with ... [ Read More ]
The only evidence that I showed up for Christmas…
Why is it that mom is never in the Christmas pictures? Because she's taking the pictures and behind the camera. I tried to remedy that this year after reading a fun article on how to be in the pictures you're taking, but my camera doesn't have the ability for taking interval pictures. Usually my husband attempts to take a few pictures of my opening gifts with his phone, but this year there are no pictures of me on Christmas Day. The picture above was one I took myself while I was playing with the manual settings on my DSLR; which I think I've finally figured out how to use. I am excited for the future though, one of my Christmas presents from my hubs is a GoPro (affiliate link) which can take interval pictures. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, but I finally picked up the microSD card today so I'll be playing the rest of the week. Christmas was low key this year. Hubs didn't make it home until Christmas Eve (afternoon) and had to leave again around lunchtime on ... [ Read More ]
How to Bake the PERFECT Christmas Cookie
I'm FINALLY in the Christmas spirit and in the mood to bake a few batches of our favorite cookies. We don't bake much the rest of the year, but I always find time to bake cookies with the kids in December. You probably won't stumble upon my recipes pinned on Pinterest or on the pages of a magazine, but I make the PERFECT Christmas Cookies!! Do you want to know my secret? First, go to the baking aisle of your favorite store and pick up a few packs of morsels that look good to you. I couldn't find our favorite mint chocolate chips from last year, but I did find some red & green morsels and a pack of toffee chips. At least that will make up some good chocolate chip cookies, right!? Next, think really hard about what other key ingredients may be missing from your kitchen. I know I needed eggs and I thought I was out of stick butter so I chunked those in our cart. I can't possible think of anything else that I'm out of so we head to the checkout. After dinner is over and ... [ Read More ]
Sea World’s Christmas Celebration 2015
This past weekend we were invited to Sea World's Christmas Celebration to get a glimpse behind the scenes and to learn more about the special Christmas performances going on around the park. Unlike some of the other area theme parks, Sea World includes their Christmas performances with your regular park admission. Plus, kids get in FREE through the end of December with a paying adult. Sea World will always hold a special place in my heart and the Christmas spirit just enhances that love of the park and the work they do to help preserve our natural world. I found myself a little teary eyed during some of the performances. Even if you only go for a few hours, here is my list of 5 things you don't want to miss at Sea World in December. 1. Polar Express - Sea World has once again transformed the polar exhibit into a train ride on the Polar Express that takes you to the North Pole to meet Santa Clause. The experience is based off the popular Christmas movie, the Polar Express. ... [ Read More ]
Sea World Orlando Christmas Celebration #seaworldchristmas
If you are in Florida and are looking for a special holiday event for your family you should really visit the Sea World Orlando, Christmas Celebration. The weekend before Thanksgiving we decided to get into the holiday spirit a little early and see what wintery wonderland awaited us at Sea World. Any day you visit between now and Dec. 31st you can enjoy Sea World's Christmas Celebration with your regular daily admission. This will get you full admission to all the holiday events including the Polar Express Experience, Shamu Christmas Miracle, O Wonderous Night, and the Winter Wonderland on Ice. Lucky for us it was actually a chilly day in Florida (rare in the Fall/Winter) so it felt almost like Winter being surrounded by Christmas music, Santa Claus and lots of sparkly lights. By the evening we were even wishing we had brought heavier layers. We started the day experiencing the regular Sea World adventures, shows and rides. My oldest braved Manta (over and over again ... [ Read More ]
Last Minute Gift Ideas for Toddlers and Kids
Are you looking for one more gift for your toddler or small child? Looking for a cute stocking stuffer? Here are a few items that my kids (or I) would love to unwrap on Christmas morning. iPieces Air Hockey - I found this several months ago while attending the BlogHer conference. You download an app on your iPhone or iPad to use with these game pieces. It instantly turns your iPad into an air hockey rink! Kids and adults will love this game. I just wish it had a small carrying bag so I wouldn't lose the pieces. Handstand Kids Cookbook Kits - If you have a young child who likes to help out in the kitchen this would be a fun gift to add for them. In addition to the cookbook the kit also includes some kid sized kitchen tools. Both my son and daughter would love one of these. Jellystone Designs Owl Pendant - Do you have an owl fan in your family? Kids and adults will enjoy this adorable pendant. Moms can use it for teething babies. Older kids will enjoy showing off ... [ Read More ]