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Gigi’s Cupcakes Pigeon Forge #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 11, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Food and Treats, Travel, Uncategorized

Photo courtesy of Kim at Brandfluential

Brandcation Blog Cabin not only brought us awesome accommodations and views but also awesome treats too! Cabin Fever Vacations worked with Gigi’s Cupcakes Pigeon Forge to surprise us shortly after arriving with a lovely array of yummy cupcakes! Flavors included, blackberry, red velvet, carrot cake, banana nut, chocolate, white wedding cake, mint chocolate, strawberry. These cupcakes were topped with delectable cream cheese frosting. They were so tasty that the ladies bought more for our 80’s party on Saturday night! Seriously these were so moist and delicious it was nearly impossible to stop at one! I definitely plan to treat my family to some of these yummy treats when we visit on our family vacation next year or have some shipped here for the next birthday we celebrate since there are no Gigi’s Cupcakes here in Illinois.

Photo courtesy of Candace from Serendipity Mom

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Dollywood’s Wild Eagle #Brandcation #PigeonForge #WildEagle

Posted by html404 on October 10, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Family Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

I haven’t been to a theme park in a very long time. I went on a virtual ride of Dollywood’s Wild Eagle, America’s first winged roller coaster, before I left for Brandcation and I think I freaked myself out a little. Try it and you’ll see what I mean! All you adventure seekers will love it, I’m sure!

Dollywood’s Wild Eagle roller coaster was a highlight for me as I went on it three times, even though in all the photos I look terrified…and I was. I haven’t been on a roller coaster since I was 14, but the fact that I attempted something different and something that had to do with heights was huge for me since I am afraid of high places. I am a play it safe, non-adventurous kind of gal.

Photo courtesy of Dollywood and Tanya Gordon of Mommy Goggles.

The first ride I had my eyes closed except for the initial climb. The second time I opened my eyes a bit and during the third ride I only had my eyes closed for the huge dip and loopdy-loos. There’s something about being upside down that gets to me. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Though I must say I felt very safe strapped in the seats seats. They felt very secure and Dollywood staff made sure we were securely fastened, which I really appreciated. I worried about my glasses falling off because they shifted a bit but they stayed on.

Photo compliments of Kim @ What’s That Smell

Oh, Kim actually had a photo of me smiling as we came in from our ride. It’s a bit blurry but you can see Paula, me, Mary Ann and Maria:

Photo compliments of Kim @ What’s That Smell

Dolly’s Wild Eagle opened in March of this year and has already hit 1 million rides according to a staff member at the photo desk. Impressive, eh? Dollywood Splash will be opening their first water coaster in spring of 2013 – little insider info.

Wild Eagle Compared to Other Roller Coasters

Joy from Joyful Musings went on three roller coasters at Dollywood and we asked her to give us the comparison break down and here’s what she said:

Dollywood’s Wild Eagle was the smoothest ride.

Mystery Mine was the scariest.

The third was Tennessee Tornado was the fastest.

Companies may have provided media rate or media tickets to assist in facilitation of this article. Experiences are all real and all opinions are my own.

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Cabin Fever Vacations #PigeonForge #Brandcation

Posted by html404 on October 9, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Family Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

Brandcation Blog Cabin was called Blog Cabin for a reason. While we were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee we stayed at a log cabin managed by Cabin Fevers Vacations called Mountaintop Lodge. Cabin Fever Vacations offers a unique blog cabin experience. The cabin is privately owned by a family but rented out during the times the family is not in the area. The cabin is three floors high and can sleep up to 34 people! It’s beautiful!

Cabin Fever Vacations even surprised us on the first day with Gigi’s Cupcakes to welcome us to Pigeon Forge.

The Accommodations

The top floor housed most of the ladies in an open room with cots, a futon and several queen sized bunk beds. That floor also included four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Photo compliments of Kim @ What’s That Smell

The middle floor contained a full kitchen, dining and living rooms, as well as two bedrooms with private baths.

The lower level had four bedrooms, two private baths, the laundry room and game room which also housed two additional futons. I had one of the bedrooms and roomed with Jenn from Life with Levi. We didn’t see much of each other but she was a nice roommate.

Photo compliments of Kim @ What’s That Smell

Each level has it’s own balcony – front and back – where you could rock in a rocking chair, sit and enjoy the view, just chit chat with friends or soak in a hot tub.

The cabin was beautiful with a rustic style of decor. It was really spacious. The only thing it lacked this weekend was a few extra bathrooms! Six bathrooms for 34 ladies was a little challenging at times but we did it!

I love that there are many different sized cabins and that Cabin Fever Vacations is able to accommodate any size family. Large families like ours could actually stay all together, which is so much better than hotel accommodations!

The View

The view from the back balconies was of the Smoky Mountains and it was stunning. In few days or so it would have been splashed with the colors of fall.

Don’t just take my word for it check out the video below:

The Road to the Cabin

The road to the cabin is a winding road, obviously since the cabin is on the mountain – wouldn’t want to see it in the winter! Though I am sure they are very good about keeping it clear and well maintained for any type of weather they experience.

The Atmosphere

The cabins were very close together but the atmosphere was very quiet. Though we may have changed that at certain points of our stay! Especially during our 80’s party! The people I met were were friendly in the cabin area
.
You may visit Cabin Fever Vacations at their website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and even Pinterest. They have an awesome social media presence.

I truly cannot wait to plan a visit to go back with my family. I know they will love Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Companies may have provided media rate or media tickets to assist in facilitation of this article. Experiences are all real and all opinions are my own.

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Sneak Peek of the KIA Optima Hybrid Car #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 3, 2012
in Reviews, Travel, Wordless Wednesday

This week’s Wordless Wednesday post is a sneak peek of the 2012 KIA Optima Hybrid car. It arrived late yesterday afternoon. The Driver STI specialist drove here and a colleague drove another car so he could have a way home. I thought it was awesome that they actually delivered the car right to my house! They will pick it up in a week’s time. What a great service!

The specialist walked me through a brief demonstration of how the car worked and showed me how to use certain features. The KIA Optima Hybrid car is sleek and still smells so new! We haven’t had a new car to drive in a l-o-n-g time, unless you count driving my mother-in-law’s car whose car really isn’t new anymore since it’s a 2006. I’ve also never driven a KIA, so this is a whole ‘nother new experience, besides driving a hybrid car for the first time.

I think it’s so cool that the KIA Optima Hybrid car starts with the press of a button! That will take some getting use to. I am really looking forward to driving it to Paula’s tomorrow to head to Kim’s and then on to Brandcation Blog Cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

My husband and I took it for a quick spin down our country road. It drives really smooth!

I don’t want to give everything away since I’ll be giving a full report after I get back from Brandcation. Just wanted to tease you a little bit and well….brag a bit too. (blush!) So far my first impression of the KIA Optima Hybrid car is very positive….a 12-hour drive will give me a better idea of it’s overall performance on a road trip. Plus I’ll have two fellow bloggers input too.

While we were loaned the KIA Optima Hybrid car with the agreement to feature of it on our blogs after Brandcation, this post is done of my own volition.

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LandCentral Sweepstakes

Posted by html404 on October 1, 2012
in Contests, Giveaways, Shopping, Travel

Shopping for land has been a long and frustrating process for us – because it’s hard to find affordable land where we desire to live. For years we have looked for land and houses in several states. We have looked for land by itself and land that includes a house. Kind of important to have a place to live too as my husband isn’t into camping. There have been several properties we would have loved to have owned but only a few we inquired about.

We have mainly looked for land online, occasionally we’ve used a newspaper, but not very often. We used to years ago, but we’ve become heavy internet users so it’s our go-to place for everything these days, even real estate. The cost of taking a trip to see land in another state, the cost of a move and homeschooling laws (they vary from state to state) and my mother-in-law have always kept us in Illinois. That’s a huge reason we became open to simply renting land so we could stay in Illinois – Land in Illinois is very expensive.

There are a couple regular sites we visit for real estate and land, but we recently learned of a new one for land called LandCentral.com. The site itself is easy to navigate and the information for each listing is an easy to read. They even have an e-newsletter that sends out alerts when property becomes available in your area. The only downfall I see right now is there are no listings for Illinois. Looks like they are working on it though.

LandCentral Sweepstakes

There’s a big giveaway for LAND going on through LandCentral.com sweepstakes. The winner will receive their choice of one of five properties in the US. The giveaway runs from October 1-31.

For years we have wanted to go to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon, but have yet to. We have looked at a few properties there as I’d love to live some place warm or hot in the case of Arizona! California or Florida would be nice too, except for the earthquakes and hurricanes. Those kind of scare us, but I give people credit who do live with those two things on a daily or seasonal basis. (Joy, Toni, Colleen you all come to mind right now!)

Click this link or the button above or below to enter to win some land of your own. It’s a Rafflecopter form you can fill in as much or as little as you want. The winner of the LandCentral sweepstakes will have their choice of land in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Colorado, California or Florida.

Happy entering!

I wrote this post for the opportunity to be chosen to write on a monthly basis for LandCentral.com

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1 Week Away ’til Brandcation Blog Cabin #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on September 27, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

Brandcation Blog Cabin…it seems like just yesterday that I was coming home from my very first blogger conference, Brandcation Bloggers Gone Coastal, and here I am a week away from attending my second Brandcation! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. It has been an incredibly busy two weeks and I know the next two weeks are going to be the same.

Brandcation Blog Cabin

I will be traveling down to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with two fellow bloggers, Kim and Paula. These two ladies snagged us a Kia Optima Hybrid to drive down in. I am the “lucky” lady who gets to check it out first since I am farthest north. It’s arriving on Tuesday at 10 am and I am very excited. At this point it’s sad to say, but I am more excited about test driving a hybrid car than Brandcation…it’ll come, but first things first though, right? Can’t wait to tell you all about the Kia Optima Hybrid and Brandcation on my return!

Doesn’t it look slick? I have no idea what color it will be or anything, but I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Brandcation Blog Cabin Sponsors

Brandcation Blog Cabin is being hosted in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee October 4-7. We, as in me and 33 other bloggers, will be visiting some area attractions, many of whom are sponsoring us to attend their events. So a huge pre-Brandcation shout out to them for hosting 34 bloggers!

Those attractions include, in case you missed my last post:

Cabin Fever Vacations (accommodations)
Dollywood
Dixie Stampede show
Country Tonight
Lumberjack Feud
Titanic Museum
Climb Works for Ziplining
Wax museum
Flashy Blinky Lights

Be sure to hop on over to A Daily Dose of Tony to see who I’ll be sharing the big, beautiful blog cabin with…my cabin mates. She’s done a great video in honor of our 80’s theme party, which I found an outfit for…two actually. Just have to wash them up and try them on, hoping at least one of them will fit me! I think I’ll be rather boring and “tame” compared to some others…at least from the discussions I saw about their 80’s costumes!

Thanks again to Trisha, Lynsey, Kim, and Blondie and to the sponsors for making this event possible!!

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Brandcation Blog Cabin #Brandcation

Posted by html404 on September 8, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Travel

This is a post that I have been meaning to write since May when I signed up but I kept bumping it for everything else on my plate since that time. Now less than a month away, I need to get it written. I simply cannot believe how fast time has flown. Back in May I went to Brandcation (#3) Bloggers Gone Coastal in Pensacola, Florida, it was my first blogger conference-type-event. I loved meeting bloggers I interact with on a daily basis on MomDot. They are wonderful! I had a great time. Though I missed my family, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t refreshing to get away.

That’s why when Brandcation (#4) Blog Cabin was announced in late May, I really wanted to go and was very surprised my husband quickly agreed I should. I was like, “Really?” I never expected him to say yes so fast because he really missed me while I was at Brandcation Bloggers Gone Coastal. My older girls called him “pathetic” and said he “moped” around the house carrying and looking at his phone for my next text or call. I thought it was pretty cute actually. He loves me, he loves me! He missed me, he missed me! So juvenille, lol! (If you find this edited later, you’ll know my husband did not approve it! ) I really thought I’d have to do some cajoling to convince him it was a good thing for me. I was wrong. He’s a good hubby and knows I work hard.

About Brandcation

Brandcation is not like other blogging conferences. It is small, intimate and full of fun activities for bloggers to get to know each other while supporting sponsored brands. It is the ultimate networking event! Relationships is what Brandcation is all about. To learn more about the past three Brandcations go here. As a side note, Brandcation is presented by MomDot and Brandfluential. Thanks Trisha and Kim (plus Blondie and Lynsey too!)

Brandcation Blog Cabin

Brandcation Blog Cabin is being hosted in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and we will be visiting some area attractions. Those attractions include:

Cabin Fever Vacations (accommodations)
Dollywood
Dixie Stampede show
Country Tonight
Lumberjack Feud
Titanic Museum
Climb Works for Ziplining
Wax museum
Flashy Blinky Lights

We will even be having an 80’s party. I was a teen in the 80’s so that oughta be fun to try and find something to wear. I have looked but I didn’t like anything I saw, but then again while looking I was trying to find something that I could and would wear today…

Once again I am nervous, even though I have met a number of the bloggers attending, but really looking forward to this trip. I love to travel and I have never been to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Here I come Brandcation Blog Cabin….

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We Went to Day Out With Thomas

Posted by html404 on August 23, 2012
in Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Travel

When Jessi (from Jabbering Jessi) invited me to attend a Day Out With Thomas event in my area and write about it for her blog, I jumped on the opportunity! Our children have loved Thomas the Tank since they were little and we have a whole bin of Thomas the Tank train stuff that even our older kids still enjoy playing with!

We started our day bright and early. We even took our puppy since he broke his yard leash preventing us from leaving him at home. Not that we really wanted to leave him for a few hours. Thankfully the Railway Museum personnel were very understanding and allowed us to take Padfoot into the park so we didn’t have to leave him in the hot van. Of course we were expected to clean up after him. He did very well for his first time among crowds. We received many nice comments about him and one comment to use a prong collar so he doesn’t pull our arm out of it’s socket, which was interesting since it was something a couple of friends had recommended to.

Anyhoo…back to the Day Out With Thomas…

We arrived in ample time for our scheduled train ride, but the lines were already started and long. If you attend, be sure to arrive an hour in advance as recommended or at least buy tickets for the first ride of the day if you want to avoid the real crowds.

The people we encountered on Sunday were very pleasant which helped make the day a huge success for our family.

Thomas the Tank Train Ride at Day Out With Thomas

Our children loved riding on Thomas. It was the first Train ride for some of our children. Our youngest was a little pill on the train. He tried to crawl over the seat and under the seats, other than that he was ok.

Someone took some pics of me that I didn’t know about!

This is the guy we had to watch and hold or he would have climbed or fallen out the window!

The boys look thrilled don’t they?

After the ride on Thomas we headed over to where the children’s activities were and most of the children had fun in the bouncy house. It was a good thing we went when we did because as the day went on that area was packed. While at the bouncy house we discovered another advantage to having a large family. The maximum number of children allowed inside was 6 and we had six children who wanted to bounce, until Baby wanted out. So we didn’t have to worry about our children crushing other children nor did we have to worry about other children crushing ours. A plus for this mama as I am conscious of that sort of thing.

We wanted to get our children to expend their energy before taking another train ride so we took them to the playground next.

The pup needed some exercise too and another photo was snapped of me….running no less!

Then my husband took the children on a street car ride since I was the one to take them on Thomas while he watched the pup.

After the street car ride the children wanted to go into one of the train buildings where they got to see how trains use to look years ago. We didn’t take the time to go into all of the train buildings as it was getting close to lunch time.

Tummies started to rumble so we took a break for a snack and drink before ending our day with mini golf and playing in the sand pile. At the sand pile we met up with fellow blogger, Paula of Frosted Fingers. That’s her daughter in the green dress.

Overall it was a wonderful experience and a great day out as a family. If you travel to the Chicago area, we highly encourage you to visit the Union Railway Museum.

Check for a local Day Out With Thomas in your area here.

Faith and Family Reviews received five tickets to the Day Out With Thomas event in Union, IL in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Mike the Knight

Posted by html404 on August 6, 2012
in Family Stuff, Kids Stuff, Travel, Uncategorized

We picked up our new old van yesterday. It’s big, roomy and has comfy seats! We were invited to attend the Mike the Knight show at the Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, Wisconsin for this past weekend’s shows, so we decided our first family outing in nearly 10 months would be to the Renaissance Fair. We have never been to a Renaissance Fair and were expecting something more like Medieval Times shows, rather than a fair taking place outside.

This is how my husband parked “the beast” at the hotel we stopped at to find the nearest Walgreens (Walgreens offers discounted Renaissance Fair tickets.)

The fair was very crowded and busy. Tons of people. Dusty streets, much like it would have been in the 15th century. There were little shops lining the medieval streets selling their wares. It had a air of stepping back in time. There was lots of sights to see, but due to arriving at 5pm for a 5:30pm show, we didn’t take much time to stop and look at things due to not wanting to miss the Mike the Knight show.

We arrived at The Globe Stage with nearly 15 minutes to spare. Our children sat nicely anticipating the show starting, but the younger crew did not understand what we were waiting for. There was not a huge crowd for a kids show, but we just put it off to it being one of the last shows (we later realized that there was a Joust going on at the same time which attracted a huge crowd).

The show began with an Elf coming on stage and reading a Mike the Knight story book. The Elf did not have a mic on and she/he was very hard to hear even with us sitting in the fourth row! The story took about five minutes, after which the doors of the stage opened and out stepped Mike the Knight. Our six year old questioned, “That’s a person dressed up in Mike the Knight?” We said yes.

Then the children were invited to line up to meet and greet the tall stuffed figure. None of ours wanted to. The sat quietly at our sides and still refused to go up after a couple of fair workers tried to persuade them to go up to the stage. The worker handing out the CD/DVD and coloring book was nice enough to give our children
each one even though they didn’t go up to meet Mike.

Our Impressions of Mike the Knight

That appeared to be the extent of the show. 10 minutes long and very lame. We were disappointed to be honest. This is the what we drove an hour to see. We sure hope other Renaissance Fairs are doing something different! We expected Mike the Knight to at least act out one of his stories or something. Not just stand there wave, shake hands and high five the kids.

The Fair’s Redemption

What redeemed the fair for us was the jousting match, which we only caught part of because we were at that “other” show. It was cool and all the children said that was their favorite part.

After the joust, we attended a How to Use Weapons show. It was humorous and we stayed until it was nearly over, but our little ones were asking to go home! It was starting to get late for them.

We took our time walking back through the fair, letting the children’s (or ours!) curiosity guide us. Our oldest daughter was in writer’s mode thinking and creating as she took in all the people, the costumes, sights and sounds.

It was also really interesting to note that all the rides offered at the fair were not mechanical as in gas powered or electric. They were powered by the muscles of people. That was one of the best things to witness – the historical accuracy of the rides. Of course they all cost money too.

We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon/evening out as a whole family. It was wonderful to just do something together away from work and home. Our four year old woke up this morning asking, “Are we going on another trip, mommy?” I think that about says it all right there. Eating out, getting ice cream and going to the playground afterwards all made it an even better experience for our children.

New Yorkers

Those in New York or traveling in NY state this month, Mike the Knight and the Renaissance Fair will be your area the weekend August 18-19! Check out the details here.

Faith and Family Reviews received the four tickets to the Renaissance Fair in exchange for a feature. While we consider it a privilege to receive tickets, products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the event or product.

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Last Day for the Taste of Chicago 2012 #seemoresights @Transitions @SocialMoms

Posted by html404 on July 15, 2012
in Eye Care, Travel, TV Shows, Uncategorized

It’s been an incredibly busy weekend. We went to look at a vehicle yesterday – a gas guzzler Ford Expedition – but the vehicle isn’t big enough. It was older but very clean and in good condition. We are talking about going to two vehicles instead of one big one. Then some of us traveled 2 hours in traffic to the Taste of Chicago 2012. It was busy. Slight rain did not deter people either.

I think it was busier than last year by the size of the crowds, but maybe not.

Lots and lots of people.

We ran into pockets of much needed rain, but it cleared up by the time we got to the Transitions booth.

While my husband drove around the block with our sleeping toddler, my rock star boy, Peanut and I went to get our free vision screening. The screening line went quickly and they were very efficient and wiped off the screening equipment after every person. That impressed me. The screener was very courteous. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know – all three of us are overdue for an eye exam and new prescriptions. That means the other three children and my husband are too since it’s been a couple of years since we went to the eye doctor. Bad, I know, but I plan to make our appointments this week as it makes my heart sick to think my children are not seeing as clearly as they should be. I have been experiencing mama guilt since last fall when we didn’t make our yearly appointments.

We didn’t know celebrity chef Robert Irvine is going to be at the Transitions booth today from 11am-1pm. We were very disappointed to find that out there. We like Chef Robert and watch his TV show Restaurant Impossible. The thing is I had already offered to volunteer at a local Folk Festival to help with the kids’ craft table. So even if we had known, my girls and I were already booked. Though, my husband could have dropped us off and taken the boys into the city.

If you are planning on going to the Taste of Chicago today, plan to drop by Transitions for your free vision screening and to meet Chef Robert. Even if you aren’t planning on going, Chef Robert is a great reason to go, don’t you think? Leave me a comment telling me what you’d say if you met Chef Robert or another celebrity chef.