Sunday, July 19, 2015

Disney's Animal Kingdom Review + Tips

My family finally visited Animal Kingdom for the very first time this past May. We had not visited before because I had read mixed reviews that Animal Kingdom was geared towards older children, etc. so we waited for the kids to be a little older. After visiting, I can say that Animal Kingdom is geared towards children of ALL ages. I wish we had visited sooner actually! My children, ages 8, 5 and 4 absolutely loved Animal Kingdom!! They enjoyed the Safari ride the best and they loved the Dinosaur ride. The Lion King show is absolutely fabulous and really comparable to a broadway production in my opinion. The Lion King show captured my children's attention and they were all mesmerized. My son wanted to see it again.





Be sure to meet Mickey & Minnie who are dressed in adorable safari attire. I would recommend using a Fast Pass for this meetngreet. 


The Mombasa Marketplace is wonderful. This was a great spot to shop, relax, listen to the live music and grab a drink at the bar. 





There were some really authentic African gifts available in the Mombasa Marketplace 


Tip: if staying on property take advantage of the free package delivery service to your resort so you don't have to carry around your park purchases.

My son wanted to purchase these African drums :)

 Tips on visiting Animal Kingdom:
Arrive early and head directly to the Kilamanjaro Safari ride. The earlier the better because the animals will be up and active.

We saw many beautiful animals on the Safari including giraffes, hippos, lions, elephants, etc.

Be sure to bring a stroller for your little one because Animal Kingdom is a big park and you will be doing a lot of walking. 

Pick up a park map and show times and be sure to watch the Lion King show and Finding Nemo Musical. These are must see shows if you have little one's. Also a great way to cool off inside!

Take time to explore the area around the Tree of Life. There are some really neat exhibits with animals throughout the Tree of Life area.

Fast Pass recommendations if you are visiting with younger children:
Mickey & Minnie MeetnGreet
Expedition Everest
Dinosaur
Kilamanjaro Safari




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Sunday, July 12, 2015

Smithsonian's National Zoo Review

Welcome to this month's Blogorail Peach Loop. Today we are discussing zoos that your family needs to visit.
If you are looking for an amazing zoo to visit with your family be sure to check out the Smithsonian's National Zoo located in the heart of the nation's capital, Washington DC. National Zoo is located just a few hours from my house so we love to take our three children and visit each summer. The zoo is FREE and offers a small parking lot that does tend to fill up quickly. If you can, it is best to ride a metro to the National Zoo and walk. The Zoo grounds are open from 6:00 am until 8 pm. The exhibit buildings are open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

My kids love the National Zoo



Be sure to purchase a ticket to ride the Carousel (tickets are $3 each)




The National Zoo has many gift stores located throughout the park, but my favorite is the Panda Shop. There are some really adorable stuffed animals in the store, so be ready to make some purchases :) 

National Zoo has so many unique and beautiful animals and amazing exhibits. My children absolutely love the Children's Farm which includes a petting zoo area and a really neat playground. The Pizza Garden Playground is an educational and hands on experience geared towards children ages 3-8 years old. 

Be sure to check out the map of the zoo before you visit so you can get an idea of just how many exhibits there are and what type of animals you will get to see. 


Eating at the Zoo

There are many affordable options at the National Zoo. If you are on the go and don't want spend a lot of time in line I would suggest just grabbing a quick hot dog from a kiosk. If you have more time and want to cool off inside head to the Mane Grill. They have great kids meals and they come with adorable little keepsake boxes that the kids can play with later. Here is a list of all of the options at the zoo. I would highly recommend the Panda Overlook restaurant which serves smoothies, paninis ad wraps.
For more information zoos to visit with your family, check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!
Here is the map of our Blogorail Peach | Family Adventure : Zoos



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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Why I Love Legoland Florida

Welcome to this month's Magical Blogorail Red loop. Today we are discussing fun things to do on your summer vacation outside of the Disney Parks.

After visiting Legoland Florida last May I knew that my children would love to return again. Unfortunately the new Legoland Hotel was not yet open when we visited this April. It is however open now for anyone planning a fun weekend getaway. Legoland Florida is so much fun that I would recommend spending at least two to three days at the park to ensure you can ride all of the attractions and see all of the shows and enjoy the water park.


 My children really love the Safari Trek where guests can drive a safari jeep through a jungle filled with Lego animals.


My 4 year old loved driving me on the wild safari

Each safari jeep has two steering wheels so that both guests can 'drive'

You never know what wild animal you will see next on the safari

If you are visiting with children under 5 years old be sure to check out the super cute Duplo Valley. All of the rides are geared towards the younger crowd. My 4 year old loved the Duplo Train ride and the Duplo Tractor ride was a hit with my son!

 There is even a water splash area for children located in Duplo Valley:


There are super cute play area's located throughout the park for children to enjoy

Be sure to visit the Forestman's Hideout which is a huge playground for children of all ages. The playground includes a climbing net, bridges, a huge slide, etc. There are also benches for parents to relax while the children play.

FOOD At Legoland 

Be sure to save room for the Apple Fries!! These are surprisingly amazing!




For lunch we opted for the Market Restaurant which is similar to a food court. There are plenty of great choices including chicken nuggets, pizza, macncheese, fresh fruit, salads, etc. 

The Market Restaurant is located near the entrance

Inside the restaurant there is a Lego play area for children to build while parents eat


The macaroni and cheese was delicious and my children loved their chicken nuggets.

Overall, we had a lot of fun on visit to Legoland and I would highly recommend it. We hope to visit the new hotel next time! 

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Red | Summer Fun Outside of the Parks Loop:



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Monday, June 29, 2015

Advantages of Staying Off Property At Disney World

Thinking of staying off property when you visit Walt Disney World? The Blogorail is sharing tips and info to get you ready for vacation.
There are so many advantages to staying off property at Disney World. You can typically get a lot more space for a lot less money in addition to a kitchen and laundry machine.



I love love love having a kitchen so that I can prepare quick breakfasts, lunches and even dinners. Having a kitchen really helps save money so that you can avoid eating out each meal. It is really nice to return from a long day at the theme parks and be able to heat up a frozen pizza or chicken fingers for my picky eaters. The mini fridges in hotel rooms do not have enough space for a full weeks worth of milk, snacks, food, etc for a family of my size so I really enjoy having a full size refrigerator and freezer. It is nice to be able to freeze ice packs to use daily in our cooler at the theme park also.



Staying off property can also allow for more room to spread out. Typically you can get more square footage and more bedrooms by staying off property at Disney. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate being cramped in a one room hotel room with three children and nowhere for them to run around and play. Rainy days in a hotel room are any Mom's worst nightmare!


For more information staying off property when visiting Walt Disney World, check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!

Here is the map of our Blogorail Special Edition | Tips for Staying Off Property at Walt Disney World Loop:
Staying Off Property at Walt Disney World | The Blogorail

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

We Booked A Cruise!

We booked our families very first cruise! We will be going on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean!! I am really excited to share with my readers the details of our Royal Caribbean cruise. We will be cruising on the Freedom of the Seas. We booked the cruise last month as soon as the buy one get one half off promotion started. With a family of 5 this was a really great promotion and a great way for us to save money. We chose a promenade family stateroom. The family staterooms are SO wonderful and offer 327 sq ft which is more square foot than a standard stateroom. There will a separate area with bunk beds for the children plus a huge walk in closet that could easily store a stroller plus luggage. The family staterooms also include a mini refrigerator, sleeper sofa and queen sized bed. The children do not know that we are going on a cruise for our family vacation next spring. I am planning a fun reveal once it is closer to the departure time.

Freedom of the Seas

There is so much to do on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I know my three children won't be bored. In addition to the amazing nightly shows, there is a kids only adventure club where parents can drop their children off with counselors to entertain them. There is rock climbing wall, an ice skating rink, miniature golf, Dreamworks Characters on board for a daily parade and meetngreets and there is an amazing H20 Zone. The H20 Zone features a ton of awesome water features for children to play in. We will probably spend everyday here:

My three children are going to LOVE the H20 Zone 

I am going to surprise my girls with the Barbie stateroom decor package. We will be sailing on my daughter's 9th birthday so this will be a super fun way to celebrate her birthday. The Barbie stateroom decor package includes a lot of awesome items including a Barbie doll, Barbie pillow case, Barbie blanket, Barbie bag, 3 Barbie outfits for your new doll, Barbie activity book, Barbie door magnet, chair bow and a lanyard!!! The Barbie stateroom decor package costs $64.99 but in my opinion it is worth it! I am also going to order each of my girls a happy birthday celebration cake which will be delivered at dinner, this is an additional $16.95. Royal Caribbean offers celebration cakes for all occasions. To view the different cakes visit their website http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog

How cute is The Cupcake Cupboard? Royal Caribbean offers a cute cupcake decorating class that I will probably sign up for with my children. 

 I am really excited to choose our excursions. We will be visiting St. Thomas, St. Martin & Coco Cay Bahamas. If you've been on a cruise, comment below what your favorite excursion is.


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Monday, June 8, 2015

Gugu Guru Baby Registry Items Giveaway

Welcome to the Best Budget Friendly Baby Registry Items Giveaway!

Hosted by: Everything Mommyhood Sponsored by: Gugu Guru Thanks for joining us along with Everything Mommyhood and Gugu Guru for this giveaway!



Gugu Guru is an online personalized baby registry that finds and delivers perfect match products based on a mom's unique lifestyle and personal style. With thousands of baby products on the market it can get extremely overwhelming trying to figure out your baby registry. The last thing any mom-to-be needs is stress! Gugu Guru's team of baby gear experts and in the know moms created Gugu Guru to help define your lifestyle needs with the very best products you’ll need for your baby’s first year of life. Their edited list of baby must-haves is tailor made to your lifestyle—not your best friend’s. Think of them as your very own personal shoppers for your baby registry. Kick up your (swollen) heels and let Gugu Guru do the heavy lifting. There's three easy steps to your personalized registry on Gugu Guru. Step 1- Discover Your Registry Style - Answer some questions about your lifestyle, personal fashion sense and product preferences. It’s fun. We promise. Step 2- Get Product Recommendations - Gugu Guru will crosscheck your answers with their database of product ratings from industry experts and fellow moms in the know and then deliver you their unbiased, personalized registry suggestions. Say “bye bye!” to the products you just don’t need. Step 3- Build Your Registry - Add products to your registry and select the option to have a Gugu Guru team member review before publishing or go ahead and publish it to share with your friends and family so they can start shopping. Sit back and enjoy receiving amazing gifts for you and your new baby! Everything Mommyhood asked moms on social media to get the BEST budget friendly baby registry items and we decided to have a giveaway for these items in honor of this great new online service provided by Gugu Guru. Here's what we have come up with as must haves that are budget friendly: - Aden and Anais Swaddles - Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper - Moby Wrap - Sophie The Giraffe - Nose Frida - Mombo Pillow - Wubbanub These items range in price from $12-$60, so they are great options for baby without breaking the bank. Not to mention, these are the most suggested, must have items from moms on social media. Make sure you check out Gugu Guru and pass the word along to your mommy friends and family, as well as expectant moms! Connect with Gugu Guru Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram Now for the giveaway! One lucky reader will win the budget friendly prizes listed above, please note, prints/styles will vary! Retail value approximately $200. Open to US residents, 18 and up. Void where prohibited. One entrant per household/IP address. Winner will be chosen randomly and will be emailed, they will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Giveaway ends June 21st, 2015 at 11:59pm EST.


Disclosure: I was not compensated for the posting of this giveaway. Gugu Guru is solely responsible for prize fulfillment/shipment. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, endorsed, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or any other social media outlet. If you have any questions concerning this giveaway or would like to see your product featured, please contact everythingmommyhood@gmail.com.


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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba Review

We enjoyed Cirque Du Soleil at Downtown Disney

Alcohol is available for purchase for 21+

              I just have to mention that I love the wide variety of refreshments available for purchase


I selected the salted popcorn in a souvenir bucket and a smoothie

We had purchased our tickets ahead of time and we were very happy with our seats located in the "Golden Circle" section. My 8 year old daughter loved the performance and I felt like her younger brother and sister would have also enjoyed it. The performance was captivating, highly entertaining and even funny at times. Unfortunately photos were not allowed once the show began. I wish I could have captured the amazing acrobatics that the performers did high up in the sky on the gymnastics hanging bars. The performers are truly talented and I was captivated throughout the whole performance. My daughter enjoyed watching the performers on the trampolines. 

I would recommend arriving at least thirty minutes prior to the show time to have plenty of time to find your seats, purchase any drinks (alcohol is served!) or snacks. Be sure to visit the shop located downstairs, you can find some great souvenirs for your children such as the juggling balls or the magic handkerchief kit. Overall I would highly recommend Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba. 

Tickets start at just $59 For more information on tickets visit https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/lanouba/tickets/florida.aspx


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