Food Fun Family

Midnight Madness in Annapolis, Maryland – Loews Annapolis Hotel

Lolli — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:59:10 +0000

This past Thursday night, I was invited to spend a fun evening with friends old and new at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, right in the heart of downtown Annapolis, Maryland. We were pampered and fed and then sent off to shop at Annapolis’ annual Midnight Madness. Accommodations were provided at Loews Annapolis Hotel, but all thoughts are my own.

My Christmas shopping typically consists of as much online orders as I can handle, followed by carefully planned trips to the shopping centers and the mall while the kids are in school. I wouldn’t necessarily call that kind of Christmas shopping “fun.”

Midnight Madness, on the other hand, was everything Christmas shopping could be….and should be! Mom and Pop shops? Check! Treats and tastings at every stop? Check! Fun handmade, unique gifts for all sorts of hard-to-shop-for friends and family? Check!

Midnight madness was basically the ultimate holiday season Girls Night Out, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

What is Midnight Madness? Midnight Madness is a yearly tradition in Annapolis! Come enjoy holiday shopping, special deals, caroling, and treats every Thursday night in December from 6pm to midnight. Expect lots of fellow shoppers, plenty of deals for all your holiday shopping needs, and a fun night out with friends. Find out more at https://www.downtownannapolispartnership.org/

We stopped at a specialty spice shop, a used and rare book store, a shop dedicated to special oils and vinegars, a super fun hat store, and so much more.

Yes, it was cold (freezing cold, in fact!) but armed with some hand warmers, warm winter hats, coats, and scarves, and the warmth of good friends, we hardly even noticed the cold.

I loved the quaint downtown area decorated with festive lights. Perhaps my favorite thing about the evening was bumping in to some friends from Sons of the Severn Barbershop Chorus singing Christmas carols. Since I was an hour from home, I was not expecting to run into someone I knew!

Sons of The Severn Barbershop Chorus

After we shopped til we (almost literally) dropped, we headed back to the Loews for desserts and drinks (I needed water!), visiting and gift wrapping in the Presidential Suite. I think we all stayed up well past our bedtime, but it was totally worth it! Especially since we could sleep in (and take the day off from waking kids up for school in the morning!). I fully enjoyed the comfortable bed at the Loews as well as the friendly staff.

Ring in the New Year at Loews Annapolis Hotel!

Forget a late night drive home after your New Year’s Eve celebrations. Loews Annapolis Hotel can take care of all your New Year’s Eve needs! New Year’s Eve Package start at $314* for stays December 31, 2016 – January 1, 2017, and include:

Nightly, coastal chic accommodations in our Four-Diamond service hotel
Live entertainment, dancing, party favors, and champagne toast at midnight
Bubbles & Bliss: split of Moet champagne & souvenir champagne glasses in-room amenity upon arrival
Hangover brunch for two in BAROAK Cookhouse & Taproom on New Year’s Day
Valet parking for one vehicle per night
2 PM checkout on New Year’s Day
Want to stay an extra night? Special discount rate offered

Special New Year’s Eve 5-Course dinner for two at BAROAK Cookhouse & Taproom with 2 seatings available. $50 per person early seating, $75 per person late seating (includes party favors and champagne toast at midnight). Live music by blues artist Dean Rosenthal. Find out more at www.baroakannapolis.com

Have you been to Annapolis? If you live nearby, you should definitely make plans to stop by during the holiday season!

Roti Modern Mediterranean

Lolli — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 21:44:53 +0000

Last week, we celebrated my husband’s birthday with a delicious assortment of food from Roti Modern Mediterranean. All food was provided by Roti, but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

I don’t know the last time we’ve had such an amazing birthday dinner. In fact, I think Roti might need to be our new birthday dinner tradition. Everyone in the family was raving about the flavors. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we LOVE Mediterranean foods.

Here’s what we got from Roti:

Chicken Roti
Salmon Kabobs
House-baked Pita Bread
Tomato & Cucumber Salad
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Fresh Vegetables
Assorted Cookies

Sauces:

Roasted Red Pepper
Spicy S’hug
Roti Vinaigrette
Dill Yogurt & Cucumber

I stopped in the local Roti Modern Mediterranean in Bethesda, Maryland to pick up our food and instantly fell in love with the restaurant, even before I had taken a bite.

Roti has a relaxed, casual atmosphere that would be perfect for lunch or a date night dinner. I was able to quickly find a dozen things on the menu that I wanted to try (and lucky for us, we did get to try about a dozen things! YUM).

Roti does catering, too! You can place your order ahead of time and either pick up your food from the restaurant or have your food delivered to your home or event location. Roti might just be our new favorite place for catering (I wish we had known about Roti when we were planning our daughter’s local post-wedding get together!).

The bold flavors and the freshness of everything we ate were enough to hook me, but I love the mission of Roti so much that I wanted to share what they had to say about the foods that they serve.

Roti Modern Mediterranean was created…”to share our love of the Mediterranean’s delicious flavors, wholesome ingredients, and bright spices. This is food you’ll love to eat and makes you feel great.”

They go on to say that, “the Mediterranean diet has sustained people for centuries. Rich in vegetables, olive oil, wholesome grains, and lean protein, this is a delicious and healthful way to eat. At Roti, we source only the finest ingredients, prepare them simply and with pride, then serve them exactly how you want them.”

I could tell that everything we ate from Roti was fresh and perfectly seasoned. But beyond the wonderful flavors, Roti goes a step further by serving only farm-fresh, antibiotic-free chicken from Pennsylvania, salmon from the Gulf of Maine (from sea to the table in less than a week), 100% grass-fed beef, non-GMO blend of basmati and wild rice from California, whole wheat, handmade pitas (with gluten free pita bread also available), and more.

I could go on and on about how good the food tasted (the family particularly loved the Chicken Roti and the rice. Oh, and the sauces! We couldn’t get enough of the Roti vinaigrette and the dill yogurt and cucumber sauce). Or I could go on and on about Roti’s top notch “food that loves you back.” But I think you’ll get the best experience by trying Roti Modern Mediterranean for yourself. Check the restaurant locator to find the Roti nearest you!

Storks – See it FREE at Tysons Corner

Lolli — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:00:32 +0000

I am excited to give 20 family 4-packs of tickets to see an early screening of Storks on Saturday, August 27 at Tysons Corner Center! I’ll be taking my family to see the movie, and would love for a bunch of local friends and their families to see it with us! No compensation has been received for this post – I’m just excited to share this opportunity for DC/MD/VA families to see a movie for free!

Please note: the download links have been a little finicky so if you aren’t led to the correct download page the first time around (it will be very clear), try clicking one of the other links in the post. I have tried and tested the links, and they just seem to have a mind of their own. Apologies for any confusion!

Here are the details:

WHEN: Saturday, August 27 – 11:00 AM

WHERE: AMC Tysons Corner | 7850 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA 22102

>> Download tickets here (each download is for a 4-pack of tickets!) <<

Please note: These tickets are completely FREE! However, it is important to arrive early to get a seat. Screenings may give out more passes than they have seats for, so to ensure that you get a seat, please arrive up to an hour before the screening time. Also, the above link is limited to 20 downloads. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

About STORKS

Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for a global internet retail giant. Junior (Andy Samberg), the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl.

Desperate to deliver this bundle of trouble before the boss gets wise, Junior and his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, race to make their first-ever baby drop – in a wild and revealing journey that could make more than one family whole and restore the storks’ true mission in the world.

The animated adventure “Storks” stars Andy Samberg (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “Hotel Transylvania”), Kelsey Grammer (“Toy Story 2,” “The Simpsons”), Katie Crown (Cartoon Network’s “Clarence”), Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele (Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele”), and Danny Trejo (“The Book of Life”).

The film is directed by Nicholas Stoller (“Neighbors,” BAFTA nominee for “Muppets Most Wanted”), and Doug Sweetland (supervising animator on “Cars,” Oscar-nominated director of the animated short “Presto”).

Stoller also wrote the “Storks” screenplay, and serves as a producer along with Brad Lewis (“Ratatouille”). The executive producers are Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa and Jared Stern.

A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation | In Theaters Friday, September 23, 2016, in 2D and 3D

Rated PG for “mild action and some thematic elements.”

Run time: 86 mins

storksmovie.com| twitter.com/storksthemovie | Instagram.com/storksmovie | www.pinterest.com/storksmovie/ | #Storks

Don’t forget to download your free tickets!

See Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA at the National Theater

Lolli — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 02:31:45 +0000

I’m a long-time lover of musicals, growing up on the classics. I can recall the first time that I saw the made-for-TV version of Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. I immediately fell in love with the music. I am so excited to have the chance to take my musical-loving daughter to see Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA at The National Theatre in Washington, DC on opening night! And even more exciting (for you, at least!) is that I get to send two of my readers to the theater, too! Note: tickets (for a reader and for me) have been received in exchange for posting about the show and hosting this giveaway. All thoughts are my own.

About Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA

The 2013 Tony® Award-winning Broadway musical, from the creators of OKLAHOMA!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific and The Sound of Music, will be playing for a limited engagement at the National Theater in DC from November 18-29, 2015.

With its fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess, this hilarious and romantic Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA combines the story’s classic elements – glass slippers, pumpkin, and a beautiful ball along with some surprising twists. More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairytale setting. She is a spirited young woman with savvy and soul who doesn’t let her rags or her gowns trip her up in her quest for kindness, compassion and forgiveness. She longs to escape the drudgery of her work at home and instead work to make the world a better place. She not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realize his dreams too.

CINDERELLA has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and original book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is directed by Mark Brokaw and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Music adaptation, supervision and arrangements are by David Chase and orchestrations are by Danny Troob.

Some of the wonderful songs from Cinderella include “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?” I’m getting chills just thinking about them!

Although Cinderella debuted on television in 1957, I was shocked to learn that Cinderella made its its long-overdue Broadway debut in 2013. Along with CINDERELLA, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s legendary musicals include OKLAHOMA!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific and The Sound of Music.

For more information visit https://thenationaldc.org/events/category/series/cinderella/

Enter to win 2 tickets to see Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA at the National Theater!

Please note that this giveaway is for tickets only, and you will need to find your own transportation to the theater. The winner will be able to choose to see the production on Wednesday 11/18 (opening night). If you’re not within driving distance of DC, then feel free to share this giveaway with your DC/Maryland/Virginia/Pennsylvania friends. Good luck!

Please note: there are lots of ways to enter, but it’s totally fine if you simply do the main entry (comment on this post and submit your info via the widget below). The more ways you enter, then greater the chances to win!

This giveaway will run through Monday, November 9 at 11:59 ET and a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.

Entry -Form

Kicking Off Spring at Medieval Times

Lolli — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 23:49:06 +0000

This weekend, my family and I enjoyed a night at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament in Hanover, Maryland (courtesy of Medieval Times). This was our fourth visit to the Castle, and the evening was just as enjoyable as our first time.

It’s crazy how much each of the kids gets into the show!

If you’ve never been to Medieval Times, I highly recommend it as an exciting family activity. And right now (through May 3, 2015) you can buy one admission and get one admission free at the Maryland castle with a special code only available to blog readers. I’ve got all the details HERE.

And now…here’s a peak at the excitement we experienced at Medieval Times this weekend:

Spring Break at Medieval Times {BOGO Special}

Lolli — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 15:04:37 +0000

I am excited to tell my Maryland – DC – Virginia readers about a special Spring Break offer at the Maryland Medieval Times. I am even MORE excited that my family and I get to spend another exciting evening at Medieval Times dinner theater. Although we were offered tickets for my family, all thoughts are my own. Enthusiasm is 100% genuine.

It’s not common to find a family activity that is fun and engaging for the little kids, the teens, and the adults alike. But no matter how many times we go back to Medieval Times, we all have a blast.

This Spring, the Baltimore/DC-area Medieval Times is offering an amazing deal for families.

Medieval Times Offers Children Free Spring Break Special

Buy One Adult Ticket, Get another Ticket Free

Get one of the best deals of the season when you visit Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Baltimore Castle this Spring Break.

Purchase one full-paid adult admission and receive a second admission free. This offer is valid for all shows through ~~April 12, 2015~~. {This deal has been extended for blog readers ONLY through 5/3/2015!} Must mention or enter discount code BOGORB5 at time of purchase.

Call 1-888-WE-JOUST (935-6878) or visit www.MedievalTimes.com for information and reservations.

*This special offer is only valid at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Hanover, Maryland. May not be combined with any other discount. Certain restrictions apply. Plus tax and processing.

Top 10 Spring/Summer Activities for Kids in Montgomery County, Maryland

Lolli — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 20:44:09 +0000

These top 10 Spring/Summer activities for kids in Montgomery County are brought to you by Montgomery Parks. Although I received passes for my kids to enjoy some of the fun that Montgomery Parks has to offer, all opinions are my own. Note: photos not marked with my Better in Bulk watermark are provided by Montgomery Parks.

I realize that those of us living in Montgomery County, MD are rather fortunate in terms of available recreational activities. I mean, we live down the street from the White House and historically rich Washington DC. But Montgomery County has so much to offer on its own. As my kids approach Spring Break this coming week, I’ve got a list of 10 amazing activities that kids of all ages can enjoy – from Spring through the Summer!

Which of these activities would your kids enjoy the most?

Top 10 Spring/Summer Activities for Kids in Montgomery County MD

• All Aboard! Hop on a Miniature train! Do you have any kids that are fascinated by trains? Did you know there are two miniature trains in Montgomery Parks? You can find one of the trains – just for little ones – at Cabin John Regional Park in Bethesda. The other miniature train is found at Wheaton Regional Park…where there is also a carousel (and I love carousels!). A ticket to ride either train or the carousel is just $1.75. They will be open for Spring Break starting April 12 – 21 as well as the following weekend, April 26 and 27. They open for the season in May. See the miniature trains schedule and more details at the Montgomery Parks website.

• Visit a Nature Center: Montgomery Parks’ four nature centers – Black Hill Nature Programs, Brookside Nature Center, Locust Grove Nature Center, and Meadowside Nature Center – have plenty of fun activities for kids of all ages to experience.

Activities include the Raptor Walkway at Meadowside Nature Center, the Outdoor Classroom at Black Hill Visitors Center with a pond, hummingbird garden, sandbox, monarch waystation and more; Live Animals at Brookside Nature Center including box turtles, a gray tree frog, two snakes, a salamander and more; or a naturalist talk and hike at Locust Grove Nature Center. Brookside Gardens also has 50 acres of beautiful plants, flowers and displays including an aquatic garden, a rose garden and even a children’s garden. I can’t wait to experience nature with my kids this Spring…with my camera, of course!

• Spring Break Camps: there are a variety of Spring Break camps available for kids 5 to 13 during Spring Break (April 14-21) including archaeology camp, Hooray for the Bay (all about the Chesapeake Bay), ice skating camp, Tennis “boot days” (available for individual days or for the whole week), and Spring Week in the Park, featuring sports, skating, arts and crafts, and more.

• Parent Tot Skate /Parent Tot hockey: Anyone who has tried to get their tots on the ice probably knows it can be a challenge. That’s why Wheaton Ice and Cabin John Ice have special parent tot programs that are just an hour long and provide admission for two with skates for just $3.50. More info at www.CabinJohnIce.com and www.WheatonIceArena.com

• Step back in time at historic sites: Several historic sites located in Montgomery Parks offer free guided tours throughout the season.

• Take a hike along a portion of the Underground Railroad at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park (tours are offered Saturdays April 5 through November 1 starting at 10:00 AM).
• Visit Kingsley Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse from 1893 in Little Bennett Regional Park, and learn what was different and what was the same when kids went to school over 100 years ago. An open house and guided tours are offered the first Sunday of each month (May 4 – November 2) from 1:00 – 4:00 PM.
• Oakley Cabin, a historic cabin located in the center of an African American community in the 1800s also has free tours the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, April 12 through November 1 from Noon – 4:00 PM.

• Spring Festivals for the Whole Family: Montgomery Parks has festivals the whole family can enjoy during spring and summer.

• “Save the Frogs Day,” – April 26, 12 – 4 p.m. at Locust Grove Nature Center
• “Family Archaeology Day,” – May 3, 10AM – 3PM at Needwood Mansion
• “Raptors Rule Festival” – May 4, 12 – 4PM at Meadowside Nature Center
• “Forest Friends Festival,” – May 10, 1 – 4PM at Brookside Nature Center
• “Bluebirds Forever Festival,” – May 18, 1 – 4PM at Black Hill Visitor Center
• “Kids’ Fishing Day,” – May 31, 8:30AM at Black Hill Boats and June 14, 8:30AM at Lake Needwood Boats

• Hike, bike and explore: Over 250 miles of trails (natural surface and paved) are available throughout Montgomery Parks for walking, hiking, running, biking and horseback riding. Grab the kids, the dog and head out for a day of nature and exercise.

• Pack a Picnic and Pick a Playground: Montgomery Parks is home to 291 playgrounds – you can search for a few parks close to your home on the Montgomery Parks website. We LOVE to hike and explore the trails around our town!

• Explore your inner monkey: Go Ape! ropes course is located in Rock Creek Regional Park for kids who are looking for adventure. There are various levels for beginners, intermediate and expert climbers and a variety of obstacles. Visit www.GoApe.com for hours and pricing.

• Camp out close to home: Little Bennett Campground offers 91 wooded campsites plus over 30 miles of trails and weekend activities such as family films under the stars, guided hikes and hayrides. There is even a camper-ready camping option for people who want to try camping but don’t have all the equipment. For $25 per night (plus the campsite fee) Montgomery Parks will set up your campsite with a four-person tent, two camp chairs, a propane stove and lantern.

Be sure to check back after our Spring Break for pictures of all of the Montgomery Parks fun that we were able to experience together!

Family Friendly Activities in Baltimore, Maryland #MomsLoveBmore #PSF

Lolli — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 21:27:21 +0000

I was invited to a Baltimore Media Moms night out on the town this past week and had the chance to get a sneak peek of three family friendly activities in Baltimore. No compensation was received beyond the fun night out, I was not asked or required to write anything about the experience, and all photos and thoughts are my own.

I’ve lived in Maryland now for over 15 years and yet every so often I get the chance to experience this area as if for the first time. I love all that there is to do and see in the Baltimore/Washington DC area, and I especially love that so much of it is extremely family-friendly.

The other night, I was invited to a #MomsLoveBmore Media Moms night out with fellow bloggers…and we had a blast walking through Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor visiting a few of the BEST family attractions in Maryland after-hours.

Port Discovery

Our first stop was the fabulous Port Discovery, a hands-on children’s museum that was ranked among the top 5 children’s museums in the entire country. We got to do a little dancing, skateboarding and biking in the Kick it Up exhibit…and let me tell you – riding a child-sized bike is TOUGH on the tooshie (and legs)!

Features: Port Discovery has 3 full floors of interactive, educational exhibits and programs designed for kids 0 to 10. Whether they’re climbing and sliding through Kidworks, a 3-story urban tree house, or exploring Ancient Egypt in Adventure Expeditions, there is SO much to do! Even though the museum is geared toward kids up to age 10, I saw plenty that slightly older kids would love.

National Aquarium

After Port Discovery, we walked towards the water to the National Aquarium. We have been to the Aquarium dozens of times over the years – it was one of the few places we’ve had season passes for years. My first thought was how incredible it was to be in the Aquarium after-hours. The newly-designed Black Tip Reef exhibit was awe-inspiring. The curved wall of glass literally made me feel like I was swimming along side the sharks and other fish. Except if I was actually swimming with the sharks, I would have been freaking out…

Features: the National Aquarium in Baltimore boasts 65 unique species of animals, over 600 animal specimens, 3000 corals and 260,000 gallons of water. Kids will love Calypso, a 500+ pound green sea turtle who’s missing one front flipper as well as Zeke and Zoe, “brother and sister” zebra sharks, 20 blacktip reef sharks, and so much more. I started taking my kids when they were babies and they’ve continued to enjoy the Aquarium as teens and tweens. Just beware that there are no strollers allowed inside the Aquarium, so if you’re heading there with little ones, they will need to be carried. The Aquarium does have backpack carriers that parents can borrow during their visit.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium

Our last stop was to the Baltimore Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium, and I can’t wait to bring my kids back to experience all of the oddities and fun discoveries there. I had a blast with several of my friends in the Mirror Maze (it is SO much harder than you might think!). After we left, they were getting the maze ready for the Halloween season with some creepy mirrors and scary surprises. Eek!

In case you can’t tell in that picture above, the penny is probably 6 feet tall and made of individual pennies stuck together. Justin Bieber is made of different candies. The car is completely bedazzled. And Harry Potter is created using black and red Twizzlers. Brilliant!

Features: the Odditorium is filled with unusual artwork and artifacts from around the world. In addition to the interactive, hands-on odditorium, families will enjoy the 4D moving theater and mirror maze…and Bubba Gump’s Shrimp downstairs! I would recommend Ripley’s kids of all ages, but I think it’s particularly engaging for older kids like mine.

One of my favorite pieces of unusual art was this one, called “Such a Shame.” It’s a portrait of The Joker made completely of the phrase “Such a Shame” stamped over and over again in different colors. I had to get up close before I could believe it.

Have you ever been to Baltimore?

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

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Day of Service Maryland 2012 – Wordless Wednesday #Linky

Lolli — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:02:45 +0000

This past weekend was a state-wide Day of Service and guess who volunteered to head up a bunch of activities? Yep. We did. Or should I say…CandyMan did. The rest of us happily went along with it.

Our main activity was creating and running a bunch of carnival games. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous and I started the day off with a ton of food tickets. Hot dogs and cotton candy will make our kids do anything.

In other news, I spent the entire day looking for the best solution for the Feedburner mess. I knew I needed to make a change to my subscription service, but I didn’t want to jump into any one new service without investigating all of my options. I ended up going with Feedblitz, and have high hopes for the transfer. Unfortunately, I’m still not seeing all of my subscribers over there yet. As in a couple hundred are missing…

If you have been an RSS or email subscriber, would you click over to make sure you are still subscribed? Of course, newbies are welcome too.

For more inspiring photos, check: High Impact Mom, The Bonafide Life, Shanamama, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Mom Blog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist and Zensible Mama and link your own photo stories.

Linked up to Wordful Wednesday, Wordish Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesdays all over.

Are you playing along with Wordless or Wordful Wednesday today? Link up!
Want to grab my button?

South Mountain Creamery Fall Festival

Lolli — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:37:00 +0000

All I can say is WOW! I had no idea my kids could have so much fun at a dairy farm! We spent the day at the South Mountain Creamery’s Fall Festival. After a few hours there, KitKat turned to me and said, “I thought that this would be a lot more boring than it is. This is actually cool.” Those of you who have teenagers or soon-to-be teens know what a big statement that is. Notice in the following pictures how many times I caught KitKat smiling (and not running away from the camera, either!)

Cowboy Hay was the first “attraction” to catch our interest. Twizzler has always had a LOVE of GOLD (Funny side story–one day years ago, I found him with a collection of all the yellow things he could find in the house. I asked him what they were, and he replied, “They’re the family jewels!”) Well, Cowboy Hay had REAL GOLD, and he let us hold it.

Here is Twizzler holding more than $2000 worth of gold. It was heavy!

After the gold, the 4 younger kids ran off to other areas of the barn to play with the old farm equipment. There were 2 hand-crank machines (no idea what they’re called) that the kids loved. I was just glad that nobody lost any fingers.

Yes, even KitKat got involved.

Reese put her whole body into grinding the corn!

After Cowboy Hay had given our family our very own history lesson (he was a driver during the 1849 Gold Rush, you know!!) he sat down to play his collection of old-time instruments. Very fun to listen to!

Meanwhile, AJ was climbing on the tractors.

There was a table in the barn with homemade ice cream and little canisters of cream. We made about 10 vials of homemade butter!

Outside, we tasted apple cider slushies and made less-than perfect apples into mush for apple sauce and juice.

And then off to the calf barn. These baby cows were SO precious. Some of them were just days old.

The kids pet them all, even the ones who just wanted to lick them!

Twizzler actually called me and the camera over to take a picture of his “favorite” (remember just yesterday, he was running from me??)

The cream took a LONG time to turn into butter. KitKat was the winner–the first to make solid butter. Even SHE asked me to take a picture of it!!!

We had been there for about 2 hours when I noticed that the kids were looking mighty dirty. Not only did they have a layer of dirt, but Twizzler and Reese had had a run-in with someone else’s cream (coming down the slide, they were covered with the thick, white stuff). Reese’s hair was matted to her forehead! They didn’t care about the dirt as they rode circles around the barn on all of the trikes and wagons and mini farm equipment for kids.

Next was the hay ride. CandyMan and Necco are always good for some silly faces. My good friend, Safire, was also there with us at this point, and she took some pictures with ME in them.

Reese loved having the front seat on the hayride.

Look at this view!!!!

After the hayride, we went over to the creamery store and bought some of their homemade ice cream and sat around watching cows being milked. By this point, the smell didn’t even bother us. :)

Before we headed to the car, I gave CandyMan the camera to get one last picture with me and Safire.

It was the perfect day. I think the kids are going to be begging to go again next year.