Archives for January 2012

My family and I had the privileged for staying at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in December.  It was our first time staying there but it certainly won’t be our last.  As soon as we pulled up to the HUGE themed complex my girls’ eyes widened.  I liked that there was a security guard that we had to pass before we were even allowed on the property with our car.  We entered the lobby only to see pictures of all of our favorite Nickelodeon characters on the wall.  The staff was very welcoming as we checked in.  We drove around to the building where our room was and of course my girls get excited when they saw the elevator that had a huge picture of Dora’s face on it.

We made our way to our room and all 4 of us were impressed.  We opened the door to first find a nice sitting area with a couch, chair, table and chairs, flat screen tv., refrigerator, and a sink.  Just past the sink was the bathroom that had lots of room for us to put our toiletries out.  As my girls turned the corner to see the kids room I heard them shouting with excitement as they saw that their room was Fairly Odd Parents themed- on of their favorite shows.  Their room was complete with bunkbeds and their own tv.  Each bed had it’s own speak to the tv so if one child wants to watch tv and the other doesn’t they can adjust their own speaker volume.

My favorite part of the room was that the adults had their own room with a closing door.  Our girls were able to get to us whenever they wanted but we could close the door for privacy when getting dressed, etc.  It really made the vacation so much more relaxing having our own areas to retreat to when it was time to relax for the evening.

While we were at the Nick Suites Resort they had their Let It Snow event going on so my girls got to experience “snow” around the pool the first night we got there.  They loved twirling around a the foam snow came down.  They also enjoyed drinking hot chocolates and sliding down the HUGE ice slide next to the pool.  And of course they loved meeting some of the Nickelodeon characters.

There is so much to do at the Nick Suites Resort if you are taking a break from the theme parks.  They have a food court with basic food like Subway and pizza as well as a restaurant that offers both a sit down menu and a buffet.  My girls enjoyed playing games and winning prizes in the game room.  The Nick Suites Resort also offers free shows daily.  My girls participated on of the Nickmas show and loved it.

They also have a 4D movie theater where you can see various movies in 4D for a nominal fee.  The next time we go to the Nick Suites Resort my daughters already know what they would like to do- the SPA!!!  They have already asked me if they can get their hair and nails done on our next trip.

The Nick Suites Resort has it’s own mini golf course on site which is fun but I think the most fun experiences happen at the amazing pools at the Nick Suites Resort.  Twice a day one of the pools drops a bucket of SLIME on who ever wants to stand under it.  This is a Nick Hotel of course so there has to be SLIME!  The pool also has several water slides that are great for all ages.  And for little kids it has a shallow walk in pool that anyone can lounge around in.

On our last day at the Nick Hotel we got to experience the character breakfast buffet in the restaurant.  My girls loved eating with Sponge Bob, Dora, and many of their other favorite Nick characters.  There was plenty of time to take pictures of the characters and get their autographs, too.  I loved that they even had Sponge Bob shaped waffles.

If you are looking for a fun hotel to stay at with your family in the Orlando area, I highly recommend the Nickelodeon Suites Resort.  The accommodations are spacious and family friendly and the resorts amenities are fun for everyone.

Check out the Nickelodeon Suites Resort Facebook Page, too!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received a one night discounted rate on my resort stay to conduct my review as well as 4 complimentary character breakfasts.  The opinions and statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinion of this resort.

Want to know the secret to getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies?  Check out Today I Ate A Rainbow.  This unique kit includes 1 Today I Ate A Rainbow Chart, 4 Sets of Colored Magnets (for up to 4 children), 4 Achievement Magnets, 2 Fridge Magnets, 1 Color Coded Shopping List Pad, The Rainbow Bunch Children’s Book, and 1 Rainbow Bookmark.

Children place their special color coded magnets on the Rainbow Chart each day as they eat a fruit or veggie from that color category.  When they ate something from every color group they earn the achievement magnet that says “Today I Ate A Rainbow”.  The chart also lists examples of fruits and veggies from each category.

My girls were excited to try to eat a rainbow everyday.  The color coded shopping list pad helped us make our grocery list.   My girls each added fruits and veggies from each color group to our list.  I loved how they were excited to try new fruits and veggies.

This program helped us to discover that my younger daughter likes yellow, orange, and red peppers and my older daughter likes spinach.  It’s great to have children who are actually asking to go into the veggie section of the grocery store.  Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t eating every veggie, but they are at least trying them all which is a big step.  They really want to try to eat a rainbow everyday!

Check out Today I Ate A Rainbow to order your kit, get tips to help with picky eaters, recipes, and more!  Plus they have adorable videos of their daughter, Hannah, cooking vegetables with her mother.  I love the outtakes that they have at the end of the videos!

Here is just one of the adorable videos on their website:

Disclosure: I was not compensated for performing this review. I received a free product to try out and review.  The opinions and statements expressed by me in this post are my own personal and honest opinion of this product.

I am always looking for fun, healthy snacks for my children and I know they are more likely to try a food if they helped prepare it themselves.  I was recently given a copy of Healthy Eating For Kids by Trevor Dumbleton.  It includes fun recipes such as an Edible Forrest, Black Bean Enchiladas, Broccoli Pasta Salad, and more.

There are 60 recipes in all and most take less than 15 minutes to prepare.  I like that these recipes are easy to prepare and come in kid sized portions.  This way you can make a little and see if your picky child likes it.  If they do then you can easily multiply the recipe and make it for the whole family.

Want more information about Healthy Eating For Kids?  Check out their website where you can purchase the paperback version for $9.95.

You can also order the Kindle Version on Amazon here for only $.99.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Looking for a way to feel fresh after a workout or spending time outside but you don’t have time to shower?  Check out Qwik Shower Wipes.  These aren’t your average wet wipes.  These suckers are 10″x12″.  I was really surprised when I took one out of the package.  They are really big.  They are also great for a quick clean up when your kids have been outside playing and are stinky.  I know my girls can get pretty sweaty running around outside.

Qwik Shower Wipes were designed by a father who realized that his children were not showering after gym class and well, they stunk.  So he created these wipes as a way to quickly freshen up without a shower.

I took Qwik Shower Wipes with us on our trip to Disney and they were great.  We came back from the parks after 2 am and we were all too tired to shower.  I was able to wipe up my girls and myself with Qwik Shower Wipes and we all felt much better before going to bed.

You can purchase your own Qwik Shower wipes on their website.  You can purchase a single wipe as a trial for just $1 with free shipping.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.