Hear Ye! Hear Ye! King Richard's Faire

You know what I love?

Free stuff.

If I'm not wasting hours looking for new activities and recipes on Pinterest or writing on this here blog, I'm usually just entering giveaways online.

Isn't that what the internet is for?

So you can see the cheapest way to get things or win them free?

Anyways, a couple weeks back I won a family pack of tickets to go to the King Richard's Faire Final Weekend from New Bedford Macaroni Kid!

It was my first time ever going, which is crazy because I've lived within 20 miles of it since I was 7!

The King Richards Faire is an 80 acre site that transports you to the old Renaissance period.

It's set in the middle of the woods and is absolutely adorable!

Emmalee wasn't really sure if she liked it when we first got there...

...might have had to do with the living statue.

There was live jousting,

show stoppers, $12 beers (Thanks Kristen!),

and tigers!

David showed off his physical prowess in archery...

 and the strength test- he even made it ding!

We finished the day by watching the Royal Procession,

and eating a turkey leg!

Okay, maybe Daddy shared his turkey leg with her... but she was all smiles by the time we were leaving!

Tickets cost $27 to get in and all of the food and amusements are additional, but we were able to enjoy an almost free day since my friend Kristen bought most of our food since we gave her to the two other tickets of the four that we won!

We had a great day and will definitely be looking at going again next year!

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40

You know what I love about blogging?

The amazing women I have met through it.

One of these women is Charlene of Charlene Chronicles.

I adore her blog. She has a brand new little baby, in addition to her other toddler, and is still ruling the blogging world.

I was lucky enough to be invited by her to an event sponsored by Graco and got to get a first hand look at the NEW Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40.

Charlene, myself and thirteen other bloggers got together on Thursday night at the MiniLuxe Salon in Wellesley.

We started off with a delicious spread and relaxing manicures! So much fun!

I honestly don't even remember the last time I got to relax and enjoy myself with other moms!

 As enjoying as the night was, the best part was learning about this wonderful car seat!

This is not just any infant car seat!

I have a 16 month old little girl who is a string bean. She is super tall but on the thin side so a big issue for us has been keeping her comfortable when her feet all jammed up while she is rear facing.

She is technically large enough (according to the older standards) to be forward facing but as of 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children should be rear-facing in the back seat until the age of 2.  

Prior to this, the previous recommendation was typically at their one year birthday they hit certain height and weight requirements that they could be switched around to face forward. Due to studies completed they found that children under the age of 2, and 40 lbs, were 5 times safer sitting rear-facing in the case of an accident.  Graco took this recommendation seriously and made a comfortable, safe and improved car seat to accommodate newborns of 4 lbs up to 2 year olds who weigh up to 40 lbs!

In order to accommodate string beans like Emmalee, Graco created an 8 position adjustable base, that allows you to recline the seat in a way to give your little one more leg room. They even put in a kick plate to protect the seats of your car!

Additionally, they designed it so that you can adjust the headrest and harness with one hand! I can't even count on one hand how many things you can do one handed!

You can truly tell that Graco thought about Moms when designing the SnugFit Click Connect 40.

Here's a video from Graco highlighting all of the great features!

Available exclusively at Babies R Us, the Graco SnugFIt Click Connect 40 will cost $219.99 which may seem expensive compared to other infant seats at first, but when  you compare it to the fact that your child will not out grow this until they are 2 years old, you can really appreciate the value of it!

So I guess the only question is:

Are you buying the Moonstruck or Mena print?

The Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 – the first and only newborn to two-year infant car seat that actually grows with your baby from four pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. The car seat is designed for a parent on the go. The infant car seat can be easily removed from the base and used as a carrier when the infant is small, providing portability and convenience so you can easily move your infant in and out of the car without disturbing them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently made the recommendation to keep all children in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2. Graco set out to make this product so parents can keep infants rear facing longer while still keeping them comfortable.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. The opinions and text are all mine.

Anti-Halloween

I'm not usually anti-Halloween but I think this year, I'm skipping most of it.

Hear me out.

We just moved.

We're not even unpacked yet, never mind unpacked and decorated.

Plus, it looks like David will be working Friday and Saturday nights so I don't see us going out and celebrating.

I have no desire to cut up jack-o-lanterns or string fake cobwebs across the porch...

We have a half day/in service at school that day so I'm sure we'll still be out early enough to dress Emmalee up and take her out.

Since David will be at work, it doesn't look like anyone will even be home to pass out candy!

Does this make me the Scrooge of Halloween? 

Or just unmotivated?

Thoughts?