Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth. – Genesis 9:16 NIV
Family
Let’s Celebrate Pet Appreciation Week
Disclosure: I participated in this program on behalf of Pet Supplies Plus and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
This week is Pet Appreciation Week! Our beloved Kingston is our sweet baby boy. He is the Prince of the family and sure knows it too.
This is a week to celebrate all the things we love about our pets as we shower them with extra love and affection. It’s also a good time to re-evaluate their nutrition needs and perhaps pick up a new toy to help them get the exercise and stimulation they need to thrive.
We traveled to our local Pet Supplies Store to pamper Kingston.
Pet Supplies Plus stores are conveniently located in neighborhoods across the country, with each location big enough to carry everything your pet needs, but small enough to feel like home. The Pet Supplies Plus in-store team is dedicated to helping you find the right products for your pet. As soon as we walked in, we were approached by team members to ask how they could help us. Great customer service.
We were on a mission to find Kingston a flea and tick collar. There were several different options available and even coupons attached to some of the collars.
Our huge animal lover, L, had to take time to visit the birds and fish. She loves visiting the pet store to see all the different animals.
The team members were able to answer our specific questions about the animals which impressed us with their knowledge.
As we were strolling down the aisles, we quickly realized Pet Supplies Plus is stocked with many items from clothing to sweet natural treats for our Prince.
Of course we had to grab the doggy decorated treat. Kingston enjoyed every bite. Check out this cuteness.
I am sure you love your household pet and want to appreciate them as well. Please join me and The Motherhood as we co-host a twitter party with representatives from the Pet Supplies Plus store. We will be discussing, learning and sharing more about our beloved pets. Get your cute pet photos ready to share!
When: Wednesday, June 4, at 1p ET / 12p CT / 10a PT
Where: We’ll be on Twitter – follow the #PSP4Pets hashtag to track the conversation. You can see the details and RSVP via this Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/psp4pets
Hashtag: #psp4pets
Prizes: Throughout the party, we will give away six $25 Pet Supplies Plus gift cards to randomly selected participants who correctly answer trivia questions tweeted by @theMotherhood25. Prizes are limited to U.S. participants only. Check here to find a store near you to use the gift card!
Hosts: @theMotherhood, @theMotherhood25, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann
Sponsor: @PetSuppliesPlus
Must-Do Summer Family Visit: Georgia Aquarium {Giveaway}
Disclosure: We were invited on behalf of Georgia Aquarium to experience the sights and sounds. Our room and tickets were comped. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.
Make a mental note and put Georgia Aquarium on your family summer schedule. For years, I have been hearing about this really cool aquarium but was just recently able to experience it in person with my family. Read to the bottom for a change to win an awesome giveaway for your family!
I will just go ahead and say, this aquarium exceeded all of our expectations. L is such an animal lover so we knew this trip would rank high up on her list. Even L was blown away once we walked through the entrance doors.
A great perk is the Georgia Aquarium has partnered with Hilton Garden to offer a Georgia Aquarium package. The package includes tickets and breakfast buffet. Since the hotel was right beside the Aquarium, it worked out beautifully as we could leave our car parked at the hotel and walk to the aquarium. Our room and view was amazing. Very clean and full of southern hospitality. The breakfast included a buffet as mentioned before and made to order waffles, french toast and eggs. SCORE!
Great rest, beautiful morning view and a delicious breakfast was a win-win combination to start the day. As soon as we walked over to the aquarium, we were escorted to meet our tour guide for our behind-the-scenes tour. This was great one-on-one interaction for our family. L asked such intriguing questions. Our tour guide was very impressed but so informative for us all. L did not leave his side during the tour.
The first stop of the tour was watching the whale sharks during their morning feeding time.
As we were heading to the next stop on our tour, we had to take a peek at this little guy.
All day the aquarium filters the water.
The tour was very enlightening to what all goes on behind the scenes to run the aquarium properly. Very intricate tasks need to be done to ensure the fish and animals stay healthy.
The aquarium grows about 35% of their own coral reef. They hope to increase this number to near 90% over the next few years. Once again, it was so interesting to see all the steps that needed to be taken.
School groups are able to go on the tour and enjoy educational fun games along the way.
You will not only see all different types of fish but they have penguins as well. We were able to see penguins that were only a month old. Look how cute!
Any time an animal needs medicine or surgery, these tasks are done on-site. There is a surgical room and veterinarians on-staff 7 days a week to take care of all needs. Amazing!
After our tour, we were able to go through the tunnel with fish swimming all around us. Take a moment and realize what you are watching. All types of species.
We were surrounded by beauty and L was truly over the moon.
The girls decided to take a crawl under the penguins exhibit. Fun interaction for sure.
As you can see, there is plenty for the family to enjoy. So much to see and so much to do.
With more than 10 million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium, you are sure to see things you’ve never seen before!
Several show exhibits are available with your ticket and we decided to end our day by watching the Dolphin Tales show. We did not realize the treat we were in for. This show will keep you on the edge of your seat as the dolphins perform amazingly right before your eyes.
We did NOT want to leave. I have been to aquariums before where yes, you seen the animals but you are ready to leave after two hours. This aquarium is not like this at all. You and your children will not want to leave the awesome experience.
The aquarium is showing their southern hospitality by offering a sweet deal this summer. to their neighbors in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. Visit them for just $29.95 +tax for an adult Total Ticket this spring, until June 13, 2014. That’s a nearly 17% savings on our regular price ticket.
GIVEAWAY {$330.00+ Value}
Hiking at Linville Falls with the Family #Travel
Our family loves the outdoors and we live in a great place to enjoy may different outdoor activities. The weekends are spent with as much family time as possible so at the last minute, I thought let’s go hike up to Linville Falls. The last time we did this hike was when M was 10 months old. It was past time to go enjoy this beautiful scenic hike.
There are different trails you can choose to take depending on how much time you would like to spend. Also, there are picnic tables so it is always nice to take a family picnic and enjoy the mountain air.
The view and water falls awaiting for your arrival at the end of the trail is mesmerizing. So much beauty to take in as a family. Stand and enjoy.
As a family, it was just nice to disconnect from technology and enjoy God’s beauty. Families are able to view the upper and lower falls.
You can visit the National Forest website for details on the different trails and directions. It is beautiful. The family will not be disappointed.
Once you leave, you can travel on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Linville Viaduct.
The Linn Cove Viaduct was only the second bridge in history to be built from the end of a span, called a cantilever, which is anchored only at one end. In this case, the cantilever was the road itself. To protect the fragile terrain, all construction was done from the top down and no machinery was allowed more than 50 feet from the base of the piers.
Great adventure, family fun and beautiful scenery… what more could you ask for?
Celebrate 25 Years of Look Good Feel Better #ReimagineBeauty
This post is in partnership with Look Good Feel Better and The Motherhood. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.
Cancer can rock a person’s world more ways than one. My heart hurts for everyone affected by cancer. I pray that we can find a cure for all types of cancer. During its 25th anniversary, Look Good Feel Better is encouraging women to Reimagine Beauty and its meaning and importance to women undergoing cancer treatment.
The appearance changes women undergo while coping with cancer treatment – like beauty itself – are far more than skin deep. They can impact a woman’s self-esteem and rob her of the courage and confidence she needs to face one of the toughest battles of her life.
As a friend and/or relative, we need to rally around and uplift the women in our circles that go through these treatments. Be there for them, lend a listening ear, offer your shoulder, wrap your arms around and giving a loving hug and surprise her on days when she needs it most.
The #ReimagineBeauty campaign which runs through July 1st encourages all women – in a small way – to virtually experience Look Good Feel Better and to “reimagine beauty” and the power it can have to restore confidence and courage to women undergoing cancer treatment.
I love that the Look Good Feel Better is a non-medical, brand-neutral and free public service program dedicated to helping women living with cancer manage the appearance side effects of cancer treatment and improve their self-esteem.
Let’s do this together!
1. Visit the Look Good Feel Better website to try the Virtual Makeover tool.
2. Use the Look Good Feel Better Virtual Makeover tool by uploading your photo and trying the new hair and makeup looks. Through this experience, women everywhere can experience, in a small way, the help women living with cancer receive during a Look Good Feel Better workshop so that they can “reimagine beauty” and the impact Look Good Feel Better can have on women undergoing cancer treatment.
3. Share the “after” photo from the Virtual Makeover tool on Facebook or Twitter, using the hashtag #ReimagineBeauty, to spread awareness and to be entered for a chance to win a trip to the National Women’s Survivors Convention to participate in the Look Good Feel Better 25th anniversary party. The winner may give their prize to a friend or family member who is a cancer survivor.
To further encourage campaign participation, Look Good Feel Better is offering one participant the chance to win a trip to the National Women’s Survivors Convention in Nashville, TN July 31 through August 2, 2014 to connect her with other women who have survived cancer.
Check out my before and after look!
What do you think? It does make me smile for sure. Go ahead and perform your makeover!
Visit lookgoodfeelbetter.org, follow @LGFB on Twitter, and join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/lookgoodfeelbetter to learn more and spread the word.
