Monster Mini Golf!

Today we had planned to take our annual trip to Westminster to pick apples at Baugher's Farm. Mother Nature had different plans though! So as to not disappoint my sons and niece, we had to come up with a plan b. I've had coupons to Monster Mini Golf in Jessup sitting in my car for just this rainy day occasion!

Located in Jessup (30 minutes from Baltimore), just outside of Columbia, Monster Mini Golf is a great place for kids and adults alike! We are huge Halloween fans any time of year, and the entire place was decorated for Halloween! The props, paintings, and moving pieces far exceeded my expectations!

The kids had an absolute blast playing mini golf. The boys had only played twice before and for my niece it was her first time. The course was a little tricky, but we didn't exactly follow the rules and certainly didn't keep score!

 The entire place is filled with black lights and glows in the dark! Our favorite painting was a zombie ninja turtle riding his zombie horse!

 Many of the props moved and made noise... which was wild! Our kids weren't scared one bit though as it wasn't too over the top on the fear factor.

They are extremely child friendly and even have "contests" while you are there giving away prizes if you have a certain color golf ball or are at a certain hole when they call it. The kids won twice and were quite thrilled! We will be back and are considering throwing the boys' joint birthday party there in February!

TIPS:
-Admission is $8 for kids and $9 for adults. However, there are plenty of coupons out there! We used buy one get one coupons from an Entertainment book, but I have also seen groupons and coupons in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
-They allowed us to only pay for the kids. My husband and I were still on the course but didn't have a club/ball (and were completely content with that).
-There is an arcade. We chose not to participate because we are on a budget. If this is something you would rather not do, it helps to tell your kids in advance.
-We arrived right after they opened at noon on a Saturday. There were only a few people there and we never had to wait for a hole or rush because we were slowing another group down. From reading various reviews they can get busy at night, especially on the weekend, making the experience less enjoyable. We didn't have any issues at all though!

For more detailed information visit their website:
http://www.monsterminigolf.com/fran-md-columbia/

Home Depot Kids Workshop!

It's no secret that my favorite price is FREE, but some times I am skeptical when I hear the word! For a long time I have been hearing about the free monthly kids project at Home Depot and after seeing a friend's Facebook post this morning, we headed to our local Home Depot. Well, it wasn't too good to be true! It really is free and more importantly it was very nice!

This month's Kids Workshop was a Wizard of Oz Birdhouse (in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the movie). When we arrived to Home Depot we simply signed in, they provided us with a prepackaged kit to make the birdhouse, an apron to keep paint of clothing, and then give you the space and tools needed to complete the project.

Both boys were overjoyed that I "actually" let them touch a hammer. We found it easier to build our birdhouses on the floor than the tables as they were bouncy. 

I'm not sure if every Home Depot goes as far as our local store, but they even had Wizard of Oz cut outs and decorations! I loved the inflatable ruby red slippers that looked like they were on the witches legs after the house fell on her! (That sentence sounds really morbid... not my intention!)

At the end of the project they even go so far as to give the kids a certificate and special button specific to the day's craft! 

I was beyond impressed with how generous Home Depot was and we definitely be going back! They have a Kids Workshop on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Next month's craft is an ambulance! For more details please visit: 

http://workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/kids-workshops

Chesapeake Beach Water Park

After seeing Livingsocial/Groupon deals several times we decided to visit Chesapeake Beach Waterpark finally this summer! The kids really wanted to head to an amusement park, and this was a much more affordable option. With the Livingsocial deal and promo code (always search for promo codes before you finalize a deal with them) I got the tickets down to an extremely reasonable $11! To be honest though, even if there are no "deals" like this in the future, we enjoyed ourselves so much that I would be willing to pay full price to go back!

Located in Chesapeake Beach, MD (south of Bowie), the Chesapeake Beach Water Park is a reasonable 80 minute drive from the Baltimore area. The park boasts two large water slides, a large pool area with multiple smaller slides/waterfall/animals for kids to climb on, a smaller and separate toddler pool, and a lazy river! As an adult the lazy river was my favorite and I could have spent all day floating around it! The park was big enough for my kids to stay busy and happy all day, but small enough to let my 8-year old go to the slides on his own (we had strict rules about checking in and I could see him in line from anywhere in the park). I was also pleased with the abundance of attentive lifeguards that went above and beyond the entire day. 

Blake (5) enjoyed the toddler area the most, and I was okay with that as it gave me the chance to sit back and relax a little. Caleb went crazy through the entire park. He didn't want to stop even for lunch, which if you know him is a pretty big deal! Which leads me to the topic of lunch...

You are not allowed to bring outside food into the park. At first I was a bit frazzled by this at first, but as I thought more about it all amusement parks are like this. I also know that this probably how they make their money as many people had the livingsocial deal (and businesses do not make much money if any from those vouchers). Their snack bar prices are very reasonable and the food was high quality and tasty! (See prices/items above) Caleb's personal pizza was easily enough for two people and he could only finish half. The burgers come fresh off of a gas grill and were fantastic!

Best yet, I got to hang out with a friend I don't see as much as I like to! (And I recommend going with friends and family as its always better to bring a village!) I can't wait to go back again next summer!

TIPS:
-Arrive 30 minutes before opening. There are not many beach chairs it's first come, first serve. You can bring a chair of your own as a back up. If you have toddler aged children go right for the toddler water park at the front. If you have slightly older children go over the bridge to the right to the middle of the park.
-You can't bring food/beverages, BUT you can bring an empty water bottle to fill at their fountains.
-There is not much shade and I got one of the worst burns of my life, despite applying twice. I recommend wearing a tee shirt/hat and using the highest SPF you can find if you have sun sensitivity (or are a vampire like myself).
-Again, keep an eye out for livingsocial/groupons.
-Later in the day the park empties and is more enjoyable.
-There are several mandatory breaks during the day for safety (everyone must leave the water). No when these breaks are (they post them on their website) and make sure to go to the bathroom/get food before they happen.
-If you have older children there is bookshelf of books from the local library to enjoy reading if you forget to bring your own. This is located right outside of the store.
-Be careful in the lazy river if you decide to walk/swim without a tube. Stay to the left or right as there are filtration domes that you can easily bust your toe/foot on.
-For more details visit their website at: http://www.chesapeakebeachwaterpark.com/

Tortellini Soup!

I'm home on winter break and I have absolutely no idea how to slow down and relax. It's impossible for me. This is my first time sitting today as I type this! :-) For Christmas I received a healthy cooking cookbook and it inspired me to (brace yourselves folks!)... COOK! I went with "Easy Tortellini Soup!" Here's the recipe, in case you want to try it too!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes undrained
1 package (9 oz.) cheese tortellini... fresh or frozen
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper

 Saute onion in oil until tender. I forgot the oil, but it didn't seem to ruin things. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Onions and garlic are scary to me, so I put in less than the recipe called for. I might actually up the garlic next time though!

 Stir in broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Add tortellini; cook 7-9 minutes or until tender.

 Stir in spinach, vinegar (again... scary ingredient... but I liked it), and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted. You'll notice I more than chopped my spinach... if Caleb knew it was spinach he wouldn't eat it and the leaves would of done me in!

Final product was delicious! I told the kids it was a healthier version of ravioli. It worked with Caleb, but not so much on Blake! 178 calories without cheese and I used reduced fat parmesan that was only 10 calories for a tablespoon! "Try it, you'll like it!"

Nothing to do with this recipe, aren't my new snowy owl measuring spoons adorable? When you mention to my Mom that you like something (like owls), she will find things you wouldn't imagine!

Broom's Bloom!

In recent weeks I've had countless friends post on social media about their trip to Broom's Bloom! Curiosity hit a fever pitch and we headed up after church today! (Disclaimer: This post will not be healthy in nature, you've been warned! Everything in moderation though folks... like once a month, if that!)

Broom's Bloom is primarily a creamery with the best ice cream I have ever had in my entire life... I am not making this up! I had rice pudding ice cream and it was seriously amazing! Hints of vanilla bean, cinnamon, and soft rice (which I would love to know how they kept it soft!). In fact, any ice cream I have in the future will only be compared to Broom's Bloom! (Foodgasm!) No I was not paid to say this, it really was THAT good! My men had salted caramel pecan, blueberry muffin, and dirt flavors and loved theirs!

In addition to ice cream (which is what you should go for!) there were cute teas in mason jars, soups (Jason's cream of crab was great), sandwiches (grilled cheese, pb & j, etc.), and salads.

This gem is located in the middle of nowhere on a farm! (1700 South Fountain Green Road in Bel Air to be exact... just off of 543) Their website does not seem to be working at the current time, but their facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/BBDairy You can eat inside or outside and there are plenty of goodies to purchase to take home... quarts of their ice cream, meats, etc.

You may want to make a dash there this week as the sunflowers are in full bloom and made for some awesome pictures!

My only advice is that they are SUPER crowded on weekends and didn't seem to have the staff to support their popularity. When we go back (we certainly will be putting this on our short list!) it will be on a weeknight or between lunch and dinner. It took us nearly 45 minutes to order our food and get it. Hope you get to experience their amazingness (I think I just made up a word) soon! Great for kids and adults! 

Our First Contest Ever!

From time to time my blog shares fun places to take little ones in the MD region. What better place to take little ones than the MD State Fair? The rides, the food, the entertainment, the games, the animals... what more could a kid or adult ask for?!

I have incredibly exciting news, as my blog has been contacted by the MD State Fair and I now have 2 Family 4 Packs of tickets to give away! This will be my first contest for this blog and I am literally jumping up and down with excitement! Not only does the pack include 4 tickets into the fair, but 2 ride bracelets too! AMAZING! Here are the two easy steps to enter:

1) Comment below with your favorite part of the MD State Fair! (Or any local fair or carnival!)

2) Share this contest on either facebook, twitter, or email! Simply share the web address: 

http://mrsamentmiddleriver.blogspot.com

(If you decide to email it to friends, please carbon copy me at mrsament@aol.com)

The contest will start now and end this Friday, August 23rd at 5:00 p.m. EST. To be fair I will use random.org to select a winner from valid entries!

The MD State Fair runs from August 23-September 2nd and the 4 entry tickets/2 ride bands will be good for one day. I hope that the winners will share pictures! I too will be attending the fair and will be sure to blog about it and share tips for success with kids! A huge shout out the MD State Fair for this awesome opportunity!

For more details about the fair, please visit:

www.marylandstatefair.com

From Negative to Positive... My "Inspirational Fridge!"

After I started my weight loss journey 2 years ago I read a tip in one of my online weight loss support groups that said to put a picture of yourself at your highest weight on your fridge, so that when you're tempted to eat something you shouldn't it's in your face as a reminder! I (of course) took it one step further and attached a note under the pictures that said "THINK TWICE!" in the biggest, darkest font I could find. So negative!

I confessed my refrigerator negativity to a friend and she gave me "the look." She then lovingly suggested that I leave the picture up, but also add some positive things and celebrate some of the achievements God has brought me to. So began the "Inspirational Fridge" project I've been working on this summer!

The pictures of me at my biggest (267 pounds) are still there (the picture in the top left corner and in the purple shirt)... but gone is the "Think Twice" that screamed at me every day. Added are things to remind me of where the journey has taken me... Pictures of me doing a split (something I never imagined I would be physically be able to do again), in a "pretty ballerina" yoga pose, finishing my second 5K, and with my Movez instructor are now more plentiful than the pictures that make me cringe, cover my eyes, or even cry.

Positive quotes are there as well... from lyrics to my favorite song "Overcomer" by Mandisa ("You're an overcomer, stay in the fight 'till the final round!)... "Faith is taking the first step even though you can't see the whole staircase"... "Your body hears every thing your mind thinks"... "Crave" (a reminder from Lysa Terkeurst's book to crave God more than food... read it if you haven't, it's a life changer for those that struggle with their weight)... and finally my favorite Bible verse: "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." - 1 Cor- 10:23.

Finally, there are other little things that make me smile.... two of the bibs from the 3 5Ks I have participated in this summer (something I NEVER thought I could do) and my Movez (dance classes I take for the people that read my blog and aren't from the area... apparently I have people that read in Europe!) key tag that had been used so many times it was falling apart and had to be replaced.

Notice that big empty spot in the right corner? That is where I am going to put my next 5K bib! I've already registered to run in the Baltimore Ravens 5K on September 4th! The race ends on the 50 yard line at Ravens stadium! I can't wait for that adrenaline rush, it's going to be insane!

While weight loss might not be your struggle, I believe we all struggle with something that we beat ourselves up over! How can you turn your negative into a positive? :)

*As of 8/17/13 I am down 86.2 pounds!

P.s. I am sorry I don't blog much anymore, I promise I'll get better at it! I appreciate that I still get emails from some of you!