Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice

Living in Florida we have many opportunities to enjoy the sunshine and the beach.  My favorite memory of a Florida vacation is from the year we went to Sanibel Island.  If you haven't been before you really should go.  It's a really nice place to spend the week for a vacation.  We did a lot of swimming, sunning and playing.  We also had a lot of wonderful family meals while we were there.

There's nothing better than having everyone sit down together at the dining room table and enjoy a meal together.  My favorite meal of the day is breakfast.  I love the smell of bacon frying.  I love pancakes.  I love french toast.  I love eggs and toast.  My favorite part of breakfast is the Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice.  We cannot have a family breakfast without it.  It's a staple in our household.  Each time we go grocery shopping we pick up a carton or two.

Here are some facts about Tropical Pure Premium:

1. Tropicana Pure Premium is 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice.
2. Tropicana is the single largest buyer of Florida fruit, purchasing approximately 11.6 billion oranges from Florida each year.
3. Tropicana uses groves in 22 different Florida counties, primarily in central and southern Florida.
4. The different microclimates and soil types mean that fruit reaches peak maturity at different times, allowing Tropicana to harvest ripe fruit throughout the entire growing season.
5. The two major orange types in Tropicana Pure Premium are Valencia and Hamlin. Valencias typically have more intense color and flavor, while Hamlins can be sweeter. They each add unique characteristics to the TPP blend.
6. Many Florida growers sample oranges by cutting them into a cup shape, allowing for drinking juice directly from the fruit.
7. Tropicana’s roots in Florida go back a long way. Some of its current grower relationships date to the 1960s.
8. Oranges have been grown in Florida since the 1560s, approximately 147 years before any other U.S. state.

Knowing those facts you can feel good about sharing with your family.  You can know that they will be healthy and happy with a great start to each and every day!  When we are on vacation or at home we enjoy a nice family breakfast and we always have the perfect oj to go with it.  Getting a good breakfast makes the day better.  You will feel satisfied and strong and energetic.  My family is the most important thing to me and I want them to be happy and healthy.  I really feel that Tropicana Pure Premium 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice is one thing that I can do to ensure that my family is happy and healthy.


Right now they have a sweepstakes on their facebook fan page that I entered and you can too!

Enter the Tropicana sweepstakes for a chance to win 100 Florida prizes, including one-year-supplies of Tropicana (in the form of twelve 59 oz Tropicana Pure Premium containers) and a trip to Florida to visit an orange grove. Share the news about the sweepstakes with your readers! Ninety-nine winners will get a one-year supply of orange juice in the form of twelve coupons for (12) 59 oz Tropicana Pure Premium® containers. One winner will get a trip to a Florida orange grove and invite three (3) guests for:  Round-trip airfare for four (4) to Florida, three (3) night stay at a Florida hotel.The winner will have an exclusive experience at experience at a Florida orange grove. For official rules and regulations, visit the “sweeps” tab on Tropicana’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Tropicana

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Tropicana blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

Tips For Cooking At Home

     I have recently started eating healthier and exercising.  I want to set an example for my children that I can be proud of.  Cooking at home is part of my family's normal everyday routine.  Home cooking gives me and my family complete control over what goes into our recipes and the way we cook it.  Eating healthy at home is so much easier and cheaper than eating out. 

Here are some facts about cooking at home for you to consider.

• Buying food and cooking it at home saves you money.
• You can plan your menus to include all the food groups and the correct servings of each of the food groups.
• You can season your meals as you like it and control the amount of processed foods your family eats.
• You can accommodate each member of your family's eating preferences when you cook for them at home.
• You can keep your children away from foods that contain chemicals and additives that are found in some foods from restaurants.
• When you cook at home it's so much easier to control portion sizes.  
• Eating out is considered to be a major cause of obesity in America, according to a recent report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Preparing meals at home gives your family quality time together, it's fun and a learning experience for all involved.

Here's a recipe you may want to try.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry with
Whole Grain Brown Rice

Yield: 4
Total cook time: 30min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup UNCLE BEN'S® Fast & Natural Whole Grain Brown Rice, dry
• 1 3/4 cup water
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 pound beef sirloin, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced (approximately 2 tablespoons minced garlic)
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 4 whole green onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups broccoli florets (approximately 1 head), blanched or partially steamed

Instructions Kid Friendly Step

1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.
2. Prepare and measure all ingredients. Tip: cut all vegetables before cutting meat to maintain proper sanitation, or wash cutting board in between tasks.
3. Prepare rice according to package directions.
4. While rice is cooking, heat a large (10") sauté pan with just enough non-stick cooking spray to coat. Add beef, and sauté until browned.
5. Carefully add garlic, green onion, blanched broccoli, and soy sauce to sauté pan.
6. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Once rice is cooked, serve beef & broccoli over rice.

Tips

• For crispy beef, coat beef strips in about 1 tablespoon of corn starch before sautéing. Prepare remainder of recipe as listed.
• For saucier recipe, consider finishing dish with a commercially prepared teriyaki glaze or stir fry sauce.
• For a spicier recipe, sprinkle 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red chili flakes as garnish.
• For a sweeter recipe, add 1 tablespoon orange juice with soy sauce, and garnish with 1 tablespoon orange zest.

To empower and encourage parents to connect with their kids, one meal at a time, Uncle Ben’s has launched an exciting national contest called Ben’s Beginners! By entering the contest, you could win $20,000, along with a $50,000 grant towards a cafeteria makeover for your child’s school. In addition, you will have a chance to appear on The Rachael Ray show! Uncle Ben’s is calling for parents with children ages 5-12 to submit a 2-3 minute video of you cooking a rice-based dish with your children. For more info on the contest, please check out Ben’s Beginners on Facebook!


About Uncle Ben’s
Uncle Ben’s®, the number one rice brand in America, is proud to offer a wide range of rice dishes with flavors and textures that will help bring more to your meals, both for convenient side dishes and savory main courses. Uncle Ben’s® offers a wide variety of white, whole grain brown, and flavored rices in cook times ranging from 30 minutes to 90 seconds, as well as rice for food service operations such as restaurants, schools and hospitals. The first mass-produced parboiled rice, Uncle Ben’s® is the top-selling branded rice in the United States and products can be found in more than 100 countries worldwide. Uncle Ben’s® Brand products are manufactured by Mars Food NA, part of Mars, Incorporated. For more information, visit www.UncleBens.com.

More info on Uncle Ben’s: http://www.unclebens.com/

Uncle Ben’s on Facebook

Check out recipe ideas from Uncle Ben’s.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Esurance Facebook Resources

I recently discovered esurance an Allstate company on facebook.  When I went to the their facebook fan page the first thing I noticed was the customer service responses right on their wall.  If you have a question and you ask it on their wall they will answer you in a timely manner.

They also have a link to get a quote right there on their fan page.  Just click on it and fill out the information to get the quote you are looking for.  It's easy to fill the form out and the quote is fast.  If you are shopping for insurance you really should check out esurance.

Here's the wall etiquette right from their facebook fan page.  In case you weren't sure what is okay and what's not.

Welcome to our neighborhood! This is a place for our customers and fans to connect with Esurance and each other.

Our goal is to provide an open, engaging forum for everyone involved. For that reason, we reserve the right to remove posts that:

• Are spam, repetitive or otherwise irrelevant to the conversation

• Advocate for other insurance companies

 • Contain language that contains profanity or is in any way violent, disruptive, harassing, false, misleading, defamatory, abusive, racist, homophobic or sexist

We reserve the right to delete posts for any reason, and if an individual's disruptive behavior persists, to block that user from participating. You can also check out Facebook's Terms of Service for Facebook's take on posting rules and guidelines.

I found this posted on their blog about their facebook fan page, I love this:

Now, I’d like to talk about why we decided to direct people to our Facebook page. Esurance is virtually the only insurance company that allows open and public dialogue on our Facebook page. We use it to address real customer service issues that people may be having and it helps us become a better company. Just in the last week, we helped several Esurance customers that had come to our page find additional discounts on their policies that’ve lowered their rates.
We do get negative comments along with the positive, but we embrace that. As long as people are respectful and contributing to the dialogue, we value all the conversation. We are paying attention when you post on our page. I myself read the page every day.



They also have several amazing videos to watch.   I spent a good half an hour just watching the videos. They are very fun to watch and entertaining.  I have really enjoyed their facebook fan page.  If you have some time to spare and want to check them out just click on videos and then enjoy.  Believe me you will enjoy the videos.

About Esurance
With a wealth of easy-to-use online tools as well as 24/7 expert service, Esurance is making car insurance smarter from quote to claim. Everything we do is done with the goal of saving you time, hassle, hair-tearing-out, and oh yes, money too. Use the Esurance Coverage Counselor® to help you figure out the exact coverage limits you need. File a claim (and send pics of the accident) from your mobile phone. Call anytime — and by that we mean anytime — to talk to a friendly expert about discounts. Do what you need to do, when you need to do it. And do it with ease. That's what Esurance is all about.

More info on Esurance: blog.esurance.com


Esurance on Facebook

Follow @esurance on Twitter


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Real Moms Love to Eat by Beth Aldrich

I just discovered a book call Real Moms Love to Eat by Beth Aldrich with Eve Adamson.  The title alone is enough to make you want to read the book.  Isn't it?  I have not read the book yet, but I am excited to get it and I know I will enjoy it.  I found some information about the book on their website and decided to share some of it with you.

"Let’s face it, you’re a Real Mom and like most moms, you love to eat. The problem is most of the time there is guilt and frustration surrounding our decisions to give in and eat the foods we enjoy, like weight gain, physical reactions to food and the could’a, would’a, should’a, syndrome.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving food; it’s the type of food you choose to love that is the problem. Like a torrid affair, you know it’s not good for you but having a love affair with your own husband is good for you, in fact, it’s great! You wouldn’t jeopardize your marriage for a one-night stand, so why would you do it to your own body with unhealthy food choices. The devastation is the same!  Real Moms Love to Eat was created with you in mind. It will lead you on a food journey of excitement, fun and new surprises, without pigeon-holing you into one eating style or another. Instead, you are free to experiment, get crazy and become more open-minded about the food you will soon discover. It’s a love affair like no other–with huge rewards of looking fabulous.

Real Moms Love to Eat will be your ONE source for tasty, fresh, whole food meals, creative recipes and food facts that will keep you looking fabulous and feeling energized and fulfilled.  With video recipes, TV clips, Real Moms on the radio, Food Flirt Friday (fun desserts or luscious surprises), Whine & Dine Wednesday (where we’ll answer your food questions or solve your kitchen inquiry or simply suggest a good bottle of wine), and Meal Planning Monday where recipes and nutritional solutions steal the show, we hope you’ll make Real Moms Love to Eat your regular go-to site for food, fun, healthy inspiration and a place where you are the star (we’ll feature your blog, recipe or food tip).  Let the eating begin!"

Don't you want to read the book now?  They also have a blogging program that you can participate in.  I have signed up and I know you will want to as well.  It's call the Food Affairiate Program and you can sign up at http://www.realmomslovetoeat.com/food-affairiate-tool-kit/.  All registered Food Affairiates who write a review will receive a digital copy of the book now and then a final paper copy when they come out on January 3rd, a goodie bag filled with swag from our book tour sponsors AND be entered to randomly WIN one of the following: Top of the Line Kitchen Blender, Compact Food Processor, Kitchen bakeware, Kitchen utensil goodie basket, cutting boards and a couple other secret prizes!*All winners will be announced on this page after January 3, 2012.

I am waiting patiently for my digital copy of the book and I will let you know when I get it.  I can't wait to get started on it.  This sounds like an amazing book and opportunity.  If you can wait to get started here is a little more information.

About Beth Aldrich
Real Moms Love to Eat was created with you in mind. It will lead you on a food journey of excitement, fun and new surprises, without pigeon-holing you into one eating style or another. Instead, you are free to experiment, get crazy and become more open-minded about the food you will soon discover. It’s a love affair like no other–with huge rewards of looking fabulous.

Real Moms Love to Eat will be your ONE source for tasty, fresh, whole food meals, creative recipes and food facts that will keep you looking fabulous and feeling energized and fulfilled.

More info:
http://www.realmomslovetoeat.com/food-affairiate-tool-kit/
http://www.realmomslovetoeat.com/

Real Moms Love to Eat on Facebook

Follow @realmomsluv2eat on Twitter Pre-Order Beth's Book


I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Beth Aldrich - Real Moms Love to Eat blogging program, for a chance to get 3,000 My SocialMoms Rewards points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Top 10 Healthy Tips to Get Your Kids Ready For Back To School

It's almost time to get the kids back to school.  I am thinking about it and looking forward to it.  I have compiled a list of tips to help get your kids ready for back to school.  I know these might be really helpful to you.


1.  Keep fresh fruits in the house for snacks.  Get the junk out and keep it out.  Eating healthy makes us healthy.

2.  Do your back to school shopping early.  Do not wait until the last minute.  The stores will be so busy and overwhelming.  Go shopping early and get it done quickly.  Do not stress out about the back to school shopping.

3.  Stay active year round.  During the summer we ride bikes and swim a lot to st
ay active.  It's a lot of fun and it keeps up moving.  Once school starts back up we have our normal activities to keep us busy.

4.  Go to the dentist and get teeth cleaned and checked for cavities.  We go to the dentist twice a year and have the appointments scheduled before school and then again before the summer.

5.  Go to the eye doctor and get their eyes checked.  Eye health is very important.  Healthy eyes and being able to see help children do well in school.

6.  Don't over pack their backpacks.  Over packed back packs are too heavy for little ones.  Check them out and make sure that your children are able to carry them easily.

7.  Write down a list of the medications your children take and give it to the school nurse before they go back to school.  Make sure you talk to your children about their medication and what they have to take and when.

8.  Get any necessary immunizations.  If you need any immunizations get them taken care of before school starts, while you're there get a physical and make sure nothing is wrong physically with your children.

9.  Talk with your children about possible dangers in riding the school bus or walking to and from school.  Talk about what to do in different situations.  A prepared child is a healthy child.

10.  Have fun.  Do not get stressed out about back to school.  Make it fun and enjoy yourself.


These are the top ten tips for a healthy back to school season.  I know that back to school is an exciting time and fun time, but it could also be stressful.  There's no need to get stressed about it.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Transitions Lenses blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.


About Transitions Optical, Inc.
Transitions Optical is a joint venture of PPG Industries, Inc. and Essilor International.  The first to successfully commercialize a plastic photochromic lens in 1990, today the company is a leading provider of photochromics to optical manufacturers worldwide.  Transitions Optical offers the most advanced photochromic technology in the widest selection of lens designs, materials and brand names.

Transitions® lenses are the ideal everyday choice for healthy sight.  They are clear indoors and at night.  Outdoors, they automatically darken as light conditions change.  Transitions lenses provide visual comfort, and enhance visual quality by reducing glare and enhancing contrast, helping you to see better today.  Transitions lenses block 100 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays – helping to protect the health and wellness of your eyes – so you can see better tomorrow as well. More info on Transitions Lenses: www.transitions.com

About Eye Didn’t Know That!
Transitions Optical created the Eye Didn’t Know That! program to help people of all ages learn more about healthy vision.  The program was developed by a team that includes eyecare professionals, science and education experts, and Transitions Optical, Inc.  The Eye Didn’t Know That! website offers materials for children, parents, teachers and eyecare professionals to use to teach and learn more about eyecare basics and the importance of eye health and regular comprehensive eye exams.  The information includes fact sheets, games, quizzes, lesson plans and free downloadable materials.  To learn more and to find out what makes your friends and family say “Eye Didn’t Know That!” visit www.eyedidntknowthat.com.

Transitions Lenses on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/transitionsslenses

Follow @transitions on Twitter

Transitions Lenses on YouTube

ten tips for making your life easier and more efficient while on the go

I am very busy.  I know that you all are very busy too.  I have come up with some tips to help make your life easier and more efficient while on the go.  I know that it's not easy to get all the things we need to get done finished in a day, but we can do our best.  Here are the top ten tips I came up with.


1.  Be Organized - the more organized you are the easier your life will be.  Spending five minutes trying to find something is five minutes you could have used more wisely if you had been more organized.


2.  Make a List - Make and keep a list of things to do each day.  The best way to get efficient is to know what you need to get done each day and check things off as you get them done.  You can keep the list on your phone or laptop if that's easier for you than an old fashioned paper list.


3.  Take Some Me Time - You will be more efficient if you take some time out of the day for yourself.  You have to be rested and refreshed in order to get everything you need to get done finished.  I love to have a Seattle’s Best Coffee Iced Latte during my me time.  They are great when you're on the go.


4.  Snacks - Keep snacks prepared in ziplocs or reusable bags.  Once a week buy groceries and the pack up the snacks for the week.  Then you can just grab them and go.


5.  Make Quick Meals - I prepare meals in thirty minutes or less.  That's a big time saver.  I do not spend more than half an hour cooking dinner. 


6.  Share Your Duties - Share your responsibilities with your family.  Make a chart and keep up with who does what on what day.  You are not super woman you can not do it all, do not try.

7.  Be Prepared - I have everything I may need in my purse or car.  That way I have what I need when I need it.  You will be surprised how much time you can save by having things when you need them.

8.  Keep the Kids Occupied - I always have crayons or pencils for them to use when we are in the car.  I also have their video games with us whenever we may need some distractions.


9.  Keep a Schedule - If you do things in the same order each day, you will become faster and more efficient just by repeating the steps each day.  I have a routine and I stick to it.  I am very fast at getting my routine completed each day.


10.  Plan Your Shopping Trips - Make a list and plan the attack.  I start at one end of the store and work my way to the other end.  If there's not an item on my list down a certain aisle I do not go down that aisle.  I stick to the list.  It is a major time saver to have a list and use it.


I hope that these tips are helpful to you.  It's not easy to stay calm in the midst of chaos.  With a planned route you will help yourself stay calm.  Do what you can and do not worry about the rest of it.  Do not over do it.  You can say no.  You are not required to do everything for every one.




I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seattle’s Best Coffee blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Here's a little information about Seattle's Best Coffee:

About Seattle’s Best Coffee
As coffee blenders and roasters since 1970, we’ve seen a lot come and go. We went from a tiny shop on the Seattle waterfront to being declared Seattle’s Best Coffee in a local competition. In 2003, we joined the Starbucks family which has allowed us to place more resources into further honing our special way of crafting delicious, impossibly smooth coffee. Every step of the process, from coffee cherry to your cup, is managed to fit our exacting standards and our premium approach to coffee. Now, we’re making it easier to find your perfect coffee with our new Level System.

Save $1.50 on a 4 pack today!

It’s low calorie: Just 130 calories per can.
It’s affordable: A premium latte for just $1.49? And a 4-pack is an even better deal, at just $4.99.
It’s everywhere: Available in major grocery, convenience and other retail stores.

More info on Seattle’s Best Coffee: http://www.seattlesbest.com

Seattle’s Best Coffee on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee  

Follow @SeattlesBest on Twitter

Ten reasons why you would want to visit Virginia Beach.

I haven't ever been to Virginia Beach but I have decided that I should really get there.  I did a little research and came up with 10 reasons why you should visit Virginia Beach.  I know that next summer we will have to go.  In my research I learned that Virginia Beach has a lot to do and it's a historical town too.

Reason #1 - Bayville Farms Park


About the Park:
Bayville Farms Park is a 68-acre park established in 1978 through the cooperative efforts of the City of Virginia Beach, the National Park Service, and Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation. Of special interest is the 20-hole disc golf course, the first such course in Virginia Beach.

Reason #2 - Little Island Park


About the Park:
Little Island Park is a 144-acre beach park located next to the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge.
The park has a 775 foot beach north of the 400 foot fishing pier for surfing and a 2,000 foot beach for swimming and fishing south of the pier. Back Bay, a brackish lake, provides excellent fishing and crabbing along the western border of this unique park.

Reason #3 - Little Island Park


About the Park:
Little Island Park is a 144-acre beach park located next to the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge.
The park has a 775 foot beach north of the 400 foot fishing pier for surfing and a 2,000 foot beach for swimming and fishing south of the pier. Back Bay, a brackish lake, provides excellent fishing and crabbing along the western border of this unique park.

Reason #4 - Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility


About the Facility:
The newest boat ramp in Virginia Beach features four concrete boat launch lanes with associated temporary mooring areas, canoe/kayak launch area, car with boat trailer parking spaces, lighting, restrooms with shower and foot rinse areas, changing areas, car parking for beach access, an information kiosk, vending machines and a walkway (under the Lesner Bridge) to the Ocean Park Beach Area on the Chesapeake Bay.

Reason #5 - Williams Farm Recreation Center

The Williams Farm Community Recreation Center property is located at 5252 Learning Circle, off Newtown Road between Diamond Springs and Newtown Elementary Schools. Originally, 57 acres was acquired through the City’s Open Space Program in January 2004 for $5 million. This purchase was a substantial investment by City Council in the western Bayside area for:

• a community park;
• area for both the new Diamond Springs Elementary School and for Newtown Elementary School to be replaced to make way for the Tri-campus elementary school pilot program;
• future right-of-way dedication for Newtown Road;
• a new loop road connecting all of the existing and planned community resources;
• regional storm water management improvements; and
• connectivity to adjacent neighborhoods and area for a potential private learning center.

At the completion of the project, the recreation center and park would be part of a unique 90-acre campus of recreational and learning community resources.


Reason #6 - Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day, scheduled every year on the first Sunday in May at Mount Trashmore Park, is sponsored by the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation and the Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission. This event is FREE, and all residents from the Hampton Roads area are invited to learn about our environment while having fun. In addition to the traditional Earth Day exhibits, games, crafts, and other events, there is also music, displays and food for purchase.

Since April 22, 1990, when the 20th Earth Day Anniversary was celebrated, Hampton Roads has continued to foster environmental awareness through projects as the annual Earth Day event. Earth Day celebrations have grown into being an area-wide event attracting between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
Earth Day celebrates the fact that our earth has just one environment which touches all of humanity. This endeavor will hopefully continue to spread the word that there is but one Mother Earth, and we are her caretakers.

Reason #7 -  Woodstock Park


About the Park:
Nestled in the heart of Kempsville, Woodstock Park is a diverse, but comprehensive 30-acre park that is ideal for family outings, complete with playgrounds, a one-acre fenced dog park, and an action-packed concrete urban skate plaza.

Reason #8 - Mount Trashmore Park



About the Park:
World Renowned Mount Trashmore Park encompasses 165 acres and is comprised of two man-made mountains, two lakes, two playgrounds, a skate park and vert ramp, and multi-use paths. The main mountain, Mount Trashmore, now 60 feet in height and 800 feet long, was created by compacting layers of solid waste and clean soil. Recognized for its environmental feat, this former land fill features a water-wise garden that boasts xeriscaping, where you can enjoy a beautiful garden that requires minimal water.
The park also features a smaller mountain, Encore Hill, and two lakes:
Lake Windsor (located along South Blvd.) is brackish water fed by Thalia Creek.
Lake Trashmore (located along Edwin Drive) is freshwater and hosts various species of fish.
Fishing is permitted from land only and requires a license.  Must adhere to all State regulations regarding creel and size limits. No boats, swimming or wading is allowed in the lakes.
Mount Trashmore Park is Sister Park to Haginodai Park in Japan.

Reason #9 - Red Wing Park



About the Park:
Red Wing Park is a 97-acre park that was developed in 1966 by the City as a family, general use park The property was acquired by the County in 1879 and formerly known as the "Old City Poor Farm."  Red Wing Park is home to many gardens, including the Reba S. McClanan Fragrance Garden, established through the joint efforts of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation and the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach, and the Miyazaki Japanese Garden.


Reason #10 - Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

About: 
History

In recent years, Virginia Beach has developed a strong and growing market for the performing arts, and the demand has increased tremendously as more visitors, residents, and businesses are drawn to the area. In 2001, existing regional facilities were limited, lacking the optimal size, quality, and functionality to meet the needs of current and potential tenants. Emerging and long-standing local arts organizations desperately wanted access to well-equipped facilities with rehearsal and teaching spaces, reservation scheduling, and reasonable rental rates. It soon became apparent to the Virginia Beach City Council that the city needed its own cultural center, and the Council began its plans to replace the 1000-seat Pavilion Theatre with a facility deemed "equal or better." After 6 diligent years, the city completed its architectural masterpiece. The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated in November of 2007, and is now not only heralded as one of the region's most stunning structures, but also among the nation's most acoustically sound venues for the arts.

So now we know where we are going to go next summer and a few things we might do while we are there.  I can't wait to finish planning our trip.  It's going to be an amazing trip.  Virginia Beach is for lovers.  I can't decide if it will just be a trip for my husband and me or the whole family.  

Here are some links:
Virginia Beach Resources
More info on Virgina Beach: http://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/visitors/

Virgina Beach on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirginiaBeachVA

Follow @VaBeachCVB on Twitter

Things to Do with Kids in Virginia Beach

ShoreLines Blog – “With the Kids”

First Landing State Park

A Couple’s Retreat



About Virgina Beach
Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” year-round! Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population. For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800/822-3224) or visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com for online trip planning. For media information and digital images, click on www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/pressroom. Please
follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vabeachcvb and on Facebook.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach Tourism blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ten Time-Saving Tips To Make Your Life As A Busy Mom Easier

It's hard to find time for yourself.  I know that it's for me to find the time I need to get what I need to get done finished.  I have spent some time thinking of ways to save time today and I would like to share with you what I have come up with.


Get Organized - You can save a lot of time by figuring out the quickest way to do something and then doing it that way every time.  If you don't have to spend a lot of time finding things then you have already saved time.


Designate Days - Choose a day to do your laundry, shopping, grocery shopping, and cleaning.  Stick to your schedule and then you won't have to think about those things the other days of the week.

Figure Out Where You Are Wasting Time -  For one whole week write down how you spend every minute of every day.  Then you can look over that log and figure out where you are wasting time and eliminate the time wasters.

Write Things Down -  Keep a note pad handy.  Write down what you are planning to do.  Write down what you need to get.  Write down everything.  Having that note pad will eliminate spending time trying to figure out what it was that you were going to do or what you needed to get.

Buy Things In Bulk -  Buy groceries and household supplies in bulk.  That way you won't have to make a lot of trips to the store.  I always have a stock of drugstore items and groceries to eliminate quick trips to the store that always end up taking time out of my already busy day.

Make A File System -  Designate a place for everything and put everything in it's place.  Make folders for bills, receipts, insurance information, credit card information, and anything else you have and may need later.  You can use a cardboard box and file folders.

Finish What Your Start - When you start a project, work on it until it is finished. Starting projects without finishing them doesn't do you any good.

Maximize Your Trips - I do all my shopping on the way to work or on the way home from work.  Once we are home for the evening we do not go back out for anything.

Have A Reading Pile - Keep everything you want to read, including mail and magazines, in a pile by the couch or bed so you can read it all at once when you get time.

Review Your Priorities - You may enjoy watching tv and find joy in it but don't over do it. If you are watching upwards of three or four hours of television a day, that time is probably better spent doing something else.

I'm sure you all can come up with some tips to save time in our busy lives.  I would love to hear from you. What do you do to save time? 

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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