Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and Attractions Review

My husband, 2 children, and I all went on an amazing vacation a few months ago to North Carolina and Tennessee. As a family who normally vacations in Orlando/DisneyWorld, we wanted to do something a little different this year. Not that there is anything wrong with DisneyWorld, we just wanted a different type of adventure this time! And boy did we get it!! We decided to do nature trails and state parks, and they did not disappoint, we even got to see a momma bear with her two baby bears foraging for food, something you do NOT get to see where we live in Florida! Along with the nature trails we wanted to do some things the kids would enjoy, so when we got the chance to work with Ripley's Attractions Tennessee we decided to visit the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies as well as some of their other attractions. I will break each one down for you in separate posts and let you know what we all thought, including my 8 and 7 year old!

First stop: Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

This aquarium is such a fun break from the heat! There was so much to do inside, some included in your ticket and some you had to purchase separately. One of those things was the Glass Bottom Boat ride which takes you over the Shark Lagoon. We opted not to do this, but here is a look at a picture I snapped of it.

One of the things my kids loved was the Create a Jelly kiosk next to the Touch a Jellyfish area. They were too timid to touch one, but enjoyed creating their own digital one!

They did work up the courage to touch the Horseshoe Crabs and loved it!

Another favorite was the Penguin Play area. You are able to get up close to see them, and even go through a glass tunnel and poke your head up through the actual exhibit so that you feel like you are right in there with them! There is also a little penguin nursery area which was neat to see.

Along with all of the extras, even a giant playground, there are tons of amazing tanks with different sea creatures! Even a Shark Lagoon that gets you up close to these majestic and kind of terrifying creatures!!

There was also a snack bar as well as a gift shop, which had quite reasonably priced items!

Overall this was a great way to see some beautiful creatures and keep everyone in our family entertained and happy!

Although I received tickets in exchange for a review, all of the thoughts and opinions are all my own and completely true!!

ShopPinkBlush.com Maxi Dresses Review

I had a very special convention over the weekend, and I wanted to look stylish, pulled together, and still be comfortable. So, when I had the opportunity to work with ShopPinkBlush.com I jumped at the chance! This trendy online boutique offers clothing for women of all shapes and sizes, as well as those expecting. As a plus sized women, it can often be hard to find a maxi dress that is flattering as well as long enough for my 5' 9" height. I decided to test out 2 of their maxi dresses to see if they would meet my basic needs, while still being stylish.

My first choice was this Pink Floral Draped Maxi Dress. I got it in an XL in the Women's section of the website. In the description it is described as a maternity dress, but I didn't realize this until after I got it. It could work as a maternity dress, but it definitely does not look like I was wearing one, like when the front is longer than back. I loved the length on this dress and how it cinched in around the smallest part of my waist. The fabric was soft and comfortable and wrinkle free, which was great since I would be sitting for a major portion of the day. The pink in this dress is so bright and vibrant, something that the website's picture didn't truly do justice to. I received many compliments on the day I wore this dress!

My next choice was this teal and dark blue short sleeved maxi. I got a large in this style because it seemed a little more flowy through the waist and not as snug as the pink maxi, and it worked perfectly for me. This dress was so comfortable! The material was a little heavier than the first dress, but it was still completely doable, even in this 90+ degree Florida heat! I opted for short sleeves on this one, and I love how flattering they are on my broad arms. I managed to stay cool, comfortable, and still look stylish. This dress also was wrinkle free! This dress was a tad longer than the other, but still perfect for me while wearing flat sandals, but if you are a little shorter than me you will probably have to wear some sort of heel of wedge with this one. I got a lot of compliments on this one too! I think the contrast of the bright teal flowers against the dark blue background was stunning!

Both of these dresses feel like great quality pieces that I know I will get tons of use out of! So there you have it, my opinion of the 2 maxi dresses I tried out from ShopPinkBlush.com! Although I was sent these dresses for review, all of the thoughts and opinions are 100% mine and true! I will be doing a maxi dress try on haul on my Youtube channel soon, so look out for that!

LEGOLAND Orlando Fun and Review

As part of our "Family Anniversary" this year, we decided to take the kids to LEGOLAND. My 6 year old son is pretty much obsessed with all forms of Legos, so this was a no brainier. My 8 year old daughter likes them as well, so we knew this would be a hit. We stayed at the LegoLand Hotel the night previous to our park visit, keep an eye out for my complete review of the resort soon, so we were able to get in early to the park and walk directly from our room to the park entrance. The amount of Lego sculptures throughout the park is astounding, and my kids couldn't get enough! In fact, they asked for a picture next to almost every sculpture we passed, so be ready to take lots of pictures. Miniland USA was filled with cities and famous buildings made out of, you guessed it, Legos! They also had some pretty awesome Star Wars scenes and characters as well. This was a family favorite, as we are definitely Star Wars fans.

 I was told by some people that the park is more geared towards little children, so I must admit that I was worried about my daughter and husband having a good time. This was NEVER an issue. Yes, there were some tamer rides for little ones, but we also enjoyed the more "wild" ones as well. The whole family's favorite ride was Mia's Riding Adventure, even my husband who is a die-hard roller coaster fan screamed on this ride!! I do see how some would say this park is more for little ones, but there is truly something for everyone in the family. They have coasters, carousels, and even a little jeep safari ride. There are different "Lands" set up throughout the park with different themes. This was fun and enjoyable to explore.

They have a water park area, but because we visited in November, it was closed. We were able to see the Pirate's Cove Live Water Ski Show, and it was fun! The kids loved the dancing Lego men, and all the ski tricks they were doing on the water. The show was silly and entertaining. Don't sit in the splash zone unless you want to get wet!!

We decided to eat at the park, as there isn't much around in the area outside the park, and it was pretty much what you would expect to pay at a theme park for food. It was good and kept us going. There is a lot of construction for things coming soon, so that is something to look forward to in the future. After going and experiencing the park first hand, I do believe we have a few more years to enjoy this park with our children. I don't see them loving it as much when they are teens, but we will definitely return soon so they can enjoy it now!

Although I was given tickets for my family in return for my HONEST review, I aim to always give my thoughts, both negative and positive, in every experience.

Pirate's Dinner Adventure Experience and Review (Orlando)

My family, well my 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter that is, loves pirates! So, when the chance to see the show in Orlando came up, we were so excited. My husband and I were celebrating our 12 year wedding anniversary and due to ill family and friends not being able to help out with the kiddos, we decided to do a "family anniversary!" We surprised the kids with the news that we were going to the show the night before, and they couldn't have been more excited. When you drive up, you cannot miss the big pirate ship out in front, the kids spotted it immediately. This was a great place to take some photos!  Along with some extra pirate details throughout the front of the building.

When we arrived we gave our reservation name and were given our color for our seating section. We were the green section. Once we entered the venue we were asked to take a photo, they provided pirate hats and posed us around a ship's wheel. The picture came out amazing, and we couldn't help but to purchase it at the end of the night. We took along our own pirate costumes, which is encouraged, and I did a little face painting at the hotel with makeup. I was not aware that this was actually an option at the venue, they had a face painting area in the main waiting area.  Also in the main waiting area was a gift shop and bar.

You are encouraged to come at least 90 minutes early to the show, as seating is first come first served and there is pre-show entertainment and appetizers served. I will say we were disappointed in the appetizers, it was fried mac n cheese bites and fried mozzarella sticks, which were tasty. However, we were never approached with the appetizers in our area and had to run to flag down one of the servers to try one. By the time we reached one, there was only 1-2 left, so we all 4 split the two we managed to get.





The entertainment before the show was good, it set the story and mood for the rest of the show. The gentleman who played Mr. Magee the night we were there was hilarious and made our whole family laugh the entire night. He was the one that came out and called each seating area by color to enter the main auditorium. When your pirate was called you would follow him in. Once inside our pirate started to pick "volunteers" for different jobs throughout the show. I was chosen, and no, I did NOT volunteer, he picked myself and 3 other women to help out with different tasks. I was our sections "cheerleader" and had to wave our color flag and get our section loud and cheering. I was also in charge of tossing loot bags during a fast paced game during the show. It was nerve wracking but ultimately fun. Oh, and we WON!!! :) My husband and children were also chosen at different parts of the show. It was nice because everyone in our family got to participate at some point.

The show itself was fun and entertaining. There was a good story, acrobatic acts, and singing. They even invited all the children in the audience onto the ship during the show. Imagine our surprise when all the children exited the ship and our two were the only ones left standing up there! They were in full costume, so they were used in a funny little joke with the Capt. After exiting the stage, all children received a Pirate Certificate. My kids loved that detail!

The food was delicious. We were served a salad or soup to start. I chose soup and the rest of my family had salad. The soup was a delicious tortilla soup, and my daughter polished off 2 plates of salad (her brother didn't want his). This was followed by the main course. We chose chicken, but you can also choose pot roast. The chicken was well seasoned and served with mashed potatoes and green beans. The kids had chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. We all enjoyed dinner very much, and my son can be kind of picky about his mac n cheese. :) After dinner we were served a delightful sponge cake with ice cream. It was rich, so I couldn't finish my whole desert. We all had sprite, except for my husband who was enjoying his complementary beer.

After the show there is a Pirate's Bash Dance Party which is held right outside the auditorium where you wait before the show. Here the pirates dance with the young and old alike. My daughter loved dancing next to Treasure, the main female pirate. Overall, we had a great night with tons of action and entertainment! My kids can't wait to go back.

Although I was given tickets to the show in exchange for my HONEST review, I always write the good, bad, and ugly of my experiences. We truly enjoyed the show and look forward to taking our extended family in the future.