Urban Adventure Quest: Family Fun Scavenger Hunt in the City

A friend of mine a few years back said she wanted to do a scavenger hunt.  In my mind I thought that was way too much work to plan it all out.  I'm sorry to say the idea got tabled.  But I just happened to find out about a company that take all the work and planning out for you.  It's called Urban Adventure Quest.

I lived in Seattle for a short time as a college student.  Though I lived there, I had little time to really take in and enjoy the sites.  Not to mention as a freshman young lady, being alone in a city walking alone is just not ideal.  I wish I could have taken in the sights more, and now that I am not taking classes on a daily basis and cooped up in a classroom---I have time to hit up Seattle as a tourist!  I see all these movies, and pictures of Seattle--and though I have been up the Space Needle and walked around in the different parks and museums.  There is a lot I have yet to experience! 

Have you ever felt the same?  Well, I am very excited to share with you Urban Adventure Quest that gives you the chance to have the sights and fun--without the headache of hashing out and planning it yourself. 

What is Urban Adventure Quest?  

Turn Seattle, WA or any major city into a giant game board with this fun scavenger hunt adventure. Combine the excitement of the Amazing Race with a three-hour city tour. Guided from any smart phone, teams make their way among well known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history.

Play anytime during daylight hours.
Start when you want and play at your pace.
Great Family Fun.

Exclusive Special Offer for my readers:

Save 20%- Only $39.20 for a team of 2-5 people after Promotion Code: FGBLOG.
Sign up online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com.

I for one am excited to get together my band of friends and tour Seattle!  

What about you?  Are you excited at the possibility of doing an Amazing Race with your band of friends?  What city are you from? 

Click here to see what cities are available:  http://www.urbanadventurequest.com/tours/default.aspx

Disclosure: US Family Blogger, Promoting this event I do get compensation in free products or passes.  

Fall fun at the Maris Farm Fall Festival

Anybody ready for the Fall Festivities to begin? I sure am.
 A friend of ours had her first batch of tiny pumpkins harvested--which amped up my excitement for hitting the Farms to pick out our pumpkins.

One local farm in Washington State is Maris Farm.  This farm has a ton to offer.  Major attractions include a 5-acre Corn Maze and a 5-acre Pumpkin Patch.

My husband is not keen on doing festivities like this because of the major amount of people that flock to events like this.  Thankfully Maris Farm during weekday visits offer a quieter experience at a lower cost.  I am looking forward to this!

This year they have a Wizard of Oz corn maze.  I am such a fan of this movie.  Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" just gives me all the memories when I was a little girl.  The magical world of Oz was so real to me as a kid.  I cannot wait to see this corn maze and share the thrill of my childhood memories as Dorothy runs from the Wicked Witch of the West.

If you are local to the WA area be sure to grab this  EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT -
Come out to Maris Farms on either of the first two weekends (Sept. 29th/30th or Oct. 6th/7th) of the season and enjoy great savings at one of the Northwest's favorite fall family entertainment destinations.

You'll can navigate the Wizard of Oz corn maze, pick your favorite pumpkin, brave the Haunted Woods and enjoy more than 35 other great activities for $5 off with this coupon.

Check out www.marisfarms.com for driving directions and other details.

Click Here for your Maris Farms Coupon 

Our God is Able

This was something my daughter and I talked about after reading this in the Bible.  

 I wanted her to realize that sometimes in life there are unavoidable things. That there are tough situations and circumstances and if she found herself in one of them she could trust God to be there. Sometimes He will save you and sometimes He won’t,but whatever happens He will be there with you and not leave you. 

I wanted her to realize that sometimes in life there are unavoidable things. That there are tough situations and circumstances and if she found herself in one of them she could trust God to be there. Sometimes He will save you and sometimes He won’t, but whatever happens He will be there with you and not leave you. 

“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:17-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬
http://bible.com/59/dan.3.17-18.

We talked about how they might have felt afraid of dying. We talked about how this situation was scary. They had these feelings yet they responded in faith. They had a hope. They had God. Even if God didn’t save them, God would be there to take them up to heaven. Ultimately God would still deliver them either way. They had full confidence in A God who was very real and very powerful and very faithful. They had their eyes looking up to God who was their help.

This year I did something new and crazy.  She's in school.  At home I have this crazy thought, " I can keep her safe."  In fact when she's with me, I cannot control whether or not we get in a car wreck or by some freak accident our house collapses or....I cannot control and keep her totally safe.  Putting her in school made me realize how little I can control.  There is no telling what danger or threats could happen, but the fact is God is in control.  He needs to be not only my peace, but hers as well.  He needs to be real in her life.  She finds her ultimate safety in Him alone.  

I took a breath of relief after we finished this conversation.  God worked it out that we could talk about this!  My fears as a parent were laid down at His feet.  I can only pray for her to understand and know the One true God who is able to save.  

Disclosure: Picture is not mine, but from Walkfm

Halloween and Facepaint

 Halloween is coming!  For us we celebrate by  having a Candy Carnival where families from all around can come to our church and play games for fun doodads and of course CANDY.
It really is fun and we always get hundreds of families from the community and beyond attend.  I know that I tend to wait till the last minute to figure out costumes.  We went shopping at Goodwill and on the Facebook Buy Sell Trade sites--but in the end I just not happy with the quality or the costumes they had.  Luckily I had ordered Face Paint so the skies were the limit.  I looked around my daughter's closet and found a leopard print jacket.  The bonus part was that it had ears! She loved it.

The day of , I browsed through Pinterest for inspiration.  Grabbed the Go Green Face Paint I bought off of Amazon and experimented with her.  I picked it because it was one that advertised itself as hypoallergenic face paint.  I was a bit worried about her getting a red rash on her face, but this paint was great!  I am quite happy with the paint itself.  It was quite creamy and vibrant with color.  Though we did use that tiny brush last year, I am ready to upgrade a tad bit and get some different brushes to do different things and get different effects.

This is my review I had posted on Amazon.com last year.  

Really enjoyed using this super smooth face paint. With vibrant colors I say it was such a great find! Very satisfied. The paint stayed on well for the whole night. She wowed everyone because the paint was really vibrant and resisted smudging.

Here’s two pictures of before trick or treating and after. She had wiped her mouth off intentionally at dinner because she was at the drinking fountain and was eating soup. But I am very impresses at how well the paint stayed on. 

Over all 5/5

There are two types of packs—the 16 and the 6 color pack. We got the 6 color pack which I feel would cover about 30+ faces. The 16 pack Is the one that covers about 100+ faces. The description got me confused because lol I should have figured the 16 pack covered the 100+ Not the 6. Thought maybe the package of 6 was huge wells of paint or something.

Note: in the beginning I added water—-totally didn’t know there was a thin plastic layer over the paints. For the first two times I was frustrated as to why the paint was not mixing. It was because there was a thin plastic on top of the paint to keep from it drying out. Many reviews have stated how they were disappointed—-it’s so easy to miss that film. I did it twice after an hour of using the watery paint I made. When I finally examined the problem and found the plastic covering the paints,things went smoothly and I was really happy with the results.

I bought these six colors for Halloween with my own money and I do recommend them. Next year I will buy these again for certain.

You can find the paints here: Go Green Facepaint

Well, as I try to figure out what my kids will be for this year's Halloween I hope you enjoy pictures from our last year's costumes.  

Do you dress up for Halloween?

Do you purchase or make your costumes and outfits?

Ultimate Healthy Meal Planning Bundle Sale plus 2 Free Printables

I remember my earlier years of being married. I started out great in home cooking, and preparing meals. I was living out to the Romantic Ideals I had in my head. Then it all came crashing down. I began sleeping in. Getting a tad lazy to make the usual bacon and eggs in the morning. My poor husband ended up hitting Jack in the Box for breakfast in the morning. Then he soon resorted to buying lunch since he was already there and his little sweet wife (me) started sleeping in. Thus began the cycle of convenience foods. Do you recall everyone warning about the "Freshman 15?" ---Well I wished someone told me about the Newly Married Fall-out 15.

I ate out too much that I resorted to convenience foods frequently.

Now I've in a way recovered and fallen into a little bit more of a routine because we just don't have the money to eat out. Because over the years we have added to our family with TWO KIDS!

Now I seem to have shifted from buying fast food to well---filling my cart with snacks and miscellaneous things but enough to make a few meals out of. Do you ever go grocery shopping without a list? That's me.

I have a friend who has a meal plan and a grocery list and she accomplishes saving money AND having a game plan. Yes, I do roll my eyes at her, but secretly I envy having the time to meal plan. It is not my forte. I tend to log on to Pinterest and browse. Pin. Yet....forget about writing it down or printing it off.

Basically, I spent tons of time, money, and empty calories feeding myself and my family all because I didn’t have a plan. It was frustrating, discouraging, and a money waster.

If you’ve ever felt like this, meal planning is a total game-changer.  

Once I started meal planning, I felt less of a burden or worry when the time for lunch or dinner drew nearer.  And meal planning could be the missing key that helps you save money, de-stress dinnertime, lose weight, and eat healthier, too!

Let me introduce you to 

The 2018 Healthy Meal Planning Bundle 

The 2018 Healthy Meal Planning Bundle will be back for just 48 hours, from Monday, September 24th at 12:00 a.m. ET through 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 25th.

In this flash sale you can pick the category (paleo, real food, budget, quick & healthy, plus 7 others!) that fits your life and eating style best for just $27.

-OR-

Just pay $20 more and get EVERY recipe, meal plan, printable, and eCourse (101 digital resources in all!).

In my (sadly experienced) opinion, you can save way more than $47 by planning your meals for just one week, simply by avoiding restaurants and cutting down on food waste…

Check it out here: https://shop.ultimate-bundles.com/hmpb2018?content=full&a_aid=a2830&a_bid=22ea9b86

BELOW IS YOUR FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER AND A GROCERY LIST PRINTABLE TO HELP YOU GET STARTED ON THE RIGHT TRACK:

Kids Dealing with Anger--Book Review

Feelings of anger and frustration are just two of the many emotions kids have to learn how to navigate through.  As a parent, I find it difficult how to put into words what I desire my kids to learn.  I have a two-year-old and an eight-year-old.  They are so different not only in age but in development.  So sometimes I find myself caught off guard in how to explain to two kids at the same time who are fighting and angry with each other.

For us as parents how can we help children cope with this strong emotion?  

I came across this really short and simple book that gives children a visual of their inner turmoil. The pages contain illustrations for the kids to relate to visually.  The illustrations are in black and white for the kids to personalize and color.  which can be a great way for them to remember what they are learning and really make this book unique and personal to them!

I find that though it is geared to maybe five or six- years and up, it can still be a great book for little ears to hear.  It has a nice rhymic soothing pattern that can help calm the young ones.  

For older ones the book gives alternatives to blasting out in anger.  Instead of reacting, the book in playful rhyme redirects kid to several brain training games.  Examples to name a few: spelling out words or do math problems.

Although most of the book are things I sort of heard before in my passion for reading parenting books, I think that this would be nice to have in my kids' shelves.  I think the idea of hot lava flowing, and all the descriptions of what happens before a volcano explodes is a great way to help kids understand all their emotions.  This book gives word and pictures to the mysterious and chaotic big emotions children often have.

Overall this is a book I would not mind having on our bookshelf.  I like that it gives me another tool in working with my kids.    I feel like it is maybe a three starred book.  I do love colorful illustrations not from my child’s coloring.  Some of the verbiage are meant for an older kid like my eight-year old. 

You can find this The Anger Volcano  on Amazon

About the Author

Amanda Greenslade is a writer from Queensland, Australia who is the author of children's books and an epic fantasy series.

Greenslade wrote The Anger Volcano for her exuberant autism spectrum child who has a hyposensitive sensory processing disorder. 

Some children are more prone to have angry outbursts, or even meltdowns, because of emotional (or other) triggers like dealing with anger and frustration or sensory under- or over-stimulation.

Autism spectrum kids, as well as children in general, can benefit from being more mindful about their emotions. The Anger Volcano is all about empowering them to train their own brain to react in a better way than shouting or hitting out in the heat of the moment.

Disclosure: I did receive a digital review copy of this book in order to write my honest opinions.  I was not compensated to write this review.  

Flash Sale: Ultimate Healthy Meal Planning bundle

What if there was just one thing standing between you and a healthier life?

I know it seems hard to believe but hear me out…

Healthy meals don’t just happen.

(Wouldn’t that be nice!)

You have to decide what you’re eating, make your list, buy the ingredients, and then prepare everything.

And the domino that starts it all is knowing what you’re going to eat.

In other words, the path to health begins with a plan.

Today, you can get your hands on ready-made meal plans for just the way you eat—complete with shopping lists and fresh recipes—for a ridiculously low price.

It’s called the Ultimate Healthy Meal Planning Bundle - back for just two days! - and here’s how it works:

It’s a complete meal planning solution made up of 10 mini-bundles.

Each bundle contains digital cookbooks, fresh meal ideas, and ready-made plans (and even grocery lists!). No matter how you eat, there’s a mini-bundle that’s perfect for you and there are two buying options:

Option 1: Pick up just one mini-bundle that works best for your life right now - quick & healthy, budget-friendly, Instant Pot & slow cooker OR diet-specific options like vegan, real food, paleo, keto, gluten-free… there’s one that’s right for you.

Option 2: For less than the price of two mini-bundles, get the ENTIRE package with over 3,000 recipes and 100 weeks of made-for-you meal plans, so you’ve got total control no matter how your food needs change.

You really can get healthier, starting today.

Make those dominos fall by picking up your copy of the Ultimate Healthy Meal Planning Bundle (or any of the mini-bundles) right here: https://shop.ultimate-bundles.com/hmpb2018?content=full&a_aid=a2830&a_bid=1b62b1d6

P.S. Since this is the second time the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle is being offered this year, it’s only on sale for 48 hours, just until tomorrow at midnight (before it disappears forever). Get it here before you forget! https://shop.ultimate-bundles.com/hmpb2018?content=full&a_aid=a2830&a_bid=1b62b1d6

Hope in the 2018

Never have I chosen a "word" for the new year, and this year I did not really choose one.  This last year I felt the lows of the holidays.  I felt a lot of disillusionment.  Waking up in the morning to crack at the day before sleeping babies to make Christmastime "magical and special" was difficult.  I did not get accomplished my grand plans of reading the Luke 2 story every morning and introducing a new special Nativity Piece.  In fact my 7 year old found the box of Nativity and broke it out before Thanksgiving even had a chance.  The surprise in purchasing of this Little People Nativity set sort of just went up in flames.

In short.  I felt frustrated and a failure.  We had no Christmas tree.  We did not really set up new Christmas Family traditions.

At the lowest part of my December-January year, I remember just crying out to God for help.  Telling my heavenly Father...."I can't.  I just can't..."

Relief flooded down my face along with a  mixture of grief and pain and feelings of failure.
The turning point from where I was to where I am now has been slow imperfect progress.  The day after I felt like a slug.  Doubts and questions swam around in my thoughts.  "Do I want to open the Bible?  Would I really be encouraged and better?  Maybe....."

Reading the Word and just asking God to make it alive again has helped.  Hoping in being transformed with each step and decision has helped.  Seeing my  kids rely and trust in me to be everything they needs has really pushed me to dig down deep and not give up.  With everything going on in the world....my children need a steadfast Hope...and no it is not me, but God.  When the ground shakes and the mountains crumble--they need something truly reliable to stand on, and that is His truth.