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In response to Lisa Belkin's recent post on the New York Times Motherlode blog, I'm wondering if you're a blogger who "overshares". Is TMI innate to all bloggers? Or, as Belkin ponders, do more bad things happen to bloggers than to others?
I'm not an oversharer. But sometimes, I wish I were. Read more about my thoughts on airing it all on your blog on today's Blogger U post.
What are your thoughts about letting loose on your blog? After all, you never know who's reading...
The Monday of the last full week in January is dubbed "Blue Monday." Did you know this? Blue Monday, it is said, is the most depressing day of the year. And the date is derived from the following formula:
'where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=Na. 'D' is not defined in the release, nor are units.'
Great.
And while the idea of Blue Monday was born in the UK, it has clearly trickled over to the States, where everywhere I look, people are down in the dumps. Yours truly not excluded.
And yes, I'm aware that today is Tuesday so WTH? Where are my regularly scheduled balloons and flowers and rainbows?
I guess they're saving themselves until June 17th, 2011, otherwise known as the Happiest Day of the Year.
I'll get back to you regarding my conclusions.
PS - You may have noticed I'm back to using Comic Sans. It seems popular opinion doesn't mean much to me. I like it. So there.
I was on vacation with my two kids last week and it was exhausting. Sound awful? Well, it's true. I was on constant duty - morning, noon, and night. There were no leisurely days at work (I know, sick), no lovely evenings with friends, no playdates where I could have a break, by virtue of the fact that there were other kids around.
So again, not for the first time, I'm paying homage to the stay-at-home/work-at-home moms out there, who seem to do it all and do it so much better than I. Check out my post on Mom Central's Blogger University for more on this...
Oh - and I'm changing fonts over here at The Daily Grind since if I read one more thing ridiculing Comic Sans I may lose my mind. But somehow Arial seems so, I don't know - boring?
Even though they are cute...
I love to snack. Incidentally, my girls love to snack as well and it's challenging finding healthy, delicious, and somewhat whole snack foods. We're really trying to cut back on snacks with a zillion ingredients or that leave our fingers florescent orange. So we tried Biscotti Babies, and they were a hit.
I wasn't sure my kids were going to go for biscotti; a more adult-like food but they loved the cute little packages (only 100 calories!) they came in. The bite-sized pieces also appealed to their little fingers. And the bright packaging made them want to try out all four flavors in one sitting (we were taste-testing, after all).
I loved them too! Obviously they arrived just as I had committed to healthier eating in hopes of some weight-loss, but with just 100 cals per pack, and as few as 10 ingredients (all of which I could pronounce easily), I felt confident that a taste of Biscotti Babies wouldn't break my calorie bank for the day.
Made with a whole-wheat base and flavored with chocolate, cranberry walnut, orange almond, and cinnamon hazelnut, it's likely you'll find a flavor you'll enjoy. My kids actually liked every flavor. Shocking since they're typically chocaholics (wonder where they get that from). You can grab them at Whole Foods, Wegmans and other stores in the Northeast, or by contacting the folks at Edible Adventures.
Happy Snacking!
You know that trip to Seaworld I wrote about earlier this week? Well during that visit we were lucky enough to be guests at Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well.
And when I say lucky, I mean super-duper-crazy lucky. Cuz Discovery Cove and Aquatica ROCKED.
Day two of our quick trip was Discovery Cove and other than a pre-planned swim with dolphins, I really had no idea what the day had in store for us. In their own words, Discovery Cove is:
In my words, entering Discovery Cove is like entering paradise. For real. Essentially, Discovery Cove is a man-made oasis comprised of beach, water heated to 80+ degrees for relaxation, and a trip to the tropics. Immersing with the local sealife is key to a full experience at Discovery Cove. This includes the opportunity to swim with dolphins, hang out with tropical birds, check out the reefs, and swim with sting rays (which I did NOT partake in, however I observed and no one
looked scared).
Once we checked in and settled into our luxurious private cabana (did I mention the cabana?), we wedged ourselves into wetsuits and didn't stop for hours, until we fell tired into our lounge chairs, complementary snacks within arms reach, and just chilled. But before the chillin', I was fortunate to get up close and personal with one of Discovery Cove's sweet dolphins, an experience that's hard to describe. Being so close to an animal that you wouldn't otherwise approach or even ever come in contact with, is breathtaking. And these dolphins are trained to entertain, show affection, and play. Doesn't get better than that.
My daughter loved playing in the 85 degree water in Serenity Bay, while I took a trip down the (very) lazy river, which is more of a drift through paradise than anything else. I glided through the quiet, with nothing but light music and the sounds of nature to accompany me. The highlight was the drift through the bird aviary, where I came face-to-face with a flamingo and many gorgeous birds I couldn't name.
Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day, so meals, snacks, and drinks are plentiful and no money is necessary. Love that aspect, it truly puts visitors at ease. For so much more info, visit the website - but feel free to comment with questions.
Day three: Aquatica. I admit it. It was 59 degrees outside and the prospect of spending the better part of the day at a waterpark didn't thrill me. We went early, our plans to do a walk-through in order to bring you info about the park. But when my 4-year-old thrill-seeker spotted the kiddie area, she quickly stripped down to her bathing suit and went all in. (It helped that the sun was beaming and it was warming up by the minute). Soon, I followed suit and checked out some of the attractions Aquatica offered.
First thing I noticed was how clean the park was! Typically, I feel like waterparks are dirty, fungus-foot infested places. Aquatica is immaculate. Towels are available at every turn as are bathrooms (don't want to have to search for a place to pee when you're having so much fun!). The slides are incredible. If you love speed, there's plenty to thrill you. If you have little kids, they'll LOVE Kata's Kookaburra Cove, which features introductory water slides, all kinds of watery structures and safe fun. In fact, adults can pull a chair right up to the edge and watch the kids while relaxing - love that. By the way, if your kids are young but too big for the gentle Cove, they'll love Walkabout Waters, a 15,000 square foot, 60-foot-tall rain fortress that's full of surprises and water-filled fun.
As the temperature climbed, so did my desire to partake (I'm a total kid at heart) and I checked out the Lazy River (I know, I'm a fiend for the lazy river) which I enjoyed, as it took me floating straight past the dolphins, who also make Aquatica their home. And that's what's cool about all three of the parks - all tie-in the under-the-sea theme with a focus on dolphins. We loved just watching the dolphins play at every turn.
Once again, we were treated to a private cabana. Though not as luxurious as those at Discovery Cove, it was nice to have a place to call our own. We lunched before heading to the airport, and the food was similar to that at Discovery Cove - standard dishes with a decent variety. While the crowd was quiet the day we were there, we asked around and found that Aquatica can get crazy-busy during the high season so arrive early! For more info, visit the site, and let me know if you have questions.
Shout-out to the PR department at Seaworld (particularly Lauren) for making our trip memorable and super-easy. Special thanks also to the very wonderful staff at the Renaissance Orlando for great service. They picked us up, dropped us off, and really catered to us.
"I received an all-expense paid trip to facilitate this review, including airfare, hotel, meals, and park tickets. All opinions are my own."
