Looking for something to do this Sat with the kids?

If you are looking for something FREE to do this weekend with the kids...

Check out ...

FireFest 2011 at the Orange County Regional History Center downtown.
Sat. 8/13 10:00-4:00

Learn about local fire department history with up-close looks at antique fire trucks and fire equipment. Test your skills as a firefighter and race with your team to hit a target with water. Compete with friends in firefighter gear-dressing challenges or hose cart races. Meet local firefighters, watch demonstrations, and learn about fire safety while enjoying food, crafts, activities, and more throughout Heritage Square and the History Center. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Outdoor festivities are FREE!!!

Back to School Expo at Seminole Town Center Mall Sat 8/13 10:00-3:00

It’s back to school weekend and the Back to School Expo will help parents make it an exciting and SAFE time.

• Located in the center court of the mall. Admission is FREE
• The first 100 children will receive a FREE bike helmet
• There will be FREE activities for children on site
• Demonstrations in dance, karate, gymnastics and more
• Special price offers, discounts & prizes from local merchants.
• Learn about college savings, educational aids, sports activities and more
• This is also Florida Tax Free Weekend helping parents save more with their Back to School shopping

Saturday Story Time at Barnes and Noble East Colonial Drive 2418 East Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32803 Sat 8/13 10:00 am

Story time. FREE. Just show up!

Free Make It Take it Craft Event at Michael's Craft Stores
Sat 8/13 12:00-2:00

Duck Tape Folder Event. Create a stylish and sturdy folder to keep you organized. FREE Make-It Take-It. While supplies last. Ages 3 and up.
Call your Michael's Store ahead of time to confirm participation!

Fall television 2011

I finally just finished the first season of The Walking Dead. Anyone watch this? All I can say is..WOW.

Next up I'm hoping to tackle Boardwalk Empire. I had started the first season awhile ago and never finished it. I'm a sucker for it because it's set in Atlantic City where my family is from...And I'm always into period pieces.

I have said it before and I will say it again...

I WATCH ENTIRELY TOO MUCH T.V.!!!

I'm a sucker for a good show.....

But now that I am a mom my DVR is piling up with shows that I haven't been able to watch. As a mom my free time is def. little to none. And the majority of the shows I watch I can't watch with Austin around.

But regardless....There are some new shows premiering this season that I will be adding to my already overflowing DVR.

Here's my Fall 2011 TV watch list.

MONDAYS:

8:00 Terra Nova. Think Jurassic Park. I'm not sure about this one. It could be a hit or a total disaster. But it's dinosaurs. What's not to like about dinosaurs?

9:00 House. "Sigh" This is a show that has totally "jumped the shark". But yet I still watch. I'm not sure why. Must be a loyalty thing.

10:00 Hawaii Five-O. This was def. a surprise hit from last year. I'm usually not a fan of remakes but this one is very good. It helps that it has Alex O'loughlin in it :)

TUESDAYS:

8:00 Yawn. Nothing I care to watch.

9:00 RINGER!!! I'm so looking forward to this and I really hope it is a hit. I'm a huge BTVS fan so I love Sarah Michelle Gellar and will always support anything she is in. I'm hoping all the Buffy fans won't be too critical of it when they realize that it isn't a Buffy part II. It's a totally different show.

10:00 Parenthood. This is really such a great family show. It has drama and comedy. I'm glad it is back for another season.

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 Survivor! ;P
And I possible could be checking out the new comedy Up All Night.

9:00 Modern Family. This show is the best comedy on tv.

10:00 Law and Order SVU

THURSDAY:

8:00 Vampire Diaries! Best show on TV right now!
Big Bang Theory! Nerds are cool AND funny.

9:00 Secret Circle. This show is about witches. I saw the trailer and it looked
pretty good. I'm hoping it doesn't suck and that it is worthy of the VP lead in.

10:00 Yawn. Nothing.

FRIDAY: I have no social life and am old now so I'm glad there are good shows on Fridays!!!

8:00 Nikita So glad this is back for a 2nd season, but scared that since it is on Fridays now that they will cancel it after this season. It's a very good show.

9:00 FRINGE How do I love Fringe? Let me count the ways...Seriously this show is awesome and I wish more people watched it. I'm thrilled it is back for another season, but it needs to stick around for years to come and shows on Friday's don't usually stick around.
GRIMM This is a new show. It looks different so I'm going to check it out. Not sure if it will stick around though.

10:00 Blue Bloods This show could be complete crap and I'd still watch it because it stars Donnie Wahlberg from New Kids On The Block. But, in all actuality it is a pretty decent show. And it stars my former hometown girl Bridget Moynahan former girlfriend of Tom Brady.

SATURDAYS:

Nothing as usual.

SUNDAYS:

Sunday night football! But besides that I'll be watching The Good Wife at 9:00. Another great show that doesn't get the respect that it deserves.

SEE??? I watch too much tv. And this is just my major network shows. There's still a bunch of cable shows I watch too.

What are some of your favorite shows on tv? Any new shows that you are looking forward to?

Dinosaur World Review

Last weekend we ventured out to "Dinosaur World".

We had never been before as it is a little bit of a drive from our home in Orlando. It took us about an hour and a half to drive there.

My 2 and a half year old son is very big into Dinosaurs, plus I had a 50% off admission coupon, so I was interested to check it out and see if it was worth the drive.

Here is the basic info for Dinosaur World:

Address: 5145 Harvey Tew Rd Plant City, FL (It is located right off of Interstate 4)
FREE parking!
Hours are every day from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. (Nov-January is 9-5)
Admission is $12.75 per adult. $9.75 for ages 3-12. $10.75 for seniors over 60 and children under the age of 3 are FREE.

My verdict: DINOSAUR WORLD IS AWESOME!!!

We got there around 10 in the morning to try to miss some of the heat and possible crowd. The entire park is shaded quite well as it is somewhat set up like a nature walk.
This park isn't your average theme park. There are no rides. You basically walk around trails and get to see over 150 life size dinosaur models. Each dinosaur you see has a plaque which tells the species of dinosaur and give some information about them.
They also have the "Boneyard" which is basically a big sandbox with dinosaur "bones" buried underneath. My son had a great time digging in the sand with shovels and dusting the bones off with a paint brush. (Paint brush and shovels were provided on site).
There also is the fossil dig. The fossil dig only occurs at specific times. Kids get to sift through sand to search for real fossils to take home.


The section that I was least impressed with was the play ground. There wasn't much to it at all and there was very little shade. BUT I saw a sign that said that they are in the process of re-doing it so hopefully it will be new and improved soon.
They also are in the process of building a dinosaur museum.
And of course there is the gift shop where your children will beg you for numerous dinosaur items!
They also host birthday parties.

Three special items of notice:

You might want some extra quarters as they have a machine to get fish food out of to feed the fish in the pond. (I only had one quarter so Austin was not happy)

Pets are allowed in the park as long as they are leashed!!!

There is ZERO food service!!! (There are some vending machines through out the park).
This was not a problem for us as we packed our lunch and ate at one of the numerous picnic tables in the park. You also are allowed to bring in outside food from establishments such as Subway, McDonalds, etc.

Overall, we had a great time. My son loved walking by himself and looking at all the dinosaurs. It wasn't very crowded so I didn't have to worry about loosing him. There were no rides that he had to grumpily wait in line for and Mommy was perfectly pleased to not spend lots of money on admission and food.
AND it only took a few hours to see/do everything so it didn't completely exhaust us and it didn't interfere with naps.

If you are looking for a laid back park experience for minimal cost and don't mind a little bit of a drive..I would highly recommend Dinosaur World!