FREE LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ WU-CRU Team Challenge

Check out this FREE EVENT ages 7-12! If your kids love LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ you can't miss the WU-CRU Team Challenge that is coming to Charlotte, NC on June 25 & 26, 2016 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the Pineville Toys”R”Us Parking Lot (11300 Carolina Pl. Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134). Registration is required through the website here. 

The LEGO® NINJAGO™ Quest2NINJAGO™ WU-CRU Team Challenge, a highly visual and interactive obstacle-course competition. The competition course, anchored by large-scale LEGO brick models of two of the play theme’s most popular characters, invites children ages 7-12 in teams of two to compete in eight timed physical and mental challenges. The top team from Charlotte will be sent on an all-inclusive trip to LEGOLAND® California Resort to compete in the Finale.

Some highlights of the event include:

·         Large Scale LEGO Models of Master Wu and Lloyd standing at 80” and 62” tall

·         Four challenge arenas – Fire, Lightning, Energy and Earth

·         Eight physical and mental challenges for teams to show off their physical and mental “ninja” skills – including mazes, puzzles and a building exercise

·         One All-Inclusive trip to LEGOLAND California Resort to be awarded to the highest scoring team where they will compete in a Finale and a chance to win the Quest2NINJAGO championship – including an ultimate NINJAGO prize pack

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Shannon Tanner's Most Excellent Pirate Expedition - Hilton Head Island,SC

Our family has been enjoying the beautiful beaches, delicious dining and many family-friendly adventures in Hilton Head Island, SC for the last five years. It's a short four hour drive from Charlotte, NC and is the perfect answer for a fun, picturesque family vacation.

During our most recent visit we had the opportunity to participate in Shannon Tanner's FREE Family Show at Shelter Cove Harbour, which runs Mon-Fri at 7PM and 8:30PM 6/1-9/2/16. This show is a must see for families visiting Hilton Head Island - our kids were instantly engaged as they sang, bounced and scrambled their hair to Shannon's songs and dances. Many Tuesdays they have fireworks at 9:30PM! During the show we learned about Shannon Tanner's Most Excellent Pirate Expedition, my kids were enthralled with the idea. We had been looking for a water adventure that was a good match for our 1, 3 and 7 year old's interests. I figured if the pirate expedition was as appealing to as the show, booking was a no-brainer.

It was easy to book online at piratekidzofhiltonhead.com, and I was pleased that there were no additional costs for the online convenience (mama hates fees). Tickets can also be purchased the night of the show or the morning of the excursion (if tickets are still available). The expedition kicks off from Shelter Cove Harbour Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30AM and goes until about 10:30AM.

Adults are $30, kids 3-12 are $25 and kids 2 and under are free - which was great because little bits is hit or miss on any participation as a 1 year old. The pirate adventure included skull adorned pirate bandanas (you can hide your treasure in it too!), an eye patch, a foam dagger, a tattoo and a portion of the recovered treasure. From the moment we arrived Shannon was in full pirate-captain character, he welcomed each kid as he and his mates helped them pirate-ify. E loved the foam dagger and spent lots of time making pirate gestures and faces as he and S bounded around their scurvy new crew.

Shannon's enthusiasm and gift for story-telling ensured that the kids were occupied throughout the two hours we spent together. Shannon led them exploring through the harbour to find clues about the missing treasure, incorporating the kids into the story line. We boarded the large boat donned in pirate paraphernalia. Once aboard there was a good amount of shade. Usually HHI has a nice breeze along the harbour, but the day we went was about 99.9% humidity and holy pirate booty - we were melting. I would recommend bringing a personal fan and some water if your expedition day is as toasty as ours was. The older two were not at all phased by the temperature - they were too busy pirating, but did drink water. Shannon and his crew seemed unphased by the temperature and kept the show fun and exciting throughout.

We took our seats on the large white boat and we were off on the treacherous seven seas! Well - it was the harbor - and luckily the water was very calm and avoided potential sea sickness. The kids learned the proper way 'educated' pirates talk - it was cute. My husband, mother and I really enjoyed the way that Shannon crafted his script to speak the language of fun and excitement for the kids while also being charismatic and quick-witted for the adults. There were lots of interactions between the kids and the pirate crew as we searched for our stolen treasure.

During our voyage we saw two dolphins swimming nearby who 'helped' us figure out where the treasure had been taken. The kids were able to get out their aggressions in a healthy water-based way as they doused Stinky Slimy Slim with water blasters until he decided to join our family of good pirates and return the treasure.

Once the treasure was re-captured each child got to share in a few pieces of pirate gold and jewels to take home with them. Once back on land they each received a chocolate coin - what a sweet victory - and had the opportunity to get their daggers signed by the crew. The kids couldn't stop talking about what a blast they had together and all the pirate hi jinx that had ensued.

If you're bringing your family to Hilton Head Shannon Tanner's Most Excellent Pirate Expedition won't disappoint - I'm not the only one who gave this tour two swords up - check out their Trip Advisor Page here. To follow Shannon and all his crew's excitement follow them on Facebook here, and on Twitter here.

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When You're Going Out Dancing, But You're a 35 Year Old Mom

My baby sister Larisa turned 35 last week, how she is officially closer to being a 40-something than being a 30-something is beyond me. It feels like just yesterday we were hoping we wouldn't get ID'd so we could get into the club and dance- ah the good 'ol days!

Present day with the addition of five children between the two of us and 15 years, it's been a hot minute since we've been out dancing like our historically dancing-queen selves. But it was my baby sister's 35th birthday so we sent the Facebook invite to all the moms we thought might be able to muster an after 9PM go at the club.

Once our 'squad' materialized we sat sipping our martini's, laughing about how tired and lame we were, and how long it had been since we had been "out". I started regaling the ladies with the sad, but funny story that was my pre-gaming experience when you're going out dancing, but you're a 35 year old mom.

1. Make plans weeks in advance, confirm child care and get excited - because it's a kid-free Moms Gone Dancing Night Out On The Town! Wooohooo! Send group text messages about how long it's been since you've all been out - include dancing woman and excited-face-sticking-out-tongue emojis.

2. The day of Moms Gone Dancing receive text messages from other mom asking, "9:30pm? Isn't that kind of late to go out - maybe we should meet at 8?.." Reflect back on how in your twenties you ate dinner at 9, started pre-gaming at 10 and didn't dare show up to a club until at least 11pm, because you know - all the lame people were there before then. Allow the realization to sink in that you are now said lame people...sadly I already knew that.. Text other mom back "Stop at Starbucks and rally my friend, we're going to hit double digit PM tonight and maybe even end up back in the single digits of the AM."

3. Stay braless and in your yoga pants until the VERY last minute you have to squish yourself back into your lovely-lady-lumps cage and begin the process of bringing your hot mess self to presentation status.

4. Approach your closet - scan for your most trendy option that also most closely resembles yoga pants. Settle on a dress, assess yourself in said dress. Rummage for your Spanx and proceed to stuff yourself into them, because mama needs to reign it in a bit. I remember my Spanx in my twenties... it was called my skin...

5. Onward! Time for shoes - hello *uck me pumps - oh I've missed you, it's been far, far too long. Caress them, they're so sexy, so hip - still actually on trend. Put them down, dejectedly, because your feet are a size larger now that you've had three babies. Those pumps are a dirty little minx you can no longer rock, unless you want a foot cramp or a broken ankle. Select flats and shove your orthotics inside them - play on playa!

6. Do hair - and onto make up - in my car. In my twenties I had the most beautiful vanity where I would spend all this luxurious time perfecting my 'smoky eye'.  Now 99% of my makeup (when it's done) is applied in the driver's seat in my driveway, or in a parking lot after my kids have fallen asleep. You've got to agree, it is good lighting and you can get really close to see all the new wrinkles 35 years and three kids have added to your forehead.

7. Time to head out. Pulling out of the driveway I realize how dark it is. I'm usually in PJ's the moment the kids go to bed and snuggled with my husband on the couch binging on Netflix- I'm NOT USED TO BEING OUT PAST SUNSET. I'm So. Damn. Lame. Search for my night time driving glasses for my old ass eyes and continue on my way.

8. I'm picking up the birthday girl, and she's already texted me about how tired she is. So I'm thinking I need to create a party ambiance with some awesome music for when I roll up in my carseat-heavy minivan. Awesome music, awesome music.. what is popular right now? Blurred Lines? No, that was last summer, or was that the summer before? Ugh it's all becoming one long year only broken up by end of the year soccer tournaments and spirit days that you remember 5 minutes before the kids need to get on the bus. What ever even happened to Robin Thicke? For the love of all that is holy, I have no idea what current hip music is. I'm going with my comfortable standard - add Nelly station to Pandora. It's getting hot in here!

9. I'll tell you friends - it was a slow boil at first, but we rallied and conjured our twenty-something-selves and stayed out dancing until 2am. We even ended stopping at Wal-mart to get contact solution but came out with a fishing pole, cookies, a beach ball and a He-Man tank top that said "Sup Ladies". Longer story.... Happy Birthday baby sister!

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Mother's Day Gift That'll Give Mom All The Feels

Red alert Dads! Mother's Day is just a few weeks away, so you still have time to rock this year out with a personalized gift that she will love for both its sentiment and its trendy fashion statement.

I ordered this delicate gold bar engraved with my kid's names and thought it would be a great gift for Mother's Day. I was impressed when mine arrived that it felt like a quality boutique piece that you'd pay double or triple for in stores. Head over to the Urban Layered shop on Etsy.com and check out all the totally customizable, perfectly unique top quality jewelry that'll make mom swoon this Mother's Day.

I ordered this one as a surprise for my sister for Mother's Day - she's one of the best moms I know :) 

This necklace is the plate necklace in gold, and for a limited time it's 20% off - but order ASAP because it takes a little while to create your custom piece and ship it to you. I would suggest ordering the 18" necklace for it to fall on Mom's neck like it does on mine. Win at Mother's Day this year with one of Urban Layered's on-trend, heart melting baubles for the Mom in your life. 

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Meal & Memories with Mom at the American Girl Store Charlotte

When S was little it was just her and I. I shared in every moment of her day, from the time she woke until bedtime kisses at night. Now that she's seven, things are different - she's up and out the door to school before the darkness has lifted and I'm at work until dinner time, then it's off to soccer or errands - all the things that keep life busy. We've added two siblings to the mix as well, and now there is even less exclusively Mommy-S time than there was before. I carve out special time as often as I can so we can connect and share one-on-one. We plan specific Mommy-S nights, because at seven, she has a whole new cast of characters that make up her day and I cherish being able to sit with her at a special place and hear all the excitement without interruption.

For our most recent mommy-daughter pow-wow we were invited to Meal & Memories with Mom at the American Girl Store's Bistro in Charlotte at the South Park Mall. The American Girl store hosts all types of Mother/Daughter events throughout the year including painting, monogram painting and more. You can see their events by clicking on this link. 

Getting ready for a night out is part of our fun, we picked out our dresses together. S wore pink, and matched the American Girl Bistro's decor perfectly. The ambiance at the Bistro is 100% girly with bubble chandeliers and pink gerber daisy lights. The hostess showed us to our seats with an adorable place setting including hair bow for S to take home holding her napkin. S's doll Samantha even had a special chair at our table as well as a tiny cup and saucer so she wouldn't miss out on the dining fun. 

S was given an American Girl bag filled with goodies and ideas for us to start making memories throughout our dinner. There were three dice that we rolled with words and numbers and we could use them to make up silly or true stories. Some of them really got us giggling, seven year olds have such fun imaginations!

There was a Making Memories book that asked questions for us each to fill out and compare notes and thoughts. We answered which we liked better, books or magazines, flowers or chocolate. It was fun to talk about how we're alike and different and the reasons we chose our answers.

They included a dry erase board for her to decorate with stickers and use to answer the questions that were in a box on the table including things like "Which would you rather be - able to fly or be invisible." For the record I chose that I'd like to fly so I could avoid traffic. S chose invisible, and when asked why she said "so she could sneak out of her room and go to her friend's houses." Oh boy.. I'm in trouble. :) 

Amidst the memory making we were served three courses for our dinner. S chose the fancy fruit fondue which included fruit kabobs, mini banana muffins and yogurt in a flowerpot and I selected the  soft pretzel bites. S said the muffins were the 'best muffins in the whole world'. For our entrees S chose her favorite stand-by, Macaroni with Lots of Cheese and I went traditional fare as well with a Roasted Turkey Club Sandwich. For dessert we enjoyed the Chocolate Mousse Flowerpot - S loved the fact that each course came with a flower pot and or flower. American Girl does it up right, and knows how to cater to their audience. 

S said at least four times that it was the best night ever, I love seven-year-old exuberance, but I had to agree. We had so much fun together. We wrapped up in the playing games, answering questions, eating and laughing. After dinner we strolled around the store for a little while so S could make up her birthday wish list early.

Events at the American Girl Store in Charlotte range in price, this particular experience costs $40 per person. Other adventures like Leah's Adventure Academy running March 29th - 31st are only $10 per person and include adventures through four themed stations, an adventure journal, an undersea cupcake food craft, handkerchief decorating and a photo op. This is a great Spring Break idea! You can get more info and sign up here.

Our experience was comp'd so that I could give a review. As always my opinions are my own. Any experiences I attend and wouldn't recommend to a friend I don't write about and don't share with my readers. It's my promise to you, and why you'll only see what I've enjoyed and would recommend on my blog. 

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NASCAR Hall of Fame Easter Egg 400 March 26th 2016

{Enter to WIN 4 tickets by commenting on the Facebook Post at this link (https://www.facebook.com/MomAboutCharlotte/posts/767168513384894) with your favorite Easter tradition AND by sharing that Facebook Post publicly. I'll pick a winner on 3/24. 

Looking for a new and fun way to join in the Easter fun? Check out the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Easter Egg 400 where your kids can rev their engines as they cruise around Race Week scooping up easter eggs! In addition to the Easter egg hunt they'll have spring craft activities in the Great Hall, the ever entertaining Mr. Nigel and Friends, photos with The Easter Bunny and Champ the Cheetah. It'll all concluded with a viewing of "Shaun the Sheep."

This revved-up egg-stravanganza begins on Saturday, March 26th 2016 8:30am - 11:30am at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. 
Spring craft activities in the Great Hall for all attendees as well as entertainment by Mr. Nigel and Friends. 

9:30 - 9:45 a.m. 
Easter egg hunt begins in Race Week 
(separate egg hunts for younger kids) 

10 - 11:30 a.m. 
“Shaun the Sheep” movie shown in the High Octane Theater 

This event is FREE for Rookie Racers Kids Club members and $7 for non-members. All kids under age 2 will receive free admission.

Rookie Racers Kids Club members can RSVP by clicking here.
General admission tickets can be purchased by clicking here.NOT A ROOKIE RACERS KIDS CLUB MEMBER? 
Click here to learn more about joining the Rookie Racers Kids Club today!

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Nurture+Nourish : A Group for New Moms at Baby+Company

I'm an A-type preparer, but when it came to being a new mom - no stack of books or prenatal classes could fully prepare me for the adventure that awaited. When I gave birth to my daughter in Iowa, I stepped into a new world to navigate - minus sleep, plus uncharted daily questions and concerns. (Who knew there were so many wrong ways a baby could latch on? Or the diversity I'd behold for colors and consistencies of poop?) I needed support from experienced moms, and from those who were on this journey beside me.

I joined a new mom's group overseen by a nurse, and it was the best thing I could have done for baby and me. When I moved to Charlotte to have my second and third babies, those classes didn't exist - and I was so disappointed! Now Baby+Company, a boutique birth center in Charlotte near Presbyterian Hospital, is offering a 6 week postpartum group for moms and their newborns. The series is led by baby educator and lactation consultant, Mellissa Willette, RN, IBCLC.

Moms and babies will come together once a week for two hours to learn about their babies, ask questions, share stories and give and gain support. I promise you - as a newly dubbed mommy it will be the most anticipated two hours of your week (aside from a two-hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep of course). You'll enjoy the posh home-like atmosphere at Baby+Company while you settle on the blanket clad floors and learn techniques to calm and soothe your baby through infant massage. The topics in the class will depend on the needs and interests of the moms in the group, but may include mommy-baby yoga, learning about toys and activities that will stimulate your baby's learning center, and products and tips that will make your life easier. Plus - you'll get real answers to the new baby questions that weren't covered in the book or pre-natal class. 

The camaraderie I developed with those new moms in the first weeks of my adventure into motherhood turned into meeting for tea after our classes ended, making play dates as the babies grew, and long-lasting friendships.

Classes cost $120 for local moms and $80 for Baby+Company clients. For more information to register click here. 

Baby+Company is a boutique birth center offering highly personalized, evidence-based maternity and well-woman care. They specialize in prenatal and postpartum care, labor and birth services, annual exams, birth control and fertility counseling. You can learn more about Baby+Company on their website here, and read more about my sneak peek of their center (and view their beautiful space) here. I'm excited to be transitioning my care to their center for my next well-woman appointment. 

This is a sponsored post, but as always all opinions are my own and I only share what I love with my readers. 

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