Atlanta | family | Family Fun | friends | fun | motherhood | parenting

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta Vol. 7

By on October 11, 2019
The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta

Happy Friday! What are your plans for the weekend? It finally feels like fall here in Georgia, and I’m all about the lower temperatures! Yesterday we spent 4.5 hours at the playground. The weather was just so nice! I’m hoping to spend a lot of time outside this weekend. If you’re local and looking for something to do, check out these events:

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta Vol. 7

Oakhurst Porchfest

46th Annual Lilburn Daze

Atlanta Pride Parade

Atlanta Comic Convention

Ghostly Gatherings at Fernbank

Oktoberfest Atlanta

Festival on Ponce

Chalktoberfest 

Stone Mountain Park Pumpkin Festival 

Pumpkin Patch at Jaemor Farms (Click here to see our visit to Jaemor from last year!)

Scarecrows in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (Click here to see our visit from last year!)

Upcoming Events You Need to Put on Your Calendar:

Beech-Nut’s Million Meals at the Movies Benefitting No Kid Hungry – November 10th 

In Georgia, more than 20 percent of children are hungry. Beech-Nut is partnering with No Kid Hungry because all kids should have access to real food. Join us at the Fernbank Museum – The Giant Screen Theater on Sunday, November 10th from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. for Beech-Nut’s Million Meals at the Movies – a FREE family movie night fundraiser and storytime, benefitting No Kid Hungry. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about food insecurity and how every dollar donated to No Kid Hungry helps hungry children across the United States. Register to reserve your space and to make a tax-deductible donation to No Kid Hungry. You can also donate on No Kid Hungry’s web site by clicking here.

Santa in Tucker

Pictures with Santa should be fun! There is nothing like driving all over Atlanta only to end up standing in a long line surrounded by grumpy toddlers and parents to make you go Grinch. Skip the expensive holiday mini sessions and the trendy Santa photos that all look the same. Instead, visit Santa while enjoying cookies, crafts, coffee, music, merrymaking, and miscellaneous Christmas magic! This year, walk into a Winter Wonderland in historic downtown Tucker and get the kind of holiday photo you really want! Click here to book a session! 

 

I hope you have a great weekend!

Looking for a fun Halloween craft to do this weekend with your kids? Check out this quick and easy Halloween sensory jar!

Looking for a tasty and festive Halloween meal? Check out our Halloween Lasagna! Or how about a jack-o-lantern pumpkin pie?

Continue Reading

Atlanta | family | Family Fun | friends | fun | motherhood | parenting

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta – Vol. 6

By on October 4, 2019
The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s October. This year is flying by! It’s also hard to believe it’s October because it’s still 95 degrees here in Atlanta. I’m so over this heat! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Check out what’s going on in and around Atlanta:

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta – Vol. 6

 

Friday, October 4th

Atlanta International Night Market 

Día de Los Muertos Art Exhibit

 

Saturday, October 5th

Taste of Chamblee

Taste of Tucker

Atlanta Parent’s Family Festival

Suwannee Art’s Festival

Duluth Beer and Wine Fest

Georgia Race for Autism and Fall Festival

Crabapple Fest

Fall Festival in Chandler Park

Atlanta Chinatown Fall Festival

 

Sunday, October 6th

Roswell Wine Festival 

2019 Atlanta Ramen Fest

Oak Groove Festival

Fernbank Forest Night Walk

 

On-Going Events

Pumpkin Patch at Jaemor Farms

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta – Vol. 6

Stone Mountain Park Pumpkin Festival 

The Local Guide – Things To Check Out Around Atlanta – Vol. 6

 

I hope you have a great weekend!

 

Looking for a fun Halloween craft to do this weekend with your kids? Check out this quick and easy Halloween sensory jar! 

Continue Reading

family | Family Fun | fun | home | kids activities | motherhood | parenting

Our Favorite Family Board Games

By on September 25, 2019
Our Favorite Family Board Games | sunshineandholly.com | #boardgames | #kidsactivities | board games for kids | preschool games

It may officially be fall, but here in Georgia, the temperature is still more like the surface of the sun! We’re talking 90+ degree heat. And the pool is officially closed for the season, so we’ve been spending more and more time inside just trying to stay cool. Luckily, my kids are old enough to play together and entertain each other long enough for me to get a few things done each day. When they were little, I regretted having my kids two years apart. But now it’s amazing! I love how well they play together. They still fight (like all siblings do) but I will say the amount of time they spend playing versus fighting is way higher.

When they finally get sick of playing on their own and want me to join in, I always reach for a board game, card game, or a puzzle. I find these activities easier than trying to play pretend. (I can only think of so many things for Barbie to say to My Little Pony…) We’ve started to build up a collection of board games that we all love to play.

Here are a few of our favorite family board games:

Continue Reading

family | Family Fun | food | fun | Travel | vacation

Wildwood Grove at Dollywood – Everything You Need to Know

By on May 14, 2019

A big thanks to Dollywood for inviting me to the media event for the grand opening of Wildwood Grove and for the free park admission for my family!

If you’ve never been to Dollywood, you’re really missing out! Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, this family-friendly theme park is packed with award-winning rides, shows, and attractions. Recently, Dollywood opened a brand-new expansion of the park called Wildwood Grove. With 11 new thrilling experiences, it’s the largest expansion in park history.

 

Here’s everything you need to know about Wildwood Grove at Dollywood!

Continue Reading

Disney | family | Family Fun | fun | kids activities | motherhood | parenting | Travel

10 Reasons We Love Disney’s Bay Lake Tower

By on April 11, 2019
10 Reasons We Love Disney's Bay Lake Tower | sunshineandholly.com | Disney World | family vacation | trip | Disney Vacation Club | where to stay at Disney | best Disney hotels

10 Reasons We Love Disney's Bay Lake Tower | sunshineandholly.com | Disney World | family vacation | trip | Disney Vacation Club | where to stay at Disney | best Disney hotels

When booking accommodations for Disney, there are lots of things to take into consideration. Price, location to the parks, and amenities for example, but there are other things that can make an otherwise average hotel stay at Disney into an exceptional one. We’ve stayed at several different hotels over the years, both on-property and off, and our favorite so far has been the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort.

Bay Lake Tower is part of the Disney Vacation Club, a timeshare program run by Disney. However, there are ways to book Bay Lake Tower rooms without being part of the club. We booked a trip through DVCrentals.com and had a great experience! (And saved $$$ too! Find out more about DVC Rentals below.)

Bay Lake Tower offers studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom villas. There’s a pool with a water slide, access to the monorail, and (by far the best part in my opinion) the resort is WALKING DISTANCE to the Magic Kingdom. You heard that right! No need to wait in the long monorail or bus lines. It’s wonderful to be able to walk back to your hotel after a long day at the parks, and not waiting in the long lines for transportation.

10 Reasons We Love Disney's Bay Lake Tower | sunshineandholly.com | Disney World | family vacation | trip | Disney Vacation Club | where to stay at Disney | best Disney hotels

Continue Reading