I absolutely love living in Gwinnett County there is a great mix of people, lots of big towns with small town feel and so very much to do all the time!
Explore Gwinnett is a great site that collects all the things to see and do, hotels, discount coupons in one place I love it!
One of my favorite things to do just for myself is to go treasure hunting, call it antiquing, thrifting, picking...I love it!! So I am especially excited for an upcoming event at Stone Mountain Park, the Country Living Fair, October 24-26!! I've not been to the fair before but after googling all the pictures I am super exited to check out all the food, vendors, presentations, and I hear the fair t-shirts are highly sought after.
Okay so I know you want to get tickets right? You can buy your tickets here. Or you can enter to win 2 tickets in the giveaway widget at the end of this post.
When you get to the Country Living Fair be sure to check out the Explore Gwinnett booth and sign up for their e-newsletter. The first 100 people to sign up for the e-newsletter each day of the event will receive and free jumbo shopping bag.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*I have been compensated admittance to the fair for my promotion of this event. All opinions are my own.
Over the last few years I've either been pregnant or have been toting around an infant, and the latest baby gear and trends have been on my radar. This year I have a bunch of friends and relatives having babies.
One of my favorite Atlanta events is the Baby & Child Expo. If you're a new to be mom it is certainly not to be missed. If you're a seasoned mom and love keeping up on the latest and greatest offerings in the baby products and services you definitely want to attend this event.
Desiree the event organizer always finds the best brands and local businesses available in Atlanta. Not to mention there are TONS of prizes to be won.
If you're contemplating the VIP ticket...DO IT! It is worth the $$ and there are so many perks that go along with that ticket.
The Info:
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Atlanta Baby and Child Expo
What: THE premier event for expecting and new parents in the Southeast.
We bring in the ultimate in parenting and baby products and professionals.
It’s an elite experience, intimate in setting and not overwhelming. It’s
a party for YOU, the expectant, the new parent, the grandparent and the
supporting cast of family and friends.
When: May 11th, 11am-3pm (VIP ticket holders get early entry, starting at
10:30am)
Where: Fox Theatre Ballrooms, 660 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
Tickets: www.atlantababyandchildexpo.
This event features a Maternity Fashion Show, Red Carpet Photos of
attendees as they enter, a Stroller Trial Track, Cravings Corner and so
much more!
Last Thursday night I had the opportunity to gather with local Atlanta Mom Bloggers down in Buckhead for a party with Graco. The party was hosted by Meghan of JaMonkey.com. I had so much fun meeting other area blogging mommies (and some of their adorable babies) and chatting all about our kids, blogging, and car seats!
Photo courtesy of party hostess Meghan
Meghan shared with us the all new Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 car seat. I was super excited to learn more about the only rear facing car seat on the market that is designed for newborn up to two years old (4lbs – 40lbs). I was mostly curious how a two year old could sit rear facing and still have room for their legs.
Graco did an amazing job addressing that issue. Their 8 reclining positions allow you to adjust the seat to best fit your child and allow them to comfortably sit rear facing without their legs being cramped. Adjusting the position of the car seat is super simple just press the buttons on each side and slide to the seat position you want. When their feet do touch the seat they have designed a handy kick plate that pulls up to protect your seat. (This is my husband’s favorite feature!)
That isn’t the only cool feature that I really loved. The harness system, ‘The Simply Safe Adjust ™’, makes it super easy to adjust the height of the shoulder straps and head padding section as your child grows. No more rethreading the straps!! WOOT WOOT I love that it makes it easy to ensure you’re keeping your child as safe as possible at all times! No excuses!
Having two young kids, a 20 month old and a 1 month old, this car seat is amazing. If I’m traveling with only one of my young ones I can easily adjust it to fit either child with the super simple seat & strap adjustments. For that purpose this would be a terrific car seat for my husband’s car, additional bases can be purchased too.
The car seat is exclusively available at Babies R Us and retails for $219.99.
The Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 – the first and only newborn to two-year infant car seat that actually grows with your baby from four pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. The car seat is designed for a parent on the go. The infant car seat can be easily removed from the base and used as a carrier when the infant is small, providing portability and convenience so you can easily move your infant in and out of the car without disturbing them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently made the recommendation to keep all children in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2. Graco set out to make this product so parents can keep infants rear facing longer while still keeping them comfortable.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. The opinions and text are all mine.
Summer is here!! Are you already hearing the “I’m board” whine from your kiddos? Have you already spent your summer time budget on camps and sports? We’re finished with our homeschooling and are looking for other activities and events to engage our minds and to exercise our bodies.
If you’re not already familiar with Field Trips with Sue be sure to subscribe to that website. There are always fantastic reviews on places around Atlanta and Georgia to see and do with kids. I often find many of her activities being perfect for us as homeschoolers during the school year.
Here is a bit more about the Field Trips with Sue website:
Field Trips with Sue is an award-winning blog about things to do with kids in Atlanta and throughout Southeast. It helps families plan outings, day trips, weekend getaways and vacations. Select posts are featured on Raveable.com, (named by Travel + Leisure magazine as a top travel site) and ATL Insider (the website of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau). Sue also contributes to national travel sites, Travel Savvy Mom and Best Family Travel Advice. Bi-monthly, see Field Trips with Sue segments on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta. Sue has appeared as a travel expert on Atlanta’s WXIA-TV Atlanta; Fox 5 Atlanta, KTVI-TV, St. Louis, MO; WTLZ-TV, Columbus, Ga.; and WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL. She has also been quoted for stories on travel in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Northside Neighbor.
Sue Rodman, the site founder, has used her expertise and written ebook that compiles tons of free and frugal activities around Atlanta, Georgia, and some are national activities.
More about the book 100+ Free Things to do in Atlanta:
100+ Free Things to Do in Atlanta:
A Don’t-Miss Guide for Summer FunAtlanta, GA May 17, 2012 – Summer is coming and parents and caregivers are asking the age-old question: “What are we going to do with the kids this summer?” 100+ Free Things to Do in Atlanta offers frugal and fiscally-responsible families, ideas for summer fun and year-round entertainment. The book includes tips on visiting Atlanta’s favorite attractions like the Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, and Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta for free. In addition, families can learn how to beat the heat with free pool time and splash fountains, escape inside for arts and crafts at local retailers or outside to experience nature. With this book, summer will be anything but boring.
Written by Atlanta resident Sue Rodman, the book is a natural extension of her popular and award-winning travel blog, Field Trips with Sue, about things to do with kids in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. The blog helps families plan outings, day trips, weekend getaways and vacations from a first-hand point of view. More importantly, from a mom’s point of view. Each entry in 100+ Free
Things to Do in Atlanta includes the who, what, where and when with costs up front for easy viewing. Web links guide readers to specific information on the attraction; addresses make it easy to plug into the GPS on the go.
100+ Free Things to do in Atlanta is available in ebook formats such as Kindle, Nook, iPad and iPhone for $4.99. Printed books are available for $9.99. Visit www.fieldtripswithsue.com/100free to purchase your book today!
Having received a copy of the book, I’ve been able to read through and find a few things we’ve done already this summer and have booked a few more on our calendar. Some things I had been familiar with but most of them were a completely new idea.
I think this would make a great resource in your home library especially if you often have family coming into town or are traveling to Georgia. Being able to entertain your whole family affordably, makes being a great host a lot easier.
Sue has given me one ebook to give away so here is your opportunity to win this book o’ family fun!
a Rafflecopter giveawayI told you last time I posted about the Laughing Pizza event down at the Georgia Aquarium. We had a great time as a family watching a great mini show from the people at Circus Camp, the Laughing Pizza movie, a live performance, and a meet & greet with Laughing Pizza. Oh yes and getting to watch those super fun beluga whales.
I especially loved how “small” the crowd was at this event. Although the room was full it was a much more intimate venue than say the Georgia Dome or another arena. It really made for a great time for our family. Many thanks to Michelle @ Macaroni Kid for providing the opportunity for our family to attend.
The kiddo got to walk the red carpet.
There were lots of great vendors and sponsors of the event. The major sponsors were B98.5 & Shumate, and of course the Georgia Aquarium.
We loved that Circus Camp had performers out in the lobby entertaining the kids while we waited for the doors to open. They also put on a great show for all of us before the movie started. I’ll tell you their show really made me want to runaway to Circus Camp too!
The OMG Booth had a great set up, letting all the guest get their pictures taken with word bubbles containing Laughing Pizza lyrics. So much fun!
Photo Credit: OMGbooth.com
Don’t forget to “like” Laughing Pizza on facebook to score a free download!
After the live performance we got in line to have the kiddo’s CD signed. That was lots of fun and very exciting.
Photo Credit: Laughing Pizza.com
Since our little girl has started walking she thinks she can go anywhere. I kept her contained most of the time but once the event was over we watched the beluga whales for a while and both kids just loved how playful the whales were. They’d swim right up to the window and then quickly turn away, make a big circle and come back again. One even pooped right in front of us! All the kids squealed at that.
We opted not to go from the premiere to the aquarium since we had already pushed little girl past her nap time by a couple hours. We love the aquarium and definitely want to go back real soon.
The Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium is such an amazing venue and this event for families was a great fit. And if you get the opportunity to attend family event like this it is well worth the money!!
Is there anything more Atlanta than our favorite musical family at our favorite family destination?
That’s right Laughing Pizza is hosting a film premiere event at the Georgia Aquarium!!! My five year old and almost one year old love to dance and Laughing Pizza’s songs come on in between their favorite pbs kids shows, it is adorable to watch them jump up and down and shake to the music.
A little bit about the band:
Laughing Pizza is a real family band who write and perform all original pop-music for families. This mom, dad, and daughter trio travel across the nation performing at theatres, museums, music festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues. Lisa and Billy (the mom and dad) are both classically trained musicians and former music teachers with a history of success in the grown-up music business. Emily, their 15-year-old daughter, plays multiple instruments including flute, drums, guitar, piano, and bass – and co-writes all of the Laughing Pizza songs with her parents – all while attending school online and crafting the new Laughing Pizza clothing line!
A little bit about the event:
Atlanta's family-favorite musical group, Laughing Pizza, invites families to the grand Oceans Ballroom at Georgia Aquarium for a one-time, VIP family film premiere Saturday, Feb. 4 at 11:00 a.m. The award-winning band and world’s largest aquarium are teaming up for the world premiere of Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie as well as a live performance by Laughing Pizza after the screening.
Beginning at 11:00 a.m., guests will get the “red carpet treatment” with photographs, spectacular views into the world’s largest aquatic habitat, Ocean Voyager, as well as views into the charismatic beluga whale habitat from within the grand Oceans Ballroom. There will also be entertainment by Atlanta's own Circus Camp and more. The VIP screening of Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie, will begin at 12:00 p.m. (The film has already won 5 out of 5 Doves from the Dove Foundation, and was endorsed by the Parents Television Council.) After the screening, Laughing Pizza will perform a few of their hits, and guests will have the opportunity to meet Billy, Lisa and Emily, up close and in person!
Laughing Pizza is a real family band that writes and performs all original pop-music for families. Their music videos can be seen every day in more than 18 million homes on PBS stations and TV On-Demand channels around the country. This mom, dad and daughter trio (from right here in Smyrna!) travel across the nation performing at theatres, museums, music festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues – including the White House (with Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers). Their live performances are energetic, interactive, dance-filled shows that get kids and parents up and moving, and they have a loyal following all across the country.
When:
February 4 at 11:00am
Where:
Georgia Aquarium in the Grand Oceans Ballroom
How to get tickets:
VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets include admission to the film, live performance by Laughing Pizza, meet and greet with the band, and red carpet festivities. VIP Red Carpet Premiere tickets are $15 (Children under 1 years old are free).
For an even more spectacular experience, guests can upgrade their tickets to the VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus ticket, which includes admission to the premiere and its events, as well as admission to the Aquarium and the 3:30 p.m. showing of AT&T Dolphin Tales. VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus tickets are $34.95 for adults and $28.95 for children. Children ages 1-3 years old need only a film pass, as they are admitted to the Aquarium for free. Premiere Plus Combo tickets are ONLY available until Feb. 2nd ($10 per ticket savings).
Online ticket purchases for the show event itself are through Feb. 3rd online, then tickets must be purchased at the door only.
For more information and to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE. The event is sponsored by Shumate and B-98.5FM. A portion of all proceeds will go to The Georgia Aquarium’s SEA Program.
The VIP Red Carpet Premiere Plus ticket is a fantastic deal you get the whole aquarium experience after a super family show.
