I’ve had a couple people ask me lately about reputable survey companies that I’d recommend.  These are ones that I have experience with that have always paid on time and went well.  I recommend all of these:

• Valued Opinions
• Pinecone Research
• Opinion Outpost
• MySurvey
• Mindfield

This is a guest post by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida.  When she is not helping plan magical vacations, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.  Click here to contact her and she’ll help you find the best rates for your magical vacation!

Some of the best memories at Disney World are made during multi-generational vacations. My family had the privilege of having my dad travel with us on our girls’ first trip to Disney World in October 2012. He will be traveling with us again in October 2014. Traveling with senior citizens can be challenging, especially at a place like Disney World that is large and very spread out. Here are some tips for traveling to Disney World with senior citizens:

• Request an accessible room. All Disney resorts have handicap accessible rooms. These rooms are closer to the front and are wheelchair and ECV accessible. The doors are a little wider, the bathrooms are larger, and the bathtubs are designed for easy access in and out. If you will need one, request one in advance.
• Rent a wheelchair or ECV. If you don’t already have your own, consider renting a wheelchair or ECV for seniors with mobility issues. You can rent a wheelchair or ECV from the parks; however, they are only available on a first come, first serve basis and must be returned before leaving the parks. There are also several rental companies that will rent you a wheelchair or ECV for the length of your stay. Many of these companies will also deliver the wheelchair or ECV to your resort and show you how to operate it as well as pick it up before you check out.
• Take precautions against Florida weather. Make sure everyone in your party stays hydrated and wears sunscreen. Young children and seniors are the most susceptible to the heat, so make sure to check on them frequently.
• Read the posted precautions for the attractions. There are some medical conditions that can be aggravated if you go on the ride. Please take the warnings seriously.
• Take frequent breaks. Parades and shows are a great way to take a break and relax while still experiencing some Disney magic. Try to find a shady spot to sit under for outdoor events.
• Familiarize yourself with your loved one’s dietary needs. If you read my article about dining at Disney with special dietary needs, you already know that Disney is amazing about accommodating special dietary needs. Familiarize yourself with your loved one’s needs and be sure to contact the restaurants where you will be dining in advance.
• Take time for the Flag Retreat at the Magic Kingdom. This is my dad’s favorite thing to watch at the Magic Kingdom. Every day at 5:00 pm, the American flag is ceremonially lowered, removed, and folded. It is sometimes performed with large college marching bands, sometimes with a smaller Disney band. A veteran in the park is always selected to assist with the Flag Retreat and is presented with the flag.

Do you have any tips for traveling to Disney World with senior citizens? I would love to hear them!

Mommy Octopus Note: Our last trip to Disney, we took my 89 year old grandfather before he passed away.  It was a great trip and he enjoyed it very much.  Mainly he loved just watching the kids have fun, but he also enjoyed the People Mover, It’s a Small World, and more.  Don’t hesitate taking your older family members with you on your trip.  This ended up being a super special trip as he was diagnosed with Lymphoma and passed away shortly after.  We had been going to Disney with him since I was a baby.  Lots of great memories.  

Here in Georgia, it doesn’t get super cold very often. This week, we are looking at a low of 5 tomorrow. Yes. 5. Single digits! Those of you up north probably would find that to be a heat wave right now, but for this Georgia Peach, that calls for hibernation! Or at least a batch of hot cocoa, warm fire, and a nice blanket.

Really, it’s not the snow that gets us, it’s the ice.  I remember one cold front came through and the trees all were covered in ice.  All night long we heard tree after tree crashing down under the weight of the ice.  We spent the night just praying that one wouldn’t fall on our house.  It didn’t, however we did lose power for a few days.

Here’s a few things that we have learned in order to prepare for cold weather.

• If you have a fireplace, chop wood ahead of time.  Keep it covered if possible so you won’t have to try to start a fire with wet wood.
• Put weather stripping around doors.
• Inventory all of your winter items and make sure that each member of your family has adequate clothing and accessories AND that they still fit – jackets, coats, hats, gloves, boots, scarves, etc.
• Use an Outdoor Faucet Cover to try and keep water lines from freezing.
• Bring in outside pets.
• Plan ahead on meals so you’re not running to the store in the midst of a snowstorm or black ice warning for milk.
• Keep all medications refilled in case you are stuck at home for a few days.
• Have the following on hand:

1. Matches
2. Canned Foods  (you can easily cook most canned foods right in the can in your fireplace if the power goes out)
3. Blankets
4. Flashlight
5. Batteries
6. Can opener (not electric)

Do you have any other tips to add or items that we should keep on hand?  Leave a comment and let me know!  I’d love to hear from you!

I told you guys a few weeks ago that we were moving.  Don’t worry Athenians, I’m still in the area!  We are finally getting settled in our new house, which means all the essentials are unpacked and the rest will just have to wait.  The kids are doing great with the move and are excited to be meeting new neighborhood friends.  No worries about switching schools (hooray for homeschooling!).

On many of our trips to the old house, I brought along our german shepherd.  She fell asleep like this in the front passenger seat and I thought it was so cute so I took a photo.  My husband says she’s praying for my driving! LOL!

Now that things are calm again, I plan to bring ya’ll more fun posts and activity ideas along with the deals.  Of course, family and homeschool come before the blog, but I will be around!

Yesterday my bestie and I spent about an hour in the local Family Christian bookstore.  I wanted to find some new reading material for my avid 10 year old reader.  I came across a series called Sisters in Time.  They seem similar to the American Girl books only with a Christian perspective, which is important to my family.

There are 6 books and each book is a 4 in 1 book.  Meaning each book has 4 stories in it. The books are quite thick and over 500 pages each so it will definitely take my daughter longer than an hour to read!  Some story lines:

• Sarah’s New World by Colleen L Reece is a story about John and Sarah Smythe and their voyage to America on-board the Mayflower. In search of a country that will allow them to worship freely the Smythe family leaves Holland and faces the dangers of a sea voyage. After 2 months of struggle and hardship the Mayflower reaches the New World and begins the Plymouth colony.
• Rebekah in Danger by Colleen L Reece begins in late 1620 and is the story of Rebekah and Will Cunningham and the settling of New Plymouth. After the dangers and trials of a sea voyage new troubles await the Pilgrims. Who will survive till the spring? But help comes from an unexpected source – Indians. Through it all Rebekah and Will grow in wisdom and understanding.
• Maggie’s Dare by Norma Jean Lutz takes place during the height of America’s Great Awakening period (1744 -1745) and is Maggie and Evan Baldwin’s story. In the changing Boston society Maggie is caught up in her confusion of where she belongs and her feelings about slavery and the Revivalists. But when she meets Jonathan Edwards she sees herself as she really is and Boston society loses it charm while Boston’s poor and needy call to her heart.
• Lizzie and the Redcoat by Susan Martins Miller takes place around 1765 and is Lizzie and Joshua Murray’s story. Boston is in a time of upheaval and anger at the King over the Stamp Act is causing Boston’s citizens to take up arms and anyone sympathizing with the British soldiers in America was in danger. Amid the turmoil that is Boston Lizzie must decide where she stands.

So as you can see, definitely a great series for young girls.

As always, I try to look for a great deal.  I shopped around and found that Walmart.com is the cheapest place for this series right now, priced a little over $6 for each 4 in 1 book.  I went ahead and grabbed the other ones that I didn’t buy yesterday and I plan to give them to my daughter throughout the year.  Definitely pleased with this series.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for some great books for your preteen.

I’d also love to hear more suggestions on great books for young girls or boys.  Leave a comment and tell me what your kids like!

I love making Chex Mix.  It’s super easy, fun, and tasty.  My friends at Platefull Co-op send me a goodie box filled with everything needed to make Tropical Island Chex Mix.  I took about 15 minutes yesterday and now we have a yummy snack!

With all the fun tropical ingredients, it takes you to those fun summer days filled with lemonade, ice cream, and laughter.  With the warm winter weather we’ve been having lately, I’d say we aren’t too far from summer anyways 😉

Ingredients:

• 8  cups Rice Chex® cereal
• 1   cup shredded coconut, if desired
• 1   cup dried banana chips
• 1   package (7 oz) dried tropical fruit mix
• 1   jar (3 oz) macadamia nuts
• 3   tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4    cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4    cup frozen (thawed) pineapple or orange juice concentrate

Directions:

In microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in brown sugar and pineapple juice concentrate. Microwave uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until hot; stir. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until mixture just begins to brown.Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

OR

Oven Directions: Heat oven to 300°F. In ungreased large roasting pan, mix cereal, coconut, banana chips, tropical fruit mix and nuts. In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and pineapple juice concentrate over medium heat until hot. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Interested in making some?  Stop by Publix for the ingredients and grab this coupon:

11/14—12/31: Save $1.00 off 2 Chex cereals, find coupon in the “All The Trimmings” coupon booklet, available now until 12/31/13 in Publix stores.

* Disclaimer: The recipe and ingredients for this yummy snack were provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.

If you have a twitter account, did you know you can make money with sponsored tweets?  You’re able to accept or decline opportunities.  So far I’ve had one for Otterpops and another this morning for Beggin’ dog snacks.  Nothing to get rich on, but a nice little extra every once in a while!  If you have a twitter account, give it a try and see what opportunities you can score.

• Sign Up
• Pick Your Price
• Tweet
• Get Paid via Paypal

On Tuesday, December 10th, The Cheesecake Factory will be opening at the Mall of Georgia in Buford.  They had a test run this past week and invited me to come in and check them out.  I had never been to The Cheesecake Factory before and my husband is a huge fan of cheesecake so we gave it a try.

Once inside, the kids all wanted to stop and stare drool over the variety of cheesecakes.  And yes, hubby and I were admiring them as well.

We were given menus to choose from and I chose the Crusted Chicken Romano.  So super tasty and there was so much food, I took most of it home for another day!  My husband had the Bang Bang Shrimp entree and he loved that as well.  Kids gobbled down some macaroni and cheese, which was also very tasty!

Now for the part I know ya’ll are wanting to hear about.  The Cheesecake.  We chose the TOASTED MARSHMALLOW S’MORES GALORE™, REESE’S® PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE CHEESECAKE, and the CHOCOLATE TUXEDO CREAM® CHEESECAKE.  Oh my stars, they were fantastic!  The Tuxedo one was our favorite out of the 3 that we tried.  The chocolatey goodness cannot be described!  Then next was the S’mores one.  The Reese’s was a little rich for my tastes, but my husband enjoyed it.

It was such an incredibly fun outing and we can’t wait to go back.  We definitely plan to go back after the grand opening.

If you plan to go to The Cheesecake Factory, or plan to give a giftcard as a gift, be sure and head to their website to take advantage of this hot deal.  For every $25 in giftcards that you purchase, you get a free slice of cheesecake!  I just bought a $50 giftcard to give as a gift and we scored 2 free slices!  YAY!  The free slices can be redeemed 1/1/14-3/30/14.

Have you been to The Cheesecake Factory?  What were your thoughts?

I love making gifts in a jar for friends and family.  It’s a nice way to give a heartfelt gift without breaking the bank too much.  One that is simple to make is this Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix.  You can put it together fairly quickly and make several at once in order to have plenty of gifts to go around.    It’s a simple way to show your loved ones that you care!

Supplies needed are powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, candy canes, and mini marshmallows.

Once made, you can even print the little gift tags HERE to label your jars so your friends know what to do with the mix.  One jar approximately 6 servings.