You see the commercials, you hear the radio segments, you see the pictures, but just what exactly is all the hype about this Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park?

Our family arrived at the great indoor water park for 3 nights over Memorial Day weekend. We were guests of Visit Cabarrus and this trip was extra special as we were actually digging deeper to get past the water park as well. The girls were packed 3 days before time with all their swim gear and before you know it, the time had arrived to be greeted by the big black bear. Welcome sighting for all the guests.

We checked in and headed straight to our room. This is our third trip and the girls are always so eager to check out the rooms each time. They love that they have their own area in our hotel room.

Hubby is just excited to get to stretch out on the couch for a few minutes and see what is on the tube.

But, there is no sitting in the hotel room for long as the girls are dressed in their swimsuits and ready to head out to the water fun. A minute review of our fun time in the water park area.

I am especially in love with this water park as my girls are both on different levels of what they enjoy doing. The water park really does have areas for the small at heart and the big at heart. While M and I are enjoying all the big water slides, Daddy and L can enjoy the wave pool and the little kiddie area. M loves the kiddie area as well and the whole family can enjoy the big bucket splash. Now, that is a must-do for every family. Life guards are all over the water park as well, so that really assures me. You will notice, the life guards are not allowed to stand in one place. They have to constantly be scoping out their entire area the whole time they are on duty. Awesome move by Great Wolf!

The fun just does not stop at the water park though. Expand your options and enjoy spa time, an ice cream cone, a little arcade time, story time, or even try your hand at the magic wand. The fun just keeps going.

If you want to enjoy a little outdoor time, then take in some family putt-putt time or even dive into the outdoor pool. Your fun options are unlimited as that is what makes Great Wolf more than just an indoor water park. You see why we are so addicted to Great Wolf now right? Special deal right now too if you book by June 30, 2011. Use Promo Code: Fun4All and receive 20% off their best available rates. Get out of the heat and still have water fun with the family.

Great Wolf, until we meet again!

Disclosure: Thank you to Great Wolf Lodge – Concord, NC and Visit Cabarrus for the complimentary nights. All thoughts and opinioins are of our own.

New series starting here at One Moms World. NC has so much to offer from the mountains of NC all the way to the beaches of NC. My family is going on location to different areas in NC to provide a real family fun review and recommend places that you can visit all across the beautiful State of NC. This week we take a trip to Visit Cabarrus County.

We loaded up the family and took a road trip to Cabarrus County which is where racing begins. Before heading to the big race of the year Coca Cola 600, we took a little side road and headed over to Midland, NC to visit the Reed Mine. It was time to get our hands dirty and find some gold. The girls kept asking lots of questions on the drive over, because they were just so confused why we would go hunt gold. I have realized, I must have sheltered my girls a little too much. Never fear, once I said we were going to look through all kinds of rocks, L’s ears perked up and she was counting down the minutes till we got there.

The girls did not realize, that you first get the opportunity to go underground before doing the actual mining. You see back in the 1700′s, a twelve year old boy named Conrad Reed made the first documented discovery of gold right there at the Reed Mine. For three years though, the 17 pound rock just served as a door step until they finally took the rock to a silversmith. The silversmith could not identify the rock and the Reed’s finally made it into the big city to a jeweler. The jeweler said name your price as they found out it was gold. $3.50 was the quoted price. The Reed’s were cheated as the gold was worth about $75,000 in today’s prices. The jeweler eventually did give the Reed’s $1,000 more. All of this is detailed in the great museum at Reed’s Mine and the Underground Tour. The girls were very hesitant at first to go into the underground area, but alas we had fun and was soon off to do a little mining to see if we could find gold.

Did we find gold? Watch and see what indeed we did find!

As you can see, it was a lot of fun for the whole family and let’s you escape to the yesteryears with your kids. Load up the family and go have fun mining. You just never know when you may find gold and get to retire .

New series starting here at One Moms World. NC has so much to offer from the mountains of NC all the way to the beaches of NC. My family is going on location to different areas in NC to provide a real family fun review and recommend places that you can visit all across the beautiful State of NC.

Our family travels took us over to Greensboro, NC to the Greensboro Children’s Museum. Oh my goodness, it was very hard to get the girls to leave the museum. I mean, they do close and the employees need to go home to see their families, so girls we really have to go. I promise we will be back. That is the conversation that we had to go over about 10 times, before the girls realized ok, we better go.

We were greeted at the front door by two wonderful ladies who are over marketing at the museum. They were very eager as the girls were as well to get the insider tour. Let me go ahead and tell you, you will need to map out more than 3 hours of your day, as there really is so much to do. As they note on their site:

The 37,000 square foot facility in downtown Greensboro includes over 20 permanent hands-on exhibits in “Our Town” and a new outdoor Edible Schoolyard that are designed to stimulate children’s imaginations and provide educational play experiences.

The “Our Town” was such a fun experience and really did show the girls what it is like for an adult in the day to day activities such as delivering the mail, going to the grocery store, preparing the weather, building a house, taking care of the babies in the nursery and on and on and on. Then in the state of the art, as this is the only one in NC, is their edible schoolyard. Yes, it is a garden where you can learn and plant, and then eat your own creations. Kids come after school and tend to the garden, harvest the crops and feed the animals. Let’s leave the talk alone right now, and come take a peek inside the video that we prepared from our fun visit.

See how fun? What are you waiting for, plan a weekend trip now to Greensboro and take in the fun at the Greensboro NC Children’s Museum and the Natural Science Center of Greensboro.

If you are still looking for a fun but educational camp experience for your child, then the children’s museum has you covered with all age groups. Check out all the fun camps they have planned for this summer.

Let’s start that planning. Have any questions? I will be happy to answer.

NC is one amazing state from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains on the western side to the amazing Atlantic Beaches on the eastern side. Raleigh, NC is right in the the middle and has so much to offer for all families.

I was able to get a little taste of what Raleigh has to offer a couple weeks ago at the Moms Nite Out event showcased by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and Go Mom Inc.

The fun entertainment was held at Solas Restaurant in Raleigh, NC. We had an amazing view the of the Raleigh skyline all evening long. All of the moms were able to have a taste sampler of some of the top appetizers that Solas has to offer.

As we were enjoying mingling with other moms, Primp Salon and Bar was there to pamper all of the moms. Each mom was able to choose services that they wanted to experience. I chose the eyebrow wax since it had been before the girls were born that I last had my eyebrows waxed. It really is amazing how having your eyebrows done can change your eyes. Also, I wanted to be pampered and have my hair curled.

I really did have almost tears in my eyes when I first saw my hair. It was beautiful and I just wish I could get my hair to do that every day .

Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau was on hand as well to give us more details about the area. Raleigh has it all for everyone from the creative genius to the lifelong learner. They actually even have a quiz on their site that will help you plan your trip and see what kind of visitor you would be.

Incredible museums are in Raleigh that the whole family would enjoy such as the Marbles Museum. Parks that are family friendly and will keep the family busy all day and have the children smiling ear to ear.

Take a day, a weekend, even a week and see what all you are missing in the Greater Raleigh, NC area. Have planning questions? Ask away. I will be happy to help.

As everyone knows, I am a southern gal. Born and raised in the south with the southern accent to boot, that is what makes up me – Jen Houck. I could not imagine life any other way.

Ever since I was a small little girl, my brother and I would be in the kitchen to see what we could create to surprise our parents. My love of cooking has grown even stronger over the years and most evenings, you will still find me in the kitchen. This is why it is an honor to be asked to be a Crescent Cook Pillsbury Ambassador and share my easy and delicious recipes with all of you… busy parents!

Let’s back up here and tell you the time line of how this all took place. Back in June, I filled out an application about why my love for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls was so big. I did not have any expectations, so when I received a call to say I was in the top 100 out of 3600 applicants… there was lots of grinning ear to ear. I had to submit two recipes to see if I could make it to the next round and I DID! It was then telephone interview time, to my surprise, I was not nervous at all. More than likely, it was because I was speaking of a subject that was very dear to my heart. Cooking! I didn’t hear anything for a couple weeks and then the day of L’s surgery, I received the call that I was one of the 4 finalists. I wanted to scream from the roof tops, but I have had to keep it quiet till today. That was hard.

Now fast forward to the winning recipe.

So let’s take Comfort food + Pillsbury

and we have Pillsbury Crescent Chicken Pot Pie that will make your mouth water.

Now does that not look delicious?

INGREDIENTS

* 1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables or 1 large can of veg-all
* 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
* 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
* 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

DIRECTIONS

1. In large bowl, mix vegetables, chicken and soups. Pour into greased or sprayed 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.

2. Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles; press perforations to seal. Place rectangles over chicken mixture; pinch center edges to seal. Press outside edges of dough to edges of baking dish.

3. Bake at 350°F 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

As we all know, us southern ladies really do love our comfort food. Ok… go on… what are you waiting for? Let’s get to cooking

Stop the presses people, Jen has left her beloved mountains for the big city living in Raleigh, NC.

It is true my readers, I had to break off the relationship with the Blue Ridge Mountains. We just couldn’t take it any longer as I kept cheating and driving down to Raleigh throughout this year…. it became more apparent that Raleigh, NC would be our new hometown. Mountains, I still love you though and you are only 3 hours from me, so now I can cheat on Raleigh and visit YOU!

Here is to a new journey for our family. Better job opportunity for my husband, better school system for our girls and a better environment for L and her asthma. Also a better area for green and organic living. Trader Joes is definitely all that and a cup of fresh cheeries. We have already bonded tight!

So here we are… stay tuned on this new ride as I am sure we will have plenty of tales from a county girl living in a big city with a super thick southern accent. It’s all good!

Let’s get you all started on this journey with the girls’ first day of school. My babies are growing up. L started kindergarten and M started 2nd grade. L had a bit of anxiety but with some great pep talks from mom (more coming on that) she had a wonderful first day. M said everyone kept wanting to talk to her… maybe they are just enjoying her southern accent as well

Aren’t they just the cutest, stylish girls on the planet? Of course they are!

We did unfortunately already have our first ER trip and wasn’t even here a full 2 days. My precious L got spider bit. I of course naturally freaked out but all is well again and L’s foot is back to normal. It wasn’t looking so great when it first happened.

You would have had a panic attack too… or maybe I am just a overly worried mom. Yes… that’s what it is I am sure.

Here we go on the rest of our big city journey. Now let me go charge my GPS so I can find my way back to Trader Joes! They do have more than 2 stop lights here you know

We are driving away from the wonderful Ocean Isle Inn. It really is bittersweet as we are heading towards Fort Lauderdale now, but it is like saying good bye to family. This was our third time back to the Inn, and I really do feel like we are all family.

We arrived at the Inn on Friday to a fun filled weekend with Miss Lori. The girls were so excited to spend time with their friends, The Tiger Boys of the beautiful Carolina Mama and the Princesses of the beautiful Real Life Sarah. Hubby and I were excited as well to spend time with great friends.

The evening started off with a Tweet-Up and a Twitter Party with several mom bloggers. It was so much fun to finally meet Chele and Heather. We all had a blast sitting there and tweeting each other and hanging out with Miss Lori.

Saturday, we started the morning out by the beach with some super fun relay games. Who knew I would win a hula-hooping contest? Fun times!

The adults did participate in a game of wives vs. husbands in tug o war. The girls were trying with all our might to win this and finally I fell and ate sand and you can guess who won that contest

The kids were having just as much fun as the adults too with their own relay games. Thank you Ocean Isle Inn for coming up with such creative games that could be done right on the beach.

We all thought after that to go take a dive in the pool and then head over for some good ole ice cream. It was so delicious and I found some super stylish flip flops thanks to Carolina Mama and her awesome fashion advice.

We all headed back to get ready for the grand event of the weekend. Miss Lori Activate Summer Concert. All the kids had such a blast dancing and singing to all the unique songs. I totally seen all the adults rocking out to her songs as well .

We ended the night with a Dance Party. It was such a grand time to just hang out by the pool chatting with all the moms and the kids enjoying themselves in the pool with beach music playing in the background. I would have loved to just bottle up that specific moment. More fun times for sure!

Sunday was all about the Dads. Happy Father’s Day to my wonderful hubby. We were able to take the time and go have some delicious seafood with Carolina Mama’s family. We just adore their family and loved having this extra time before they were getting back on the road to head home.

We were there two more days, just having a blast with Ocean Isle Inn. I love we can stay there and never have to leave the premises. The girls just wanted to play in the pool and at the beach. I was totally fine with that as we all were having such fun times. Real Life Judd was having fun squirting us with water guns. It was just great to laugh and laugh and laugh and let the stresses melt away.

The Inn is such a family friendly place, that you cannot help to fall in love with the place. The last night was spent packing up to leave… the girls started crying because they just wanted to stay longer. They really have grown to love the Inn just as much as hubby and I are! Thank you Lee, Tracey, Melanie, Maria and all the staff there at the Inn for a wonderful 5 days. We created more summer memories that will last a lifetime. We cannot wait to get back.

Fun Friend Memories!

See our complete review of Ocean Isle inn over at Traveling Mamas.

Real Life Sarah and I had a lot of fun getting to experience all the incredible restaurants in Boone, NC! If you have not been to the High Country of NC… you are really missing out. The Taste of the High Country involved 23 restaurants from the surrounding area. It was held at the incredible Broyhill Inn.

Hit the road with Mickey Mouse and your favorite Disney Friends for a hilarious talent search in the all-new Disney Live! Mickey’s Rockin’ Road Show!

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy set out on a zany roadtrip where audiences join in and help find the coolest acts around.  Along the way, hit a high note with Cinderella; get your bounce on with Tigger; and shout out your loudest “yee-haw” at a hoedown with Woodie, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear from Disney/Pixar’s A Toy Story!  Grab your family for a fun-filled get-away at this live, show-stopping adventure jam-packed with unexpected twists, turns and hi-jinks – right in your hometown!

This is such a great deal for a Disney Live Show! Also, most schools are closed on April 2nd so you will not have to worry about keeping the kids out late. Make it a family night and watch your kids eyes light up with excitement Go ahead and purchase your discount tickets now. Make sure to use the discount code DEALDL.

For our money that is…

Now you see, I do live in the mountains and yes we are use to the snow and cold BUT, there is usually a little bit of a break in between storms for us to re-cooperate. Since Dec. 17th,

• I have seen my grass for about a total of 4 days.
• The girls have maybe went a total of four FULL days of school (meaning no delays or snow cancellations).
• We lost power for 4 days.
• We have seen more ice that we ever care to!
• We have came up with so many creative ways to sled that you would be amazed

It is a winter for the history books for sure. I am itching for the sun so I can go out and run and get more fit. This winter has really done me in and I am so just wanting to get out and run, run and did I say run?

Anyways… I thought I would share some videos of our little sledding runs and some pictures to make you smile from our own little version of North Pole!

First Glance at North Pole, NC

The Girls Taking a Sled Run

M Having Fun with the Circular Sled

Mommy and L Taking a Sled Run

Snow Gals

The Girls SnowWoman

M Loves to Make Snow Angels

The Girls Love to Crash the Sled

The Girls LOVE to Sled

The Snow Is Here So We Should Enjoy It I Guess

Happy Winter Everyone!!