Diggerland and local non-profit join forces to organize philanthropic event

Diggerland USA has partnered with the SAMBULANCE Program, a 501 c(3) non-profit tasked with fostering special needs safety education. The entities will co-host Dig, Dine and Drive, an annual fun-filled evening set to take place on Friday, June 9th from 6:00 to 10:00 PM.

Tickets for the all-inclusive event, priced at $30 each and now available online, include: live entertainment, a BBQ buffet, auction, specialized stunt show, as well as access to all the park’s various attractions.

Proceeds will support the continued education and safety of special needs individuals through the non-profit, which offers free hands-on training. In 2016 alone, over 22,000 students across New Jersey and Pennsylvania were reached by the SAMBULANCE team.

“Being able to provide lifesaving presentations is so rewarding,” said Annie Peters, Executive Director of SAMBULANCE. “The special population we reach is particularly vulnerable in emergencies. Knowing that we are making a difference in helping them stay safe, makes this job really special. Emergencies are daunting experiences, so allowing exposure to emergency personnel, vehicles and situations is vital.”

SAMBULANCE also works with Diggerland USA and Sahara Sam’s Oasis to host park events catered to the special needs community. These events, along with Dig, Dine and Drive have been made possible through ongoing support from Nemours DuPont Pediatrics in Voorhees. A number of both local and national companies have donated over $5,000 in raffle items for the auction, including Virtua and TD Bank.

To make a donation, provide sponsorship, purchase tickets or receive additional information on the June 9th event, visit: http://digdinedrive.org.

Nintendo Selects – the perfect basket stuffer

This Easter, instead of filling the kiddo’s Easter baskets with candy and small plastic trinkets, why not fill it with something they will enjoy for hours and that they really want.  Check out the games from the Nintendo Select line, which include some of the most fun 3DS games at a great price.  Some of the titles include Kirby Triple Deluxe, Mario and Luigi Dream Team, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Luigi’s Mansion, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, and Yoshi’s New Island.  These games and many more can now be purchased for $19.99.  These are the same fun games which are well loved by all at a wallet-friendly price.

Kirby Triple Deluxe is all about the cute pink hero who must defeat King Dedede by traveling through many worlds.  Kirby’s chief move is the ability to suck up enemies and borrow their powers, until spitting them out and grabbing new ones.  What we really like about Kirby Triple Deluxe is the amount of content in it.  There are a total of 3 additional games included.  The first is Dedede’s Drum Dash, which is a rhythm based time trial game. Next is Dedede Tour, which lets you time attack through levels from the main story as Kind Dedede instead of Kirby, and last but not least the Arena, which is a continuous battle mode with bosses from the main story.  This game is a great way to get to know Kirby and all is about personality and powers.

Mario and Luigi Dream Team is a role playing game with familiar characters from the Mushroom Kingdom.  In this game you must battle your way through the resort world of Pi’ Illo and Luigi’s odd dream world.  The game is an action RPG where players take control of the famous brothers in order to rescue Princess Peach and restore the citizens of Pi’ illo from the bat king Antasma’s curse.  This game is a blast for Mario fans and is a fun way to change up the familiar game play of running and jumping by including strategy and a rich silly story.

These games and more are available now at retail locations and online.

Passing your driving test first time – how to make it happen

Finally getting your hands on a driving license is a big achievement and a great feeling. The good thing is that you can give yourself a good chance of passing the test first time, if you approach it in the right way. Of course, learning well starts when you first get behind the wheel of a car, but you need to consolidate all of your learning and make sure you are well prepared for the test.

One of the most important things to remember is that you need to give yourself time to find your local DMV, so that you can easily book a test date that fits in with what is convenient for you. This helps to take some of the pressure off as you can then go ahead and make sure you are well prepared for the day. Here are some of the things you should do, to give yourself the best chance of passing your test first time.

    1. Make sure you get enough practice

The more time you spend practising your driving technique, the more relaxed you are likely to feel when it’s time to take the test. You can ask a friend or relative to accompany you. It’s also a good idea to pay for some instruction from a qualified professional. Do not forget that they know what is expected from you when you take your test, and can teach you accordingly.

    1. Know the rules and laws

If you have passed the written part of the test, you may think that you know the driving laws for your state well enough. You should never be complacent. Do not forget, you are likely to be nervous so you need to know the rules well enough for your memory of them not to be affected by the nerves.

    1. Keep a lid on nerves

It’s natural to be nervous when you are taking a driving test. Having a few nerves is fine; but you need to stop them from adversely affecting your performance. There are techniques you can employ to keep your nerves under control.

    1. Do not obsess about the test

If you become completely obsessed with the test, especially in the twenty four hours leading up to it, you are only going to freak yourself out. It’s a good idea to get some driving practice in the day before; then have a good dinner and an early night. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get up and ready without being rushed, the next day.

If your test is not until later in the day, it’s a good idea to relax by taking a walk. You can energize yourself, and hopefully release some of the nerves.

All of these factors are important, if you want to give yourself the best chance of passing your test first time. You may also want to get some tips from drivers who have recently passed their test. Knowing what to expect always makes life easier.

Teaching Kids the Importance of Healthy Eating and Exercise

There are some scary statistics out there, but few come close to the growing childhood obesity rate. Currently, about one in five school-aged children are obese and many more are overweight. Even worse is that obese children are more likely to be obese as adults.

The problem is a combination of diet and lack of physical activity. In today’s culture there are too many fast food options and too much couch-based entertainment. The sooner you can start breaking bad habits and encouraging the good ones, the easier it will be for your whole family to live a healthy lifestyle. Use these 10 tips to teach your kids the importance of eating healthy and exercising.

Know What’s Healthy

Before you can help your kids make better food and exercise choices, you have to know what is and isn’t healthy. You can do that by:

  • ·  Checking the nutritional labels of food.
  • ·  Reading through the most recent dietary guidelines.
  • ·  Knowing which produce is most susceptible to pesticides.
  • ·  Talking with your pediatrician.

Set Limits and Set a Good Example

One of the most important things a parent can do is set limits. Without clear limitations, kids are left to make the judgment call themselves, which isn’t usually the healthiest option. Kids can benefit from both screen time limits and junk food limits.

It’s also important for parents to set a good example. How can we expect our kids to make healthy choices if we ourselves aren’t doing the same? Do your part by buying healthy foods and getting the recommended amount of weekly physical activity.

Join a Family-Friendly Gym

When it comes to physical activity it helps to have access to gym equipment, pools, tracks and other fitness amenities. Joining a family-friendly gym like Fitness 19 can encourage kids to be active. It’s also a good way to show your kids that there are lots of ways to exercise and get them immersed in an environment that promotes physical activity.

Get Your Kids a Playset

One of the quickest ways to get kids running around outside is to put a playset in the yard. Kids will spend hours swinging, sliding and climbing without ever realizing they’re getting exercise.

Take Family Hikes

There are many benefits to hiking a nature trail and these go beyond just exercise. New research is finding that walks out in nature can reduce stress while helping quiet negative thoughts. Family hikes are also a great activity since it’s exercise you can do together.

Sign Up for a Sports Team

Like hiking, joining a sports team can be beneficial beyond getting physical activity. Research has shown that kids who join a sports team:

  • ·  Develop leadership skills
  • ·  Build camaraderie and teamwork skills
  • ·  Gain a sense of belonging
  • ·  Improve their social skills
  • ·  Are less likely to be overweight or obese

Create a Menu of Healthy, Kid-Friendly Food

Make a conscious effort to eat out less and make more healthy meals at home. Meal planning is one of the best ways to help your family stick to a healthy diet. When you’re trying to help your kids develop healthy eating habits it’s a good idea to make the menu kid-friendly. There are lots of recipes with healthy alternatives to kid favorites, like homemade chicken fingers and hamburger salad.

Pack Healthy Lunches

Follow up dinner with a healthy lunch the next day. Some schools have gotten better about the foods that are served to students, but it’s still usually healthier to pack your kid’s lunch. Just make sure to keep the portions appropriate and cover all the food groups.

Make Healthy Snacks Easily Accessible

One reason kids reach for unhealthy snacks is they’re easy to eat. Processed snacks are already prepared and ready to be eaten. You can encourage your kids to eat healthier snacks by buying pre-packed options or preparing them at home. Fruit is a good example. If you wash it, cut it up and put it into a container kids will be more likely to grab it when they are looking for something to eat.

Get Your Kids Involved

No matter how you decide to get healthy, you’ll want to get your kids involved in the process. Take them grocery shopping at the farmer’s market, let them help you create a weekly dinner menu and allow them to choose their own physical activities. The more involved they are in the decision making the more invested they’ll be in the results.

 

Phuket as a Group Vacation Destination

While most travelers to Phuket are going solo or in small family-sized units, it is actually an ideal destination for larger groups, if you’re willing to invest a little effort into planning adequately.

First things first, when traveling with a group of eight or more persons, hotels may not give you the best value for your accommodation dollar. For this reason, it is definitely worth checking out Phuket villa rentals as an accommodation option.

At first glance the price to rent one of these villas may seem high, but when you break the cost down on a per person basis (and factor in the added value and pleasure you get from having exclusive use of the facilities), you’ll find it actually can be quite reasonable.

Exclusivity has its benefits

Phuket is a very popular destination. So, for example, if you choose a certain luxury hotel on the basis that it has a swimming pool and fitness facilities available, you may find those facilities to be practically unusable due to the sheer number of people who also had the same idea when booking. In that case, your enjoyment of the facilities would be less than you anticipated, leading to disappointment.

When you rent a villa, you already know in advance exactly what is included in the price, and you also know that all the facilities are exclusively available to your group, so you’ll get the full measure of enjoyment.

Another thing to consider is that managing a villa is much easier than managing a hotel, so the property and its facilities are likely to be maintained far better than even the most majestic of hotels. It really can make a world of difference to the quality of your experience.

Dining out as a group

Phuket offers a vast abundance of options, from hawker stalls to fine dining establishments with award-winning chefs. You’ll find all the various Thai regional cuisines represented here (each region has its own predominantly preferred style), and the many expat restaurant owners and chefs also contribute a wide range of international cuisines.

Dining out together as a group can pose some challenges, but with proper planning you can provide the best chance of a successful outcome.

The first thing to check is that the venue is up to the required standards. It’s quite easy these days to find online reviews and recommendations. Asking locals for advice can also be helpful. The important factor is that you need to get these recommendations as early as possible, so you can build a shortlist of potential candidates.

You also need to know about the food preferences and any allergies of the individuals in your group. Surprising your vegan friends with a visit to a steakhouse may not go over quite as well as you expected. So do remember to ask about anything you’re not completely sure of.

Finally, you also need to make sure the venue can accommodate a group of your size. Once all of these points have been met, you will be able to go ahead and make a reservation with confidence.

Group activities

Once again, knowledge and planning are the keys to ensuring a great day out for everyone in the group. It’s generally easier if everyone in the group is around the same age, has the same level of fitness and physical ability, etc.

When there’s considerable disparity in any of these factors, you may need to put a little more effort into choosing your activities. Some tried and tested that will have broad spectrum appeal include:

  • Relaxing at the beach – this one is self-explanatory, and is the main activity on Phuket. Or inactivity, depending on how you look at things.

  • Dolphin Bay Nemo – an excellent and ethically operated dolphin show that is truly enjoyable for almost anyone.

  • Gibbon Rehabilitation Project – although a short hike through the National Park is required to participate in this activity, it’s accessible to most people.

Activities that may be a little more challenging for some include:

  • Swimming at Bang Pae Waterfalls – to access this, participants would need to be able to climb some fairly steep and potentially slippery steps. The reward is definitely worth the effort if everyone is fit and able-bodied enough to get there. It’s located just a short trek from the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project mentioned above.

  • Flying Hanuman zipline – zipping through the rain forest 40m (or 130ft) above the ground is an awesome experience, but it’s obviously not for everyone. Participants need to be medically fit and brave enough to complete the course.

  • Snorkeling the reefs – this is another fun activity, but participants should be strong swimmers and have good situational awareness.

Group travel can be a highly rewarding experience

As you can see, group travel requires a bit of effort to be put into the planning, but ultimately it’s a great way to travel. Shared experiences are always more fun, and these kinds of adventures are a great way to strengthen bonds within the group while having a great time. Phuket is a natural choice due to the diversity it offers and the high quality on offer.

Keep Your Aircraft in Fantastic Shape with These Effective Maintenance Tips

If you own or plan to buy an aircraft, it’s important to recognize that this is a major investment. Since this investment is so huge, you’ll have to seriously dedicate your own personal time or resources to keeping up with it through care and maintenance.

With such a large investment, you’re never going to let your airplane fall apart due to lack of caring. In fact, you’re going to do everything that you possibly can to maintain your airplane so that it’s working in tiptop shape at all times.

It isn’t necessary to have a major background in maintenance and you don’t need to know how to make technical airplane repairs. You can certainly hire someone to handle those aspects of your proper care regimen.

But at the same time, there are definitely going to be some important upkeep tasks that you can easily perform even if you do not have any skills or specialized knowledge about airplanes.

With that said, we will now take a look at some powerful airplane maintenance tips right now.

Cleaning Your Airplane’s Interior

If you’re going to make such a huge investment of your time and money, you certainly want your airplane to remain attractive on the inside and outside.

You’ll obviously need somebody to handle cleaning the outside of the airplane with specialized tools and equipment. But the interior of your plane is something that you can certainly do on your own if you don’t feel like hiring a team.

Honestly, you can actually hate cleaning and still take care of the interior of your airplane. If that’s the case, bring in some professional cleaning people to make sure that your airplane’s interior is spotless at all times. Because if you ignore this, the interior is going to look ugly, dirty, grimy, and it will lose that extra special shine that everybody loves.

So, take some time to vacuum the interior. Pick up any debris, leaves, dirt, crumbs, and anything else that might be on the floor. You could also take some time to vacuum out the upholstery as well.

When you’re done vacuuming the upholstery, remember to wipe down the chairs, tables, and other pieces of furniture.

Take Good Care Of the Instrument Panel

You obviously need to keep your airplane’s instrument panel very clean.

This is incredibly important because the instruments inside of your airplane’s cockpit are made of glass. And as we know, glass could easily smudge, get dirty, or get covered by grease and grime.

Since your pilot really needs to be able to read these instruments, you should always wipe them down with an effective glass cleaner as often as possible. He is going to be happy and everybody will stay safe this way, so it’s a win-win for all involved.

Replacing Worn Out Airplane Parts

Although cleaning is certainly an important part of the airplane maintenance process, repairs and upkeep could certainly be considered even more vital activities.

It’s so important that you need to regularly have mechanics routinely check to make sure that your plane is in good working order.

And when these maintenance checks take place, have the mechanic and/or mechanics assistant check the tire pressure, clean up the spark plugs, secure all fittings and hoses, check for hose damage, check the fuel line, and more.

According to AERO, proprietor of the gill battery, “For over 40 years, A.E.R.O. has been the “In-Stock” choice for high quality aircraft parts.” So, if you discover problems during your maintenance check, you can visit their site for spark plugs, fittings, hoses, and other maintenance parts.

Going on an Extended Vacation? Tips for Getting Ready

Are you and your family thinking of taking an extended vacation this year? Summer break is the perfect time of year to take off somewhere far and just spend time as a family for a long period of time. The kids don’t have school and you’ve got some time saved up you can use. If you’re going to be gone for more than a week, you’re going to want to take extra precautions when preparing. Here are some tips you should find helpful.

Safeguarding the Home

When you’re traveling for a long time, you want to make sure that your home is safe. There’s nothing worse than coming back from vacation to find out your home has been robbed. Before you leave, make sure that any access points in the home are secured. If there is a vulnerability such as a bad lock or a crack in a window, get it fixed prior to leaving for vacation. Other things you can to do secure the home:

Let security company know – contact your home security company to let them know that you will be away from the home for a while. This way, if the alarm sounds, they won’t hesitate to contact authorities.

Secure the mail – mail piling up in front of your door is the quickest way for robbers to detect that you’re not home. Since you won’t be there to get the mail, you might want a digital mailbox. Companies such as iPostal1 provide digital mailboxes. You can review incoming mail, have it delivered to where you’re vacationing, and more 24/7.

Let a neighbor or family member know – having someone check on the house periodically while you’re gone will provide peace of mind. Ask a family member to drop by from time to time. Anyone who may have been thinking about robbing you won’t because they’ll see someone stopping by.

Before You Leave

Prior to leaving for your extended family vacation, there are some other things you’ll want to do to prepare. Remember, you’re going to be gone for a long time and you want to make sure that you’ve tied up any loose ends and prepared for anything that might happen while you’re away. Here are some things to complete before leaving:

Research the destination – Don’t just blindly take off for vacation without first knowing a bit about where you’re going. If you’re traveling abroad for instance, do you need a temporary license? Get to know a bit about the local laws and regulations so you’re not blindsided once you arrive.

Print out everything – Unless you plan on packing your printer, make sure that you’ve printed everything you might need while on vacation. This might include your plane tickets, tickets to attractions that you may have purchased online, your itinerary, maps, etc.

Be practical with your packing – There’s no need for the entire family to pack outfits for every day you’re on vacation. Depending on how many members in your household and how long you’re going to be gone, that’s a lot of packing! Not to mention, the more you pack, the more you pay. Try to keep it to one carryon bag and maybe one suitcase. Pack items that can be mixed and matched to create new outfits. For instance, black shorts can be paired with any color shirt so it can essentially be worn more than once.

Bring entertainment – Chances are you’re not going to be out and about every day while you’re on vacation. During your scheduled downtime, it’s important to have some entertainment, especially if you’re traveling with young children. Make sure you have plenty of board games, cards, toys, and even a gaming console to keep you and the kids entertained when you’re not on the move.

Getting away from it all for a while is something everyone needs. If you and your family are planning an extended vacation this summer, be sure that you follow all of the above tips. Doing so will ensure that you have a fun-filled, stress-free vacation that everyone will enjoy.

New Lego Dimension Sets – Perfect For Easter Baskets

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and honest. For more, see “I Disclose”.

LEGO Dimensions brings the whole family together to build and play through memorable entertainment franchises, including popular characters and iconic locations from The LEGO Batman Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gremlins, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Adventure Time and many, many more. On May 9, players will also be able to pick up new expansion packs featuring Sloth from The Goonies, Hermione from Harry Potter and Chase McCain from LEGO CITY Undercover.

The LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack is available now for $89.99 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U and $79.99 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Select retailers may discount the packs lower as Easter approaches.

Lego Dimensions is the cool new way to bring your Lego’s to life using a portal and special Lego sets, where each level lets you play with any characters you own.  The newest Story Pack is Lego Batman the movie.  This set includes Bat Girl and Robin as well as the Bat Wing.  This story pack lets you play through the entire Lego Batman movie storyline. You can also play with/ use any characters from Lego Dimensions, like Gandoff from Lord of the Rings or Mr T from The A Team.

 

In addition to the new story pack, there are also two new Fun Packs.  One is Knight Rider and includes Kitt and Michael Knight.  This set unlocks the Knight Rider Adventure World as well as Battle Arena.  This set is great for nostalgia lovers or lovers of Lego Dimensions.  My 9 year old had no idea what Knight Rider was (I know, horrors) but was interested once he saw the set.  Dad is thoroughly excited to share some nostalgia with him.

The next fun pack is also from Lego Batman the movie, it is Excalibur Batman.  This set includes an armor clad Batman who is taller then the regular Batman- which was very important to my son for some super odd reason.  It also comes with his trusty bionic stallion.  This set is great fun when used with the Lego Batman Story pack.  The bionic horse being a house favorite “vehicle” as of now.

Lego Dimension packs are available everywhere toys are sold both online and at brick and mortar stores.

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