Taggarts Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant In Canton, Ohio

December 23, 2011 by 11 Comments

My Son and Meema had a great time in this old fashioned Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant. The food was good, the waitress was sweet, and did I mention the ice cream? This may be one of those times when a picture is worth more then anything I can say to you.

Established in 1926, Taggarts is a Canton landmark. Wrought-iron “ice cream parlor” chairs and high-backedbooths, combined with the old wood and tile floors, take you back to the charm of the twenties.

The furnishings and decor take you back to another time- and so will the sundaes. Yes, there is food there- but the real star (I think) is the assortment of ice creams and floats you [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, food, travel

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party- a Special Event at Magic Kingdom

December 22, 2011 by 19 Comments

Nothing compares to Disney- one of the greatest of all American Icons, and one of the most recognizable faces in all the world. This year for Christmas, celebrate with Mickey and all his friends at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a special event at Magic Kindom Park at Disney World.

We had the pleasure of attending last week, and the kids had an amazing time- they had more fun at the Christmas Party then they did during the day if you can believe that!
The park closes early for this event, but don’t worry- if you have tickets, you can go right back in! As soon as you get there, Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade begins- complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself. While he comes up the rear- I can’t say that he was the main attraction for many- it was still Micky and Minnie!

It was magic! The dancers and Disney characters never fell out of step or character- they were the person who they were stepping into! Real magic for your child- and you too. So many adults just love Disney- there were as many adults as children online to see the Princesses and characters for photos!

There were so many grown-ups, Disney Magic is for everyone! Some of the other wonderful attractions for the Very Merry Christmas Party include-

  • The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
  • Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
  • An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of [Read more…]
Filed Under: disney, family, travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Family Game Night 4 The Game Show- Family Video Games

December 16, 2011 by 5 Comments

Family Game Night 4 is the newest Kinect compatible game in the popular Family Game Night series. Game Night 4 breaks the mold a bit by basing itself on the game show on The Hub, Family Game Night. This show has contestants partake in various twisted versions of popular Hasbro games like Yahtzee bowling where instead of rolling dice from a cup players roll a giant bowling ball ad dice-like pins. Looks like a perfect game show to translate into a Kinect game.

Game Night 4 is the first in the series to take advantage of the Kinect. This game will make a regular family game night into a whole new creature. One which uses video games to bring a family together. The game has local multi player only with up to two players. So taking turns only. This is true of all Kinect games, 2 players only. Some may see this as a problem but the whole point of family game night is so a ‘family’ can play together and the Kinect limits the number of players [Read more…]

Filed Under: family

Top Home Security Tips for the Holiday Season

December 16, 2011 by 9 Comments

With the holidays just around the corner, you don’t to come home and find that a real life Grinch has
stolen Christmas … and everything else in your house. Though this is traditionally a season of love and
sharing, you don’t want to give away your most valuable possessions to Christmas thieves. Consider
these tips for affordable home security solutions that will allow you to have a happy holiday with peace
on earth … and of mind.

Lock down. Though it may seem like common sense, many people don’t lock their doors when they’re
not at home, even in urban areas. Often it’s because they planned to be “right back” or because “I was
just going to the store for a minute!” That minute is all it takes for a crafty burglar to walk into your
unguarded, unlocked home and ransack it, making off with all this year’s Christmas presents. Make sure
that your doors are locked and that the locks are in solid working condition. Test the locks especially if
you live in a colder climate and make sure they are maintained.

Lights on! Thieves can often be fooled if you leave the lights on while you’re away. Take advantage
of the holiday season by leaving your Christmas tree all lit up. Even running the television or radio
gives the illusion that someone is home after all. If you don’t feel comfortable with “wasting” all that
electricity, set your lights on a timer.

Alarms. If you’re on a holiday budget, you can usually find inexpensive [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, holidays, travel

A Hole In My Heart

December 14, 2011 by 18 Comments

Our friend, our hero, the award-winning Chaac the Wonder Dog left us this morning.
Thank you for everything. You were one of the best things that ever happened to me. You are missed, and will always be missed. I miss you terribly. Goodbye, my friend.

Adopted at age approximately 2 years old, and with us for almost 8 years. He would have been 10 years [Read more…]

Filed Under: family

Wordless Wednesday! Dolphins, anyone?

December 13, 2011 by 6 Comments
Filed Under: animals, family, travel

Clearwater, Florida- A Great Place to Vacation Year Round!

December 11, 2011 by 13 Comments

What’s better then waking up to the smell of the ocean? Not a whole lot.
Sigh.

View from the balcony

Little Man on the beach

We started out our day with a fun Surry Bike ride from Fun Bike Rentals, right here at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel. (Did I tell you this place had everything, or what?) The kids rode up from while daddy and I pedaled. We took the surry up the wide sidewalks, and down the beach a little bit. The kids had a really good time, and it was a fun way to get around and see the area.

Then we were off to Captain Bligh’s Landing Miniature Golf– a cute 18 hole mini-golf adventure that is fun for the whole family. Little Man especially enjoyed the pirate ship- and chasing the ball around. OK, so he didn’t really “get” mini-golf so much, but he had a great time playing, LOL. Bonus? There is a game-room attached to the campus. You can also buy soda, water, and ice cream- and guess what? They won’t even gouge you on the prices. A soda is only a dollar. Gotta love it when places actually keep in mind that families will be attending- and we all have budgets!

How cute is this, by the way? Clearwater is all about dolphins, and Captain Bligh didn’t forget that when decorating- check out the Captain’s very own [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, travel

Here We Are in Florida! So- Where to stay in Clearwater?

December 3, 2011 by 16 Comments

Yay, we made it to Florida! We are in Clearwater, at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort. It is only 20 minutes from the Tampa Airport, and so easy to find. Oh, and did I mention it’s completely beautiful here? And it was 78 degrees when we landed? Bye-bye, winter weather!

The Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort is not just a beautiful hotel, but is super centrally located. The hotel itself is right on the beautiful, sandy white beach- you walk out the door (or look out your balcony) and there it is- the ocean. The beach! Powder soft sand meets your steps, there is a shower when you are ready to rinse off and head back to the room- or maybe just one of the two pools (or hot tub!)

The pool was so warm, and I love the little ledge around the entire thing. Lets you just still and relax.

After we relaxed poolside for a bit, we went right next door to Pier 60- The Sunsets at Pier 60 (literally, next door) have nightly celebrations that take place on Pier 60 Park on Clearwater Beach. This free family-friendly nightly event is the place to be for art, crafts, street performances, musical entertainment, the park (several large areas, actually) and even free movies on a large screen- tonight, it was The Grinch! The [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, travel