MelissaStuff

This post is sponsored by Water Works Park in Denton, Texas. However all of the opinions are very much my own. This past weekend, we took the entire family out to the Water Works water park in Denton. We had no clue what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a zero entry splash area for the little one, a lazy river (or a "lazy liver" as our 4-year-old says), slides as well as an indoor area with an additional slide and a diving board which was the bigger boys favorite part. My husband noted that the park wasn't busy at all when we arrived just after it opened at 11 a.m. on a Saturday. It did pick up a little as the afternoon moved on, but it was never truly crowded. For example, my boys only waited 2 or 3 minutes each time to ride the slide of their choice. We spent several hours playing and allowing the boys to explore. We went round and round on the lazy river as a family which was sweet time together. The depth is only 3 feet, so ever...

It's that time again . . . school is coming just around the corner. So crazy because it feels like summer just began.  With the end of summer comes back to school shopping. We have backpacks, lunch boxes, folders, pencils, crayons and more to purchase. But you know the item I use year after year to make the most of our supplies? LABELS! Inevitably, it always seems everyone wants to claim everyone else's supplies. But we put a stop to that in our house and at school by putting fun, colorful personalized labels on all of them.  One of our favorite companies is Label Daddy - and right now you can save 20% on Label Daddy labels for Back to School!  Don't forget to label all clothing, sports equipment and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, and other places. It's amazing how those little labels keep stuff from disappearing. Label Daddy labels are super durable, peel-and-stick washable labels - they're washer...

Sometimes you just need a new way to celebrate a birthday. One of the places we have gone before is Amazing Jake's in Plano!  The location is inside of the Collin Creek Mall, but don't let that make you think it's small. Amazing Jake's has over 95,000 square feet of food and fun. My boys LOVED the buffet of pizza, soups, salads and desserts where they could get as much as they wanted of what they wanted.  Once they were full, they were able to practice their putting on the indoor Miniature Golf Course, race each over on the Go-Karts, chase and safely "shoot" each other playing Laser Tag, climb up to 25 feet off the ground on the Rock Climbing Wall, bump and dodge on the Bumper Cars as well as trying their hand at the Mega Arcade games and enjoying the various Kid City Rides! Right now you can get a Buy One Get One FREE coupon too. Click here and surprise your kids! (And enjoy the air conditioning while you do it, too.)

If you're looking for something to do right here at the end of the summer, you should consider  Adventure Landing. It's the place to play!  I've personally been going to Adventure Landing since I was a teenager. Then as a youth director, I took teenagers . . . and now my kids can enjoy the activities there too. They literally have activities for everyone, from kids to adults so the whole family can participate in the excitement that Adventure Landing has to offer.  You can cool off in the summer by splashing in the Bumper Boats. Work on your putting skills on the Miniature Golf Courses, twist and turn in the Go-Karts, practice your aim in Laser Tag, hone your swing inside the Batting Cages, build your own stuffed animal at The Teddy Bear Factory or perfect your gaming skills in the Mega Arcade.  Adventure Landing is affordable family fun…right here in the area. Click here to get additional savings with one of these coupons: #1 - 100 Arcade Tokens for $15! ...

Recently, I told you about a new place in town I had heard about - Trinity Forest Aerial Adventure . It's right next to the Southern Cross Ranch . . . and you can actually get a combo pass to both locations if you want. Last weekend we decided to take our whole crew over and try out both locations. We had an absolute blast. But there are a few things I wish I had known going into the day. Let me start by explaining we took three adults, an 8-year-old, two 7-year-olds, and a 4 year old. The two biggest boys - ahem, men - were the most excited during the planning. My husband, Joey, and I are the only ones who have ever done any kind of ziplining before and that was when we were on vacation in St. Lucia so we knew better than to expect the same kind of experience. But with six boys in tow, we also knew it would be something that would keep everyone busy. When you arrive there is a little booth at the front where you get your arm bands. The ones for the Trinity Forest side ...

I was provided with tickets for my family to attend the Mesquite Rodeo in return for this review.  All opinions contained herein are mine, and you should know by now if I'm anything, it's honest. This one turned 7 and we celebrated at the Mesquite Rodeo! The Mesquite Rodeo plays a pivotal role in my childhood. We went as a family. We went with our school. We went with our church youth group. I went from being fascinated by the animals to totally ignoring the activity in the arena and spending the entire time flirting with whatever guy was my latest obsession. So when I got the chance to take my family this past weekend - I was super-stoked. We took our boys a few years ago but they were so small that they don't really remember much, and we had to leave early because they got cranky. But this time I was determined to make the most of the opportunity. We loaded up our household and headed over early. The rodeo begins at 7:30 and the doors open at 6:30. There ar...

How freaking amazing is that? If you have LEGO ®  freaks in your house like I do, this event is something you can't miss out on.  The award-winning LEGO KidsFest  is going to be back in Texas - this time at the Dallas Convention Center - from August 29-31.  Perfect for your LEGO-maniacs, they can expect hands-on building, creative experiences and one-of-a-kind activities. Children of all ages and builders of all skills and levels will find the perfect way to stay busy and enjoy themselves.  We're really lucky to have this show in town as it only makes seven North American appearances each year. The remaining stops are: Dallas, TX (Aug. 29 - 31)   Richmond, VA (Oct. 3 - 5)   Indianapolis, IN (Nov. 7 - 9) LEGO KidsFest is three acres of LEGO exhibits and activities  including LEGO Chima, LEGO Friends Photo Booth, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Disney Princess, LEGO Super Heroes and LEGO Mindstorms. There's even a LEGO Model ...

I was provided with a free Rodan & Fields mini-facial in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Hmm, you know how there are always those things that - no matter how out there you are with yourself, how transparent or bold you pride yourself on being - you still feel self-conscious about? Well, one of mine is my skin.  I didn't have a horrible teen experience. I'm not having the worst breakouts ever as an adult. It's just been a steady pain in the butt and apparently my face feels the need to remember every issue it has ever had - in my opinion, the result is an uneven, bumpy looking complexion which annoys me in pictures take from the side. (Seriously, to the degree that you won't see any personal pictures of me in this post!) Recently, I was asked to try out the Rodan & Fields mini-facial. I have to say I think it was very helpful in cleaning out the pores, smoothing out the skin and giving my skin a healthy-looking sheen. Obviously...

My family was super excited to learn that there is now a dude ranch just fifteen minutes outside of Dallas - you can do all kinds of things from zip lining to pedal boats, bungee trampolines to wagon rides. Seriously . . . even the BIG kids around here were oohing and aaahing. I can't tell you how thrilled they are that we will be going out this weekend to try everything out as a family. And I can't wait to share the adventures and the pictures with you.  The Trinity Forest Aerial Adventure park is a combination of a Canopy Tour, Challenge Course and Zip Line Adventure. Super Safe and Off-the-Charts Fun! We love the idea that we can spend time in nature doing adventurous activities without having to dire hours to the middle of nowhere. Let go of your worries. Forget those deadlines. No phones. No Internet. No North Dallas traffic jams.  Right next door is the Southern Cross Ranch , which offers a range of recreational activities such as Rock Climbing Wall...

Last weekend was quite the weekend around our household. Not only was it July 4, but we celebrated the 7th birthday of our middle boy. In our family what this entails is not only friends coming over but having family from out of town stay with us… Thank God for the house we have! Having people stay with you for several days plus hosting a Fourth of July celebration along with a birthday party means lots and lots of groceries! As I'm sure you're aware, many grocery stores have low cost items and many have a wide selection of items, but frequently it's very difficult to get a good deal and the selection and variety you would like. That's where Market Street comes in! I adore shopping at Market Street. It feels more like a shopping treat rather than a grocery duty. Which is why I'm happy to announce that I've been excepted as a part of the Market Street Blogger Ambassador program. That means I'll be bringing you special announcements, offers, an...