I hate the idea of a bucket list, it’s so depressing.  Instead I keep a constant “Life to Do List” running in my head.  High up on that list was a visit to Mystic, Connecticut. If you are like me and have started to get some AARP literature in the mail then you’ll remember the film Mystic Pizza where I was first introduced to Julia Roberts before her stint as the hooker with a heart of gold (I’m referring to the film Pretty Woman, not her actual private life). Mystic is a short road trip, about 3 hours, but I’ve never seemed to get there…until now. My BFF from childhood has 2 daughters and I have 2 daughters and being busy moms we were all in need of a fun (and educational), overnight trip, with no boys allowed!

We arrived at the Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa and checked into our AMAZING suite (check out the video of our room by clicking HERE).  We wanted to stay at this hotel for all the amenities you’d expect from a Marriott, especially the indoor pool.  This let the mommies relax and catch up while our four not-so-little fishies swam the afternoon away.  The hotel was a quick drive from historic downtown Mystic where we ate dinner and walked around the waterfront town.  Grabbing homemade ice cream ended our night on a sweet note.  

Breakfast inside the hotel at the beautiful Octagon Restaurant was exactly what we needed to start our day of learning, exploring and feeding the marine life.  We visited Mystic Aquarium during Mystic Spirit Week which included all the regular aquarium activities plus many extras including craft tables for the kids and even live music. Our girls loved the interactive 4-D Theater where we got to see, feel, hear and even smell the elements of the movie creating a real life experience.  I especially loved the Sea Lion show and was thrilled to learn about their animal rescue program which was right up my alley.  

Here’s a look at our girl’s trip.Keep it in mind for your next day (or overnight) trip

Click HERE for more information about Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa.

Click HERE for more information about Mystic Aquarium.

Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa hosted my family for an overnight stay at their hotel and Mystic Aquarium hosted my family for the day for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Our Mystic-al Girl’s Trip appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

For us, family camp combined the fun things about an outdoorsy vacation with the amenities of an indoorsy vacation.  My husband called it “camping without the camping” and I called it “high-class summer camp for the whole family”, but we both summarized our entire week long vacation at Family Camp in 5 words. “We can make that happen.”  Let me explain…

My gang has taken a fair amount of family vacations over the past decade but I never felt as pampered and catered to as I did on this trip.  We still refer to it as the “We can make that happen” (WCMTH) vacation.  From the moment we arrived I received strict instructions from the counselors and staff: “This is your time to relax, not have to cook and not have to worry about your kids…we got this”.  And you’d better believe I followed those instructions to a “T”.  The service at Family Camp was OUTSTANDING.  Anything we wanted we got (WCMTH).

• You loved the couscous at dinner last night and want it on the menu every night…(WCMTH)
• My daughter wants to learn how to skateboard…(WCMTH)
• I’m interested in improving my golf swing…(WCMTH)
• I always hear about Vermont and their cheese, how about a cheese tasting night…(WCMTH)
• I’m not sure if there’s time but I’d really like to take a personalized yoga class…(WCMTH)
• My kids didn’t like the dinner choices, any chance of getting some pizzas…(WCMTH)
• Another camper had a birthday during vacation, can we get her a cake and all sing…(WCMTH)

My husband joked that we should ask for a dinosaur dance group with laser beams on their heads just to see what would happen.  I could go on and on about the wishes granted by the genies of Family Camp and it’s for that reason we already have plans to go back next summer.

Now make no mistake, just because it’s called camp doesn’t mean that we roughed it by any stretch of the imagination.  I’m not the type to sleep in a tent so I was thrilled with the two bedroom, two bathroom condominium with fully-equipped kitchen, laundry and living room…all the comforts of home.  We were a short walk from “home base” which is the Sundance Base Lodge near the Grand Summit Resort Hotel.  We had access to all the amenities of the property including an indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, basketball court, health club, steam room, sauna, arcade and fitness classes.

We paid extra for trips to the hotel spa and alcohol, but aside from that everything from drink refills to day long excursions were included.

So here’s a fact that’s funny but true.  I’m not outdoorsy and my husband doesn’t like meeting new people.  If I gave you the criteria of our dream family vacation, this trip would not have been on the top of the list.  We took a chance on something new and I can honestly say this vacation has been one of the greatest experiences we ever had as a family.  We absolutely loved it and CANNOT recommend it enough to everyone we know.  We met 4 other families and spent the week talking, laughing and watching our kids play together.  My husband got along great with the other dads and I had a great time biking in the fresh air amid the beautiful Mount Snow scenery. At the end of the trip, all five families agreed on two things:

1. The service at Family Camp was beyond what any of us ever experienced.  Two of the families (they were sisters) travel every summer together and they went to a different family-style camp the previous year.  They both agreed that this camp was monumentally better.  Like me, they raved about the personal touches and now would accept nothing less than the experience they had at Mount Snow Family Camp.
2. All 5 of our families linked up on Facebook and exchanged information.  We all are coming back next summer TOGETHER.

My husband’s favorite activity was the downhill mountain biking.  My 10-year old, Emma, loved sailing through the trees and ziplines at Ramblewild aerial park.  My 8-year old, Chloe, couldn’t decide what she liked more, tubing and swimming in the lake or kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.  As for mom, while I’m not too outdoorsy I loved hiking down one of the Mt. Snow trails with my hubby and another couple.  The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful and the pace was my own.

Before this trip I knew next to nothing about Family Camp at Mount Snow but I figured we would take a chance and try a new experience.  This turned out to be an unforgettable adventure that we still talk about today and are excited about returning to next summer.  I can’t remember a vacation ever having that effect on me before so thanks everyone at Family Camp for “Making That Happen”.

Click HERE for more information.

Mount Snow hosted my family for a five-night stay at Family Camp for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Summer Camp…it’s not just for kids anymore appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

My husband is very picky about where we go on vacation as a family.  He says his criteria are simple.  We must go somewhere that has something for everyone, must be all under one roof because constant traveling is not a vacation, and most importantly the kids can entertain themselves so we’re not always “on” and have to keep them occupied.  Now you know why we stay home a lot.  It’s tough to find vacation spots like this but I’m happy to report that we found it and it’s just a short road trip away!

We were invited to the Grand Opening of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Pocono Mountains and this trip even put a smile on my picky husband’s handsome face. Kalahari is Pennsylvania’s largest indoor water park measuring in at 100,000 square feet (that’s almost 2 acres) and it kept my kids busy for a full two days.  Kalahari is an authentically African-themed experience with all the amenities of an upscale resort.  It’s also privately owned by the Nelson family who created it with the idea of “protecting an endangered species—family time”.

For almost 6 hours on our first day, my kids were going down water slides, body surfing, relaxing on the lazy river and making new friends, while my husband and I got to spend a few precious hours at the swim up bar talking to friends and just hanging out…together.  I cannot remember the last time we had such a fun day like we did in Kalahari.  When we weren’t on our “date”, we went down water slides as a family.  I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat so I put on a smile and went down the HUGE water slide because my 8 year old daughter batted her eyelashes at me and begged me to go down with the rest of our clan. How could I say no?  The first time I screamed it was out of fear, after that all the screams were from fun.  I have never been on water slides like this, not even when I was a kid. Sitting in the raft with my daughters and my husband, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect as a family. Not a single electronic device or TV was turned on once while at Kalahari.

Our days were full of water park fun, but the nights were reserved for the 30,000 square foot Family Entertainment Center.  My girls spent hours in the arcade, went mini-bowling and even played a round of black light mini-golf.

After breakfast on the second day of our trip my 8 year old was vibrating in her seat waiting to get to the water park.  “Chloe” my husband told her, “relax, it’s open for another 11 hours.”  To which she replied, “I know Dad, I want to make the most of it and not run out of time.”

This trip was such a huge hit with my family that Emma has already planned her 11th birthday later this year at Kalahari.  Before we even checked out of our room she declared, “I love Kalahari, it’s my favorite resort. If we come back for my birthday I don’t need any other presents.”  As you can imagine, that’s high praise indeed for any family destination.

So what are you waiting for?  If you love an all-under-one-roof vacation experience with something for everyone then update that summer bucket list and book an adventure at Kalahari by clicking HERE.  It gets the thumbs up from this mom, an 8-year old, a 10-year old and a picky husband.

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