Category Archives: New posts

No One’s a Tourist at The King and Prince Resort on St. Simons Island, GA

New posts, Travel, , , ,
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St. Simons Island, GA
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St. Simons Island, GA

Have you ever gone on vacation and when it was time to go home you felt like you were leaving home and friends?

The King and Prince Resort on St. Simons Island in Georgia was my home for the last four days.  This four day trip was not a typical vacation destination.  The wonderful people who hosted us while on the trip made us feel like we were at home.  Vacationers are family at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort.  There are no tourists.

Cap Fendig was one of the first residents of the island that I met while at The King and Prince.  Within minutes of meeting Cap and hearing him talk about the island I transitioned from feeling like a tourist to feeling like I was a friend of his visiting the island.  Cap knows the island inside and out and educates and entertains his tour customers.

I also met The King and Prince’s Executive Chef Jeff Kaplan and Vinny D’Agostino director of Food & Beverage who both did everything they could to make myself and the other travellers feel like I was at home while dining on delicious meals including shrimp and grits and blackberry sorbet that just melted in my mouth.  It seemed effortless on their part to make us feel at home.  In just a few days we learned about their families, the history The King and Prince and the island.

For three nights I feel asleep to the sound of ocean waves and for three nights I slept like a baby.  As soon as I stepped onto my balcony in the mornings I felt invigorated, inspired, and ready to take on the day.  My worries and anxiety, something I deal with daily, seemed to drift off into thin air while on St. Simons Island.  Being at The King and Prince Resort was therapeutic for me.  Yesterday I took a walk on the beach and saw dolphins playing in the waves very close to shore. I am pretty sure they were telling me to come back soon and stay a little longer next time.

Today I have a headache and I’ve been trying to pretend the sound of passing cars is ocean waves. Are those signs of withdrawal?

I’ll be back at The King and Prince this summer with my family.  Thank you to Leigh Cort, The King and Prince Resort, Cap Fendig, Vinny D’Agostino, Chef Jeff Kaplan, and Bud St. Pierre, Griffin Bufkin of Southern Soul BBQ, crew of Lady Jane Shrimping Cruise, and the people of St. Simons Island for hosting me on this amazing trip!

Connect with The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort

More articles in The King and Prince Resort / St. Simons Island, GA series:

– Alicia

Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat Review

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, New posts, ,

When my daughter left the hospital she was placed in a Britax car seat like this one.  She rode in that seat, safe and secure until she was over 5-years-old.  Some people say that was too long but I wanted to ensure that she was safe and she never complained about comfort so I kept her in it as long as I could.  At a little older than 5-years-old she became a bit too tall for that car seat. I wanted to continue using a 5-point-harness on her until she was about twenty or so but she grew a little too tall and I realized that she would be plenty safe in a booster seat at her age and height.  I recently received a Britax Frontier 85 booster seat to review and I am very pleased as is my daughter. I am very happy with the safety features and asthetics while my daughter loves the dual cup holders, arm rests, and high back.

Britax Frontier 85 booster seat review
Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat

Every parent wants their child to be as safe as possible in the car, and that’s the result with the Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat. The Frontier 85 is designed for children that are 2 years old and a minimum of 25 pounds and 30 inches. The Frontier 85 will seat children to 85 pounds and 57 inches with the 5-point harness, and it then converts to a booster seat for children 40-120 pounds and 42-65 inches. The seat allows for the highest seated shoulder height available, which is 12-20 inches with the harness and 13.5-24.5 with the booster.

Britax designed this booster seat with several top-quality safety features, and their dedication to keeping children safe with an easy to use Harness-2-Booster seat shows that they are leaders in the industry.

I had the Frontier 85 out of the box and installed in my car within 15 minutes. That 15 minutes included removing the harness straps from the booster seat as she is using the lap belt, adjusting the back height, snapping the LATCH connectors into my car’s seat, and once I had the seat in the car I made sure that the Versa-Tether was very tight.

Britax Frontier 85 booster seat
My daughter in her Britax Frontier 85 booster seat.

The Frontier 85 has lots of features to help prevent injury.

The Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether slows forward movement, reduces the force caused by a crash, and includes a two-point attachment which anchors the top of the seat. The Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS) and Tangle Free Five-Point Harness works with the tether to reduce movement of your child and protect them. HUGS are located on the chest area of the harness straps and work with the higher center of gravity of larger children to keep your child safe as they grow. The Tangle Free Five-Point Harness has 10 height positions and three buckle positions to help transfer crash forces over the strongest parts of their body. These leading safety features reduce the risk of injury and leave you with peace of mind.

Britax’s Frontier 85 Booster Seat also lets your child ride comfortably, with features such as armrests and integrated cup holders. The cup holders do not increase the width of the seat and will hold common beverages such as a 20-oz water bottle. Keeping mom’s comfort (and sanity) in mind, Britax designed the seat with a washable cover.

If you’re looking for a Harness-2-Booster seat, the Britax Frontier 85 is the ideal seat. No parent should have to worry about their child’s care or comfort while driving, and the Frontier 85 eliminates all concerns.

If you aren’t sure when your child will be ready for a booster seat, take a look at Britax’s Booster Basics page where you will find detailed information about how to tell if your child is ready for a booster seat or not.

Connect with Britax:

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Disclosure: As stated above, I received a Britax Frontier 85 booster seat for review purposes at no charge.  All opinions are 100% my own and honest and were not influenced in any way.

Family Travel: The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort on St. Simons Island Family Activities

New posts, Travel, , , , , ,

For the next few days I am enjoying a stay at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort.   Located on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, this beautiful island is ranked as one of the top 10 in the country. With family-friendly adventures and amenities, there’s a potential to create many memories while visiting this island.  The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort is on the list of historic places register in the United States.

The King and Prince Beach and Gold Resort

 

I’m looking forward to going shrimping aboard the “Lady Jane” with Captain Larry Creedle Wednesday. Besides going shrimping on an authentic shrimp boat for the first time, I will learn about fishing ecology, which my 12-year-old son will appreciate learning about once I get home.  He loves anything to do with fishing so he’ll be thrilled to learn about shrimping.

Here is a brief overview of what The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort and St Simons Island, GA has to offer.

Coastal Outdoor Adventure Camps 

This camping adventure strives to teach children how to appreciate nature, how to fish and how to swim. With a different theme every registration date, the Coastal Outdoor Adventure Camp is a family fun part of The King and Prince Beach Resort. There are multiple registration dates throughout the year, so that you can coordinate them with your vacation. Read more about Coastal Outdoor Adventure Camps here.

The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort pool and sandbox
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort Children's Sandbox

Resort Activities

From yoga classes to swimming, there are dozens of options for families at this resort. There is a special activity coordinator that can help your group develop a schedule of child-friendly adventures.  Learn more about King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort activities here.

The King and Prince - St Simons Island
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St Simons Island, GA


Bike Trails 

The King and Prince Resort is filled with beautiful forests and coastal shorelines. You can rent a bike from local bike shop, Ocean Motion, and take one of the scenic bike trails through certain parts of the island. The real point of interest is that your family can rent a bike called a surrey, which holds up to 9 people. It’s an amazing opportunity to bond with your family while exploring nature on vacation.

The King and Prince Resort doesn’t disappoint!

Connect with The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort

 

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Little Tikes® Pillow Racers™ Review, Video Demo, and Giveaway

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Contests, Giveaways, New posts, Toys, , ,

A ride-on toy and a pillow in one!  How great is that?

Now your child can zoom around the house on Little Tikes® new Pillow Racers™ ride-on toy.  Pillow Racers™ have easy to grip handles so your child can hang on tight for hours of speedy fun on his Dino, Turtle, or Lady Bug Pillow Racer!

Little Tikes Pillow Racers review
From top left to bottom right#1 - In the box, #2 - Everything that comes in the box, #3 - Bottom, #4 - Assembled

 

The four caster wheels allow Pillow Racers™ to move in any direction and quickly at that!

We found that Pillow Racers™ move well on short-carpet floors and even faster on tile and hardwood floors.  Be careful when your child takes off on the hardwood floor for the first time as his Pillow Racer may zoom off a little quicker than he expects!

My five-year-old daughter is having a blast delivering things to me on her Pillow Racer Dino!
She has delivered books to me, toys, hair accessories, and more! I didn’t expect her to have such a great time with it because she’s older than the recommended age range but.. oh now she’s delivering hair spray to me.. she’s loving it! She weighs 42 pounds so she’s within the 50lb weight limit.

The soft Dino, Turtle, or Lady Bug cushion detaches from the base so it can be used as a pillow.
Simply turn the Pillow Racer over, undo the velcro on the bottom and unscrew the handle and wahlah.. your child can rest on the pillow he was just riding on.. or you can give it a quick hand-wash.

Pillow Racers™ are great for summer vacation road trips.
Your child will love having their favorite toy and pillow with them on your next road trip and you’ll love knowing that he can pop their Turtle, Dino, or Lady Bug back onto the base and release that energy that’s all pent up from your long road trip.  I know that’s not just my kids. 

Little Tikes Pillow Racers
Little Tikes® Pillow Racer cushion being used as a pillow

Pillow Racers™ Features:

  • Soft, washable character – Dino, Turtle, and Lady Bug available
  • Each character cover easily detaches from the base and can be used as a cuddly friend
  • Four caster wheels allow easy, quick turns
  • Easy grip handle attaches to the base to provide extra stability for riders

Pillow Racers™ are for children ages 18 to 36 months or up to 50lbs.

You can buy Pillow Racers™ for about $39 on Amazon.com here or on Little Tike’s website here.

Watch as my daughter tries out the Little Tikes® Pillow Racers™ Dino for the first time.  

 

Do you want to win a Little Tikes® Pillow Racers™ Dino?

To enter to win, tell us why you want to win in the comments field below then follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below.

Entries accepted through 11:59PM EST April 29th, 2012.  Contest open to U.S. residents only.  No P.O. Boxes.   Read our complete contest rules here.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Alicia Hagan, Editor

My 5-Year-Old Won First Prize and I Won Bad-Mom Award

New posts, Personal

My daughter’s school gave all of the students (Grade K – 5th grade) the opportunity to participate in a ‘Kids Corner’ writing contest where they had to complete the sentence “My favorite thing about winter is..”.

I wasn’t going to make my five-year-old daughter participate in the contest because I thought that it would take her a long time (10 minutes of sitting still is an eternity to me sometimes) to write the sentence and the chances of her winning the contest were very slim.  Yes, I deserve a bad mom award for thinking like that. 

So here’s the story..

The night before the contest entry was due I decided she needed to participate in the contest.  She needed to work on her handwriting and when I saw this sentence on the entry instructions “If your child can only write one sentence that is OKAY. We are trying to encourage our children to write. They will be judged against their peers in their grade level.” I thought that it might now take as long for her to write her entry as I originally thought it would.

Here is her sentence:

Kindergarten writing contest

We sent the contest entry to school with her the next day and we didn’t hear back… for a long time.  About two weeks ago, early April, she came home with a certificate saying that she won first place in the Kindergarten class!  I was shocked.

That’s when I gave myself a Bad-Mom Award.
I shouldn’t assume that just because my kids might not be enthusiastic or really great at a particular something, they can still do a great job!  I shouldn’t have assumed that she wouldn’t win and I am glad we gave her the opportunity to participate in the writing contest.

Here’s the kicker..

Because I have been very busy and I don’t keep up with noticed from school very well (for which I also get a bad mom award), I didn’t realize that she was able to read her entry at her school’s book fair.  Then to top it off, the day of the book fair I thought I’d read the award certificate again and somehow I had missed the entire sentence about the book fair being at Barnes & Noble!  All of the kids with winning entires were given the opportunity to read their entry at the school’s Barnes & Noble Book Fair.

Here is the video I took of my daughter reading her sentence at Barnes & Noble

I thought surely there wouldn’t be very many people at the book fair but boy was I wrong!  The parking lot was packed and there were at least 100 parents and kids from her school at Barnes & Noble.  When we walked in I wanted to turn around and leave.  I thought she was going to start crying and say that she wanted to leave but it turns out that she was amazing!  She stood in front of everyone, spoke through the  microphone, and did a great job. She stumped on one word, build, but other than that she did a great job.

I am very proud of my daughter!

Alicia Hagan, Editor