LEGOLAND Day Trip

I love finding new places to take the kids that are within driving distance, and especially now that I'm home for a few more months, LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Westchester is in our rotation of fun, close-to-home activities.

I went into it expecting lots of Lego play, but we were surprised to see the center also included fun rides, exhibits, and 4D cinema in addition to many opportunities to play with Legos.  We spent a few hours there and didn't even put the kids in the huge Fire Academy- themed jungle gym play area.  (JD continues to remind us that next time we "NEED to bring socks". Don't tell him we could have purchased them there!)

This ride was by far our favorite!

The NYC exhibit is amazing.

They enjoyed waiting for the subway to go by way too much. I finally had to tell them to move along.

At this table, they practiced building earthquake-resistant buildings.

The boys were hard at work building race cars.

Did this a couple dozen times.

But my car was the champion!

Biggest legos EVER

The Ridge Hill Mall, where LEGOLAND is located, is gorgeous and full of fun places to eat and shop.  You can easily make a full day out of your visit!  The organic, free-range, grass-fed beef burgers and milkshakes we had at Elevation Burger were a nice surprise, and there was plenty of room inside for the boys to begin building their LEGO masterpieces.

They are wishing for us to take them back again soon! With events like "Brick or Treat" coming up in October, I'm sure it won't be long.

Disclosure: LEGOLAND provided our family with passes for the day.  All opinions are my own, and we will be returning often on my own dime :)

It's A Boy!

Introducing Keith Alan III!

And after 3 weeks of survival mode, we are back in the swing of things.  I have a full drafts folder, so I'm hoping to post a bit more frequently this fall.  But for now, I'm back to baby duty, so enjoy a video of Keith sharing the news!

Swelling, Pain, and a Solution

I will start this by stating that I know how blessed I am to have had a healthy pregnancy so far.  However, the swelling (especially in my hands) has gotten out of control.  It's so painful in the morning that holding a toothbrush and washing my hair are things I contemplate skipping or begging someone else to do for me.  While at work, any amount of time holding a pen or typing leaves my fingertips numb and my hands stiff.

The good news is I got the a-okay from my obgyn tonight to use Arnica to treat the pain and swelling in my joints, and I couldn't be more excited.  I've never experienced swelling like this during my previous pregnancies, and when I did have any pain, I took regular Tylenol.  Since reading about a study linking Tylenol to ADHD, and an overall nervousness with medications during pregnancy, I was really hoping to get the Arnica approved.

The nice people at Boiron had sent me a couple of their Blue Tubes of Arnica 30C Pellets, and since I've known the Arnica Gel to work for me for post-workout pains pre-pregnancy, I'm optimistic that tomorrow morning will be much better.

I also received a tube of Calendula Cream from Boiron, which I had planned to use to treat some stubborn dry skin on JD's scalp.  But the plans changed when Keith and I got some wicked sunburn last weekend.  (I excitedly dug a hole in the sand for my belly so I could lie face down, fell asleep, and burnt the heck out of the back of my legs.)  It feels so good to slather on the cooling cream, and it will speed up the recovery, as the last thing I need right now is to be uncomfortable sitting due to sunburn.  

Boiron, the world leader in homeopathic medicines, has offered to ship these products to a lucky reader, so please enter below.  There is a wealth of information on Boiron's website (a long with a $2 off coupon), and they even have a free medicine finder app.  They also have a giveaway running for an awesome Grand Canyon adventure.

*Boiron sent me these products for free and is providing additional products for a winner.  The opinions, swelling, and sunburn are all my own.

Open to US residents only! a Rafflecopter giveaway