Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: Pirates Voyage

Date Visited: November 7th, 2013

The night we went was the first night of the Christmas special. The preshow was alright. You apparently need to show up at least 1 ½ hours before the show. We didn't realize that. We thought you only needed to be there 1 hour ahead. I think I can honestly say that there are no bad seats. If there was such a thing, we would have had them. We were all the way to one side in the last row and we could still see almost everything. Our waiter was very attentive. The show was great and my 3-year-old really seemed to love it. He enjoyed yelling and clapping and participating. He doesn't eat much so he was able to just sit on our laps and eat off our plates (which means we didn't have to pay for him). The menu included Voyager Creamy Vegetable Soup, Buccaneer Bread, Half O' Roasted Cackler (chicken), Captain's BBQ Pork Cob O' Buttery Corn, Pirate Ship Taters, and Apple O' Me Eye Pie. Everything was so delicious! And if you don't finish everything, you can take it home in a doggie bag. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. The Christmas show was themed around the Christmas carol storyline. It was alright.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: Captain Hook's Adventure Golf

Date Visited: November 7th, 2013

We did the Lost Boys course because Hook's was closed due to construction (which was too bad because on Hook's, there's a hole on Hook's ship).

The holes were pretty easy, but not TOO easy since we're not very good, but our 3-year-old still had fun.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: Flamingo Grill

Date Visited: November 5th, 2013 (our anniversary)

The ambiance is kind of hard to explain. It's like a classed up diner. Our waiter was very attentive. We started out with an appetizer of fried lobster bits (it was the special). They were delicious. Plus, you could tell that they were freshly made. I appreciate that when I go to a restaurant. For dinner, I got the 6 oz filet mignon and a crabcake. My meal came with a salad, peas, and garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes were seriously tasty. They were very creamy, but nice and thick with some skins mixed in there too. My filet was cooked perfectly. It was very tender. My crabcake was cooked perfectly as well. It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was very full of crab.

I had a bight of my husband's food. It was pretty delicious as well. He had salmon oscar (which means it's topped with lump crab meat, asparagus, and Bearnaise sauce).

We had told our waiter that it was our anniversary and at the end of our meal, he brought us out a little ice cream sundae. It was nice.

Oh yeah, we also ordered some martinis. I got a sour apple martini and my husband got a pomegranate martini.

Needless to say, after dinner, we were both completely stuffed! Our total was around $80.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: SkyWheel

Date Visited: November 5th, 2013

It costs $13/person. There is a coupon in one of the coupon books for $1 off per ticket. The 'gondolas' are nice. You could easily fit 6 people in there. They're even air conditioned. You go around 4 times. It's nothing overly amazing, but it's something that you should definitely do at least once. You do get some pretty awesome views.

The only downside is when they're loading people onto the SkyWheel on your first trip around and they keep stopping it. When you're at the top, you sway a little and that really freaked my husband out.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: Big Mike's Soul Food

Date Visited: November 4th, 2013

Seriously, don't let the outside fool you! It doesn't look like much on the outside or the inside, but the food is really good. And it's a really good price, especially compared to most places in Myrtle Beach. If you get the blue plate special, it's $7.95 and you get a drink, cornbread (AWESOME), 1 meat, and 3 sides. For seniors (55 and up) could get the blue plate special for $5.95. However, you only get 1 piece of meat instead of two. I had the fried pork chop. It was pretty good. My 3 sides included mac 'n' cheese (I think it was baked, which I'm not a huge fan of, but my husband seemed to really like it), green beans (which were pretty good), and mashed potatoes (which were awesome. I had gravy on mine.). We also got hush puppies. They were amazing. You get 12 for $2. No one at our table had any complaints and we were all completely stuffed. My son really seemed to like the rice and gravy. I had a coupon for a free dessert. We'd heard that the peach cobbler was amazing so I got 1 to go. My husband wanted one too, so we got a 2nd to go also. We just put them in the fridge when we got back to the villa. The service wasn't particularly fast, but our waitress was very friendly. We finally ate the peach cobbler a couple nights later and it was amazing even reheated so I can only imagine how good it is fresh.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Myrtle Beach Vacation 2013: Brookgreen Gardens

Date Visited: November 4th, 2013

One word: beautiful. We got there around 3pm. It was the perfect time of day to take pictures. The light was hitting the statues at just the right angle. The weather was perfect. It was right around 70 degrees. I was wearing a cardigan and I felt perfect. We were only there for about an hour and a half to two hours. It felt like we got to see almost everything. However, I also know that you could spend days and days there and still find new statues tucked away in corners or a new path that you haven't yet discovered. When we got our tickets, we were informed that they were good for an entire week so we could come back.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Packing A 3-Year-Old's Carry-On

Recently, I went on vacation with my family (including my 3-year-old son) and this was his first time on a plane. Packing carry-ons is always crucial for me. I don't want to pack too much, but I don't want anyone to be bored or hungry on the trip. It's a fine art that I'm still mastering. Most of these things fit in my son's carry-on, but my husband and I shoved a couple of these things in ours as well. Also keep in mind that not all of these things will be used on the flight there. You'll want some things for while you're waiting to board in the airport, on the plane, and then afterward on your way to your destination. And don't forget the return flight. Here are the things we brought.

1. DVD player, movies, and some headphones
We bought our son a new movie before we left. Luckily Monster's University came out just a couple days before we left.
2. Binoculars
He loved looking out the window when we were close to the ground.
3. Sticker book
I'm not sure if your kid is as obsessed with stickers as my son, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that he can be distracted for quite a while just playing with stickers. It helps to have a special book for them so that they have someplace to put the stickers or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.
4. Pipe cleaners
We ended up making things out of them like a basketball hoop, bracelet, house, etc. If you have an imagination, it's quite fun.
5. Create-A-Scene Magnetic Playset Check those out here!
These are awesome. They're magnetic so you shouldn't lose too many pieces. Plus, they have so many to choose from so you can find one for any child's interest.
6. Snacks (You can find that post here!)
7. Color Wonder Markers and Paper
This is especially awesome if you have one of those kids that can't stay between the lines since the markers only draw on the paper.
8. Homemade Puzzles (You can find that post here!)
9. PEZ dispensers
They're a cute little piece of candy, but if your kid is anything like mine, they're also a toy.
10. Magna Doodle
My son likes telling me to draw different things (for example, a boat, an apple, a pirate, etc.). He can draw and he can also have me draw things for him. This provides at least 15 minutes of entertainment.

What kinds of things do you pack your young children? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

Travel Snacks For You & Your Child

I just recently went on vacation with my 3-year-old son. He LOVES to snack at home so I knew traveling wouldn't be any different. I did my best to pack things he would enjoy and boy, did he ever. We had enough snacks for all 3 people in our family. We also had enough for the travel back home. Keep in mind, we only packed a couple of each item and shared. Here's what we brought:

1. Goldfish
2. Fruit snacks
3. Cheerios
You can even use these to string on some of those pipe cleaners you brought.
4. Ritz chips
You can buy a box of little packages of them or you could buy a large bag and divide them into little bags yourself. The sour cream & onion are my favorite.
5. Seasoned crackers (You can find that post here!)
6. leftover Halloween candy (since we left November 3rd)
7. pouched applesauce
These are nice because kids can eat them on the go. You don't need a bowl or spoon. Plus, they're delicious and they only need to be refrigerated after you open them.
8. Teddy Grahams
You can also buy a box of little packages of these too. We bought a box of original, cinnamon, and chocolate.
9. Dum Dums
These have the added benefit of helping to pop your ears with the sucking motion for those that are too young to have gum. Or you could bring blow pops for those that are old enough for gum but would still rather have a sucker.
Most of these items are pretty healthy, but you're on vacation. You can relax a little on the healthy eating.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

What I Learned About Riding In An Airplane With A 3-Year-Old

Recently, I went on vacation with my husband, parents, and 3-year-old son. It was a blast. But the thing I was most anxious about? The plane ride there and back. I learned a couple of things and I thought I'd share with you.

1. It's okay to over pack
People always say that you shouldn't over pack You can always buy things later. It's more of a hassle to bring so much stuff. I'm not saying that you need to weigh yourself down with as many things as you're allowed to bring on the airplane, but you should definitely have options.
2. Bring things to help with the popping of ears.
Some kids have a lot of trouble with popping their ears. We brought a big drink and some dum dums. We also tried to get him to yawn. Even with all this, he still had a little trouble with his ears.
3. Movies are lifesavers.
3-year-olds are not always that great at sitting and watching a whole movie, but that's not the point. My son only watched about an hour on each flight, but that was an entire hour that he was quiet and not moving. Be careful though, a kid with headphones doesn't realize how loud he is talking.
4. The Minion App is your friend.
I found an app a couple months ago called 'Minion-Goggles' and it's awesome. Plus, it's free. It uses the camera on your phone and puts goggles on you like the minions wear. My son LOVES it. We spent about 15-20 minutes just taking pictures.

5. Do you need to potty?
Whenever the opportunity arises, ask your child if they need to go potty. You'll inevitably regret it if you don't.
6. Pack surprise presents.
Throughout the day, give your child 'presents'. Don't feel like you have to give him every present that you brought. You can save some for the ride back, too.
7. Bring lots of snacks. (Find that post here!)
While your child is eating snacks, they're not talking. It helps you keep them quiet.
8. Tighten the Seatbelt
If you tighten the seatbelt enough, it keeps them in the seat far enough so that they won't be able to kick the seat in front of them. If your child does have long legs, make sure you talk to them ahead of time about this.

Tell me what you've learned in the comments below.

Check out the rest of my Myrtle Beach Reviews and Vacation Tips here.

5 Tips To Better Photograph Your Dog

My family adopted a sweet little pup a couple of months ago. Her name is Penny. She is so lovable, but she takes a little while to warm up to new people. Some dogs are like this. It makes it even harder to photograph them if you take them to a professional though because they have to spend so much time getting used to the photographer. I took pictures of my own dog. Since I'm her owner, I didn't have to go through that.

Here are 5 tips to help you take better pictures of your dog.

1. Let Your Dog Get Used To The Camera
If your dog has the chance to sniff the camera and here the shutter a couple time before you point it in their direction, they'll feel more comfortable when you start taking pictures of them.
2. Wear Your Dog Out Before You Start
Photographing dogs are like photographing children. They are active. They hardly ever sit still and it's not an easy job getting cute and beautiful photos from them. If they're worn out from playing before you start, you can get some nice relaxed shots. I don't suggest doing this when it's super hot outside or you'll get a lot of panting (giant tongue stuck out-which can sometimes be cute, but you don't want all your photos to look like this). Get some practice shots in while they're playing or running around. You know how I compared dogs to children? Well, just like children, sometimes dogs are even cuter when they're sleeping! If you get them tired enough, you might get some of these too.

3. Be Patient
Your dog is most likely not going to be 100% cooperative 100% of the time. Be patient. Wait it out. Chances are, if you wait for them to get their initial shyness or overwhelming urge to be crazy out, you'll get some amazing shots. Better yet, always keep your camera with you. That way, if you see the opportunity arise where your dog looks adorable or her surroundings really speak to who she is, you'll be ready.
4. Get Low
You don't want too many shots of your dog's head. If you get down to their level (unless you have a seriously massive dog) you'll get better profiles and straight on shots.

5. Use A Tripod If Your Dog Is Too Freaked By The Camera
Some dogs are not into seeing their owner disappear behind a camera. They see you hiding and think they're supposed to come find you. Sometimes, you can get some good shots still, but I suggest using a tripod. If you set up a tripod, use a remote shutter release, and stand just to the side of your camera, you can make funny faces and noises to get some cute looks from your pup.

Good luck with your dog's photography session. There are a lot of things to consider when taking pictures such as the lighting, aperture, ISO, background, etc. These are things to think about when photographing children, families, pets, couples, or anything really. These tips are to help you with your dog. We'll get into the tough stuff later.