Summer Vacation: Part One

Now that school is winding down, it is time for you moms out there to start thinking about summer vacation.  Are you looking for something different?  Something that will have the kids staring in amazement?  Something affordable?  The United States is full of beautiful places to visit. Many of them are located in our National Parks. My husband has been lucky enough to travel to most of them. Here are his top five list of must see National Parks.

Ranking at #5 is Sequoia-Kings Canyon, located in Three Rivers, California. Sequoia-Kings Canyon is not only home to majestic mountains and deep canyons, but it is also the home to the world’s largest trees. The giant sequoia named General Sherman, stands tall at a whopping 275 feet! According to my husband, a large branch that broke off from the General Sherman a few years back was larger than any standing tree east of the Mississippi.

Coming in at #4 is Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone, the nation’s first national park, is located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Yellowstone is probably most recognized for its famous geyser, Old Faithful. Besides the many geysers and hot springs, there are great hiking trails, camping sites, and fishing spots. Just watch out for the bears, wolves, elk, and buffalo!

Bryce Canyon, located in Utah, brings us to the #3 spot. It is hard to explain the uniqueness of Bryce Canyon. So here is a short blurb from the National Park Service. “Words confound when no comparable exist. A cave without a ceiling? A forest of stone? Even 'canyon' is misleading since Bryce is carved by freeze-thaw cycles, not a river. Yet, 'world's largest pothole' is neither adequate nor flattering. Tour this Website, and you’ll be enticed to visit Bryce in person. Once here, perhaps you'll agree with those who say, ‘Bryce is a Bryce!’”

Yosemite National Park, located in California, comes in at #2. “Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.”

Finally that brings us to #1…….The Grand Canyon, located in Arizona. Since I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, I know that I can not do it justice. I’ve seen my husband’s pictures and they are amazing. The Grand Canyon is 18 miles wide and one mile deep. The Colorado River runs through the canyon for 277 miles. From the stories that I’ve heard, I suggest taking a lot of water if you are planning on hiking to the bottom!

Perhaps National Parks aren't your thing.  No worries!  Come back and read part two and three of Summer Vacations where we will explore the best Amusement Parks and Beaches to visit.  What is your family's favorite summer vacation spot?    

Grab a Latte, Put up Your Feet, and Join the Discusssion!    

We Have Winners!

Congratulations to Sarah Shult!  You are the lucky winner of the Pediacare giveaway!  You won with comment #16, "email subscriber."  Sarah has 48 hours to claim her prize or another winner will be selected with Random.org.  Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks to Pedicare for hosting a great giveaway.

Congratulations to Wendi!  You are the lucky winner of the Crunchy N Yummy giveaway!  You won with comment #76, "Tweeted."  Wendi has 48 hours to claim her prize or another winner will be selected with Random.org.  Thanks to everyone who entered and a HUGE thanks to Crunchy N Yummy for hosting a great giveaway.

Congratulations to debijackson!  You are the lucky winner of the Kidorable backpack giveaway!  You won with comment #100 and by following us on Twitter.  debijackson  has 48 hours to claim her prize or another winner will be selected with Random.org.  Thanks to everyone who entered and a HUGE thanks to Kidorable for hosting another great giveaway.

Congratulations to Tylerpants!  You are the lucky winner of the Executive Gift Shoppe giveaway!  You won with comment #129, "I'm an Executive Gift Shoppe Fan on Facebook."  Tylerpants  has 48 hours to claim her prize or another winner will be selected with Random.org.  Thanks to everyone who entered and a HUGE thanks to Executive Gift Shoppe for hosting another great giveaway.

Party!!!

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend.  Not only was my hubby home (very rare), but we had some friends over for a BBQ to celebrate the little one's 5th birthday!  We rented a moon bounce for our backyard, and despite looking like they went swimming in it (it was that hot), the kids all had a blast!  Our weather here is so weird.  Last week, we were all wearing sweaters in the morning and this weekend we almost hit 100 degrees.

Such a cutie!  Sweaty and all!

My Baby Graduated!

My Baby Graduated...graduated preschool that is.  I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but to me it is HUGE!  By graduating preschool, she has finished the first stage of her life.  The part where her family is her world.  In a few months, I will have to send her to kindergarten.  And that is the beginning of the next stage where her teacher will get to see her more than I do.  Jealous much??  You bet I am. :) 

I just finished reading a Karen Kingsbury book where she talked about the importance of treasuring the lasts in our children's life.  I am guilty of focusing more on the firsts in their lives.  But I agree completely that we need to treasure the memories of their lasts as well.  Sometimes we don't know when the lasts will occur, so I will just treasure every day with my girls this summer.  Every day, first or last, is precious!

Kidorable Giveaway (With Discount Code)

“In 1997, Kidorable sprung from the minds, hearts and efficiency apartment of Liping and Jonathan Domsky. They proclaimed, "The world needs someone to create children's apparel and accessories that are both functional and fun. We can do that."”   And they did just that.  Kidorable is a fun company that sells umbrellas, raincoats, rain boots, backpacks, Hooded Towels, scarves, and much more!  All of their items are designed in fun themes for both boys and girls.

We were recently sent this cute butterfly rain coat to review.   The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  Just a few days after receiving it, three days worth of rain storms passed through our area. When we took the picture above, it was pouring!   My daughter was so happy to use her new raincoat that matches her umbrella and I loved that she stayed dry! The raincoat is a perfect fit for my older daughter and is so well made that I know my younger daughter will be using it in a few years.  And they both love the look of matching their umbrella and raincoat.   If butterflies aren’t for your kids, check out all their other great themes.  Our favorites were the fairies, mermaids, lotus flower, and lady bug.  But we have a house full of girls.  If you have some handsome young men in your house, they may love the frog, dinosaur, fire truck, or pirates.

Look at this adorable Hooded Towel!  These towels are made from absorbent, soft cotton.  They are perfect for the pool, beach, or drying off after a bath. These quality towels come in two sizes, newborn to two years, and ages three to six.  Kidorable is offering a great new promotion.  From May 30 - June 12, your readers can get 20% off their entire order when they purchase our impossibly cute and soft cotton hooded towels. Just use code DRYOFF33 at checkout on www.kidorable.com.

 Buy it: Buy your own Kidorable items today!  Prices range from around $11.50 - $45.00.

Win it:  Thanks to the generous people from Kidorable, one lucky reader of Between the Lines will win their choice of Hooded Towel.  Simply visit Kidorable and let me know which Hooded Towel you would choose.    Please leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win!

Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)

~ Follow Kidorable in Facebook (3)

~ Sign up for Kidorable Newsletter (3)

~ Follow Kidorable on Twitter (3)

~Follow Between the Lines (3)         

~ Subscribe to my email (5)

~ Grab my button and leave a link of where it’s displayed (5)

~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)

~ Follow me on Facebook (5)

~Follow me on Twitter (2)

~ Add my Spotlight Saturday button and leave a link (5)

~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)

~ Enter another one of my current giveaways (1 each)

~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10)

This giveaway will end on June 13 th @10p.m Eastern

Giveaway open to US only.  Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: . The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own. I received no  compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review. Prizes are mailed out by the distributor and Between the Lines cannot be held accountable for prizes not sent.

Pink Dandy Sunday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Pink Dandy Blog Hop!

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This blog hop will be up for 3 days! From Sunday the 29th-Wednesday the 1st.

I will start a new blog hop every Sunday.

*****

How does this blog hop work?


1. Make sure to follow Pink Dandy Chatter and Between The Lines so that we can follow you back!!

2. To ensure that Pink Dandy Chatter will follow you back, you need to make sure and leave a comment (below on this post) saying that you are a new follower and also leave a link to your blog.

3. Add your blog name and the URL to one of your favorite posts on the Linky below.

4. Please follow at-least 2 blogs on the list that appeal to you

5. Your blog must be family friendly ONLY. Explicit sites will be removed from the list.