Hawaiian Islands Vacation: Oahu Day 4Part 1: Hanauma Bay

 I'm back with more of our Hawaii vacation pictures, and still determined to finish sharing them!  Today I want to share our trip to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.  Snorkeling at this location is epic and a must-do activity if you visit the island of Oahu.  The water is crystal clear, and the reef is stunning!

We arrived to Hanauma Bay early so we could make the cut off (they limit the number of people and once the limit is met, the bay is closed.  I've also heard that the water gets more murky as the day progresses, so the best snorkeling is first thing in the morning when they open.

Sadly, you can tell that a lot of the reef closest to the shore has been damaged by human contact, and even with the crowd control measures in place I think they still allow too many people in the area at a time.  We still were thrilled by our experience here, and think you should definitely put this on your must-see list when you visit Oahu.

Also, I totally recommend buying a Lifeproof case for your iPhone if you don't have an underwater digital camera.  We picked one up the evening before for about $80 and we loved being able to take photos underwater.

More of our Hawaii Vacation:

Oahu Day 3

Oahu Day 2

Oahu Day 1

A Tour of Our Ko Olina Resort

Trip Itinerary

      

Last Minute Halloween Fun:Creepy Candy Land

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

 Life is busy!  Family has been visiting, the husband is in and out of the city on business and I've got a to-do list a mile long!  I almost forgot that it was Halloween this week!  Now that the daughter and I will be heading on a business trip Thursday, I knew I had to come up with a fun Halloween activity we could do as a family while we were all together.

 I love putting together fun activities using just the things we have in the house.  It is amazing what you can come up with in moments of creativity.  I decided that since my daughter is currently obsessed with board games of any kind, I would convert her Candy Land game into a "Creepy Candy Land" with candy prizes and fun costumed game pieces.  I knew exactly what to grab to make the costumes, a roll of Cottonelle.  I have been to many bridal showers where Cottonelle toilet paper was used to make fake wedding gowns or used for fun baby shower games - I couldn't resist the opportunity to apply those experiences to my game idea.

 I started out by making a ghost.  Easy and simple.  Using one square from my Cottonelle Triple Roll, I placed the game piece's head in the center of the square, fastened a rubber band around the neck, and then cut a hole for the arm to come out.  After I added a ghost face using a black sharpie, it was perfect.

 Next, I took a square of the toilet paper and cut a swirl pattern into it.  I wrapped the swirl all around the game piece and then added kitchen twine and black eyes to make a mummy.

 I decided for the third piece to make a pumpkin.  I started by coloring a square of toilet paper orange then adding lines for the pumpkin.  I cut a little slit in the center for the game piece's head to slip through, and another one for the hand.  Then I tucked the edges up and under and fastened a rubber band around the legs and toilet paper to give it the round shape.  I added a little piece of spiral paper colored green for the stem and taped it to the game piece's head.

 I had planned on only doing three game pieces, but couldn't resist using the Dora game piece to make a fun witch.  I colored the toilet paper and cut it, then using tape applied it to Dora.  I love how she turned out!

 After the pieces were in costume, I added chocolate candies to the game board.  Each colored spot on the game board received one piece of chocolate candy.  And a jackpot of candy awaited the winner at the finish of the game.  It was time to play the game.

 To play Creepy Candy Land we just set everything up as usual, but added chocolate candies to the game board.  Whenever a player landed on a piece with a candy, they got to take that candy and save it in their own little stash.  The first person to end up at the finish received a candy jackpot.

The game was a huge hit with Zion, who played the ghost character.  She assigned the mummy to me, because I'm the mummy.  So clever that little girl is.  And Jerry was given the pumpkin.  We enjoyed winning chocolates around the board and even though I won the jackpot, the fact that Zion felt rewarded with little candies at every turn made this a win-win for everyone.

Use this coupon when you buy Cottonelle Triple Roll 12 pack at Target, you will get a FREE box of Kleenex! (While supplies last!)

      

The Best Table Booster Seat for Young Children + Booster Seat Giveaway

I received a complimentary Bumbo Booster Seat for the purpose of this review.  

All opinions below are my own.

We have finally found the perfect booster seat for young children!  Our little family has tried several different types of table booster seats over the last two years - at home, during travel and while visiting family, and to be honest I was quite unimpressed with all of them.  The one we had in our home was too tall, too hard and not easy to clean.

When our new Bumbo Booster Seat came in the mail, I couldn't wait to toss the old seat aside and place this one at our table.  I immediately noticed the contoured and flexible cushioning that makes Bumbo products stand out.  I also noticed that the seat is incredibly light and fit perfectly on our dining table chairs.

The Bumbo Booster Seat is a comfortable and supportive seat that fits most standard four legged chairs.  It comes in several different colors including red, shown above.  The seat is easy to clean with no grooves for food to get stuck in.  It is super easy to install and has a really cool modern look to it.

We've been using the Bumbo Booster Seat for just over a week and we are convinced that we have found the best table booster seat for young children!  The seat is very secure when installed and has a three-point harness with adjustable straps.  The buckle is definitely a challenge for little hands, so that is also a plus for our little lady who manages to be able to escape from similar buckles.

Another great detail about the Bumbo Booster Seat is the price.  The suggested retail price is $39.99 which makes this a very budget-friendly modern booster seat.  As if all of the features I mentioned above weren't enough, I have to share one more reason you will love the Bumbo Booster Seat.

With every purchase of a Bumbo product, a portion of the sale goes directly to supporting humanitarian efforts in South Africa through Bumbo Cares.  Over the last eight years, over 10 MILLION DOLLARS has been given to fund projects that take care of orphans, new mothers and babies as well as families in poverty who need help with food and shelter.  Funding has also been provided for special needs daycare, a sports center and other community programs to improve the well being of many children and adults in the community.

Bumbo Cares was founded to take care of the underprivileged and special needs children and families in the community where Bumbo International was created.

I don't know about you, but I love knowing that products I purchase are supporting companies who believe in changing the world around them for the better!  Bumbo Cares is one more reason to love Bumbo!

So, how would you like to win a Bumbo Booster Seat today!?  I am pleased to be able to offer you that chance via the rafflecopter below.  (You must have java enabled to view the rafflecopter widget).  Don't want to wait?  Find out where to buy the Bumbo Booster Seat and other great Bumbo products.
a Rafflecopter giveaway