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Brevard Zoo Presents Dinosaurs: Dead Or Alive? (And Tons Of Fun!)
Central Florida friends, if your Saturday mornings begin with, “What are we going to do today?” Then I am excited to answer that question before you even ask. (Sorry to my readers from elsewhere, I wish I could help you too!)
Have you ever been to the Brevard Zoo? No? Well, until recently I hadn’t either. I had heard rumors from trustworthy sources that it was a great zoo, but in my mind Brevard is oh-so-far-away and not exactly a spur of the moment outing. But planned in advance, we got moving on a Saturday morning and headed out. Now that we have been, we will be going back for sure. Wherever you are in Central Florida, it is worth the drive. Trust me.
The Brevard Zoo is unique in that it sits on 75 acres of land including conservation land that can’t be built on. The shear square footage combined with the natural surroundings provides a unique zoo experience with board walks leading through Florida’s natural habitat where you will find critters of every size. But don’t just walk through the zoo when you can zoom on a zipline through the trees or paddle through the wetlands.
Beyond the animals of today’s time, you will find a wooded path taking dino lovers through a prehistoric pathway in the new exhibit Dinosaurs: Dead Or Alive? Mini adventurers will love exploring the trail of animated dinosaurs on a journey to learn if dinosaurs still walk among us. (You might be surprised by the answer.)
Normally into all that glitters and sparkles, our princess was totally amazed by the dinosaurs and her introduction to fossils. Visiting the exhibit before it was open to the public (it is now open through Memorial Day 2012), we missed learning about dinosaurs from staff and volunteers located throughout the trail to answer questions and fill curious minds with fun facts. But judging from our tour guide’s wealth of knowledge, there’s a lot for little ones to learn about the dinos who line the trail. K was pleased to be the map carrier, obsessed with learning the name of each dinosaur we came across.
Having seen many a plastic dinosaur in my day, I have to tell you these are the best animatronic dinosaurs I have ever seen. The movements are so fluid and the texture of the plastic so life-like that you might just come to believe you are on a safari to explore living dinosaurs. Watch out, some of the prehistoric pals are so life-like you might actually find yourself getting sprayed. (You’ve been warned.)
Half way through the nature hike down the dino trail you will find yourself at field camp where kids can get hands on with an archaeological dig, learning to wrap bone fossils for transport, a mini zip line and a little snack time. (Lots of places for mom and dad to have a seat too.)
The dinosaur exhibit is dino-mite (I couldn’t resist), but since this was our first visit to the Brevard Zoo I have to share with you my absolute favorite moment of the day. Feeding the giraffe. YES, at the Brevard Zoo you don’t just look at the pretty giraffe, they come right up to you and you can feed them! It was incredible. Not only are giraffes my daughter favorite animal, but to be able to touch these breath-taking creatures that I have only ever seen from a distance. AMAZING. I worried K might be a little afraid, but she jumped right in feeding the beautiful creatures. (Anyone can feed the giraffe, but it costs $1 per piece of food. Bring cash, you don’t want to miss this.) I could have spent the entire day right there watching and feeding the giraffe, but my own family was getting hungry too. So we had to move on.
Since lunch came next, I must commend the zoo on its food quality. Everything was reasonably priced and tasty. Just watch out for the native wildlife. We were attacked by vicious, fry-stealing birds. And I mean vicious, with my four-month old sitting in my lap a bird swooped out of the trees and took a french fry out of my mouth as I tried to eat it. I kid not. It was lovely eating outside by the water, but those birds!
Speaking of birds, you must also feed the birds while at the zoo. Hilarious! There are two areas to feed the birds, one with nectar and one with seeds on a stick. Small and/or timid children will delight at feeding the calm cockatiel seed sticks. Feeding the lorikeets should be left to braver, older children. K tried it, but quickly decided it was more fun to watch the birds swarm mom and dad. (One nipped my finger a bit too, which would have resulted in waterworks if it had been K.)
I’ve never had such a hands-on experience at a zoo before, and I can’t wait to go back to check out the Treetop Trek, the kids water play area and, of course, feed the giraffe again! Moms and dads, I highly recommend answering the question ”What are we going to do today?” with, “We are going to the Brevard Zoo!”
Visit the Brevard Zoo and check out Dinosaurs: Dead Or Alive? from now through Memorial Day weekend (great day trip idea for spring break). Find directions, ticket information and more online at www.brevardzoo.org.
Disclosure – I was invited to attend the Brevard Zoo as part so I could provide a first-hand account of the exhibits, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Save Money On Dental Costs With A Dental Savings Plan ~ Giveaway
Everyone talks about the rising cost of health insurance these days (don’t get me started), but if you’ve looked at a dental insurance policy then you know dental insurance costs are also on the rise. Even if you aren’t scared of the dentist, you may be terrified of the bill at the end of the visit. Wowzers! Dental care is expensive.
Having worked in HR for years and analyzed countless dental insurance plans, I know that unless the plan is subsidized by the company you work for dental insurance plans are expensive. What’s more, unless you have a major procedure done, high deductibles and co-pays most likely mean that you pay more for insurance than you save. This means you pay for expensive insurance and expensive procedures. That’s why alternative dental savings plans are a reasonable option.
Unlike traditional dental insurance where you pay a deductible/co-pay and the rest is paid by the insurance company (at a discounted rate), with a dental savings plan you pay the discounted rate at time of service – nothing additional is paid by the discount dental plan network. The way this works is that the discount dental plan network works with local dentists to negotiate a discounted rate on services for its customers so that you save money. The annual membership fee you pay grants you access to the discounted rates negotiated. This is how dental savings plans can be considerably less expensive than dental insurance plans. Plus, since you don’t have to reach a deductible to receive the savings, you can start saving money on dental procedures right away.
Of course, like insurance not all dentists participate in a dental savings plans so it is important to do your homework to make sure your dentist is part of the group that offers a discount with the program. Luckily at DentalPlans.com, it is easy to look up your dentist to see if they participate. If not, you will find tons of other dentists in your area that do, and since the savings can be tremendous it might be time to find a new dentist.
At DentalPlans.com you will find dental savings plans that start at $79.95 per year for an individual and $129.95 per year for a family. For a family of four, that’s less than $11 a month to access the discounted dental services. (Far less than a dental insurance policy.) Plus, right now DentalPlans.com is having a promo for three-months free when you sign up for a plan, so that works out to be less than $9 a month for that same family of four. (Note, family plans start at $129.95, plans in my area were more, FYI.) Want even more savings? Use the coupon code SUB10 to save 10% off your plan.
Here are some facts about the dental savings plans available at DentalPlans.com:
- Save 10% to 60% off most dental care procedures
- Savings at 100,000+ dentists across the country
- 30+ plans to search, compare and view sample savings by ZIP code
- Savings on cosmetic dentistry and orthodontia
- No annual limits, health restrictions or paperwork hassles
- Most plans activate within three business days
If you don’t have dental insurance either because it isn’t available or affordable (or even if you do and you are considering a switch), take a look at the plans available at DentalPlans.com. Only you (and your dentist) know how often you really go to the dentist or what work you might need done, so look at the plan options and see if one might be right for you.
GIVEAWAY – Thanks to the folks at DentalPlans.com, I get to give one of my readers a one-year family dental savings plan of their choice. (Plus, since they are giving three-months free you will actually receive a 15-month plan too.)
To enter – Please use the Rafflecopter form below to take advantage of your entry opportunities.
MANDATORY ENTRY MUST BE LEFT AS COMMENT ON BLOG POST BELOW– then you can check off in Rafflecopter that you did it. Otherwise, all other entries will be invalid. (Click instructions for what to comment about.)
*** PLEASE be sure to read instructions in Rafflecopter form as to what to comment about.***
Two Personalized Disney Books (Princess or Cars) From Plum District
Whether your tot loves Disney Princesses or Cars, they will love hearing their name (and then names of their closest pals) in a story book just for them. Plum District is offering two personalized books (either Princesses or Cars) for just $22 shipped.
I bought these Princess books for K and all of her friends for Christmas and they were a hit! The books are really nicely bound, full-color books with multiple mini stories within each book. When you purchase the deal you will get two different books, so you can get them both for your kiddo(s) or get one for your child and one to give as a gift.
New Plum customers can also get a FREE $5 credit to spend when you use this link to sign-up too!
Existing customers, get your personalized Disney books here.
101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child ~ Free eBook
Here’s a free boredom buster for your brood. The Kindle version of 101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child is currently available for FREE on Amazon. If you found a Kindle under your tree this year, this is a great start for your library.
Don’t have a Kindle? Don’t worry, you can download a free app to read it on your computer or smart phone.
Free book with ideas to entertain kiddos during spring break, I am off to download it!
Pamper Dry Winter Skin With Dial™ NutriSkin™
I am a lotion junkie. I have a different lotion for every body part, season, mood, etc. Seriously, you should see my stash, it’s overflowing. It may seem silly, but it s my way of pampering and taking care of myself. To some, my stash may look full, but I am always on the look out for a new lotion to fall in love with.
Dial™ soap is a staple in our home. I grew up using Dial™ bar soap, and we use Dial™ NutriSkin™ hand soap in our kitchen. So when I was invited to try Dial™ NutriSkin™ lotion, it was a perfect fit. Dial™ meets lotion, sounds like a good combo to me.
So I headed out to Walmart, where there was an in-store demonstration and I planned to test the lotion for myself. (Check out the full story of my trip in pictures on Google+.) I found the lotion the shelves before I found the demo, so I checked out the products and did a quick sniff test of each type. Funny story here… you know how you lightly squeeze a bottle of lotion to get a whiff of the sent. I successfully did this on the first two bottles, but on the third a glob of lotion went flying out of the bottle into my nose. Ick! Yep, right there in the store, lotion in my nose. Anywho…
I searched out the in-store demonstration to test out the lotion. At the demo I was able to sample two of the lotions, the Dry Skin with True Aloe and the Extra Dry Skin formulas. I tried one on each arm. I liked that both lotions absorbed quickly and didn’t leave me feeling greasy (a no-no for my lotions). Both lotions had a very light lotion scent, nothing specific that I can describe other than they sounded like lotion.
In addition to the two lotions I was able to sample, my Walmart also offered Dial™ NutriSkin™ Sensitive Skin and Firming formulas. There was also a black bottle of lotion for men. This confused me greatly. Since none of the lotions had a floral scent (really much of a scent at all), I don’t understand why men need their own lotion. (I meant to smell that one to see if it was “manly,” but at that moment I was distracted by a little girl squirting lotion on the floor and her mother’s frustration/embarrassment.)
After much debated, I decided that what my lotion stash at home was currently lacking was a bedside tube of lotion for my hands. My hands get really dry this time of year, so I apply lotion to my hands nightly. Recently, my husband’s hands have also been dry so he commandeered my lotion. The Dial™ NutriSkin™ Extra Dry formula comes in a small tube that is perfect for this purpose, it also has shea butter, which I love for a hand lotion. Also, since I apply hand lotion before bed, it is imperative that my lotion doesn’t have a heavy scent, so this lotion is perfect.
The Dial™ NutriSkin™ formulas are very affordable (love this). A giant 26.25 oz bottle (with pump) is $5.67 full price, and a 15 oz is $3.97 while the XXX tube only $1.97. And you will notice in my picture above, several of the bottles had peelies for $.55 off. (And the day I shopped, the lotion was on sale too.) Since the demonstrator was passing out $1 off coupons, I scored a tube of lotion for less than $1. Very affordable pampering. If you want to try Dial™ NutriSkin™, check your Red Plum coupons from 2/19/12 for a $1 off coupon. Like Dial™ NutriSkin™ on Facebook or follow on Twitter to stay up-to-date on coupons and special offers.
Disclosure – This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. #DialNutriSkin
