Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg, Virginia

We just spent a fun filled weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia. This was out first visit to this hotel, which boasts a large indoor water park as its main attraction. We checked in on Saturday afternoon around 2:00pm. Check in officially is 4:00, but if your room is ready you can go ahead and check in early.

The hotel has several options for rooms and suites to accommodate families of all sizes. We were a group of nine and had reserved a Grizzly Suite. The suite consisted of two separate bedrooms, one with two queen beds and the other with one queen bed. There was a living area with a sleeper sofa and two full bathrooms. One bathroom had a large walk in shower and the other a whirlpool tub with shower. There were three TVs, an electric fireplace, and a snack area with a microwave and a mini fridge. The suite was very clean and comfortable and our group of nine,(four adults and five children) fit nicely.

The indoor water park is the hotel's main attraction. Living in Florida, we are used to spectacular water parks and I was a little unsure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised, as were the kids. There were water slides to suit everyone, as well as a wave pool, swimming pool, toddler area, and a large water play structure. There were also two large hot tubs, one for families and one for guests over 21. There are private cabanas available for rent on a first come basis. We chose to just park our stuff at one of the many tables and chairs scattered throughout the water park area. Towels are provided by the hotel and there was a large, clean shower and dressing area. No outside food may be brought into the water park. There is a snack bar type restaurant located just inside the doors that boasts fare such as hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, nachos, and french fries. The prices were a little high, but not out of line with theme parks or hotels anywhere else. Our group of nine managed to eat lunch for just under $70. This included make your own slushies for all the kids.

In addition to the water park, the hotel offers many activities for children. The Cub Club is an area where kids of all ages can go to enjoy crafts and games. There are daily free crafts as well as more involved crafts that range in price from $3 - $15. N and A were perfectly happy with the free crafts offered. The Cub Club also hosts daily coloring contests and bingo games for the kids. Three times daily there is an animated show about nature under the lodge's Great Clock Tower. Following the evening show there is story time in front of the huge lobby fireplace. Of course, no hotel geared toward kids would be complete without an arcade and the Great Wolf is no exception. The Northern Lights Arcade is a typical arcade, full of noise, lights, and cheesy prizes. The kids loved it, though we imposed a limit on how much money they could waste in there. For adults, the hotel also has a large fitness room and a day spa. We did not make use of either of those facilities.

The lodge has dining options, but they were on the pricey side. We opted instead to get dinner one night from a local grocery store deli and from a local BBQ place the second night.

All in all, the Great Wolf Lodge is a great place for a family getaway. The staff was friendly and helpful, the hotel was impeccably clean, and there were activities for everyone. We'd definitely consider visiting again, either in Williamsburg or at one of Great Wolf's other locations. You can read more about the Great Wolf Lodge and what they have to offer at their website: www.greatwolflodge.com.

RockBand Hell

My children are the proud owners of a Wii. I didn't buy the Wii. It was a gift from their very generous great aunt. We've had the Wii for a year now and along the way have acquired several games for it, including Guitar hero and Wii Fit. This year, J and N received gift cards to Gamestop. They also received a duplicate Star Wars game and took it to exchange it. To my not so everlasting delight, they exchanged it for RockBand. Just the game, because they did not have near enough to cover the cost of the set. And the box said it was compatible with their Guitar Hero guitar. Okay fine. Then J discovered he had enough to buy just the drums. Great! Terrific! We now have daily RockBand sessions with both drum and guitar in the living room. Why the living room instead of a playroom or family room? Because our house is small. Very small. The sound of the drumsticks tapping is now permanently seared into my brain. Along with their endless renditions of Eye of the Tiger. Seriously, I'm over RockBand. If they ever get the microphone I may run screaming into the night.

Fashionista in training

Let me start this post off by stating that I am NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, a fashion goddess. My tastes runs to the conservative and well, boring. Today A and I went on a quick trip to JcPenney with my mom. We each had a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon that we figured we might as well use. A has a birthday coming up in January and there was a decent sale going on in the toddler department. We selected a few outfits and she insisted on trying them on. Then she had to try on some other things, too. And admire herself in the dressing room's full length mirror. She then had to parade out to show Grammy all the wonderful clothes. And bow for the other shoppers. As we left the store, she asked if we were going to buy shoes now. Oh boy.

It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas

Christmas is just over a week away and there is still so much to be done. In addition to all the normal Christmas activity, it is pageant week at the boys' school. They go to a catholic school and our christmas pageant is a big production. Every kid in the pre k - 8th grade has a part. J is in the choir this year, where 5th-7th eagerly await their turn at the 8th grade speaking roles. I'm thinking Joseph or drummer boy for next year. N is part of the christmas tree and he is directing his tree as they sing Oh Christmas Tree and Jesus Loves Me. As the head homeroom mom for the school, I am in charge of the cookies and punch reception that follows the evening pageant performance. It's a brutal week. But, pageant day really signifies the begining of Christmas for us. This will be J's 9th year in the pageant. N is only on his 4th year. It is the same pageant every year. And every year these kids move me to tears when they perform the Christmas Story. From the tiny pre k stars all the way to the 8th graders who have the most important roles, they absolutely blow you away. As I sit in that darkened church Thursday night, I will be reminded once again, of the true meaning of Christmas. And I will cry.

Potty Mouth

I confess to having a potty mouth. Hell, I cuss like a sailor at times. I've been thinking I needed to clean up my mouth. Today A (age 2) told me the damn tree was beautiful. As I was trying to figure out if I'd heard her correctly an ornament fell off the tree. She asked how the hell that happened. The dish soap is waiting next to my toothbrush.

Rest in peace Nugget

A few days ago, I went to check on N's hermit crab, Nugget. Well, his name is actually Butt Nugget, but I try hard to change it to the more mannerly, Nugget. But I digress. N is prety good about making sure he keeps Nugget watered and fed, but since he's only 8, I do check behind him. Well, Nugget was out of his shell and let's just say he was looking like, well, a petrified nugget. Turns out he had recently changed shells and moved into the lovely painted shell we had provided for him. Turns out painted shells are toxic to hermit crabs. Who knew? Certainly not the pet store where I asked if the shells were safe and was assured they were. So, if there any hermit crab owners out there, pass on the painted shells. Rest in peace Butt Nugget.

He's the captain

J came in from baseball practice last night all stoked up because he was voted team captain. This makes me proud of him on so many levels. He was chosen by his teammates because without fail, he has the most positive attitude on the team. He always has an encouraging word for a fellow player, cheers the loudest from the dugout, and stays positive no matter what happens. Since this fledgling travel team often times resembles the Bad New Bears, this is a good thing. They need positve energy. But his winning attitude does a mama proud. In his eyes, this puts him one step closer to being like his idol, Derek Jeter, captain of the NY Yankees. You have to understand that this kid is a huge Yankee fan. He has been coached from birth, by his equally die hard grandpa, on all things Yankee. His goal in life is to become their starting first baseman. Of course, he's now also coveting the captains position.