My family visited Lake Geroge this summer and boy was it an experience. I thought it would be cool to share with you a few tips that will make you have the best trip EVER when visiting Lake Geroge.

Book in advance 

Lake George is a summer vacation spot. The early bird defiantly catches the warm. Book early! At least a couple of months in advance. Some people even book a year in advance. Yes, it's one of those vacation spots. I would also suggest checking the reviews of the place you plan on booking prior to making your reservation. Trust me, the pictures that the hotel provides most of the time looks totally different from what the room looks like in reality. This is where reviews play a major role. You should also figure out what type of room you would like to book. Are you more of a cabin or hotel person? Lake George has so many different options. So it is really based on what you prefer.

Double Check the Weather

I know this may sound simple. We live a couple of hours from Lake George and was having a heat wave prior to visiting. We checked the weather and I was hoping the weather was going to change of course we all want the perfect weather while on vacation. However, it did rain. Make sure you check the weather and plan accordingly. Because Lake Geroge is more of an outdoors vacation spot. So you will most likely spend a lot of your time outdoors. Create an itinerary for normal weather and a plan B option just in case it rains.

Food  

Do your research before hand of restaurants you plan on eating at. Depending on your lodging plans. You may have a full kitchen where you're staying at. Do you plan on eating out for each meal? or do you plan on cooking? Where our hotel was located at was when a walking distance to Price Choppers. I loved that the prices weren't hiked up like so places because it's a tourist area. I also noticed that a lot of people do bring their own food. Figure out what works best for you and your family. Downtown Lake George has a good amount of restaurants. some even deliver.

Groupon

If you're thinking about visiting Lake George make sure to look into Groupon's. Most likely if you're visiting you have this trip booked way in advance. I would suggest looking into and seeing what's available a couple of months prior to your trip and up until the day of your trip. Remember that some Groupon's expire in a couple of months. Check the expiration date and the small print prior to purchasing. Groupon really did come in handy when we were looking for places to eat at and activities.

Do you have any Lake Geroge Tips? 

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About

The Magic Sketch is an LCD drawing table that was created to inspire creativity and strengthing the minds for kids.

My Thoughts

My family was graciously provided with the opportunity to review the Magic Sketch. This review could not have come at a better time. Since we've been traveling a lot and spending most of our time out of the home. We were excited about trying something new. The kiddos were beyond excited about putting the Magic Sketch to work once it arrived in the mail. I really love how the Magic Sketch inspires creativity. It's such a great product that is fit for any age group. I even find myself using it playing games or sketching some of the flower stencils or even just allowing my creative juices to flow. I love that I can leave personalized notes and signs for the kiddos or our guest when it's not in use and I don't have to worry about my hands getting messy. I literally just have to click on the button to start on a fresh slate. I also love that the magic sketch only requires a battery and doesn't require charging which is perfect for taking along on plane rides. The Magic Sketch is really like having 60+ games and activities in one. Without having to invest in a million coloring books, crayons, and games.

Verdict

Buy It 

What you get? One Magic Sketch Deluxe Kit By, Boogie Board 

• Magic Sketch
• Protector 
• 4 Stylus
• 3 Stamps
• 1 Roller 
• 60 Stencils

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anywho, back to school is right around the corner and I want to get back on track with meal planning and trying to be as organized as possible for this upcoming school year. This week I decided to make some of my favs for the family which I hope to prep one day to assist with the ease of cooking during this week. Anywho, what's on the menu for this week?

The Menu Plan

Monday: Spaghetti w/ Garlic Bread 
Tuesday: The Best Ever Drumsticks w/ rice and veggies 
Thursday: Shrimp Alfredo w/ Garlic Bread
Friday: Garlic Ranch chicken w/ rice and veggies 
Saturday: Fried Fish w/ french fries
Sunday:  The Mister

I recently stayed at the Paul hotel for the Mister's birthday and I believe this was my first time staying at a bouquet hotel. I wanted to share with you, my experience staying at this hotel. Because not hotels in New York are created equal. 

Location 

I love the location of this hotel. It's close to Time Square and a lot of amazing restaurants and shops. I love that this hotel has a rooftop bar and a seating area in the front of the hotel. Which is nice to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee on.  

Staff

The staff was really nice at this hotel. I love that they were attentive to my needs. 

Room

The room was the typical size of a room in New York. I will say that the room was really clean by the appearance and the furniture was updated and chic. The rooms come with water and a Keurig machine and tea as well which is great. 


Cons
The hotel room smelled love or urine. I believe the smell came from the bathroom not being properly cleaned. I can't hold this against all rooms. I just believe that this was an oversight. The hotel lobby smelled great. 

Overall, I would stay at this hotel again because of the location and how up to date the hotel is. I will not hold the oversight against this hotel. I would defiantly book a room at the Pual Hotel again.

It has been a couple of weeks since I reached my final weight loss goal and I'm all for the healthy lifestyle change that has taken place in my life. Don't get me wrong. I still indulge, I had two Red Lobster biscuits while I was on vacation and I remember the days that I didn't have portion control. I'm such a sucker for carbs, bread, rice etc. I still say a sucker because I have not cut out everything 100%. As you guys know, I'm always on the hunt to try new recipes and add my own little twist to them. I'm still out of maple syrup which would 100% make this recipe a vegan recipe. I did use the flax seed eggs with this recipe and I actually love how this recipe turned out. I'm still going strong with my homemade oats flour. It's so convenient and my baked goods smell like fall. This recipe is healthy is doesn't require a whole container of sugar. Which in the long run, is saving you a ton of money. As you guys know, I only share with you guys recipes that I love and will make again. I'm always looking for recipes that I can grab and go and this recipe fit the bill. Once the bread was cooled. I sliced it and put it in Ziploc bags. I then stored them in the refrigerator to grab and go for breakfast or a snack.

Recipe

Ingredients 

• ¾ cup roughly chopped raw walnuts 
• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil 
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup (to make this recipe vegan)
• 2 table spoons of flaxseed and six tablespoons of water  (in place of eggs)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional to sprinkle more on the top)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt 
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups grated zucchini squeeze out the excess moisture over the sink before stirring it into the batter)
• 1 ¾ cups homemade oats flour (you can use wheat flour) 

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325
2. mix your flaxseed and water together in a small bowl and set aside
3. In a separate bowl combine all of the wet ingredients (except for the vanilla) 
4. Add the vanilla extract once all of the wet ingredients are combined
5. Add baking soda and oats flour. 
6. Add walnuts Do not over mix
7. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes

This bread is good for 5-7 days in the refrigerator 

Have you tried Zucchini bread before? 

Smoothie Recipe

• 1/2 a cup of frozen watermelon 
• 3 fresh strawberries + one to garnish with a strawberry and some mint leaves
• 1/2 cup watermelon lime juice

Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients above in a blender
2. Blend until combined (I use the smoothie setting and stop once everything is well blended)
3. Garnish with strawberries and some mint leaves

Are you a smoothie fan?

Happy Monday & Welcome to My Mommy Style Monday! How was your weekend? This past weekend was the Mister's birthday and we spent some time in New York with family. There's something about New York that has lately had me in all. I think it was my last visit when I was at Blogger Bash and I was really able to explore on my own terms. I had a lot of fun though this past weekend. I picked up these really cute scarves one I used as a headscarf the same day I purchased it and the other is patiently waiting to be featured in one of my Mommy Style Monday posts.

Anywho, what was the best part of your weekend?

Attire Breakdown