Snowland Returns to Great Wolf Lodge at Charlotte/Concord

If you're looking for somewhere to visit with your family this holiday season, Great Wolf Lodge at Concord is hosting its annual Snowland celebration. It runs from November 26th to January 1st. The resort is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with indoor snow showers and spectacular decorations.

Great Wolf Lodge’s month-long winter celebration, Snowland, offers festive activities from visits with Santa and Mrs. Clause to indoor snow showers to a Polar Wolf Walk. For a truly delectable experience, visitors are invited to dine inside the resort’s life-size gingerbread house. Other activities are Santa’s Letter Depot, North Pole University with holiday themed projects and the Great Clock Tower Holiday Show and Story Time.

Featuring more than 5,000 candies, 600 pounds of gingerbread dough and 1,320 pounds of sugar, the life-size gingerbread house is baked, iced and candied to absolute perfection, setting the scene for a memorable holiday feast. The appetizing walls of the lodge-baked abode have as much heart as taste, as the proceeds for each meal go to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Guests can opt to stay in festive Snowland Suites, complete with twinkling lights, glimmering garland, a fully decorated tree, oversized snowflakes and a copy of Great Wolf Lodge’s story book, “Unique as a Snowflake.” As a special treat, Wiley and Violet the Wolf hand deliver cookies and milk to each Snowland Suite nightly to help guests end the day with a super sweet surprise.

Adults can receive their own special delivery of Wine Down Service. The menu, developed by Great Wolf Lodge and The Wine Group, features both sweet and savory culinary treats with wine pairings that can be delivered to the guestrooms after children go to bed. To avoid waking up the kiddos, a “pack member” sends a text announcing the delivery is on its way rather than knocking.

Here are some of the fun activities they have in store: 

• Cookies with Mrs. Claus, where children decorate cookies in the life-size Gingerbread House with Santa’s leading lady.
• Hot Cocoa with a Great Wolf Kid for an afternoon sip. Kids can customize their cocoa by adding fun toppings, or a favorite adult libation for the parents.
• The Snow ‘n’ Glow Dance Party, the chance to prance and dance the evening away with neon glow sticks under falling snowflakes.
• Festive Family Flicks, a time to wind the night down by cozying up with the family and watching a holiday movie in the Grand Lobby.

About Great Wolf Lodge:

Great Wolf Lodge is North America’s largest family of indoor water park resorts, and through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns and operates family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand.  Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; Fitchburg, Mass., Charlotte, N.C.; Garden Grove, Calif. and Colorado Springs, Colo. Additional resorts planned include Bloomington, Minn. (late 2017), LaGrange, Ga. (late spring 2018) and Gurnee, Ill. (summer 2018).

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Beach Walk & Family Fun Day

Join in for the third annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Beach Walk on November 4th! This event is hosted by Crown Reef Resort & Waterpark

-8 AM Registration begins
-9 AM Walk begins on the beach
-10 AM Refreshments provided by Loco Gecko and a celebration will follow the walk

Registration is a $25 donation per person. Ages 12 and under and Breast Cancer Survivors walk FREE!

Those who donate $25+ will get a free t-shirt. All Breast Cancer Survivors will receive a free t-shirt!

Dress in pink, and be sure to pick out an awesome team name!

Register with a team or as an individual here: http://bit.ly/RegisterMakingStridesMB

The event will include lots of family-friendly entertainment including

- Live broadcast by Gator 107.9
- Refreshments and complimentary light breakfast by the Loco Gecko Beach Shak
- Chili Cookoff (bring a couple dollars to try them out)
- Carnival Style Games
- Face painting, hair braiding and other kid-friendly fun
- Day use of the famous Crown Reef Resort Indoor Waterpark for a donation of $10 per person
- And MUCH MORE!

This public walk is being coordinated by Vacation Myrtle Beach in conjunction with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Can't make it to the walk? There is a special online auction set up to raise funds, and you have to option to make a donation instead of registering for the walk if you choose.

44 Overused Words & Phrases To Be Aware Of

I'm sharing this one, because I feel like most of us are guilty of some (maybe many) of overusing certain words or phrases. I do agree with many of these, especially 1, 3, 16, 21, 24, and a few others. How about you? Which ones stick out the most to you?

Source: www.grammarcheck.net

4 Tips for Mom Nurses Trying to get into Anesthesia School

Many moms work in the medical field and they want to earn more money per hour so they can either work fewer hours for the same pay or earn more overall. Anesthesia certification offers them exactly this opportunity, but first, you have to get into the anesthesia program. Here are four tips for mom nurses applying for anesthesia school.

Meet and Exceed the Minimum Academic Requirements

If you barely completed some of the classes that are considered prerequisites for nurse anesthesiology, consider retaking the prerequisite classes again before you apply for the nursing anesthesiology program. First, it ensures that you know what you need to know to succeed in the program. Second, it could boost your GPA, making you eligible for admission. If your prior BSN was years ago, retaking the prerequisites and getting good grades now will demonstrate to the nurse anesthesiology program that you’ve got your academic act together now. In fact, you may want to take courses like statistics now so that you don’t have to take it as part of the CRNA program. If you’re balking at going back to take refresher classes, remember that you’ll be required to enroll in CRNA CEU or take some suitable continuing education units regularly to maintain your certification.

You’ll stand out ahead of the pack if you’ve taken master’s level nursing classes on your own prior to applying to a nurse anesthesiology program. If that’s not an option, go above and beyond the minimum continuing education standards as a BSN.

The Right Type of Experience

Anesthesia programs typically want people who have on the job experience related to the profession. One year of experience in critical care nursing is a minimum, but two years puts you at the top of the list. This experience prepares you for the clinical portion of the anesthesia program. Yes, a few programs will take you if your primary experience is in pediatrics or neonatal care. At a minimum, you’re making professional contacts with people likely to hire you as a nurse anesthetist later.

Where possible, job shadow a CRNA several times. This gives you a good understanding of what the job entails, so you don’t apply for the program and then drop out because it isn’t what you expected.

photo credit

The Right Certifications

Some nurse anesthesiologist programs require you to have a CCRN certification; a few have even waived the GRE requirement if you have the CCRN certification. Nearly all programs give preference to those who possess it. It demonstrates your knowledge of critical care nursing. If you don’t have two years of experience in critical care, holding the certification may make the difference between admitted and not.

Understand Your Options

Don’t rush through your application to the top ten anesthesiology programs. Consider both online and in-person classes before you sign up for a nurse anesthesiology program., and select one that fits your budget and your intentions. Always verify that the anesthesiology program is accredited and would issue a credential that lets you work as a nurse anesthesiologist in the state you want to work in.

Also, research your options for earning CRNA CEU through programs like Valley Anesthesia so that you know where you can take the necessary continuing credit classes well before they come due.

Getting accepted in anesthesiology school is definitely possible if you are ready to do the extra work and gain the qualifications you will need to expedite the process.

Unroll The Fun With Welch's Fruit Rolls This Halloween

If you're still not ready for trick-or-treaters or classroom parties, there's still some time left to grab those goodies. Give kids something they will love this Halloween like the new Welch's Fruit Rolls. They are the perfect treat to pass out on Halloween or to trade with friends in the classroom.

Welch's Fruit Rolls come in 3 delicious flavors: Berry, Tropical Punch, and White Grape Strawberry. They come with 6 fruit rolls per box so it's easy to keep an accurate count for how many you need, especially for class parties.

One of my favorite hand-outs to my kids' friends has always been a halloween or fall-themed pencil, erasers, a small bag of pretzels, and a fruit snack pouch, all tucked inside a decorative cellophane bag with a personalized tag saying who it was from. I wish Welch's Fruit Rolls were around when my girls were little. 

Although my girls are adults now, they still love these fruit rolls and have shared with their college classmates and coworkers. It was a big hit and brought out the kid in them all. My son was so excited to share a couple boxes with his best buddy next door as well as some of his friends from karate class. It's amazing how much the little kids' faces would light up over something so small. 

Welch's Fruit Rolls have fruit as their first ingredient, and are only 70 calories per roll. They are also gluten free, 100% DV Vitamin C per serving, excellent source of Vitamins A & E, contain no artificial flavors & colors, and are preservative free. Parents can feel a little better giving these to their children as a lunchbox treat or part of an after school snack. All of the flavors are so good, but the Tropical Punch is the best! Everyone in my family agrees. We all love that they aren't super sweet, but are sweet enough to make you feel like you had a treat. 

Welch's Fruit Rolls are widely available at most grocery stores and big box stores. To find out more about these fruit rolls and other Welch's products, check them out online. Be sure to follow Welch's Fruit Snacks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for yummy updates and to be in the know about their newest products.