Free photo session and a picture to take home!
**All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission.
If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks!
Carnival Family Date Night @ Chick-fil-a Free photo session and a picture to take home! Photo by gigOgraphy **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks!
0 Comments
As you probably know, my family loves Chickfila, so when Cow Apppreciation Day rolls around, you know that we are going to be there with bells on--sometimes literally! Papa Bear and I have participated in almost all of the Cow Appreciation Days since it began nine years ago. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this link. It has a short video at the bottom of the page that you can watch to learn more. Papa Bear and I had our costumes from the World Record event, but we had to make the girls' costumes again. They love the rope tails Papa Bear made them! Of course, the restaurant was decorated with all sorts of cow decor and there was a visit by the Chickfila cow himself. We were very thankful that the entire family got to have their meals for free. We even traded in one of the kid meals books so the girls could get an ice-cream to share. The girls also got mini plush cows and balloons to take home. This is a fun event our family looks forward to every year. It's silly, but it's great family time--both in preparing for the event and on the day itself. I hope that our family gets to celebrate many more Cow Appreciation Days together!
**All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! The excitement was building as we drove to George Mason University for the ChickfilA Break the Record Event because WGTS 91.9 was talking about it on the radio. They were actually at the event and were inviting people to come out. We were greeted by a huge inflatable cow as we neared the parking lot of GMU. People of all sizes dressed like cows were making their way into the Field House. The fun had begun! As we got closer to the doors, another inflatable cow and several ChickfilA employees greeted us. When we entered the building, employees checked to see if the girls' costumes had all of the required parts. Before we officially entered, we headed to the bathrooms on the other side of the building. We had to pass the costume repair booth on the way. They actually had entire costumes for people who needed them. Then, Papa Bear and I put on our costumes and we headed back to the front of the building to officially enter and be counted for the record. As we entered we were checked again for "proper" costumes and each of us was given a raffle ticket for the numerous prizes being raffled off that morning. I had missed the box collecting the canned goods for the Washington Food Bank, so the woman at the raffle table took them for us. As we entered onto the floor of the "official" area, we were all given a bottle of water and a piping hot ChickfilA sandwhich. It was so neat to see ChickfilA operators and employees there that we knew. We put our sandwiches in a bag for later and just took in the sites. The girls were also given mini stuffed ChickfilA cows. There were so many actual ChickfilA cows there it was unbelievable! The George Mason mascot also made an appearance. And let me me tell you--those guys can dance. One cow even did the splits! One of the employees from ChickfilA Sudley Manor was DJing the event and he kept the place rocking! As the music played, we made our way around the room. Fit for Christ and The Little Gym had tables set-up. The Little Gym also had a prize wheel and a tumbling area set up for children with mats, hula hoops, a balance beam and such. The staff were there helping children tumble. Sweet Girl thought about doing it, but changed her mind. Love Bug was all about the balance beam. There was also a booth where you could get the cow's autograph stamped on the back of your raffle card. After that, we just hung out with all of the other cows and danced to the music. My girls love to dance! Papa Bear had some good moves, too. Out of the 400+ people in attendance, Sweet Girl and Love Bug were two of only a handful of black cows that were there. People were very creative with their costumes. I saw crocheted cow ears, a cow-printed dress, t-shirts with felt spots and udders and of course, hundreds and hundreds of decorated hazmat suits!! Through out the morning, there were raffles for a variety of ChickfilA merchandise. They told us that if we broke the record, they would raffle off ten prizes for ChickfilA for a year!! They had us all gather under the American flag for the official announcement. The operators were called to the front of the crowd. TV crews were up on the balcony filming and taking photos. We all had to make sure that we were properly suited up and stay that way for five minutes. Then, a gentleman from the Guinness Book of World Records made the official announcement. The suspense was building as he mentioned that a number of people had left (some re-entered) during the event and that one person left during the official five minutes, BUT he announced that we beat Canada's record of 298 people dressed as cows in one place! We had 470 people gathered there and BROKE THE RECORD!! Of course, everyone was very excited! This is the second world record that our family has participated in and broke a record--this year no less! Since we broke the record, they started calling numbers for the ChickfilA for a year raffle. Sweet Girl said she had to use the bathroom, but I really wanted to hear the winners. I mean, if we won, I wanted to be there! She said she could wait a minute and I listened very carefully as the numbers were called. To my surprise, they called one of our numbers!! I screamed so loud and headed up to the front with our winning ticket!! I was given a ChickfilA box wrapped in a pretty bow full of cards for free ChickfilA sandwiches! Wow! What a way to end the morning!! We all went to the bathroom and Papa Bear and I took off our costumes. Those hazmat suits are hot! I think I lost a couple of pounds just walking around in that thing! As we left, everyone got a coupon for helping break the world record. Then, we headed outside and had a picnic lunch with our ChickfilA sandwiches under a shady tree. I called my mom and shared the exciting news. It was the perfect way to end our exciting, fun-filled morning. Group shot! Picture posted on ChickfilA Signal Hill's Facebook page. **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! The girls and I went to Chick-fil-A for Family Night. I was surprised how busy the restaurant was! Bingo the clown was there making balloon creations for the children. After getting a table, we stood in line so the girls could get a balloon animal. Sweet Girl chose a blue elephant and we got Love Bug a yellow giraffe. Since it was Family Night, we got one kid's meal free with the order of a meal. I used a gift card I had gotten for Christmas, so the whole meal was free for me! I had so much fun just sitting and being with my girls. They are so well behaved! It can get crazy there with so many children running around and such, but the girls did a great job. Sweet Girl even reminds the children that they should be behaving! I just remind her to set a good example and try not to be bossy. :) Also, I love how Sweet Girl looks out for Love Bug. Some children were sort of running up and down the aisle behind Love Bug and Sweet Girl got out of her seat to stand behind Love Bug's high chair to keep the children away! Love Bug's giraffe popped during dinner, so we stood in line (apparently this clown is pretty popular with the children!) to get her another balloon. This time, both girls got green turtles. Then, we traded in one of the books we got in the kid's meal for an ice-cream to share. I also got a free chocolate chip cookie for my birthday. (It was "added" to my ChickfilA calendar card.) We all shared the ice-cream and I ate some of the cookie. It's so good when it's warm! The playroom was a bit crazy, so we just headed home. After checking to see if Sweet Girl's caterpillar was still in the bug catcher (It wasn't. We didn't put the lid on!) we got ready for bed. Another special time with my girls. I love being able to spend so much time with them! Again, I must say that I am blessed! **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! We were happy to see that Chick-fil-A Sudley Manor was hosting a Mother-Daughter event--the first of its kind. My girls have had a lot of fun at the Daddy-Daughter events, so we were looking forward to some girl time at one of our favorite places. This was not just a "mom version" of a Daddy-Daughter Date Night. Actually, the events are quite different. The Mother-Daughter event was held on a Saturday morning. Upon entering the restaurant, we were able to sit wherever we wanted (in the event area). Each table was set up with a tea time theme and questions to get conversations going. We loved the straws with the paper flowers on them! The girls loved the "tea cups" they drank their orange juice out of. We ordered our food at designated registers and the food was brought to our table. No detail went overlooked as our food came with a flower. How special! The vibe was more fun and less formal than a Daddy-Daughter Date Night. Mary Kay representatives were there and did a "Kissing Personality" test for those interested. Ladies put lipstick on (provided by the representatives on a cotton swab) and then kissed an index card. Their imprint was then "analyzed." There was also Lia Sophia jewelry set up for browsing and purchasing as well as another table. We didn't make it over to that one, so I'm not exactly sure what it was for. {Turned out that I was one of the winners for the Mary Kay drawing and won a free facial pampering session for me and up to five of my friends PLUS a $15 Mary Kay gift certificate! I am still in shock about it!} As for pampering, there was a wax dipping station for the mothers to use. My hands were too busy with the girls to partake in this, but I have had it done before. There was also a nail painting station. Sweet Girl and I got our nails painted before we left. Then, Sweet Girl had to use the restroom. Needless to say, we needed some touching up, but the nice gals who did our nails didn't seem to mind! The girls enjoyed the craft station which had multiple choices of crafts to choose from. Each child was allowed to pick one craft to work on. My girls each picked a tea pot picture frame. The station was a bit busy, so we took our craft back to our table. All in all, we enjoyed the event. It was a bit early for us on a Saturday morning and it took a while for Love Bug to get comfortable, but the girls and I had fun. We hardly ever go out for breakfast, so this was a treat. There are a few tweaks that I feel could be made to make the event even better, but the staff at Chick-fil-A Sudley Manor are awesome and no detail went unnoticed. To me, it's the small details that really make an event special. I hope they continue to do this type of event in the future because even though my girls are together all of the time, it's nice to get out and be waited on and spend time together without the distractions of having to fix a meal. **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! Once again, ChickfilA Sudley Manor threw an awesome event! I don't know if it was because there was no school for Prince William County that day due to snow or what, but there were a TON of people there! The restaurant was standing room only once we got there (shortly after the event started) and didn't seem to die down until the event was about over. The girls got all dressed up in fancy "Easter dresses" as Sweet Girl called them. They looked precious! Daddy and I were pirates. I just happen to have a girl pirate shirt and necklace on hand and hoop earrings and an awesome scarf to tie it all together! Daddy had a shirt with skulls all over and a bandana on his head. The event was a bit different from the last Princess and Pirate Night they had. I'm finding that Sweet Girl likes and expects things to run the same each time we go to an event. I don't like change much myself, but it's good for both of us to be open to things not being the same all of the time. When we walked in, we found one half of the restaurant transformed into a princess and pirate fun zone. There were cut outs where children could get their pictures taken and look like a pirate or a princess riding in a carriage. There was also a station where children could get tatoos and the princesses could get their nails painted. The pirate side had a pin the "X" or "gold coin" on the map and a pirate hat making station. The princess side had a pin the "jewel" on the necklace and a tiara making station. Those girls at the tiara station were serious workers and some sat there and worked close to ten minutes on them! Of course, Pirate Cow and Princess cow also made appearances. Since there were no seats available, we started off with making tiaras. The girls liked playing the princess game and picking out prizes. We tried the playroom, but it was a bit loud and crazy for us. Next, Sweet Girl got her nails painted a sparkly blue. We let Love Bug get her first tatoo (we don't feel she's old enough for nail polish). Sweet Girl was in the middle of getting her picture taken in the pirate cut out when the Princess Cow came out. She screamed this scream that got everyone looking and went to walk forward while still holding the cut out. She took off the cut out and headed straight toward the cow. Once everyone realized it was a happy scream, they resumed what they were doing. That girl has a thing for the cows--though she reminds ME that it's not real and a person is inside. :) We were so thankful when a table finally opened up because it was getting late and we were about to get our food to go. Pirate Cow came out and the girls enjoyed seeing him. Sweet Girl was interested in his inflatable sword. Love Bug is warming up to the cows and even posed with them this time! The girls also got to play the pirate game after dinner and pick prizes. The girls were so well behaved and we had a great night. Daddy was tired (still kind of feeling sick), but he had fun, too. It was nice to spend the time together as a family. Everyone at ChickfilA Sudley Manor was (is!) just great! From the employees dressed as princesses and Sam the Pirate to Miss Whitney (that's what we call her) and everyone behind the counter and who cleans up--we were so thankful for their friendly service! Check out ChickfilA Sudley Manor's Facebook album here for more photos of the event! **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! I was so excited about this event when ChickfilA first posted it. I thought it would be a good ending to our Seuss unit. {Sweet Girl just asked me tonight if Fox in Socks is on our list, so we'll actually be continuing the unit a little longer.} I prepped the night before and the girls had picked out which books they wanted to bring. After all of the excitement and planning, I couldn't believe that I slept through both of my alarms this morning. Granted, I had a pretty rough night with coughing and all, but still. I got everyone up (at 8:55am!) and we were ready and out the door in about 20 minutes. This was a record for us, but then again, we didn't need to eat breakfast. :) We had missed the first appearance of the cow, but thankfully he came out again. (Phew!) Sweet Girl was a bit shy around him because he was "dressed differently" than he normally is. Love Bug is still not quite sure what to think of him. The girls had fun seeing the cow, coloring Seuss related pages, eating their free chicken minis and playing in the playroom. Plus it was nice to get to see the staff there. We haven't been to this CFA in a while and they were all so happy to see us.
**All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! Valentine's Family Date Night @ Chick-fil-A We love date nights at Chick-fil-A! We were feeling the love when we entered the restaurant and saw the festive decor. We checked in (you had to have a reservation) and were seated. The tables were set with menus and conversation starter sheets. As if the service at our local CFA is not already awesome, we were waited on and our food was brought to us on plates. For dessert, there were a variety of yummy treats just waiting to be dipped into the chocolate fountain. There was even a craft table where the children could create a CFA-inspired Valentine for someone special. Sweet Girl and another little girl there (we didn't know her) actually made and exchanged valentines with each other. I thought that was so precious! We had a great time just hanging out as a family. The girls even got a coupon for a free kid-size ice-cream. There was also a candy guessing jar. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that THE cow made several appearances and was available for photos. Sweet Girl loves that thing! Love Bug is not quite sure of him yet. If you ever get the chance to attend a family date night, go for it. You will not be disappointed. I'm using Wordless Wednesday to share all about the Terrific Tuesday we had this week. And no, I did not let the girls eat all of that ice cream! :) **All photos and text are property of Angela Pounders and can not be distributed without permission. If you share one of my posts, please include a link to my page. Thanks! |
AuthorThe Master's Daughter, Angela Pounders, loves teaching and sharing her ideas with others. After working various teaching-type jobs, she now uses her God-given gifts with her children at home. Categories
All
Archives
February 2014
|