This past weekend we finally got the chance to check out the Chinese Lantern Festival at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and it did not disappoint! It’s only around until May 19th, so if you’re wanting to go, you’ll need to go soon! Boasting more than 1,000 illuminated lantern displays of wildlife from around the world (and dinosaurs!), this festival offers a stunning visual exhibition of Chinese art and culture. Enter “The Wild,” a world of life-size illuminated panda bears, lions, flamingos and more fauna from the world’s seven continents. Each of the lanterns is made by masters of the craft in Zigong, China’s center of lantern heritage.

Here are 5 things you need to know if you go:

1. It’s worth waiting until dark:

While you can go anytime during the week, during the day, these beautiful displays light up at night making it well worth the late night drive home. We headed up about 4pm, grabbed dinner off site then got to the gardens just before sunset. You will also have the option to visit the dinosaur rides and to see some live performances and puppet shows that aren’t offered during the day.

2. Take a stroller or wagon:

The Lantern trail is about 1 mile long and will probably take you about an hour and half to walk through. If you have littles that don’t like to walk or tire easily, take a stroller or wagon. You won’t have any trouble navigating the path.

3. Have a camera or phone for photos:

Much like Candytopia, there is a lot to photograph.

4. Bug Spray:

We live in the south and the mosquitoes are out in full force already, give yourself a quick spritz to keep from getting eaten while you’re there.

5. Skip the light up balloon:

As you walk in, your kiddos are going to see this really cool, clear light up balloon on a stick, and they are going to want it. At the age of 11, my twins were all about it and HAD to have it. So I caved.. $15 each… we weren’t out of the vendors sight before the first one broke. We exchanged it for a new one, that also broke about 1/2 through. The other quit lighting up about 3/4 of the way through. By the time we got the lights were falling off the whole thing and they went directly in the trash. Right towards the end there was a tent that offered several other really cool items from lanterns, to sugar sculptures. I’m not sure they’re open everyday so check with the desk before promising something cooler than the balloon further into the trail.

The Wild – A Chinese Lantern Festival is happening until May 19th at the Hunstville Botanical Gardens
Daytime Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Evening Hours (Wednesday – Sunday Only):
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with last admission taken at 9:00 p.m.

Parking is Free and on busy nights you will be directed on where to go.

Other festival activities include:

Live Kung Fu performances at 6:00 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. (weather permitting)
Chinese shadow puppetry performances at 7:00 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
Dinosaur rides for kids (evenings only)
A marketplace featuring authentic Chinese folk arts and crafts
Food trucks (as available)

For ticket information and pricing or to purchase tickets visit their website

By: Coach Nevena Taylor
Block Out Volleyball Academy

As we approach tryouts and nerves are getting thin, both for athletes and parents, here are couple of reminders:

This is the time to be excited, not worried. This is a young athlete’s first true athletic challenge. Celebrate!!!

To tryouts always bring: positive attitude towards yourself and others, confidence, listening skills, hustle; do things you are being asked, communicate well, shake off your mistakes as they are going to happen. Focus on one task at a time, not what was and not what will be.

The outcome of the Middle School/ High School tryouts is favorable either way, and does not determine an athletes’ volleyball success and career! What determines their career is action that they take before and after tryouts/competition/wins and losses.

We have witnessed female athletes make the team and and then quit working, thus stopping or slowing down their growth and allowing many to surpass them quickly. We have witnessed athletes who didn’t make the team become more determined and focused to make it next year. We have witnessed some who started in 8th/9th grade and even later, and still make competitive programs because they wanted it so bad.

In every athletic career, and really in any profession in the world, there are highs and lows. Athletics are anything but FAIR. Most of the time, it’s not the best 12 that make it, or the best that get to play. There is rejection and there is acceptance. One year you are a superstar, and the next year you could be at the bottom, and it goes like that, all through the career. Experiencing both is something you should be grateful for. Both ends teach you perseverance, resilience and patience, and will help you tremendously in coping with everyday life challenges. Both will help you re-evaluate your whys and your goals.

What better way to learn both than through athletics?

Middle School and High School are a time when a lot of changes occur. Some kids develop early, some late, physically, mentally and skill wise. Therefore, an athlete’s positions will change often in their career, their coordination will change, their bodies, their confidence, as well as their interest in sport.

Parents, let the athlete be during tryouts. If they want to talk about it, they will. If not, let them soak in whatever internal battle they have, and let them pick themselves back up. Help them get their mind off of it – there’s already too much pressure on them. Encourage them to contact the coach or mentor for any advice they need. Avoid negativity and gossip, and focus on bettering yourself.

Athletes, remember – whether you make it or not, the ultimate award and success will come with the action that you take immediately after the tryouts.

About Coach Nev:

Coaching is a very rewarding career. Through my journey as a player, I have learned how important the coach is in the athlete’s life. I have had a good coaches and some…not so good. Both, good and bad, groomed me to be better coach today.

I am committed to be the coach that will always inspire a player and be a positive influence in their life. Often, athletes only need somebody to push them and believe in them.

Inspiring young girls to train, get better, and dream big is my passion and my calling.

When you think about spring cleaning, all the usual suspects come to mind. Baseboards, Ceiling Fans, Blinds, but something we don’t often think about are things like furnaces, air conditioners and air ducts. While cleaning baseboards and blinds will make your house look clean, keeping the air ducts clean is an essential part of keeping the air quality in your home clean, which is more important than you might think.

Imagine your heating and cooling system as the lungs of your home. The system takes air in and breathes air out. As contaminants like dust and pet dander build up in your home, your HVAC system is pulling them in and recirculating them on average 5-7 times per day. Every year, the average home collects up to 40 lbs of dirt, dust and allergens in its air ducts. For individuals suffering from respiratory issues, this could make their health worse.

If you’re a pet owner like me, you might be interested to know that your fur babies, household cleaning agents, tobacco use, paint fumes, mold, and even food preparation all contribute to stale smells in your air ducts. Every time the furnace or air conditioner is running, all of these odors will flow through your home. Over the years even the dust build up can can lead to a musty scent coming from the ductwork. A detailed cleaning of the air ducts removes all odor trapping particles, resulting in a fresher smelling home.

In addition to better air quality, keeping everything clean and running smooth will help save on your energy costs. When an HVAC system is clean, it won’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature you’ve set, leading to improved cost-effectiveness.

So, when and how often should you have your air ducts cleaned? The NADCA recommends you should clean your air ducts every 5-8 years. Depending on the situation of your home, that number can change. Visit Stanley Steemer’s FAQ page for answers on how often you should clean your air ducts depending on your circumstances.

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services. Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line. Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available! Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

An inclement weather makeup day on Good Friday gave us the perfect excuse to jump over to Atlanta and check out Candytopia! If you were following along on our Social Media last week you probably know all about this sweet goodness, if you weren’t (shame on you!) Now, let us fill you in!

Candytopia is a traveling exhibit that celebrates the wonderful world of candy! Yep, Candy! From the 360lb Candy Dragon that greets you at the front door, all the way to the giant candy peach made of peach candies as you exit the gift shop, Candytopia is a candy (and Instagram) lovers paradise! You will wander through 7 delightfully bright and tasty rooms, taking in all of the confectionary bliss as if you had stepped into a life sized game of Candyland.

Here are 5 things we think you need to know, before you go!

1. Download the App before you get there:

As you walk into the magical Willy Wonka like lobby of Candytopia, you will be told the rules (touch everything, lick nothing) and to download the Candytopia app. (They’ll also insist you take some free candy, more on this in #2) This app will provide you with a QR code that will be your access point for photo ops. There are multiple photo stations throughout the exhibits and a friendly and oh so helpful Candytopia employee will take your phone, scan the code and the photo they take will be sent directly to your phone. For Free! It’s pretty “sweet.” However, as they were explaining the rules, I was trying to get the app downloaded and wanted to take pictures in the lobby and it stressed me out because I was afraid I was going to miss something or mix up the rules, which could have been bad. Downloading before you go will help you not feel so rushed when you start your candy journey.

2. Have a place to stash your candy:

As you wander through the different rooms of Candytopia, there will be opportunities to pick up some free treats, which turns into more than you can hold when you multiply that by 3 kids in 7 rooms.  Make sure your purse is big enough because telling your kid no more candy while being surrounded by nothing but candy, probably won’t go over really great… Especially since it’s FREE. For those with allergies, there are signs that display allergen info and ingredients for all of the candies offered,  which is mostly non-chocolate, Pixie Stix, candy bracelets, and Airheads type candies.

3. Have a Camera or plenty of space on your phone:

As we mentioned above, this place is what Instagrammers dreams are made of. It’s one big photo op after the other. With bright colors and fun set ups, you will take a ton of photos. TONS. And if you have pre-teens, it will be tons times the number of pre-teens you have. Here’s a little side tip. We’ll call it 3a. Let loose and enjoy the experience. I’m not much on being in photographs, but this place is too good to pass up and I knew I would regret not having some fun photos. Take a look at their Instagram before you go so you can get some ideas on how to pose at some of the photo stations! 3b. Plan some fun color coordinated outfits if you want to really go all out.

4. Timing your trip:

When you purchase your ticket, you will choose a time block. It’s suggested that you arrive about 15 minutes before your assigned time (30 minutes past and you will be denied entry) So, if you’re going over from Birmingham straight to your reserved time slot, allow plenty of time (!!!) We came sliding in right on time, it took us a strong 3 hours to get there. Atlanta traffic is, well, Atlanta traffic. It was a lot of driving for just about 1 hour and 45 minutes through the exhibit. It might be worth considering adding this to other activities if you’re already going to be there or build a weekend in Atlanta around a trip to Candytopia.

5. Candytopia is a limited engagement, Hurry!

As hard as it is to believe such fun must some to an end, Candytopia is a limited engagement and will only be open in Atlanta until June 2nd. The sugary spectacle will be closing up and moving on to the next city, so if you want to check it out, you’ll need to hurry!

Candytopia is located at Lenox Marketplace in Buckhead
3535 Peachtree Road NE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30326

Parking is free in the parking garage at Lenox Marketplace

Admission:

Adults: $28
Ages 4-12: $20
Ages 0-3:  Free!  No ticket necessary.
Tickets must be purchased in advance (!!!)
Limit 12 tickets per person.

Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 10AM to 8:30PM
Sunday: 11AM to 8:30PM