Where-To-Go Wednesday - Old Barracks Museum

What: Old Barracks Museum

Where: 101 Barrack Street
              Trenton, NJ

Who: Ages 5 and up

Our view: At the Old Barracks, you can learn about history in a place where  that history actually happened.  The Old  Barracks housed British soldier during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. While there are parts of the building that have been replaced, much of it has been around since back then. The main part of the building is where the soldiers stayed. Attached to that is a house where the officers stayed. Inside of each are items and furniture that the occupants would have actually used at that time. Some are authentic; some are replicas. It is interesting to see what a difference there was between the two groups from the size of their quarters, to their furniture, to the things they ate. We would definitely recommend taking the tour. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and friendly, and will eagerly answer all of  your questions.  Anyone particularly interested in history will especiallly enjoy visiting the Old Barracks as may children who have recently learned about the Colonial time period and who would like to see that history come alive. We wouldn't recommend bringing very young children or anyone with a particularly short attention span however, as they would probably be bored. There are also many special events offered at the Old Barracks, such as, An 18th Century Kids Olympics, History Summer Day Camp, and a Fife and Drum concert series. They even host sleepovers for groups of 24 to 30. The Old Barracks is open Monday through Saturday 10-5 except New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tours are given every hour with the last tour starting at 4:00. Tickets to the museum are $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for seniors and students. Association members (different memberships levels with different benefits are available for various prices) Active Military personnel and children 5 and under are free.  Prices for special events vary. For more information go to http://barracks.org/.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Talking Topics where we will be discussing more about the Old Barracks Museum.

Tips for Tuesday - Misc. : Apple and Just Bead Yourself

Me - Today I am recommending Apple. Apple products are awesome. I love i-Phones. I-pods are awesome too. Apple products rock!

Mom- Today I am recommending Just Bead Yourself. If you are in the vicinity of Westfield, New Jersey and you want to make some nice jewelry for yourself or someone else, Just Bead Yourself is the place to go. You won't find any cheap looking plastic beads on flimsy strings here. The jewelry you can make is nice enough to look like you bought it in the store. They also do special occasions like birthday parties and girls night outs. For more information see our previous posts http://saysmesaysmom.blogspot.com/2014/01/where-to-go-wednesday-just-bead-yourself.html and http://saysmesaysmom.blogspot.com/2014/01/just-bead-yourself.html or go to http://www.just-bead-yourself.com/.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

Dancing With the Stars Season 18

Me - Dancing With the Stars Season 18, wow!  I like Dancing With the Stars. This season was really good. I liked Meryl and Max. I knew they would win. I think they should date. They'd make a really cute couple. I also liked Charlie and Sharna. I definitely think they should have beat Candice and Mark. I also think Peta and James should have beat Candice and Mark too. Peta and James were basically a couple and they are a really cute couple. Candice and Mark didn't deserve to be in the finals. I was glad to see Danica McKeller. I always call her Trudy because that's who she played on How I Met Your Mother in two episodes. My Mom told me she was a regular on The Wonder Years, but I never saw that. I never even heard of it before my mother mentioned it. I have never seen a season where pro dancers Cheryl Burke and Karina Smirnoff got eliminated so early. This was my favorite season of Dancing With the Stars.

Mom - I really enjoyed this season of Dancing With the Stars. It was pretty clear right from the beginning that pro dancer, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Olympic gold medal winning ice dancer, Meryl Davis were going to win. In fact, I don't remember another season where the eventual winners were so clear right from the start since the season when pro dancer, Mark Ballas and Olympic skater. Kristi Yamaguchi won. However, even though at least to me the eventual winners were clear, it was still an exciting season. It was full of romantic intrigue. There were several couples who if they weren't dating in real life should have been. First there was Maks and Meryl themselves. He has always been one of the tougher pros who didn't always seem to get along so great with many of his partners. Since, Meryl Davis is much calmer and quieter than Max, in fact, when she first started skating with her on-ice partner, Charlie White she wouldn't even look at him, I thought Maks would eat her alive. Instead, they were great together on and off the ice. She toned him down. He toned her up. They were perfect together, and they should definitely date. Then, there was pro dancer, Peta Murgatroyd and singer, James Maslow. They were always exchanging looks and one week even kissed as part of their dance routine. Also, I loved Peta's new short haircut. She is a perfect of example of how a haircut can really change a person's looks for the better. It was also fun to see Meryl competing against her on ice partner, Charlie White and his dance partner, Sharna Burgess. It was nice to hear though that as soon as Charlie got eliminated  from the competition,he made it clear that he would be rooting for Maks and Meryl for the rest of the season. So all in all, it was a really good season of Dancing With the Stars and not only because of the dancing.

And that's our view. What Dancing With the Stars couple do you think should be a couple in real life?

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.