Just a two and a half hour ride from New York, and Gia was safe an snug in her new Evenflo Platinum Protection DLX Secure Kid Series car seat, which converts from a 5-point harness to vehicle seat belt use as she grows. Installation was a breeze with the Secure Latch Connectors, simply place car seat into the car and push each ScureLatch connector into each seat anchor. It is important to position the SecureLatch connectors so they are facing upward, sitting above the Latch guide, and the straps are not twisted. Also as a plus the Evenflo Platinum Protection DLX Secure Kid Series has buckle pockets to protect little legs from hot buckle burns, (guilty), and also eliminates us digging for lost buckles.
Gia typically is not one to relax in her seat, it usually takes me holding her hand, for her to fall asleep. I was eager to see if the ride to the Poconos would be easier, and I am happy to say it was! The Evenflo Platinum Protection Series is made with outlast performance fabric which balances your childs body temperature. Therefore the outlast performance fabric absorbs hot and cold temperatures, releasing as needed for a safer, more peaceful ride. Upon arrival at Woodloch, Dirty Dancing instantly came to mind. Walking into the comfy main building with sofas, chairs, coffee brewing, and an accomodating team ready to assist was all I needed. Add in a calendar of activities, themed dinners, and entertainment, I knew a family fun weekend was ahead of us, and it was exactly what we needed to reconnect and unplug.
After checking in we had a scrumptious lunch with friends, and then dove right into the days activities. There was an endless variety of activities and entertainment available for all ages and we took advantage and participated in everything we could. We passed on the Take the Cake Contest, where teams were formed and everyone received more than enough supplies to channel their inner cake boss, to create a masterpiece of their own.
Gia had too much energy after her nap on the car ride up, so instead we wondered on over to the Woodloch Forest, where the kids, climbed, crawled, and slid around through the wilderness. 
JD was all to excited to visit Bumperpalooza, I think it was the first time he could actually ride the bumper cars without an adult. Although that didn't stop us from getting on our own and bumping away! Bumperpalooza is accomodating for all families, with ride on Jeeps for the little people or the bumper cars for the bigger ones, and plenty of video games to keep them entertained for quite some time. Totally unplugging we did skip the video games, however a game of air hockey was a must, its one game we can never pass up. A stop at the Arts & Crafts room for some drawings, my kids are addicted to coloring and creating art, and everything was at their disposal. 
Dinner is served for everyone at the same time, in the main dining room. Saturday's theme was Woodloch goes back to the 80's! What fun it was to be greeted by Hulk Hogan, care bears, miss piggy, and so many others. The kids loved it because they were characters they were very familiar with themselves. After a scrumptious family style dinner, swimming was a must and so we spent most of our evening in the splash, and regular swimming pool. The splash pool you would think is suitable just for the littles but I must say the 6-9 year olds were in there as well enjoying the slide, fountains, and shooting water just the same.
Retreating to our oversized suite was a welcoming thought. Bedtime was easy breezy, the kids, hubby and I were all exhausted. It had been quite some time since we had such an entertaining day of non stop action. Our suite had more than enough room for everyone to stretch out and find there own personal space it was just like being at home.
JD and I are both early risers, so at 7 am we were already dressed and ready for a morning stroll through the grounds to see what we missed the day before. Having discovered the path way along the lake and little waterfalls, JD and I were pleased and enjoyed the mommy/son bonding as we discussed life! At the the age of 6 his questions are impressive and leave me wondering. 
After a full, I'm talking 4 course breakfast we once again ventured into the Woodloch Forest, before joining in on the fun at the North Lodge for Family Feud. Where we answered questions like what is the most popular stops on a Monopoly game. Go ahead give me your top 5?? Not as easy without the board in front of you. 
Next up we visited the basket ball court for a game of hoops, where JD actually got 2 points, (on the net lowered for the kiddies of course). With homework lurking in the near distance I knew this weekend of family bliss had to soon end, with one more visit to the pool area I knew these kiddies would be out for the count on the ride home.
Of course no family/friend get away is complete without a photobomb!
The ride home was dreary, which mimicked our somber moods as none of us were ready to leave Woodloch. There was so much more to do, an entire area we hadn't visited... With hopes of returning before summers end we said our goodbyes and buckeled everyone up for safety and headed home to the Bronx.
Venturing on roads we are unfamiliar with in rainy weather makes me a bit unsettled, I am glad to have had the kids buckled into their Evenflo car seats. If you are interested in learning more about the Platinum Protection Series by Evenflo visit their website.
The weekend away at Woodloch really rejuvenated us all, and brought us back to the key element of life, Family. Thank you to The Moms, Woodloch Pines, and Evenflo for inviting us.
Disclosure: This was a sponsored post by Evenflo via The Moms Network.
