Blogalicious Meetup- No rain but rocks and wine!

After spending Friday night stuffing swag bags, obsessively checking the weather report, and hoping that the rain would hold off until after our Blogalicious meeup, Mother Nature cooperated with a great fall day.

If you have ever wanted to a local vineyard but have had qualms about taking your children, Black Ankle Vineyards was the perfect family outing. Black Ankle’s vinters, Sarah O’Herron and Ed Boyce are parents themselves and have made the winery extremely family friendly. The climbing rocks out front, pebbles that are part of the landscaping, visiting the cows and chickens in the barns, being able walk among the rows of grapes, and seeing where the grapes are processed, made the day as fun for the kids as it did for me. Sarah and Ed were very welcoming and had absolutely no qualms about families coming to the winery because “kids can’t hurt anything here.”

Knowing that my kids were having a great time playing made it easy for me to relax and enjoy the company and award winning wine. I loved sitting in the rocking chairs on the back porch of Black Ankle’s tasting room with my Bedlam while I watched Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer play in the rocks!

If you weren’t able to join us on Saturday, next weekend Black Ankle celebrates their one year anniversary. Enjoy live music, complimentary hor d’ourves, and of course, fantastic wine. Stop by on Saturday, October 3 (12-6 pm) or Sunday, October 4 (12-5 pm) and say hi to Sarah and Ed while the kids play and you enjoy their delicious wine.

Huge thanks to Black Ankle Vineyards for hosting today’s event and the fabulous companies who sent each family home with a great selection of products.

Special thanks to the amazing Amanda from Scholastic answered a last minute plea and sent two huge packages to me when I was worried I wouldn’t have any giveaways. Families took home items from Scholastic that included the current issue of Parent & Child Magazine and The New York Times Upfront, WordGirl magnets and comic books that delighted Little Miss Techie, MythLopedia bookmarks, On Our Minds Post-Its, and a Weston Woods DVD with stories like ish by Peter H. Reynolds, T is for Terrible by Peter McCarty, Roberto the Insect Architect by Nina Laden, Stars! Stars! Stars by Bob Barner, and Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Attendees also took home items donated by the following companies:

• Guardian Angel Bracelet IDs
• Boogie Wipes
• Mixed Chicks hair care products
• Boojee Beads eyeglass holders and ID badge holders
• Karito Kids Travel Charmers Bracelet
• Care4Hire.com gift certificates for a month of service

Also, thank you to Lands’ End for outfitting me for this event!