A Great "Knight" Out!!

I was recently given the opportunity to experience Medieval Times and Tournament with my husband and boys.  We've never been before and we were so excited to try it out!  If you have no clue what I'm talking about, let me tell you all about it!

Medieval Times and Tournament is located right in Hanover, MD!  Inside the Arundel Mills Mall and right by Maryland Live Casino.   When you first arrive it looks like you're arriving at a castle!!

My boys immediately started yelling "We're going to a castle!"  We got our tickets at the box office area and stood in line.  (It is recommended you arrive at least an hour prior to show time.)  Our tickets were "general admission", but you can upgrade to "Royalty" seating when purchasing your tickets.  Royalty seating gets you a front row seat, plus a flag in the knights color at your seat and from what I saw they also get a piece of cake for dessert along with their pastry (or maybe they are given a choice of which they want, I'm not sure.)

 While we were standing in line, my boys got a kick out of watching the knights and the king walking around inside the building.

When you are allowed in each person is given a crown that they wear with the color of the knight you are supposed to be cheering for.  Our crowns were all for the "Black and White" knight!  We went inside and had our picture taken with the king, then walked around the souvenir shop looking at the items they have available for purchase.  They also have a torture chamber you can tour for an additional fee!


 

Once you are allowed into your seat you are really in awe of the set up.  I didn't realize just how close we would be to the "action".  I kept thinking concert style set up, so it was a really nice surprise how even with general admission seats you have an awesome view!  The show starts while you are being served drinks and "Blood Dragon Soup" (aka Tomato Bisque Soup), and "Castle Bread" (aka Garlic Bread).

 

They have a falcon show in the beginning which is amazing and then while you are watching competitions between knights involving getting rings while riding the horses, or hitting a bulls eye target you are served Roasted Chicken, a rib, and potato wedge.  The food was absolutely DELICIOUS!  There are no utensils used, you have to eat with your hands!

 

 

Then comes the real fun!  The "Jousting" which is what my boys had been looking forward to!  You are encouraged to scream and cheer for your knight and to also "Boo" the other knights!  The look on my boys faces and to listen to them screaming at the top of their lungs and chanting "GO BLACK AND WHITE, GO BLACK AND WHITE" was just pure joy.

 

The entire show lasts 2 hours and definitely keeps your attention the entire time! Even my 2 year old was absolutely enthralled by the horses and show.  This is definitely a place you need to go to!  If there was ANY criticism that I could give it would be how many "extras" are pushed at you.  The picture with the king is shown to you during dinner which is $20.  Then they take another picture of you in your seats which is another $20 if you want it, they walk around selling flags for $5 and glow sticks and other things that the kids of course want.  But the expense is well worth it to see the amazement on your kids (and yours!) faces!

 

 

This is definitely something we'll be going to again!  And all that screaming and yelling and excitement ends with some worn out kids, which is every parents true intention ;)

 

 

 

You can also find Medieval Times at their facebook page: Medieval Times

 and you can find them on Twitter: Medieval Times

 

I received free tickets for my family to enjoy the show in exchange for my unbiased and true review of the experience.  This is my own true review with my own thoughts and feelings.

Would you like me to review your product or show?  Contact me at Heastarven (at) yahoo (dot) com with the subject "blog review".

Our First Cast...

There are three weeks left of the spring semester for me (if you count this week we're currently in!).  I am SO happy to almost be done with this semester. I've done really good to keep my "A"'s in all my classes except Anatomy and Physiology.  That class has been KILLER! I'm begging and pleading for a "C" in that class.  If I don't get my "C" it looks like I'll be retaking that class in the fall.  That really sucks and I'll be honest that it depresses me quite a bit.  It is what it is though.

Last week Andrew went to his physical therapy appointment on Monday morning, and then we went about our day as usual.  In the evening I was in the kitchen getting dinner together and all the boys were downstairs playing.  Suddenly Andrew started crying.  After a minute or so of him crying I yelled down the stairs asking what was wrong with Andrew.  I kept getting the response of "we dunno he just started crying!"  I called Andrew's name a few times and I saw him crawling his way up the stairs.  I sat down at the stop of the stairs and pulled him into my lap where he cried for a few more minutes and started to close his eyes.  My first thought was "oh you are NOT going to sleep now buddy!"  I started talking to him and he had stopped crying so I put him back down and stood up to go in the kitchen.  He stood up and immediately fell back to the floor and started crying again.  I picked him back up and put him on my hip and walked into the kitchen.  I was trying to get dinner together and hold him and answer the other boys and referree their fighting, and was getting frustrated.  I put Andrew down again and I noticed it looked like he went to take a step and then fell to the floor again and started crying.

At this point I kinda turned my head and looked at him going "what the hell?"  I carried him into the dining room and again tried to put him down.  I saw him take a step and fall and scream again.  I called my husband upstairs and told him I thought something was wrong with Andrew's leg and that he wouldn't walk on it.  I showed him what I meant and tried to put Andrew down again.  The same thing happened with him falling immediately.  I squeezed up and down his leg and he kinda wimpered a little bit.  I gave my husband a look and he said "Go ahead and take him to the urgent care"  So I picked him up and off we went.

When we got there I told them that I thought maybe he had hurt his leg and of course they asked how he hurt it.  My response was "I know this makes me sound really bad, but I have no idea.  He was downstairs with his brothers and he just started crying and then wouldn't walk."  The nurse said "You didn't ask your other kids what happened?"  Well of course I did!!  But it isn't like they said "oh you know, I hurt him."  Or anything!  I told her the only response I got was "he just started crying."  She tried to watch him walk and he kinda limped around and then just completely stopped and started crawling.  She manipulated his legs and said she wanted to get some xrays because she thought he may have a "toddler's fracture".  She said they are very common in kids his age but they are also extremely hard to diagnose.

We took some xrays and she told me she thought she saw a fracture in one film, but didn't see it in any of the other angles.  She said she wanted us to see a orthopedist and she splinted his leg before we left.

Long story short, when we saw the orthopedist he looked at the xrays and said he didn't see a fracture, but like the urgent care doctor said, they are very hard to see and diagnose and therefore most of the time you DON'T see them until they start to heal and calcify.  For that reason and because he said Andrew's reactions sounded like a spiral fracture of the Tibia (a "toddler's fracture") he put him in a cast for 3 weeks.

He decided to go with a "short leg" cast for now, because at least with a short leg cast he can still walk/crawl and everything.  He said at Andrew's age (16 months) they have a tendency to wiggle out of the short leg cast and if he does, then we may have to go to a full leg cast.  For now though Andrew hasn't messed with the cast at all.  It sure isn't slowing him down any either!  He's walking/crawling/climbing/running etc with it!

Four boys and this is our first cast!  I told the doctor I KNEW Andrew was trouble from the day he was born.  First the NICU and now a cast!  He's definitely trying to put me in an early grave!