Sponsored Post: I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

With little kids at home, I’m pretty tired by 9pm. Ok, let’s be honest, I’m tired by 6pm, but I feel like I need to have some time to unwind and decompress in front of the tv. I can’t even remember what life was like before we had a DVR, nor do I want to! Now I can watch the shows I want, without all the commercials, now that is a smart use of my time!

I’ve been binge watching shows on Amazon Prime, so I was pumped when I was invited to the Revere Hotel to attend a viewing party for the kickoff of the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show is the brain child of Amy Sherman-Palladino, who also I known for Gilmore Girls (another cult favorite). The plot revolves around Midge Maisel, a New York housewife, who finds she has a talent for stand up comedy. The show, that takes place in the 1950’s, follows Midge’s personal life (her husband leaves her for his secretary) and how she hones her craft as a stand up comedian. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend looking it up.

Get excited! Comcast just announced that Prime Video will launch on Comcast Xfinity’s X1. You can watch Prime Originals like (my favorites) Bosch and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Watching shows on Xfinity couldn’t be easier, with their voice remote, you just need to say “watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and you’re ready to watch! With the holiday just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to binge watch or catch up on all your favorite shows. Are you traveling for the holiday? With Xfinity apps like Stream you can stream your X1 DVR recordings while you’re on the go, you can also  download and watch them anytime (if you don’t have wifi access in places like the car or a plane) which is PERFECT if you have kids!

Are you already a Comcast customer? Did you know that they offer Xfinity mobile to their internet customers for as little as $12 per month? That’s a steal!

For more information about Xfinity X1, check out their website.

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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I partnered with Safety 1st to review their new HD Wifi baby monitor. All opinions are my own.

People have said to me that going from one child to two is much harder than two children to three. They were wrong. We have gone from man to man coverage to zone defense, and during the day, I am completely out numbered.

Remember when you were 20? You could drink yourself silly and then bounce back like nothing happened the next day. But then when you hit 30, you no longer had that super power and your hangover the next day felt like you were on your deathbed. Yeah, that’s kind of what having your third child feels like. It hasn’t been that long that I’ve been out of the ‘baby’ phase, but it apparently has been long enough – because those 3am wake up calls are PAINFUL.

If the celebration for your first child is a shower, and the second is a sprinkle, what do you call the party for the third? A trickle? By baby #3, I was certainly not expecting anything, but I moved into this amazing neighborhood and the ladies threw me (well, baby #3) a fabulous party. We are incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful people supporting us – baby #3 was loved so much even before he entered the world!

With hand me downs from my two other kids, I wasn’t really expecting to have to get anything new for baby #3. We were, however, going to need another monitor. I have the Summer dual screen video monitor for my other two. I don’t love it (I had to replace the base unit already), and with all the new options out there, I was looking into a wifi monitor this time around. The Summer monitor base unit is larger than my cell phone and doesn’t hold the charge for very long – with the video on the whole time it won’t even last the whole nap time. It also doesn’t have a good range, which limits where I can be during nap time.

Enter the Safety 1st baby monitor. It was super easy to set up, and has a wide angle so I can see the whole room without needing to tilt or pan the camera. It has 12 infrared LEDs which makes it easy to see your baby at night – with my Summer monitor, sometimes it’s hard to tell where the kids are in their beds. The app that allows you to see your baby from your cell phone is easy to use and set up. You can receive noise and motion alerts, grant temporary access to caregivers, talk to you baby with two way talk back and share cute moments with family and friends.

The piece on the right is a hands free smart audio unit that can let you know when your baby moves or cries. Use it in the house when you’re not near your phone (yes, there are moments when I’m not near my phone). Pretty cool right?

Now that we have the monitor set up, all we have to do is teach this new little baby how to sleep through the night!

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I was invited topreview the Lighthouse Cruise aboard the Sea Jet this past Thursday. Beginning on June 27th, it will run every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday, until September 9th. It will run on Saturdays only from September 12th to October 10th. The cruise is about 2 hours, leaving the Cross Sound Ferry’s New London terminal at 12:30pm and returning at approximately 2:30pm. Tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for children ages 2-11 (children 2 and under are free). There is limited parking at the terminal for $10 a day, otherwise, there is garage parking nearby. Check out their website for more information.

The Sea Jet is a high speed catamaran. What’s a catamaran? It’s a multi-hulled ship, consisting of two parallel hulls of equal size (shown above is one of the hulls). High speed ferries are often catamarans.

The tour takes you to see 8 lighthouses and historical sites along the Thames River and on Long Island Sound and Gardiners Bay. You couldn’t have asked for a better day, the sun was shining and the water was smooth! While the ride was smooth, some passengers felt they needed Dramamine – make sure to stop ahead of time and pick some up as they do not sell it at the terminal or on the boat.

The cruise was narrated by local expert Ted Webb (above). Ted had a wealth of knowledge of the area and the historical sites – it was a real pleasure listening to him. The tour is great for people who love lighthouses and even for people who don’t know much about them (read: me). It was just so nice to spend the day learning something new and being outside on the water on a beautiful day. The boat has two air conditioned levels, there are seats in the middle (shown above), with tables around the perimeter. The top deck is open for better viewing.

The boat has food aboard for purchase. Items include sandwiches (Caprice (shown above), Ham and Swiss, Turkey wrap, Roast Beef and a Chicken Salad wrap), pastries (those black and white cookies looked delicious), pretzels, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

The first lighthouse on the trip was the New London Lighthouse: The oldest lighthouse in Connecticut, the original New London Harbor Light helped guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.

It’s not every day that you see a submarine being escorted into the harbor: General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division, where the first nuclear powered submarine was built, is located in New London Harbor.

New London Ledge Lighthouse: A French Second Empire structure architectually unique for a lighthouse, the Ledge Light is unusual for another reason – it’s reportedly haunted by the ghost of an early keeper!

North Dumpling Lighthouse: During Prohibition, the keeper of the North Dumpling Lighthouse was accused of signaling to liquor smugglers. Today, its owned by the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter.

Race Rock Lighthouse: Many ships had been lost on Race Rock Reef before Congress decided to erect Race ROck Lighthouse. Built on a ledge where fast currents and conflicting seas are the norm, the foundations alone took seven years to build.

Orient Point Lighthouse: Also known as the Coffee Pot Lighthouse, the cast-iron clad and brick lined Orient Point Lighthouse was marked for demolition by the Coast Guard in 1970, but was saved by public outcry.

On the tour we also saw the Avery Point Lighthouse, the Little Gull Island Lighthouse and the Plum Island Lighthouse (not pictured), you will just have to take the cruise and see them for yourself. In addition you will see Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold, both compromised during the Revolutionary War by turncoat Benedict Arnold. You will also pass ruins of a former military fort used for Navy torpedo target practice in WWII, and Plum Island, longtime home of the Dept. of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center laboratory. And you’ll get a great view of New London’s historic waterfront.

For more information on the Lighthouse Cruise and the Cross Sound Ferry, visit their website: https://www.longislandferry.com/

Disclaimer: I was invited with a guest to preview the Lighthouse tour by the Cross Sound Ferry Company. The tour and food were complimentary. All opinions are my own.

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