Delicious Food Delivered New England Advent Calendar

You all know by now that I LOVE showcasing small businesses on my blog, so a small business that features many local small businesses is just right up my alley! Delicious Food Delivered was kind enough to send me their New England Advent Calendar to try and I’m so excited to share about this company with you all. | This post contains affiliate links and a review of a gifted product, though all opinions expressed are my own |

Delicious Food Delivered is a small business that offers carefully curated advent calendars for 42 states and 5 regions of the United States. They even have fun themed boxes like Route 66! They were kind enough to send me their New England Advent Calendar and the first thing that grabbed my attention when I received it was how HUGE it was - seriously, it is SO BIG.

Each little numbered door for the New England Advent Calendar contains a carefully chosen treat from the New England area. I am so excited to open this with my family each night and see what local treat we get to enjoy! And I am especially looking forward to discovering new-to-us small businesses and trying what they have to offer.

These advent calendars would be the perfect gift for any family or hard-to-buy for person. It would also be a great gift for a kid away at college or a friend that moved out of the area - you could give them one for where they’re from, or one for where they are now so they can learn more about their new location!

Delicious Food Delivered Advent Calendars are amazing and sell out quick every year - most varieties sell out by the first week in November so if you‘d like to get one don’t delay. (And if the one you had your eye on is already sold out this year make sure to put a reminder on your calendar for next year to buy early!)

Want to see what’s inside the New England Advent Calendar? You’re in luck - I’ll be opening mine early (wooo!) every night on my Stories on Instagram. Just follow @birchlandinghome to get a sneak peak of all the amazing things included in this year’s calendar!

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Don't forget to check out Delicious Food Delivered to see all the incredible Advent Calendars they have to offer!
| Delicious Food Delivered Website | Instagram | Facebook |

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I received this item for review from Delicious Food Delivered but all opinions expressed are my own.  This post contains affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for more information.

Passive Programming Ideas for a School Library

Having worked in a 7-12 public school library for a few years we’ve been brainstorming and implementing some Passive Programming ideas to make the library a welcoming and fun place. We hope this encourages students to come check out the library and stay for a bit, even if they don’t get book - though we hope of course this leads to them checking out our books while they’re here! Passive programming is programming that you can “set and forget” and takes little or minimal supervision and instruction. | This post contains affiliate links |

Passive Programming Ideas for School Libraries

In our library we have a designated table with a few chairs around it for Passive Programming and rotate these ideas periodically. Most of these ideas are for older grades but I’ve also thrown in some ideas for younger grades as well. These would also work for public libraries and private school libraries as well:

• puzzles
• bracelet making station
• keychain making
• bookmark making
• chess
• origami
• 3D Puzzle
• Sudoku sheets
• communal sticker mosaic
• communal coloring poster
• coloring sheets
• communal crossword
• magnetic poetry
• Scrabble or other board games
• trivia
• reading challeges
• simple robot kits (STEM/STEAM)
• write your own book reviews
• scavenger hunt
• kinetic sand
• sensory bin (theme could be updated monthly or seasonally)
• seasonal crafts
• book-themed crafts

4th of July Sale in the Etsy Shop! 2025

Happy 4th of July Week! This week I’m offering 10% off EVERYTHING in the Etsy Shop - no coupon code needed! This includes our New England Lakeside Hats, New England State Stickers, our popular Watercolor American Flag Stickers, and Vintage Items.

Get your hat for the lake and stickers for your cooler and be ready for summer! ;)

Sale runs from 7/1/25-7/7/25. Limited quantities available.

Story Land Tips & Tricks (from Long-Time Season Pass Holders) - New Hampshire

We’ve been going to Story Land for forever it seems - I went yearly as a child back in the 80’s and 90’s, and now we’ve been season pass holders for the last 10+ years. This may be our last year as season pass holders as our kids are getting too old to make Story Land trips a regular occurrence, but we’ve learned a lot over the years and I thought I would share some of our tips, tricks, and hacks with you. | This post is not sponsored. Contains personal opinion/reviews and affiliate links |

Disclaimer: This post shares opinions and tips based on our personal experiences. Please be aware that you may encounter things differently and things are subject to change. Please do your own research.

Story Land is a family-focused story book themed amusement park in Glen, NH.

Consider Season Passes

If you’re a New Hampshire local (like us), or come up to the area at least 2-3x a year, Season Passes are definitely the way to go! They can pay for themselves in just two visits. Make sure to pay attention to levels of passes when purchasing as some have blackout dates and some have different perks - like discounts for food, merchandise, free “Buddy Passes,” or tickets to Living Shores Aquarium next door. It’s also really nice not feel pressure to do or see it all when we’re at Story Land because we know we can catch something next time; it gives us a lot of flexibility to just come for a few hours when we want.
PRO TIP: Buy season passes ahead of time for the following season on Black Friday! That’s typically when prices are lowest.

Buy Day Tickets Ahead (if not Season Pass Holders)

If possible, NEVER buy tickets at the gate - always buy ahead online. Buying ahead gives you the best deal on day tickets. Sometimes they can be be 50% or more off depending on current offers, though you may have to buy a week or more in advance to get the best deal.

“Final Three = Next Day Free!”**

Story Land often has a promotion where if you first enter the park in the final 3 hours of operation you can come back the next day for free! This is a great way to get some extra time in the park, especially if you’re from out of the area and staying in a hotel locally.
**NOTE: We have seen this offer come and go over the years — some years they offer it, some years they don’t. Do your research and confirm with customer service in writing if they are currently honoring that offer and how best to use it with dated tickets before you try to use it.

Paid Parking

New last year, Story Land is now asking you pay to park in certain lots (namely the ones surrounding the park), though free parking is included with Season Passes. Parking across the street in the dirt lot is still free and there is a pedestrian tunnel under the road to safely cross. (Personal note: I am really disappointed about this change - I don’t think they should be charging for parking.)

Bag Policy

Make sure to check Story Land’s bag policy before coming. It’s new in the last few years, but be prepared for security to check your bags on the way in and limitations on the size of bags brought in (exceptions can be made for diaper bags or medical supplies). And just like before, Story Land still does not allow glass bottles/containers or hard sided coolers brought in.

Now that I don't need a diaper bag these days I pack light and simple - a Lululemon Belt Bag with wallet, phone, keys, and hand sanitizer. That's really all you need and it's small enough to wear on almost all rides.

Story Land is Cash-Free

Starting a few years ago Story Land became a cash-free park. This means they ONLY accept credit card/debit cards for payments at all places (food, gift shops, concession stands, etc) in the park - so make sure to bring your plastic with you ;) If you forget or don’t have a credit card, there are machines in the parks that can transfer cash onto pre-paid gift cards that can be used instead.

Pack a Lunch

This is an easy way to save big if you come frequently - make sure to pack your lunch to avoid paying for over priced food and drinks in the park. You can leave your lunch cooler in your car and go out* and have a “parking lot picnic” (*don’t forget to get your hand stamped on the way out so you can re-enter the park!) or you can bring your lunch into the park with you as long as it fits in with Story Land’s bag policy and doesn’t contain glass containers. When our youngest was a baby we used to always eat our lunch on the train - that way the baby could take her time finishing her bottle while my oldest ate her sandwich and no one felt like we were missing out on anything - we’d just ride the train in circles until everyone was done.

Consider Baby Wearing Over a Stroller

I have been doing Story Land for years - with babies, pregnant, not pregnant, with toddlers, with pre-teens, etc. - and I am solidly in the camp “no stroller.” Personally I find it so much easier to just have everything on my person and not have to worry about watching a stroller or coming back for a stroller if we decide to get off at a different train stop, etc - and not to mention it’s much easier navigating crowds and the giant hill in the middle of the park (which is avoidable if you choose to go around - but it’s a nice shortcut) without a stroller. Story Land also isn’t a huge park, it’s very walkable and doable without a stroller for most people. I always wore our baby/toddler in a front carrier and then carried a backpack as a diaper bag that had all the essentials - diapers, lunch, bottles, etc. Obviously everyone has their own preferences and if you decide to use a stroller or wagon that’s totally fine but this is what I found to be the best for our family in this park.

Plenty to Do and See with Infants or While Pregnant

If you’re pregnant or have an infant it will limit what you can do - no rollercoasters or thrill rides for example. However there is still a reasonable amount of things to see and do - make sure to check the ride information boards at each ride to see if it’s suitable for infants or pregnant women and obviously use your best judgement and advice from your doctors on what you can/can’t do. It’s better to play it safe.

Walk Up to Cinderella’s Castle, Then Ride Down

This is a simple tip I’ve realized over the years - WALK UP to Cinderella’s Castle, and then ride the Pumpkin Coach DOWN. Most people feel the need to ride up to Cinderella’s Castle to get the full effect, but if you don’t mind doing it a little backwards you can walk up to the Castle (over a really pretty bridge, mind you), meet Cinderella, and then get in line to ride the Pumpkin Coach back down. The line at the top to ride back down is almost always considerably shorter than the line at the bottom to ride up - and often there isn’t even a line at the top at all!

Take Your Own Picture with Cinderella

At Cinderella’s Castle you can stand in line to meet her and get your photo taken by a staff photographer, which is available for purchase afterwards at a little desk by the exit. Thankfully though you can take your own cell phone photo while you’re there and aren’t obligated to buy the Story Land photo which is rather expensive.

The Roar-O-Saurus is ROUGH

The Roar-O-Saurus is the wooden rollercoaster in the back of the park; it has highest height requirement of all the rides at Story Land and is meant for older kids and adults. It’s a great wooden roller coaster and quite thrilling - but be warned it’s ROUGH riding it. The ride is very jolting and “jittery.” There are signs on the loading dock warning you to take everything out of your pockets and leave it in cubbies on the platform because they will be shaken out (my husband can attest to that… his wallet shook right out of his pants pocket once!). They even have a white board tally behind the operator logging how many items have been lost so far that season on the ride.
(Personal Note: Unfortunately this ride hurts my neck so I typically don’t ride it.)

EDIT Fall, 2025: Be warned - as of October, 2025 they will no longer let you even wear RX glasses on the Roar-A-Saurus. I usually don’t ride this ride because it bothers my neck, but my daughter needed someone to ride with her on our last trip of the season so I agreed to go on it with her. I was surprised and disappointed that I was told I could not wear my glasses on the ride, which has never been an issue before. I tried explaining that I am legally blind without them (literally, I am) and I’ve never had to take them off in all the years of riding it but it was non-negotiable on their part. We decided to get off the ride at that point because I can’t be parted from my glasses.. it was very disappointing. I understand where they’re coming from that they’ve had too many people loose items on this ride, but properly fit RX glasses will not fall off and it’s unfortunate they won’t allow even those on the ride anymore.

Pack Your Swimsuit for Moo Lagoon

New in the last few years is Moo Lagoon - a splash pad/water slide park located where the old Oceans of Fun splash pad was. If you’d like to take advantage of Moo Lagoon make sure to wear or bring your swimsuit to change into. Appropriate swim wear without buckles or anything that can “catch” is needed to use the water slides - and they don’t allow you to wear glasses of any kind on the waterslides, including eyeglasses.
One thing to note is that the entrance stairs to the three tallest slides is outside of the main Moo Lagoon area. This makes it tricky to always have eyes on your little ones so keep that in mind.

Don’t Sleep on the Live Shows!

The live shows at Story Land are always fun too - there’s usually several different shows a day, throughout the day. They have musical shows with live singing, a farm follies show with characters and animatronics, Daniel Tiger shows, and more. In past years they used to have a magician show which we really enjoyed (and I hope they’ll bring back again). Make sure to check the schedule to see what shows are when. The shows can be great for downtime and cooling off in the AC on hot days too!

Add-On Experiences

Story Land also offers some add-on experiences like a Character Breakfast or Tea with Cinderella. These are booked and paid for in addition to your day ticket or Season Pass. We’ve done the Cinderella Tea with both of our kids and even packed play dress-up princess dresses for them to put on over their clothes for the tea party. It was definitely a cute experience to give them when they were younger and the Cinderella Tea was pretty reasonably priced in my opinion. (We haven’t done the Character Breakfast yet.)

Be Wary of Rain Park Closure

Years ago Story Land would sometimes close the park early for really bad weather - I’m talking like lighting and hail kind of weather. These days they seem to close the park a lot more often due to weather - sometimes just for what seems like moderate rain. This is something to keep in mind when you make your trip there - if it’s a rainy day there is the possibility the park will close early. The good news is that if the park does close early you should be able to request a rain check ticket to come back another day - make sure to stop into Customer Service and ask.

Happy Hauntings

New last year was Happy Hauntings which are special themed weekends in October. They offer trick-or-treating, seasonal food offerings for purchase at the concession stands, seasonal decor, a new themed live show, and some rides open. We went once last year during Happy Hauntings and it was very cute and our kids had fun but we felt as though the ride offerings were extremely limited — personally I don’t think I would buy day tickets to the event because you’d miss out on so many rides that are closed for the season, but as a Season Pass Holder it was a fun way to end our season.

Disclaimer: This post shares opinions and tips based on our personal experiences. Please be aware that you may encounter things differently and things are subject to change. Please do your own research.

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Reducing Plastics and Microplastics in our Kitchen

After reading some articles about the amount of microplastics the average person gets exposed to and consumes I knew we had to make some changes in our household. Here are some easy and simple swaps and replacements we made in the kitchen to try to reduce our exposure to plastics. | This post contains affiliate links |

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just sharing some swaps and changes we made to try to be more intentional and reduce plastic exposure in our home. Please make sure to do your own research on this matter.

Get Rid of All the Plastic Cooking Utensils

The first step was getting rid of ALL the plastic cooking utensils we had in our home (I just recycled or tossed them all to make sure I wouldn't continue to reach for them). These utensils are constantly getting heated and scraped on pans, contributing microplastics. I thoughtfully replaced all the plastic utensils with a combination of bamboo, wood, silicone, and stainless steel cooking utensils.

Replace Plastic Cutting Boards

This is supposedly one of the biggest sources of microplastics in the kitchen - a plastic cutting board! If you think about it, every time you cut with a knife you’re cutting and scraping the plastic board, adding microscopic (and not so microscopic) plastic shavings to your food. We replaced our cutting board with a quality hardwood one made by a local craftsman, but you could also use a bamboo cutting board.

Get Rid of Non-Stick Cookware

This is a big change we made several years ago - we got rid of all of our non-stick cookware in order to reduce microplastics and PFOAs exposures. Instead of using non-stick pans, we switched to quality stainless-steel cookware and have never looked back!

Never Heat Plastic

Make sure to never reheat food in plastic containers - always use glass!

Never Cut on Plastic Dishes

This goes right along with never using plastic cutting boards - but to take it a step further, don’t cut on plastic dishware (like kids’ dishes) either - and for the same reasons. Always make sure to cut on a cutting board or glass plate before transferring the food to your kids’ dishes.

Use More Glass and Stainless Steel Dishware

This one is pretty self-explanatory - use glass or stainless steel dishware more and try to phase out your plastic ones. We have been working towards slowly replacing our plastic Tupperware with glass and stainless steel varieties.

When You Must Use Plastic, Use High Quality

When you must use plastic dishware in your kitchen (like for kids’ dishes), always use high quality ones. Avoid cheap plastic dishes, especially if you don’t know if they’re BPA-free or lead-free, etc. And if they seem to be breaking down with just normal use (fading, scratching easily, discolor easily, etc) definitely get rid of them.

Silicone Food Covers

Rather than use plastic wrap for leftovers we switched to silicone food covers years ago. We love that they’re reusable (better for the environment!) and not plastic.

Air Purifier

To take it a step further for general home health we also added several air purifiers in our home. This helps reduce dust and allergens we breathe in and we feel better knowing the air in our home is being filtered.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just sharing some swaps and changes we made to try to be more intentional and reduce plastic exposure in our home. Please make sure to do your own research on this matter.

Watercolor American Flag Stickers in the Etsy Shop

It may be February but I’m dreaming of summer and the beach! Get your cooler and water bottle 4th of July ready early and order one (or several) of our Watercolor American Flag Vinyl Stickers. We also have several New England State sticker designs available and more New England-inspired designs coming soon!

Exclusive Sticker Design Coming to Reverie Coffee House!

A few weeks ago the lovely Hannah at Reverie Coffee House reached out to me on Instagram and asked if I’d like to design a custom sticker for Reverie. We went back and forth several times bouncing ideas and settled on this hand-drawn design that incorporates a hummingbird, coffee cup, flowers, and Maine. This is my first commissioned/collab design and it was so nice working with Hannah. The stickers are on their way to Reverie and will be available soon!

Birch Landing Home x Reverie Coffee

I’m so excited to be included in their retail section amongst other NE-based makers. Thank you Hannah and Reverie!!

Reverie Coffee House is located in Brunswick, ME with another location opening any day in Bath, ME! You can check them out on Instagram @reverie.coffeehouse

Simple Soap Saving Hack

Does your family waste SO much liquid soap at the bathroom or kitchen sink? I know mine sure does. Here is a quick, easy, and CHEAP tip to save soap (and money) big time! | This post contains affiliate links |

The cover photo for this post shows the bottle of soap “before” - but I’m going to show you a quick and easy way to modify the pump so that it uses less soap with every pump! To do this you only need 3 simple items you probably have on-hand already.

Materials

• Liquid Soap - you can use any liquid soap pump (even refillable ones) but personally we love Mrs. Meyer's handsoap (usually we use Oat Blossom but we're still using up one of the holiday scents here)
• Small Zip Ties (we used black here because the pump is black, but you could use white or another color zip tie if it matches better)
• Scissors

How To

Seriously this couldn’t be much easier!

Simply put the zip tie around the soap pump where it goes down, tighten (but not too tight), and then trim off the extra. Ta-da, it’s done!

This “ring” made by the zip tie will prevent the pump from going down all the way. This way you get like a “half-pump” of soap rather than a whole pump (personally I feel like a whole pump tends to dispense far too much soap).

Now it dispenses far less soap = less waste!

Once the zip tie has been trimmed it’s barely noticeable. This little hack has saved SO much soap in our family - I really notice us going through the hand soap much slower. I hope this little trick will save you soap and money too!

PS - if you buy the same brand soap over and over you can reuse the pump top from bottle to bottle so you can keep reusing the same zip tie modified top if you don’t want to keep using up zip ties.

Disclaimer: Use at own risk.