Author: Sarah Marshall

Melanoma Monday is Here Again

Today is Melanoma Monday.

Melanoma Monday was founded by the American Academy of Dermatology in the early 1980s to encourage sun safety leading up to the summer months.

I’m thankful that there is not much to share when it comes to my experience with melanoma.

If you’re new to my melanoma story, here’s a quick recap:

Melano-not me

Post Procedure Update

All Clear

And an embarrassingly crappy, old YouTube video:

I am now 12 years post-diagnosis and I’ve very happy to report that I’ve had no reoccurrence. I’ve maintained 6-month checkups for most of that time and recently my dermatologist and I decided we could knock those back to every 8 months.

I’ve had a few biopsies here and there – some in more painful spots than others – but my philosophy is that I’d rather have an uncomfortable biopsy that comes back negative than miss something that becomes a bigger problem.

As always, I encourage you to do what you can to prevent skin cancer, learn to do self-exams, and see your dermatologist regularly.

Early detection made a HUGE difference in the outcome of my melanoma. So I will be a broken record the rest of my life shouting that message from the rooftops!!!!

When was your last visit to the dermatologist for a skin cancer screening?

Dollywood 2021 Brings Many Exciting Updates

It’s here!!

Dollywood opens for its 36th season today for season passholders and tomorrow for non-passholders!  I couldn’t be more excited about the changes they’ve made in the offseason!  From everything from more seating for diners to smoother ride experiences, Dollywood took guest feedback and made improvements in all areas of the park!

Butterfly landscaping design at Dollywood

Ride Updates

There were no additions to the ride & coaster lineup but improvements were made in the offseason to many of the rides and attractions we all know and love.

Likely the most anticipated changes are those to Lightning Rod. The first wooden launch coaster has struggled with frequent downtime since it was introduced in 2016.

Improvements to the track include wrapping it in a hybrid of wood “Topper Track” and steel “Ibox” track. This will lead to more reliability for the ride and much less downtime.

Mystery Mine also got the royal treatment in the offseason. Its track was rerouted in response to guest feedback. This should result in a smoother ride and less rider discomfort.

Due to delays in getting the steel needed for the job, Mystery Mine is not anticipated to be open in time for Opening Day.

Thunderhead and Blazing Fury also were partially re-tracked in the offseason to keep them running at optimal levels.

Additional Seating Areas for Dining

Have you ever grabbed your hot dog & fries from Dogs N’ Taters and not been able to find a table where you could sit and enjoy it?

Or grab some amazing barbecue from Hickory House BBQ and wish you could sit and observe the majestic Eagles at Eagle Mountain Sanctuary across the way?

Offseason improvements have made all of that a piece of cake!

Starting in Rivertown Junction, the Tin Shop between The Back Porch Theater and Dogs N’ Taters was removed. In its place, tables (with umbrellas for shade!) will be installed. This will provide the perfect spot to gobble down some curly fries and enjoy “A Brighter Day” performance on the stage next door.

Dollywood President Eugene Naughton shows members of the media the new dining area between Back Porch Theater and Dogs N Taters.
Dollywood President Eugene Naughton shows members of the media where new dining tables will be placed between Back Porch Theater and Dogs N Taters.

Moving over to Craftsman’s Valley, Dollywood built a pavilion for those enjoying a meal from Hickory House BBQ. For those familiar with the area, you might realize that means the Blacksmith & Foundry is no longer there. No worries – we’ll get to that in the next section.

The covered structure offers great protection from the sun while dining and is also a great location to watch the magnificent Eagles in their Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.

Construction of the new dining pavilion near Hickory House BBQ at Dollywood | February 24, 2021

Changes in Craftsman’s Valley

So I mentioned above that the Blacksmith & Foundry was removed from its place in Rivertown Junction to make room for the new dining pavilion at Hickory House BBQ.

Well don’t worry – it’s found a new home in Craftsman’s Valley.

The Blacksmith & Foundry is now located next to the Robert F. Thomas Chapel. It will offer a retail shop and shortly after the park opens for the season a Build Your Own Knife experience will be added.

Speaking of the Chapel, it got spruced up in the form of a new roof, some replaced siding, and other maintenance projects to keep the beautiful landmark in its best shape.

Side view of Robert F Thomas Chapel with new siding being installed

New Ways to Save Time & Money

I will admit this next one may have been introduced last season but I came across it while at Dollywood last month for a media event.

Drink Free All Season Long At Both Parks!!

The regular refillable mug allows for $.99 refills all season and free refills they day you buy the mug. The upgraded mug gives you free refills all summer long at both parks!!!

Next up are changes to the TimeSaver passes. New for 2021, you can use the standard TimeSaver on any rides you wish for up to 8 times. In the past you were limited on how many times you could ride the most popular rides.

TimeSavers have also gone digital. Rather than marking your pass, hosts can scan the barcode either on a ticket on a lanyard or even your phone.

For more details, check out the Dollywood Blog post on the subject here.

Last is something new that won’t be available until the Flower & Food Festival but I’m too excited to wait to share it until then.

Dining Day Passes!

During the Flower & Food Festival, the Dollywood Culinary Team will introduce the Dollywood Dining Day Pass. For $29.99 ($27.99 for passholders), guests can get 5 of the festival’s featured food items such as lobster roll, fish n’ chips or Cuban sandwiches.

Depending on the success of these Dining Day passes, its possible guests will see them being offered after the Flower & Food Festival and possibly for following festivals.

Photo credit: Dollywood

After last year’s season of uncertainty, I’m looking forward to the upcoming season at Dollywood. The coasters I love will be available more regularly and offer a smoother experience, there will be great new things to eat as well as new ways to stay on a budget and make the most the of the day!!

Will you be making plans to visit Dollywood this year? What’s your favorite thing to do while you’re there?

Dollywood 2021 Updates Pin Image

5 Tips for Virtual Learning with Less Stress

We have made it through our first 9 week grading period of Virtual Learning and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see Fall Break start!! There was a definite learning curve but as time went on we fell into a routine and not every day was a complete dumpster fire.

While I think trial and error and figuring out what works best for your family and the way your school(s) are facilitating distance or digital learning, I do have some tips for virtual learning that have been a game-changer for us. My hope is that they will be helpful to at least one parent or student.

Be Intentional About Workspaces

I’m not going to say you need a Pinterest-perfect Homeschool room with brand new furniture and wall hangings and decor. I do think that you’ll want to set up a space that will be conducive to learning. To do that, all you really need is a flat surface…desk, dining room table, kitchen counter, coffee table. As long as it’s reasonably away from distraction and can fit a device it will work. Add some type of seating and you’re golden!

For my girls, we have two school stations that are in separate areas of our first level. Brooke, the 7th grader, works from our breakfast nook on a small table that I inherited from my grandparents. We rolled one of our office chairs over there and she was all set.

Virtual Learning Brooke Desk

Leah works in the office with me (#teamoffice) on an IKEA desk we already had. She does all of her Zoom calls there but will sometimes move around different areas of the house for her independent work. I’ll touch more on this later.

Virtual Learning Leah Desk

When it comes to workspaces, my advice is to make it comfortable but not too cozy. Being in your home, it’s easy to feel like you can just kick back and relax but that’s not the best mindset for learning. It’s still school and sitting up and being alert is important. Wrapping up in a blanket and laying down on the couch or floor while trying to pay attention in a video class is not going to be your best bet.

Get a Handle on the Schedule

Nest on my list of tips for virtual learning is to spend some time getting everyone’s schedules straight.

One of the most difficult parts of remote learning is knowing who is supposed to be on Zoom calls/Google Meets, at what time, what’s the meeting info, etc. Fortunately, the schedule for both of our girls is generally the same every week. I do most of my planning on Google calendar so I put all of their calls on each girl’s color-coded calendars.

Digital Learning Schedule

It can be incredibly easy to lose track of time especially with Keith and I both working during the day and are focused on that as well. To combat that, we have two sets of reminders that go off during the day. For Brooke, we’ve created routines on our Echo Dots that announce reminders 5 minutes before each class. For Leah’s calls, we use the reminders on the Google calendar. It goes off on my computer, phone & watch so no matter where I am, I should see or hear it.

Another piece of advice I’d like to share is to make schedule information available for others to access. Don’t try to keep it all in your head. Jot it down on paper or a dry-erase board, print out a copy of your digital calendar – whatever works so if for some reason you’re not available someone else can jump in and figure out what’s going on. Give your kids as much ownership for their schedule as they are ready for. It doesn’t have to be all on one person’s shoulders!

Maintain Structure

Like I mentioned above with Workspaces, it can be easy to feel a little too at home when schooling at home. You don’t have to be outside at a certain time for the bus, no one will see your clothes from the belly up, etc. But for my girls, if we were to be too lax about certain things, it would be very difficult to maintain the focus & concentration to do schoolwork to the best of their ability.

For our family, that means we still do a morning routine like we would if they were to be leaving the house either by bus or car. They wake up at a regular time, get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth & hair and it has to be done by the time Alexa makes her “5 minutes to school” announcement.

Our school day has a pretty thorough schedule so the structure of our day is pretty much predetermined and we follow that pretty closely. If your child’s school day is not scheduled out for them, you might consider establishing a loose routine for the day. For example, a specific time block for working on each subject, recess/breaks, lunch, etc.

Generally speaking, I think it is typically best for everyone if it’s known what happens when and what’s next. Try some different routine/scheduling/time blocking methods and see what works best for your child and their virtual learning format.

Allow for Flexibility

This may seem completely counterintuitive to the last tip for virtual learning but we try to allow for flexibility where we can. We recognize that the way the girls are doing school is not ideal and we try to let them enjoy the few benefits they can.

Leah likes to move around so we let her do her independent work pretty much wherever she wants. Sometimes she sits with Keith while he works in the dining room, sometimes she’ll put her worksheets on a clipboard and sit on the couch in the living room. Her new thing is creating a little hideaway on the stairs and working there.

Virtual Learning Leah Couch

We’ve tried since the beginning of the school year to get Brooke to move away from her desk periodically to get a break. Just recently she’s been bringing her laptop to the couch more often and working from there. We also allow her to listen to music on her headphones when she isn’t in Zoom class or taking a test.

Since she’s a little older and more independent, we let her manage her “free time” more especially when it comes to her Encore classes (Tech, PE & Library) and her Art Elective class. (Band class is on certain days so no choice there). As long as everything gets done, we let her figure out when it gets done.

Virtual Learning Brooke Relax

Give Everyone Grace

This is not how school is supposed to happen.

Give grace to your child who is doing their best.

Give grace to the teachers and administrators who are doing their best.

Give grace to yourself for doing your best.

This is such unchartered territory for everyone and there is definitely no one right way to approach learning at home like this. I hope these tips for virtual learning help give you a place to start when navigating it in your home. We’ll get through this mamas!!

What recent virtual learning win you’ve had? What are you struggling with?

5 Tips for Virtual Learning