Shelly

by Shelly on January 8, 2020 Leave a Comment

Looking Ahead in 2020

Last week I wrote a reflection post on everything blogging as brought to our family in 2019. Obviously, blogging is not my whole life but it seemed like an interesting topic to write about. Today I’m sharing how I’m looking ahead in 2020 and what things I’m excited about. I listened to Miranda Anderson’s podcast Live Free Creative and she talked about writing down 4 wins from the previous year, writing down 4 areas of improvement for the year ahead and then brainstorming ways to make those improvements happen (she even has a download you can fill out.) I did the ‘4 wins’ part and my ‘4 improvements’ kind of came out as 4+ guidelines. Either way, I have a good idea of what I’d like my 2020 to look like.

There are affiliate links in this post. I only link products that I am 1000% behind and think will benefit you.

things to do with your 1-year-old activities

Hillshire and Tyson make for great salad toppings for kids to love

4+ Guidelines for 2020

Health

In 2019 I lost 30 lbs through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, I’d joined the medical weight loss program that was pushing weight loss pills (which I wasn’t comfortable doing) and highly restricting calories and carbs. It wasn’t a healthy way to lose weight or a good way to learn how to continue weight loss/maintaining weight.

FasterWaytoFatLoss. In 2020, I’ve started a new program that aligns with my values. I chose FasterWaytoFatLoss because it focuses on a whole foods diet (if it grows from the ground or has a mother it’s fine to eat). I’ve loved experimenting with new foods to see what my family likes. The program also cuts out gluten and dairy which I’m not completely sold on but I’ve noticed clearer skin, less rosacea and less bloating with these changes. I’ve only been on the program for a couple of weeks and am hopeful to see how it impacts my body.

10k. In 2019 I joined a Walk to 5k running group at my local Y and LOVED it! I really enjoyed the people in the group and was highly motivated to go three times/week. This year I’ve signed up for the next level up and registered Jeffrey and me for a 10k in May. I’m not doing the running program to lose weight but to keep my heart and endurance strong.

Meals with Sophia. Sophia really enjoys baking and making simple meals for herself. We’ve always tried to align with the Montessori method of making everything accessible to her. She finds great pride in making her own breakfasts, school lunch, and after school snacks. This year I wanted to get her in the kitchen a little bit more for dinner time meals. I’ll be doing a series on the blog with ways we’re sneaking veggies into dinners but making sure they’re 100% kid-approved!

Tips for taking your toddler to Disney world

Business

My passion is Disney. It’s my favorite thing to think about, talk to people about, and write about. I have a goal to write more about Disney on this blog with at least 1 Disney related post per month. Last year I was able to go to WDW for one day with Jeffrey and Soph as well as take a solo trip for a couple days. In 2020 we’re taking our first family trip over Sophia’s birthday in October and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. One way we’re able to have such a magical time in Disney is by avoiding lines.

Lines are the WORST, especially when you have kids. We skip the lines for food and rides constantly. This last visit I was able to get 14 FP+ and do every ride I wanted. I found this awesome site with videos and tutorials on how to do this as well as getting the hotel and dining reservations you want. Here’s a link to the Insider’s Guide I use. I promise you, the $15 you spend will save you so much time and frustration in Disney World.

Fun

Camping. With Lilly being a walker, we’re excited to camp in 2020. We took a year off to avoid the headache but my sister and I were gifted a pop-up camper a few years ago and we’re excited to renovate it and take it on more trips this year. We’ll start with 1 summer trip and 1 fall trip this year but I can see us adding more as the girls are older!

Taking it slow. Last year I overbooked us. I’d much rather be out exploring a new place than being at home because I feel the pressure to be cleaning/working when I’m at home. This year I’m working on that feeling and trying to not fill our calendar. We’re cutting back on FAM trips (hosted blogging trips) and summer camps. Like I said, we’re doing two camping trips and we are visiting Florida twice. I will book two more FAM trips for this year and that is my limit. I have a vision of us traveling a lot as a family but while the girls are so young it’s important to enjoy the simple moments.

I’m not always excited when there’s a new year. I think the abundance of nice weather and sunshine has helped me this season. I’m looking forward to some simple changes to improve my health and happiness in 2020.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?

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by Shelly on January 5, 2020 Leave a Comment

New Firefly Landing Kid Space at Indiana State Museum

Downtown Indy just got one more indoor play area for young kids to explore! The new Firefly Landing kid space at Indiana State Museum opened to the public this week and we were invited to go check it out! The space is for children ages 6 and younger so it was the perfect spot for my girls! They both bounced around from activity to activity more delighted with each option. We already know they have great programs for kids and are very excited for this space to be available next time we visit the museum.

Firefly Landing is a classroom space for early childhood public and school programs, and a spot where families will find new, daily engagement to help the museum’s littlest visitors enjoy activities just for them, including interactive story time, sensory tables, hands-on activities and more.
Indiana State Museum

Firefly Landing

The space will be open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. unless a scheduled program or reserved event is taking place.

Firefly Landing will be the new home of the following awesome programs:

Toddler Time- Ages 18-36 mo
Small Wonders- Ages 3-5 years
Young Explorers- Ages 4-5 years
Messy Mondays- Ages 2-5 years
Preschool Fridays-Ages 5 and younger
Summer Camp- Ages 3-6

Check the Indiana State Museum website for more details on these offerings.

Between their awesome temporary exhibits, they cycle through, their amazing permanent exhibits, the IMAX and Firefly Landing, ISM is a full-day attraction. Be sure to take a lunch or eat in their restaurant Farmer’s Market Cafe. There is so much to do and see at this awesome Indiana museum!

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firefly landing kid space at indiana state museum

by Shelly on January 4, 2020 8 Comments

2019 in Review | What Blogging has Made Possible for Our Family

I wanted to share 2019 in review as well as what blogging has made possible for our family this past year. As a kid, I remember my mom telling me ‘it doesn’t hurt to ask.’ I’ve used this advice and paired it with a quick rebound after any ‘nos’ I receive. After 30 years I’ve gotten REALLY great at letting the ‘nos’ roll off my back. In 2019 I really leaned into this tactic and it awarded us with some really awesome opportunities.

WHAT BLOGGING HAS MADE POSSIBLE FOR OUR FAMILY

It all started in February when I received an email from Visit Fort Wayne asking if I’d like to join them with a few other bloggers on a weekend trip to see their city. I honestly thought it was a mistake that my email got on the list because the others on the list had much bigger followings. They travel all over the world for their blogs. I had done some travel writing but always on our own dime, until this year.

I’d accepted the trip and as I talked to people about being excited about my first FAM (familiarisation) trip to Fort Wayne they gave me a funny look. They were confused about why I was excited to visit Fort Wayne. Having never heard about Fort Wayne, I didn’t understand why they were negative about Fort Wayne. ‘It’s the second-largest city in Indiana’, I’d say. They’d reply with stories of why I shouldn’t go.

Fort Wayne

Thankfully, I didn’t listen to them and was excited about my trip. Come to find out, Fort Wayne is amazing. Despite having rough patches over the years, they’re completely turning their city around and making it a destination location again. I wrote about my trip in three parts ( part 1, part 2, part 3) because there was so much to talk about from my trip! The best part of that weekend was meeting other travel writers and gaining a relationship with an Indiana CVB (Visit Fort Wayne). The trip included my new favorite restaurant Tolon, an awesome walkable mural trail, and a peek at the origins of my favorite chocolate company DeBrand. We’re planning a trip back this summer!

Local Indianapolis Attractions

The Children’s Museum

We’ve lived in Indiana for nearly 4 years now, so I’ve made quite a few connections with family-friendly locations. This year I continued to work with The Children’s Museum in seeing new exhibit openings such as Paw Patrol, Take Me There: Greece, and Hotel of Spells.

Conner Prairie

Conner Prairie had a big year with the opening of Merry Prairie Holiday and continued to make it our favorite stop no matter what time of year. Headless Horseman, bread baking in William Conner’s house, Treetop Outpost, and hanging out after school was our favorites this year.

Indianapolis Zoo

The zoo has been upgrading and adding major projects for several years. Right now they’re expanding their elephant area. We were excited to welcome the sloths and snakes exhibits this year as well as enjoy our traditional Zoo Boo and Christmas at the Zoo events as a family.

Indiana State Museum

In my opinion, the Indiana State Museum is a hidden gem for families to explore. In the past few years, they have really focused on making sure their exhibits are hands-on and interesting for people of all ages. This year we were able to check out the Amazed exhibit, Celebrations Crossing, and the grand opening of Firefly Landing. Between their awesome temporary exhibits, they cycle through, their amazing permanent exhibits, the IMAX and Firefly Landing, ISM is a full-day attraction.

What Blogging has Made Possible for Our Family — The Children’s Museum, IN State Museum, Conner Prairie, Indy Zoo

Summer Camps and Lessons

This year I made some new friendships with local businesses I wanted to help promote. Through trade, I was able to write about our experiences at several locations in exchange for classes and lessons. In 2019, I was an ambassador for Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation which allowed Sophia to experience several of their summer classes including Junior Engineering & Chemistry, Hip Hop, and Knee-High Naturalists. She had a lot of fun learning about science, nature, and dance through CCPR. She also took a week-long summer camp learning how to cook and bake with Sprouts Cooking School. The week she chose was Fairy Tale themed so each day’s food items revolved around a different story. They would cook and read books all morning and it was one of her favorite classes this summer.

You know those businesses that you fall in love with but they’re far away? That’s Line + Form for me. I am thrilled with the classes they offer to kids, families, and adults. This summer Sophia attended a week-long Fairy and Unicorn camp where she met great friends and used her imagination to create all day. They’ve since moved downtown Indianapolis to be more centrally accessible for people in Indy.

One of my favorite partnerships from this year has been with Goldfish Swim School in Fishers. Both girls were able to take swim lessons all summer with the main focus being safety. Lilly is still taking lessons and they’re the highlight of her week.

Goldfish Swim School practices Heart Health month February DIY Mama

Memberships

One of the other highlights this year has been partnering with local businesses for membership discounts. Defy Indy opened at the beginning of the year and it’s one of our favorite places to burn off energy. I love it because you can see across the entire trampoline park. As a parent of multiple children, this makes the experience so much less stressful! I also partnered with Massage Heights at Ironworks and they’ve now opened a second location in Fishers! In January 2019 I started getting massages and found that if I went regularly I didn’t have the chronic neck and back issues I’d previously been having. I pay for my memberships but it has been wonderful being able to have a discount through sharing these great businesses with my followers.

family fun in hendricks county — Splash Island- Plainfield

Visit Hendricks County

Our summer FAM trip was to Plainfield, Danville and Avon in Hendricks County (where I grew up). We enjoyed seeing things that weren’t there when I was growing up. We even started a summer tradition of going to make tie-dye at Tie Dye Lab, stopping for lunch at Oasis Diner and then going to the waterpark Splash Island.

Santa Claus

In the fall I worked with Visit SoIn where we visited Santa Claus and Jeffersonville. It was really fun revisiting Holiday World with both girls after having visited with just Sophia a few years ago. As a family of sweet tooths, Santa’s Candy Castle was also a highlight of the trip.

Falls of the Ohio The Best Things To Do In Southern Indiana — Falls of the Ohio- Jeffersonville

Jeffersonville

Jeffersonville is right on the border of Indiana and Kentucky. I wish we had more time to explore this sweet town. On our trip to Jeffersonville, we saw fossils from when Indiana was underwater millions of years ago, learned how to make hard candy at Schimpff’s Confectionery and had some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten at Parlour.

French Lick

The winter called for one last FAM trip of 2019 with a trip with Visit French Lick. Despite only having two days for our adventure, I had to write a two-part (part 1, part 2) post about all the fun we had. I’ve already started planning a trip back when the weather is warmer because we enjoyed it so much. During this trip we were in awe over the amazing hotels (French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel), a ride on the Polar Express, having more of the best pizza ever at Vintage Cafe, and learning about animals (including feeding giraffes and lemurs) at Wilstem Ranch.

Tips for Solo Disney Trip — 1st Solo Trip to Disney World

Networking

Along with the wonderful relationships I made through the visitors’ centers and local businesses, I had a goal of meeting more bloggers. I’ve made an awesome blog tribe around greater Indy who meets once per month to talk blogging. I also made some great friends from my solo trip to Disney World where I went to the Flock conference. Blogging can be a very solitary job if you stay glued to your camera and computer. Being an extravert I love the relationships I’ve made through blogging and am excited to see what 2020 will bring!

I’m so thankful I said yes to Visit Fort Wayne. I’m proud to have asked for partnerships with the businesses I wanted to promote this year. I did not make as much money as years passed because I spent time making these relationships rather than doing sponsored content. At the end of the year, I’m thankful I made that choice and will continue to do the same in 2020!

If you have any questions about blogging, I’m happy to share! If you’re a blogger, I’d love to hear what blogging has brought to you in 2019!

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by Shelly on January 2, 2020 Leave a Comment

Family Fun in French Lick Part 2

Our family took a very special trip last week to French Lick, Indiana. Thanks to Visit French Lick our family spent two days adventuring around French Lick. I’ve shared day 1 here and today I’ll be sharing all the fun we had one day 2.

We woke up early (as you do when you have a toddler) and ordered breakfast to the room. The in-room dining options were amazing and we enjoyed watching cartoons while having breakfast together. After breakfast, we checked out and headed over to West Baden which is just 5 minutes away. We opted to drive but there is a trolley that runs between the two throughout the day.

Room-service Breakfast at French Lick Springs Hotel

West Baden

West Baden, first built in 1855 as the Mile Lick Inn, has gone through many ups and downs. At one point it was sold for only $1 during the depression. Through many different hands, it was finally revitalized in 2007 and restored to the magnificent resort it is today. Our favorite part of the hotel was the 200 ft. diameter atrium. When we went there was a massive Christmas tree in the middle and each balcony had a giant ornament hanging from it. I’m excited to check out the grounds when the weather is warmer but the holiday decorations are a must-see. Both West Baden and French Lick had stunning dioramas all throughout their properties. French Lick even had an 8 ft tall gingerbread house that they make on sight. The resort also offers a nighttime horse-drawn sleigh ride through the lights that decorate the grounds.

Great Christmas Gifts from French Lick Winery

French Lick Winery- Vintage Cafe

We were hesitant to visit French Lick Winery because neither Jeffrey nor I like wine and we were with the girls. I’m SO glad we did though because it was our favorite meal of the trip! We started off with Pan Bigio and herb oil to dip it in. I could have just had an entire meal of that, it was so amazing! We’d heard how amazing the pizza was so we gave it a try. It was the best pizza I’ve ever had. The crust was made with a sourdough starter from Naples and I’ve never tasted better pizza crust. After lunch, we split a few desserts, including the chocolate lava cake and the rum cake. All I can say is that I wish they were bigger because they were so good!

If you’re not a wine drinker, they have lots of spirits that were made in house as well. I loved the Fizzy Pineapple vodka-based cocktail I had and Jeffrey loved his Pecan Bourbon cocktail. We didn’t do any tastings or tours but those are available. They also have a shop where you can buy their bottles of wine and champagne as well as other gifts.

French Lick West Baden Museum

Our next stop was the French Lick West Baden Museum where we learned more about the mineral water from the springs, the Monon Railroad (which is now a trail that runs through our town), basketball legend Larry Bird, and the French Lick and West Baden hotels. We also marveled at the world’s largest circus diorama. When we got there, the owner challenged Sophia to count every elephant in the diorama. She got the exact right number and was given a gift for her counting skills (and confidence in knowing she was right!) The owner said many adults waiver on the number so she was proud Sophia knew exactly how many elephants there were.

Wilstem Ranch

Our most exciting activity took place at Wilstem Ranch where we had hands-on experience learning about animals! The ranch has been featured as one of the top 10 best places to interact with large animals by USA Today. I agree!

While the ranch offers many activities, like horseback riding, zipline tours, ATV tours, and lodging, the animals are what we came to see this time. They offer animal encounters with giraffes and lemurs where you’re educated about the animals while you have a chance to feed and pet them. Jeff Watson from Animal Planet has his bears Bob and Screech there as well! During the warmer months, you can see an elephant get bathed and even have the opportunity to feed it breakfast! Be sure to check their website for appointment times.

Along with the big animals, you can get up close to kangaroos, porcupines, various birds, goats, and tortoise. This spring they’ve announced a brand new ride-through safari! We have Wilstem high on our list to visit when it’s warmer and the girls are a little older so we can spend a weekend doing all of their activities indoors and out. Their efforts in helping these animals stay off the extinction list are wonderful. Many of the animals they have are on the endangered species list and have short life spans in their natural habitats.

Brick Street 33

Our last stop before heading back home was Brick Street 33 for dinner. Upon entering we were greeted with signed sports memorabilia from many famous Hoosier players. Manning, Luck, Bird, Miller…all the names you’d recognize, and the entire place was full of them! After a long day, we were ready to drive home but the menu had us drooling for some delicious food! I got the fish tacos (slightly spicy), the girls got mac n’ cheese and a burger and Jeffrey got the fish and chips. The fish and chips were our favorites with the fish being lightly battered and fried to perfection! Definitely, a fun place to visit if you’re a sports fan or a family with kids.

Our trip to French Lick was one I’ll remember for a long time. What first started as just a ride on the Polar Express expanded to our first-time family bowling, staying at a magnificent hotel, feeding giraffes and already planning our return trip. We were pleasantly surprised with all that French Lick has to offer and we only saw a portion of the town. I highly recommend visiting this destination for the springs, the history, and the activities.

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by Shelly on December 25, 2019 1 Comment

Family Fun in French Lick Part 1

For Christmas this year I wanted to take my family on a small family trip to somewhere special in Indiana. The Polar Express was high on my list for holiday attractions but I wanted to do it big by staying at a hotel when we went. This past week was that trip and I’m so thankful Visit French Lick West Baden hosted us and made our trip extra special.

I’ll be sharing this series in two posts because our family was able to do so much in two days! I’m excited to go back in the summer months to do ziplining, horseback riding, spelunking and a few other activities we missed this time around.

French-Lick-Plutos-Pizzaria — Pluto’s Pizzaria

French Lick Day 1

The Room

We’re only 2.5 hours away from French Lick so we were able to have two full days enjoying French Lick and West Baden. We arrived at French Lick Springs Hotel around 11 and were able to check-in early. Obviously, the first order of business was for the girls to jump on the beds in our beautiful room. The hotel was established in 1845 giving the rooms so much charm. I loved the oversized doors in the spacious rooms.

Bowling and Pizza

After exploring our room we headed to the basement for the girl’s first time bowling! Pluto’s Alley is a six-lane bowling alley that is right next to an arcade and Pluto’s Pizzaria. We had lunch while we bowled and I highly recommend getting the breadsticks! They had bumpers and a bowling assist ramp so the girls were able to do it ‘on their own’!

Pool time

We were very impressed with the pool at French Lick Springs Hotel. There is an indoor pool, an outdoor pool and an outdoor hot tub by the gardens. I’ll admit, the outdoor hot tub on a cold winter day, with 80s music playing, and no kids was pretty epic. Of course, playing inside with my family was also super fun. The hotel offers poolside delivery of food and drinks and the floor was heated! I loved picturing that space in its heyday with all of the poolside chairs occupied and people splashing in the pool!

The Hotel

The hotel has amazing detail and I wish I would have had time to take a historical tour of the property. That is at the top of my list the next time we come. As a hospitality major, I love the historical aspect of hotels. There is an abundance of amenities at the hotel including a free trolly around town, so many beautiful holiday decorations (I’ll show more in my Part 2 of this series), KidsFest (where you can drop off your kids for childcare), free valet parking, formal gardens, multiple gift shops, and a playground. Despite there being so many fun attractions around French Lick, we could easily spend an extended weekend enjoying the French Lick Springs Hotel.

French-Lick-trolley-at-night — French Lick Resort Trolley

The Polar Express

The Polar Express was our big draw to French Lick but I will say that it is a destination town with so much to do! I share more in my The Polar Express in French Lick Indiana blog post but I wanted to share highlights here as well. Upgrading our tickets on the French Lick Scenic Railway so we could have a full table to ourselves was key. Our train car was heated, had bathrooms and included souvenir mugs.

The experience was more than I had hoped for a truly magical experience. I wasn’t as fond of the activity tent and gift shop but the actual train ride was really fun. I’m happy we waited until our daughter was 6 (although 5 would have been great too) and paired it with a hotel stay. It made the trip so much more meaningful. We’ll definitely do it again when Lilly is 5-6 years old.

I’ve made a short video of our experience on both days but be sure to check out Part 2 of the series to see what we did on the second day!

If you’ve been to French Lick and West Baden, let me know what your favorite things to do and eat were! We’ll be going back when the weather is nice!

4+ Guidelines for 2020

Health

Business

Fun

Firefly Landing

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WHAT BLOGGING HAS MADE POSSIBLE FOR OUR FAMILY

Fort Wayne

Local Indianapolis Attractions

The Children’s Museum

Conner Prairie

Indianapolis Zoo

Indiana State Museum

Summer Camps and Lessons

Memberships

Visit Hendricks County

Santa Claus

Jeffersonville

French Lick

Networking

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West Baden

French Lick Winery- Vintage Cafe

French Lick West Baden Museum

Wilstem Ranch

Brick Street 33

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French Lick Day 1

The Room

Bowling and Pizza

Pool time

The Hotel

The Polar Express

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