Welcome!

As an avid traveler, wife, and mommy to an adventurous daughter, I look forward to sharing some of our favorite experiences with you.

We enjoy traveling within the United States, but also love to get overseas and discover new places.

Back to School Resources

Somehow our three months of summer break have come and gone. There will inevitably some facts, equations, and processes that were forgotten over the summer.  We tried hard to read as much as possible, to use real-world math examples, and point out any on-the-spot learning moments we could find.

I was recently introduced to Education.com; a site packed with teacher-crafted worksheets and games developed for Preschoolers – 5th graders.  Their site is perfect for finding a wide range of fun, educational worksheets, games, and lesson plans for you and your student to use over summer break.

Summer has come to an end already, but this kayaking worksheet below will keep you in the spirit! Run over to Education.com for more subtraction resources to strengthen your math skills.

You will have the option to create a FREE account and instantly access a gigantic library of educational resources. You can also register for their monthly Premium membership to have access to their full library!

Kayaking Subtraction Worksheet PDF {Education.com}
Kayaking Subtraction Answers PDF {Education.com}

Indianapolis Zoo

This summer we had the opportunity to visit the Indianapolis Zoo while visiting Indianapolis for the first time. The zoo is located within the White River State Park and just a short walk from downtown.

The entry admission was inline with what we have paid at other large zoos. This summer it was right around $22 for an adult and around $16 for a child when purchasing a ticket at the gate. You can purchase discounted tickets online as well. Our schedule for this trip was a bit up in the air, and we weren’t certain on weather so we choose to risk it and just buy our tickets at the gate. This zoo is the first I have seen with “peak” pricing. The zoo has lower online ticket fees on days with lower projected attendance and higher ticket prices on days with higher projected attendance. Really, I think this is a brilliant way to help balance out the number of people visiting the zoo and a great way for those with flexible schedules to save some extra money.

At the gate we had decided to upgrade my daughter’s ticket and get the unlimited rides and animal feedings. That was the best $12 I’ve ever spent. She absolutely loved feeding the birds in the Flight of Fancy area. At the particular time we were near the birds her only option was to feed the budgies and lorikeets and it was great. I lost track of how many times she went back for refills of bird food.

We were impressed with how clean and spread out everything was within the zoo. It was also easy to find our way around. The signage was nicely spread out and clearly labeled.  We were able to see a lot of exciting animals up close. My daughter loved seeing the bears, seals, sharks, and flamingos.

The food at the Pavilion Cafe was amazing. I was honestly expecting typically quickly-made, greasy food but we were able to choose from some really fresh, delicious options. I had some really good street tacos. I was extremely impressed with their commitment to the environment and recycling. Beverages were served without lids or straws (unless asked for), and utensils were separately distributed — not wasted. Even the gift shop had the option to either carry your items out or to purchase a reusable bag in lieu of a plastic bag.

If you find yourself in Indianapolis, or even nearby, I would strongly recommend visiting the Indianapolis Zoo. Set aside at least a half day to walk around and snack while you are there.

Indianapolis Zoo
1200 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN  46222
317-630-2001

Getting Ready for School Routine

For the last 8 years I have continually told people that the first hour of my day is the hardest. My husband works early hours so I have always been responsible for getting our daughter up and ready for school or day camps.

My daughter is not a morning person. At all. Every morning is a battle to wake her up and get her out of bed. After that struggle I have to get her dressed, get her breakfast, and get cleaned up.

We have tried a variety of methods to start empowering her to pick her own outfit, choose her own breakfast, and brush her own hair. I’m close by incase she needs help or gets frustrated. Regardless how great our method worked for in the short-term, we were still struggling to find a great long-term process.

One evening my daughter told my husband that she wants to be able to get ready for school by herself to show she can do it, but she gets frustrated because she forgets all of the steps she needs to do. When I gave her a list of tasks she had a hard time remembering all the steps and the order. It occurred to me to make her her own job chart that she can follow along with each morning. I personalized the step by step chart to her morning and then laminated it to that it stays in good condition.

My hope is that one day she will get the routine down, but for now I love that she has a way to help herself learn to get ready on her own. My super independent child can now get ready how she wants to; independently.  I’m still nearby getting myself ready and sometimes step in to remind her of the next step. Some how the Extra Time step keeps trying to get ahead of the other steps.  I hope this concept works for you children too!

Book Club | Where the Crawdads Sing

What are the odds that my mom would recommend this “really great book” she just finished reading on the same day that my book club selected it for our next read? I’m talking about #1 New York Times Bestseller, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I had never heard of the book before that, but several of the members of my book club had it on their wish lists. Libraries around us had an incredible wait list going, no doubt partly due to this book being chosen for Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick in September 2018.

Similar to Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, this story spans over several decades and often provides “flashbacks” to the character’s story.

The story takes place in a marshy coastal town in North Carolina. We learn about Kya, the youngest child of a pretty dysfunctional family. At the age of 10 she is abandoned in her house and has to learn to take care of not only the property, but herself. As if that isn’t heartbreaking enough, she lives just outside of town and is constantly treated as a lesser human being.

The small down is rocked by the unexpected, suspicious death of their town “all-star”. The story turns to the town’s method’s to discovering if this was an accidental death or murder. I’ll leave the summary at that as I don’t want to give away any of the twists and turns in the story.

This book brought out a variety of emotions; empathy for this young, abandoned child, anger towards the people who let her down, hope for what she is able to achieve, and curiosity as she explores that nature around her.

This book was recently picked up to become a movie. I’m eager to see the story play out on the screen and see how they portray the locations and characters in the book.

Some questions that struck me while reading the book:

• What could possibly have kept Kya moving forward after all of the set-backs she has faced in life?
• How did Kya’s relationship with Jumper and Mabel help Kya while growing up? What cause their relationship to evolve?
• Did your feelings towards Kya’s mother change by the end of the book? What about her other family members?

There is a really helpful Book Club Kit on Delia’s website. Delia provides some fascinating background on the setting of the book, a question and answer interview, book club questions, and even recipes inspired by the book.

You can purchase Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens right here!

My previous book club pick is available here.

       

Book Club | Little Fires Everywhere

So I ended up joining a book club. Well, not just joining – I’m now leading a book club. Recently there was interest on our neighborhood’s Next Door page by people wishing to join a book club. I stepped up and offered to organize the information and get it started.

I gathered everyone’s information and sent out a quick Google Forms survey to see what everyone was interested in reading.

Based on what was trending at the time, we selected Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. The only thing I knew about this book was that it was recommended on just about every single reading list I checked.

I couldn’t put this book down! I hadn’t read Celeste’s other major book Everything I Never Told You so I had no idea what to expect regarding her writing style. In this book she took a back and forth approach and changed the perspective from character to character. I felt this style helped me stay engaged and also resulted in my character loyalties changing throughout the book based on how each was viewing the situation.

The story hits close to home following residents of a neighborhood in Ohio during the 1990’s. The youth in the story were of similar age as I was in the 1990’s so I could relate to the popular culture references, not having internet, and having to walk over to someone’s house to see if they wanted to hang out.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I strongly recommend you read this book. It was one of those books that I didn’t want to end. I want to know what happens to these characters next. I felt invested in their lives and choices they made. Imagine my excitement when I saw that the book is being made into a TV Mini-Series on Hulu by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

Some questions that struck me while reading the book:

• Do you feel like the way Mrs. Richardson and Mia were referred to subliminally caused you to categories them in different societal classes?
• The Richardson’s all received a photograph from Mia. What would your photograph include?
• Did your feelings towards Izzy change throughout the book?

There are some amazing Book Club questions on Celeste Ng’s website. Be sure to check out her Book Club Guide filled with questions and answers, her musical play list and discussion questions for your club.

You can purchase Little Fires Everywhere or Everything I Never Told You right here!

       

That Time the Tooth Fairy Forgot

Last weekend I had a super-duper “mom fail”. I hadn’t even realized that my daughter’s tooth was that loose. She had been eating a rice crispy bar when suddenly something didn’t feel right. Next thing I know she is screaming from the bathroom for us to come there. She was so proud that she pulled her out tooth out (I was so relieved not to have to pull a tooth out).

Lately she has been writing the Tooth Fairy a sweet little note asking for her to deliver the cash, but to leave the tooth behind so she can keep it. This time my daughter wrote in her note that instead of cash she was hoping for a small treasure or toy. The Tooth Fairy only has a budget of $1 but I thought for sure I’d find something around the house to hid under her pillow. We were in the middle of the polar vortex and I wasn’t about to drive around in -30 degree weather to find a $1 treasure.

I waited for L to fall asleep then began looking through the stash of toys and games that we have hidden for birthday and Christmas presents. Unfortunately all of them were too “big” and would set an unrealistic standard for the Tooth Fairy to keep up with.

Naturally I got side-tracked and started putting some laundry away before falling asleep. When I went to wake L up the next morning the first thing she said was “I hope the Tooth Fairy came!!”.  Oops. I had completely forgotten to put anything under her pillow.

Luckily, the weather was so bad out that her school was delayed 2 hours. I quickly went into a long explanation on how it was likely too cold for the Tooth Fairy to make all her delivers, or that perhaps the freezing rain was preventing her from flying to all of her stops last night. As L quickly checked under her pillow and saw nothing there but her note and tooth, she thought about it for a few seconds (felt like an eternity). Then she says “I think you’re right – it was probably too cold last night”.

I assured her that likely the Tooth Fairy was just running behind and would perhaps deliver her treasure that night instead. After L fell asleep that night I hid a small bottle of bubbles and $1 under her pillow. Typically it’s only $1, but the Tooth Fairy wanted to make-up for running a day behind.

Much to my surprise (and confusion) L seemed to completely forget about the Tooth Fairy’s neglect and went about her business the next few days. Finally on Thursday I asked her casually if she ever found any treasures under her pillow. It hit her immediately and she quickly ran off. I soon heard squeals and screams that the Tooth Fairy did come and left her some presents.

I was pretty proud of myself that I was able to recover from a goof like that. I almost just told her the truth, but she was so excited about the whole think I keep cool. I know she will only believe for a little while longer, but I hope she gets a good laugh out of the story on this particular tooth.

Arriving in Sayulita, Mexico

If you are looking for a place to visit where you can relax, and experience a more authentic Mexican vacation I would definitely recommend visiting Sayulita.

After a trip to Europe with my mom and sister  fell through a friend of mine offered for me to join her in Sayulita, Mexico for a week. My friend and her two daughters were spending their entire summer break there and were looking forward to welcoming company. I had never heard of the town, but was in need of a getaway and couldn’t resist the idea of being in walking distance to the ocean for a week.

The easiest way to fly into Sayulita is via the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. After going through Customs and Immigration you’ll want to take a quick bathroom break, withdraw some pesos from a cash machine then follow the signs to exit the airport. Once outside I’d grab a bottle of water and a snack at the OXXO convenience store across the two lanes of drop-off/pick-up car. Pay with one of your larger pesos you just withdrew so you have cash for the bus ride.

Now you are ready to head towards the bus stop. This will be the cheapest way to get to Sayulita. Walk back towards the airport. There is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the freeway. Once across the bridge, walk to the first bus stop on your left.

You will now be looking for the Ruta Sayulita de Sur a Norte. When the correct bus arrives it will have “Sayulita” written on the front window. Depending on the time of the day, the cost will be $1-3. You can pay the bus driver directly in pesos. Grab a seat anywhere and settle in as the ride takes a little over 1 hour.

The ride itself is a bit slow while in Puerto Vallarta as there are a few stops and lots of traffic. Once you get out of the city the ride goes much faster and you are treated to amazing views of mountains, jungles, and unaltered nature. The seats are very snug and there isn’t exactly room for large luggage. We had brought carry-on sized bags so were able to hold them on our laps or at our feet.

Once in Sayulita, the bus will pull into a simple station with a covered awning and benches underneath. From here you are a short walk to your accommodations and, more importantly, the beach. Along your walk are several restaurants, shops, and street vendors to visit. I strongly recommend the fruit smoothies!

The return times are posted in the bus stop so either take a peek when you arrive in Sayulita, or go for a walk during your vacation to check bus pick-up times. When the bus arrives, make sure it says “Puerto Vallarta” on the window. To be on the safe side, I’d confirm with the driver that it stops at the airport/aeropuerto.

Surprise Sleep Over

I just pulled off one of the biggest surprises on L. We’ve had a couple friends sleep over this past year, but she has been asking for months to sleep over at a friend’s house.

L’s bestie Q gave her an “experience gift” at her birthday party in December. Q arranged to take L with her to a painting class. What the girls didn’t know is that Q’s mom and I added a bit more to the “experience gift”.

All day I worked on secretly packing an overnight bag whenever L was distracted. Once packed full of her treasures I hid it in my husband’s car. We had to find a way to get to Q’s neighborhood without making L suspicious. My husband offered to take L out looking for Pokemon. She got ready super fast and hopped in the car so ready to find some shinny and rare Pokemon.

Husband pulled up in front of Q’s house and said “Do you know who lives here?”. L put down her game and said “Q! What are we doing at Q’s house!?”. He told her to get out of the car and see if Q was home, that maybe they could play. As she hopped out he handed L the overnight bag. She ran to the door and was met by Q. They both were screaming in excitement.

Q: “What are you doing here!?”

L: “I have no idea, but dad just gave me a bag. Am I sleeping over??”.

Q: “I have no idea!!”

It was then that the parents surprised the girls by telling them that L was sleeping over. They immediately started screaming with excitement then bolted off to play.

I’m so happy the surprise went as planned!

Visiting the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is such an amazing structure; it’s no wonder people from around the world travel to see it in person. The first time I saw it I was at least several blocks away and couldn’t believe just how tall it really was. I love that when walking along the Seine River you can still see the Eiffel Tower and know if you are going the correct direction or not.

The creation of the Tower goes back to the World’s Fair of 1889. Gustave Eiffel, along with Maurice Koechline, Emile Nouguier, and Stephen Sauvestre submitted the winning idea for a 300 meter structure in the Champ-de-Mars. The amount of design time and planning that must have went into a project like this is incredible to think about. I often wonder what the team would say knowing that folks still enjoy visiting their creation 125+ years later. To get a much better idea of all that went into the making of the Eiffel Tower, I recommend visiting their official website. You will be able to see early sketches, photos, and blueprints.

Just to see the Tower is incredible enough, but you also have the option to climb/ride up to each floor. The extremely brave can venture all the way to the top and see breathtaking views of Paris. It’s so hard to recommend whether or not to purchase tickets in advance or to take the lift versus walking or which floor to visit since so much depends on the day-of conditions (weather, crowds, events, etc).

After a few trips to the Tower I can safely say that on my next visit I will be purchasing an advanced ticket to take the lift. There have been times when I only had to wait 15 minutes to walk right into the lift while other times I have waited 2+ hours. If you have many sites planned in that day, the wait time could make a difference in your plans.

The last time we visited we waited over 2 hours in the line for the lift. While the weather was perfect and my daughter was being very patient, it still irritated me to think of what we could have spent that wait time doing instead. There was still 100+ people in front of us so we switched to the line that had us walk up to the second floor and then take the lift to the top. In all honesty, the walk wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t in the greatest shape to take the stairs – but we made it!

You really could spend a lot of time on each floor looking at the views, dining, shopping, and learning some history of the site. The ticket prices vary by which floor you would like to visit so I’d recommend viewing their website to plan what you would like to see.

Extra fun fact – my daughter and Gustave Eiffel share the same birthday, December 15!

Visiting Venice, Italy

Ciao! Hello!

Venice was a city that was hard for me to wrap my head around before we arrived. I’ve seen it shown numerous times in movies, read countless travel articles online, and saw loads of photos. My biggest question was “how on earth can this city surrounded by so much water?” I’m from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, but Venice takes it to a whole other level.

When we arrived via train at the Venezia-St. Lucia railway station and walked up to the canal I was immediately in awe of the stunning buildings, bridges, and structures built right along the water. The pace was much more relaxed than cities such as Paris or London. I was immediately in love!

The walkways ranged from wide enough for dozens of people to pass easily, to so narrow you hoped you wouldn’t need to pass by anyone. The walkways were made of stones so not exactly a smooth walk, but a charming walk.

The city was incredible to walk around and cross bridges until you weren’t sure which part of the city you were in. So many plazas with beautiful churches, fountains, and shops open for lunch on the patio. We wisely purchased an international plan for our phones and were able to quickly find our actual location on our map apps. Having the map apps also helped to find where the nearest vaporetto was, or nearest restaurant, sometimes even how to get back to our hotel.

Since we were traveling with our 7 year old daughter we often took breaks from our long wandering walks. The vaporetto system was wonderful and fairly easy to follow. We would find the nearest dock and ride around the city admiring all of the buildings and gondolas. There is limited seating on the back of the boat (with the best view), but plenty of seating within the boat. The tickets were quite affordable for a day pass.

Our favorite place to see was the Piazza San Marco. During the day there were hundreds of people shopping, eating at cafes, and waiting in line to tour the Basilica di San Marco. My daughter and I tried to see who could find the most animals within the building’s artworks and exterior design. We loved finding the powerful lions with wings (griffin). We really enjoyed visiting the piazza again that evening. The crowds were gone and replace with live music outside two different restaurants. We bought some amazing pizza and just sat and watched people walk about, look at the stars, and enjoy the music.

When in Venice you must try the gelato! There were gelato shops everywhere we looked, so you’d be hard pressed to not find one. I tended to stick with the traditional menta (mint) flavor, while my daughter and husband were much more adventurous. My daughter couldn’t get enough of the lemon gelato ~ sometimes several a day. They were small cones, and it was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit so we looked forward to our next gelato stop.

When in Venice we had the most amazing food to choose from. From the pastas to pizza to seafood, everything was amazing and fresh. Nothing back home even came close to what we ate in Venice. What I found I enjoyed the most was stopping for a meal at a restaurant along the water. I was able to hear and see the waves while being on land surrounded by beautiful, old buildings. It was the perfect combination. There were also a number of shops to stop in quick and pick up snacks and beverages. We got hooked on the paprika flavored Pringles. They were so tasty that my daughter looks for them every time we are at the grocery store near our house. Unfortunately it looks like they are only sold in Europe.

I cannot wait to travel back to Venice!