Eating dinner together as a family most nights is very important to me. However, with two teens in the house (both involved in sports), a full-time job AND my blog, time is at a premium. Most weeks I do a great job of planning out meals, hitting the grocery (or using Shipt) and making a healthy, tasty dinner. Then there are the other weeks … You know, the weeks where there is something going on every night, where the weekend was so packed you couldn’t get to the grocery or even get your online order placed, even the weeks where you just don’t feel like menu planning. Those are the weeks I depend upon EveryPlate. EveryPlate isn’t the first home delivery service I’ve tried. I’ve also given Hello Fresh and Blue Plate a try, but I couldn’t stomach the prices and I found myself forgetting to cancel a week and therefore ending up with meals I didn’t really want or need. Pros of EveryPlate EveryPlate is really affordable. I have a family of four, but I use the 2-3 serving meal plan and it’s currently only $38.93 per week (including shipping). That gives me 3 meals and since my daughter doesn’t eat meat I’ve found by adding a salad, a piece of fish or veggie burger for her, or just adding extra rice or pasta to the meal we have more than enough. To be fair, none of us are big eaters, but you could certainly start with the smaller plan like we did and move up if needed. The food is delivered fresh and nicely packaged. I really...
In the mood to spend a day exploring but only have a few free hours? Why? Because there is no one to let the dog out. Ever happened to you? We love our dog, but he does cramp our style. When there have been weeks where it seems like he has been alone too much – or we just find ourselves with a full free day and want to run around without having to stop back home mid-day, we find a way to bring him along. It’s a little more work but can definitely lead to a fun and different way to spend the day. Luckily there are many places these days that allow dogs. I’ve had good luck at local restaurants and breweries or wineries with outdoor seating, parks of course; ice cream shops, coffee shops, farmer’s markets, outdoor concerts and sometimes an outdoor tourist attraction (like a walking tour – self-guided or not). A few tips to make for an easy day: Call ahead to make sure your pup is allowed. Combine a variety of activities – some food, some walking, maybe just some hanging out Check the weather – nothing worse than a wet dog in the car! Be a good dog owner – bring along water and poop bags and pick up after your dog Ready for an example? If you live in the Indianapolis area, here is a fun day with your dog: The day must start with coffee, right? Luckily most coffee and bagel shops are happy to have your dog join you. Once everyone is fully charged, a little walking seemed like...
At least a few times a year we embark on long road trips. As neither my husband or I particularly like to drive, we had to come up with a way to make them bearable. Getting in the car and driving all night was not something we could do – the few times we tried it, we wound up exhausted the next day and essentially missed the first day of our trip. Talk about stressful! Luckily, I’ve got some ideas for road trips to make them FUN. So much so that my kids would prefer to drive than fly! How did we do it? Attitude. This is the most important part – by simply reminding ourselves that the journey can be as fun as the destination, we hit the road with the right mindset. We’ve come to look at a road trip as a chance to relax (versus work), see something new, and have some great conversations. Try new restaurants. It’s a rare trip that we don’t break out Yelp when we start to get hungry and search up local restaurants. Once everyone starts getting hungry, I open the app, switch it to map view and start searching for places twenty minutes ahead or so of our current route. We’ve discovered awesome dive bars, amazing breweries, old-school drive-ins and everything in-between. The rule is it can’t be more than ten minutes off the road we are traveling, and it can’t be a chain. Other than that, anything goes. Yes, it adds time to our trip, but we’ve created a fun memory, enjoyed much better food and had some fun...
As I mentioned last week, one of my goals for 2019 is to travel monthly – at least a weekend trip. With a two week break from school and work, the beginning of January seemed like the perfect time to start meeting that goal! A few days after ringing in the New Year, we went on a quick overnight adventure to Pokagon State Park in Northern Indiana. Pokagon is one of seven State Parks in Indiana that has an Inn on site, and we were lucky enough to get a room for the night during a very busy week! The location of the Inn is perfect – it’s close to the toboggan run, sits on beautiful Lake James and is minutes from outlet shopping, wineries, restaurants, and downtown Angola, Indiana. We arrived at the Potawatomi Inn just after lunch and were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready. We were thrilled to stay in one of the patio rooms with a gorgeous view of Lake James. In fact, I woke up early the next day to get some beautiful morning shots of the still water. The room was large with a small fridge and microwave oven. The beds were comfy and clean and it was the ideal lodging for our quick trip. Our room was right across the hallway from the game room which contained a variety of video games, ping pong, air hockey and a new family favorite, Boccerball. None of us had ever heard of it before but we spent quite a bit of time playing – watch the short video below and you’ll get why...
I don’t know about you, but too many dreary days in a row start to really drag me down. Since my next warm weather trip isn’t planned until March, I began searching for local outings that could tide me over. One of the first places that came up was Garfield Park Conservatory. Many cities boast a conservatory (we have several options in the Indianapolis area), and that seemed like the perfect way to forget about the cold and rain for a while. Last week my Facebook Live tip was to try something or someplace new on your lunch hour – create a quick and easy everyday adventure. If you missed it, check it out here – it’s less than a minute: On this particular lunch hour, I drove down to Garfield Park Conservatory which is located just south of downtown Indianapolis. The park is a lovely way to warm up and spend some time enjoying GREEN plants and nature even in December. As a bonus, it’s beautifully decorated for Christmas right now, so there is a fascinating train track as well as a Christmas village in the entrance. The conservatory isn’t large, but there are many interesting and unique plants packed into the area along with various waterfalls and benches perfect for enjoying the flora. I also discovered a few ponds with koi lazily swimming along. Next time I’ll be sure to bring along a book and sit on one of those benches for a relaxing lunchtime break. Most kids aren’t into gardens, but Garfield Park Conservatory has a fun Scavenger Hunt with about twenty different items to look...
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., Abreva, Breathe Right, Clorox, Robitussin and Theraflu. All opinions are mine alone. #SoothesOfTheSeason #CollectiveBias It may be cold outside, but as long as you are feeling healthy, you can still have fun! It’s a rough time of the year for colds, coughs and the flu – if you don’t have a bug, I bet you know someone who does. It can definitely be hard to keep your family healthy, but by stocking up now and being prepared, you can truly enjoy all the season has to offer. After all, the last thing you want to do is run out in the middle of the night or miss something fun because you’re feeling awful. Early in the season, I hit my local Noblesville Kroger to stock up on my list of cold, cough and flu must-haves including: Abreva® Pump Cold Sore and Fever Blister Treatment – easy to apply Abreva is not for temporary relief, but healing. As soon as you feel a cold sore coming on, apply it immediately for best results. Breathe® Right Extra Clear Nasal Strips – when colds settle in your nose, I love these strips to provide relief for congestion. I’m also a big fan of the fact that it’s drug-free and safe to use with any sleep medication. They have a flexible, “spring-like” band within each strip, and when you place them on your nose using the special adhesive, they gently lift the sides of the nose and open the nasal passages as the band tries to straighten back to its original shape. Pretty clever,...
Hi! I’m Pam. I’m a busy mom of two teens who loves to travel and enjoy each and every day. My hope is to inspire other busy moms to create family memories and discover everyday adventures wherever they are! Check out my About Pam page for more details.
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