3 Things You Should Know About MONSTER JAM

3 Things You Should Know About MONSTER JAM

Saturday, February 15, 2020

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Monster Jam. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review.  As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.

I've posted about Monster Jam before, but until this last weekend we hadn't attended.  It looked really cool, but I honestly didn't think my girls would be interested in Monster Trucks.  I was wrong and wish we had gone sooner!  They had a lot of fun and even picked out their favorite trucks, rooting them on when it was their turn to race and do tricks.

I did learn a few things at our first Monster Jam event and here's what I think you should know before attending.

1. Bring Ear Protection.

There's a reason I listed this first.  It's so important to bring some type of ear protection (noise cancelling headphones or even just ear plugs) for your little ones and even yourself.  It gets loud and depending on where you are sitting, it could be pretty overwhelming for a kid.

2.  Dress appropriately and be prepared for a long night.

Monster Jam is a rain or shine event and will not cancel even if it's crazy cold weather.  The arena can get a little chilly too, so make sure you bring a warm jacket and even a hat and gloves if you know you get cold easily. 

The event runs for two and half hours, so be ready to have some time where you need to bring out the snacks.  If I'm being completely honest, the show was a little long for my two girls BUT that didn't stop them from having fun.  Most stadiums allow you to bring in small snacks and water, so if you have something they love to give them some energy, then you'll be just fine...which is exactly what we did with my five and four year olds.

3. Buy tickets online AND get the Pit Party Pass!

Buying tickets online if possible is so much easier and a great way to avoid having to wait in line.  The lines get really long (trust me, I know from experience) and trying to wait with little ones who have very little patience is not fun.

The Monster Jam Pit Party Passes are amazing and worth it and allow to hang out up close and personal with massive trucks, meet your favorite drivers and crews, get autographs, take pictures and enjoy other family-friendly activities. If you're someone who absolutely loves trucks, then you are definitely not going to want to miss the opportunity to see them all before the show.

It’s an unforgettable part of the Monster Jam experience where special connections are made and lifelong fans are born. This. Is. Monster Jam. You can add the Pit Party Pass at the end of your ticket order. If you’ve purchased tickets already but didn’t purchase your Pit Party Passes yet, you can still purchase them online in advance.

Click here for upcoming events and to purchase tickets to a show near you!

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A Visit to the Georgia Aquarium

A Visit to the Georgia Aquarium

Monday, February 3, 2020

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Thank you to the Georgia Aquarium for hosting us! As always, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

 

This Christmas we decided we wanted to give our girls experiences instead of toys.  We even asked our family members to consider this when getting them a gift.  They still got a few fun things to play with and things for our road trip to Florida (which was one of their big gifts), but we kept it pretty simple.

My two oldest have been begging to go back to Florida since we moved almost two years ago and we were finally in a position where our twins were old enough to manage taking on that trip.  We knew we would need a place to stop along the way and Atlanta, being the half way point, was perfect.

We told the girls we had a surprise for them, but they didn't know what it was until we got to our hotel and could see the giant picture of a shark on the outside of the Georgia Aquarium!  They were so excited that we couldn't get them to go to bed!

It had been a really long time since I had visited the Georgia Aquarium and my husband had never been before, so we were all just a little excited to wake up the next morning and go.

If you have never visited the Georgia Aquarium, it should definitely be on your travel list.  It is incredible and you could seriously spend all day there.  I mean, you're going to want to plan your entire day there really.  From the Beluga Whales to the beautiful dolphins to the sharks and all types of fish, it had something for all of us.  Even my 15 month old twins loved looking at everything.

Each one of us had a different favorite animal and we got to see them all!  My oldest loves all of the colorful fish and the Tropical Diver was the place for us to be with thousands of tropical fish and coral reef.  It was magical!

Charlotte's favorite was the Ocean Voyager and going through the tunnel to feel like you were underwater with giant Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.  She absolutely loves sharks and this was really cool!  This was probably the best part for my husband too.

My favorite had to be the jelly fish and watching the dolphins!  Both were stunning and it was hard to look away.  It was so peaceful watching them flow in the water and the colors of the jellyfish were mesmerizing.

The Georgia Aquarium is year round, so there is always a good time for you to visit and you even have a time slot to choose when purchasing tickets to keep the flow and prevent overcrowding for the ultimate visit.  This would be fun if you are still looking for something to do over Spring Break too.  Your kids will love every animal they encounter and I'm sure there isn't a fish they love that isn't there...unless they're easily creeped out by the spider crabs and piranha like mine were ;)

The aquarium has much more to offer than just underwater friends.  They even offer behind the scenes tours, interactions and encounters with the animals, dive programs, a 4D theater and more! 

You can click here to learn more about the Georgia Aquarium and the efforts it taking to protect our Oceans and how you can help too.

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Frozen Fun Experience at Disney on Ice

Frozen Fun Experience at Disney on Ice

Monday, January 27, 2020

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Disney on Ice. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Like most little girls, my girls are still obsessed with Elsa and Anna from Frozen.  They still dress up several times a week pretending to be the Ice Queen and Princess after the get home from school.  Last week, they had the opportunity to hang out with them during the Frozen Fun Experience (pre-show) at Disney on Ice...and on a school night! ;)

My girls were over the moon with excitement before we even arrived and they had more fun than I could have even imagined.  We were greeted at the door by Kristin, an Arendale resident who knows Elsa and Anna and she played the part perfectly.  She was sweet and helpful and kept our girls entertained with coloring and snowflake making before Elsa and Anna made their appearance.  I can't forget the yummy Mickey shaped snacks that were waiting for us too!  We all gobbled them up!

After having some crafting fun, Anna and Elsa made their appearance and that's were the fun really started!  We had a mini scavenger hunt to look for all of Olaf's body parts and once found, all the kids got to go up and put him back together.  Emma and Charlotte found one of his arms and were so excited!

Then they got to have story time and sing along to Let it Go (along with learning some dance moves).  Emma loved that she got chosen to hold one of the story boards while Elsa and Anna told us all about them.  I'm pretty sure that made her night, along with a lot of other things.

We finished off our Frozen Fun Experience by getting to talk to our favorite Queen and Princess and take a professional photo with them.  Feld Entertainment did a great job organizing this event and we loved it.  The girls were given a keepsake photo and a VIP lanyard to take home.  It was great!

The Frozen Fun Experience is an add-on to the Disney on Ice Show and the perfect way to start you night out with your kiddos.  It's fun for the entire family.  To find Disney on Ice tickets in your area along with a special VIP add-on purchase, you can click here.

Be sure to follow Disney on Ice and my family to keep up on the latest giveaways and shows coming to the Indy area!

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Jingle Rails Exhibit at Eiteljorg Museum

Jingle Rails Exhibit at Eiteljorg Museum

Sunday, January 19, 2020

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If you're looking for something to do tomorrow (you know, since your kids are out of school for MLK Day), then the Eiteljorg Museum is the perfect spot to go to get out of your house and stay out of this crazy cold weather.

Tomorrow is also your last chance to get an incredible look at the Jingle Rails Exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum.  My family and I had the opportunity to visit the museum last month and let me just say that this is something you don't want to miss BUT if you do, there is always next Christmas.

Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure is a G-scale model train wonderland containing nine working model trains that wind through a stunning miniature landscape. The exhibit features miniature versions of local treasures of downtown Indianapolis, including the Eiteljorg Museum, Monument Circle, Union Station and Lucas Oil Stadium. The trains then head through the national parks of the American West, passing legendary sites, including grand railway lodges, Northwest Coast Native villages, and wonders both natural and human-made—Mt. Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Yosemite Falls, Old Faithful, the Las Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam and much more.  Y'all that's nearly 1,200 feet of track!!  Did I mention that Old Faithful actually erupts?! What?!

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and historic Spanish Colonial missions of the Southwest, including The Alamo are both new this year, absolutely amazing and my personal favorite.  The Speedway even has a working course with race cars whizzing around in circles.  My girls thought that was the coolest.

My pictures really do not do this exhibit justice and it is something I highly recommend seeing in person.  We even took our twins (there's plenty of room for strollers) and they enjoyed looked at all the moving trains and the Christmas Lights.

They even have a set up of the Indiana State Fair with a working Ferris Wheel.  It really is incredible and going to the Eiteljorg Museum over the holidays is definitely going to be a new tradition for our family each year.  You can learn more and purchase your tickets by clicking here.

We even had a family photo opp with a near-life-size train engine model, made of all-natural materials.  It was really cool and the girls could even go inside of it! So fun!  

Thank you Eiteljorg Museum and TheCityMoms for having us out over the holidays!

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Jurassic World Live is Roar-tastic!

Jurassic World Live is Roar-tastic!

Sunday, December 8, 2019

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This post was written in partnership with Feld Entertainment & Jurassic World. We were provided with complimentary tickets for review. As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Over the weekend, my dinosaur loving girls and I got to experience dinosaurs like we've never experienced before at Jurassic World Live!  We had an up close and personal view while sitting in the "dino pit" section and let me just say, it is worth it.  They still haven't stopped talking about the amazing show and both keep asking when we go back.

Before the show, we had the opportunity to meet some of the HUMAN characters and the girls loved getting to ask the scientists and the soldier questions about their favorite dinosaurs.  They were so friendly and so great with all the kids and Emma and Charlotte were on the edge of their seats watching them perform.  Jurassic World Live Tour is packed full of pulse-pounding stunts and action-packed fight sequences and truly is a live entertainment experience for the whole family complete with life-sized dinosaurs, heroes and villains.  Trust me, you'll be on the edge of your seat too!

Jurassic World Live features more than nine dinosaurs including the mighty T. Rex, Blue the Raptor, Triceratops, Pteranodons, Baby Stegosaurus and of course, our personal favorite, Jenny.  There's even some special little dinosaurs that join in, but I'll let that be a surprise for you.

My girls are 5 and 4 and this show was perfect for them.  However, the show features special effects, including strobe lights and a safe theatrical fog, along with the wonder and thrills that the Jurassic World brand is known for.  Not to mention, a lot of very load roaring dinosaurs.  So, I would just use your best judgement as a parent to determine if this would be a good show for your little ones. I will say that there was a part in the beginning that came out of nowhere for Charlotte and she literally jumped out of her seat screaming.  With that being said, she was so focused and loved every minute of it.  I think it was just a shock and unexpected for her, but not scary.

Overall, the girls and I gave this show two dinosaur hands up and would definitely recommend you checking it out. You can click here to find out more information about Jurassic World Live and to find tickets and a show near you! 

Your dinosaur obsessed kids will thank you and it would make a pretty great Christmas gift :)

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It’s Opening Day at Piney Acres!

It’s Opening Day at Piney Acres!

Monday, September 30, 2019

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Piney Acres Farm is officially open for the Fall season and you are not going to want to miss out on taking your family there for some family friendly fun!  The Funk family (that's us) got to enjoy a little VIP preview last weekend and had the best time.  The weather was perfect, there were pumpkins galore and endless rides on the Cow Barrel Train. What more could you ask for?

Piney Acres Farm is located in rural Hancock County and is full of interactive hands-on fun for the entire family! With 73 acres, this farm is full of wide open space where families can connect and enjoy relaxed farm fun activities, both educational and entertaining, such as picking a pumpkin from their patch (we came home with some really good ones), hayrides, corn mazes (for kids and adults), visiting with barnyard friends and autumn treats in their farm store.  Whatever you do, you have to try the funnel cakes!  We couldn't get enough.

This year there is even an expanded Kids Zone Featuring: Swings, Slides, Spider Climbing Net, Rock Wall Climbs, Suspension Bridge, Fire Man Poles, Cow Barrel Train, Rope Maze, Jump Pad, Mega Slide, Hay Mountain, Giant Rocking Chair, Climbing Tires, 4 Tier Sandbox, Pedal Carts, Zombie Shoot Game, Pumpkin Bowling, Barnyard Animals, Corn Hole, Horse Shoes, Fishing Game, Gem Mining and 1 Acre Kid's Corn Maze.

You can't beat the beautiful sunflowers that are still there to enjoy.  Click here to find to find pricing, special dates and even info on Piney Acres Haunted House!  There is so much fun for all! 

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Reasons you should sign your kids up for Sprouts Cooking School

Reasons you should sign your kids up for Sprouts Cooking School

Monday, February 11, 2019

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Last week we had the opportunity to visit Sprouts Cooking School in Carmel. (Thank you Sprouts for having us!)  Emma has actually taken two cooking classes there before, but it was the first time Charlotte had been old enough to attend since you have to be at least three years old.  I even got to join in on the fun and learn more about the classes offered.

We had such a great time!  I highly recommend you signing your kids up and here's why...

Cooking is a great life long tool to have and to learn early.  I grew up learning to cook from my grandmother and it is something I value and appreciate so much as an adult.  Cooking for yourself and for others is something you need to know how to do.  The kids learn to work together in a group/social setting which is so important to learn at an early age, follow recipes and direction, which are all great tools to have.

Learning young gives them the opportunity to make good food choices later on in life.  Don't get me wrong, I love going out to eat every now and then, but cooking for yourself means you get to pick and choose what ingredients you are using.  They have the knowledge early of what is processed vs what's a healthier alternative and grow their palates with new and exciting flavors!

learning to marble fondant

It's fun! Emma couldn't wait to get home and start recreating what she had made during her cooking class at Sprouts.  She knew measurements and even used a knife while she was there and thought that was so cool!  They safely allow the kids to feel independent in the kitchen, which is amazing.  Emma felt like such a big kid!

It encourages YOU to get in the kitchen and cook with your kids.  I love being in the kitchen and it's so fun to include my girls.  It's not always easy, but through it I've learned to be patient and it's really helped both of us.  It does get messy and I have to allow for some extra time, but it's so rewarding to have those moments with them.  Emma has even started learning how to load the dishwasher and hand wash dishes, so it's teaching her how to do chores and responsibility.

Sprouts offers so many fun themes each month that range from ages Tiny Sprouts (3-5), Junior Sprouts (6-8) and Tween Sprouts (9-13).  You can even have a pretty sweet birthday party there!  Sprouts is even gearing up for their Summer camps and you can sign up here.  You definitely don't want to miss out on the fun and your kids will thank you!

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