St. Petersburg, here we come!

We're heading to St. Petersburg, Florida later this week and I've been counting down the days until our trip for weeks now. If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know that most of our adventures take place around the Midwest. While I love this area of the country dearly, sometimes in February the need to hop on a plane and head south for some sunshine is just too strong.

My husband and I spent a long weekend in this area of Florida two years ago. I was pregnant with the arrow, and we thought it was our last traveling hurrah for a while. At that time, I never thought we'd be brave enough to venture much beyond a quick day trip here and there with our son. So it is a little bit ironic to basically be boarding the same flight, two years later, with a happy little boy who loves adventures as much as we do. I am not nearly as scared and intimidated about flying with the arrow as I once was, following his first successful flight to Phoenix this fall. And I'm pretty sure he'll love the beach, based on his introduction to it at Lake Michigan.

Our itinerary will likely change from that trip two years ago. I remember a leisurely morning at a large outlet mall, shopping for a newborn outfit to bring the arrow home from the hospital in. The arrow isn't much of a shopper these days, so I bet we'll pass on that. (Come to think of it, he also hated that outfit.) After I grew tired of walking around Tampa, we spent an afternoon sitting on a sunny patio at a bar in Ybor City and watched a Butler basketball game. I sipped lemonade, of course, while I stared longingly at my husband's cold beer. Instead, this trip will probably include a trip to the Florida Aquarium and lots of sand castle making (but maybe, finally, a cocktail for mom!) It will also be nice to leave the maternity clothes at home. And the cankles. All reasons that I'm even more excited for this trip than I was to go on that "babymoon."

But beyond on all that, I'm looking forward to some time together as a family of three for hours on end, day after day. Don't you think that evenings and weekends are too short and pass by in a blur? That's why family vacations are so important to us. A chance to stop and breathe for a few days and enjoy each other even more that we already do. I know my heart will come home full of love. (And perhaps my skin will come home a little tan? A girl can wish.)

My Valentine's Day dream? Time together with my boys, splashing in the surf, running in the sand, all beneath the sun. This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

Take Me There: Egypt in pictures

To wrap up the week I've spent focused on Egypt, based on our time at the Take Me There: Egypt exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, I wanted to share a few more pictures I loved. If you want more detailed information about our time at this exhibit, please see my post from Monday (which also includes my reasons for writing about Egypt this week). And on Wednesday I cooked up an Egyptian meal that you can read about here.

The concept of this exhibit is that you tour a typical Egyptian village, include a family home. As we explored the Egyptian living room, the arrow discovered that they have a version of Sesame Street. Meaning he could visit and all his favorite friends would come with us. *sigh*

Another favorite feature for the arrow was a light-up display box of fruits and vegetables common in an Egyptian market. Not so very different from our own. In fact, you can't drive a mile around our house without passing a corn field or two.

And one of my favorite features was the sniffable spice and herb display. For a kid whose palette doesn't venture much past yogurt, fruit and crackers, it was fun to see the arrow experience some of these scents.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Disclosure: My admission to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was complimentary. I was under no obligation to write about our time there. The opinions expressed here are my own.

In My Kitchen: North African Meat Pie

One of the unique features about the Egyptian exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis (which I wrote about earlier this week here) was the inclusion of an Egyptian recipe and list of Egyptian restaurants and markets in Indianapolis. What a fun way to continue learning outside the museum walls. A few weeks later, as the protests in Egypt took center stage on the nightly news, I dug out the recipe so that we'd have some method to feel connected to this part of the world. (Afterall, isn't gathering around to share a meal the one truly global experience?)

When I gave the recipe a closer look, I decided I really didn't want to make that particular dish. But I figured Google wouldn't fail me in turning up an Egyptian-inspired recipe that was more appealing. The next thing I knew, I was stumbling around all sorts of recipes at TourEgypt.net's recipe site. (I know nothing about this company, but it has an extensive list of Egyptian recipes.) For some reason, North African sweet potato meat pie caught my attention. I then embarked on my most exotic cooking challenging to date.

I won't retype the recipe since you can see it for yourself here. I was a little intimidated and frightened when I realized the meat was the actual pie crust. But the whole point of this In My Kitchen series is to challenge myself. And I was up for an adventure.

The first step was forming the meat pie crust. Turns out it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought.

Then I mashed up the sweet potato filling.

Then I assembled the pie. The raw meat crust was still creaping me out a little bit, I have to admit.

About an hour before we were ready to eat, I put it in the oven. (I had assembled it earlier that afternoon while the arrow was napping.)

Nothing left to do at that point than to dish it up and take a bite. I think the best way to describe it was exotic comfort food. It had just enough spices to give it a unique taste, yet it was still well within our comfort zone of flavors. In fact, I had all the ingredients on hand to make it besides the ground beef and two cans of sweet potatoes. It was a heavier dish than I typically cook, so we just had a small salad with it.

I'm sure this wasn't the most authentically Egyptian thing I could have tried. So I'd really like to venture out to an Egyptian restaurant soon and sample some more.

Have you tried Egyptian food? Any dishes you'd recommend?

This post is a part of Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick and Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware.

Disclosure: My admission to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was complimentary. I was under no obligation to write about our time there. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Experiencing Egypt at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis

One of my blogging goals this year is to get better about planning posts in advance and following a calendar. Sounds like a good idea in theory, but then the world intervenes.

Let me explain: After leaving the Egypt exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis last month, I knew I wanted to devote an entire week of posts to Egypt. So I scheduled it for this week. And then? January 25.

I almost postponed my plans because I want to be sensitive to what's happening there right now. The protests we see on the news each night are dangerous and life changing for so many Egyptians, in sharp contrast with a fun-filled trip to a museum. But I also think it's important to talk about issues like this with kids and introduce them to new cultural experiences. Afterall, Egypt is a beautiful land with an amazing history. None of that has changed in recent weeks, even if now is not an appropriate time to visit while it wrestles with such serious matters.

The Egypt exhibit at the Children's Museum is really amazing. We almost passed it by, thinking it might not be interesting to the arrow. But selfishly I wanted to include it in our visit since I hadn't seen it during previous trips to the museum. I'm glad we did--they've done an amazing job making it interesting and educational for kids of all ages.

Take a quick walk with me through this Egyptian village, won't you?

First, you hop aboard Egyptian Air (the seats actually rumble!)

Once you touch down, you'll find yourself at the doorstep of a typical Egyptian home. You can walk through the various rooms of the house (kitchen, living room, etc.) and see what makes life both the same and different from daily life here in the U.S. The arrow particularly enjoyed baking bread in the kitchen and petting the donkey.

Then you can wander through an Egyptian market. The arrow was captivated by the toy vegetables (if only he would eat more of the real thing).

Then you can stop and get a coffee at the coffee shop (called a Qahwah). I think this is where you'd find me in a typical Egyptian village. Sucking down some caffeine and people watching? Sounds about right.

You can even catch a ride on a tuk-tuk (an Egyptian taxi).

I loved this exhibit for so many reasons--the way it delighted the arrow, introduced all of us to a life we otherwise knew little about, and left us wanting to know more.
This Monday, I'm dreaming of a trip to Egypt. I don't know what the outcome of the current state of chaos and turmoil there will be. I hope this ancient land and its many treasures will once again be a place where all of us can visit safely. More importantly, I hope its people can live in peace with all the freedoms we enjoy here in America.

Check back here throughout the week for more Egyptian-inspired posts. On Wednesday, I'll be cooking up some Egyptian food and on Friday I'll be sharing a few more of my favorite photos from our time in this Egyptian village.

If you're interested in learning more about Egypt and this exhibit, but can't visit the museum itself, check out this link. It's full of videos and educational resources about this country.

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips.

Disclosure: My admission to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was complimentary. I was under no obligation to write about our time there. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Fun Cabin Fever Cures: Favorite Posts of the Week

Over the last few weeks, I've whined about being stuck inside the house on this blog (which is all about getting out with your kids... the irony is not lost on me!) I promise, no more complaining. Mostly because we're heading to the Sunshine State in less than two weeks! YEAH!

I found some great ideas for indoor fun this week. Two for the kids, one for you parents. I hope it helps with your cabin fever.

Indoor Fun for Kids:

Ice Ornaments at Adventure Tykes: The arrow hasn't been real keen on snow this winter. This is a great activity for us to try because the bulk of it takes place indoors. I think he'll love watching his sparkly creation hanging from a tree!

Grow a Sweet Potato from Go Explore Nature: You all already know I love Debi. So it comes as no surprise that she shares yet another great idea. I've also heard you can do this with an avocado pit, so we might give them both a try. Maybe I'll even get the arrow to eat one of these tasty, nutritious foods!

The best part is that both of these ideas incorporate the wonders of Mother Nature. Something we've been sorely lacking these days.

Not loving the snow.

Indoor Fun for Grown-Ups:

All About Photobooks from Classy Chaos: I'm an avid photobook fan because it helps me keep our pictures updated and organized without taking much time. I use Snapfish, not Shutterfly like you'll see in this post, but they are similar from what I hear. If you're stuck inside, think about getting caught up on those family memories and make a book! I can do a year's worth of photos in about a week, spending an hour or two each night on it. (Plus, you can watch mind-numbing reality television while doing it. Am I oversharing?)

This post is a part of Saturday Stumbles at Simply Staci.

Waterfalls and fountains at the Opryland

Last week, I shared a few favorite photos from my morning photo walk at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. But I have so many more that I fell in love with--particularly those of the fountains and waterfalls. You would have thought I was standing in a tropical forest. And I can assure you it's not my photography skills: I use a point and shoot camera, and I don't know the first thing about editing my pictures. (Not something I'm proud of, but there are diapers to change and mouths to feed around here. Someday!)

Opryland Fountains

Opryland Waterfalls

Promise me you'll pay this place a visit the next time you're in the Nashville neighborhood?

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Ode to the Little Snack Cup

We've been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss around here lately (being iced inside our house and all). Inspired by reading The Cat in the Hat over and over and over again, I decided to come up with an ode to the most wonderful of toddler contraptions--the snack cup. If there's one product out there that helps us have more successul and fun outings with a toddler, it's this (full of tasty treats, of course). It is especially true when he has to be in his car seat or stroller for long periods of time.

The arrow sharing a snack with his cousin at Christmas

ODE TO THE LITTLE SNACK CUP

 

You have a way about you, little snack cup

Making Cheerios more challenging to spill

Yet keeps them accessible still

To little toddler hands

Letting us explore various lands

Little snack cup, we give you a big thumbs up

Packed with raisins or many a cracker

You make life grand for our little snacker

Keeping him happier in the car

Or sitting in his stroller as we wander afar

The world, we want our son to gobble up

Instead of being strapped to a high chair

Eating on the go can be done with flair

We take you everywhere we go

Leaving a trail behind us of many a Cheerio

You make it all possible, little snack cup!

(Confession: Cheerios are a major food group in the arrow's diet these days. Please don't judge.)


This post is a part of Things I Love Thursday at the Diaper Diaries.

If you've somehow missed out on the genius of the snack cup and need a recommendation, here's an Amazon affiliate link to our favorite brand: Munchkin Two Snack Catchers