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Messy Mommies In The City

Family life is messy but filled with so much joy!

Why a quick #roadtrip is the best medicine!

9/27/2016

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As the calendar flipped to October, you may have been like me, wondering how did we get to this part of the year already? Summer flew by and we barreled through September with the start of school. I was exhausted as I looked ahead at gearing up for an active school year and the holidays! It turns out a quick road trip was the best medicine to recharge and refocus on what is important.
 
Via Twitter, I had stumbled upon the grand opening of the #DocMcStuffins temporary exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and I immediately knew this would be the first blogger trip for the Messy Mommies. I called my blogger partners in crime, Holly and Brooke, and asked if they and their families wanted to do a quick road trip to Indy. They replied they were in! As we discussed work and school schedules, kid’s activities, and other details, I realized that our road trip would be epic. For our three families, our calendars would always be packed. But, sometimes you need to carve out a tiny bit of time to break away and recharge.
 
My four-year-old twins, Sophia and Stella are huge Doc McStuffins fans and the opportunity to visit the new, temporary Disney Doc McStuffins’s clinic and hospital was mind blowing for the girls. Brooke's daughter, Sofia (5) is a giant Disney fan and was excited too. My niece, Eleanora (9) and her friend Courtney (10) also love Disney and were fired up about the museum. 
 
A good road trip needs a good goodie bag for the kids so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. I loved our Kraft marshmallow “cotton balls” and Snyder's pretzel “Q-tips”! We had Hershey kisses for “boo-boos” and gummy Doc McStuffins “vitamins.” Party City helped me complete our doctor’s kits with awesome name badges, notepads, and pens. Holly discovered that the day of our visit to the Children’s Museum was also Talk Like a Pirate Day. The girls loved Holly’s pirate treasures! The girls were so cute in their pirate eye patches and loved eating the Pirate’s Booty! Especially my Sophia, her favorite snack! 
On a bright September Saturday morning our crew piled into our minivan with Brooke and Sofia. While we were bummed Josh had to stay back for work, we promised to update him on our adventures. Holly and her crew piled into their SUV and off we all were to Indy! We met up at Mimi Blue Meatballs for an awesome lunch. Check out Holly’s review and if you’re in Indy be sure to stop by this fabulous restaurant!
 
If you have young kids, you may find yourself on the children’s museum tour. I feel like the Messy Mommies are pros with all the great options in the Chicagoland area. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is awesome! As we turned the corner to the front of the museum and the girls saw the dinosaurs climbing into the museum they started screaming! As soon as they saw the Disney Doc Mobile parked out front Sophia and Stella went crazy!
 
If you are a Disney Junior fan you really should visit the Doc McStuffins temporary exhibit! The magical exhibit is a great example of the power of collaboration. Disney Junior, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and Riley Children's Health created a dynamic environment to help teach children health and wellness skills while having fun. For our girls, it was so cool to be able to walk into Doc’s clinic and see all their familiar friends, like Lambie and Stuffy. They immediately went into the new operating room and conducted a group surgery. The sweet nursery is exactly like the new shows which delighted the girls and the blue bubbles water station was a hot spot for kids. The highlight for our messy crew was going into hospital room where the kids received a toy that needed a checkup. Stella and Sophia had a ball taking care of Banjo the Bear and Eleanora, Courtney and Brooke took great care of their sweet puppy. The girls mended their pets and loved entering information into the iPad Big Book of Boo Boos. The Doc McStuffins visit was everything I had hoped for and so much more. As our Messy Mommy team of doctors explored, it was just magical – from watching the girls light up at familiar Disney Junior faces to the intrigue of solving the pet checkups to laughing together as we played.
 
For Disney Junior fans this is a must visit place! And, the great news is that the #DocMcStuffins exhibit will be traveling around the country. We also had a great time visiting the train and space exhibits, the Warriors, and scuba diving. We could have stayed for days and will be back again!  
Thanks to Holly and her fabulous hotel research, we scored a great rate at the JW Marriott in Indy! The hotel was stunning and the girls loved playing in the beautiful pool after the museum. The Marriott has a great #travelbrilliantly campaign and we love the tag line. They sure helped us travel brilliantly on our road trip! Be sure to comparison shop on your next road adventure, you just may be surprised at the great deals you can find for amazing hotels with a little searching!   
 
Tony was a champ on our Messy Mommies weekend! Matt had to work in the evening so he stayed back at the hotel. We decided to all pile into the minivan to go to dinner and Tony started playing cash cab with our messy crew. The girls were in fits of giggles as Tony asked them to name 6 Disney princesses, to name the characters in Doc McStuffins and other Disney trivia.
 
I had looked at several best restaurant lists in Indy and had picked a fun place for dinner with a kid friendly menu and that had cute shops in the area. While I had tried to make a reservation, the restaurant had assured me that the restaurant wait would be about 20 minutes. We had fun checking out the shops but with the packed restaurant patio we quickly realized the wait was going to be much longer. We knew the kids needed to eat sooner so Brooke pulled out her phone and booked a table immediately on Open Table with Buca Di Beppo. We jumped in the minivan and headed over. Our whole crew had not been to a Buca restaurant in a while and it was just great. We had a huge table for our group and swiftly ordered mounds of meatballs and pasta.
 
Since we started the day with a three-hour drive and were crazy snapping pictures and videos at the museum almost all of our devices were out of juice by the time we arrived at dinner. The girls squeezed in some fun snap chat pics before we lost power. They then asked what were we going to do in a distraught tone. Laughingly, the parents replied that we were going to all talk! The horror! Eleanora suggested we play telephone and we played for a good 20 minutes. It was hilarious and the whole table had so much fun as we whispered Disney themed messages to each other. This simple game filled with giggles was one of my favorite moments from the weekend.
 
Our worn out crew went back to the JW Marriott and piled into Brooke’s room for an amazing apple pie that Holly had baked. The next morning, we set off for Fairoaks Farm for another excellent adventure and were so happy that Josh met us at the farm. More about the farm adventure in another blog post.
 
While we were all exhausted from our whirlwind trip, we were recharged and joyful. Carloads of laughter combined with our Doc McStuffins and Indy exploration made for very happy little doctors and parents. The stress from everyday busyness had slipped away and had opened up time to focus on what is really important – friends and family. We enjoyed every moment we had together during our action packed quick adventure. Our road trip was the best medicine and I hope you take a dose soon too. 
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our #Chicagoland #Fall Family Fun must do list! #appleorchards

9/8/2016

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We love fall in the Midwest! We pack September and October weekends with quick road trips and afternoon outings to so many fantastic apple orchards and pumpkin patches in the Chicagoland area! Our kids love picking apples, searching for the perfect pumpkins, devouring apple donuts, playing in corn pits and corn mazes, and exploring the farms and orchards.

As parents, we know it can be a bit overwhelming when mapping out your fall family fun plans! Fall agtourism is booming and it can be a bit tricky figuring out admission prices, which places are all inclusive and which have add on costs, and food options. Parking, strollers, and wait lines can also impact your family fun. We want to help you plan a great fall outing so we put together a list of some of our favorites! Happy Fall! Brooke, Holly, & Meg

(If  your apple orchard didn't make our quick list reach out to us at mom@messymommiesinthecity.com! We know there are many great family places to visit this fall!)
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We love Apple Holler so much that we visited twice last year! Apple Holler made USA Today's 2015 list of 10 best apple orchards to visit in the nation!

You will have many choices in Apple Holler's 74 acre apple orchard that contains more than 30,000 dwarf apple trees in thirty varieties! Plus you can find peaches, pears, and pumpkins! When you arrive, you checkin at the red building and select your picking bags. A 1/2 peck bag per adult will give you lots of great apples for baking and eating. Click for details on adult and children apple picking pricing.

Apple Orchard is busy so I suggest planning your trip to arrive right when it opens and head out for apple picking first. You can bring strollers and park them when you go out into the orchard. You have the option to walk out to the orchard but I highly recommend you take the festive tractor pulled wagon! The great Apple Holler staff will direct you to which apples are ready for picking. Our twins, Sophia and Stella were three and a half last fall and were fascinated with picking the apples off of the trees. And, we all loved that you can eat/taste as many apples as you want while picking! Be sure to put your apple picking receipt somewhere safe, you will need to show it to the Apple Holler staff when you come back in from the orchard! 

Your apple picking admissions includes the Farm Park. Our kids loved climbing in the corn pit, on hay stacks, in the cow maze, and on the jungle gym after we picked apples. There are also lively goats, chickens, ducks,  and bunnies as well as playhouses for the kids to climb around. For a low charge you can add pony rides, pedal carts, and a train ride. We spent a lot of time in the Farm Park after apple picking and the girls loved playing in the fall festivities! 

You can smell delicious apple cider donuts and kettle corn as you wander around the Farm Park and the ice cream is excellent. The live music makes you want to dance a bit in the fall leaves.  Be sure to go in the bakery and country store! We loved the apple cider donuts, apple turnovers with ice cream, and caramel apples! We also picked up some great jam and popcorn. The restaurant looks good too, though we didn't have time to dine. And, they even have a dinner theater! 


This fabulous apple orchard is just a quick trip from Chicago to Wisconsin and is right off of I-94 between Kenosha and Racine. 

​We loved both our trips to Apple Holler last year and made so many delicious treats with our apples. I even made my first apple pie! Be sure to add Apple Holler to your fun fall plans! We can't wait to visit again this fall! Meg

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County Line Orchard is another fun destination for those looking for a great selection of U-Pick apples. The Orchard is located in Hobart, Indiana, on County Line Road (between Lake and Porter counties), one mile south of Route 6, and easy to find. The address is 200 S. County Line Rd., Hobart, IN 46342.
 
County Line Orchard has over 40 acres of apples and the cost this year is $1.79/pound.  You can take a tractor ride out to the orchards where you will find many varieties of apples. Some you’ll be able to pick and enjoy include Suncrisp, Melrose, Shizuka, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonagold and Rome.
 
If you bring home apples you may want to check out my favorite apple pie recipe that will be featured in my cookbook. Chicago’s The Chopping Block owner, Shelley Young, shared this recipe with me over 18 years ago and I’ve been baking it ever since!  Click here to find the recipe.
 
County Line Orchard also offer pumpkins, squash, gourds, mums, Indian corn, corn stalks and hay bales if you want to pick up some fall things besides apples!
 
But don’t think the fun stops here – this place is full of fall adventures waiting for you to discover.  We first visited this orchard on a school field trip when Eleanora was in second grade. We’ve been back two times since the school visit with our family and friends and are always excited to find what each visit brings. We have been to many orchards and pumpkin patches and we find this one to still be quaint with enough to keep everyone entertained but not too much to be overwhelming. You can plan your day using this link to determine hours of operation and admission http://www.countylineorchard.com/hours-admission/.
 
We made sure to take a ride on the “Moo-Choo.” They use Farmall Cub Tractors to pull “barrel” cars on a trip through and around the orchard for an unforgettable view of the farm. We did find on our visit that the Moo-Choo ride is appropriate for both young and old.  You will also have the opportunity to see and feed animals, learn about bees in the Bee Yurt, and even wander and weave through a Corn Maze. This year’s maze theme is appropriate being an election year – you will maze your way through Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Last year Eleanora and I got quite messy with mud (it had rained the night before) on our tour through the maze, and while it was great fun, make sure to come prepared with appropriate shoes or boots!
 
There are so many fun things for kids to do, but adults will be thrilled to see that County Line Orchard showcases local musical talent every weekend in the fall with “Barnyard Jams.” You can find a full schedule of the entertainment offered through October 30th on the orchard’s website. www.countylineorchard.com
 
Also, during weekends The Country Grill is open serving up such things as a fresh grilled burgers, hotdogs, bratwurst and pulled pork sandwiches.  Don’t forget to try the fresh roasted Indiana sweet corn! You can enjoy your food in the picnic area while listening to some of the great entertainment offered during the Barnyard Jams!
 
​Have a great visit! Holly

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Who doesn't love the Fall crisp air, homemade apple pie and apple donuts? Yummy! I love reading about Holly and Meg’s favorite places to go- I can’t wait to check them out myself!
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We, of course, have a family favorite that we all look forward to visiting every year, sometimes we make the trip twice just for the donuts. If you haven’t been to Garwood Orchards in LaPorte, Indiana it’s a must. It’s located less than 2 hours from Chicago, and in the country of Indiana. As a country gal myself, I must admit I feel right at home. The fresh air and taste of warm deep fried donuts are worth the trip. It’s a family owned operation that offers the best of both worlds, you get to ride on a wagon which takes you out to pick the apples or fresh veggies yourself or you could just hang out at the Farm Market and get some yummy treats at the Bake Shoppe or Gelato Bar. From apples, to strawberries to blueberries, peppers to pumpkins-all your fall favorites are at your fingertips.  

They’re open daily, and of course the weekends will be busier-but we’ve never felt the crowds to be unbearable or waited in extremely long lines. They have more than 400 acres of fresh fruit and veggies you can pick yourself, and you pay for what you pick. There’s no charge to go out in the fields, and the prices are very reasonable for the freshest produce. I know the family takes great pride in making sure you are getting the very best and take great pride in their growing practices.    

While the Honey Crisp are a family favorite, of course there are several types of apples to choose from. In fact here’s the list of the types of apples they have: Red and Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Fuji, Pink Lady, Gold Rush, Ida Red, Granny Smith.
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On the weekends you can check out free live music featuring local talent. If you’re looking for a laid back family friendly fun filled day Garwood Orchards is the place to go-I promise you will love it!

As a social media guru myself, I must admit I’m impressed with Garwood for their customer engagement, regular updates and posts through their Facebook and Twitter accounts. You go!

They’re open through November 6th!! See ya on the Farm- Cheers Friends! Brooke


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