A Dino-mite Jurassic Quest Drive Thru

When we found out the Jurassic Quest Drive Thru was in Pittsburgh, we knew we had to go! Our 2 year old, Coen, LOVES dinosaurs, and we had a feeling our older kids would enjoy it, too. So last Thursday, we piled into our SUV, and made the 45 minute drive to the Jurassic Quest location.

Jurassic Quest has over 100 animatronic, life size dinosaurs to experience. They do have an indoor event, where you can get up close and personal with the dinosaurs, which I know my kids would have loved. This time, however, it was a drive thru. 

Although I think the indoor event would have been a bit more interactive, the drive thru was still a fun experience. We drove through the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods, learning about each dinosaur or prehistoric creature along the way via the digital audio tour. Coen was mesmerized by all the 'saurs that he loves so much, and Liam was grinning the entire time. It was definitely a fun adventure my family will always remember!

The End of the Fall-idays

2020 is most certainly a challenging year, but we had one of our best Thanksgiving breaks ever! I know it's contradictive, but this is the most relaxed AND productive I have felt in months. We spent 4 great days together as a family, and I'm not even bummed about it coming to an end on Tuesday morning, because we are all so excited to celebrate the Christmas season together!

Despite being an unprecidented year full of things we never expected to face, this year went surprisingly fast. Spring in quarantine quickly turned into a Summer at home, then my kids went back to school, cheerleading/football began, and Fall arrived. The busyness of (somewhat but not really) normal life took over, and before we knew it, Halloween passed and November was here. 

Before moving on to all things Christmas, I wanted to share my last Fall post. I figured it was easiest to lump the rest of the Fall-idays together. Here are the pictures from our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, and the quickest Thanksgiving recap ever!

Family Fun & STEAM in Pittsburgh at MuseumLab

This post is brought to you by The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

When I was a child, my dad used to take me to The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. I LOVED visiting a museum that felt like it was built just for me! Years after I grew up, I visited my favorite museum with my first baby. I vividly remember the excitement I felt when I took him there for the first time. It was as if I was sharing a piece of my history with him. There have been four more first visits since then, but it never gets old!

My first baby is nearly 15 years old, my last baby is 6 months old, and we have a tween, an 8 year old, and a 6 year old, who has a developmental delay, in between. We have kids in every stage of development, and it's difficult to find a place to visit that they all enjoy. Thanks to a great new addition to The Children's Museum, it's now a perfect spot for my entire family!

In April of this year, The Children's Museum added MuseumLab, which is located next door. It was created to grow along with families, and is specifically geared toward kids over the age of 10 and adults, but is great for multi-age families like mine. It is a STEAM-lover's dream spot, and inspires kids to use their minds and be creative while having a LOT of fun! 

HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh - MAKESHOP

This post was written in partnership with The Motherhood and sponsored by The Grable Foundation. Photos courtesy of Remake Learning and Ben Filio. 

Do you love where you live? I definitely do! Pittsburgh is a wonderful place to raise a family! Did you know Pittsburgh is a world leader in learning and education innovation?

We might not have the best weather in the world, but there are so many amazing things that makes Pittsburgh an ideal place to raise children. Pittsburgh has some of the best museums, hospitals, universities, libraries, and schools. In fact, Pittsburgh had the honor of being selected for HundreED's first spotlight in North America! 

HundrED is a global orgnization, which is based in Finland, that aims to research and share education innovations around the world. This year, HundrED has been collaborating with The Grable Foundation and Remake Learning to highlight the unique educational innovations coming out of the Pittsburgh region. Pittsburgh was selected because of the education innovation happening here. HundrED selected 12 Pittsburgh area programs to spotlight, and will be sharing the most inspiring models and ideas in K-12 education with their international audience.

Our Five Ring Circus Takes On The Water Steps

On Friday, we headed back into Pittsburgh for another afternoon of fun! We originally planned to visit the Carnegie Museum or Carnegie Science Center, but it was such a beautiful day, that we wanted to spend it outdoors. Grant has never been able to join us at The Water Steps at the North Shore Riverfront Park, so we decided that would be a great family outing for the day!

The Water Steps look like a beautiful piece of natural art, but it's actually a popular spot in the Summer. It's like a huge, interactive fountain! This multi-tier wading spot is a combination of waterfalls cascading over the rocks, and shallow wading pools on each level. Kids can cool down by wading through the water, and even adults and dogs, who are walking or biking along the Riverfront trail, take advantage of this fun, free spot!

I always tell people that the Water Steps are a hidden gem in Pittsburgh. My kids can easily spend hours playing on them, and they are always so excited when I tell them we will be spending the day there. This time, we were so excited to have Grant with us on our mini Pittsburgh staycation!

Our Five Ring Circus Explores The National Aviary

Last week, during Grant's birthday week, our family enjoyed a mini staycation. Grant took three days off, and we decided to take advantage of all the fun things Pittsburgh has to offer! One of the things on our agenda was to visit The National Aviary!

I think the last time we visited The National Aviary was when Dylan was the same age as Coen! Our family has a lot going on with a teenager, tween, (almost) 8 year old, a child who has Down syndrome, and a new baby, but it doesn't stop us from going places and having fun. We just learned to avoid jam-packed itineraries, and stick with short trips. It keeps everyone happy, and we're able to (mostly) avoide meltdowns! The Aviary is one of Pittsburgh's gems, and it's perfect for a short family visit!

The National Aviary houses 500+ birds of many different species from around the world. The live exhibits are beautiful, and there is an abundance of information to explore. They also have fun shows to see, and a variety of bird feedings. Grant and I decided we could easily spend an entire day visiting the Aviary on our own, but there was still plenty for our kids to see and do! We had a fun afternoon getting up close and personal with over 150 unique species of birds!

School's Out for the Summer - The Last Week of the School Year

School's out for the Summer! Dylan, Lexie, Lily, and Liam had their last day of school on Friday. They are now joining me and baby Coen at home until September 9th. The last week of the school year was a busy one, and although the last day of school was bittersweet, my crew is excited about the Summer ahead!

This past week included a fun event in our little town, a school kindness celebration, middle school graduation and a dance, an 8th Grade class trip to Cedar Point, Liam's annual eye exam, an oil change and car shopping, Lily's last dance class, the last day of school, a baseball game, sleepovers, and fireworks. I wish we had a lazy week ahead of us, but Lexie was asked to represent the school's STEAM program during the school board meeting tonight, Lily has a practice for the dance recital finale tomorrow, the dance recital rehearsal is on Thursday, Liam has an early baseball game on Saturday, and Father's Day and the dance recital is on Sunday. Gone are those lazy Summer days!

We are only four days into Summer Break and I can tell it's going to be a busy one! Kids are entering and leaving our house in a continuous loop for sleepovers/playdates. Did I also mention that Coen is rolling over EVERY time I put him down to sleep, then gets angry and starts screaming? Sleep just isn't happening for either of us! So many moms say that Summer is actually busier than the school year, and that seems to be the case this year.

Here's a glimpse at the last week of 8th Grade, 6th Grade, 2nd Grade, and Kindergarten..

How To Have The Best Summer in Pittsburgh with Kids

This post is brought to you by Kidsburgh and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

School’s out for the Summer! Like many parents, I’m wondering what we’re going to do for the next 3 months. Thankfully, we live in the Pittsburgh area, and there is an abundance of family-friendly activities in and around our beautiful city!

Every so often, my husband and I daydream about moving our family to the beach, but the truth is, we won’t be doing that anytime soon. Pittsburgh is actually an incredible place to raise a family! It has everything - the best doctors and hospitals, an abundance of great museums, awesome professional sports teams, a booming arts district, four distinct seasons, fun public transportation, family-friendly events, and even the great outdoors.

You can easily find something to do every single day in Pittsburgh. From touring the beautiful gardens at Phipp’s Conservatory to cooling off at the infamous water steps to cheering on a favorite team to ice skating at the ice rink at PPG place, there is something for everyone. There’s so much to do that you just might miss something if you don’t put it on your schedule. That’s why I love Kidsburgh! Following along keeps me informed on all the exciting happenings for families in Pittsburgh!

Glow In The Dark Space Sensory Bin

We currently have a tough decision to make. Initially, we signed Liam up for Extended School Year so he doesn't regress between the end of this school year and the start of the next one. Now we're reconsidering, because we have a busy Summer ahead of us, and we think Liam deserves the chance to just be a kid and enjoy Summer Break. I think his once a week speech therapy session, baseball, lots of outdoor play, and sensory bins might be the path we take this Summer!

Our sensory bins, kids activities, and posts about Down syndrome bring this blog the most traffic, but I stopped sharing all of our ideas due to the busyness of life (more coming on life with five kids soon)! I'm getting back into creating weekly themed sensory bins, and pairing them with books, learning activities, crafts, and an occasional outing. This weekend, our town had a huge Mars New Year celebration and NASA attended, so I focused on a space themed sensory bin for the week!

Like the majority of our sensory bins, this space sensory bin is easy to put together. I reuse a lot of our fillers and just mix and match according to the theme, and everything I use is inexpensive! And this sensory bin is extra fun because it glows in the dark!

Bloom - An Event for New or Expectant Moms in Pittsburgh

As many of you know, my family lives in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Yes, I would love to live near the beach, because it's my happy place, but we stay in Pittsburgh because of how family-friendly it is! It truly is a wonderful place to raise a family. This weekend, Bloom is returning to Pittsburgh. If you are trying to conceive (or planning on trying soon), expecting, adopting, or have a new baby, this wonderful event is for you!

My fellow Pittsburgh Moms Blog contributors have been working tirelessly to bring Bloom to life for the third year in a row. I was involved during the first year, but missed it last year due to family weddings. I missed my PMB family during my looooong pregnancy, and I'm happy to be back!

Now that I have a new baby, I'm excited to both volunteer at the event and check out what's going on!

Liam and the Very Special Arts Exhibit

Liam is 4th in the lineup of five kids. With three older siblings, he is always coming along to support them during their many activities, sports, and school events. Now that Liam is in Kindergarten, he has his OWN activities and school events, and it's our turn to support him!

This year, Liam's art teacher submitted his Kindergarten artwork to the Very Special Arts Exhibit. It  is currently on exhibit at Grove City College's Pew Fine Arts Center until April 17th, with artwork from other K-12 students in three counties. Very Special Arts is an international organization on arts and disability, and provides arts and educational opportunities for people with disabilities, while helping increase the access to art for everyone.

On Saturday, they hosted a reception for all the young artists who had artwork on display. It was a fun event, and such a special day for our sweet Liam!

Life Lately:The Pregnancy Edition

Happy November! Life Lately has been very busy and very exciting. If we're friends on Facebook or Instagram, you probably already heard the news...if not, all you have to do is read my previous post!

Although the busyness of life isn't going to slow down, I'm finally able to function better. I'm hoping to get back to a regular blogging schedule in this month. I missed writing and reading blogs so much while I was sick!

Here's a peek at life lately...

Kids & Music: The Many Benefits of Music Education

This post is brought to you by Guitar Center and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

My husband and I have musical backgrounds. When we were kids, we played instruments in band, sang in the choir, and performed in musicals. We actually met when we were cast as the leads in a musical, as Adam and Eve! As parents of 4, there isn't much time for our musical interests these days, but he still plays guitar, and I sing loudly to show tunes during my Mom Taxi duties. We are trying so hard to make music a big part of our kids' lives!

Raising children is tough. There are many battles to overcome, and sometimes, as parents, we have to seek alternative methods. Music education can benefit ALL kids, and the benefits are endless! Encouraging children to sing or play an instrument can potentially improve many aspects of their lives. Music education builds social skills, creates discipline, leads to higher self-confidence, builds hand-eye coordination skills, leads to academic improvement, improves retention and cognitive reasoning, and allows kids to express themselves. Music can also lower anxiety and improve physical well-being! Just think about it...doesn't music make you feel happy?

My husband and I encourage our kids to make music a daily part of their lives in some form. They might express themselves by creating tunes with a program on the computer, by singing, by dancing, or by banging VERY loudly on instruments, but all four of our kids embrace music. And if they need a little help along the way, Guitar Center is there to help with all forms of music education!

Destination Moon: Family Fun at the Heinz History Center + GIVEAWAY

This post is brought to you by the Senator John Heinz History Center and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. 

Over the weekend, my family headed into Pittsburgh to visit the Heinz History Center. We couldn't wait to explore Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission! The Heinz History Center is one of four museums to host the Smithsonian's breathtaking traveling exhibit, which will be on display until February 18, 2019. This exhibit is a must see!

This was our first visit to the Heinz History Center, and I'm so glad we finally got the chance to go! I didn't realize how family-friendly it is. There were plenty of fun, interactive exhibits for my four kids, including the Destination Moon exhibit. We had a lot of fun, and we learned so much along the way!

Summer with The Chaos Crew

We returned to our ridiculously busy schedule this past week. I went back to leaving the house every single day - often multiple times - but we packed a lot of fun into the past seven days! Life in the Summer is always entertaining and full of chaos!

As we approach the end of July, Summer just seems to be speeding up. I can't believe it's going to be August next week. August is full of birthdays, reunions, parties, our family vacation, and the first day of school. It's going to be fun, but I know it's going to fly by as quickly as June and July did. What I wouldn't give to press the pause button!

Here's what life is like with the Chaos Crew (AKA 4 kids who keep me on my toes)...

Down For Adventure in Pittsburgh with Just Ducky Tours

I partnered with Just Ducky Tours for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

As often as I say that I want to move to the beach, I do realize that Pittsburgh is a wonderful place to raise children, and that we're lucky to live so close to the city! Pittsburgh has some of the best universities, hospitals, doctors, museums, and professional sports teams, and has an amazing cultural district that appeals to any lover of the performing arts.  Pittsburgh ranks as one of the most livable cities in the United States, one of the best places to raise a family, and one of the best cities to visit. (I can also attest to the fact that it's a great place for a child who has Down syndrome!)

There are so many fun family-friendly activities in Pittsburgh, and my own family loves to spend the day in the city! It's just a short drive south from the suburbs, and there's no denying that Pittsburgh is a  beautiful place to visit. No matter how many times I experience it, my breath still catches every time the first bridge and skyscraper come into view as we approach the city.

On Monday, we decided to have a staycation day, and tour our city! We did it the way every Pittsburgh tourist should...with a Just Ducky Tour. We quack quack quacked our way through the city, and directly into the river without changing vehicles, learning fun facts about Pittsburgh along the way! (If you're wondering how that's even possible, read on!)

The Weekly Mom Life Recap

Happy Monday! We're starting the new week after having our first relaxing weekend of the Summer. It was LOVELY! The past two weeks have been really busy, so the break was much needed!

We finally have a fairly quiet week ahead of us. Other than my work (and there's plenty of that) and the usual everyday chores, the only thing we HAVE to do is go grocery shopping today, run a few errands, visit my parents on Friday, and go to a graduation party. I still can't run thanks to my broken toe, but I have big plans to start yoga again this week!

Here's a recap of what we've done over the past two weeks (Spoiler Alert: We've been busy!):  

Celebrating Marriage & Motherhood

We had a weekend full of celebrating! From a family wedding to honoring our favorite moms, we packed so much into two short days. We made lasting memories and spent the entire weekend with those we love most!

Down For Adventure in Virginia Beach - Day 4 {Travel With Kids}

Life in a big family is always an adventure! Vacation is no different. Two parents + Four Kids + 1 Extra Chromosome + Our Favorite Beach Vacation Spot = Extra Fun Family Adventures!

Life Lately Weekend Edition - Liam's Hospital Visit, The World's Largest Candy Store & St. Patrick's Day

Happy Monday! Our entire weekend was busy, and there was no time to rest. It kicked off with a VERY long day at the hospital, included a trip to the World's Largest Candy Store, was filled with St. Patrick's Day fun, and ended with a day full of errands. I feel like I need just one more day to recover from the weekend!