Put Some Greek Into Your Summer

Summer vacation is finally here! And for many of us, that means loading up the SUV, or hopping on a plane, and heading off for some fun in the sun! But what if I told you it is possible to take a little trip abroad...and never leave Indiana? Well, it is...and The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is our ticket!

Coming Saturday June 15th, you will be able to board a plane right in the middle of the museum and fly away to Greece! On your trip you can learn about the culture through art, food, music, dance, architecture and so much more! Enjoy some authentic Greek dishes in a traditional taverna, fill bottles with olive oil, cast nets to catch fish for local markets, visit an authentic Athens house, and even learn to speak the language! 

Have little animal lovers in your house? They can help save the sea turtles too, care for some rescued loggerheads, and even get the chance to feed them! (My 2 year old is going to FLIP for this!)

In Take Me There: Greece the museum is giving us the change to visit one of the most culturally rich countries in the world, right from the middle of Indianapolis! And we don't even need to pack a suitcase!

To celebrate the opening of this fantastic exhibit, my friends at TCM asked if I could come up with a Greek inspired dish! Well, of course! We love Greek food, and since backyard barbecue season is officially upon us, it was the perfect opportunity to put a little Greek flare in a cookout classic...pasta salad!

This comes together in about the time the pasta cooks, and can hang out in the fridge until your guests arrive! If you've ever had a gyro, the sauce is similar to tzatziki...which for me, I could drink with a straw!

I am so excited to visit Greece just by going to one of our favorite day trip spots! My boys will love learning about all things Greek, and I love the fact I can come home and sleep in my own bed when the day is done!

Be sure to check out all things Children's Museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And come June 15th, get ready to say OPA! 

Greek Pasta Salad

1 lb. rotini pasta

1 c. halved grape tomatoes

1 c. halved kalamata olives

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 c. plain Greek yogurt

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 c. crumbed feta cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 TBS red wine vinegar

3 TBS lemon juice

1 tsp. dill weed

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta to package directions. While it cooks, combine tomatoes, olives and cucumber in a large bowl. In a medium bowl whisk together yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, dill weed, oregano, salt and pepper. Add cheese. Stir well. When pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water and drain well. Add to veggies and stir. Pour dressing over. Stir well. Chill until ready to serve, at least an hour. Sprinkle with extra dill weed before serving.

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Paw Patrol Comes to Indiana

If you have a little one like me, there is a very good chance you also have a huge Paw Patrol fan in your house! Max discovered these adorable, helpful pups a few months ago, and ever since he has been OBSESSED! 

So, you can imagine my utter giddiness when I found our one of our favorite places to take our boys, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, was adding a Paw Patrol exhibit! Oh. My. Pup!

That's right, your kids can visit Adventure Bay, step into the lookout tower and join all their favorite friends, Chase, Marshall, Everest, Skye, Tracker, Rubble, Zuma and Rocky for some "pup-tastic" fun!

Now before we begin, here is one small note. When you find the exhibit, and you see the line...you might be inclined to run the other way. Yes, it's busy. Yes, the line can be quite long at times, but take it from someone who was there on very busy Saturday, it goes much faster than you expect. We waited about 20 minutes, and once you are inside you realize why they are only allowing a certain number of people inside at a time. It maximizes the fun the kids can have. Everyone can comfortably run around, play and have fun with space to spare.

But when your kids see what awaits them, if they are anything like mine, they aren't going to mind waiting at all! The minute Max turned the corner he was completely mesmerized!

And of course, as we got closer, he had to take a picture with his very favorite pup, Marshall!

 Once inside, you are immediately transformed to Adventure Bay! First off, all of Paw Patrol Pups are waiting to greet their little friends.

 As they explore, they will find some favorite places and things to do from the show.They can drive the Paw Patroller Truck and the Air Patroller.

Then they can head over to Mr. Porter's Bakery and bake some delicious donuts! Or, if they want a little more adventure head up Jake's Mountain, lookout high, and then slide down!

If you have a little Paw Patrol fanantic like us, I guarantee he/she will be in seventh heaven every minute they get to spend here! Oh, and they can have a memento to always remember it. There is a little kiosk where you take a pic with the whole Paw Patrol gang and have it emailed to you! We even got big brother in on the action!

Sports fans in your house? They will adore the Sports Experience. With exhibits indoors and out, there is something for everyone. Our teenager couldn't wait to get outside in the sunshine and play some football, baseball and basketball.

While he was getting a great workout with his dad,  Max and I stayed inside where it was a little warmer and he could explore a little. Cars, cars and more cars!!

Of course, we are such experts at TCM by now, our boys have favorite exhibits they always have to see, and big brother loves to share the ones he has loved for years with his little shadow. At the top of the list? Dinosaurs of course! From hanging out in a dino nest, to learning about all of them from T-Rex to Stegosaurus, your little dinosaur fans will get full experience!

One of the best things about The Children's Museum is they truly offer something for everyone of every age! Case in point? How excited my 44 year old husband was for the new Star Trek exhibit! You can see uniforms worn and a real Enterprise ship used in filming! All the "trekkies" out there need to see this!

As you can imagine, we had so much fun we are still talking about it. Max asks to see the pictures daily; and we can't wait to go back because there is always something new to see!

Be sure to stay up on all TCM has to offer through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Paw Patrol is open until July, so plan your pup-tastic trip today!

Disclaimer: I received free admission for my family in exchange for sharing our experience. All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine. 

A Boy & His Beach

My boy is part fish. I accepted this a long time ago. He has a very special relationship with water. From body surfing in the waves of the Atlantic to spending hours playing in the pool, I know he must have gills I haven't found yet.

I shouldn't be surprised though. He comes by it naturally. His dad and I both love the water too. He gets the part fish DNA from me because I could be by/in the pool all day long. As far as the beach goes, his adoration for it comes from his daddy. I like the beach. I like to gaze at it. Walk on it. Maybe dip my toes in the ocean. But to lay in the sand, having it stick to my skin, and then swimming in the salt water...not so much. I like chlorine. But my boys can spend hours laying on the sand, digging, napping, they don't care as long as they are becoming one with "their" ocean.

So you can imagine how sad it sometimes is that we live in landlocked Indiana. Sure, we have our pool in the backyard, but it will never be as nice as the one in Florida. And yes, we could visit the beach at one of our many lakes...but it's not the same.

So when I want to bring a little beach to my little boy's Hoosier world, I find other ways; and this time it included a snack! Seriously, if you are having kids over for a day at the pool, or lake, or even a kids' birthday party, you've got to include these. They are as cute as they are yummy and they will go nuts for them!!

My boy loves his beach and ocean. Since we can only get him there 2 weeks every summer, I've got 50 other weeks in the year to nurture that love, and keep him as excited as he was when he stuck his toes in the sand for the very first time.

Sand and Surf Pudding Cups

Originally Posted on The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

1 (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix

2 c. milk

1 c. vanilla wafer cookies, crushed

1 Fruit Roll Up

Teddy Grahams

Parfait Cups

Mini Umbrellas

Blue Food Coloring

 

In a medium bowl whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. Chill in fridge for 5 minutes to soft set. Remove and add food coloring until you get the desired color of blue you want. Carefully scoop into cups. Top with “sand” or crushed cookies. Cut fruit leather into 4 equal strips. Lay one in each cup. Add with a bear. Add umbrella. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes to finish setting.

*NOTE* Crushing the cookies are a great way for the kids to get involved. Simply put cookies in a Ziploc bag and let them pound away!

Bring A Little Piece of China Home

As some of you know, last month, I debuted as a new Blog Ambassador for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. This is such a honor for me, and I'm so incredibly excited to be associated with a place I've enjoyed since, literally, I was a kid; and now share with my son!

For my first post, I wanted to visit the museum, and then find a way to bring the fun home, and of course, in true EMM fashion, into my kitchen. Plus, it gave us a chance for a mini road trip and a family day FULL of fun!

One of Alex's favorite exhibits this time around was Take Me to China. I'm not kidding when I say we felt like we stepped onto a plane and entered a new land. There were so many things to learn, interact with and do, it truly was like visiting the Orient right at home.

Inside the exhibit, his hands down most favorite thing to experience was the restaurant. Yep, an entire area where kids can pretend to run a traditional Chinese restaurant. He took our orders, "cooked" the food, and served it to us! Well, that certainly got me brainstorming as to how we could have some of the same kind of fun at home!

That's easy! We'll make some Chinese food! I'm talking take-out quality, but simply made in your own kitchen! You know how much I love recreating favorites from the take out menu with fresher ingredients and without all the preservatives!

If your family loves Chinese food, they are going to flip for this, and you're going to love how easy it is. Perfect for a busy weeknight. And if you live within driving distance to Indianapolis, be sure to take a trip to China soon! Oh, and be on the look out for all of my posts for the TCM blog coming soon!

Cashew Chicken with Fried Rice

Originally Posted on the Children's Museum of Indianapolis Blog

2 1/4 lbs. boneless chicken tenders, cubed

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. corn starch

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 bunch green onions, chopped

8 oz. button mushrooms, thickly sliced

1/3 c. sweet chili sauce

1 c. cashews, reserve a few for top

Black Pepper to taste

Fried Rice

4 c. leftover brown rice*

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen peas and carrots, thawed

2-4 TBS soy sauce, to taste

3 eggs, beaten

2 TBS vegetable oil

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS oil over medium heat. Add egg, and stir to scramble. When cooked, remove with slotted spoon to paper towel lined plate.  Wipe out pan, and add 1 TBS oil. Place rice in skillet and let fry until you can hear it sizzle. Then start stirring. Add peas and carrots and soy sauce. Stir and saute' until flavors combined, about 10 minutes. *NOTE* I make my rice in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day. You can even make it the night before!

 In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Place chicken in a large bowl, season with black pepper. Add garlic. Pour soy mixture over. Mix well. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Saute', stirring frequently, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. About half way through, add mushrooms. When chicken is done and mushrooms are brown, add onions, chili sauce and cashews. Stir to combine. Serve with fried rice. Sprinkle with extra cashews.

Shared at Weekend Potluck