Victoria Archives - Floradise

07/05/2018

Shedd Aquarium With a Newborn & Toddler

Mother’s Day was a month after Adelina was born. I wasn’t in the mood to do much, to be honest. The thought of going anywhere, especially a crowded place, with a newborn and a toddler terrified me. How would I ever leave the house? My mom was in town, though, and Graham encouraged me to take her somewhere for a fun girls day out while he had to work. We chose Shedd Aquarium for our Mother’s Day outing because we hadn’t been there in quite a while and it would keep V entertained.

I bought our general admission tickets online so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line when we arrived. I also purchased parking from the closest lot I could find, which was the Adler Planetarium lot. From there it’s a short walk to the aquarium. I carried Addi in my Baby K’tan and V walked. You could easily bring in a stoller or wagon and enter through the accessible entrance, though. (If it’s crowded it’s not as easy to get around with a stroller. Plus, you have to wait for the elevators to be available when you have a stroller.)

To get your show tickets, simply go to the kiosks (next to Soundings cafe) and pick your times. It’s best to do this as soon as you get there. We were able to choose the 2:30 time for which we sat down 15 minutes early to get decent seats.

One thing I was nervous about was nursing in public. I pumped and brought with me a bottle for Addi but I also used the nursing room at the aquarium. The family restroom and the nursing room are found off the main lobby to the right. I wished Shedd Aquarium would have more family bathrooms vs. just having changing tables in each bathroom, especially when you have more than one kid to take to the restroom. Also, I waited 20 minutes for a family to exit the one restroom. While the nursing room is available, the Shedd website encourages moms to nurse wherever they feel comfortable at the aquarium.

For lunch, my mom and I enjoyed huge piles of veggies nachos at the Bubble Net food court while V had a broccoli cheddar soup. I didn’t have the motivation or energy to pack our own lunch, but you could always bring your own food and eat in on the terrace with views of Chicago as your backdrop.

There’s so much to see at the aquarium that you could easily spend a whole day there. I liked the addition of sculptures throughout the facility that were made with plastic found in the ocean.

Overall we had a successful outing with A & V and I was grateful to spend time with my mom on Mother’s Day. Her help was much appreciated!

Shedd Aquarium With a Toddler

A Day at Shedd Aquarium

06/06/2018

How to Make Potty Training Easier

** This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

In honor of June being National Potty Training Awareness Month, I’m sharing what worked for us while potty training our first daughter. I expected potty training Victoria to be such a chore, but it ended up being fairly easy for us thanks to some tips and products we used. Let’s cross our fingers that it will be similarly easy with Addi!

Here is what we did to make the process smoother and have fewer cleanups:

Wait until your child expresses an interest in potty training. Talk about potty training and how fun it will be ahead of time. Graham and I talked a lot about potty training with V before we actually attempted anything. When she first came to live with us before our official adoption, her vocabulary was limited, so that meant we waited a few months. Before we knew it, she was learning new words and eventually she was asking to use the potty. Don’t force anything or it becomes a negative task for your child!
Consider whether you want a seat or a chair. We chose a toilet seat rather than a separate potty because it’s less cleanup and because it required fewer transitions. Choosing a chair would have meant eventually transitioning to a seat anyway. Tip: Hang it on a hook on the wall next to your toilet when not in use.

Read books about using the potty. This will help the child learn what to expect and will make them eager to use the potty.

Reward your child for successes. Every time she successfully used the potty we rewarded her with a sticker or a candy at first.
Set up a potty training schedule. V would just sit on the toilet seat at first and not actually go, but we kept putting her seated on it until she successfully used it. Then we told her how proud we were of her, which made her want to do it again. This helped her learn what to expect.
Let your child choose a step stool with his or her favorite animated character. Ours has Minnie Mouse on it because V loves her. Your child will get excited about potty training when he or she has fun tools to help.

Use Pull-Ups! Pull-Ups provide reliable outstanding protection while also feeling and functioning like underwear. They also help your child feel like a big kid! Plus, Pull-Ups come in cute designs, like Doc McStuffins and Minnie Mouse, both of which V adores. We also liked that they provided leakage protection and we never had to clean up any messes because of them. They are easy for toddlers to pull on and off, too, with their refastenable side.

Tip: If you order through Amazon you can save up to $3 on Pull-Ups products. Also, sign up for Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program to save up to 20 percent (20 percent when you order five products through Amazon Family) and get free shipping!

Save on Pull-Ups with Amazon:

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BABY PRODUCT WISH LIST GIFT GUIDE FOR ON-THE-GO PARENTS

06/01/2018

Day in the Life, Maternity Leave Edition

Day in the Life During Maternity Leave — Shop my embroidered top here.

Addi is seven weeks old as of yesterday, which means I only have five more weeks of maternity leave. I can’t believe how quickly time passes! I don’t yet have a set routine down, and I expect it will take some time for things to settle down. I will have to find a way to work from home with a baby when I do return to editing full time. I have faith in myself, though, because I managed to work from home with a toddler for a year and a half now. I just need a new routine! Today I’m sharing a typical day during my maternity leave.

Here’s how it went:

I wake up at 7 a.m. and head to the bathroom to put my contacts on, brush my teeth, etc.

Victoria is up and I make her breakfast. Today she wants a bagel and cream cheese.

I pump before Adelina wakes up and while V eats. I start a blog post while pumping.

I eat a bagel and get dressed. I put on some light makeup.

I get Victoria ready for preschool.

I nurse Adelina and supplement with pumped milk.

I drop V off at school by 8:30 a.m.

I head to a grocery store to pick up a parking sticker but they tell me they no longer sell them. Their bathroom was out of order and I needed to change Addi, so I end up changing her diaper in the back of the car. #momlife

I head to a currency exchange place in the neighborhood, where I pay $118.50 for a city sticker and zone parking. Yay, Chicago!

I drive home, park the car on my street and place the new sticker on the Jeep. I walk to Starbucks to get myself a Strawberry Acai Refresher. I feel like I earned for the hassle of getting a parking sticker.

I walk back home with Addi in my carrier.

I wash Addi’s bottles, do the dishes and clean the kitchen counters.

Addi wakes up and I nurse her while watching “Parks and Recreation.”

At 11 a.m. she falls asleep and I pump.

While she sleeps I work on the blog post I had started earlier a little more and then put some laundry away. I start a new load. I also finally make the bed, which I didn’t have a chance to do earlier. She wakes up and I nurse her again. I finish the last episode of Parks and Rec and it makes me cry even though I have watched it before.

At noon, I sweep the kitchen floor and heat up leftover pasta while Addi sleeps. I check the mail and change into the new shorts I ordered from Target. They are super comfortable! I start the new season of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix.

At 12:45 I remember to take my prenatal vitamin and rub my belly with Bio-Oil.

At 1:30 p.m., I nurse Addi again before leaving to go pick Graham up from work.

We pick V up from school at 2:30 p.m. I end up having to feed Addi in the car.

I change Addi’s outfit and diaper when we get home. I eat a snack pack of lactation cookies.

We spend the afternoon relaxing with the kids and watching “Spirit” on Netflix. Addi wants to nurse again around 3:45. She then spends some time playing with her activity gym.

At 4 p.m. I pump for 20 minutes.

At 4:45, Graham heads to a dentist appointment.

V and I watch TV and hang out. Addi gets fussy for a couple of hours and I feed and soothe her.

Graham brings home dinner and we eat as a family, except he can’t really eat after his dental procedure.

We start Addi’s bedtime routine and feeding. She is sleeping by 8:30.

I help V brush her teeth and read her a story. (She changes into pajamas on her own. Her bedtime used to be 7 p.m. in the winter but we have no luck getting her to sleep while it’s light out in the summer. Her new bedtime is 8:45-9 p.m.)

I usually hang out with Graham for bit but on this day he falls asleep at 9. I wash my face, take out my contacts, and put in my retainer.

I, too, go to bed pretty early because I want to get enough sleep and I know I will be up to feed Addi two or three times during the night. I usually pump for 20 minutes before bed and prepare as many bottles as I can for the night.

And that’s a typical day during my maternity leave! I didn’t mention our dog Capone, but Graham takes him for his walks and one of V’s chores is to feed him. I help her do that every day. What’s a typical day like for you right now?

** This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. These retailers may use cookies on their sites. Thanks for supporting Floradise.

07/21/2017

Our Adoption Story and Custom Announcements From Basic Invite

** This post has been compensated by Basic Invite, Inc. All opinions are my own.

Our adoption hearing photo taken on May 12.

I have always known I wanted to adopt a child. I just never expected the way it would happen.

In December 2015, the subject of adopting Victoria first came up as we traveled to Phoenix to visit family. She had been under my aunt’s care for months at that point. Graham and I have always loved our niece, so it was a no-brainer for us to offer to take her in when the need arose. We hope for nothing but the best for her biological parents, but our main concern was for her well-being.

Our adoption process took more than a year from that point. From the beginning we maintained contact with her caseworker and stressed that we would be more than happy to have her join our family. I would stay up countless nights crying into Graham’s arms because I was so worried about what would happen to her. It was an uncertain time that required a lot of patience and trust that it would all work out.

During that year, we checked every box we needed to check. We had our home study done (twice), we underwent fingerprint checks, childproofed our apartment, spoke with lawyers and caseworkers who were involved — you name it. I also visited V in Phoenix as much as I possibly could to strengthen our bond.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Two days after running the Chicago Marathon in 2016, I had a marathon day of flights. I flew to Phoenix and back in one day to pick her up and bring her home to Chicago. Graham stayed behind to finish setting up her room while I traveled with her. It was such an emotional day for us; it was the day we became a family. When Graham picked us up from the airport, he had a teddy bear for her and she wore the biggest smile on her face.

From then on, we still had nine more months to go before our adoption was finalized. We had caseworker visits every month, but other than that we were pretty much a regular family. (We sure had a lot to learn about parenting, though!) The only notable difference would come up when she needed medical services and we’d have to submit paperwork because her last name was different than ours.

Our adoption was finalized over a phone hearing in May, nine months after she came into our custody and just two days before my first Mother’s Day. We wanted to share with family and friends her new middle and last names in a nice way. Because she already had her first name, we wanted to choose a middle name that we connected with and that we loved. I wanted to announce the moment with a card as I would have done had I given birth to her, and I didn’t want to miss out on this special marker of a major moment in our lives. I wanted to celebrate that V would finally share our last name and I could think of no better way than sending out announcements for Victoria Rose.

I turned to Basic Invite because I had seen previous blogs and reviews about how great their cards are. I found those positive experiences to be right on the mark. I completely customized the text of one of their elegant birth announcements to create adoption announcements displaying Victoria’s new middle and last names. I love the way they came out!

I used my favorite photo of V from our family session with Square Mouth Studios in Indianapolis.

Family members have already started to receive them this week.

The back of the announcement has three photos taken by me and one by Square Mouth Studios in Indianapolis.

When designing your card, announcement or invitation, Basic Invite allows you to choose from a 180 color options and lets you instantly preview your cards online. You can select a design and then change the color of any element. I found the design I liked but wanted to make the text a light coral vs. a gray, and it took about a second. I also moved where the text was on the front of the card, where I used a photo from a family session we did soon after she arrived in Chicago. It was the easiest card design I’ve ever done, which I appreciated because I am not someone who wants to spend a long time edited a design.

Once your design is complete, you can order a custom printed sample to see and feel the exact quality of the paper and overall card or invite before placing your final order. Besides adding color to your invitation, card or announcement, you can customize the envelope to match as well, with more than 40 colors available. Addressing the envelopes is easy with Basic Invite’s free address collection service: Simply share a link, get the addresses from friends and family and then have those addresses printed on the envelopes for free. How awesome is that?! This would be especially helpful for those who are planning a wedding. I didn’t use this option because I didn’t have an overwhelming amount of announcements to send and I enjoy handwriting them, but if you have many to send, this will definitely save you time!

One nice touch I liked about the envelopes is that they are peel and seal, which makes sending them easier and quicker. Side note: I really enjoy sending physical cards because I also like picking out awesome new stamps, like this collection featuring national parks.

Besides announcements, you will find a vast selection of invitations for just about any occasion you are marking, including customized baby shower invitations, and thank you cards. And if you need something custom like I did, you can certainly edit any text field to say what you want.

While going through the process of ordering the adoption announcements I became emotional because I am just so happy to finally officially be a family and have such a sweet, strong and happy child in my life. She is everything I hoped for in a daughter and more.

Have you created invites or cards with Basic Invite? If not, browse their selection and tell me your favorite designs! What would you create?

Connect with Basic Invite:

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

07/14/2017

Life Update & Favorites

** This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links.

Today I’m sharing a compilation of thoughts that wouldn’t really compose an entire post on their own. We’ve had a ton going on lately, and sometimes I struggle to keep up. Planning has helped immensely, as has simply writing things down in a journal or blog to let these thoughts out. I’m trying to release the worry and remind myself everything will be OK. I just know it.

Here’s what’s on my mind:

It’s been raining in Chicago for a million years. The storms wake Victoria up and she thinks the thunder is a monster. Also, this is messing with the lighting I need for blog photos, which frustrates me because I like to bring my A game and I feel like it’s preventing that. #bloggerproblems

I am considering doing another round of decluttering. In 2015 I did a 30-day decluttering challenge because I was preparing for a move and Victoria’s arrival. Adopting a child has meant bringing in tons of stuff into our home (via gifts, hand-me-downs and our own shopping for her) and I have reached the point where I need to declutter again. Would you be interested in reading about the process?

We are checking out a preschool tomorrow. The whole idea of finding a school, day care/preschool for Victoria overwhelms me. The system here in Chicago seems so complicated and often involves a wait list.

Paletas are my favorite, specifically the lemon flavor. They are my favorite thing to eat in the summer, ever. Last weekend Victoria and I walked to the park specifically to look for a vendor who sells them.

I bought a Super Suit to protect our GoPro Hero 5 and I love it. The GoPro is supposed to be waterproof, but we don’t want to take any chances. If you’ve been here before you might know that we lost our GoPro in Costa Rica and it was found a year and a half later by someone who was snorkeling. The SD card still worked! To prevent losing another GoPro we bought a Floating Handle Grip and the Super Suit. We also have a floating case. Yes, these accessories are a little pricey, but so is losing a GoPro!

We recently had a leak in our condo in Phoenix that damaged the entire kitchen flooring. My mom has been living in it without flooring for a month. It’s been a challenge finding a contractor to fix it from afar, plus my mom’s English is limited. We finally hired someone, but we decided to replace the flooring we had with tile to match the rest of the downstairs. Unfortunately, that tile is sold out in Arizona — we checked every Lowe’s in Phoenix — and it apparently isn’t an option to have it shipped from another store (we asked!), so we are doing something insane and having it shipped via freight, which involves talk of pallets, lift gates and docking facilities. Also money. Oh, joy! (We have insurance but we still had to pay the deductible plus this shipping cost.)

We have tomatoes and strawberries growing! If you follow me on Instagram you may see that I constantly post garden updates. I am excited to finally be able to grow tomatoes, even if I only really like them in salsa.

I fully believe in manifesting and I feel like I’m being rewarded for my gratitude and trust. This hasn’t always been the case. Earlier this year I kept questioning why certain things kept happening to us, specifically after Taylor died and we had some unexpected expenses and setbacks. Lately I’ve been trying to change my mindset to believing we are going to accomplish what we want as long as we make moves and trust, and it’s paying off with new opportunities. I just kept thinking “It will happen.” and things immediately started to come my way. This in turn makes me more motivated to take action. Do you practice manifesting?

I have some fun brand collaborations coming up next week. I pursued them because they made sense for what’s going on in my life and hope you enjoy them. Thanks for understanding that collaborating with brands is one way I make my travel dreams come true. Also know that I try to accept sponsored posts that I think would be helpful in some way, whether by letting you enter a promotion or giveaway, learn about a great product, try something new, etc.

My plans for the weekend: Take care of business (tile shipping, sponsored posts), plan upcoming road trips, eat some delicious food, and film a yoga video!

Quote for your week: “What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create.” -Buddha

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Please share with me what you’ve been up to or thinking in the comments below!

GoPro Favorites**:

06/06/2017

Toddler Favorites

** This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission for purchases through these links.

I regularly share my beauty, fitness and travel favorites, so I thought it would also be fun to share Victoria’s current toddler favorites. As a new parent I am constantly learning so much about what works and what doesn’t, and what toys are ideal for toddlers. (I also learned what toys are not so fun to constantly pick up, so I won’t be giving those as gifts anytime soon!) I find that Victoria consistently plays with certain toys and books, and sometimes her favorites are unexpected. V’s current loves would make great gifts for toddlers in your life!

Toddler favorites

ABC Yoga by Christiane Engel. This was a Christmas gift from family and she loves it. It illustrates a yoga pose from A to Z, each resembling an animal. Victoria loves to mimic what she sees.

Yvolution Y Velo Balance Bike and Bell Pint Toddler Helmet: We bought this for Victoria’s birthday thanks to gift cards from friends and family. She rides her bike every single day. I took her to Target to select her own helmet, and she loved this pink Bell Pint one.

Melissa and Doug Bugs Floor Puzzle: Victoria has done this puzzle so much that she can pretty much complete it all by herself now. It was a birthday gift from family in Louisville. We love these floor puzzles! (We also have a dinosaur one that she loves.)

Dear Zoo, A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell: My friend Megan bought this gift for Victoria for her birthday, and she has frequently requested that I read it to her before bed since then. It’s a lift-the-flap book, so that makes it fun for toddlers. She has it memorized by now. Super cute!

What are you or your kiddos loving right now?

05/16/2017

Mom & Toddler Yoga | Poses to Try

** This post contains affiliate links to yoga products. I make a small commission for purchases through these links. Thanks for supporting Floradise blog!

Victoria and I tried a yoga class together for the first time over the weekend. It was a workshop at one of my favorite Chicago yoga studios in honor of Mother’s Day. The teacher had to bow out at the last minute so another studio teacher filled in, bringing her toddler along.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the class. I figured it would be like a regular class but with the toddlers attempting to follow along. This is what happened in reality:

The class began with dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off.” Then we sat down and started to work on our breathing. The instructor assured us that this was a safe space and that anyone who needed to feed their child should feel free to do so. We next moved into cat/cow, downward-facing dog and various folds. Victoria was following along at this point. So far, so good. But then she became more interested in playing with blocks and bolsters than trying to copy her mom. All the moms attempted to get yoga in but ended up trying to wrangle their kids. The teacher emphasized that we should let the children do what they want and not force them to do anything, and that was good advice. It was a lesson in going with the flow, which is pretty much at the center of yoga.

Victoria’s shirt is Spiritual Gangster. (Not an affiliate link.)

We did manage to do some yoga together though. The following are poses that I think you can do with toddlers in your own home for 15 or so minutes, or however long you have their attention. (Yoga Journal has thorough descriptions of how to do these poses.)

Poses to try at home:

High lunges with child on your back or on your knee. I opted to do the lunges and have Victoria do them alongside me, but younger, lighter kids can be held in your arms or settled onto your front bent knee.
Seated forward fold with feet together. Sit facing each other with your feet touching. Each of you folds forward toward the other person.
Standing forward fold with arms swaying, resembling an elephant.
Bridge with child on your stomach or crawling underneath you. I did both bridge and upward-facing bow, and Victoria enjoyed crawling under me. You could also have your toddler on your torso.
Downward-facing dog. Victoria loves to do the variation with one leg lifted.
Seated twists.
Cat/cow.
Child’s pose. Victoria loves child’s pose as well.
Savasana.

At home, Victoria likes to take her “ABC Yoga” book** and mimic the poses inside. (It was a Christmas gift from her aunt and uncle.) It illustrates yoga poses in fun ways and is fun to do with toddlers. She also likes to try her variation of handstand, believe it or not. I plan to keep practicing yoga at home and asking her to join me if she seems interested.

Have you ever tried yoga with kids?

Yoga essentials**:

Blocks. If nothing else, your kid can play with these while you practice.

Bolsters. It feels great to recline on a bolster in savasana and bound angle pose, along with seated poses.

Yoga mat. We rolled out two yoga mats next to each other for class.

05/11/2017

Dinos & Dragons at Brookfield Zoo

This little gem turns 3 today and I can’t believe it. To celebrate, I am sharing our weekend visit to Brookfield Zoo.

Sunday was supposed to be my long run, but then the electricity in our building went out after a fire in the service room. (A post on how half-marathon is going will be up soon. Spoiler: Not well.) We needed to spend as much time away from our apartment as possible. My friend Rachael was nice enough to have us over most of the weekend, and she also suggested we go to Brookfield Zoo, where she is a member.

It just so happened that Sunday was the first day of the Dinos & Dragons exhibit at Brookfield Zoo. And Victoria looooves dinosaurs. It was perfect and we were rewarded with the most gorgeous day. At least the sort of makes up for three days with no power. …

I’m always amazed by how beautiful Brookfield Zoo is. The grounds are so well taken care of, something I appreciate because it’s my husband’s profession. I can’t help but stop and take photos of and with the flowers.

The Dinos & Dragons exhibit had an indoor section as well as an outdoor walkway. The indoor portion was a bit crowded, so we headed outside to walk the pathway. Victoria was captivated by it all. I had to sort of wrangle her in a little because she kept wanting to run around, but I don’t blame her; the place is so much fun!

I found that a nice perk of membership, besides bringing guests, is that parking is free in the north lot. South Gate parking was $2 for members.

We had a lovely Sunday afternoon in the best weather we’ve had all week in Chicago. Now if the current rain could go, that would be great.

What have you been up to lately?

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more fun videos!

05/05/2017

Victoria’s Hawaii-Themed Party

** Thank you Wrappily for sponsoring this post. All opinions are always my own.

Victoria’s favorite movie is Moana, which she watches almost daily. And the Flora family’s favorite place on Earth is Hawaii. That made choosing a theme for her third birthday celebration easy. Part 1 of the festivities was a Hawaii/Moana theme birthday party with family in Phoenix. She shared the first part of her birthday celebrations (Let’s be real: We’ll be celebrating for weeks!) with her cousin Olivia, who is turning 2.

Before the party, I reached out to Wrappily, an eco-friendly and adorable wrapping paper company based in Hawaii. I had previously written about them as a fantastic option for gift wrap supplies for the holidays, but they also have wrapping paper for other occasions. What more perfect paper to use for our Hawaii party? While planning a party can sometimes create some waste, you can always choose to do your part in small ways by purchasing wrapping paper that is made from recycled newsprint, compostable and printed with soy-based inks. Wrappily has you covered! Bonus: The sheets are also reversible.

Before the party, I wrapped one of Victoria’s gifts in this whimsical Sand Dollar and Fiesta Piñas print from Wrappily. I showed both sides below. I opted to use the pineapples on the outside for her doll.

Wrapping one of Victoria’s gifts with Wrappily’s two-sided gift wrap.

I wrapped the gifts in twine for a natural, simple look.

I found that the Wrappily wrapping paper and cupcake toppers I was sent fit right in with our Moana/Hawaii theme for the party.

For the party, we cut pineapples and used them as vases for faux flowers (since we couldn’t find real tropical flowers). The faux flowers are great because they can be reused and you can obviously eat the fruit.

I also found a tutorial for Jello Moana-inspired treats on Pinterest, so I attempted to replicate them. It was pretty easy, though mine don’t look as good as the originals. Partygoers ate all of them, though, so that’s a win! We ended up having more than 30 people show up, and they also gobbled up all the barbecue chicken, rice and macaroni salad.

Our cake and piñata were Moana-themed, of course, and a family friend was able to adorn a bounce house in a Moana banner. Victoria and her guests jumped in this for HOURS. The goodie bags were simple blue and pink bags that were decorated with Moana printables my sister found online. The coconut cups you see in this photo were reused from a previous party as decor. We also put faux leis in a tiki bucket (reused from previous party).

Another family friend made the piñata.

Another idea for the party: Use Wrappily’s DIY Hawaii-theme print toppers for cupcakes. You can also add a green frosting swirl to replicate the heart of Te Fiti from the Disney movie. The cupcake toppers are super easy to put together. You simple use a glue stick to put two flower prints together with the stick in between. Then use a glue dot (which is provided) to add a button detail wherever you want. The buttons come in various colors to match any decor.

We found another Hawaii party snack idea on Pinterest: to shape a kiwi and pineapple platter like palm trees. The original idea used oranges for the base, but I skipped that part.

When you plan your own party or give your gift, you can at least feel good about using eco-friendly gift wrap from Wrappily for any occasion! Below you can enter to win a cute prize pack from Wrappily! And you don’t have to win this giveaway to get your hands on this charming gift wrap; you can use code ALOHA15 for a discount on the site! (This is not an affiliate code, just sharing!)

01/25/2017

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

** This post contains affiliate links.

Victoria and I spent a windy day in Clearwater at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which is known for being a filming location for the movie “Dolphin Tale.” You’ll learn much about the movie and Winter, the dolphin who played herself in it, when you visit.

We arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium about 10:30 a.m., just after it opened. A nearby church served as an alternate parking location during construction outside the aquarium. I wished I had brought a stroller to carry Victoria, because walking with her takes longer than I have patience for. But I quickly learned it was a good idea to ditch the stroller, because the walkways inside are narrow, and you encounter quite a few stairs as you maneuver around the aquarium. I had to carry Victoria off and on to walk into and around the building. (I later noticed an elevator.)

We found just a few people in line to buy my ticket, which was about $21. Victoria got in for free, as do all children younger than 3. The cashier asked if I wanted to wear the orange wristband to enter, and I was confused by the question. “Sometimes they want to wear it,” she said, referring to kids. I didn’t think twice about it; I just put it on. Victoria immediately wanted the wristband. It was a rookie mom mistake, but she quickly got over it.

As you walk toward the entrance, a photographer asks you to take goofy photos that you can purchase inside. When in Rome, right? I didn’t actually buy the photos but we enjoyed taking them.

The entrance leads into the gift shop and an intensive care unit to the right, where you can observe as animals are treated. We instead headed to the fish and shark tanks. We then walked upstairs to see the turtle talk that was going on, followed by the otter presentation. We couldn’t really find a suitable spot for Victoria to see the otter well, so we moved on to the turtle tank, which is outside and down a flight of stairs. I had to lift Victoria up to see the turtles swim, because the viewing portals are much taller than a toddler is. We had some time to ourselves to admire the turtles as they swam. We then went back upstairs to the stranding deck, where a dolphin presentation was about to begin. This is where we met Nicholas, who lost his mother and never learned how to survive in the wild. It was incredibly windy on this day, and the canopy overhead sounded like it was going to blow off, but it was still a pleasant day overall as we sat on the bleachers.

Next we walked over to another dolphin presentation taking place inside. We also walked around to the snack bar outside the entrance to grab a snack and drink some water. After a quick break, we walked inside to grab a souvenir, an ornament that says Clearwater Marine Aquarium, as part of our tradition of collecting ornaments from places we visit. I was ready to call it a day, but I heard a turtle had just been rescued that day, so we walked over to the animal clinic to watch it be treated. It was amazing to see!

I then realized we had completely missed the sting rays, so we paid them a visit before heading out. Victoria had a wonderful time and talked about the turtles for the rest of the day, so I’d call it a successful adventure!

Have you been to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium or seen the movie “Dolphin Tale”?

Shedd Aquarium With a Newborn & Toddler

Related posts:

Shedd Aquarium With a Toddler

A Day at Shedd Aquarium