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KeyLime Cove in Gurnee, IL - about a two hour drive or so from Northwest Indiana- invites guests to take a sneak peek behind the scenes of the water park. My family was given a complimentary stay last week at the beautiful waterpark, and we enjoyed the special tour open to the public on Friday and Saturday mornings, prior to the waterpark’s opening. Guests on the tour can hear from managers of the Aquatics staff and take a walking tour of the pump room under the waterpark.

“We are conducting tours to educate parents about the water their kids are swimming in,” said Robert Williams, director of engineering. “We are proud of our state-of-the-art ozone disinfection system which provides impeccable water quality and clarity, as well as air quality. Ozone destroys 99.9 percent of bacteria, viruses, spores, fungus and mold. It leaves the water sparkling clear and fresh.”

My boys even got to turn the waterpark on for the day with the flip of a couple switches! Noah, my oldest, said the pump room felt like he was in the Millennium Falcon.

We are big fans of the waterpark resort- this was our third vacation to KeyLime Cove and our kids are huge fans of the lazy river, kiddie pool, basketball pool, Toukie’s Big Deluge- the massive water-filled playground.

KeyLime Cove is rapidly becoming known as a destination of choice- so awesome that it’s only a short drive away. TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel website, recently announced its top Travelers’ Choice® Hotels for Families, naming KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort the #1 Family Hotel in the US and #2 worldwide. In addition, KeyLime Cove was recognized by Aquatics International with the “Best of Aquatics” award in the waterpark resort category for 2011

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

There’s a fantastic article in today’s Lifestyle section of the Times about Listen To Your Mother - I’m the director and producer of Listen To Your Mother Northwest Indiana for a second year.

It’s a thrill to present fourteen amazing local women reading their own writings about motherhood. Some will speak about their moms, some about motherhood- the great and the not-so-great, and all of them will reach the hearts of everyone in attendance.

There are still some tickets available but they are going fast! You can order online, stop by the Memorial Opera House box office or call them at 548-9137 during box office hours, 10am-2PM.

Listen To Your Mother is this Thursday May 10 at Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, 7 PM.

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

While staying with my sister-in-law and family over spring break in Michigan, I admired their steam mop. Yes, their steam mop.

It sanitized while it shined their bathroom floor. We left and it’s all I could think about. I had to have one.

So I began researching these magical steam mop things- what kind should I buy? They aren’t that cheap. I wanted to spend wisely. Ultimately I decided upon the Oreck Steam-It Steam Mop. I planned to buy it on Target.com so that I could get my free shipping and 5% off thanks my Target Red Debit card (you do have one of those, right?)

Anyway, I didn’t make the purchase right away and while I was at Walmart one day - there are just some things that I can’t get elsewhere and so Walmart it is - I happened to stop by the steam mops while I was there. And whattya know, there was my Steam-It Steam mop on CLEARANCE. Like, $80 cheaper than the Oreck site. Needless to say, I loaded that baby up in my cart.

I’ve yet to try out all the amazing features, but I’m looking forward to the grout and bath fixtures attachment as well as steam-cleaning the walls (yes walls.) So far I find it absolutely worth making our kitchen and bathroom floors actually visible again.

Do you have a steam mop? What other awesome things can I do with mine?

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

I’ve seriously considered buying a snow shovel to be used in our playroom - especially for the all the Legos and “guys” and puzzle pieces and - now that I am in the world of GIRLS - POLLY POCKETS OMG. Tiny everything! How do you keep it picked up? I usually just close the door, and shudder.

And then came along… The Toydozer. With a blade and scoop just like a bulldozer, clean-up time is actually kinda fun.

Toydozer creator Amy Bradley is the mom to 7-year-old Henry and she explains the idea for her genius invention. “At the end of a long day, I dreaded cleaning up all of my son’s toys — whether it was trains, safari animals, Duplo blocks or LEGOS — spread out all over the floor,” Amy says. “After some brainstorming, I came up with a simple tool that made cleaning up easy and fun for all of us and the Toydozer was born!”

To keep the scoop and blade gatherer together, each Toydozer has handy dandy Velcro tabs that attach when not in use. Also genius!

Find The Toydozer exclusively online ($18.99 with free shipping anywhere in the United States and Canada), available in blue, yellow, and purple. Use code BLOGGER20 for 20% off your purchase! We were sent all three, and of course Ivy only uses the purple. I think The Toydozer is the perfect addition to any gift you give in the future that might involve Legos or tiny pieces. You will be a hit with the parents. Trust me.

What could use some scooping up in your house?

Follow Toydozer on Twitter and Facebook

This post is part of a Toydozer blogger outreach campaign. Participating bloggers have been provided with a complimentary Toydozer to review and have been compensated for their time.

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

So, if we can keep this just between us, I’ve been really focused on my health and wellness lately and I really really really hope this time it sticks. I know that it probably won’t, but I only pray that I won’t wait as long next time to get back on track again. But PS I really hope I can finally make it an official lifestyle change. It can happen, right?

I’ve been exercising every day- usually a short cardio workout or pilates On Demand. Or - thanks to this amazing weather - long walks outside. As long as I get some good movement each day, I feel so much better, and when I’m better, my family is happier, you know? And pushing a 3 year old in a big jogging stroller is great for my arms.

Normally I’d totally be intimidated by events like Healthy U (going on this weekend at the Avalon in Merrillville.) I’m just a mom with plenty of yoga pants but they are rarely used for yoga if you know what I mean. I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to exercise. That’s probably why I hide out and only do it at home where no one can see me. (I lock the door so that even my husband can’t see me!)

But, many of the seminars at Healthy U seem to be geared toward beginners and that makes me not so scared. It’s also a one-time thing… maybe I (hopefully) won’t see these people again? I’d like to eventually join the Y and do not want it to look like I have no clue what I’m doing. I hope this will give me that confidence.

So, I am pretty sure I’m going to go. And I’ve got my eye on the Yoga 101 session and maybe Zumba (I’ve never done Zumba before!) I’m also a huge Nick Verreos of Project Runway fan so that really seals the deal.

Right now if you’re on Twitter, they’re giving away complimentary tickets to the first 50 people to retweet them today. Follow @CreativeSolutnz (disclosure: I help with their Twitter account but it wasn’t until, like, today that I finally decided that I want to go, and they have no idea I am writing this post!) and find out how you can snag a pair of tickets to attend this weekend!

Will you be there? What do you do to stay active every day?

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

TOMS - everybody’s favorite shoe that gives back - is giving one customer each week a chance to follow their purchase around the world. Winners will go on a TOMS Giving Trip, and founder Tom Mycoskie plans to join a few of those journeys!

“TOMS Giving Trips taken through the TOMS Ticket to Give program will enable winners to experience giving One for One™ first-hand. Giving Trips are not vacations, but journeys into communities of incredible people and enormous need. They are hands-on, face-to-face journeys that, for
those who are giving, are as much about personal transformation as positively impacting the lives of others.” - TOMS.com

The TOMS Ticket to Give contest is open to friends age 13 and up, and you can enter to win at checkout.

From now until Mother’s Day, Hallmark is asking you to nominate someone dear to you for a chance to send them a Blooming Expressions in their Secret Admirer contest. You’ll also be entered to win one of ten $100 Hallmark Gold Crown gift cards. Who would you nominate?

ALSO- have you heard about the new Q-tips® on the block? With pointed tips at both ends, Q-tips® Precision Tips™ have taken cotton swabs to a whole new level- there’s practically nothing they can’t do or reach!

Find great tips at their Facebook page and leave your own! What would you do with the new Precision Tips? Heck, I really need to clean out my kids’ ears, but I also wouldn’t mind attacking the bathroom faucets and about a million other hard-to-reach places that need to be cleaned up in my house.

One last thing! Have you heard that tickets for Listen To Your Mother Northwest Indiana are now on sale? You won’t want to miss this fabulous show of live readings about motherhood by local women.

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

Disclosure: I was provided with Q-tips® Precision Tips™ cotton swabs and a $25 American Express gift card to enjoy from Rocket XL, and I received a Hallmark Blooming Expressions when I attended the Blissdom blog conference in Nashville last month.

Calling all moms or people with moms!

Listen To Your Mother Northwest Indiana is in search of original essays on any aspect of motherhood for the second annual LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER show at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 7PM.

People of all ages, types, and backgrounds — and writers of all experience levels are invited to audition to read. Although mothers are welcome, you need not be a mother to audition. Funny, sad, moving, hilarious, thoughtful - any subject or perspective!

Auditions will be held on Sunday, March 11 at the Memorial Opera House by appointment only.

LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER will be in 10 cities this year and I am so excited to be a part of Northwest Indiana’s show. It is a community-oriented celebration of the beauty, the heartbreak, the trials and triumphs that are MOTHERHOOD directed and produced in Northwest Indiana by (me) local mom, writer, and blogger Stephanie Precourt. No previous stage experience is necessary.

Bring your original, humorous, poignant, painful, joyful and soulful words on mothers or mothering. Previously published work accepted as long as the author retains full rights or has express permission to read the work for this event. Oh, and it’s a reading- no memorization required!

Commitment for cast members includes two group read-throughs (dates to be determined), a pre-performance run-through, and one 7:00 p.m. performance on May 10.

To schedule a March 11 audition, email stephanie.precourt@gmail.com. Your audition piece should be no longer than 5 minutes when read aloud (please time yourself and edit if needed.)

View the past Listen To Your Mother shows and find Northwest Indiana’s 2011 Listen To Your Mother Show here

Spread the word! If you know someone perfect to read at Listen To Your Mother, let them know! Find Listen To Your Mother on Facebook and Twitter @LTYMshow and be sure to check out Listen To Your Mother Northwest Indiana online here.

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

Early Saturday morning, right after our awesome big breakfast of homemade egg Mckmuffins and hashbrowns, I had each of the kids sign their Valentines. I did not want to wait until the last minute for this - with three kids in school and 30 Valentines for each of them… we got it done!

Of course it’s been impossible to avoid seeing everyone’s suggestions for DIY Valentines on Pinterest and Facebook but I didn’t even give it a thought. Target had Angry Birds Valentines! And Lego Star Wars! Much easier and cooler, right? Oh my goodness. Not very.

I had to separate all 90 of those things, on the perforated lines, then fold them, then help the kids insert each little mini tattoo or sticker or whatever they had with them.

Thankfully this year they could address and sign their own. But still. Maybe making our own next year will be smarter? How do you do your Valentines?

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

So, while I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, I did post 5 ways I want to be a better mom this year. I wanted to check-in on my progress now that we’re one month in.

1. I have definitely been using a softer voice, which is great because when I need to use a louder voice it’s noticeably different unlike before, when they just thought that was my normal voice.

2. I have been reading to Ivy more but not all the kids. Bedtime is still a bit chaotic around here and I hope to remedy that soon, incorporating more bedtime stories by me then, too.

3. We’ve been better at playing games and doing homework together at the table as well as crafts and just fun stuff like hot cocoa just because and desserts, etc.

4. The rooms are tidy-ish, but not ideal. We have to work on that. I have been getting in more of a routine on certain days of the week (Mondays I wash bedding and clean bathrooms, etc) but I really need to get the kids on board to help out more.

5. Adventures… we are doing more of this. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean we can’t bundle up and go to the beach or the Riverwalk or walk around Coffee Creek. We also have been forgetting the wonders of Bellaboo’s and even the mall play place and Merry Go Round, or just making time to have more playdates (we have two this week!)

How are you doing on your 2012 goals?

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..

THANK GOD there are no cameras in my home but if there were, around 5:00 in the evening tonight you would have seen me getting ready to make dinner. And as I prepare something I think is pretty fabulous and not-microwaved: steaks in the broiler and homemade mashed potatoes, I wonder how in the world moms in the past did it without trashing the place. Like, it would just be so awesome to cook a fully-from-scratch meal but then not be completely exhausted afterward. And then have all that clean up still.

So, in between pre-heating the broiler and peeling potatoes you’d find me also assisting Gray with his Kindergarten vocab work. Ten problems and he needs help with every single one. Ivy is at the kitchen counter reminding me that she’s so starving every three minutes. Oh yeah and there’s also a tent in the living room, still up, from last weekend’s fun “let’s go camping indoors!” adventure and then no one ever actually got in it.

I finish up the potatoes and get them boiling on the stove. We clean up the homework and other various items from the table so we can, like, eat there. Turn the steaks. Remind Ivy again that we’ll be eating dinner in a few minutes. “Someone turn that flashlight off and get it off the floor!” “WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS?” “Get your dinosaurs out of the sink, please.” The smoke alarms go off. One child is on back door duty: open and close really fast like a fan. One goes to the front door, and I whip my kitchen towel at the alarm to get it to shut up. The other two children run into the tent with their hands over their ears.

Believe me when I say that I mashed those potatoes. I mashed them real good. Finally it’s all done and on their plates and cut up just so and we sit down and eat. That’s right about the time Noah asks “What’s for dessert?” and I give him my angry eyes.

I redirect their conversations to not include crap or fart at the table. Now that the older ones are capable, I don’t get up from the table anymore. Someone needs a drink or a second helping? Brother will get it for you. Dinner is over disturbingly too soon considering all the time and prep to make it. We clear the table. I crank up the Cold Play and wash the dishes by hand (I don’t have a dishwasher, I’m over it, it’s no big deal) and cut up strawberries (that’s what’s for dessert.)

I am much too tired to put away the dishes, so I let them air dry and collapse into the nearest chair/bed/wherever I land until bedtime. When a whole other routine begins…

What’s it look like at your house come dinnertime?

Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph And be sure to like Your Family on Facebook..