Make Memories with Eckert’s

Hey guys,

So my little Tiago (Chee Chee Cruz) is turning 3 this weekend, and we are so excited. Last year we had a joint birthday party in June for him and Shiloh, because Shiloh’s birthday is in July. This year we decided on no parties because we will be traveling a lot, but we still wanted to do something fun and memorable. Guess What?! Strawberries are in at Eckert’s farm, and we will be taking Tiago strawberry picking for his birthday! Can I tell you how much this kid loves strawberries? Tiago is a very picky eater, but one thing he’ll never turn down is strawberries. He’s very excited about the idea!

Making memories at Eckert’s farm has become a must for our family ever since Shiloh’s first trip at 6 months old to see the Easter Bunny.

Eckert’s is one of the top attractions for families in St. Louis and for good reason! However, it’s the top attraction for my family. We’ve gone apple and pumpkin picking and enjoyed great food. We’ve had great fun on hay rides and watched our kids pet bunnies and chickens for the first time. Last summer we got to enjoy outdoor fun and music on the patio. We’re excited to create new memories this weekend. This will also be our sweet baby Hugo’s first time to the farm.

Eckert’s is not only a great family experience but it’s an educational one as well. I get to put my teacher hat on with my kids whenever we go pick our own food. My boys had so much fun apple picking and learning about how they grow. Their favorite part was getting to eat them right out in the field. This weekend is going to be a blast, and in addition, we are signing up for one of the Eckert’s Farm new membership packages. The great thing about the membership package is that you get unlimited field access, coupons, exclusive invites, and more!

To celebrate, I’m teaming up with Eckerts to give away one membership to Eckert’s Farms. You can have another chance to win by sharing a past Eckert’s memory and tagging #MakeMoreMemories @EckertFarms #Contest.

You can also purchase a membership for 50% off on two days only: May 10th & 11th! All new members get a huge perk: access to Eckert’s Spring Social (Media Day), a free event open to members only where social media is highly encouraged and snacks, games, and entertainment provide hours of fun. The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 – but don’t worry, you can hang out all day. Just be sure to arrive in that window to catch all the freebies!

5 Reasons Why You Should Go to the Eckert’s Summer Concert Series

Are you looking for something new to do this summer? Well I’ve got you covered. This weekend my family and I had a date night at Eckert’s Country Farm for their annual Summer Concert Series. This was the first time we’d ever gone, and I can assure you it won’t be the last time. Each weekend during the months of June, July, and August they have a different band with a different style of music. The night we went there was a jazz band, and it was enjoyable for the entire family. Exposing our kids to different types of music at an early age is part of our parenting strategy. We both love music and want them to be able to appreciate its beauty as well. We had such an awesome time, and here’s 5 reasons why you should go too:

1. You’ve probably never gone. This can be a great time to experience something new with friends and family. It’s pretty laid back. All you need is a lawn chair, or you can reserve a table. They are limited however, and they cost, but you get prime seating and chips +salsa — yum! Also, you will hear great music from talented musicians.

2. It’s free! That’s right. It’s free for the whole family. Now that’s what I call an economical date night.

3. The food is really good! You can not bring outside food, but don’t worry, because the food there is really good, reasonably priced, and there are healthy options as well. I had this chicken salad, and it was delicious and filling!

4. There’s an area for kids! When your kids get tired of sitting still, there’s a fun area next to the stage set up just for them. They can run around until they tire themselves out! Mine sure did!

5. Don’t forget about the custard! So we were actually really full and couldn’t fit the custard in. But from the looks of the people that were eating the custard, it seemed like it was really good! Next time we go, we’ll have to try the custard!

The Summer Concert Series is a fun time for everyone. Check the calendar here to enjoy free music and great ambience.

This post was sponsored by Eckert’s Country Farm.

Mom guilt + Birthday Parties

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I’m a creative, but when it comes to planning parties the mere thought of it makes me want to upchuck a little in my mouth🤢. Just ask My hubs, Kenny, #thepartyanimal. Every year his birthday starts to creep around, I have daunting thoughts of him telling me that he wants a party. So far I’ve only had to plan two, but still, I break out in hives just thinking about who to invite, will they come, did I forget anyone, what kind of food, will I inconvenience anyone, where to have it and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love parties but planning them… a whole other story.

Now that children have entered the equation, I feel like they are delivered with another overwhelming feeling–Mom guilt. Moms, don’t we feel guilty for everything? Working moms, stay at home moms, part-time working moms, volunteers moms. There’s always a reason to feel guilty when you’re a mom–which leads me to birthday parties.

A few years ago, when it was Shiloh’s first birthday, I felt completely helpless, so, I enlisted a wonderful friend to help me plan his party. Thank God we survived. This time around it’s Tiago’s first birthday, and with two weeks to until his birthday, I hadn’t planned a thing. I started to feel guilty.

I lamented to my friends and coworkers for a few days, and they gave me the some of the best encouragement, but I still felt the guilt. I wanted to have an obligatory 1st birthday party for Tiago, but we’re in a season of life where our schedules are very full, and it would be nearly impossible.

Would Tiago think I loved him less?😩😩😩Here was a question that played out in my head. You know how the devil tries to play with your mind? After some encouraging words from some of my friends and pinteresting, I pulled myself up and said, “not today satan!” There’s more than one way to celebrate a birthday!

So we decided to have a fun photo shoot for Tiago, got him a few cool toys, and can I tell you he had the time of his life! He thought he was in cake heaven. He loved smiling for the camera and getting dirty. It was perfect for him!

When I was pregnant with Tiago, I was wondering about loving them the same and making sure that everything was equal, but I’m realizing now that equity is more important than equality. Loving them the way they need to be loved individually is the new goal. Besides, they don’t even remember their first birthday anyway. A lot of times us mom’s beat ourselves up for nothing.

When I think back to Shiloh’s party, I remember him hating and screaming at his cake, over stimulated, and needing a nap. The only saving grace was that it was a pool party and he’s a total fish 🐟! He will be 3 soon, and he’s a party animal just like his father. Will I plan a party? Let’s play it by ear. We will cross that bridge in July 😜.

Do you ever experience mommy guilt with birthday parties or anything else? Let me know!

This Thing Called Motherhood

It’s been several months since we’ve chatted and if you haven’t heard yet, We are growing again! I am 37 weeks pregnant with baby number two and this pregnancy has been quite a doozy! But first, a funny story. When I announced my pregnancy several months ago at our monthly staff meeting at work, instead of saying my husband and I will be busy with two babies, I said my husband and I were busy, and now I’m pregnant….not in those exact words, but that’s how it came across lol. So needless to say, I was embarrassed that my baby brain had kicked in so sooner than before. Baby #2 doesn’t have a name quite yet, but we are working on it. His ETA is May 10th and this weekend we thought he was going to make an early arrival, but he changed his mind:). I had contractions all weekend and then all of a sudden they stopped!

I am super ecstatic about baby #2 but nervous as well. I have questions, lots of questions. How will I balance it all? Will Shiloh be jealous? What’s it like having all boys? How will I love them the same but different? OMG, how am I going to get 2 kids out of the house? Will Kenny and I have any alone time? Will I lose the pregnancy weight? And the list goes on and on and on! I’m pretty sure I’m not the first mom to have all of these questions, and surely won’t be the last, but a couple of things I do know that’s comforted me. They are: always pray, necessity is the best teacher, and we will find our new normal just like we did with Shiloh. It may take a while, but I know that we will get there. Are there any mommas out there who’ve experienced this and have advice??

Here are a few of our maternity pics that capture the way we feel about our new baby!

Egg-cited about Eckerts

Over the weekend, my hubby, Shiloh and I, along with a few other bloggers and their families’, were invited to the annual Eckerts Easter Egg-citement kick off. Easter Egg-citment is happening all month long leading up to Easter weekend, and I was especially excited because I hadn’t been to Eckerts since I was a kid.

0K9A7776c — Photo Credit Ashley Kuenstler

My husband and I are always looking for new traditions to start as a family, and we thought it would be the perfect outing for our 8 month old, Shiloh. It was a beautiful Spring day, perfect for Easter Egg Hunt festivities!

We arrived a few minutes before they started the first of 5 egg hunts. It’s really neat the way they have the hunt broken up by age groups. Shiloh’s 2 and under group went first, and although he had no clue what was going on, he had a blast.

Next, we stopped to spend some time petting the bunnies and chicks. Shiloh wasn’t scared the least, and I was so surprised that he was eager to pet the animals. We headed on a tractor ride after and then to a few other activities like: face painting, taking pictures and touring the grounds of Eckerts, which is quite beautiful.

0K9A7855c — Photo Credit Ashley Kuenstler

0K9A7779c — Photo Credit Ashley Kuenstler

We didn’t get a chance to stay for lunch, but we did get to shop the Eckert’s grocery store and found some delectable goodies. Easter Egg-citment is happening now through March 31st with events like Breakfast with the Bunny as well as adult cooking classes. There’s something for everyone.

0K9A8119c — Photo Credit Ashley Kuenstler

It was so great to hang out with my family and connect with other families at the Easter Egg-citement event. Eckerts is a great place to make family memories and you still have time to get in on all of the fun. Check out the Eckerts calendar and maybe I will see you there!

0K9A7784c — Photo credit Ashley Kuenstler

0K9A8037c-2 — Photo Credit Ashley Kuenstler

My Austin top 5

So I just got back from a Really cool trip from Austin with my husband, Kenny, and baby Shiloh. My husband came down for a work trip and everyone told us how much we would love It there and I didn’t want to miss out, The Shiloh and I tagged along. While my husband worked Shiloh and I hit the town. We went on a not so traditional bus tour. It was called the Austin duck adventures and it actually rounded out it’s tour by diving literally in Lake Austin (pictures below). I also got to visit one of my favorite online store’s brick-and-mortar location, which is Free People. If you know me you know I would probably wear anything in that store. I had a great experience at the location. During the evenings when my husband was free, we went out checking to see all that Austin has to offer. There’s a great Music life here, always things to do, and I love the fashion. However, I’m still looking for the good food. The food that I tasted was mediocre at best. Except for the sweet potato fries. They are masters at those!! Yummmm so good!!!! Aside from the food we had some pretty awesome firsts. We used lyft, uber and rode in a pedicab and I gotta tell you that catching rides from really nice strangers was pretty fun.

While being in Austin, I loved observing the summer fashion. I would describe it as a festival girl meets country. So I’ve put together a list of 5 items you should bring to Austin to wear during the summer.

1. Cowgirl boots of course

2. A mini skirt

3. High waisted jeans or cut offs (aka mom jeans)

4. A cow girl hat

5. A peasant dress

6. Anything floral

So, have you ever been to Austin? What am I missing from my list and what good food joints did I miss? Below are some highlights of my trip! Enjoy!

In the airport

Shiloh did so awesome on the plane and he got his first flying certificate! Thanks Southwest!

One of my fave stores! Free People

I got to tour Austin on land and on water!

Two of the best meals I had in Austin. Salmon and turkey avocado burger! I loved the sweet potato fries!

Awesome boutique I found on 5th street. The designer makes her clothes right in the boutique. There are also some awesome local jewelry designers’ merchandise in the boutique. #handmade