DelightStruck

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School, and has a sweet chance for a holiday giveaway at the bottom, so keep reading (and swimming) friends. Have a little fish that you'd love to help become a more confident and independent swimmer before next summer? Did you know it can take up to a year of weekly lessons for that to happen for most little ones? Goldfish Swim School has a great way to help, and it's the perfect non-toy, "experience" gift for the holidays! The gift of swim lessons and water safety! This year’s Goldfish Swim School holiday packages are oh so fun to open too! We all know littles don't really love an envelope with a gift certificate under the tree. And THIS gift package is filled to the brim with goodies like 2 months of group swim lessons, 4 family swim passes, Goldfish goggles, Bubbles bath toy, a Goldfish tote and the new FIRST-EVER Goldfish story book, "The Fish Who Wouldn't Swim." The packages start at $1...

CIDE is a valued partner of DelightStuck Jen. For three days every December, Central Indiana Dance Ensemble (CIDE) brings the holidays to life with five performances of Tchaikovsky’s magical Christmas ballet. This year's show is December 14-16, 2018 at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center. Guests of the show are transported to the Land of Sweets where a cast of characters that includes the Arabian Coffee, Rose, Mother Ginger and her Ginger Snaps and, of course, Sugar Plum Fairy, all delight young Clara and her Nutcracker Prince with spirited dances and iconic, classical ballet variations. CIDE's, a pre-professional dance company under the direction of Artistic Director Suzann DeLay,  holiday tradition of The Nutcracker has become a holiday must-do for our family. They really bring the holidays to life in such a magical way. And let's face it the holidays can get so expensive, and it can be hard to afford all the holiday performances you'd like to treat the ...

Some people take nature walks, some do yoga, some go to the movies, some take bubble baths and some get lost in beautiful music. Learning what helps you unwind and allows you to float away from the day's stresses is key in good self care. A little bit of all of the above works for me, but nothing works better than beautiful music. I often get lost in the lyrics from a song on the radio or at a live concert, but classical music truly sweeps me away on a whole different level. It's almost as if my soul ebbs and flows with the music and the composer, the conductor and the orchestra take me on a journey with them, telling the story that was originally meant with the piece. I think often people who are unfamiliar with classical music in an orchestra setting can be a little intimidated at the thought of going to the symphony. Questions swirl... What will I wear? Is it fancy? What if I clap at the wrong time? What if I don't understand the music? What if I'm bored? Isn...

Goldfish Swim School has provided us with the experience of lessons for our candid reviews. October was a wild month for The Lou, aka swimmer girl. She got a diagnosis that looking back makes oh so much sense due to the noted symptoms and the medical history in our family, but in the moment it took us by surprise and kind of rock her world, really our whole family's world. The Lou has a metabolic disorder that is causing some insulin resistance and her diet and our family eating lifestyle has had to change asap. Too many sweets in the house and too much eating out. October is a hard month for that kind of news. Halloween! Bring on the candy, oh wait, we can't do that anymore. Sigh. Her doctor is amazing and has helped her (and us) see that balance is key and she's a kid, so having a zero tolerance policy on sweet treats isn't really realistic. Understanding her specific diet needs and being ultra good the majority of the time is what is going to take us to ...

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. October, how I love thee, especially in Indy! The last couple of years we've been on Fall Break in Florida during the middle of October, and I feel like we missed some of the best local October fun. This year we only have two days off for break and are staying put. I'm so glad, because we're filling the month with ALL the autumn fun Indy has to offer! From pumpkins and caramel apples to spooky outings. Our first experience of the month? The Children's Museum Guild's Haunted House Grim-Nasium! You aren't going to want to miss it! The Guild has out done themselves again this year. The theme is throughout the haunted house in such spooky, fun and creative ways. My favorite was the Fear Leader Tryout Reminder. The Horrifying Details: It's the 55th annual Museum Guild's Haunted House. A truly terrifying monster filled gym theme. Tickets are...

Goldfish Swim School  is a valued partner of DelightStruck Jen (and The Lou, aka Baby Girl), and we kind of love being able to share our swim story with you. Happy reading. A couple of swim practices ago The Lou noted that the in her opinion the pool had shrunk! No we aren't hanging out with Rick Moranis for another silly sequel, The Lou has gotten stronger and increased her speed over the months. When the whole length of the pool once seemed daunting to her, she now glides up and down it with ease, working on her strokes. Yes, in her view, a once huge body of water has shrunk down to size. I love sitting on the other side of the glass and watching her swim. It makes me smile. I love her confidence and her desire to constantly improve, even on the nights when she's a little worn out from her school day. She's got goals and a dream to swim for the Carmel Swim Team when she's older, and that keeps her pushing herself. Not me, not her coach, but her. She drives it ...

As summer winds down, I'm realizing that my days are growing shorter for accomplishing all my 39 adventures before my 40th birthday! So I'm kicking it into gear, recapping where I've been and making plans to tackle the rest of the list before the big day comes! I have to say I'm pleased with the progress thus far . I really did savor summer this year and that's saying something for a girl that hates hot! We spent so many days by the pool that I actually have a tan. Woot! I've read amazing books. Enjoyed a summer concert, built a blanket fort on a rainy day, tried new foodie experiences and one of my favorites - visited a local Lavender Farm. And oh peeps, Willowfield Lavender Farm was amazing! And best of all I got to tackle this list item with baby girl and my sister in tow. Here's my ten favorite things about Willowfield Lavender Farm: The proprietors - Kieran and Elizabeth O'Connor! Such genuine souls. Their love of gardening, nature and l...

I got a totally delightstruck preview of the 2018 Indiana State Fair last night on Fair Eve courtesy of the Indiana Soybean Alliance . There's a certain magic being at the State Fair grounds on the eve of the fair. It was wonderful, but I learned that I've never REALLY done the fair. Yes, I've dabbled over the years, but I've never fully immersed myself in all of it's wonderful offerings. So... this Indy chick has a few State Fair confessions for you. Plus my top picks for must-dos this year, so you're not a dabbler like me. My Indy State Fair Confessions I hate hotness. I'm an A/C kind of girl. August is hot, peeps. At most, we are usually at the fair for an hour or two at a time each year. We've never spent a whole day there. After last night's behind the scenes golf cart tour, I might just be saying let the sweat roll and spending more time strolling and exploring this year. There is so much to love! I had never done The Glass B...

Goldfish Swim School  is a valued partner of DelightStruck Jen (and the Lou, aka Baby Girl), and we kind of love being able to share our swim story with you. Happy reading. It's Tuesday. Baby girl's favorite day of the week. I love how BIG her grin gets on Tuesday evenings as she bops down the stairs in her swim suit, with towel and goggles in hand and asks if it's time to leave yet for her weekly Goldfish Swim School Swim Force session. Positive Waves at Goldfish Swim School Carmel Yes, we have the foundation of Goldfish Swim School lessons under our belt, but I am still constantly amazed at the progress she continues to make as a swimmer through their Swim Force swim team - really amazing positive waves in so many ways. A lot of that I think is because of her amazing teachers. They push her, in the kindest most encouraging way I've ever seen. Because of them, she wants to do her own personal best each and every week. It's not really work in her head either...

So sometimes God messes with our best laid plans, and contrary to our disbelief, He knows exactly what He's doing. Well, because He's been doing it forever. Think Abraham... Sarah... Mary... Elizabeth and Zachariah, and the list goes on. Because I'm a writer at heart, I think of it in this way, which I'm sure isn't how God thinks of it, but it's how my head works... they each had a plot twist, and it ended up being a pivotal moment on their faith journey. Well, friends our family had one of those plot twists a few weeks ago. For the last year we have homeschooled both kiddos, after quite a few years in public school. I adored the experience of being their teacher and watching them learn this last year, but after much discussion, we decided with our recent move and my growing freelance workload, that we would apply to a Catholic school near our new home. The same school I attended as a young girl. We were so excited at the thought of continued academic excellen...

Coach Man is a creature of habit. When he finds something he loves, he stays with it. Whether diet Dew, Texas BBQ sandwiches, The Office episodes, his gorgeous wife or vacation spots. And something about South Haven, Michigan has landed it on his annual summer must do list. Yes, this Indiana girl loves it too, but Coach Man, says it's a yearly must. We went for a few days this summer in very early June (which I say is the best time to go, great temps, no crowds). Last year we did July. I tried to sneak it a short excursion over to Saugatuck Michigan for dinner. Nope. Sorry, Saugatuck.  So why does he love it so? Let me count the ways. It's a short drive from Indy. Only 3.5 hours.  We pass through South Bend. Do you know what's in South Bend? Another favorite of the Coach Man. #playlikeachampiontoday  It's a beach, but without jellyfish. Life is slower up there.  People are friendly.  There's a quaint walkable downtown with vintage T-shirt ...

Music has always spoken to my soul. I can't sing worth a darn, but I'm an avid listener and carpool karaoker. I love all sorts of genres - pop, country, classical, show tunes, jazz, hip hop... There's not much I don't like, well, maybe some of the stuff on Coach Man's playlist, but even that sometimes grows on me, oh and the Caillou theme song, but who really loves that? Songs take me back to places, songs make me feel, and they make me ponder. While on a short Michigan trip with the family this summer, Roo boy put his headphones on my ears and said Mom don't you like this one? It was I Like Me Better by Lauv . Yes, yes, I do, but I change it up a little in my head. Doesn't everyone? It makes me think of how far Coach Man and I have come over our 18 married years. Yes, there have been more than a few bumps in the road, but I do like me better as his wife. I'm absolutely sure this was my vocation. Not a doubt in my soul. But moreover, I like me bette...

Over the course of my life, I've often had thoughts run through my head that started out, girls like me don't... Girls like me don't wear sleeveless anything. Girls like me don't become cheerleaders. Girls like me don't bust a move at wedding receptions. Girls like me don't wear red lipstick. Girls like me don't hang out with girls like her. Girls like me don't give presentations up in front of everyone. Girls like me d on't become the boss. Girls like me don't dabble in fashion. Girls like me don't do sporty things. Girls like me don't go in front of the camera. Girls like me don't  karaoke. Girls like me don't  succeed at diets. Girls like me don't have their dreams come true. And so on and so on. There have been times when I've overcome some of those don'ts , but for most of my life I've often let fear win. I've believed the lies of the don'ts . I have a feeling it's happened to you a time ...

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School and the Lou. I had been asking my mom about joining a swim team. I even explored some bigger local year round swim teams and tried out, but they seemed a little too big to me. I had loved my Goldfish Swim School lessons at the Fishers location and my mom remembered they had a swim team too! Swim Force. We're lucky because there is a Goldfish Swim School near our new house in Carmel. My mom called and I'm now on practice number 3 with Swim Force at the Carmel Goldfish Swim School! I'm loving it. The way the pool is set-up is different from when I did lessons. They move the lane ropes and now we swim the whole length of the pool as we work on all the strokes. It's so fun and I love all the coaches. Sometimes it's hard work, but I don't want to quit. I want to get better and better, plus they make learning the strokes so fun with games. My favorite is the Catch Up freestyle drill. However, I thought they were...

The year I finally took a leap of faith and embarked on trying to live the life I had always wanted to live, but deep down had always been too afraid to, a wise co-worker (an engineer - go figure), asked me a question that became an important catalyst for change in my life. What was the question? A simple but profound one.  He asked: How many summers do you have left?  Say what?  Not as in how many summers until my own journey comes to an end, but how many summers left that my sweet babies are little. He advised that it's important to make the summers count, build the memories and be fully in the moments that matter, because before you know it, your kids are 18 and on their way to their own adventures. The day he asked me how many summers the answer was 9 and 13. Now the answer is 6 and 10. As they say, time waits for no one. I'm sad I wasted so many summers. Now don't get me wrong, we did fun things over the summers like local museums, the pool, festival...

When you're Dave Ramsey-ing it up, gift giving can be a conundrum. You want to stay the course and reach your goals, but it's also fun to celebrate those you love as well. In late 2017, Coach Man and I began to try to think about gift giving in a whole new way. It was the first year that we didn't go overboard on Christmas and have regrets come January. We're beginning to see that gifts aren't always necessary, and often the gift of time is more precious. That's not to say there aren't times when a gift is appropriate and your heart just wants to do it. I'd say for this mama it's when a moment calls most for a delightstruck gift. Something within your budget and full of meaning. This past weekend was one of those. It was my MIL's 60th birthday. A milestone and definitely a day to celebrate someone we all love dearly. My sister-in-law and I put on our thinking caps to identify the perfect gift! It started the weekend before! We had the c...