Let's Go Back to School, Tuesday Morning Style!

This post is sponsored by Tuesday Morning but all opinions are my own

School bell’s are ringing!! If you live in Kentucky anyway…! It’s always a transition, isn’t it? It feels like yesterday that our daughter was entering PreK and our son Kindergarten, and now here they are as first and second graders! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!? We feel pretty lucky that our kids love school and they get so excited about going back. Reese is a social butterfly and Pierson is an academic whiz; both are turning into all around excellent students. This year we wanted to do something a little different when we were preparing to go back, we thought it would be fun for the kids to come up with ideas for gifts for their teachers.

Both my husband Asa and I are also full time school teachers, and we know how special it feels when our students are thinking of us! Lucky for us we have a Tuesday Morning super close by our house, so one afternoon we went in and browsed all the aisles to come up with what I think are pretty cute gifts. The kids helped too, finding some beautiful miniature globes that they thought their teachers would love to have. We got those and found some decorative stickers to apply to them, adding the teacher’s name to the globes.

Reese wanted to do something ‘sweet’ for the teachers, and so we found some yummy cookies at Tuesday Morning (they look and taste homemade, yes, I had to sneak one) ;) She filled a little glass container we also purchased there, and we made a little note that said, “I’m going to be one SMART cookie with you as my teacher!”

Even though we ARE school teachers and the kids are great about school (i.e. doing their homework, reading, etc.) we did need a little more organization in our life this year. We decided to create a ‘school wall’ in our entry way, so that the kids could unpack their backpacks and put their papers or folders in labeled bins. This way, we can also keep track of what we need to sign and fill out and return. Pierson and Reese also loved this idea and of course made them even MORE excited about going back—they actually ASKED when we thought they would be able to get homework!!

Last but not least, let’s talk school lunches. How do your kids get lunch at their schools? Because Pierson and Reese’s Elementary offers free hot lunches, we don’t typically allow them to take a lunch every single day. (Hey, when you can save money, you save money, right?!) But we did want to be prepared for when they ARE able to take a lunch from home, so thanks to Tuesday Morning we were able to stock up on some new food containers for their lunch boxes. From teachers’ gifts to home organization to kitchen necessities, Tuesday Morning really had ALL the back to school needs!

Hopefully I have you convinced that you definitely don’t want to miss Tuesday Morning’s great deals and supplies for YOUR back-to-school transition?! Do you have one of their stores near you? Click here to find the closest one to your location, and I would love to see what you found with your kids when you go! While we chose to do more of a gift/organization/lunch haul, maybe you all need notebooks or planners or more supply related items. We love our Tuesday Morning and are really happy with all that we were able to find, and all within our back to school budget too! If you’d like to share a graphic on your social media platforms, I’ve posted one below! Thanks for reading, Y’all, and HAPPY SCHOOL SHOPPING! :) xx

Getaway for a Spectacular Weekend in French Lick

This post is sponsored by Visit Indiana and French Lick Resort, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Praise the Lord, it is our summer vacation!! My family and I were counting down the days until our summer could begin and finally, it is here! It was so fun to surprise the kids with a mini getaway the weekend that their school let out. We had heard GREAT things about French Lick Resort, and my husband and I are so glad we got to experience it for ourselves.

First off, for such a short drive from Louisville, it really feels like you’re ‘getting away.’ Not really an interstate close by, but two lane state roads wind you through beautiful country side. Then you pull into French Lick and there are these two MASSIVE resorts. They are historic, stately and offer such truly beautiful architecture and exploration. We pulled up and low and behold…FREE VALET. Sorry, but we aren’t typically fancy enough to have someone else park our car. That’s really a great way to start any vacation, someone willing to do mundane tasks for you. They even brought the luggage to our room free of charge as well!

We stayed at French Lick’s sister hotel West Baden Springs Hotel. You walk through a giant atrium to get to the hotel lobby, and oh my goodness, y’all—it’s magical. All of the beautiful natural light pours through, and when you stop and look straight up to the top, you can’t help being completely in awe at such a spectacular building. (I’m also blown away by whoever constructed it because holy heights, that would be kind of terrifying.)

Admittedly, French Lick is a small town, but for our weekend getaway it was perfect. Plenty of restaurants to choose from, games and activities for the kids, and the resorts have PLENTY of swimming options both indoor and out. The food at Ballard’s in West Baden, the charming train that will shuttle you back and forth between the resorts, bowling alleys, all of it was just super charming and relaxing. (PS, when you go and ride the train hopefully Todd is your conductor, he was MADE for this. Such a sweet and kind gentleman to everyone he gave rides too. He even gave our kids wooden train whistles, which I now have a love/hate relationship with; but regardless, sweet gesture!)

Outside of the resorts there were plenty of places to eat, shops to look through, and fun activities for everyone to enjoy. I recommend 33 Brick Street, which is where we had dinner one of our nights. Its a casual sports bar filled with cool memorabilia. Apparently I’m lame because I don’t really know who Larry bird is, but he has lots of things on display there!! We also enjoyed Pluto’s Pizzeria, which is where we bowled and ate pizza—a really fun experience and activity for our kids who are five and seven! For breakfast both days we went to the Grand Colonnade Restaurant Buffet. Saturday morning I had some girl time with my daughter; my husband drove our son to his basketball tournament back in Louisville (dedicated sports dad!) and she and I went to breakfast and explored some of the shops.

Big Splash Adventure is minutes down the road from the hotel, and a great activity for families who visit! It is a 40,000 square foot INDOOR water park, but get this—it has a retractable roof! All year round you all can enjoy this destination for some great family fun! Just outside of town there is Wilstem Ranch. There you can actually meet giraffes and elephants, and there is also zip lining and horseback riding here. The ranch is just ten minutes from Paoli and French Lick.

You all know me and my obsession with horses, right? We obviously had to check out the Stables at West Baden, which has trail rides available. (The minimum age requirement to ride though was eight, so we didn’t do a trail ride since our kids were too young; however, you know we cuddled them and got to know some of the staff, which in my mind, was pretty much just as awesome.) The staff there were super friendly! I’d highly recommend snuggling with the horses (and going for a ride, haha!)

We spent one of the afternoons at the pools, West Baden Springs has a great indoor and outdoor facility. It was sprinkling when we started, but the weather held off and we were able to enjoy a good couple of hours in the water!

French Lick truly was a GREAT weekend getaway place. Not far from home, but far enough away that life and responsibilities just slow down—and rest and laughter become the two most important things to take care of. I’ve heard from several friends that the decorations they put up at Christmas time are unreal, so my family will definitely be going back! Thank you, French Lick Resort for hosting our family this weekend, what an incredible place it is.