My friend Jen and I took the kids to the Jelly Belly factory in Wisconsin on Wednesday, then on to a public museum in Kenosha. If anyone lives around south-eastern Wisconsin or northern IL, this is a fun, free trip. The Jelly Belly factory gives free tours (along with free candy samples!) and the Kenosha Public Museum is also free. It's not huge, but it's a pretty nice museum nonetheless. There's even a kids' section with hands on activities to entertain the little ones. And when you're done with the museum, you can take a ride on a historic trolley for a quarter!
Jelly Belly factory
picture made out of Jelly Bellys
having a picnic outside the Jelly Belly factory
the Karate Kid?
being chased down by a dinosaur
being speared by an Indian
ROUS (rodents of unusual size)
snacking on a little Mammoth flesh
What if it was fashionable and desirable to have your boobs hang down to your waist?
electric streetcar
Yeah, yeah, smile from ear to ear now when only 2 minutes ago you threw yourself down on the floor of the trolley and screamed your head off because you didn't want to sit next to anyone.
She was remembering how proud of her you were for helping clean the bathroom mom!
ReplyDeleteWow, it's extremely creepy to come on here and Kenosha. I live there :) Hope you had fun! Did you visit the artwork on the top floor of the museum? There's occasionally a few cool things in one of the rooms that kids would like.
ReplyDeleteHey, at least you got her smiling!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see pictures of the inevitably fabulous cake! (Are you going to be sorry you set yourself up in front of the whole world to make an awesome cake for each birthday?) I only have to do two a year and am sometimes sorry I set the precident for myself!
Happy party!
Who knew jelly beans could be so entertaining!!
ReplyDeleteWhat if...then I'd be on the cutting edge!
My son's like that too. Screaming on minute, pleasant as can be the next. We refer to him as Jekyl and Hyde. We think he may have multiple personalities;)
ReplyDeleteRodents of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist.
ReplyDelete~Laura
Looks like a fun day. Happy Birthday Jackson.
ReplyDeleteAhhh!!! Thats what I just did (scream) my husband looked at me like I was nuts and said "What?" I told him "my blog lady(thats you and he hears about you quite often) was at the Jelly Belly Factory!"
ReplyDeleteI live in Kenosha! Drat! If only I had known I'd have stalked you. Lol!
Hi Dawn!
ReplyDeleteI brought my two little ones there last weekend. They ha a blast and are begging to go again this weekend to see the "Belly Beans". Thanks for the tip about the museum and trolley. It will give us something else to do after the 90 min drive. As a funny aside, don't tell a 3 y/o princess obsessed daughter you are going to the Mars Cheese Castle..as she will be VERY upset when she discovers there is not a princess there. Keep up the great blog!
What cute pictures! Really crack me up.
ReplyDeleteWe have a Jelly Belly factory here in California and the tour is like a trip to Wonka's. Bizarre and amusing.
LOL! That picture of all the kids having a picnic on the grass with the perfectly good (and empty) picnic benches behind them is just too funny. My kids are like that, too . . . they would much rather sit on the floor to eat than actually sit at the table!
ReplyDeletethere is also a Jelly Belly factory 45 west of Sacramento in Fairfield, CA. We loved buying the belly flops (imperfect jelly beans) for cheap. I agree, it's a great tour~!
ReplyDelete"What if it was fashionable and desirable to have your boobs hang down to your waist?"
ReplyDeleteYou mean it isn't? Oh, crap...
I love reading your blog, I don't normally post, but I had to tell you. My daughter(2) was throwing a huge screaming fit, until she saw the picture of Brooklyn. She keeps telling me "more Brooky more
ReplyDeleteBrooky". Thank you for posting the picture, it saved me from having to give in to her demands.
Did you buy some "Belly Flops?" They're the "imperfect" Jelly Bellies...they sell big bags of them at the outlet store, much cheaper and they still taste the same!We went on the tour too, and loved it!
ReplyDeleteOh Brooklyn looks adorable! Love the piggy tails:))
ReplyDeleteThat does sound like a fun field trip day - my hubby loves Jelly Bellys
ROUS? I didn't think they existed. ;)
ReplyDeleteAfter breastfeeding four kids (still nursing Baby #4) I look just like the saggy-boobed wooden woman. Do you know how hard it is to keep the gals up past my rib cage? Some bra manufacturer needs to create a super-duper-boob-a-rific bra with extra, extra underwire support. I don't care if I ever look like I'm 18 again, but I'd appreciate my body resembling itself when I was in my late 20's! LOL
ReplyDeleteOh did Lexi forgot her glasses again?
ReplyDeleteBrooklyn's outfit is so nice! I love it when she smiles :)
Corrina
Brooklyn is getting so big! She looks a lot like Lexie in the last photo.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great picture of your littlest!
ReplyDeleteBut I could have done without the one of the rodent of unusual size. Maybe I need to get bigger mousetraps?
I cannot remember the last time you posted a picture of her smiling. What a cute kid! LOL
ReplyDeleteWe used to have fun free days just like that when we lived in Kenosha. There is a small, but free zoo in Racine, just north of Kenosha. It's nice and you can feed giraffes. They also have a great park for kids to play and a large picnic area.
ReplyDeleteDawn,
ReplyDeleteHate to say this, but I remember riding in the electric street cars when I lived in Milwaukee 40+ years ago. They were energy efficient and much quieter than motor coaches. However, limited as to where they could travel.
Happy Birthday JACKSON!
Sandy, HE, Illinois
Sorry Dawn, I gotta do this. You asked the question, "What if your boobs hanging to your waist were fashionable and desirable?" Well, I would be fashionable and desirable for the first time in years! I'm 59 and all I can add is...Girls - thank God for gravity but pray for certain parts to be relieved of its power!
ReplyDeleteWe were just there - another great place just north of the museum is Simmons Island, the beach is beautiful and it is rarely crowded.
ReplyDeleteI love that smile from ear to ear picture. I live that every day with my two year old and three year old.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! And so cool that it was all free.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in SE WI but I had no idea that it was the home of Jelly Belly before I read your blog today. Who Knew?
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Les Paul either until I moved far far away, and he is from the same town that I am from. (Waukesha)
When I was a teenager, I always felt under endowed, but now that I am way older, it turns out that little boobs don't sag as much. Is this vengence served cold?
Hey Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you aren't taking the kids out to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine or have you done that before?? We are making the trip out to Union (the middle of nowhere) tomorrow. Got to love THOMAS!
Love your blog...
Karen
Oh c'mon, Dawn. You know it's all sunshine and roses once a three year old gets her way! (or at least I do...)
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to go do the Jelly Belly tour. I've heard good things about it but just haven't made it there. Maybe one of the 8 kajillion school holidays this year, we'll head up!
The Jelly Belly Factory is free? That's it...I'm making the trip from Michigan.
ReplyDeleteButtered popcorn jelly beans rock!
Ooops, forgot to mention -- you're invited to a bloggy dinner party on Monday night over at my place! I figure you can use a "night out" with no kids ;)
ReplyDeleteA jelly belly factory tour!!! Sounds like so much fun and my kids are grown. I'd go by myself to see that!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, but what if it was also fashionable to not only have sagging boobs, but a lovely tag hanging from your nose to help accentuate those sagging boobs!!!LOL
ReplyDeleteI think Brooklyn's pigtails are adorable! I could never do/wear a hair style like that, cause I'd never be able to get then similar. Can you tell I have no kids yet?
ReplyDeleteI always learn something when I read your posts! I've driven by that Jelly Belly sign about 200 times and never ONCE thought to go there...duh! But FREE? I'll take free.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute photo - that GRIN is just precious!
I love how you take your kids EVERYWHERE, even though you have a "tantrumy" little girl. My tantrum child is three and I seriously have a hard time wanting to take her anywhere these days...kuddos to you!! Oh, and it's a good thing they smile at the end of their tantrums because it makes us "forget" all about it! LOL.
ReplyDeleteMy waste line has enough company with my gut hanging down over the belt line. It doesn't need my "boobs" hanging around as well. Or were you directing that question just to your female audience on that?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/
Dawn~
ReplyDeleteMy almost 2 year old daughter has begun to throw tantrums. It doesn't matter where we are, she throws herself on the ground and screams. We went to see the Braves play the Cubs here in Atlanta (had to see the first place Cubbies!) and right in the middle of the turnstiles she threw herself down screaming. She's also taken to calling everyone dummy, I guess her older sisters have rubbed off on her.
Your caption of Brooklyn just reminds me so much of my own daughter.
Do you think that if enough of us were to have our boobs hanging down to our waists that it might just become fashionable?
ReplyDeleteIf I would have known that I was in fashon with my mom boobs that hang PAST my waist I would have stoped looking for a good push uyp bra LONG ago!
ReplyDeleteJenn
"What if it was fashionable and desirable to have your boobs hang down to your waist?"
ReplyDeleteHow about having a price tag hanging out of your nose? LOL I mean, really, people. Be a little conscientious of price tag placement...
OMG, that picture of Brooklyn is priceless! Love the cake and a big Happy Birthday Jackson. We did a tour of the Jelly Belly once when my daughter was young, we only live about 15 min away from the one in Fairfield Ca, it's pretty neat.
ReplyDeleteThat picture made from Jelly Bellys is absolutely amazing! It must have taken incredible patience to design.
ReplyDelete