Siouxland Families

If you love sharing with your kids about Lakota culture or have wanted to do so but weren't sure how to start, you're going to be so excited about The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way . It's so kid-friendly with colorful illustrations and I'm happy to share about it. Thank you to Abrams Books for sending me a press copy of  The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way to read and review. Who wrote and illustrated  The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way? The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way was written and illustrated by S.D. Nelson. He is renowned artist with his original works displayed everywhere from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian to the South Dakota State Historical Society. He is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and currently lives in Arizona.  You can learn more about Nelson and his work on his official author website . The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way is published by Abrams Books . Inside  The Animals Speak: The Lakota W...

Brekky's inside the Art SUX local collaborative art gallery is Sioux City's newest breakfast cafe and coffee shop, opened in late 2024. It had been on my bucket list since opening, and I finally got to go visit in early August 2025. I brought my 4 kids with me, and we all enjoyed trying a variety of things on the menu and checking out the art. Based on my online research and personally visiting Brekky's, here's my full review of and guide to Brekky's: Where is Brekky's? Brekky's is located at 515 4th Street in historic downtown Sioux City, Iowa. Brekky's is on the main/first floor of the Art SUX Gallery building and shares a door with the gallery. There is metered street parking in front of Brekky's/Art SUX and in front of other nearby businesses and attractions. You can use coins or an app to pay for that metered parking (25c per 15 minutes with a max of 2 hours when I visited in August 2025,) and the metered parking is free ev...

Amazing Iowa shares a fascinating look at Iowa fact you may not know, highlighting interesting people and places from across our great state. I'm a huge fan of local history so as soon as I heard about this new book  Amazing Iowa , I knew I needed to read it! Now that I have, I'm excited to tell you all about it and why you might love it too. Thank you to Reedy Press for sending me a review copy so that I could write this book review of Amazing Iowa! *Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, which doesn't change your price, but means I get a tiny chunk of Amazon's profits if you choose to buy through one-thanks!! Links to Reedy Press and Book People are not affiliate links but I love supporting them too!)     Who wrote and published Amazing Iowa ? Amazing Iowa was written by Michelle Sprout Murray, an Iowa writer who is also an owner of Birdsall's Ice Cream in Mason City. You can read more about Murray and her writing on  her Substack . Amazing Iow...

If you're looking for an imaginative picture book to kick off your kids' summer reading, check out The Dinosaur Seed by Lindsey Yankey, new in late May 2025. Thank you to Beaming Books for sending a copy so that I could review it. Read on for my full thoughts on The Dinosaur Seed  and why parents and kids will love it:  Who wrote The Dinosaur Seed ? The Dinosaur Seed is written and illustrated by Lindsey Yankey, who is an experienced author and illustrator from Kansas also known for her other books, including Sun & Moon and Bluebird , both award-winning picture books with stunning illustrations. I love her dreamy, colorful style, and her talents really bring The Dinosaur Seed  to life. You can learn more about Yankey and her books on her official author website .  The Dinosaur Seed is published by Beaming Books , and imprint of Augsburg Fortress. Our review of The Dinosaur Seed In The...

I love Taco John's and trying their new items and items that will only be available for a limited time, so I couldn't resist the brand new OMCheese Quesadilla Taco , which is available beginning January 6th, 2025.  The new OMCheese Quesadilla Taco from Taco John's is basically a taco made inside of a quesadilla. So instead of one tortilla on the outside of the taco, there are two soft flour tortillas, and there is a melted four-cheese blend in between them. I'm not sure whether prices vary, but at our Taco John's, it was about $4, which I felt was a fair price for how much food you get.  Inside the taco, there is meat (it's advertised as having grilled chicken, but in the Taco John's app you can also choose from ground beef or sirloin steak) topped with fiesta sauce, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo.  The OMCheese Quesadilla Taco is available on its own, or as a combo with Potato Oles and pop or bundle with Potatoe Oles, pop, a Nacho Crunch Be...

As part of the Shop Iowa Squad , I received from them several different gift ideas this past holiday season, including some treats from Purple Ribbon Beef, based in Britt, Iowa. I tried the beef summer sausage, and the cheese they sent me, and here is my full review: What is Purple Ribbon Beef? Purple Ribbon Beef is a family-owned beef farm in Britt, in north central Iowa. They have a Purple Ribbon Beef storefront on ShopIowa.com , they have their own physical farm store, and they sell at the Ames and Clear Lake farmers markets. They are known primarily for their delicious cuts of beef, but they also use many parts of the cattle to make innovative products, including beef tallow candles and soaps, and cowhide purses and bags. And they sell some fun items from other local producers, like cheese from WW Homestead and spices from Saltlickers, both on their Shop Iowa page and in their farm store. Beef Summer Sausage from Purple Ribbon Beef The star of the show from Purple Ribbon Beef was t...

When I heard that Taco John's was testing out a new menu item in just three cities and that one of them is Sioux City, I immediately wanted to try it out! So, we headed to Taco John's to try their brand new "walking taco" style dish, which they are calling the Fritos Taco Mixers. Based on that trip and trying them with my tween, here's my full review: What is the Taco John's Frito Taco Mixer? The Taco John's Fritos Taco Mixer is a brand-new dish available only in three test markets (Sioux City, Iowa; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana) as of Mid-November 2024. The Taco Mixers come in two varieties: regular and double beef. Both options are walking-taco style entrees consisting of Fritos corn chips, ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and some of Taco John's iconic Potato Oles.  Our thoughts on the Taco John's Frito Taco Mixers I ordered one of each variety of the Taco John's Fritos Taco Mixers from a Sioux City Taco John...

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of both my publisher Reedy Press (I wrote 100 Things to do in Sioux City and Siouxland Before You Die for one of their travel guide series in 2020) and of Sara Broers, the queen of Midwest travel. So, when I heard that she was writing a new book for them, Perfect Day Iowa , I reached out to see whether they were looking for bloggers to review it. To my delight, they were, and they sent a free copy for review purposes. Here's what you should know about this wonderful new travel guide: Perfect Day Iowa is the latest book in the Reedy Press Perfect Day series in which local travel experts around the nation share their best one-day itineraries for their area--what should you do if you have just one day in a certain area or town? Who wrote Perfect Day Iowa? For the Iowa edition, they turned to Sara Broers, who I like to think of as the Queen of Midwest Travel. I've written about her before, most recently when I reviewed her boo...

Meet the prettiest cookbook of 2024: the Cottagecore Baking Book . It's written by an Iowa mom, Kayla Lobermeier, and it's chock full of absolutely adorable recipes that feel really special. I received a free copy from Page Street Publishing for review purposes, and I'm excited to tell you about it!  Who wrote the Cottagecore Baking Book ? The Cottagecore Baking Book  is written by Kayla Lobermeier who is the author of The Prairie Kitchen Cookbook and well known for her cottagecore social media channels and blog,  Under a Tin Roof . Lobermeier and her mom Jill Haupt manage Under a Tin Roof together and share their adventures running a flower farm and living life together as a multigenerational household in southeast Iowa, where Haupt and her husband share a farmhouse with Lobermeier and her husband and the Lobermeier children. Kayla has been featured in many print and digital publications including  Willow and Sage  magazine,  Wher...