Lansing Family Fun is More Than Just a Website – It’s a Community
Ever wonder how Lansing Family Fun came about, who’s writing those Facebook posts, and keeping the calendar stocked with great events for Lansing families?
One dream and three adventuring moms later – (one former chemistry teacher + one reflective writer/musician + one Facebook community gatherer) – Lansingfamilyfun.com became reality.
Melody had her labor of love in Grand Rapids and after a friendship between myself (Carla, a Lansing resident) and Melody grew, we ventured to create a site where Lansing families could find local family-friendly events, fun ideas, travel info, guides, and so much more.
Yes, we’re just getting started!
Meanwhile, Sarah was hard at work connecting families all across the Lansing area and beyond in what is now the Lansing Family Fun Connection Group. Sarah created a space where local moms and dads could stay up-to-date on all things Lansing-family and it’s growing every day. If you’re part of that group – Hi! We’re so glad to be connected!
As lansingfamilyfuncom has grown, so has the team. There are more ideas and dreams to add to the mix which means, we absolutely can’t do it alone! This is where the entire Lansing Family Fun team is vital.
Together, we run the Facebook and community pages, the event calendar, handle marketing and advertising, write the newsletter, research and write articles, manage giveaways, and more bringing you the best in Lansing area family-fun content.
We’re so proud to be a part of this great and growing team and thought you might like to see the faces behind Lansing Family Fun.
~ Carla, Editor
Lansing Family Fun Team
Melody VanderWeide
Founder and Director
INFJ. Mom of 3. Idea chaser-People believer-Inspiration seeker. Together we make Michigan amazing – Let’s go!
melody@grkids.com
Sarah Koss
Facebook Administrator, Event Calendar, & Researcher
Sarah is a working mom of two boys and a dog, and she’s a multi-tasking ninja between two jobs, two kids (and all their activities), one dog, and a husband (it’s a wonder that she remembers where she’s going half the time). She and her husband met after graduating from MSU and have been together for almost 15 years. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading, naps, planning vacations, and catching up with family and friends. In the fall, Sarah can be found rooting for her Spartans on any given Saturday. Sarah grew up in the Lansing area and has lived here all her life. Go Green!
Robyn Eklund
Facebook Administrator & Event Calendar Research
Robyn is a Lansing native, wife, and stay-at-home mom to four kids ranging from toddler to tweenager. She has pride in her community and enjoys finding new places to explore. In whatever free time she can muster up, Robyn enjoys cooking, sewing, Zumba, graphic design, decorating projects, and speaking Spanish with whoever will listen.
Melissa Kranzo
Writer
Melissa is a wife and mother of three who loves to explore – and then write to tell about it! Melissa lives in the Lansing area and has lived in several areas of the U.S. Every move back to Michigan only increases her love and appreciation for the people, culture, and beauty of the mitten. When she’s not outside exploring with her family, you can find her trying to fit in a run before preschool pickup, teaching classes at her church, or filling up her phone’s camera roll with way too many pictures to ever print.
Elizabeth Rudd
Writer & Guides Specialist for Lansing Family Fun and GRKIDS
Elizabeth is a former elementary school teacher, now stay-at-home mom, to three young kids. Originally from Lansing, she now lives in the Grand Rapids area. Elizabeth spends her time taking kids back and forth to preschool, attending mom’s groups, hunting for great deals and spending way too much time on Facebook. She enjoys returning to Lansing often and seeing the amazing changes in the area and looks forward to the day when she can get back to reading all the books she’s bought and hasn’t had time to read.
Kim Guider
Editorial Assistant & Facebook Admin for Lansing Family Fun and GRKIDS
Kimberly is a stay at home mommy to two sweet and busy little ones. She enjoys DIY house projects, photography, dreaming about her next beach vacation, and trying new recipes (that her kids will inevitably NOT eat). Most of her day is spent answering the question, “Why?” Most nights she can be found staying up way too late watching reality TV shows and HGTV. She loves exploring and discovering new and exciting events and activities for her family to enjoy!
April Hunt
Senior Editor for GRKIDS CO. (Lansing Family Fun, GRKIDS, KZOOKIDS, Michigan Family Fun, and HeyGR)
April is a stay-at-home-working-mom hybrid who balances her time between managing a household and using her editor brain to find all the typos in her friends’ emails. In her occasional free time she enjoys reading, quilting and antiquing. She lives in Grand Rapids with her husband and three children.
april@grkids.com
Keri Siemens
Ad Manager for Lansing Family Fun & Ad Manager, Writer, Researcher, Newsletter for GRKIDS
Keri is a mom of four who enjoys “pizza and movie nights” at home with the family. When she is not managing ads, chauffeuring children, or trying out a new crockpot recipe, you can probably find her attempting to enjoy a cup of coffee before it gets cold.
admanager@grkids.com
Erin Russell
Office Manager & Sales Support for GRKIDS Co.
Erin is a musician who attempts to balance out her right-brained career choice with some left-brained office management and organization here at Lansing Family Fun and GRKIDS CO. During the lulls in her active schedule, Erin enjoys time with her family, cottage time by the lake and trying out new recipes for healthy meals. She live in GR with her husband and two children.
office@grkids.com