Category Archives: Adventures

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City

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LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City ~ The perfect playtime for kids of all ages! It's an excellent indoor activity for any time of year.

My husband has always loved Legos, and has wanted to visit LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City since it opened a few years ago. When Baby finally dropped his morning nap, we were excited to take him with us for a visit.

While my husband grew up playing with Legos, I was less of a fan. I looked forward to watching him enjoy the day but didn’t really expect to love it myself. Lo and behold, after an hour and a half of Lego play, wonder, and adventure, I was having so much fun that I wanted to stay for longer. Unfortunately, nap time called. Continue reading →

St. Louis Toddler Adventures {Part 2}

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Top St. Louis Toddler Activities: The Magic House, Butterfly House, and St. Louis Carousel at Faust Park.

Baby and I took a Thanksgiving trip to St. Louis, where “we” deliciously indulged in some dream pie, oreo cake, gooey butter cake and gooey butter cookies. Between sweets, I tried to keep Baby active and entertained as we worked our way through St. Louis’s top toddler attractions.

Our early excursions included visiting our animal friends at the incredible St. Louis Zoo and searching for paranormal activity at the haunted Lemp Mansion Restaurant and Inn {see Part 1}. Later in the week we made it to a few more toddler fun zones: The Magic House, Butterfly House, and St. Louis Carousel. All three kept Baby very busy, which is why most of the pictures caught the back of Baby’s head. Continue reading →

St. Louis Toddler Adventures {Part 1}

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Thanksgiving-header

Baby, Sirius, and I traveled to St. Louis for Thanksgiving to see my family. It’s a big event, with three turkeys, lots of cousins, and more desserts than I could count. Sadly, my husband had to stay behind to work. Thanksgiving is the restaurant’s busiest day of the year because of the Plaza Lights Festival. We missed spending the holiday with him, but loved the chance to spend some quality time with our St. Louis clan.

On previous St. Louis visits with Baby we stayed close to home, hanging out with family and going out to eat. However, this time around I had an active toddler in tow. I did a little research ahead of time to scout out some toddler fun so that we would have plenty to do when we arrived. Continue reading →

Lessons Learned from a Children’s Farmstead

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Life Lessons Learned from a Children's Farmstead: Go alone or call a friend, either way there's fun to be had!

Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in Overland Park, KS (near Kansas City) the perfect place for kids (and kids at heart!). Before my first visit, I didn’t know much about it except that there were farm animals to pet, an old-fashioned town, and hayrides. I’ve wanted to go for years, and I finally committed to going after others in my Mommy & Baby class said that my little guy would love it.

Still, it seemed like a schlep. I felt like it wouldn’t be worth going for the short amount of time we could fit in between Baby’s naps or bedtime. I thought it would be too difficult for me to go by myself. I asked my husband if he wanted to come with us, and his enthusiasm for the idea was beyond underwhelming. So when my dad was in town and up for anything, we planned to set off as soon as Baby woke from his nap. Continue reading →

Baby Storytime

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Baby Storytime at our local library - perfect for Baby (and for sneaking in some adult time, too) | ReflectiveMama.com

Baby Storytime at our local library has become one of our favorite haunts. The storytime we go to is geared for newborns to two year olds, but they have different programs for all age groups. We might be regulars now, but after our first day I almost never went back. I thought the storytime wasn’t interactive enough for Baby. But I ended up giving it a couple more tries, and now I’m hooked.

Here’s the setup: A children’s librarian leads us through fingerplays, songs, and rhymes to sing with our babies. She has lots of props: puppets, toys, and other fun thingamajigs to act out the words, and a powerpoint of rhymes and lyrics for the parents. There are chairs arranged in a U shape around the librarian, but I always sit on the floor with Baby close to the front so that he has a good view. After our first session, I realized that I could up the interaction factor by singing and playing with Baby to help keep him engaged. I sit him sideways in my lap, so that he can look at both my face and the librarian during the songs. If you go, sing! The more parents participate, the more fun it is for everyone.

Continue reading →