Day 37 - Kidfest Louisville

This past weekend we attended a local event called Kidfest Louisville. It was the first time it was held and, all in all, it was a pretty good time.

What it was:

Kidfest Louisville was an event organized by local businesses and hosted Lil Cheezers and The Mommy's Nest for families and children. There was food, music and booths with a range of family friendly things. It was a nonprofit event, so any money they got after expenses were paid went to The Mommy's Nest. For those of you who don't know, The Mommy's Nest is a local nonprofit that helps mommies in the community.

What we thought:

We went to this not expecting too much since it was the first time Kidfest Louisville was held. It was set up a bit awkwardly but other than that it was a nice turn out. Unfortunately, it was really geared for kids ages 4 to 10. My toddler had a blast at the booth for Heartland Music Together but everything else was not really age appropriate for him. They had 4 bouncy houses that were a hit with the kids and there was also face painting and live kids music. The best thing about the event though was the food. This was the first time I had heard of Lil Cheezers and Grind Gourmet Burgers but they did not disappoint. Everyone ate the food and loved it. I can't wait to try Lil Cheezers' other grilled cheese sandwiches.

I know there are a lot of little festivals and family events in our area, especially in the fall. They are a great way to get out of the house and have some fun family time. It's also a great way to support your community and learn about local businesses.    

Day 28 - Trick or Treating at the Zoo

As Connor and Cayleigh are still too little to actually go trick or treating, we decided to take them to the zoo instead. Our local zoo hosts "The World's Largest Halloween Party" every weekend in October and today we finally got the chance to go.

What it is:

"The World's Largest Halloween Party" is a partial walk through the zoo with various themes throughout. Their slogan is "be seen, not scared," so it is especially great for the littles in your family. Some of the themes include Disney characters, dinosaurs, video games, animals, etc. For each theme, there's also a booth or two giving out treats which can include candy, activity sheets, and little trinkets. It is very well attended and a local favorite for many families during the Halloween season.

What we thought:

Last year, we got the chance to take Connor, but he was still too young to really care what was going on. In fact, he fell asleep halfway through. This year, not only did he stay awake, he managed to walk more than half of it. Cayleigh was awake the whole time too, but was not in the mood to participate. (I think it had something to do with Geof stuffing her in her costume.) Overall, it was a fun family activity that is quickly becoming a family tradition. With more and more places limiting or frowning upon trick or treating and the safety aspect involved, it's nice to have somewhere safe and fun to take the kids.

Day 25 - Story Time

Today I took the kids to story time at the local library. I used to love taking Connor to story time when he was a baby but haven't been able to take Cayleigh until today. I also got to take Connor to the toddler story time for the first time today too. I've really been missing out!

What it is:

Our local public library system has story times at least once a week for various age groups. The one closest to us, St. Matthews, does baby and toddler story time on Thursdays at 10:15 and 11:15 respectively. Baby story time is for ages 0 to 2 and mainly consists of songs. We sing songs like Twinkle, Twinkle and Row, Row, Row Your Boat and The Itsy, Bitsy Spider and do actions along with them to engage the little ones. After about 20 minutes of songs we get to play time. Today, we did bubbles. The reading lady blew bubbles for all the babies and the mommies got a chance to talk some. The toddler story time is a bit more structured. It is for ages 2 to 4 mainly so the kids can pay attention longer. We open with a couple songs and then we read a book. After a couple more songs, we read another book and then closed with a song. After all that, there was a craft to do. Today, we colored an activity page.

Why I like it:

I love that it gets us out of the house and doing something different. I also really like the socialization aspect of it. My kids got to see, talk and play with other littles and I got to talk to other mommies. The songs are usually ones everyone knows so it is easy to join in. If it is a new song or one that is not so popular the reading lady teaches it first and all songs are sung twice. The books are age appropriate and the songs and rhymes go along with the book theme.

What I dislike:

I, like a lot of other mommies out there, had to take my kids to both story times. The mixing of the older and younger kids leads to some general confusion but it is not a deal breaker since everyone still has fun. The other thing I dislike is that some of the moms talk through story time. It makes everything louder and more confusing.


All in all, story time is a must have in your weekly schedule. So, look up your local library and see what they have. I know that Pottery Barn Kids also does a weekly story time if you have one of them near you.      

Day 20 - Pumpkin Patch Visit

Today we did something old and new. We visited a local pumpkin patch and got our pumpkins for Halloween. It's something we have done in the past true, but we went to a new place this time.

What it is:

On Saturday, we went to Sunny Acres Farm for their Pumpkin Festival. It is a little farm on the outskirts of the city that we had never heard of before. For the festival, they had a petting zoo, some bouncy castles, food and hayrides. They also had their corn maze and pumpkins in the pumpkin patch or at their store. For the older kids there was face painting and a scavenger hunt too.

What we did:

We went around the barn area and saw all the animals. It wasn't really a petting zoo since most of the animals were in cages but they did have a pony, a horse, a rabbit and a little pig you could get close to. After our toddler got bored looking at the animals (it took awhile), we went and played in the bouncy castles for a bit and then had a hayride. Connor had tons of fun doing both of these things and it was great to see him so happy and experiencing new things. After that, we went up to the store area and took some pictures of Connor in the pumpkin area and on the little toy tracker they had. It was super cute! We wrapped up the visit by picking out our pumpkins.

What we thought:

We had a great time but it was small and not set up great. It would have been nice if the petting zoo was more localized and more of a petting zoo than farm animals in cages. Altogether it was a fun day but we will probably go some place else next year.     

Day 17 ABC Kids Expo Day 2

Ok, so I promised more on the ABC Kids Expo and I finally have some time to sit down and give you all a summery of what it is and what I did.

What it is:

The ABC Kids Expo is the leading trade show for all things baby and child related. It is not for the public but is for the manufacturers, sellers and buyers in the field. For example, if you have a store related to kids, you would go here to find new products to sell. If you have a product, you would have a booth at the expo to find people to buy your product for their stores. Etc. It has everything from baby gear to toys to furniture to clothes. It was HUGE and so much fun to be able to go.

What I did:

I heard about it from the local babywearing group. Baby K'tan was looking for people to model their baby wrap and I jumped at the opportunity. On Sunday, I modeled Cayleigh in the Baby K'tan for 3 hours and then I got free rein to look around and see what was new in the baby and kid world. There was so much stuff that I only saw a small portion of it and had to come back today. I went around the Expo and told companies that I was looking to see what was new and excited so that I could tell all of you what to look forward to (a lot of the new items are not even in stores yet!). There were so many things that interested me and that I want to talk about that I think I will have to do one or two blog posts a week about something new from the ABC Expo.

What you can look forward to:

When many of the people found out that I had a blog, they asked me to blog about their products. Therefore, I will keep my promise and devote a blog post to each company individually. So of them even gave me stuff for giveaways on my blog! I am so excited to be able to share this with all of you. However, I need you to do something for me. Tell your family and friends about my blog so that I get more activity here. The more activity I get, the more giveaways and fun stuff I can do for all of you. And if you are interested to know some of the brands I have stuff from here are a few: Boogie Wipes, Disney Baby and Pampers Kandoo. Remember, these are just a few so please let people know about my blog so we can start the giveaways!      

Day 16 - Cupcake Decorating Class

Today I attended the first of two cupcake decorating classes. It was a blast and I learned how to make six different fall themed cupcakes. I've always wanted to learn more about cooking and baking and it is great to get out of the house and do something different not mommy related.

What it is:

JCPS has a lifelong learning program that has a bunch of different classes from carpentry to computers. I thought a bunch of the classes would be interesting to take but decided on taking the cupcake decorating class with my mother in law. You can find all their class listings at this site www.lifelonglearning4u.com
I had a great time learning how to make spider, sunflower, apple, pumpkin, owl and scarecrow cupcakes. It was also great that I got to share it with my mother in law. We don't get to spend much time together but whenever we do we have fun. I will also tell you how to make an owl cupcake since that one was the cutest in my opinion.

What you need:

Cupcakes (however many you want to make)
Frosting (you could use either a buttercream or a chocolate)
Butterscotch candies (2 of the circle ones per cupcake)
Chocolate chips (2 per cupcake)
Whole Cashews (1 per cupcake)
Almond slices (a bunch)

What to do:

First, cut the top off the cupcake so that it is flat on top. Spread frosting on the top so that it is smooth. Take the 2 butterscotch candies and place them a little above the halfway point to make the eyes. Use a little frosting to get the chocolate chips to stick in the middle of the butterscotch candies. Take the cashew and place it as the beak, lengthwise. Using the almond slices, place them around the eyes of the owl sticking up but at a slight angle to make feathers. Repeat for all cupcakes.

 

What I thought:  

Learning something new is a great way to get out of the house and keep your mind active. I highly recommend taking a course from your local community college or another lifelong learning if you haven't already. It's never too late to try something new or get more experience. It's also good for your mental health to spend some time away from the kids and focus on yourself for a change. That's something I struggle with all the time. Hopefully this will be the start of me remembering that a happy mommy makes a better mommy.   

Day 14 - A Great Day

Ok, so today I got to go to the ABC Kids Expo. It was AMAZING. However, I don't have the time today to go into any of the details so I will update with more tomorrow. Let me just say that I made some amazing connections and there may be some giveaways on my blog in the future! Come back tomorrow for all the details!