Pumpkin Patches and Apple Cider!

Autumn is in the air and the urge for apple cider and pumpkin patches has taken over! We finally settled on visiting The Farmer's Daughter on Rt 724 past the WaWa.

Farmer's Daughter is perfect family fun. They have corn makes, hayrides, and tons of pumpkins! They also have a great produce section indoors and the best cider I've ever tasted!

We made a day of it and had a picnic there (lots of tables for eating what you buy!)

We'll be checking out other pumpkin patches in the area such as Varner's Farms on rt 113 or Linville in Media. If anyone has other holiday suggestions post them here!

Post Note: lucky me (and you) Living Social is having a deal for the Farmer's Daughter! Spend $5 and get $10 worth of hayrides, produce, or corn mazes. This weekend Oct 8th there will be an all day family friendly event where you can get FREE FOOD and paint a pumpkin! Click on the link below for the Living Social deal!

Hello - I just purchased this deal from LivingSocial Deals: $10 to Spend on Corn Maze, Pumpkins, Produce, or Merchandise (http://livingsocial.com/deals/131559?ref=iphone-conf-jp&rui=50823773) The deal is only available for 33 more hours, so check it out and get in while you still have the chance!

The Search for a Baby Gym Continues... "My Gym" Review

When enrolling in my free trial class at My Gym in Exton, I thought, "how much different from Gymboree can it be?"  The answer:  COMPLETELY different. 

The set up of My Gym looks like an actual gym, but miniaturized. There are padded floor mats, miniture basketball nets with tiny basketballs, a balance beam, slides, a trampoline, ladders to climb and even a rock wall.  Not that I expected my baby to do a spiderman routine...at least I hoped that wasn't on the agenda.  I can't imagine another toddler belaying with their short attention spans.  My Gym impressed me with its dedication to being a gym and not just a romper room for babies.  They appeared serious about fitness. 

We started the class with the usual circle time but instead of just silly songs, there were actual stretches for the baby.  The gym instructor taught us how to flip our babies in the air, and we had the babies walking and jumping too.  It was very labor intensive. 

After circle time, the gym instructor created an obstacle course of tunnels, spring boards, padded stairs, ramps, and balance beams for the babies to explore.  This was again, a lot of activity for the baby, but she made it around the circuit twice. 

I was expecting this to be it, but then the instructor brought out a long knotted rope attached to the ceiling for babies to swing from like Tarzan.  I honestly couldn't believe any 9 month old would be capable of doing this.  Heck, I could never climb a rope in gym class myself, but some babies actually did it! I was more than a little impressed. 

The next activity was practicing handstands while grasping these push-up bars.  My daughter really loved this and flexed her biceps and triceps while upside down and impressed the hell out of the instructor.  That's our girl!

As if this wasn't enough, The instructors then brought out six swings and connected them to chains extending from the ceiling (I had wondered what the chains were about, but seeing that they looked like the set from a horror movie, I didn't have the nerve to ask). Babies got into the swings and had a blast! 

Finally, after an hour of activity, it was circle time again.  They sang songs and played with a puppet, but we left early.  Our child was exhausted. Ifyou have a kid that won't nap...I strongly suggest My Gym therapy.  We were n the Tiny Tikes class (if you click on the link, you can see a video...but it doesn't do the class justice.)

Now the bad part:  the price.  If you go to their Fall Enrollment Night, they'll waive the $75 Lifetime New Member fee and get $10 off the first month of classes. I'm not sure if it's $72 per class...I hope not, I'll have to get back to you on that.  The website isn't the clearest about the price, and I didn't stick around to get the sales pitch.  However, even if it's that expensive, you do get your money's worth! 

I'm going to check out Gymboree in Collegeville to see what they have to offer next. Until then, happy exercising!

Babies Need to Work Out Too: Gymboree Review

I happen to hang out with a lot of moms either online or in person and that's how I discovered that babies can get their own gym memberships.  I'm not talking about at the YMCA; I mean they have gyms specifically for babies.  I tried to imagine my tiny tot lifting foam weights and doing squats for a pacifier.  What the heck do they do at a baby gym? 

I went about investigating.  I was stunned to find there were THREE different baby gyms in the area: Gymboree, The Little Gym, and My Gym.  I've heard varying reports about each, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and go undercover to discover which baby gym offers the best bang for your buck. This will be a three part expose! 

Today, I visited the King of Prussia Gymboree location for my free "Play and Learn 2" class for babies 6-10 nonths old.  First, the location is a bit confusing to find, I'm very glad I took extra time to find it. Look for signs because the building is set way back off the street. 

Once I get there, I'm greeted by an overworked woman who explains that she's trying desperately to get her lunch in between her five classes of toddlers. Someone called in sick.   Still, despite the exhaustion she must have felt, she kept it upbeat and cheery.  I appreciate that. 

I'm told that the babies can go into the gym barefoot, but parents have to wear socks.  I look down at my sandels.  Who wears socks with sandels in the summer? Not me.  Fortunately, they have a basket of loaner socks for parents.  Seems like this faux paus is common enough to require a back up system.  If they had mentioned it on the web site, I might have come prepared. 

The gym itself is a huge padded room with huge padded jungle gym toys.  There's tiny slides, a wooden train to ride in, stuff to crawl over and around.  It really does look like nirvana for babies. 

The class of about 14 babies starts with circle time and songs.  We stretch the babies out while singing songs.  My baby absolutely loved seeing so many babies doing "airplanes" on their mommy's shins.  Then the babies played with balls, while the mommies went around the circle and discussed child care options we've tried.  That was a nice touch, because I got some really valuable info. 

Afterwards, our teacher brings out little scooters and explains that the week's theme is "riding."  Hence, riding a scooter will help with balance.  My child really hated this part, but a lot of babies loved it.  I have to admit they looked really cute on scooters. 

After scooter time, they "rode" the slide (with parental support) and other movable objects like big wheels and trains.  While my little girl liked this, it took us out of the circle where the babies could play and crawl together, and forced us to interact with our babies alone again.  The whole reason I go to these things is so Callie can play with other babies, so this was a minus for me.

We did get back into a circle for bubbles and parachute time.  Once again, we sang songs and then it was over.  The babies all looked a little worn by this time.  A little over stimulated to say the least.  I know babies don't have the longest attention spans, but you really do move through activities kind of fast and furious.  I felt tired afterwards too!

However, if you are going for a trial run, be prepared to get the sales pitch afterwards.  Classes are fairly expensive at $71 a month and that includes 4 classes (1 a week) and free "open gym" times.  However, for my girl's age bracket that would be twice a week.   If you took advantage of ALL the "open gym" times and the four classes, it amounts to about $6 a visit.  But if you are only going to the classes it's about $18 per visit.  There's also $45 new member fee too to take into consideration.

There is a $10/month discount for buying a four-month subscription membership.  So you'd pay $61 a month.  But I can't even get my own ass to a gym for four months in a row...I'm not sure I can manage that for my daughter either.  And in all honesty, MOST of the activities we did at Gymboree, we also did at the Phoenixville Library's Baby Story Time, and that was FREE.  Just saying. 

Meet me back here for Part 2 of our exploration of baby gyms when I visit the Collegeville Gymboree and The Little Gym in Exton. 

Kimberton Fair is in the Air!!!

As I was searching the net for fun things to do in my boring old life, I stumbled across the website for Kimberton Fair. Had I driven on Rt 113, the Kimberton Fair's existence would have been made painfully obvious to me.  The traffic is always horrendous, and I usually steer clear at all costs.  This year. however, all that has changed when I discovered:

THE BABY CONTEST

I'm not one to brag, or to be a future Toddlers and Tiaras mom, but my baby is pretty darn cute.  Why shouldn't she be recognized for the sweetheart that she is?  I mean look at this face:

WHOOPS!  I meant this face:



It should be hilarious!  Come out and see Callie take on the babies in the Class 2 division on Saturday, July 30 at 3:10pm!  And get some of the famous fair donuts while you are out there cheering us on!

POST CONTEST DETAILS:

I have to say, we were lucky the day of the contest.  Callie took a BIG nap before leaving so she was as fresh as a daisy on the first day of spring.  We cycled through a few outfits before loading into the car.

We arrived early so I could scope out the competition. It was hotter than hell outside, and we were all dripping sweat in the bingo tent.  Surprisingly, the babies kept their cool!  I expected it to be the tent of human wailing, but I think these babies knewthey had to keep it together for the judges :)

The "contest" was carrying your baby up to a table of judges and hoping that your baby would smile or do something cute. Thankfully, my baby is a known flirt.  She can wrap any waitstaff around her finger within minutes of sitting in a high chair, and the baby contest judges were no match for her either.  I am proud to say, we took 2nd place in the Class 2 (6-9 month) division!  Read more about it in The Phoenix!

The baby contest was honestly my highlight of the fair.  The carnies were mean, the food was ok, and we didn't get any donuts.  If we hadn't taken home a red ribbon, I would have called this a bust.  Was it baby friendly? They did have a large "baby changing tent" (cards tables with butcher paper tablecloths) available connected to the smelly petting zoo and a very scary looking "Elmo" circulating the crowd.  I'm not sure I'd call it "friendly", but there was an effort! 

YMCA Little Swimmers

I've been a bit busier this summer than anticipated, however, I have found time to get baby girl into the PHX YMCA's swim lessons.  Our particular class is very low key (only 2-3 kids) and the instructor is very good with children.  I was nervous (and still am) about the baby drowning, but I guess the lessons are as much for the parents to learn how to be less neurotic in the water with their kids, as it is for the kids to get used to being in a big pool. 

Classes are about a half hour and involve a number of nursery rhymes adapted to be about swimming.  They learn about kicking their feet, paddling their arms, and blowing bubbles in the water.  We play hokey pokey, motor boats, ring around the rosy, and London bridges.  At the end of the lesson, the instructor brings out a basket full of toys for the kids to play with. 

The only warning:  family changing rooms don't have changing tables for babies.  You'll have to use the little girls or the little boys locker rooms. 

If you aren't up for paying for a lesson, the outdoor Baker pool offers a wonderful toddler pool that ranges from a few inches of water to two feet.  There are also tons of pool toys floating for the little ones to enjoy.  I like being able to let the little one run around the grass outside and despite how gross it may be, I can discretely change her on the lawn without having to mess around in the changing rooms.

Well the baby wants to type her own blog post, so I gotta run!  Enjoy your swim lesson!

Review: Red Ribbon Consignment Closet

Driving home from the mall last week, I discovered a little shop on Valley Forge Road with strollers out front for sale!  Slamming on the the brakes, I quickly made the turn into the small shopping area.  I was practically licking my lips, ready to sweap up that jogging stroller that had caught my eye.

We were greeted as we walked in the door, by a nice woman who explained the layout of the store.  My husband went to conquer the downstairs, while I roamed the top floor.  There some nice items, but the selection wasn't very big for 9 month old clothes.  The prices weren't that cheap either.  A used Carter's outfit was only a dollar cheaper than what I could have found new.  I was discouraged. 

But wait, there was the stroller!  I quickly made my way to the prize.  It was beautiful...and expensive.  $110 for a used stroller?  Granted, they are expensive new, but I've seen these strollers sell for $60 at the big consignment sales, and I just couldn't in conscience buy it.

I made my way downstairs to meet my husband and see what he had found.  He was eyeing up a shopping cart cover that was $16.  Again, too expensive for used status. But then I had an idea!  If the owner was selling items at high prices, she probably paid good money for consignment items.  I mentally listed through the four bags of clothes and multiple baby gear items I don't use anymore.  Dollar signs chinged in my mental register. 

Did I get to unload my stuff and get lots of money? NO! They only buy items twice a year and the next buying time was in August!!!  So overall, the trip was a bust. Not that the store isn't worth checking out, just don't go expecting to save a lot of money.

It's Fun to Play at the YMCA

As summer quickly approaches, I made a vow to  myself to get back the Y instead of paying for a membership I never use.  My husband manages to get there and raves about the $2 an hour babysitting service for members while they workout.  Maybe, just maybe, I too, could put my baby in the care of trained professionals while I sweat off some of these stubborn pregnancy pounds.

Or...I could find classes that both me and the baby could enjoy.  You could take a look at the Summer YMCA Program Guide yourself, or take some suggestions from me.

Ever since the little bear turned 6 months old, I've wanted to take her swimming.  Yet I'm terrified of her drowning as I'm not the most competent swimmer myself.  This is why the Y's five 2-week swimming programs sound ideal for getting our feet wet.  Classes at Phoenixville Y are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:35-10:05am and again at 6:40-7:10pm starting June 13th for "shrimps and kippers" (6-18month olds).

I'm also thinking of checking out "Stroller Fitness" class. The program guide claims it's a "total body workout including power walking and toning exercises."  I say, "why not?" Come join me Mondays from 9:30am-10:15am. 

Well, now that I've posted it publicly, I guess I have to go back to the gym!  See you there ladies and gents!