It could have been the Xmas season that made Picture People in Exton Mall so ridiculously crowded at 3:50pm on a Friday, but I didn't plan on spending an hour waiting to get our photo taken. A crowded wait area, tons of kids, and my own kid sick, did not bode well with me.
Once we got in the photo shoot, out photographer was so nice, she still had a genuine smile on her face despite the fact that she must have been dealing with cranky people all day. It was a bit rushed though. No more than 15 minutes, and we didn't get even close to the number of poses we had at JCPenney.
The quality of the pics were good though. With a groupon, I managed to get a honey of a deal for a single pose, but then ended up paying a small fortune ($80) on a "duet" portrait. I didn't know how much it cost until I was at the register. Of course they always sell you stuff when your child is in the throws of a post-photo shoot meltdown, which is inevitable.
One bonus is you get your pics immediately. No waiting a week! The down side is you only have the pics on file 2 days before they delete them from the database. You get a miserly week if you buy their membership. What a rip!
Overall, I think I'd go back to JCPenny where I got more for my money despite the wait for the pictures!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Garden Party! Our Trip to Longwood Gardens!
We've had tickets taped to the fridge since July and a million excuses why we couldn't take a trip to Kennett Square this weekend. Finally, the 24 hour Christmas music station got me in the mood to see some amazingly decked out trees. It was time to journey to Longwood.
I was worried about the trip for several reasons:
1. The lengthy car ride and a cranky baby (luckily slept both to and from Longwood!)
2. A lot of walking with a stroller resistant baby (all that walking gave us the blessed and rare 2nd afternoon nap)
3. Potential boredom (Do babies really care that much about flowers? Yes, they do!)
As you can see my fears were laid to rest as we set my child loose in the Children's Garden in the conservatory. This little garden comes complete with dozens of water fountains, cool statues, a discovery station, musical instruments, and a woman with a puppet dog, Woody, to entertain! I didn't realize that it was so kid friendly! Be warned though that your child WILL get soaked in the water fountains, so bring a change of clothes! Longwood will lend you a towel to dry your munchkin up. Now that's thinking ahead!
We did manage to set our 1 year old loose with minimal destruction to the indoor gardens. We took pit stops along the way for snacks, and she was happy as a little girl could be!
We didn't go in the evening to see the lighted trees, but the Christmas route in the conservatory was stunning and worth the journey. Many families were having their Christmas card photos taken in front of the many trees of splendor! If I had thought of it, we, too, would have been wearing our Sunday best! Next year I'll be ready!
Overall, I strongly suggest a visit. But be warned, it is A LOT of walking! Happy gardening!
I was worried about the trip for several reasons:
1. The lengthy car ride and a cranky baby (luckily slept both to and from Longwood!)
2. A lot of walking with a stroller resistant baby (all that walking gave us the blessed and rare 2nd afternoon nap)
3. Potential boredom (Do babies really care that much about flowers? Yes, they do!)
As you can see my fears were laid to rest as we set my child loose in the Children's Garden in the conservatory. This little garden comes complete with dozens of water fountains, cool statues, a discovery station, musical instruments, and a woman with a puppet dog, Woody, to entertain! I didn't realize that it was so kid friendly! Be warned though that your child WILL get soaked in the water fountains, so bring a change of clothes! Longwood will lend you a towel to dry your munchkin up. Now that's thinking ahead!
We did manage to set our 1 year old loose with minimal destruction to the indoor gardens. We took pit stops along the way for snacks, and she was happy as a little girl could be!
We didn't go in the evening to see the lighted trees, but the Christmas route in the conservatory was stunning and worth the journey. Many families were having their Christmas card photos taken in front of the many trees of splendor! If I had thought of it, we, too, would have been wearing our Sunday best! Next year I'll be ready!
Overall, I strongly suggest a visit. But be warned, it is A LOT of walking! Happy gardening!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Please Touch Museum is Rated Please Go Right Now!!
Normally I avoid going to Philadelphia at all costs (no offense Philly, but 76 sucks), however, for my little munchkin's 1st birthday, we wanted to treat her to awesomeness that our living room cannot provide.
It was a no-brainer...the Please Touch Museum (PTM) We had been to the Baltimore famed Children's Museum, so we had high expectations. PTM did not disappoint. It was dizzying how many incredible exhibits they had! My favorite was the Alice in Wonderland themed maze where kids could explore all of the fantastical characters from the book. We even had a tea party with the Mad Hatter! There was also a house of mirrors and costumes for dress up.
If that wasn't enough, there was a whole music room with tiny baby grands and even the walking piano like in the movie "Big!". Baby was thrilled with the opportunity to pound out a few showtunes on the black and white keys.
While there was much more for the 3+ kids, the museum had several specific 1-3year old safe play areas. This is to avoid your toddler being run over by a "big kid".
One area that was not accessible for those toddlers on the short side was the River Adventures area, which I was actually looking forward to playing in. Our little one could barely peek over the edge of the duck pond.
However, all of the exhibits were so fun, it didn't matter that one of the twenty play areas weren't the best fit. Heck even the gift shop was fun! Callie got to push a little shopping cart and was in seventh heaven. (I'm still trying to convince my husband we NEED this tiny cart!)
Seriously, if you haven't yet checked it out, it's so worth the drive! Baby slept like a rock that night!
It was a no-brainer...the Please Touch Museum (PTM) We had been to the Baltimore famed Children's Museum, so we had high expectations. PTM did not disappoint. It was dizzying how many incredible exhibits they had! My favorite was the Alice in Wonderland themed maze where kids could explore all of the fantastical characters from the book. We even had a tea party with the Mad Hatter! There was also a house of mirrors and costumes for dress up.
If that wasn't enough, there was a whole music room with tiny baby grands and even the walking piano like in the movie "Big!". Baby was thrilled with the opportunity to pound out a few showtunes on the black and white keys.
While there was much more for the 3+ kids, the museum had several specific 1-3year old safe play areas. This is to avoid your toddler being run over by a "big kid".
One area that was not accessible for those toddlers on the short side was the River Adventures area, which I was actually looking forward to playing in. Our little one could barely peek over the edge of the duck pond.
However, all of the exhibits were so fun, it didn't matter that one of the twenty play areas weren't the best fit. Heck even the gift shop was fun! Callie got to push a little shopping cart and was in seventh heaven. (I'm still trying to convince my husband we NEED this tiny cart!)
Seriously, if you haven't yet checked it out, it's so worth the drive! Baby slept like a rock that night!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Need Baby Books?
Chester County Main Library is having their Spring Book Sale today 9/5 from 9:30-4pm and tomorrow is the bag sale from 1-4pm! You can really load up with some great books for baby! No strollers allowed!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
More Fall Fun at Verner Farm
When my husband suggested stopping by another pumpkin patch this weekend, I looked lovingly at him and said, "this is why I married you."
We really expected Verner's on Rt 113 out by Collegeville to be similar to The Farmer's Daughter. Boy was I wrong! Verner's is pumpkin patch paradise! Given it was a nice day, the place was packed with kids and didn't see one who wasn't grinning like a jack-o-lantern!
For the year and under crowd, there's a little farmville area with a horse, a pony, some goats, pigs, chickens, and bunnies. My daughter finally got to see a horse up close and was jumping for joy!
There was also an interesting tractor pull of sorts where a train of wagons were hitched to a large John Deer. Adults seemed to be enjoying the ride too!
Speaking of tractors there were trike tractors and a small hay racetrack for the toddlers as well as hay bail and mini corn mazes. If I were a kid here I would be in seventh heaven. I actually fantasized about taking my baby here next year again so she could partake in some of the older kid activities.
As if this wasn't enough, Verner's offers free pumpkin painting and scarecrow making stations and hayrides! The only charge is $5 for a TWO ACRE corn maze...which is simply the biggest corn maze I have ever heard of.
Verner's also has a pick your own apples orchard, great cider, and lots of homemade food made to order. Honestly, you could spend the day they and not get bored.
Unfortunately they are closed Sundays, so make your plans for next Saturday, and I'll see you back out there!
We really expected Verner's on Rt 113 out by Collegeville to be similar to The Farmer's Daughter. Boy was I wrong! Verner's is pumpkin patch paradise! Given it was a nice day, the place was packed with kids and didn't see one who wasn't grinning like a jack-o-lantern!
For the year and under crowd, there's a little farmville area with a horse, a pony, some goats, pigs, chickens, and bunnies. My daughter finally got to see a horse up close and was jumping for joy!
There was also an interesting tractor pull of sorts where a train of wagons were hitched to a large John Deer. Adults seemed to be enjoying the ride too!
Speaking of tractors there were trike tractors and a small hay racetrack for the toddlers as well as hay bail and mini corn mazes. If I were a kid here I would be in seventh heaven. I actually fantasized about taking my baby here next year again so she could partake in some of the older kid activities.
As if this wasn't enough, Verner's offers free pumpkin painting and scarecrow making stations and hayrides! The only charge is $5 for a TWO ACRE corn maze...which is simply the biggest corn maze I have ever heard of.
Verner's also has a pick your own apples orchard, great cider, and lots of homemade food made to order. Honestly, you could spend the day they and not get bored.
Unfortunately they are closed Sundays, so make your plans for next Saturday, and I'll see you back out there!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, August 5, 2011
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!
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!
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