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Urbandale Public Library

It SNOWED this week! The first snow has really put me into the holiday spirit now. That’s probably a good thing, since a bunch of holiday events are already starting THIS WEEKEND!!

Since it was snowy and cold, we decided to check out the Urbandale Public Library. I am so happy we did, I have REALLY been missing out. We had a blast!

Urbandale Public Library

The main reason we went is for the Toddler Story Time! Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday they offer a special Toddler Story Time. Each week is a different theme. This week was Eric Carle where we read, sang and played different activities incorporating all of Eric Carle’s famous books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar. There is also story time offered Wednesday and Thursday’s, they are not toddler specific. They also offer story time for babies too! Check out the schedule here!

The Story Room is such a cute and fun area. There are windows with cute little loft areas where the kids can climb up into. There are large doors that are closed when story time begins, which I like because Monte sure does like to run sometimes! My favorite part was the cute, wooden chair that the story teller sits in 🙂

We showed up a bit early, which is okay, because there is so much more then story time that is offered! We played on the computers for awhile, which were awesome! The computers are programmed for a certain age range. They have one computer specifically programed for ages 0-36 months! You can wear headphones, listen, and play along. Some of the screens are even touch-screen.

There are also building blocks, magna tiles, puppets, a coloring station and tons of books of course!

The Urbandale Library not only offers the fun story room, toys, books, DVD’s, CD’s, Chapter’s cafe, free wi-fi … they also offer some fun classes.

  • Lego Club
  • Reading Pals
  • Mothers & Others (great opportunity to meet some other mothers!)
  • Brown Bag
  • Minecraft
  • Tuesday Night Movie
  • Teen Yoga
  • Music Together
  • Science Sleuths
  • Teen Book Club

All of these things are FREE and most do not require registration, but make sure to check the calendar for details!

What is your favorite thing to do at the Urbandale Public Library?

 

Hike It Baby

I want to share an awesome group, I learned about these past couple of weeks …

Hike It Baby!

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I learned about Hike It Baby from another local babywearer in the Babywearing of Central Iowa group.

Hike It Baby all began in July of 2013 and has EXPLODED since then. It all started when one mother, Shanti Hodges, from Portland, Oregon, asked a group of other women if they wanted to go hiking with her. Week after week, more and more women joined. As the numbers increased, Shanti decided to create a website and newsletter to keep everyone in touch with each another.

Shanti created this group with the main focus to get moms (even dads) and babies out into nature. The hikes also help minimize postpartum depression, allows you to learn more about your city, meet other people who have the same interests as you, and give you some exercise.

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By word of mouth, and social media, several moms AND dads volunteered to lead hikes. The number of hikes that were lead weekly and daily, grew and grew! At this time, there are 40-80 Hike It Baby lead hikes across America. Each location has their own Facebook group, where leaders plan hikes and everyone who is in that area can talk and plan.

I absolutely love babywearing and to hear that an activity like Hike It Baby exists, makes me so happy!

Hike It Baby is completely free. It’s free to lead and it’s free to hike. It does not take much to become a leader. You can wear your baby, you can push them in a stroller, or if they want to hike along with you, they can do that too!

Right now, the Hike It Baby 30 challenge is taking place during the month of November. The challenge is to hike 30 miles in the month of November. Every 10 miles you hike, you are entered into a giveaway and there are some AWESOME prizes to be won! You can register for $10 to be officially part of the Hike It Baby 30 challenge and have a chance to win prizes OR  you can do it on your own, without registering, but you will not win prizes.

There are several levels of the challenge if you really want to challenge yourself even more. Such as hiking on only dirt trails all 30 miles, or you can walk around anywhere in your city as long as you hit the 30 miles. Amelia and I signed up for this challenge. Since it has been getting colder, it has been hard to get out and hike/walk, but there is still time! I know we can do it!

There is still time to sign up for the Hike It Baby 30 Challenge and if you belong to the Babywearing of Central Iowa Group, there are a group of women who are planning some hikes to meet this challenge. If you have not joined Babywearing of Central Iowa, read this to find out how!

As of now, there is no official Hike It Baby group in the Des Moines area. After the Hike It Baby 30 challenge, there has been talk of one being created! So, keep your eyes and ears open!

Valley Community Center

Monte and I have fallen in LOVE with the Valley Community Center!

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I learned about the Valley Community Center from my favorite Facebook group, Des Moines Beyond 4 Walls! This place has so much to offer for FREE and/or not very much money! Not only for children, but for adults also!

Our favorite thing is the kids play area. It is a great place to take your kiddos when the weather is icky and cold. Monte can spend hours running around, playing on the equipment and meeting new friends. Oh, and it’s FREE! Score! 🙂

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There is free Wi-Fi and a small little cafe, Maplenol Cafe, where you can order espresso, coffee, smoothies, and small snacks. There is also a  fire place in this area with big comfy couches. You should always be supervising your child while they are in the play area, but there are large glass windows so you can sit in the cafe, sip coffee and watch!

The Valley Community Center also offers classes for a small fee for children and adults. Right now they are offering …

  1. Creative Dance for Kids
  2. Zumba Fitness for Kids
  3. Barre
  4. Cardio Low
  5. Zumba Fitness for Adults
  6. Mat Pilates
  7. Kids in Motion
  8. Homeschool PE

These classes are between $3-$5 a class. You can buy a punch card and save some money! Some of these classes and other classes, I have not listed, may require pre-registration. Check out here for an entire list and calendar!

The Valley Community Center is only open during the week, but you can reserve certain areas during the week and/or weekends. I think this would be an awesome place to reserve out for a winter birthday party! Check out here for more information and prices.

What is your favorite thing to do at the Valley Community Center?

Des Moines Beyond 4 Walls

Let’s talk about an AWESOME free resource that keeps you up to date with fun events and activities going on in the Des Moines area … Des Moines Beyond 4 Walls.

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I wish I could take credit for all the fun events and activities we go to, but I cannot. Des Moines Beyond 4 Walls is an open Facebook group ran by two great ladies. They spend a lot of time and work creating documents for each season, holiday, etc. of things going on in the Des Moines area.

Each week a thread is started for events going on for that specific week and a thread for events going on for that specific weekend coming up. It’s great because not only do the administrators put what they have found on the thread, anyone who is a member of the group can add an event and/or activity they would like others to know about.

This group is also a great place to announce anywhere you have been and that you have enjoyed, such as a park.  You can also announce if you really love a place your child is taking gymnastics or violin lessons. It’s a great place to get recommendations from people who may be involved in something, you are looking into!

Please click here and request to join!

OR

You can search for Des Moines Beyond 4 Walls on Facebook.

 

Des Moines Halloween Events 2014

There are so many Halloween events that go on this time of year, in the Des Moines area! It’s so hard to pick and choose a few to do and see. We did some more fun activities this past week and none of them disappointed!

The Great Pumpkin Party was a three day event held by Valley Church in West Des Moines. We were not able to make it out until the final night, Thursday. Tuesday night was was specifically for families with special needs, which I thought was awesome! This event was so large, it was held at the Valley Church and the Valley Community Center across the street.

We were there right at 6 pm when the doors opened!

They had pony rides, right outside. Monte was soooo close to ride, but he got very nervous once he sat down on the pony.

The worship area was full of inflatables and right when you walked in,there was a huge Lightning McQueen inflatable slide. You should have seen the look on Monte’s face!

This event also consisted of live music, an illusionist, face painting, photo booth pictures, games, a petting zoo, ice cream, popcorn, lemonade, and MORE! All of this was FREE!

Monte’s favorite part of the evening (besides the large inflatables) was taking his picture with the super heroes!

Saturday evening we made it to the Annual Grimes Halloween Fest at the Grimes Community Center.

The whole building was filled with fun activities. As you walked through the building there were people dressed up, handing out candy. There were two different bake sales going on! Inflatables to play on (one of Monte’s favorite), a haunted house (we did not go in), a soft-play area for the little kids to run and jump, AND free tours of an ambulance and fire truck!

Monte though the fire truck and ambulance were way cool!

Sunday after carving and painting our pumpkins …

We went to the Valley Junction Pumpkin Walk. The event was 2-6 pm and we went a bit late, around 4ish. A lot of the things were just finishing up when we got there, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

The highlight of the event was, of course, getting candy.

A lot of the stores participated and as you walked through the junction you could stop and get candy! One store, gave away fancy, collectible rocks! Monte thought that was pretty neat!

Green Grounds Cafe hosted children’s activities and you could get a balloon animal! Monte got a GIANT sword! There was also a chance to get a FREE pumpkin.

What fun Halloween activities have you been checking out?! 

Susie Switch, Teal Pumpkin Project & Beggars Night

Let’s talk about Beggar’s Night!

Every year thousands of kids trick or treat, door to door and receive TONS of candy. I thought I would share a couple of different trends that are going on this year and you should participate to spread the word!

1. Susie Switch

Susie Switch is a witch that will come to your home on the evening of Beggars Night. Each child should pick out a few pieces of candy, they would like to keep for themselves. They will then set out the rest of the candy for Susie Switch. Susie Switch will come and take it to feed to her bats and leave another small gift for your child.

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, which is where I learned about Susie! I think this an awesome idea. We always get stuck with so much candy and I usually end up throwing away half of it. Also, Monte is at the age where he WANTS candy and he knows what it is. Since we went to Night Eyes the other night, we put his pumpkin bucket on top of the fridge and he asks for it all the time. If you ask me, the candy he received that night, is enough for the rest of the season.

We will be  printing this poem, explaining Susie Switch, framing it, and placing it out every year. It will become a great tradition!

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Susie Switch is a great alternative to get rid of the extra, sugary candy and give your child something else they may enjoy more!

2. The Teal Pumpkin Project

This is a great idea! There are a lot of children who cannot trick or treat or cannot enjoy it very much due to food allergies. The Teal Pumpkin Project was created by the FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education Blog. If you are a home that will be passing out non-food treats, purchase a pumpkin, paint it teal, and place it on your doorstep. The teal pumpkin will let children and families know that you have something to give them, that is safe for them. Not only is this great for children with food allergies, but this is also another great way to cut back the sugar children receive this year.

You can purchase non-food items from Amazon, Target ($1 bin items), Nobbies, or Oriental Trading Company.

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This is a new concept being introduced. The more people who get involved and participate, the more awareness this brings to food allergies. So get involved!

Adel – Friday, October 31st 6 pm – 8 pm

Altoona – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Ames – Saturday, October 31st 5: 30 pm – 7:30 pm

Ankeny – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Bondurant – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Clive – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Des Moines – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Grimes – Friday, October 31st 6 pm – 8 pm

Indianola – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Johnston – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Norwalk – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Urbandale – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

Waukee – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

West Des Moines – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm- 8 pm

Winterset – Thursday, October 30th 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Windsor Heights – Thursday, October 30th 6 pm – 8 pm

 

Will you be participating in Susie Switch or the Teal Pumpkin Project this year?

 

Blank Park Zoo Night Eyes 2014 & Giveaway!

We made it out to the Blank Park Zoo Night Eyes again this year! Monte really enjoyed himself last year, so we made sure to check it out this year.

He went as a minion this year! It was hard to get a picture of him with the entire costume on (classic 2 year old), hopefully, before the end of the season, I will get one. I bought it off Etsy … I seriously have an Etsy addiction. Everything is so unique on that site!

I tried to get some good pictures of the event, but as the night went on, it got darker and darker and my pictures did not turn out the greatest 🙁

There were a lot of the same themes as last year like the Wizard of Oz, Pirates, When I Grow Up; but they did a great job of setting it up differently and adding some new things!

They also had the Fun Zone set up this year, which includes bouncy, inflatable houses, kettle corn, hot dogs, and more. We did not make it to this area in time. The Fun Zone closes at 7:30 pm

Monte enjoyed receiving candy from all of the different characters dressed up such as Woody from Toy Story and a Princess! He was a little shy when he met the princess. He wanted to go over, but never got enough courage to go and take a picture.

Monte also enjoyed riding the train, riding the carousel, and seeing some of the animals. While we were there the lion’s were super active and we saw the male lion get up and run! We also saw the tortisus’s up close.

I would definitely recommend putting Night Eye’s on your list of Halloween things to do! I love how the kids receive more then just candy, such as coupons, and how it can become a learning experience by viewing the animals and seeing some different, kid-friendly characters!

This weekend is the last chance to check it out.

It will be open Thursday – Sunday

Thursday & Friday 5:30pm – 8:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm

If you go Thursday or Friday I would recommend being there right at 5:30 so you have a chance to check out the Fun Zone!

Giveaway!

I am giving away TWO free tickets to Night Eyes. All you have to do is go to my Facebook page and like, share and comment “done” on the pinned post at the top of the page. If the page gets to 120 “likes” by Wednesday, I will randomly announce a winner! Good Luck!

What is your favorite thing at the Blank Park Zoo Night Eyes?

Deals Orchard 2014

We checked out a new pumpkin patch and orchard this past weekend and LOVED it! We usually go to Center Grove Orchard every year, because they are awesome! We did make a trip this year, but decided to try out a new place also.

Deal’s Orchard is about an hour drive, depending where you are coming from. It’s located in Jefferson, Iowa. Saturday was the perfect fall day to make the drive. Not only was the weather perfect, but it was also their Fall Festival!

It was very busy because it was Fall Festival, but parking was not a problem. They had hayrack rides that picked you up and your parking area and drove you right to the entrance.

There was SOOOO much to do, we did not get a chance to do it all or see it all. A lot of things were going on specifically for the festival, but they had a lot of things that are available all season long such as:

  1. Jumping Pillow
  2. Corn Pool
  3. Goats & Donkey!
  4. Duck Races
  5. Giant Slide
  6. Pedal Tractors
  7. Wiggle Cars (which Monte loved!)
  8. Hamster roll (for the bigger kiddos)

The area where all these fun activities were located is called Apple Acres. It’s $6 for adults to enter and $4 for kids. Children 2 years and younger are free!

Wiggle Cars

Corn Pool

There were so many other fun activities specifically for the Fall Festival, such as:

  1. Spook Cave – A haunted house put on by the Boy Scouts
  2. Spin Art and Sand Art
  3. Balloons and Face Painting
  4. Live music
  5. Lots of food (I think this is all season long!)
  6. Train Rides (Not sure if this was just for Fall Festival or not)
  7. Picket Fence Creamery had a stand
  8. Samples of their own Hard Cider
  9. Petting Zoo
  10. and MORE!

Train Rides

Delish Hard Cider!

There is also a cute little shop with gifts, pies, already picked apples, pumpkins, there own honey, apple cider, and so much more!

Of course, there is a pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins! And an apple orchard to pick your own apples!

We really enjoyed our time at Deal’s Orchard! Next year, we will definitely make an entire day out of it so we make sure to see and do everything!

Have you been to Deal’s Orchard? What is your favorite thing to do?

Friday Randoms

It’s Friday and I just have to share with you some random things, I’ve discovered this week, and have fallen in love with!

1. Crane Humidifiers

Sunday night into Monday was a tough night for Monte. He was very congested and he slept like crap. I heard about these Crane humidifiers last year, but never brought myself to purchase one. We had a basic Vicks one, that I thought, did the job just fine. Boy was I wrong! Monday I went out and purchased this adorable owl humidifier and Monte slept so much better that night. It uses cool mist and increases moisture in the air for easier breathing. Monte also enjoyed that it was an owl 🙂 I bought mine at Babies R Us and it was 20% off. Great buy!

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2. Green Grounds Cafe

I finally checked out this little gem in Valley Junction. I have heard lots of people talk about this small coffee shop, but never made a stop. I am so happy I finally did! They have awesome lattes (I tried the White Chocolate Raspberry) and delicious, not so good for you scones (I tried the apple cinnamon). They also offer wraps, sandwiches, salads, muffins, and breakfast. They have unique gifts from local artists and also carry Young Living products and I love Young Living Essential Oils. It’s a very large cafe where you could meet others for a meeting or just to hang out. Definitely check it out and support a local business!

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3. “Disconnect to Connect”

I updated my vision board this week and came across this quote. I will admit, I have an addiction to Facebook, Instagram, checking my e-mail, etc. I have an iPhone and all of these things are easily at my finger tips and so easy to look at. I’ve decided I need to limit my time on the phone. Each day will be a bit different, depending on what is going on. Monday night was my first night. I put my phone down, left it in another room from 5 pm – 9:45 pm (I checked it right before bed). Since I did this I enjoyed some quality time with my family and actually focused on them. I also read almost half a book! And I’ve been complaining I don’t have time to read? REALLY?!? 

I challenge you all to do the same. You don’t even realize how much time you spend on your phone. I always said to my self “I will just check my e-mail quick” “Did someone post something on Facebook? I will check real quick”, etc. Those “quick” checks add up to many minutes you are missing out on your family and/or reading a great book!

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4. The Body Book

Above I mentioned I read half a book in one night … it was The Body Book by Cameron Diaz. I’ve heard good things about this book and decided to pick it up. I absolutely love it! This is a not a diet book and not a workout regimen. It doesn’t tell you, you need to do this and this; to look amazing. It basically explains how YOUR own body works and how to LOVE the body you have been given. Right now, I am in the section on nutrition. It’s amazing how much I have learned, about the food I put in my body and what my body NEEDS to survive and work at its best. Of course, I know too much sugar is bad for you and you need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, but this book explains WHY. I think it’s easier if you understand WHY and how things work, it’s easier to follow through. When I finish this book I will definitely share my thoughts and favorite things I gained from reading The Body Book.

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What are some new or different things you have come across this week?

Dinosaur Exhibit at the Science Center of Iowa

We had Family Night, Friday night and it was a blast!

We began our evening at Zombie Burger. If you have not been, you definitely need to check it out! They have awesome, crazy burgers and even crazier, spiked milkshakes. I enjoyed a Cinnamon Toast Crunch shake spiked with Rum Chata … delish!

Travis ordered the Undead Elvis … which includes peanut butter, fried bananas, bacon, american cheese, egg, mayo, and somewhere on there … a hamburger patty!

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After dinner, we made our way to the Science Center of Iowa! They opened the Dinosaur Exhibit during Family Night. Family Night is the second Friday of every month 5 pm – 8 pm and it’s only $5. It’s a great thing, when you cannot make it to the Science Center during the day and it’s an awesome family night activity. As a Science Center member you can enter in at 4 pm to see the exhibit early, before the crowd hits. Also, as a member, the $5 entrance fee is waived. You also get free registration on monthly member family workshops. You can view upcoming workshops here.

We started out exploring in the Small Discoveries area. Monte loves this area and it’s perfect for toddlers. He loves the fruit and vegetable activity AND the bubble activity.

The dinosaur exhibit was pretty awesome. There is something for everyone, it does not matter your age! Monte was pretty much only interested in the large dinosaurs and hands on things.

The exhibit does a great job explaining everything with videos, pictures, and large dinosaurs! If there are questions there is someone available to ask.  There are a lot of hands on things for the kiddos.

Monte’s favorite were the stamps. At the beginning of the tour there are sheets of paper with six squares to fill. Each square is a different type of dinosaur. When you walk through the exhibit you look for that type of dinosaur and somewhere near by is a stamp to stamp your sheet. Each stamp is white and looks more like a fossil then a stamp.  It helps keep the kids involved and interested.

There were also smaller, toy dinosaurs you could play with!

After we toured the exhibit, we made our way upstairs to check out the When Things Get Moving area. You could spend hours in this area. You can build cars with legos and have races, build rockets and launch them, wrap an “egg” and drop it to see if it will break, dominoes, and much more!

If you have young kiddos and are not a member of the Science Center of Iowa, I definitely recommend becoming a member! I love taking Monte when it is cold and dreary out. We can spend a good 3 hours or more keeping busy with all the activities. It definitely pays for itself quickly! You get a discount on IMAX films, discount in the store, discount at the Food Chain Cafe, and more!

There are also events that happen which are included with your membership. One event that is coming up on October 25th is Spooky Science. A perfect event for your kiddos to get dressed up in their costumes and check out the Science Center of Iowa.

For more information about becoming a member, check it out here!

What is your favorite thing to do at the Science Center of Iowa?