Adventure Kids Playcare

I was set to start my first quarter at Seattle Pacific University in January 2013, at that time my daughter was 4 months old. So of course finding good care for her was my first priority. Because I knew if I wasn't comfortable with whomever is taking care of her, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my studies. luckily enough a couple of months earlier a new place opened next to us that would let you drop your kids at any time and go shopping or run errands. My husband and I were excited when we read that they take kids from 6 weeks till 12 years old, Plus, they open till 10 pm during weeknights and 12 am during weekends! which was convenient since my classes usually end at 8:50 pm!

 

Before committing to leaving my daughter there while I'm at school, I went in and took a tour of the place when she was almost 3 months old. The staff member that gave me the tour was really friendly and answered all of my questions. what I really liked about the place is that it is open with lots of windows, where you can check     on your kids without your little ones seeing you, and make sure that   the crying has stopped the minute they so all the toys that they've got!    The center is divided into three areas, one for infants from 6 weeks-    1 year old, the other area is for toddlers from 1 year old- 2 years old,  and then the "big kids area" which has lots of fun activities for    different ages. They also offer meals for Breakfast, Lunch and    Dinner.

So the idea is that you can come and drop your kid, but they do recommend that you make a reservation especially for infants and toddlers since they have limited numbers (1 staff member for each 4 kids). They have theme nights, movies, arts and crafts, and many more activities. However, I'm not going to bore you with all of this information since you can find it on their website.

I am going to talk about my experience with the AKP Bellevue location. As I mentioned before, the staff is really friendly, and always greets my daughter by name. When my daughter first started going there she wasn't the "easiest" infant to deal with, taking care of her needed extra effort, and the staff was really open to suggestions from us, and they didn't mind that I gave them a list of "instructions" on how to make their time and hers easier. The owners are there almost everyday, and try to be involved with the parents by having small talks whenever they can. I can tell that my daughter enjoys her time at AKP, because whenever I pick her up and head toward the car she cries and points at the center, which is her way of saying that she wants to go back.

So I am going to use this post to thank the staff at Adventure Kids Playcare for all the hard work they're doing!
THANK YOU!

Holidays at The Landing in Renton, WA



Mouse in a Mouse Trap!



The weekend prior to Halloween, my toddler and I attended the Trick or Treat event at The Landing in Renton, WA. 

 

Opening in 2009, it is one of Western Washington's newest multi-dimensional urban areas.  It is a retail center with 880 residential living units.  It is conveniently located off exit 5 of I-405. It is close to Coulon Park and Lake Washington.  Coulon has one of my favorite playgrounds, a great place to launch boats, and have a meal at Ivars or Kid Valley food concession stands. 

Where's Waldo?



The Landing has plenty of national stores, but it is set apart by its local-only shops like Creative Mom Toys, Fresh Way Pizza, and C'est La Vie.  If you sign-up for Creative Mom Toys updates, you get notices as to when they are having sales and events in the store.    

 

All stores normally open on Sunday were handing out candy.  There were lots of families and even the adults dressed-up for the event.  It was a very relaxing and family friendly environment.






















On 11/23/13, The Landing is scheduled to have the local tree lighting ceremony.  There will singing by local school kids, reindeer, and the Santa Train. 

Last year, we went to holiday festivities in December and my 1.5 year old rode the Santa train with Dad.  The Trackless Train was brought down from Mt. Vernon by a local business, The Shop.

We also visited Santa at the Re/Max Select Real Estate.  He as a healthy, age appropriate Santa!  (I have experience Santa shopping, and some look like they are just shy of a heart attack.)  The $5.00 I paid for the photo was donated to the Seattle Children's Hospital. 

The holiday festivities will continue through the month of December, but it does not appear that the schedule is up for this year.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I will update you once I know more.

Marie
 

Remlinger Farms

Being an abnormally dry weekend in October for Western Washington, I decided to take advantage of it and go to Remlinger Farms and Harvest Festival in Carnation, http://www.remlingerfarms.com/.  It felt like going to a small county fair.  The farm was clean and well organized.  It might have been because it was the first weekend of October and late in the day, but the parking lot was easy to maneuver and the line to buy tickets moved quickly.  The park was busy, but not crowded.  I believe the lines for rides kept moving because people paid one flat rate upon entering the park, cash or credit card, and everyone was given a wrist band that allowed them access to any ride they wanted. 

We got there at around 2:00 pm and paid full price, $17.00 a person, for tickets.  The park closes at 6:00 p.m. and is only open on weekends.  I was handed a map, but it was difficult to follow.  There are signs, but they are placed in the general vicinity of the attraction.  The entrances are behind shrubs or not clearly marked.  It was an effort figuring out where I was going and keeping track of a 2.5 year old at the same time.  You will enjoy the experience if you allow yourself to go with the flow.  So, you started for the ponies, but found the tiny train; go ahead, take the tiny train.  You will eventually work your way back to the ponies. 

We found the barn yard immediately.  For 25 cents you can get a handful of pellets and corn to feed the goats, ponies, and a donkey.  There are chickens and rabbits.  The animals enjoy the attention from the crowd.  There are 5-6 wash sinks with soap to wash your hands after petting the animals.  The sinks are right at the entrance and easy for children to use.  After the barn yard, we got in line for the big train that travelled around the entire property.  The ride was smooth.  There are scarecrows, animatronic figures, and antique farm machinery along the way.  The train winds around a lake, woods, and two palomino ponies who playfully follow the train.  The end of the ride is through a tunnel where the guests feel like hamming it up with some spooky oohs and aahs. 

After we got off the train, we wandered in the direction of the giant inflated slide, but I convinced my 2.5 year old that it would be more fun to ride the antique cars.  It looked a little safer for her age group.  We got to sit in the car together, she steered, and we road around on a rail.  I enjoyed it.  After that, we got something to eat and drink.  The food stand sells a bottle of water for $1.50.  I bought a bag of kettle corn for $5.00.  You need cash for food purchases inside the park.  After our food purchase, we wandered through the wildlife exhibit, my daughter road on the canoes, and I bought a baker's dozen of fresh donuts for $5.00.  The donuts tasted like churros. 

By 4:30 p.m., I was exhausted from carrying and chasing a 2.5 year old child around the park.  I did not bring a stroller; many families did and left them along the entrances to the rides.  We decided to make one last stop to get on the hay ride, and then got in our car to go home.  We missed an entire section of the park, the restaurant, and the pumpkin patch.  You have two choices for bringing home a pumpkin, you can pick-up a pumpkin inside the park at the "mountain of pumpkins", or you can catch a hay ride to the pumpkin patch and pick your own.  If you get the pumpkin in the park you can pay by cash or credit card at the grocery store.  If you go to the pumpkin patch you need to use cash.  The sign said 19 cents a pound for the pumpkins.  The grocery store had many fresh fruits and vegetables, and canned goods.

As I said, overall, we had an enjoyable experience.  I recommend getting out there while the weather is nice.  It is a dirt walkway and in the rain it could get muddy.  There are many more attractions and animals that I did not mention, but you can enjoy exploring the park, as we did.  I plan on taking my daughter there again next year. 

Marie

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-Washington-Families/586829111363447Remlinger Farms