Today was a fantastic fun day. We booked in a week ago for Toddler Tuesdays at GOMA (Gallery Of Modern Art) so this morning we ventured out. After a wander through South Bank we played on the grass outside the gallery, watched some lizards and then one of us played in the dirt.
At 10am we all headed in, the little people got their name tags and then it was time to learn about shadows. The gallery staff were fantastic, the little people got to see pictures of animals and the shadows they made, then a little example of making shadows, a trip into the gallery to look at a piece of art that created a shadow and then back in to make their own shadow boxes.
I cant say that Hudson kept up with everything that was going on, he gave it a go and tried. We've got our shadow box at home and we'll keep playing with it.
It was a great way to spend the morning. The session was 45 minutes and it was great that it starts to get them ready for visiting the gallery (learnt about not touching anything in the gallery).
4 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Entertainment - Story Time at Brisbane City Council Library
Today was our first outing to enjoy Story Time on offer at Brisbane City Council Libraries. We chose a little library in the Northern Suburbs so I'm not sure if the bigger libraries offer anything different.
3 books read by a library worker followed by some colouring in. It was a small group of kids and the story teller did a pretty good job.
I think Hudson may have been a little too young for the stories, although he managed to entertain himself in other ways, sitting, thumb sucking (we were busting through nap time), some yelling 'tar tar' he spotted some stars on the rug, jumping - very proud jumping I should say, every time he jumped he laughed at himself, then we had the posing, from downward dog to flat on his back arms stretched out.
3 books read by a library worker followed by some colouring in. It was a small group of kids and the story teller did a pretty good job.
I think Hudson may have been a little too young for the stories, although he managed to entertain himself in other ways, sitting, thumb sucking (we were busting through nap time), some yelling 'tar tar' he spotted some stars on the rug, jumping - very proud jumping I should say, every time he jumped he laughed at himself, then we had the posing, from downward dog to flat on his back arms stretched out.
Decorating - Wall Decals
A great way of decorating a room for a little person is Wall Decals, easily changeable as they grow up.
Here is a picture of the decals we installed for Hudson while he's little. His bedroom wall is 3.2 meters high so it was hard to find a decal that would work. My solution came from etsy.com (if you haven't found etsy then now is the time).
My only recommendation is that if you choose a design that detailed it is going to be hard work and tricky. The tree took me over 3 hours to install - almost leaf by leaf.
The tree was a custom order and 2.5meters high, it came with falling leaves and two birds: etsy seller 'walldecor'
Then we added coloured owls (which are a little hard to see in this picture): etsy seller StephenEdwardGraphic
Both sellers were fantastic, it was such an easy process.
Here is a picture of the decals we installed for Hudson while he's little. His bedroom wall is 3.2 meters high so it was hard to find a decal that would work. My solution came from etsy.com (if you haven't found etsy then now is the time).
My only recommendation is that if you choose a design that detailed it is going to be hard work and tricky. The tree took me over 3 hours to install - almost leaf by leaf.
The tree was a custom order and 2.5meters high, it came with falling leaves and two birds: etsy seller 'walldecor'
Then we added coloured owls (which are a little hard to see in this picture): etsy seller StephenEdwardGraphic
Both sellers were fantastic, it was such an easy process.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Shopping - Mama's Home (Windsor)
Today we headed out for a little day trip, and what did Hudson need for his trip. A new hat!!! After dragging his Dad's tired old baseball cap around for a few days I decided he needed a trendy little hat all of his very own. Some might say a big boys hat.
Our travels took us to Mama's Home at Windsor. It is an amazing store with so much to offer (mainly offering to little girls, but little boys aren't completely forgotten).
Clothing, accessories, furniture and decorations galore. What we managed to find was a lovely little cap, brand new E3M (Eeni Meeni Miini Moh). The only down side to his very very cute new look was the $39 price tag (don't worry I managed to get over the price by thinking that if my little man had been a girl his outfits would have cost me a lot more). Why oh why does gorgeous kids clothes and accessories cost so much.
http://www.mamashome.com.au/content.php?pageid=home
Please share some great stores you have found for little people!!!
Our travels took us to Mama's Home at Windsor. It is an amazing store with so much to offer (mainly offering to little girls, but little boys aren't completely forgotten).
Clothing, accessories, furniture and decorations galore. What we managed to find was a lovely little cap, brand new E3M (Eeni Meeni Miini Moh). The only down side to his very very cute new look was the $39 price tag (don't worry I managed to get over the price by thinking that if my little man had been a girl his outfits would have cost me a lot more). Why oh why does gorgeous kids clothes and accessories cost so much.
http://www.mamashome.com.au/content.php?pageid=home
Please share some great stores you have found for little people!!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Eating Out - Pineapple Hotel (Kangaroo Point)
The Pineapple Hotel was our first pub with a playground.
http://www.pineapplehotel.com.au/
Interesting, although the jury is out as to whether its for us. Here is a brief summary.
The 'Steak House' was a fairly large restaurant, there was more of an organised focus on children - playground out the back and little gift bags for each child. But I must say it felt like a gimic, which works for them.
Playground wasn't too bad. Slide and some equipment, lots of blocks to stack and play with and chalk boards (I'd like to point out they were positioned behind a long bench seat which was great for kids falling off).
Meals were good, desserts were good, coffee average.
Overall it wasn't a bad experience, it just wasn't an overly enjoyable meal running between the playground and the table.
Food - 3 smiling toddler faces
Service - 2 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Child Friendly - 4 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Overall - 3 1/2 smiling toddler faces
http://www.pineapplehotel.com.au/
Interesting, although the jury is out as to whether its for us. Here is a brief summary.
The 'Steak House' was a fairly large restaurant, there was more of an organised focus on children - playground out the back and little gift bags for each child. But I must say it felt like a gimic, which works for them.
Playground wasn't too bad. Slide and some equipment, lots of blocks to stack and play with and chalk boards (I'd like to point out they were positioned behind a long bench seat which was great for kids falling off).
Meals were good, desserts were good, coffee average.
Overall it wasn't a bad experience, it just wasn't an overly enjoyable meal running between the playground and the table.
Food - 3 smiling toddler faces
Service - 2 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Child Friendly - 4 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Overall - 3 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Eating Out - Breakfast at Caffe Di Vita (Wilston)
As a little family that has a Sunday morning breakfast routine it was our trip out this morning that made me think of writing this blog. We travelled away from our usual breakfast places in search of somewhere different and we just so happened to come across Caffe Di Vita.
http://www.caffedivita.com/
From the moment we arrive it felt like a normal part of business was to have small children around. 2 glasses and a plastic cup were placed on the table, the plastic cup was only filled with about 2cm of water. WOW, it seemed like we were being served by a parent who just knew the drilled. In fact we were being served by a young waitress who would have been lucky to have finished high school. It just seemed as if she knew (you may think this is normal - we must frequent places with less child experience, which in turn has lead me to be so excited).
This was followed by a selection of 3 children's items on the menu (all for $5 - Hudson had the pancakes which could have well served an adult). He had a car brought out for him to play with and was offered crayons and paper (we had our own otherwise it would have been a very handy offer).
The adult meals were also very well priced and tasted great. Coffee was fantastic too.
The alfresco dining area was protected with plastic curtains which made the area comfortable for a rainy day. I would say it was one of the best breakfasts we've had out.
4 1/2 smiling toddler faces
http://www.caffedivita.com/
From the moment we arrive it felt like a normal part of business was to have small children around. 2 glasses and a plastic cup were placed on the table, the plastic cup was only filled with about 2cm of water. WOW, it seemed like we were being served by a parent who just knew the drilled. In fact we were being served by a young waitress who would have been lucky to have finished high school. It just seemed as if she knew (you may think this is normal - we must frequent places with less child experience, which in turn has lead me to be so excited).
This was followed by a selection of 3 children's items on the menu (all for $5 - Hudson had the pancakes which could have well served an adult). He had a car brought out for him to play with and was offered crayons and paper (we had our own otherwise it would have been a very handy offer).
The adult meals were also very well priced and tasted great. Coffee was fantastic too.
The alfresco dining area was protected with plastic curtains which made the area comfortable for a rainy day. I would say it was one of the best breakfasts we've had out.
4 1/2 smiling toddler faces
Entertainment - Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers
Yesterday was a day to do something a little different. It just so happens that the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was on, a 2 hour drive from Brisbane. It is a carnival aimed at an older group of people (50 - 70 year olds I think), what I didn't realise before we arrived was the joy that a little person could have checking out the flowers.
Luckily we took on our trip Hudson's (the toddler mentioned above) grandparents, his grandmother (Moppy as she is known to us) having a much greater knowledge of flowers than his parents. Who would have thought there would be so much joy in learning about pansy's and snap dragons. Moppy taught Hudson that if you squeeze the sides of the Snap Dragon gently its little mouth would open. By the end of our visit Hudson had to kiss all the Snap Dragons and wandered around saying 'Nap Nap' (snap, snap).
The gardens were fantastic and so beautiful. The only down side to the trip was we weren't prepared for the chilly spring weather we found up on the mountain. Lesson learnt!!
3 1/2 happy toddler faces (out of 5 that is)
Luckily we took on our trip Hudson's (the toddler mentioned above) grandparents, his grandmother (Moppy as she is known to us) having a much greater knowledge of flowers than his parents. Who would have thought there would be so much joy in learning about pansy's and snap dragons. Moppy taught Hudson that if you squeeze the sides of the Snap Dragon gently its little mouth would open. By the end of our visit Hudson had to kiss all the Snap Dragons and wandered around saying 'Nap Nap' (snap, snap).
The gardens were fantastic and so beautiful. The only down side to the trip was we weren't prepared for the chilly spring weather we found up on the mountain. Lesson learnt!!
3 1/2 happy toddler faces (out of 5 that is)
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