Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Parks & Playgrounds - Jasper City Park

202 Burnt Mountain Road
Jasper, GA 30143

Today Morgan and I headed up to Jasper City Park with our playgroup. Today was absolutely gorgeous. There was a breeze and almost a hint of fall. This was definitely a needed respite from all of the rain we have gotten lately. I wasn’t sure what kind of condition the park would be in after the rain, but it held up nicely. To top the morning off, Morgan and I had a picnic.

There are two playground areas that are fenced off and both have sand bases. One playground is primarily for the younger tots and the other is for older ones. Both playgrounds are well shaded, making it much better for the kiddos to play on the equipment. There is a walking path that surrounds the park (4.5 times around = 1 mile), tennis courts and picnic tables. There are also two bathrooms, but unfortunately we did not go in them. Morgan’s favorite part was the duck pond. She really enjoys mimicking the duck sounds.

Kimberly

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Restaurants - Cheesecake Factory

Cumberland Mall location

Yesterday we met friends at the Cheesecake Factory. There were 11 in our party, including an 18-month old, a 21-month old and a 4 year old. The waitress was great, when she came to take our drink order she brought each child a plate of bread and bananas. I wish more waitresses were more understanding of children. The one thing that kind of made me mad though was that the hostess who seated us did not offer us any kids menus. I was staring at the menu and couldn’t believe the $8 grilled cheese sandwich. The waitress finally brought us the kid’s menus. That is the first time I have ever been presented with one at Cheesecake Factory. Most of the meals on the kid’s menu range from $5 to $6 and include fries and a drink. They do have a kid’s strawberry plate, which Morgan loves, for $2, but they wouldn’t substitute the fries for strawberries. Oh well, we don’t exactly go to Cheesecake Factory for the kids. Okay, we go for the big kids.

On a side note, Morgan got strawberries on her shirt and I had a travel sized OxiClean On the Go spray and it took the strawberry stain right out. I was amazed.

Kimberly

Indoor Play - Little Bears Indoor Playground

2655 Cobb Parkway NW
Suite 105
Kennesaw, GA 30152
770-429-0331
http://www.littlebearsindoorplayground.com/

Friday, Morgan and I met Jessica and Samantha at Little Bears. It's an indoor play place. Morgan loves running around and playing with the puzzles. She also loves it when they turn on the bubble machine. They have one bounce house with slide, two Little Tykes gyms with slides, a playhouse and many, many other toys.

Little Bears is great for the little ones. The even have toys for babies to play with. I’m not sure of the upper end of the age range (Morgan is only 18 months), but I don’t think Little Bears would be as entertaining to preschoolers. That’s one of the things I like about this place, there are not a lot of older kids to run the little ones over. Also, you can bring your own food in. Many places won’t let you do that. Little Bears is a great place to go on a rainy day.

Kimberly

Monday, September 14, 2009

Parks & Playgrounds - Carters Lake Dam Site

Located near Ellijay, Georgia.
This weekend the whole family headed to Carters Lake for a picnic. The lake is located off of I-575/Hwy 5 on 136 near Ellijay. We were looking for a bit of nature and wanted a taste of fall. It was too hot for fall. We went to the Dam Site day use area. It has a playground, a group shelter, several covered picnic tables and an open field. The park also has bathrooms, but they are nothing more than fancier outhouses. There were no changing tables or sinks. Thank goodness we carry baby wipes. The playground has a couple of slides. On this day, the slides were too hot from the sun, so Morgan practiced walking up and down the stairs. There was a mister, but we did not play in that. Dogs are welcome and Morgan played with two puppies visiting the park. Overall, this part of the park is okay and is best reserved for a cool fall day. We have been there during fall and the color is spectacular. I’m sure the swim beaches are a much better option on hot days.

Kimberly

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Restaurants - Taco Mac Roswell

Taco Mac
685 Crossville Road, Suite 146
Roswell, Georgia 30075

We had lunch at Taco Mac today and had a great experience. At first I was really worried that since it's College football Saturday and busy, it would be tough with the baby, but our waiter was prompt and the food came out on time too.

Taco Mac has a great kid's menu which included fish, burger, chicken fingers, pasta, corn dogs, grilled cheese and more. The meal included a juice box ( or a small drink of your choice), fries (which I ate) and a pack of Oreo cookies (DH and I shared) all for $3.99.

I ordered the grilled cheese for Samantha. The sandwich was not greasy and Samantha really enjoyed it.

The anbience is also great for toddlers. It is noisy, so the little ones can be loud and not bother the other patrons.

Taco Mac has locations around Atlanta.

Jessica

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Parks & Playgrounds - Kidzstock

Kidzstock
First Baptist Church of Woodstock
11905 Highway 92
Woodstock, GA 30188
Open 8 am until Dark

Today Morgan and I headed down to Kidzstock with our playgroup. Kidzstock is a playground at First Baptist Church of Woodstock. It’s an amazing park with lots to do for kids of all ages. Morgan preferred the handicap swing and almost fell asleep in it. She was also fascinated with the bathroom (yuck).

This is a great place to take your little one. There are multiple play areas and one designated for the littlest tots. There are slides, swings, bridges and multiple sand boxes. The park even has misters, which the kids seemed to like. The bathrooms were clean, but were out of soap and paper towels. But in this era of Swine Flu, we had plenty of hand sanitizer on hand and of course baby wipes. The women's bathroom has a changing table. I do not know about the men's bathroom. The park also has a vending machine with orange juice, apple juice, coke, diet coke, sprite and water.

This park is truly a gift to community from First Baptist Woodstock. Thank you.

Kimberly

Restaurants - Toddler Unfriendly

Providing useful information is why Jessica and I wanted to create this blog. But what happened to us about a month ago is what lit a fire under us to start this blog (we moved as quickly as we could given that we have little ones at home). Not only do we want to provide helpful information, we want to save you time. And one way to save you time is to let you know which restaurants are not toddler friendly so you don’t show up with your child.

We consider not having high chairs and booster seats to be baby/toddler unfriendly and are keeping a list to the right.

Tea Leaves and Thyme – Woodstock, GA:
It was Thursday and Morgan and I were meeting Jessica and Samantha for lunch after a doctor’s appointment. On the way to lunch Morgan fell asleep in the car and it began to rain. When we got to the restaurant I had to wake her up and carry her in the pouring rain into the restaurant. By this time we are soaking wet (its almost impossible to carry a sleepy baby and an umbrella). Once inside, I found out that Tea Leaves and Thyme does not have high chairs or booster seats. I was so looking forward to tea and very disappointed given all of the effort it took to get there.

What I find even more disappointing is that I am sure Tea Leaves and Thyme has hosted a baby shower and little girl’s party before. The message I took away is that babies are only welcome before they are born and after they can sit in a regular chair. It’s a shame that Tea Leaves and Thyme missed the opportunity to cultivate two little future customers.

Lucia’s Italian Restaurant – Roswell, GA:
The next day (Friday) our families decided to meet at Lucia’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. I had heard it is a great restaurant and wanted to try it for a long time. When we arrived, we found out they did not have high chairs. Imagine the disappointment, especially after what had happened the day before. I always thought Italian restaurants were about family. And to make matters worse, this restaurant is located in East Cobb. I thought having children was a requirement for moving to East Cobb.

We ended up having lunch that Thursday at Artuzzi’s and dinner that Friday at Boneheads. Both places were child friendly.

Kimberly