Love, Love, LOVE The Little Gym!

You guys, I have to take a minute to brag about The Little Gym.

My girls started there in August. And they each count down the days each week until it's time for Little Gym. Especially my oldest. She waits for Thursday nights the way I wait for bed time. She counts down the days and minutes. She. Loves. It.

And she isn't the only one. This mama loves it, too! Let me count the ways...

I love the way that Little Gym is okay with my kids being, well, kids. Sometimes my girls come to class attentive and ready to participate the whole time. And sometimes, well, not so much. Little Gym understands that kids are curious and want to explore, and they encourage this. If my youngest would rather be on the beam than the bars with the rest of her classmates, that's fine. If my oldest wants to work exclusively on her round-offs (everywhere, all the time, regardless of what obstacles are in her way!) and skip beam today, that's okay. Kids are encouraged to participate with the class, certainly, but coaches understand when they are wandering to let them wander and they will come back.

I love that music is incorporated into class time. If my girls are anything like me, they won't be able to carry a tune, but I still think music is a fun, easy way to engage kids. Each class starts with kids tapping shakers around and making music. They also use music to transition from activity to activity. This also helps my girls to know when it is time to switch from one activity to the next. And class always ends with kiddos on their bellies, singing a good bye song. They love that!

I love how the coaches come out toward the end of class and talk to the parents about the lesson kids learned during class and the skills kiddos are working on. Sure, most of us sit there and watch the kids. But, if I'm being honest, many of us are half-watching, while we are also talking to other siblings, or one another, or responding to emails and text messages. I don't always catch my girls' every move, so it's nice that the coaches come out and talk to us about the day's activities and accomplishments.

Lastly, I love how Little Gym has my girls moving from the second they walk into class each day. Other programs we've attended have lots of downtime- kids have to sit and be still while other students take turns practicing a skill, or wait until a previous class finishes up with an apparatus so that their class can have a turn. There is just one room at Little Gym, which means one class at a time, which I really like. Everyone is welcome on every apparatus at all times, so there really isn't a "sit and watch the other kids have a turn" experience for my kids. And because all the kids are in the same class together, there is no worry about classes mixing and confusing coaches. My girls can roam when they want to (now that song is stuck in my head...).

The Little Gym offers classes for kids as young as 4 months all the way up to age 12. Until age 3, kiddos are placed in Mommy and Me classes, and then they graduate to classes based on their ages and abilities. The Little Gym offers dance and gymnastics classes, as well as sports skill classes and Kindermusik classes! They have classes mornings, afternoons and evenings. They also have Parents' Night Out (I can't wait until my youngest is three and potty-trained because I know the trio will love attending these!) and do birthday parties! And- in case you didn't know- Little Gym just relocated from The Highlands in Arlington to south Mansfield- Broad and 287. It's a breeze to get there!
Seriously, y'all, go check them out. Your kids will fall in love like mine did and never want to leave!

Cupcakes for my cutie!

This week, my oldest turns seven.

It doesn't matter that I can't believe she is going to be seven (didn't I just get talked into a c section with her, like, yesterday?!), she has been counting down the days pretty much since her sixth birthday.

So today, the festivities began.

She got to bring cupcakes to her dance class.

She is super into dinosaurs right now. So Kirby with KJ's Sweet Shop (www.facebook.com/kjssweetshop), an awesome Arlington mama, whipped up some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten (and trust me- I've eaten some cupcakes...) and topped them with the cutest edible dinosaurs! I've seen loads of Arlington moms raving about her on Facebook- so I had to check out her awesome creations for myself!

My girls called this a spinosaurus. I'm not sure if that's the correct name or not- but my girls assure me he was a yummy eat! (My middle daughter begged me for my dinosaur, and, well, she's not a kid I frequently say no to!)

So. Good.

Every single one of these delicious-looking little guys was devoured at dance class- by the kiddos and the adults! Both dance teachers raved about how good they were! And not a single bit made it into the garbage can, which is incredible, because I've never brought cupcakes or cakes to a kids party where I didn't toss more than a few non-eaten bits. Seriously. Every. Single. Bite. was enjoyed. That says a lot!

My oldest wanted half chocolate, half vanilla, so that's what she got! They were frosted with buttercream and chocolate frosting. They were so decadent and moist- nothing like the store-brand varieties I normally purchase for class handouts.

Aside from the taste- this woman is crazy talented. I mean, seriously talented. She is willing to design your cupcakes (or cakes) to your liking. I can't draw designs with chalk or crayons that she concocts with frosting. I'm blown away! I mean... Look at these cupcakes she showed off on her Facebook page!

Go like her page. Seriously. Go. Now. And look her up the next time you need cupcakes or cakes for anything- a baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, etc. Or just buy a dozen cupcakes (a dozen cupcakes starts at $20) and shamelessly eat them. Because cupcakes.

Happy little customer...

Free stuff from Walmart? Yes, please!

Okay, this may be a bit off topic, but it's a great, easy freebie from Walmart that we use like crazy!

If your kids are like mine, they use about 10 cups each. Per day. It. Is. Ridiculous.

I find them in every room of the house. Some are filled with veggie straws, some with water, some with small toys.

They each have a favorite cup (Oldest: Disney Descendants, Middle: Frozen, Youngest: Paw Patrol), but ultimately we use so many per day that sometimes they have to settle for a second favorite.

I mean- these cups are great. And they are only $.87!

But right now- you can literally GET PAID through Ibotta to take them out of Walmart. Super score!

Haven't downloaded Ibotta? Do it here:

https://ibotta.com/r/kwwbq

Ibotta is a great coupon app. I love it because I don't have to remember to cut anything out and stick it in my purse before I leave for the store. I always have my phone, so I always have Ibotta!

Right now, ibotta is offering $3 back when you purchase three party items from the following vendors: Marvel comics (Superman cups), Disney (princess, Finding Nemo, etc.), Star Wars. (log into Ibotta. Go to Walmart. Scroll down to the "entertainment" category to find these rebates.

These cups qualify for the rebate!

So- head over to Walmart. Pick up 3 Superman cups, 3 Star Wars cups, 3 Disney cups. Pay $7.83 plus tax. Submit for the rebate on Ibotta and get back $9. You make more than $1 on this one! These are great party favors, too!

You can cash out with Ibotta once you hit $20 through Paypal (or snag a gift card to Amazon). If you've never used Ibotta before, you get a $5 instant rebate when you submit your first rebate- so you could earn $14 cash back on these cups. How awesome is that?!

Day Trippin': From Arlington to Glen Rose for Dinosaur World!

My girls are currently very, very into dinosaurs. They watch Dino Dan on the Free Time app on their Kindles and learn all kinds of cool facts about dinosaurs.

My youngest is convinced she will have a pet dinosaur when she grows up because of this show, but that is neither here nor there.

Today hubby and I decided to take the girls to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose to teach them more about dinosaurs!

The drive only took up about an hour from southwest Arlington. We stopped at Dairy Queen for a quick bite before pulling up to Dinosaur World...

Dinosaur World is open daily from 9a- 5p. Parking is free.

Ticket pricing has two levels. General admission is free for 3 and under, $9.75 for 3-12 and $12.75 for adults. I typed "dinosaur world coupons" into Google and saved $2 on each adult ticket. This ticket includes the museum, the dino walk, the boneyard and the playground.

You can, however, choose to add a few extras onto the price. The price goes up to $16.75 for the kids if you want to do the fossil dig and the gem excavation, which mine of course did. (My husband and I did not add these extras on to our tickets)

After running around the gift shop waiting for me to pay, the girls ventured outside with us start our day. We started with the Dino Walk, which is a large circular path filled with life-sized dinosaurs and information on each one.

Their favorite part was a small pond toward the end of the walk that was filled with large fish and turtles. Bags of fish food are available in the gift shop for $1 each- I wish we would have bought a few! It was a very pretty setting, and they loved watching the fish swim!

I won't lie... The dino walk would be much more enjoyable in cooler temperatures. We didn't get to take many photos or read all about the dinosaurs because preggo mama couldn't take it. We zipped through this part to go into air-conditioned quarters. I'd love to come back in November or December... Or in early Spring.

We ditched the dino walk to head into the museum, where they have lots of real fossils from dinosaurs, sharks and other mammals. The girls were fascinated! Their favorite part, though, was the animatronic dinosaurs at the end. They moved and made noises- my girls thought this was great!

At 2p, we headed over to the fossil dig, where the girls were given plastic sifters and small cups to hold their treasures. Hidden in the sand were actual shark teeth- my girls will probably talk about these for weeks! You "dig" for about five minutes, then pick your three favorite treasures. The staff then puts your treasures in a plastic bag and sends you on your way. It was super cute!

Lastly we headed over to the Dino Gem Excavation. At the gift shop, they gave us a large bag of gems and dirt to sift through, as well as guides to the gems we might find. They have a small area with running water and sifters that the girls found fascinating. We dumped the soil and rocks into their sifters bit by bit and let them wash away all the dirt and small rocks to uncover their gem stones. They loved it! They each came home with about 20 sizable "gems" and spent some time looking at their cards trying to identify each one. 

The girls talked us in to a few souvenirs before we left- dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. What can I say? They have us wrapped around their sweet fingers!

We had an absolutely fun time at Dinosaur World- but I do wish we had been able to enjoy the playground and boneyard- a large sand pit with "fossils" hidden beneath the sand for discovering. As I said above, I wouldn't recommend going in the dead heat of late summer. Dinosaur World would be much easier to enjoy cooler temps. But it's an absolute must-see spot for any young dinosaur fan. It is totally worth the day trip from Arlington!

Must-Have Monograms and More from a Mansfield Mama!

You. Guys.

This. Wine. Glass.

I'm trying not to drool as I dream of filling it with cheap red wine and taking a swig after putting my girls to bed.

Only 10 more weeks until this *should* be a reality!

Because kids.

I mean, that pretty much sums up my life in two simple words.


But really- how fantastic is this wine glass?! For your bestie who just had a baby. For your boss or your boss' wife at the work baby shower. For your child's teacher at Christmastime. Fill it with Hershey's kisses for the pregnant mom-to-be or package it up with a great bottle of wine for the new mommy and you've got a killer, we-can-all-relate gift!

Micaela with Southern TaterBug (facebook.com/southerntaterbug) is the creative Mansfield-based mama behind this awesome wine glass- and so much more! Micaela can put monograms, cheeky sayings, graphic images, anything really, on the medium of your choice. Think fantastic birthday shirts, personalized holiday gifts, unique home decor.

In addition to my fabulous wine glass, she designed this adorable Fall pumpkin shirt complete with my monogram! Monogramming is absolutely as southern as sweet tea and the latest trend for kids and grown-ups alike. This glitter pumpkin is perfect for mama and her little girls for those oh-so-cute pumpkin patch photos. Have a different vision for your kids' Halloween shirts? Contact Micaela- she will help you make your vision a fabulous t-shirt (or dress, etc.).

One of the newest items in her collection is these adorable monogrammed earrings. Another Southern wardrobe staple. I can't wait to sport these all Fall, with everything from my Missouri Tigers football shirts to the little black dresses I wear to Junior League meetings. These will match everything!

Not to be left out, my girls also got adorable new dancer shirts to wear when the weather changes. Glitter, ballerina graphics and their names- what could possibly be cuter?!

Micaela thinks of her shop as an online gift boutique and wants to help every customer design, create or find her (or his) perfect piece. Visit her Facebook Boutique today to start shopping! (Supporting local moms and dads is what it's all about!)

Disclaimer: I did receive these items for free to review but the thoughts and comments are all my own.

In case you were wondering...

Pumpkin Patch Round-up!

I love Fall.

My middle pumpkin with the pumpkins at Calloway's in 2013.

I love pumpkins. And all things pumpkin-spiced. I love college football (Missouri Tigers for the win!). I love the leaves changing and cooler weather and sweatshirts and just plain Fall.

As I type, I’m drinking a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (half-caff, of course, silly surrogacy contract…) and dreaming of sweatshirts and cooler weather. I can’t wait until all the pumpkin patches in Arlington and greater DFW open up so I can start hauling my trio to all of them. Yes, all of them. Did I mention I love Fall?

If you, like me, are already planning out the perfect outfits for pumpkin patch photos (I ordered mine from Touch of Love!), read on to find out about some of the best spots for all things pumpkin and kid in the area!

Arlington-area Pumpkin Patches

Trinity United Methodist Church (1200 West Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, 76013)

Trinity’s Pumpkin Patch opens at 10a on Saturday, October 1^st. Lots of great opportunities to snap some adorable fall photos!

St. John the Apostle (5450 Mansfield Rd., Arlington, 76017)

St. John’s pumpkin patch is open October 2- October 31 from 10a-8p. They have pumpkins for sale and lots of great spots for photos! You can also schedule story times here for little ones for $2 each- and that price includes a gift bag for each kiddo!

Enjoying St. John's Pumpkin Patch in 2013.

First Christian Church (910 S. Collins St., Arlington, 76010)

The pumpkin patch opens October 3. It includes a story time corner, lots of spots for great fall pictures, decorations and more.

First Methodist Mansfield (777 N. Walnut Creek Dr., Mansfield, 76063)

This pumpkin patch opens in October. Lots of chances to buy pumpkins and snap memorable photos! Pumpkin Patch Hours: Monday - Thursday 9am - 7pm Friday 12-7pm Saturday and Sunday 9am - 7pm.

The Woods United Methodist Church (1350 W. Bardin Rd., GP, 75052)

This pumpkin patch opens September 24^th and includes lots of pumpkins to stage fantastic fall photos!

Country Critters Farms (3709 County Rd. 617, Alvarado, 76009)

The pumpkin patch opens September 24. Weekend hours are from 10a-5p. Hayrides, bounce houses, horse rides- these are just a few of the awesome activities that await kiddos at Country Critters!

Green Meadows Petting Farm (Grand Prairie, TX)
The farm opens October 6 and has tractor-drawn hayrides and pumpkins! Park is open 10a-4p on Saturday and Sunday, as well as 9:30a- 4p on the weekends. 

Arlington-area Fall Festivals

Greens Fall Festival (3001 W. Arkansas, Arlington)

October 1, 11a; Free

Face-painting, popcorn, bounce houses, make your own scarecrow- you can’t go wrong!

Calloway’s Fall Festival (all locations- North Arlington, South Arlington, Mansfield)

October 1, 9a- 7p; Free

Arts and crafts, mad science, pumpkin bowling, contest. The Mansfield location will have a balloon artist from 10a-12p.

Crafting at Calloway's in 2013.

After Dark at the Park (River Legacy Park, 703 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd. at Cooper Street, Arlington 76006)

Friday October 7- Sunday October 9. 5p-9p each night; tickets are $8 each

Balloon artists, tattoos, bounce houses, food. Some activities cost extra. Free hayrides from the parking lots to the event space!

Looking to venture out beyond Arlington?

Hall’s Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine (3420 Hall-Johnson Rd., Grapevine) is where we had my youngest’s first birthday. We love it there! It’s free to park and walk around. You can also take a hayride to feed animals and run through a corn maze, both activities cost extra. They have a small play structure for littles.

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch (5100 Cross Timbers Rd, Flower Mound, 75028) is a great day-trip to the northern ‘burbs! $5 to park but activities are free! Several bounce houses, loads of wooden character cutouts for photos (think Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, etc.), train and hayrides. This place will keep the littles entertained all afternoon!

My girls used to be obsessed with Phineas and Ferb! The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch has lots of awesome cutouts for cute photo ops!

Mansfield's newest treasure- Sockmonkey Junction!

On Wednesdays, we wear pink. And check out awesome new toy stores in the area.

Due to an abundance of mom guilt, my middle daughter doesn't attend school on Wednesdays, even though both her sisters do. Wednesdays are my day to spoil the little one that got wedged in between big sister (who is 2.5 years older) and little sister (who is a mere 17 months younger).

So after a brief stint at Katherine Rose Park in Mansfield that ended in tears (both of us) because I refused to continue to stand and push the tire swing after the 20-minute mark hit, we decided to check out Sockmonkey Junction.

Sockmonkey Junction is on Main St. in downtown Mansfield, just down a bit from The Lot. It sits in an adorable house-like storefront with ample parking for guests. (316 S. Main St., Mansfield) It opened its doors in August.

The store itself is spacious, immaculate and very inviting to kids of all ages. Upon entering, guests are greeted with loads of toys from higher-end (and often imported) brands such as Haba, Hape and Melissa & Doug.

The first thing middle daughter noticed was the train table. Which, conveniently, is located in front of a couch for preggo over here to plop down on. Middle daughter spent some time spinning trains and vehicles around this track before heading over to the play kitchen to check out the facilities. As we were the only ones in the store at this time, she was delighted to not have to share the toys with anyone else (poor, poor middle child).

We wandered around for some time, checking out each and every toy SMJ offers. Middle daughter was determined to find something to purchase, so we looked and looked. The store has dress up outfits, STEM toys, stuffed animals, imaginary play toys, books, you name it. There is absolutely something for everyone, from bug lovers and budding chefs to bookworms and princess fanatics and every kid (or kid at heart!) in between.

On the side of the store furthest from the entrance, there is a large reading and play area. Books of every genre and a couch encourage parents and kids to pick a story and spend some time together, which I love! 

Even better is the fact that SMJ has a FB page full of community-wide events that invite families in to enjoy the store! For example, next Thursday, September 15, is Family Game Night at the store. Families are encouraged to stop in at any point and learn about games from Mayfair Games. How cool is that?! There are also open gaming events, teacher events and puzzle events, to name a few!

SMJ is even setting up a playdate for Arlington Early Childhood PTA (insert shameless plug here!), where the kiddos can come in and play with toys, hear a story and check out this spacious new store. 

In the end, middle daughter ended up with a little purse complete with a stuffed horse and three itty bitty dragon figurines for her and sisters (I'm fairly certain two are already missing. Hoping I find them before the vacuum does!). In total, I spent about $15 in the store on middle daughter, and we were there for probably close to 30 minutes.

This new store is certainly a treasure for Mansfield. Be sure to shop here for birthday and Christmas gifts- so much better to support local businesses than to give all your money to Walmart or Amazon!

Not to brag... But I had a "Me" night!

Y'all... I've been searching for prenatal yoga in this area for... Well, for years now. This is, in fact, not my first rodeo pregnancy.

When I lived in North Dallas, I was fortunate enough to have unlimited free prenatal classes to keep me fit and fabulous during my entire first pregnancy. (Sadly, Destination Maternity did away with the "free" part of these classes shortly after I delivered my first born in late 2009) While the Arlington-area has no shortage of great yoga studios and classes, there is a definite lack of fitness programs (specifically yoga) available to mamas-to-be.

So I was delighted to see Oh Baby Fitness offering a class at Arlington Memorial Hospital! The class is on Tuesday from 5:45-7p and is for mamas out of their first trimester of pregnancy (with doctor's permission, of course). The class is held in the McRae building, in the basement, room C6. The class is normally $60 for a 4-week session. Tonight's class was a free trial (score!).

We spent the first part of the class introducing ourselves and talking about where in our pregnancies we are- I was the only "veteran" in the group- both to yoga and pregnancy! It was fun hearing about everyone else's experiences with pregnancy to date. 

We were asked to bring our own yoga mats and bottles of water. Lisa, the instructor, provided yoga blankets and blocks. We spent about 45 minutes going over breathing and stretching techniques. Lisa watched us each step of the way to make sure we were properly executing each pose, and offered advice if something wasn't feeling "right." It was nice to do yoga with other mamas-to-be. I have a membership to LA Fitness and enjoy yoga there- but sometimes it's nice to be in a class specific to pregnancy and not have to worry about modifications and catching the instructor's attention to offer you pregnancy-safe poses each step of the way.

After yoga, I drove my pregnant self west down Randol Mill and stopped at MaxFrut, one of my many new favorite treat stops (oh, how I wish I were on this side of town more often!). For $2,99, I bought myself a decadent vanilla caramel pop and 10 more minutes of peace and quiet. I plan to sample my way through all their flavors... So far I've had three. I wanted so badly to grab the coffee-flavored treat tonight, but I have already reached my (contractually-specified) caffeine intake limit for the day... So... After an internal debate between vanilla caramel, hibiscus and coconut, vanilla caramel it was! (It did not disappoint... Not one little bit!)

I cannot recommend Maxfrut enough. I may take my middle daughter to Randol Mill Park tomorrow to play- just so that we have an excuse to stop at Maxfrut afterward! There are enough flavors that everyone can find something to enjoy, and the pops aren't loaded down with sugar and food dye! Seriously, a $2.99 pop at Maxfrut is probably some of the best money I spent all day. And it was a great way to end an evening spent focusing on me!

Any recommendations on places to try for prenatal fitness? What about other gourmet pop shops? Help a (pregnant) girl out!

Like a Kid in a, well, a Candy Store!

My girls and I drive by Jim and Lor's Candy Store in south Arlington frequently when we are going to and from our classes at The Little Gym. Usually we are passing by on a day the store is closed, and we are all always disappointed because, well, who can say no to a candy store?!

Today, my youngest and I caught them during open hours and had to stop in (twist my arm, really!) and see what all is offered!

The store is located on Matlock Rd., at the intersection of Matlock and Eden. It is on the northeast side of the intersection, in a small shopping center that also has a dentist's office (irony?). The store is closed a lot during the summer, so be sure and call or check their FB page before heading that way- although the sign on the door today said they would be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-6p.

The store had loads of sugar-y candies that had my youngest spinning in circles. She had to look and touch most of the pre-packaged items before settling on a rock candy sucker (green for her, blue for middle sister). She's a kid after my own heart because if I still craved flavored sugar the way I know my girls do, that would have been my pick, too! Rock candy suckers are $1.25 each.

I won't lie... I went in for the chocolate. And they had a display case full! It all looked yummy... chocolate caramel apples, chocolate-covered strawberries, pecan and peanut turtles, almond bark and so on. The even had chocolate-drizzled twinkies and chocolate-coated rice krispie treats! It was hard to choose- it all looked really good! In the end, we chose a "clearance" apple for $2 (caramel apples are $6 each, clearance were $2), 2 rock candy suckers, a bag of two pecan turtles, 3 individually-wrapped chocolates (that were supposed to be for oldest, middle and youngest, but were immediately consumed by youngest), and a chocolate peanut butter Ritz cracker. I paid $7.31- a price I was ecstatic with! (Lots of the chocolate didn't have price stickers, and I paid cash and wasn't given a receipt. So I'm not sure of the breakdown on my bill, but based on the math, the chocolate was super-reasonably priced! Chocolate-covered Oreos were labelled $.50 each, so I'm guessing my Ritz was similarly-priced.)

My chocolates were incredible. I am a HUGE fan of turtles- I love the chocolate-caramel combination, and this one did not disappoint! It was rich and decadent and just the right consistency. (Yes, singular. Youngest daughter talked me out of the second one and happily inhaled it between licks of her rock candy sucker) Equally delightful was my peanut butter Ritz- which was actually three Ritz Crackers with two layers of peanut butter coated in chocolate. I KNOW. It was absolutely every bit as delicious as it sounds. But don't take my word- go try it for yourself!

The store's Website is currently disabled, and their Facebook page hasn't had a post since late 2015- but I promise the store is there and worth the trip! Just be sure you call first- I personally know the worst thing ever is promising your child a trip to the candy store only to find out it's closed...