​

Now I'm excited for snow days!

​

​

First things first - I can't take credit for this find. A HUGE shoutout to local Mom, Virginia, for discovering this hidden gem!

​Golden Minds Playground is known as a local daycare, but on the weekend it moonlights as an Open Play Playground.

I had little energy to wrangle this Little One in the cold wet snow on Sunday, so a playdate at Golden Minds was the perfect way to spend the day.

The Highlights!

• The Ball Pit
  • Since this Little One came along, I have seen my number of ball pits... many that make me cringe thinking of what potential sickness is coming my way. This ball pit is not one of them. It's clean, safe and fun! Even I got swept away throwing the balls at the touch screen as part of the interactive games.
• Karate Class
  • They offered a karate class while we were there! Unfortunately my Little One wasn't as into it as I thought she would be - She ended up finding a teddy bear and making him punch and kick instead of her!
• Art Class
  • The art room alone is beautiful space to walk into, but it's even better to have a teacher help the Little Ones work on a project to bring home. Ours was a Valentine's Day themed art thingy
• Parent lounge
  • Really comfy chairs (daringly in white!) are right outside the main play area and make it easy to watch over the Little Ones play. It's really comfortable and the perfect spot if you have a baby Little One in tow that you need to sit with while the toddlers run around

If you have braved Complete Playground in the past and like me, vowed to never go back on the weekend in fear of losing your mind, then I highly recommend trying Golden Minds instead. The 2 hour open play is $39 and well worth the money.

Overall, this is by far the calmest and chillest playdate I think we've ever been on and we'll definitely be going back!

Where to eat afterwards...

• ​Harry's Italian: Right downstairs is Harry's Italian and the perfect place to get a grandma style pizza for the Little Ones (and me!)

And a special treat...

• ​Juice Generation: Head around the corner to pick up a fresh coconut that they crack open for you to drink from and scoop out the insides! The novelty alone of drinking from a coconut has blow my Little One's mind.

​

What we are doing this week...

​MOMA Family Festival​ It's the gallery experience tailored for kids! We still haven't made it to the MOMA yet with my Little One and this feels like the perfect opportunity. Tickets available for Feb 15 to Feb 19. ​Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)

... and another thing for this week...

​Kid's week at the Intrepid​ Before I even had a Little One, I had a membership at the Intrepid and LOVED it. The fact that there's a whole week dedicated to kids at this museum is even more exciting. Kids week from Feb 15 to 22 at 10:30am - 12pm ​Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)

... and one more thing for this week...

​Winter Storytime with Cali Co Cat​ What better excuse to venture out in the cold than to attend a book reading for the kids! It's hosted by Penguin and they apparently have free books too! Storytime is on Feb 15 at 10:30am - 11:30am ​Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)

What we are Reading this week...

"Wombat Stew" by Marcia Vaughn A classic childhood book (for this Aussie!) it explores the different Aussie animals out there! ​Link to amazon (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!

What Saved my sanity This week...

​Joycat Washable Dots​ My Little One is obsessed. What's great is it comes in a nice box that sits on her toy shelf and she will walk over and set up her own 'art station' without any help from us. I'm all for any art project that requires little effort from me. ​Link to amazon (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)

What i reading this week...

​'Come Hungry' by Melissa Ben-Ishay A cookbook by the woman behind 'Baked by Melissa'. Sure, I may get slightly triggered when people put two and two together to make a joke about how I bake and I'm not the woman behind 'Baked by Melissa', BUT I follow her on Instagram and have loved her healthy recipes for every day eating! ​Link to amazon (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)

What i am treating myself to this week...

​Pullman Bread Tin​ It's time to stop spending $12 on a loaf of Japanese milk bread from Taku Sando. It's phenomenal and delicious, but time for me to figure out how to make it myself. I've tried 6 different recipes so far and I'm close to figuring out the perfect one! ​Link to amazon (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)