Smart and Cute Clothing for Kids

October 19, 2015October 19, 2015Leave a comment

Old school PBS!

I went into the Peek Kids clothing store at the mall the other day to just browse around and see if there were any good deals on clothes for Theo. As I was looking through the store, I found so many adorable graphic tee designs that I just loved. Here are my favorites, along with their links to the store and they are now on SALE! I love when you can combine things that are both cute and educational and these definitely hit both notes!

Three Branches of Government (Also this tee.)

19th Amendment Tee I wish they had an adult version of this shirt!

5 Freedoms Tee

Noun Tee I love a good grammar-based tee!

Taking Kids to Concerts

September 9, 2015Leave a comment

I have posted a lot about taking kids to classical music performances, but wanted to write about taking kids to pop/rock music concerts and how enjoyable they can be. I know several friends who take their kids to the annual Red Butte Gardens Concert Series where they can enjoy the outdoor amphitheatre and join their parents for the evening.

We took Theo to his first concert when he was 4. We were encouraged to go by our friends who also had young children and said that it would be fun. It helped that we are fans of The Dave Matthews Band, and that the concert was going to be held outdoors at USANA Amphitheatre. It was a great success!

As with a lot of activities I recommend, we bought the cheapest seats so we didn’t feel like we had to invest a lot in the event in case it backfired. These happen to be the general lawn seating at USANA and is perfect for kids!

Theo and his buddies had so much fun running up and down the lawn, having a picnic dinner and occasionally hanging out with their parents to listen to the music. The adults got to enjoy a band they loved, while keeping an eye on their kids and enjoying a nice summer evening. It was great.

Recently, Taylor Swift came to town for her 1989 World Tour and I organized a group of girlfriends to go (just adults). We are all big fans and thought it would be a fun girls night out. It definitely was a lot of fun, but we were all struck by how the event would have been enhanced by taking some of their daughters or younger girls with us. Not so that we could “fit in” to the demographic, but because the entire show seemed geared towards a younger female audience (with Taylor’s proclamations of girl power and the importance of being yourself). I had a friend afterwards tell me that she was hesitant to bring her daughter, but I would wholeheartedly recommend the show for any moms out there who want to bring their girls (and boys!). And if you don’t want to bring them, I’m happy to be a chaperone for any pop concert you don’t want to go to. 🙂

Magic Mondays at Hatch Family Chocolates

July 21, 2015August 31, 2015Leave a comment

We love going to Hatch Family Chocolates as a fun neighborhood hangout. Not only do they sell chocolate and candy, but they have a great ice cream selection and delicious chocolate-related treats (frozen hot chocolate!). I found out about an ongoing activity they have on Monday nights (from 7pm until close) called Magic Mondays. We went last night when the usual magician wasn’t there, but there was a group of magicians who went around to the tables and performed tricks. Theo absolutely loved it!

It was a pretty busy summer night so there were lots of kids around and they were such a good audience. Even after Theo finished his ice cream he still wanted to stay and watch the magician do tricks for the other tables. He liked being able to see them up close and found it very entertaining. We will definitely head back on other Monday nights to check out the other magicians and for a nice summery treat!

*****

We haven’t gone, but they also host an Avenues Block Party on Friday nights in the summer where they show a family-friendly movie and have free popcorn and live music. The remaining shows for this summer are on July 31st (Mega Mind) and August 14th (Guardians of the Galaxy). It starts at 8pm and they show the movie from the roof with guests sitting on blankets across the street (the LDS Hospital lawn). I love having fun things within walking distance to go to!

Dental Spa for Kids

June 9, 2015August 31, 2015Leave a comment

We are very lucky and grateful that Theo doesn’t have much of an aversion to going to the doctor, including the dentist or optometrist. He is so fascinated by their tools and procedures that he doesn’t even notice the slight discomfort or unfamiliarity. We are also extremely lucky and grateful that we have found a wonderful pediatric dentist that I have been raving about to all of my friends. Dr. Debbie Graham with Kids Dental Spa is the absolute best.

The trend in pediatric dentistry I’ve noticed is to include as many bells and whistles as possible to distract kids. This practice has plenty of amenities, including a waiting room with arcade games, massage chairs for parents, a movie room with bean bags, and iPads for the kids to play with while they wait.

But sometimes I think these fun details can be at the expense of quality dental work. We went to a practice that is widely known where the hygienists wear silly costumes, the kids are bombarded with video screens, and they (and their parents!) receive gifts and gift cards after a visit. Giving into the hype, we frequented this practice along with several of our friends… until the quality of the dentistry we experienced was so subpar that I began to feel that it was all a marketing ploy, not a truly reliable dentist. I had heard of the Kids Dental Spa because I go to their counterpart for adults (The Dental Spa — if this was an “Adventures with Stina” blog I would go into much more depth about how great it is, but you’ll have to take my word for it). “Dr. Debbie” (as she prefers to be called) took such great care to give us a second opinion (which I verified with a THIRD opinion with another dentist friend we know) and repaired and re-did dental work that Theo had to have done (yes, re-do; the other place [which shall not be named] messed things up so much that he had to have the same procedure twice on the same tooth).

I have since referred other friends to transfer to this practice instead of (ahem) the other one and everyone is unanimously in approval of Dr. Debbie and the wonderful staff at Kids Dental Spa. It shows that it is possible to create a comfortable and fun space for kids, as well as provide excellent dental care, which is the point of going to the dentist after all!

Playing Dress Up with Mom

February 11, 2015August 31, 2015Leave a comment

I ran across this fun article the other day on social media, and loved the concept behind it (I Let my Toddler Dress Me for a Week — Here’s What Happened). Basically, the author gave her son free reign on her closet and willingly wore whatever he put together (even mismatched shoes!).

This morning I was scheduled to go into Theo’s classroom to volunteer (a parent reader brings a book to read aloud to the class every week), so I thought this would be a fun occasion to try this out. Last night I told him about it after dinner, and he immediately went up to my closet to start looking. He was methodical (he insisted on layering — me wearing a shirt “on the bottom and the top”) and knew he wanted me to wear leggings and a skirt and not pants.

It was hilarious to watch him toss things aside or keep them in consideration. Except for my leggings, he immediately eliminated anything that was black or gray. Obviously he enjoyed patterns and bright colors. I even let him pick out my lipstick, jewelry and shoes, and he had so much fun running around and looking at all the pieces together.

This was such a fun activity for us to do together: 1) it’s free, 2) it gives your child some agency and being able to tell mom what to do/wear, 3) makes you consider wearing things beyond your comfort level. Try it out!

A Puppety Day

December 7, 2014August 31, 2015Leave a comment

Today we had all sorts of fun encounters with puppets. We went to see a free movie at the downtown main library sponsored by the Utah Film Center’s children’s Tumbleweeds series. It was adorable! It is called Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and was made in 1977 by Jim Henson, before he started working with his famous Muppets. It was short, funny and a nice holiday movie to add to your Christmas-themed catalog. We all loved it and especially the opening song, “The Bathing Suit She Wore” about Grandma Otter’s generously-cut swim suit. So clever and heartwarming.

This evening we headed to the Christkindlmrkt at This is the Place Heritage Park. It kind of felt like a wintery farmer’s market and they had all sorts of shops and food stands set up around the market. One of the stores featured was Golden Touch Puppets, which encouraged the children to put on the puppets and play around with them. The owners were so nice and Theo got a kick out of using a puppet much like the ones we had seen in the movie earlier today.

Memory Grove – Discovery Day

November 15, 2014August 31, 2015Leave a comment

We went to a great “Discovery Day” at Memory Grove Park last weekend, which was sponsored by the Utah Heritage Foundation. Inside the Memorial House, they had super fun indoor activities for the kids, all around a structure/building/architecture theme. They had cookie stacking (Theo got 27!), building out of toothpicks and gumdrops, and making stained glass windows out of black construction paper and colored tissue paper. I got really into my stained glass window project while Theo was building his gumdrop structure.

They also provided a “scavenger hunt” worksheet that had pictures of different aspects of the various buildings around the Park. You had to go outside and match up the pictures with the buildings on the worksheet, which took you around the whole park. We went to the Meditation Chapel which I had never been inside, and they had a tour guide there to allow the public to see the interior. It is tiny and so beautiful with stained glass windows commemorating the four services of the US military, and a small bench and altar. The entrance gates look out over the park and line up exactly with the cupola of the Capitol building. I could totally imagine sitting inside and being meditative and peaceful.

We ended the outing with Theo and his dad exploring the pathway that leads from the park up to the Avenues, where we live. I met them all the way up the hill in our car and we vowed to one day walk all the way from our house down to the park again. Such gorgeous scenery so close to downtown/Capitol/Avenues and we are glad that this Discovery Day activity brought us out to enjoy it.

Our Current Favorite Show

November 14, 2014August 31, 2015Leave a comment

My friend Hilary told me about the show MasterChef Junior over a year ago. She said that her kids loved watching it and that the show was pretty entertaining. We finally got a chance to watch the shows (available on Hulu) and this was a parenting milestone moment for me: Theo and I basically binge-watched the entire first season and we both had a blast. Nothing like sharing the anticipation of “okay, just one more episode…” with your child.

I had never watched the adult version of MasterChef, but from what I understand, the celebrity chef judges (including Gordon Ramsay) can be pretty tough. They are much less harsh on the kid version of the show which means no bad language and no abusive behavior. Also, it is genuinely impressive what the kid contestants on the show can do. They are aged 8-13 and are cooking at a level beyond many adults — like truly talented kids here, not just making “kid food” or easy dishes.

The current season (Season 2) is airing on FOX right now and the episodes become available on Hulu about a day after they air. Check it out and see if you and your kids love it as much as we do. My hope is that my super picky eater will become inspired by the wide variety of foods shown and maybe become more adventurous in trying new things (so far it hasn’t happened yet!).

Election Day is a Holiday

October 17, 2014August 31, 2015Leave a comment

In our house, we’ve always treated Election Day like a holiday. My husband and I (especially my husband) are big political junkies and love to stay involved and know what is going on with the various campaigns in any given year. This year in particular there are a lot of races that we are watching closely that affect the entire state, as well as our local districts. We spend the evening of Election Day watching the results come in and it is a thrilling time for us (this explains us pretty well).

Political activism, pre-Theo. I’m the one in the patriotic outfit.

Ever since Theo was a tiny baby we have always taken him with us when we headed to the polling place on Election Day. (He was only 2 months old when he accompanied us to vote for the presidential election in 2008.) I’m kind of a traditionalist in that I want to vote on the actual Election Day rather than use mail-in or early voting (which are great options to have if it means that it will get people to vote at all!). Once Theo was a little older, we would explain in basic terms what it meant to vote and the right that we had as citizens to do so. There are so many extensions of lessons to teach around this topic: federal and state governments and process, the idea of civic duty, getting involved with things that affect you.

Without getting too political on this blog, some areas that we have used as accessible discussion points with Theo are explaining the ZAP tax and what that means (since he has experience with the places it affects). We also have discussed our views on marriage equality and how that affects people we know and love. There are lots of ways to bring political discourse into the family and you will have to see what things are appropriate for you to discuss.

All that said, I am a huge proponent of getting people involved and at the very least, showing up to VOTE! Here is a link to where you can find out information about voting: where your polling place is, registration details, etc.

Halloween 2014 – by Aimee

September 27, 2014August 31, 2015Leave a comment

My amazing friend Aimee always puts together a wonderful list of Halloween activities every year. I asked her if she would mind if I borrowed her expertise for a “guest blog post” and she has supplied a great and comprehensive list! Here are Aimee’s Halloween Adventures:

Red Butte Garden – Garden After Dark, Once Upon a Fairytale

Oct 16, 17, 18 & 23, 24, 25; 6-9pm

The Garden has been overrun with your favorite fairytales! From wicked brambles to magic pumpkins, plants are surprisingly prevalent in these famous tales. Enjoy an enchanted evening exploring these connections and hunting for signs of fairytale villains hidden throughout the Garden.

With crafts, activities, light displays and more, this is an event you definitely don’t want to miss! This is an indoor/outdoor, costume, and kid-friendly experience in the Garden to celebrate Halloween.

http://www.redbuttegarden.org/garden-after-dark

Gardner Village – Witchfest

Now – Oct 31

Lots of events: Witches Brew Ha Ha 5K run/walk; Breakfast with a Witch; Wee Witches Playground. The village is decorated up for the season, and there’s a fun scavenger hunt that will get you peeking around every corner to find the hidden witches.

http://www.gardnervillage.com/#

Sugarhouse Park – Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta

Oct 18; Carving Noon – 1pm, Race: 1pm – 3pm

The 4th Annual Mountain Valley Seed Co. Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta will take place Saturday October 18th from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Sugarhouse Park. Pumpkin carving from 12:00 to 1:00 and race from 1:00 to 3:00. Come watch these heroic growers race their 1,000 lb. plus pumpkins for love, honor and bragging rights.

https://www.mvseeds.com/regatta.html

Cinderella in her Giant Pumpkin carriage

CLAS Ropes Course in Provo – Halloween River Cruise

Oct 1-31; 6:30 until 9:00pm on weekdays, and 10pm on Fri and Sat

A fun 20-minute boat ride along the decorated stretch of Provo River. Not too scary, but pretty and fun to be outdoors during a beautiful fall season. Be sure to print a coupon from the website.

http://clasropes.com/halloween-cruise.php#Halloween

Utah Symphony – Halloween Hi-Jinx

Oct 28; 7 pm

A HUGE costume contest and the best-quality spooky classical music – you can’t go wrong! Tickets start at $8 and little kids three years old and younger can sit on a lap. Check out the program line up, and borrow some of the music from your library or buy it for your iPod and you’ll be a musical expert.

http://www.utahsymphony.org/component/k2/969-halloween-hi-jinks

Hogle Zoo – Boo at the Zoo

Oct 25; 9am-3pm

Every October, the Zoo puts out a casting call for all princesses, cowboys, superheroes and wild things! Kids 12 and under can come in costume to trick-or-treat at booths set up throughout the zoo grounds. There will be lots of candy and lots to see and do. Trick-or-Treating activity is free with regular Zoo admission or membership.

http://www.hoglezoo.org/events_experiences/annual_events/boo/

Wheeler Historic Farm – Pumpkin Days and Haybale Maze

Sept 26-Oct 31; 11am until 8pm weekdays and 9 pm weekends; 10am-3pm Sundays

Hay maze, wagon ride, and a pumpkin to take home. The farm is also hosting a doggie Halloween costume contest and a festival of scarecrows.

http://www.wheelerfarm.com/events/fallFestival.html

Thanksgiving Point – Halloween Central “A Nod to Oz”

Oct 3 – Nov 1

Cornbelly’s Corn Maze and Emerald City at Farm Country include lots of fun kids’ stuff. You can add on the Insanity Point haunted attractions if you’re really brave.

http://www.thanksgivingpoint.org/halloweencentral

Heber Valley Railroad – Pumpkin Festival

Lots of outings from Oct 9 – Oct 30

You and your kids will enjoy the annual Pumpkin Festival trains. Your ticket includes a short 40 minute train ride where you will be entertained on board by costumed entertainers! You’ll also get to sample a pumpkin cookie. At the depot you can take a trip through the fairly spooky haunted car, and then get a Halloween sticker or temporary tattoo. And of course you also get to select a pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch and take it home with you! Additional food and snacks will be available for purchase at the depot and in the concession car.

http://hebervalleyrr.org/specialevents/pumpkinfestival/

Tracy Aviary – Halloween Hoot

In previous years, a few days during October offered discounted tickets for costumed kids. Nothing scheduled yet, but keep checking with them.

http://www.tracyaviary.org/daily-activities/

Retirement / Assisted Living Home Costume Parade

We love to dress up in our costumes, make some fudge, and hand it out to people living at “old folks’ homes.” Call a facility in your neighborhood and ask if you can schedule a little visit. We like to go during social hour when the residents usually gather in the dining room or lounge. We stay for about 30 minutes and hand out our treats, discuss all things Halloween, and make some new friends.

Adventures with Theo

Every day is an adventure

Category: Around & About