Hike It Baby

Hike It Baby is an organization that wants to raise the next generation to love the outdoors, and we are lucky enough to have a chapter right here in Hampton Roads. As much as it is about getting kids outside, it is also about support for parents. Their biggest rule: no one left behind. If one stops for a diaper change, they all do. There are ages from a couple weeks old to toddler children.

There are different kinds of hikes. We started on a playground and after a welcome circle moved on to the hike. We attended an easy one-at-a-child-led pace. This meant that the slowest toddler set the pace for the group. Looking at their calendar, there are three hikes this week alone at three different places. I'm hoping that once it is a little warmer, there will be some on weekends too.  All of the hikes are led by volunteers from the group. Anyone who wants to lead a hike simply just has to enter it on the website and wait for people to show up! For safety reasons, you have to join first before you're able to see the locations, but they seem to be pretty well spread out through Tidewater.

Membership is only $10.00 a year. A year y'all. That's a steal. There is also a 90 day trial period that you can sign up for online. If you're like me and you always want experiences instead of gifts from family and friends on birthdays... this is an easy one to ask for! It is also a non-profit, so the membership is even tax deductible. It is a family membership, so all are welcome to join. Check out the website here. 

If you want to try it out, they have both a facebook group and you can log in and check out local hikes on their website. I'm looking forward to checking out more.  I like being outside, but in today's world it is smart to travel into the woods in numbers. Another cool perk, besides the adult talk for me, and the baby talk for R, and the exercise, is finding out new places! It's crazy, but living in this area my whole life, I'm still discovering new things. That's one awesome thing about this area!

Mom Rant Monday

Okay, I was trying to be a little funny with the title, but this is a rant. Spring Break is over and I spent so much time doing cool things with R that I even more am thinking about all of the things that I miss as a working mom. Almost everything to do with toddlers is during the weekday and in the morning. I realize that this is how companies get people into their businesses, because these are the people who are home at this time. I get it, I get it, I get it. But you know what? Missing out on all of this sucks. Where are these after school things for kids? Yes. I know what you're thinking. "Well, by the time you get home, feed them dinner, and take a bath, it's time for bed." I get it. But one night a week I could make something work. Or why not on a Sunday morning? I get it, people should be in church because this is the South and we still live in the 1800's sometimes, but I'd venture to say most people aren't. Look at the wide array of churches closing in this area from low membership. Take a hint places! Most places don't open until noon, and most toddlers are eating and then napping. 

All dressed up, nowhere to go...

I've complained to people about this before. They say "oh, just stay at home!". It isn't that easy I try to tell them. I do actually like working with the kids at my job. It isn't them, I don't hate teaching, none of that... (Although it is hard and I totally stand in support with all of the teachers striking around the country, we get paid crap, parents treat us like crap, administration treats us like crap, kids treat us like crap, the government treats us like crap...) but I do miss my kid. I need good insurance for us, I need money to live and do the things that I want to do. It just sucks that so few places even have these options.

Take this example. The Kroc center has an awesome Toddler Thursday time. During Spring Break they have camps, during the summer they have camps. So when would I ever get to take R? Sure, this is a first world problem, but from what I've seen in some of our local mom groups I'm not alone.

Here is a small list of places that DO have toddler times on weekends or weeknights:

• Sky Zone 
• Chesapeake Parks and Rec (Although R is too little, they have a Thursday night program)
• Norfolk Parks and Rec (still too little)
• Kindermusik (fee based)
• Home Depot Workshops
• Michaels Workshops (R too young)
• 123 Play With Me at Norfolk Public Library 
• Swim Lessons
• Stroller Strides
• Chick-fil-A family nights

Also, none of these are on Sunday. The only place we have seen that is great for toddlers on a Sunday is The Bunny Hutch and the Train Clubhouse. So shout out to them! 

End Rant. 

Little Rockstars

Spring Break means that I get to check out some places that we normally don't get to hit. Side note- being a working mom is hard. I wish there were more weeknight/late afternoon things for toddlers. But, being that we were able to, we finally attended Little Rockstars with Miss Holly.  Holly started doing this when her son was little, without dating her... he is a teenager now! So she has lots of experience. The classes are for ages 0-5.

What stands out most about this toddler class are two things. First, it is held at the Fred Huette Center which overlooks beautiful gardens in Ghent. Second, unlike other baby music classes, Holly does some focusing on instruments themselves. An example is some of the songs focus on the sounds that drums, trumpets, violins, guitars, and so on make. I thought that was cool.

The session ends with the kids having a big tub of instruments to play with.

Some sad news for us, but great for her, Holly is going back to school full time, so she won't be doing Little Rockstars anymore. She is actually looking for a replacement, so if you play music and love little ones, this might be the perfect fit for you!

Let me be clear, yes... I know putting R in this onesie was corny. Yes, I did it anyway. This is the time we get to do that, before kids know enough to fight us!

We also got a C.D. from Holly to listen to at home. If you want to check it out, hurry and do it now. Tuesday mornings 10-11 at the Fred Huette Center. If you're interested in taking over the classes, you can check out her facebook here.

Toddler Tuesday: TV Edition

Okay, let's be real here for a minute. We all know we have to limit screen time. We all probably should cut back some. But sometimes, the T.V. is what works. Sick kid? Rainy day? Cooking dinner and need a distraction? Sometimes the answer is the T.V. Our pediatrician has said one hour a day. You know how my kid is with his trucks. I know- everyone says don't gender your kid, offer both dolls and tools... but this kid only wants the trucks. When I planned his first birthday party, I thought that next year I'd have another theme to look forward to, but nope- looks like it might be trucks again. Good thing I saved most of the decorations!

This is easily the most watched show in our house. It comes on the CW Network, but we watch it on Netflix. There are a few different trucks, including a dump truck, tow truck, backhoe loader.. and more. There is music in this show, which R likes. I'll admit, maybe because I've seen it so much but Chuck annoys me slightly. He is kinda a brat but learns his lessons, so yeah- it's teaching how to be a good person.

Super Why was the first show we really stumbled upon that caught R's attention. It's a PBS show that takes place in Storybook Village. The characters are common fairy tale characters that look in books to solve their problems. I like it because every episode introduces a new vocabulary word, has a spelling segment, sings the ABC's, and works with rhyming words. In the newer seasons, woofster the dog introduces a new vocabulary word using his dictionary.  If you look at the Virginia SOLs, this pretty much goes along with several of them. It makes text to text and text to self connections. It addresses spelling patterns and rhyming words. It even uses reference resources to define words. When trying to rewrite the story, they use context clues to find meaning. So- the teacher in me loves this show. It has music and bright colors which R love too. And, I'm not kidding, when they sound out the letters, R has copied them sometimes so that's really great.

The last big show for R is Chuggington. This show is "train"ees who are learning how to become real adult trains with full responsibilities. There is some color recognition work, animals are frequent, and the trains learn everyday lessons. Things like following directions, checking what you're doing, and being a true friend.

We do sometimes watch Sesame Street too, which of course is great, but everyone already knows about! If you haven't tried these shows, try them out and let me know how you like them. If you've got more shows that you think we would like, please let me know! 

Fit4Baby

Today's music is of course The Wobble. Why? Because Fit4Baby is designed for mom-to-be, and we all know once you're pregnant you get that wobble! (Attention: I'm NOT pregnant, but went with a friend  so she could try the class!)  My friend Cayte teaches these in the 360 studio at Macarthur Center, which I did a post on a while back. The classes are 60 minutes and like the other Fit4Mom classes focus on cardio, strength, balance, and flexibility.

I did a lot of thinking back to when I was pregnant. It's so exciting to see moms who are expecting. The excitement of finding out the gender, of discussing delivery, registries. I remember sitting in the rocking chair wondering what my little man would be like. I wish that back then I'd had an outlet of other pregnant women to meet regularly with to keep each other inspired and motivated. Let's face it- staying awake is hard while pregnant. Meeting twice a week to workout? Let's just say these girls are killing it.

The instructor, Cayte put out a sheet of paper for each person. We wrote inspiring notes to each other during the rest periods of tabata. These are nice little momentous for a day when you're feeling down. 

I was super impressed with this workout. I thought it would be much easier since it is designed for pregnant moms in mind. It was still a good workout for me, even without a baby bump. I've mentioned Fit4Mom before. The first workout is always free, so if you're pregnant and interested in trying it out, you can ask me about it, or just show up! I'm thinking about doing the Fit4Mom 8 week transformation that starts mid-April. Someone should do it with me! 

All smiles after a successful workout!