Superman Juice

 **Thanks to our new blogger Cleo for this great toddler recipe.  I can't wait to make it for my super picky little man.  Welcome to Stir Crazy Moms Cleo!

If your budding toddler is anything like mine, it's a battle to get them to eat anything other than chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and goldfish crackers. Luckily, my little one will readily gulp down smoothies and juices of all colors and consistencies. Hurrah! Here's our recipe for green juice, or as my kid calls it, "Superman Juice".

Superman Juice

- 3 to 5 leaves of kale, pulled off the stalks (you can also substitute spinach)
- 2 apples of your choice, roughly chopped up (we use granny smith and red delicious, but fuji or pink lady would be awesome too)
- 2 or 3 stalks of celery
- A squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Throw everything into your blender or juicer (we have a Ninja blender that I could rave about for an eternity but that's another post for another day), and strain contents into a tall glass. Add as much leftover pulp as you like / as much as your child can stand (I usually throw a spoonful in there - gotta have fiber).

Here's the key: throw half of the green juice into your kid's sippy cup and add a splash of their regular juice (berry, apple, orange, it doesn't matter). You drink the other half. It's a win-win situation. Cheers to your health!

 1. The materials

 

 2. In the Ninja blender

4. Straining

 

5. Half for you

6. and half for your toddler!

Jared The Galleria of Jewelry

I was so excited when I found this!  I think it's one of the most fun hidden treasures that we've found, so enjoy!

What it is: Most people have seen the commercials or the storefronts for Jared's.  It's a great place to go to for beautiful jewelry.  Not a place I get to shop in very often, but they have very beautiful things.  I recently received a ring for a gift, and I needed to head somewhere to get it sized and appraised, so I headed to Jared's.  I had to bring both my one and three year old sons, and I didn't know how it would go to bring both of them into a fancy jewelry store.  We headed in and immediately we were greeted by a very friendly salesperson.  She looked at us and immediately ushered us over to the kids' area!  That's right, Jared's has a kids' area!  They had a separate room with a TV playing a movie, a video game TV, a climbing area, toys, and a picnic table.  What a great idea!  The kids played happily while I got all of my ring sizing taken care of and even looked in some of the pretty display cases.

What we liked:  We thought this was a brilliant idea!  This gives you the opportunity to fulfill all of your fancy jewelry shopping needs, even with your kids present.  No excuses for your significant other to not go jewelry shopping...the kids can come!  While I still don't anticipate shopping there everyday, I think this was a very nice innovation for a store that is typically thought of as one of the least kid-friendly type of stores.


What we would change:  Of course, it's not a kids' play area, it's a nice jewelry store.  You must still keep an eye on your kids.  There's no door on the kids' area, so they're not completely contained. 


Website and other important information:  

Website: http://www.jared.com

Address: 6813 Renaissance Center at Southpoint, 6813 Fayetteville Rd. Ste. 104, Durham NC 27713 

Hours: M-S 10AM-9PM, Sun NOON-6PM   

Orchard Park

Another beautiful day in Durham-Another beautiful park in Durham!


What it is:  This time we headed to Orchard Park which is located near Forest Hills and Lyon Park in Durham.  You could easily combine a trip to this park with a trip to one of the other nearby stops.  This park did not have much equipment, but it had other features that recommended it as a fun stop for you and the kiddos.  The playground only had a slide, swings, and a sandbox, but my kids enjoyed all of these features while we were there.  The playground was surrounded by a large grassy field where the kids could run and play.  They also had a large picnic shelter next to a beautiful community garden.  One of the most unique features was the foundation/remains of an old greenhouse.  When we saw it, we thought it looked like a maze, and the kids had a ball running around it and trying to hide from each other.


What we liked:  We loved the old greenhouse.  It's so nice when you can find a unique feature at a playground that the kids really enjoy.  In addition, the proximity to the other playgrounds in the area makes for a fun outing.

What we would change: The playground equipment was minimal, so kids might lose interest in that park of the playground pretty quickly.

Website and other information:

Website: http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/gis_apps/parkapp/park.cfm?selVal=park&ParkNam=Orchard+Park

Address: 1000 SOUTH DUKE STREET 27701

Photos: 

 1. the picnic shelter with the garden behind it

 2. The maze-like greenhouse remains

 3. More greenhouse

4. The little play area

Lyon Park

As the weather cools off slightly and playground equipment is no longer quite so scorching to the touch, I can feel park season coming on. The cool fall weather makes me want to hang out at the parks all day long.  So, in tribute of park season I thought I'd tell you about another great Durham park that we just found.

What it is:  Last week we headed up to Lyon Park which is located near Forest Hills park.  It's a small park, but was a nice diversion from our usual haunts.  It consists of a swing set with regular swings and bucket swings, a really interesting play structure, a basketball court, a covered picnic table, and a little path with a bridge.  We were able to spend a fun morning there.

What we liked: We loved the play structure.  It was unusual, and that made it very appealing to our toddlers.  There were nets to climb, wiggly plastic platforms to "surf" on, and a really tall (slightly dangerous), slide which the kids liked to ride with a little assistance from their moms.  The path with a bridge was also entertaining for the kids.  My kids always like to hang out by bridges and grab little sticks to throw over the rails.


What we would change: While the play structure was great for our three year olds, the littler ones didn't have as much to do.  The couldn't climb on as many things and just wandered around looking at the structure.  In addition, even though there was a fence, there was a break in the fence in between the play area and the swings, and that break led to a fairly busy road.  You definitely have have to keep an eye on the kids when they're near the gate.  The slide is also fairly tall and a little dangerous for kids to use by themselves.


Website and other important information:

Website: http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/gis_apps/parkapp/park.cfm?selVal=park&ParkNam=Lyon+Park

Address: 1200 W. LAKEWOOD AVENUE 27707

Photos: 

 1. The path leading from the play structure to the basketball court.

2. The play structure

3. The swings

Great Wolf Lodge

What it is: Great Wolf Lodge is a large 80,000 square foot indoor water park located in Concord, NC, near Charlotte. Indoors they have water slides, pools and rides appropriate for different ages, an arcade and live-action adventure games for older children.  Outside they have a zero entry outdoor pool and min golf.

What we liked:  Great Wolf Lodge is a great water park for children of all age.  Located 2 1/2 hours from Durham, it makes for a great weekend or 2-day get away.  They have a lot of activities and rides for toddlers.  They have an entire section for toddlers with splash rides, water slides and zero entry pool up to 1 1/2 feet (Cub Paw Pool).  For the more adventurous toddlers there is a wave pool, and 4 story tree house with larger water slides (Fort Mackenzie) that they can ride on their own.  Our son who was 2 1/2 was a bit reluctant at first to go on the larger water slides by himself.  After watching other kids he went down and we could not pull him away.  Lastly they have lots of planned activities like treasure hunts and story times with animated characters including a night time story time where all of the kids get dressed in their pajamas.

The suites in the lodge were very spacious, clean and comfortable.  We stayed in the 'Wolf Den' Suite which has bunk beds with a cave theme.  We were able to save money by signing up for an upgrade to this suite based on availability.  This cost less money than if we had originally reserved the suite.  

Everything was very contained and convenient within the lodge including the activities, story time, arcade, ice cream shop,  and various restaurants such as Dunkin Donut and Pizza Hut Express.  There are also a lot of restaurants located within a one mile radius outside of the lodge so you don' t need to go very far to eat.

You can also make two days of the water park because they allow you to stay until 5pm the next day.

What we would change:  They have strict requirements on height for various water slides and rides. At the time our son just missed the cut off for a few rides to go on with us.  So it felt like what he could go on was a bit limited.

It can also be very pricey but they do run specials and offer discounts throughout the year.  We went on a Sunday and Monday night since it was cheaper.  You can view the deals for different months on their website or you can sign up to receive e-mail offers.

Website and other important information:

http://www.greatwolf.com/concord/waterpark/?s_kwcid=TC|15988|charlotte%20NC%20lodge||S|b|7229017980

Link for all activities and rides for toddlers:
http://www.greatwolf.com/concord/explore/toddlers

Address:
10175 Weddington Road
Concord, NC 28027

Reservations: 866.925.9653

Resort Direct: 704.549.8206
Fax: 704.549.8207
Email: ncinfo@greatwolf.com

Photos:

Fort Mackenzie in background with indoor pool in front

Indoor pool with floating tree trunks to cross

Bottom of water slide at Fort Mackenzie

Triangle Town Center

Malls in the area have been a great place for us to retreat with our little ones when it's too hot or too cold or too rainy outside and they just need somewhere to get a little energy out.  The malls don't have to cost anything, there's lots to looks at, and usually there are several activities specifically for children in the mall.  These factors have led us to track down all of the nearby malls we can find.  We had one more to track down, so here's our report on Triangle Towne Center.

What it is: Triangle Town Center is a mall just north of Raleigh off of I-540.  We'll admit, it's a bit of a hike from Durham, probably the furthest afield of the malls we've reported on.  But at only about 1/2 hr. drive away, it's another new and different diversion if you're looking for some indoor fun for your kids.  Triangle Town Center is the newest of the area malls, and as far as a mall, it's nice.  It's open and airy and has lots of fun shops.  However, what we're focused on is the kids. 

So, when we arrived we made a beeline to the Sears wing of the mall where the kids' area was.  The area itself was similar in size to the one at Southpoint.  However, they didn't have the fun activities on the wall of the area for the kids to play with.  There were several big sculptures to climb up, slide down, and crawl through.  Next to the play area was an area with more of the coin operated vehicles for kids to play in.  However, the part that immediately caught my oldest son's eye was the train!  That's right, there's a train in the mall, and when it choo-choo's around the kids' area as it does every 15 minutes or so, all the kids turn, stare, and then burst into tears begging their parents to let them ride it.  At least, that's what happened to our son.  So, we ended up letting him see the mall on a very short ride from the vantage point of the train.

After the train ride and the play area became less interesting we wandered the rest of the mall.  They had a food court with a small carousel to entertain the little ones, and one of the mega jump activities found in so many malls right now.  Right next to the jump area was a nice little toy store called "Play N Learn Toys".  While they were a very small store, they had the largest selection of Melissa and Doug brand toys that I've seen in a toy store.  The best part was that they had a little playroom in the back where the kids could take a breather and play while we could browse the shop.  Great idea!  We had to check out the glow in the dark putt putt golf center across the mall from the toy store.  It looked like a great activity to come back and check out another day.

What we liked:  We like the new and open feel of the mall.  In addition, they had a train!  This makes it completely awesome in the mind of a great majority of three year olds.  Having a toy store is always an added bonus for a mall, and of course, since it's two story, they had escalators we could ride.

What we would change:  The play area seemed VERY crowded and full of big kids.  This seemed to be a much bigger problem than it was at the other mall play areas we've checked out.  My sons didn't last long in there because they were too worried about being stepped on.  They had the same height restrictions as other area malls, but people certainly weren't following the rules.


Website and other important information:

Website: www.triangletowncenter.com

Address: 5959 Triangle Town Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27616

Phone Number:  919.792.2222 x250

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm

Photos: 

 1. An aisle of Play N Learn Toys

 2. The food court with mini carousel

 3. The coin operated vehicles

 4. The TRAIN!

5. The play area

Three-Fer Thursday: Marbles + Imax + Roly Poly Sandwiches

Welcome back to one of our favorite features-Three-fer Thursdays!  Enjoy!

This three-fer Thursday is a great way to stay indoors on one of those sultry NC summer days.  Start your morning by going to Marbles museum (http://bit.ly/j7iohZ).  Then head over to see a movie at the IMAX theatre (http://www.imaxraleigh.org/).  Right now they have a documentary showing in 3D called “Born to be Wild” (http://www.imaxraleigh.org/nowshowing/BW01).  It’s a wonderful documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman about orphaned elephants in Kenya and orphaned orangutans in Borneo.  I took my 3 year old son to see it and he lasted 35 of the 45 minutes.  He even kept the 3D glasses until nearly the end of the movie at which point his attention was waning and they became a toy.    Then we headed back to Marbles for some more play.  We ended our morning with a delicious lunch at Roly Poly Sandwiches (http://www.orderrolypoly.com/).  They are attached to the IMAX and thus conveniently located right next to Marbles.  They offer an enormous menu with yummy hot and cold wraps, soups, salads and kids meals.  It’s affordable, casual and very kid friendly. 

When to go:  Get to Marbles early at 9am when they open to beat the crowds.  Catch “Born to Be Wild” at 10am or 12pm or “The Ultimate Wave Tahiti” (http://www.imaxraleigh.org/nowshowing/UW01) at 11am.  Then head back to Marbles for some more play or head over to lunch at Roly Poly.  You could always head back to Marbles after lunch as well since there is so much to see there.

What to bring:  Camera, normal diaper bag must-haves, light snacks and drinks

What it’ll cost you: You can buy a combo pass for IMAX and Museum entrance for $9.95 for kids and $12.95 for adults.  If you are a member of the museum the IMAX documentaries are buy one get one free.  Kids’ sandwiches at Roly Poly cost $2.95 or $3.95 with drink and pasta or potato salad.  Half sandwiches/wraps (6”) average about $4 and regular sandwiches/wraps (12”) average about $6.  So it is a very affordable lunch option.

Advisories: During the summer there a lot of summer camps and during the school year there are a lot of class field trips that visit the museum so it can get crowded around 10:30 or 11am.  But if you get there early enough you can beat the crowds and head to an IMAX movie as it starts to get more crowded. 

Southpoint Summer Kids Movie Series

 What it is: Southpoint Cinemas offers $1 movies for kids throughout the summer starting in  mid June and ending in mid August.  They offer a different movie each week.  They also sell $1 snacks such as popcorn and frozen and regular drinks for kids. 


What we liked: How can you beat $1 movies and snacks in an air-conditioned theater on a hot steamy summer day?  I took my 3 year old son to see "Alpha and Omega".  Even though he didn't last through the entire movie he still enjoyed it.  We're going to see "Yogi Bear" this week.  It's their last movie of the summer.  They offer a variety of movies throughout the summer appropriate for different ages of children. 

What we would change:  There really isn't anything I would change about this. 

Website and other important information:

 





The movies are shown at 10am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  By clicking on the website link below, you will see the the one movie playing at 10am - this is the kids $1 movie.  This week they will be showing "Yogi Bear."
 

http://www.streetsatsouthpoint.com/movies

8030 Renaissance Parkway
Durham , NC 27713
(919)313-6627 

And the winner of the August giveaway is...

Here it is, what you've all been waiting for...the winner of our August giveaway-the cleaning from Tangerine Clean! 

Our randomly-chosen winner is...Speckled Kat!  Her comment said, "Oh.Man.I.NEED.This!!! Please oh please choose me!" 

So, if this is you, please e-mail us at scmomsgroup@gmail.com to claim your prize! 

Thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned for another fabulous Durham giveaway next month.  Also, thanks for all of your wonderful comments!!  It definitely makes our day to hear that the blog is helpful to all of you. 

Happy August and keep reading!

Katie Beth's Learning Garden

Finally, here's the last installment of our toy store series.  We told you that we had one more place to check out in University Mall.  Well, here's the report!


What it is: Katie Beth's Learning House is not your typical toy store.  In fact, the woman that I spoke to that works in the store did not describe it as a toy store.  She called it a "store that makes learning fun".  After looking around, I definitely agree.  The store had science kids and models, historical games, craft items, curricular resources, and more!  It seems more like a store where you could find ideas for activities with your kids at a later time.  While the items in the store might not be so readily played with, there are endless possibilities for your kids if you look. 

Then, there were books and resources on almost any educational topic you could think of.  This would be a great place to check out if you were interested in doing any homeschooling with your kids.  As a teacher, I saw many of the resources that I used with my students there.  On this trip, I had some questions about introducing some educational activities to my three year old boy, especially some to introduce writing.  She had several really neat preschool activity books, some handwriting workbooks, and introductory pencils to make writing easier.  She also recommended some great online resources.  That's one of the things I like best about a store, when they will help you even if it involves mentioning something that you can't buy at their store.

What we liked: I loved the really nice and helpful staff at the store.  They were so helpful to me and also patient with my little ones.  In addition, I loved all of the resources that they had for learning.  I would love to head back and pick up some of the preschool activity books that they recommended.

What we would change: Unlike some of the other toy stores we mentioned, this one did not have displays of toys for your kids to play with.  It's not really that kind of store.  This may make your little ones more impatient, but hopefully they will give you time to look around a little because there's a lot in this little store to see.  In addition, make sure you take note of their hours because their hours do not correspond with mall hours.

Website and other important information: 

Website: http://katiebethsgarden.com/

Address: University Mall, 201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (Near Dillards)

Phone Number: (919) 929-2118

Hours: Closed Monday, Tuesday 12pm-7pm, Wednesday 12pm-6pm, Thursday 12pm-7pm, Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Closed Sunday

Photos:

 1. Lots to play with and explore

2. And plenty of educational resources

McDonalds

What it is: Who doesn’t know Mcdonalds? It has been around forever, but maybe you didn’t know how much fun it could be to cool off at Mcdonalds! Like most parents, I aim for my children to have a well-balanced diet. However, as the weather heats up, we enjoy an occasional ice cream cone from time to time! Good news! Mcdonalds has all the classics you remember as a kid, but also a few simple cold treats that are tasty and much for cost effective than most of the competition!

What we liked: Several cool treats to choose from. Everything from: ice cream cones (also come in reduced fat), sundaes, shakes, Mcflurries, to smoothies...and more! The best part- half the price (if not more) you might pay somewhere else! Okay, so it isn’t as “cute” as some of the other places, but tastes just as good (if not better). I can treat myself and my two boys for under $5! Gotta love that! Another great thing, the simplicity of sitting in a booth and watching the cars drive by outside. Sometimes we are so busy looking for the newest “thing” that we forget how simple it is to sit there with your kids, slow down and enjoy!

What we would change: No complaints from us. If I had to think of one, the parking lot can be crowded. Be careful when crossing to get inside! Haven’t tried the Playplace locations yet- would be interested in hearing about those.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/websites.html

Click on Location tab for nearest restaurant. It will provide details including availability of a Playplace.

August Giveaway-A Little Cleaning Help

It's here!  At long last, our August giveaway has arrived, and this one is the perfect thing for all of our busy moms.  I always get done at the end of a busy day wrangling toddlers and look around at my cluttered house not wanting to do all of the cleaning that needs to be done-from picking up kids' toys to scrubbing various sticky surfaces, there's always more cleaning to do.  That's why we're so excited about the August giveaway.  Tangerine Clean, one of the local businesses listed on our own local business directory is giving away one two-hour cleaning session valued at $120 dollars!  Tangerine Clean is a locally owned, natural home cleaning cooperative that specializes in cleaning your house using natural cleaning methods.  You can read all about their business on their website.


To win this fabulous giveaway, simply post a comment on this post on blogger or facebook.  Don't forget, you can gain up to 3 extra entries by becoming our fan on facebook, blogger, and twitter and letting us know in your comment.  You have until midnight on Friday August 12 to enter! 


Just think of a beautiful clean house that didn't have to be cleaned by you! 

Cary Towne Center

What it is: On a hot day, one of the best ways for us to get out of the heat has been to check out one of our nearby malls.  Recently, we wanted to visit a new one, so we ventured a little further afield and went to Cary Towne Center.  The feel of the mall reminded me a lot of Durham's Northgate Mall, except that this one had far more shopping.  They had a very small play area at one end next to a few coin operated vehicles you could ride on and a carousel.  The center area of the mall has one of the jump stations where you can purchase a ticket for your child to be harnessed in to some bungis and jump as high as they can.  The mall was interspersed with candy vending machines, and another side of the mall had a larger collection of the coin operated vehicles. 


What we liked:  We liked the carousel and other small kid friendly amusements, and there was a large selection of stores if we needed to shop for anything.  It's a nice change of pace if you need a new place to wander.

What we would change: The play area was VERY small, so there wasn't enough to keep the kids occupied for very long.

Website and other important information: 

Website:  http://www.shopcarytownecentermall.com/

Address: 1105 Walnut St., Suite 200, Cary, NC 27511

Phone Number:  919.467.0145

Hours: Monday thru Saturday: 10:00am - 9:00pm, Sunday: 12:00pm-6:00pm

Photos:

 1. One of the coin-operated vehicle stations

 2. Small play area

 3. Small vending machine

4. Carousel

Birthdays at Bull City Craft

What it is: Bull City Craft is a craft store that also offers activities for all ages, including drop-in crafts and playcraft. We've always had fun crafting there, and are limited for space at home, so we booked it for my daughter's 3rd birthday party. They provide space, decorations, plates/cups/napkins/utensils, and the activity, which can be tailored to the child and the guests, plus 1 1/2 hours of time (or 2 hours for older kids) for the craft and refreshments.

What we liked: We had a wonderful time! And so did our guests! And it was so easy! And the price was reasonable! We worked with Jessica, the co-owner, to come up with a party plan that would keep a group of 3-year-olds happy for about 45 minutes of crafting time, and ended up with beaded bracelets and mix-your-own playdough. She also provied crayons to color on the paper that was covering the table. My daughter loved both crafts and, from what I saw, so did the other kids--whose personalities are quite diverse. A store employee helped out the whole time, which really made the transitions from one activity to the next quite easy. There was even a comfy couch for parents to hang out on if they wanted to. And each child got to take home their bracelet, the playdough they mixed, and a balloon. In addition, my daughter got to bring home a personlized canvas that each child traced their handprint onto during the party.

What we didn't like: Honestly, I don't think I'd change anything. I supposed I could see this as more of a girly party than a boyish party as kids get older, but even then I bet Jessica could come up with something that everyone would enjoy.

Information:

http://bullcitycraft.com/arts-crafts/parties

Photos:  

(The birthday party setup)