Many of you have asked what a day in my life looks like. Probably a lot like yours with some shifting hours. I’m up at 2 a.m. working until 8 or 9 in the morning. Then, I switch off with my husband.
He does breakfast with the kids and then I take over. Ryan is generally home about an hour before my bedtime. Our schedules are great for us both getting alone time with the boys, but we are passing ships in the night.
Most days the boys and I have to get out of the house. When the weather is a little nicer, it's easy to do because we have a couple of different parks within walking distance. On those days we love visiting John Venezia splash pad and taking advantage of all the hiking around us.
But when winter sets in we go absolutely stir crazy. My kids are young and don't make it far in the car. Plus Rhett still takes a nice, long nap in the middle of the day so we like to stay fairly close to the house. I've found some indoor places that I love to visit because they are either free or low cost and close by.
FREE
Public library
We usually make it to the library once a week. They have awesome "mommy and me" programs. The Pikes Peak Library District location near our house has a lot of different play areas for the kids and obviously tons of new books. My kids are obsessed with reading right now! Link: Pikes Peak Library District
Focus on the Family
If you have not been here you need to go check it out. What an awesome place we discovered. The lower level in their welcome area is a giant kids playground. They have obstacle courses, a three-story slide, movie room, puppet theater, birthday themed party rooms... I could go on. My kids never get bored going here! Plus, if you have older kids the good news is it was designed for a wide variety of ages and my kids never get bored of this place. There is also a place you can grab lunch, a snack or ice cream right next to one of the adventure rooms. Plus, a bonus for mom's -- their gift shop is amazing!
Chic-fil-A
This is always a win with kids. They have a cute play area inside where you can watch your kids through the glass while you work or eat. I always meet the nicest people there and the kids love the food. Plus, it runs them right out of energy before nap time.
Barnes and Noble
We go here occasionally to check out the book sales and play with the puppets, train table and in the toy area. It's always a nice, low-key place to take the kids where they can have some calm play time.
The Chapel Hills Mall
I haven't checked out the play area upstairs that costs money. We've only stuck to the soft-play area. I would like to say it's easy to sit and watch the kids, but they love running between that and the coin-operated cars and games right outside of the play area. So I'm often worn out when we leave here too.
Poor Richards bookstore
When we venture downtown this is my favorite spot to go as a family. I love their coffee and all the old school toys they carry. The kids love their reading area and of course all the aisles filled with toys that they can test out.
LOW COST
Little Monkey Bizness
This is Maverick's favorite place in the world. He loves that he has free reign to run around, jump in the bouncy house and climb up a pretty intricate obstacle course. It's small enough that I can see him from anywhere and there are always tons of kids there for him to make friends with. I also love that we can come back after nap time. Once you pay, it covers the full day.
Lost Island Mini Golf
We recently discovered the indoor play place at Lost Island off N Academy near Dublin. It's a massive ball pit with a climbing area, slides and trampolines. The staff was super friendly. It's pay by the hour, but at my kids ages an hour is about all we can handle so we will definitely be going back.
House of Bounce
This is where we go when the cousins come to visit, because again we can go before and after nap time and it is so nice for running down their energy levels. They have a perfect play area for Rhett to run around on his own and Maverick has now mastered all the big slides.
AND THEN THERE'S...
Target
Obviously my place of choice and I am training my kids to love it too. Target is totally catered toward parents. We can grab our coffee and let the kids play in the open area near the toys when they need a break from shopping. I still don't know why they have not cashed in on the idea of hiring a few babysitters in the toy aisles where we can just drop the kids and grab our groceries. Parents would pay big bucks for a little along time through the store!
If you have questions about how I'm able to handle a busy work and home life, join my Facebook Group - Brie and Baby Three to get involved in the conversation. You can also reach me on my Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram. Or email if you prefer - brie.groves@koaa.com. If you're looking for more vlog content, check out KOAA News5 on your favorite streaming device, here's how.
