Kids love Music

It is true, kids love music.

Best Semi-Homemade Cornbread Reccipe

I know anything made from scratch usually tastes better but, I like I have that kind of time?  Thankfully, not everything great has to be made from scratch

Safety Town

Safety Town is

Legoland Discovery Place

We recently visited the new Legoland Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta & had a great time.  My Sis-In-Law & nephew were visiting from Fla for 12 days & we had to keep them entertained w/fun activities.  Thankfully, they've never been to the Legoland Amusement Park in Fla or this might have been a terrible idea! My 5 yr old, Cameron & I went with my SIL & nephew, Christian, who is 9 yrs old on a Friday right after July 4.  We left Emily behind with my Mom watching her because I had heard that it wasn't too great for young toddlers. Also, I figured as long as we were going to Phipps Plaza, we might as well enjoy a nice lunch too & that coupled with the long drive would be too much for Emily who needs an early afternoon nap.  We figured going on a weekday, we'd be safe as far as crowds but, apparently a lot of people were off the rest of the week after the 4th so, wrong we were!  It was still really crowded but, we had $10 off coupons so, it made it a little more worth it!  One of the neatest things there is the mini-city of Atlanta.  It was so fun to look around at the Braves Stadium & various buildings & area attractions all made out of Legos.  Totally cool!  It even had a Marta train that ran around the city.  Some things had buttons you could push that made attractions do various things. The kids really liked this too.  The kids also loved the 4D movie which has water that sprays at you at various points & it even snows on you- cool!  It was really neat.  The kids also liked the ride where you ride in a car (4 people p/car) thru tunnels (like a Disney-type ride) & you have guns that shoot at laser targets when you're going thru.  Also, there's a ride that looks like a carnival ride w/arms that have little 2-person things that go up & down as they spin.  They have pedals and supposedly the more you pedal, the higher you go.  I didn't find that to be the case but, then again, I had a kid next to me (my own) who couldn't really reach the pedals!  Anyway, that ride was kind of neat.  They also have a small factory tour at the beginning but, nothing special.  They have small pits of Lego/Duplos around each of the attractions so that if there is a wait in line, the kids can build & play.  I thought that was cool.  More places should think of that!  They also had a big "McDonalds" type of play area w/ball pit & stuff toothat the kids can take their shoes off & go in & play in.  There are a couple of other things there to do like make little cars to race but, it was too busy when we were there.  They have a cafe to eat in but, I was looking forward to having lunch at a "real" restaurant.  We did end up having a great lunch at a place called "Twist" right there at the mall.  Great food, great atmosphere & they had a kids menu too.  There is also a "Johnny Rockets" right outside the Lego place so, I'm sure kids would enjoy that. I was surprised to find that the Legoland place was actually right there inside the mall.  I guess I thought it would be adjacent to the mall or something.  Unusual but, neat.  The caveat is, you have little kids w/you so, you can't really get much shopping done at this posh mall!    Overall, it was definitely worth it if you have $10 off coupons but, w/out a discount (kids 3-12 $16 & adults $20), not so much.

Fun & Different New Local Park

So, I've been checking out all of the new local parks so, that my kids have more options in our area for different kinds of play.  One of the latest is called "Caney Park Preserve" (off Caney Rd., off 141 in Cumming).  This is a neat park with different nature themed play areas grouped together. They also have walking trails and a dog park as well as a picninc pavillion & restrooms.  I went w/my 2 yr old & 5 yr old & my visiting Sister-in-Law & 9 yr old nephew.  The 2 boys had a great time climbing the giant rope spider web.  The kids also liked the water feature that is basically rocks that you climb on with a water stream running down the middle of it & it's enircled by sand.  The kids can play in the water & sand (yes, it's kind of messy). We didn't really let them play much in this part because I didn't dare mess up my new car that I had only had for about a week!  They also have giant ants that kids can climb on but, they're just like giant stepping stones so, who cares?  They have a "Dinosaur Dig" area with pretend (permanent) fossils sticking out of the sand.  Since we brought our sand toys, the kids had fun playing in the sand.  I will say this park is best for 3 or 4 yrs old & up (not much to keep a young toddler occupied).  Of course little Emily tried to keep up with the big kids anyway.  Unfortunately, like most parks in our area, there's not a lot of shade but, the Dinosaur Dig area did have some shade from the trees.  The playground has a very woodsy surrounding & I'm sure the trails must be nice but, we didn't go on them this time.  I'll have to report more later after another visit.  My adice would be to bring sunscreen ( & maybe bugspray, depending on when you go) and sand toys.  I liked it because it was different but, I think 2 yr old Emily was missing the slides or swings that are at most playgrounds.