THINGS TO DO IN PHILADELPHIA WITH KIDS

August 27, 2018
I am always looking for fun things to do with the kids and this past spring we drove down to Philadelphia to check out Spruce Street Harbor... except it hadn't opened yet so we weren't able to enjoy the food truck fun. But I kept it in mind knew I wanted to return this year before summer ended. So I booked a hotel and we drove down to Philly with the kids and you guys, we had the best time.

I wanted to do as much as we could in 2 days so I had a must do list. If you are like me and love to explore new cities keep on reading on where we went and what we did in 2 short days and how you can enjoy Philadelphia with kids as much as we did. 


If your child loves dinosaurs and animals in general, head here! We loved it and what's best? When we visited they had "Dinos after dark" and a beer garden for the adults! It was great and the kids LOVED the dinosaur exhibit. They even have a butterfly exhibit and we saw the coolest butterfly; an owl butterfly... 






Logan Square is a must. The gorgeous architecture that surrounds the Logan Circle is beyond stunning. The Free Library of Philadelphia is such a stunning building. You guys, the architecture in Philadelphia is truly stunning.

After you visit The Academy of Natural Sciences cross the street over to Swann Memorial Fountain. The fountain represents Philly's waterways: the Delaware, Schuylkill and Wissahickon. It was such a beautiful day! And as the cheesy mom that I am, it made my day to see Ben run right over to the fountain and take his shoes off without a thought to jump right in the water! Emme as the shadow little sister that she is, followed him. It filled this corny-mom-heart with the biggest joy. It was probably my favorite part of the trip. And yes, I did jump in!!! It was a perfect moment that I'll never forget. 




Penn's Landing is so nice to visit with kids and without. I love that they have summer concerts, food trucks and so many fun and such a visually pleasing atmosphere overlooking the Delaware River. Well in the summer, the popular ice skating rink turns into Summerfest. Summeriest is so fun! You can find a merry-go-round, carnival games, mini golf and a skating rink alongside some delicious restaurants and a fun ferris wheel. We loved it! 




Also on the Delaware River Waterfront, you'll find Spruce Street Harbor which runs from May 11 right through September 30 and it quickly became a fave in our family. We really can't wait to go back. From the cool and colorful hammock and lounge chairs, to the duck boat rides and kayaking and the delicious guacamole at Distrito, this is a must visit. One for the things we loved most were the net lounges right on the water and the kids games behind the colorful lounge chairs. From the food trucks to the beer garden... you guys have to check it out if you plan visit Philadelphia! 








So I have to confess.... having kids and roadtrippin' can get really unpredictable, real fast. On our last day in Philly we had to go back home because Emme didn't feel well. It sucked because we were on the way to the Philadelphia Zoo so we didn't make it. I've been wanting to visit the zoo so I was a little bummed out but the kids are first priority. So we will make our way to the famous Philadelphia Zoo next time:) It's a must on your itinerary if you are making your way down to Philly with the kids. Check out more about the zoo and events here. You'll love it just like I do. Maybe we'll go back for Octobearfest;)

HOW TO GET AROUND? 

We got around via Phlash which is a bus line that takes you to main points of the city such as the Philadelphia Zoo, Penn's Landing, Benjamin Franklin Museum, One Liberty Observation Deck and so many more landmark sites. You can literally get all around Philadelphia's best spots by riding on this bus. And it's just $5 for an all-day pass!



We really loved and enjoyed our little road trip. The kids love staying in hotels and we love road tripping. It's so nice to sight see and learn new things about states and cities right here in the US. I love that the kids get to learn a little history and also make so many beautiful memories. 

If you plan to visit, check out Visit Philly for all the information you need. That's where I got all my info and itinerary ideas. Till next trip you guys! 
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BEN'S LASER TAG PARTY

August 13, 2018
This past weekend we celebrated Ben's 7th birthday and it was everything I envisioned and then some. Earlier this year Ben had mentioned he wanted a laser tag party and he's such a good and kind boy that I wanted to give him just that because he deserves it. So I Google'd "laser tag parties" and found Kidoolo Play Club, a super cool spot in Springfield, NJ. Whenever I like places for my kids' parties I, of course, visit the spot and decide then. Well as soon as I walked in to Kidoolo I was convinced. I love how clean and pleasing to the eye the space is and how welcoming Trish was. 
 
After touring the space and talking about details, we booked a laser tag and video game package. When I tell you this was the least stressful party of my 7 years of mom life, I am not exaggerating. All I was asked to bring on the day of the party was the cake. But of course, being the detailed oriented person I am, I did bring in a couple of little decor items to spruce things up a little. If you are looking for a cool laser tag place to host your next kids party, check out Kidoolo, tell them I sent you;) 

We decided to do an all boys party and invited Ben's closest school friends a 3 cousins. They had the BEST time. They started off with 30 minutes of video games followed by 3 games of laser tag. Ben was in heaven and the party assistant made life so easy for me. She was wonderful, so nice and patient with all the boys. 

Here are some pics from the day of the party. The laser tag room is modeled after Manhattan which I thought was so cool. I booked the Golden Package which included pizzas, juices and favors for each kid. I brought Ben's favorite chocolate cake from Wegman's and the party went on without a hitch. I even had 2 moms inquire about booking their next parties there. Everyone thought the space was super cool and honestly, I felt like Mom of the Year that day... oh the little things in life. 


How cool is this dinosaur birthday cake topper? It's acrylic and I got it at Etsy! Thank God for Etsy! 
ps: this is Ben's third dinosaur birthday party lol


I purchased these Jurassic World PDF tags from Etsy (printed at home) and added them to the favor bags which were included in my party package. Each child received a hatching dinosaur and giant rainbow lollipop in the bag. 
(I got Ben's Jurassic World t-shirt at Target and mine at Forever 21.)

I can't believe my baby boy is 7! He is such an amazing kid, honestly and I am so happy to be able to celebrate 7 years of a healthy life for him. He didn't stop thanking me for his party this weekend and as he says to me every year... "This was the best party ever!". He always makes me feel like the best mom! Emme on the other hand was a little jealous this year... she kept asking about her "baby dinosaur party"... we have a good 4 months to start planning hers! Where will we celebrate her big 4? I don't know but I'm sure it'll be a cute spot perfect for her age as well. 

For more information on how you can book a laser tag and/or video game party,  check out Kidoolo's website and all their amazing party packages here. 
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